The enemy [Part 1]
“Shit, where the hell is Dumbledore when you need him?!” Skull hissed.
”And we can’t rely on the animals to help, since they’re ‘helping’ in the maze,” Reborn said.
”We’ve checked his office, the Champions room, the maze, infirmary, with the other judges, but he’s gone!” Skull cried. “There’s only an half and hour till the third task starts, and the Trophy is probably already a portkey by now!”
The two glanced at each other, their face grim.
”...we’re gonna have to go into that maze, aren’t we?” Skull asked.
”If you want to save the Potter brat from near certain doom, yes,” Reborn said.
”...come on, I know a way in,” Skull said and took off running again.
On the way, they checked to see if Dumbledore was in any of the places they passed, but in the end they ended up at the emergency exit without any luck. Skull took a breath.
”Right, we have five minutes, maybe less, till the Champions start. We have to get to the Portkey before any of them manage to get to the centre first. However-”
”-we’ll have to face any opponents that try to stop us, correct? Let’s go, Lackey, before we waste any more time,” Reborn said grimly. Skull nodded and waved his wand. The side of the hedge split open and the two slipped in quietly, without anyone noticing.
SOME TIME LATER, WITH CEDRIC AND HARRY...
Harry had just gotten past the Sphinx, when things started to go haywire. The Triwizard Cup was just up ahead, but Cedric was racing towards it, faster than Harry could catch up. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw something climbing over the hedge. He paled.
”Cedric!” he roared. “On your left!”
Cedric dodged the giant spider just in time and shot a bolt of red light towards it. Harry joined in.
”Stupefy!” Harry yelled along with Cedric. Nothing happened. The spider jerked and flinched, but that was it. Harry’s heart sank into his stomach.
”Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!” Harry yelled. Distantly, he heard Cedric calling various other spells too. However, it was no good the spider was either too large or too magical for the spells to do anything but aggravate it.
Cedric and Harry were standing side by side now, until the spider lunged forward and grasped Harry’s leg and pulled him away. He heard Cedric yelling, could hear himself yelling. With the last remaining sense of reason in his hand he aimed his wand at the spider’s pincers and yelled, “Expelliarmus!”
It worked, thankfully. The spider dropped him. However, that also meant Harry fell twelve feet to the ground beneath him on his injured leg, which crumpled beneath him. Without pausing to think, (he distantly heard Reborn’s voice in his head saying ‘most creatures, magical of non-magical, have a weak chink in their armour. Find it, and you’re good,’ then he heard Skull. ‘Most creatures, if they have armour, have their underbelly exposed. Don’t ask why, they just do’. Boy, was Harry glad he listened during their classes now), he aimed his wand and yelled “Stupefy!”
He heard Cedric yell the same thing too. The two spells combined, and did what single spells couldn’t. The spider fell sideways and into a nearby hedge, it’s legs strewing across the path.
”Harry!” he heard Cedric yell. “You all right? Did it fall on you?”
”No! Damn... am I glad I listened in Skull and Reborn’s classes now,” he muttered as Cedric drew closer. The older boy gave him a small, tired grin.
”Yea, me too,” he said. They both looked the Cup, standing not a meter away.
”...take it, then,” Harry said. “Go on, take it. You’re there, aren’t you?”
However, Cedric didn’t move. He just... stood there, looking at Harry, then at the Cup, and back to Harry again. Then he took a deep breath and shook his head.
”No, you take it. You should win. That’s twice you’ve saved my neck in here,” he said, stepping away from the Cup.
”That’s not how it works,” Harry said flatly. “The one who reaches the Cup first gets the points. That’s you. I’m telling you, Cedric, I’m not going to be winning any races here on this leg.”
Cedric shook his head, and moved even further away. Harry groaned. “Stop being noble, just take it. Then we can all get out of here.”
”You told me about the dragons,” he said hotly. “I would’ve failed the first task if you hadn’t told me.”
”I had help on that too,” Harry snapped. “You helped me with the egg, we’re square.”
”I had help on the egg in the first place,” Cedric said.
”Still square,” Harry said, testing his leg. It shook violently. He’d sprained his ankle when he’d landed.
”You should’ve gotten more points on the second task. You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should’ve done that.”
”I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously! Just take the damned Cup already, Cedric!”
”No.”
The two stared at each other. Both stubborn idiots. Harry sighed.
”...together, then,” he said.
”What?”
”We’ll take it at the same time. It’s still a Hogwarts victory. We’ll tie for it.”
”You... you sure?” Cedric asked.
”Yea. Yeah, we’ve helped each other out, haven’t we? We both got here. Let’s just take it together.
Cedric just stared at Harry for a second, then his face broke into a wide grin.
”You’re on. Come here.”
He grabbed Harry’s arm and helped him limp towards the Cup. They stood on either side of the Cup, a hand hovering near each handle.
”On three then,” Harry said. “One- two-”
However, just as he was about to say three, there was a loud- “DON’T!” and two figures lunged towards them. Too late. Harry and Cedric’s hand wrapped around the handles. However, in the split second it took the Portkey to activate, Skull and Reborn grasped the edge of the Cup.
Then the four were yanked off their feet and pulled to God knows where.
POV SWITCH...
Skull felt his feet slam into the ground and he cursed. They were too late. Cedric and Harry had been faster than they’d expected.
”What- what’s going on?” Cedric asked.
”Someone enchanted the Cup,” Skull said darkly, helping Harry up. “Turned it into a Portkey. Reborn and I realised it, but couldn’t find Dumbledore anywhere we looked. We took matters into our own hands. Wands out, kids. Gun for you, Reborn.”
They did as told, and Reborn looked into the darkness.
”Someone’s coming,” he murmured.
Squinting, the other three looked into the dark. Whoever the person was, he was short, and wearing a hooded cloak pulled over his head to obscure his face. Several paces nearer, Skull saw that the thing in the person’s arms looked like a baby... or was merely a bundle of rags?
Suddenly, Harry collapsed onto his knees, holding his forehead. Skull cursed, and they all heard a voice say, “Kill the spares.”
”Move!” Reborn roared, grabbing Harry and lunging behind a gravestone. Skull did the same with Cedric, and a flash of green light bypassed them narrowly.
The crack of a gunshot filled the air and there was a scream of pain and blood. The short figure stumbled back and his hood fell off. Skull’s eyes widened, and Harry and he both said at the same time- “You!”
Skull’s rage soared and purple flames flickered across his hands. Then Peter Pettigrew gave a wail and raised wand.
”Accio Potter!”
Harry helped as he was wrenched from Reborn, and a wand pressed against his throat. Skull felt like murder. He leapt up from his hiding spot, pushing Cedric down as the boy tried to do the same.
”You!” Skull yelled, taking a step forward and Peter flinched. “Pettigrew! I knew something was wrong with you! I knew it! A Gryffindor? Pah! You make me sick!”
”Who... is this... Wormtail...?” a voice hissed.
“I- I don’t know, My Lord,” Pettigrew whimpered. “We have never met!”
Skull gave a bark of laughter, his eyes glowing with anger. Flames flickered across his skin.
”Never met! Never met! Oh, I see why you wouldn’t recognise me, Pettigrew! I’ve changed, haven’t I?! Well, now do you remember me?! You goddamn son of a bitch?!”
Skull’s hair turned black, and his figure grew two centimetres shorter. His pale skin turned a little darker, but not so dark. His purple eyes grew wider, and his nose a little smaller. Pettigrew whimpered.
”You’re dead! You’re supposed to be dead!”
”I’m not so easy to kill, bastard. Rigel Artemis Black, however, is indeed dead. But I was reborn again. And I’m gonna fucking kill you!”
Pettigrew whimpered, pressing his wand into Harry’s throat and Skull halted, growling. “Always were a coward, Peter.”
Wormtail took a shuddering breath and pulled Harry back with him towards a tombstone, and Skull, Reborn and Cedric could do nothing but watch.