Chapter 13

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Chapter 13

 

“You should have been in Slytherin, Albus.”  Harry said.  “I know what you did.  I know you talked the Sorting Hat out of it.  You’re pathetic and afraid.”  My mouth fell open.  What was happening?  “Sometimes I sit at home and wonder why I got a son like you.  Why can’t you be more like your brother?  He has a future.  He didn’t have to pull any strings to reach where he was, he didn’t have to use his fame.  I know what you did.”  Harry’s face was dead serious.  Suddenly, Harry became Ginny.

“Don’t listen to your father, Albus.  He’s got all the wrong reasons to be ashamed of you.  The real reason is that you’re useless and not good at anything.  At least James and Lilly have someplace to go, they have skills.  Who are you, Albus Potter?  Who do you think you are?  Do you think mummy is proud of you?  Tri Wizard tournament?  Big deal, you’re so pathetic you’ll probably get yourself and Sophie killed.  Why can’t you just be more like your father?  Or at least more like your brother?  Why if I-“  And then it hit me.  Albus hadn’t been honest with me.  I stepped up to the Boggart and raised my wand.

“RIDICULOUS.”  I said, loudly as I could.  Ginny blasted back and I grabbed Al, who had tears in his eyes.

“They were so real.”

“Except that they weren’t.”  I grabbed his hand.  “Come on, we have to move.”

We made it through the dark for a full five minutes before anything else emerged.  There was a low growl and suddenly a huge cat pounced on me.  It looked like Mrs. Norris, Filch’s cat, but six times the normal size of a cat. It hissed in my face.  I shoved it off and staggered to my feet.  Suddenly, ghosts surrounded us.  Understand that it is not painful to walk through a ghost, but it is incredibly uncomfortable, and also rude.  As they moved through the cloud of darkness, I saw a glint of light.  The cat had scratched me, and a drop of blood spiraled down my cheek, giving me chills.  The ghosts started dive-bombing us then.  I decided to run though them toward the light, dragging Al in tow.  We dodged them to the best of our ability, but I felt cold mist after cold mist come over me.  I raced in the direction I’d seen the light.  We reached it to see a door.  I touched the handle, and the handle twisted to grab me back.  My hand was stuck in the metal and I screamed.

“Soph?”  Al turned, but he saw something.  “Oh my god, SOPH!”  I turned to see what he was looking at.  There was a man with a Death-Eater mask coming our way, he held an axe in his hand.  Cold laughter surrounded us.  “We’re cornered!”  He shouted, his wand shaking.  My wand hand was currently caught in the door.

“Run, Al!”  I shouted, trying to rip my hand loose.  “RUN!”  But he wouldn’t listen.  HE shot spells at the mechanical Death-Eater, who moved closer and closer.  Something wet and hot was spilling into my shoes.  I screamed again.  To my left, the walls were closing in and the air was becoming stuffy.  “AL MOVE!”  I grabbed my wand from my trapped right hand and used it with my left, shooting a powerful but poorly aimed stunning spell at the creature.  It fell back a couple of steps as I tried a few charms on the door.  Al ran at the Death Eater and started to use his fists.  I was left alone to try and open the door.  I twisted my hand this way and that, yanking and pulling for all I was worth.  I illuminated my wand and looked as far as I could around the door for some clue.  The liquid covering my feet and filling up my shoes was officially up to my ankles.  Would we drown in whatever it was?  Was it my imagination?  A hand grabbed my shoulder and I froze.  “Al?”

The hand moved slowly across my shoulders and down my back.  I went to hit whatever it was, but my elbow bounced off of something I couldn’t see, and my fist got stuck to the door, now I had nothing.  I realized then what I was truly afraid of.

Helplessness.

“RIDICULOUS.”  I screamed, even though my wand was clenched in my fist, which was glued to the door.  It was useless, whatever it was continued to run its hand down my back and across my shoulders.  I attempted to kick back at it, but hit nothing and managed to put strain on my stuck hands, tearing something in my arm.  My mind raced.  This was a test.  The tournament in itself was a test.  To get out alive, you had to pass it.

So how to you pass a test of fear?

It was obvious, I scolded myself for not being able to see it.

You conquer your fears.

 

I tried to communicate this to Al, but the hand on my back had a friend joining in, and I was afraid of risking a third.  I forced myself to relax, even though every ounce of my body was screaming for me to get out of there.  I forced myself to succumb to the helplessness, to sit it out.  With my own fears overtaking me, the liquid up to my knees, I realized that I could hear Al screaming.  I could only imagine what it was.  As something in my stomach crawled from the hands at my back, I could only manage to scream, “AL!  AL YOU HAVE TO BEAT IT!  CONQUER YOUR FEAR!”  I then completely let myself give in to the sickness growing in my stomach, and the helplessness at my back.  The hot liquid started flowing as the door opened and I escaped.  I found myself in the Great Hall, covered in red.  Everyone was staring at me.  Applause broke out, but I couldn’t think of anything but Al, stuck back under the trap door I’d just emerged from.  I tried to dive back in, but hands held me back.

“He must come forth on his own.”  The massive Viking headmaster from Durmstrang said, his accent thick.  “You cannot help him now.”  I felt myself screaming, but I couldn’t hear it.  Would he be all right?  What was happening down there?  Suddenly the room seemed very crowded, and there were people everywhere, their arms restraining me, their hands all over me, their heat covering me.  I looked up to see that the Viking headmaster’s eyes had turned red.  I was still doing the task!  I let myself be dragged down, let the heat of their bodies cover me, and tried not to scream.  Somehow, I was in a tunnel all of the sudden.  I started walking all alone.  There was a light at the end.  Once it came into sight, I started running.  I ran until my breath gave out and then ran longer, but the Tunnel never seemed to end.  I couldn’t hear Al screaming any more.  Had I left him behind?  I tried to turn around but there was something behind me.  It was short, and human-looking.  It had deep, completely black eyes, and long, white hair.  I looked forward.  The only way to beat this was to keep walking without being afraid, to force myself not to break into a run. 

I tried to force down the panic shoving its way up my throat.  My stomach churned, and my feet begged me to move.  Every inch of me was shaking.  I wanted to look back, but I knew it would still be there.  It was still there.  I could hear it.  No, wait, there was no sound.  Even my feet weren’t making noise.  I focused in on that and kept walking, even though I felt like I was getting nowhere.  I forced my eyes forward, forced my feet to move.  Panic threatened to overtake me.  My brain stopped working, I could think of nothing but the need to turn around, to see if it was still following.  I kept my head forward for as long as I could, but something in me snapped.  I turned around, just for a second, to find the creature right behind me.  It grabbed me, slamming me on the ground.  Screams escaped my throat, ripping my vocal chords.  I shoved it and kicked, using whatever spells I could think of.  The thing’s weight was too heavy, my breath came small, but my screams didn’t stop.  It had claws, and fangs, and it was tearing at me.  What could I do?  Could I do anything?  I shoved and pushed, but it felt like a rock was pressing into my chest.  Suddenly, I thought of one more spell, the most obvious for this situation, but fear had blocked it out.

“RIDICULOUS!  RIDICOULOUS!  RIDICULOUS!  RIDICULOUS!”  I screamed, waving my wand.  The thing was blasted off me several times and I raced toward the end of the tunnel, suddenly free to move.  I dove through the opening full of light and found myself in the Great Hall.  I kept my wand up, pointing it at anyone who came near me.  This could be another rouse, I might not be free.  Thunderous applause filled the hall as  my wand hand shook.  McGonagall came toward me with a smile, but I raised my wand at her.

“Sophie, dear.”  She looked hurt.  “It’s over.  Put that down.”

“Prove it!”  I squeaked, my voice breaking.  There was blood on my pant legs.  There was blood on my hands.  It was real, it was all real.

“Well I-“

“Where’s Al?”  I demanded.

“He’s right behind you.”  She said.  I turned to see him, blood covering his legs and hands as well, along with several scrapes along his face.  I walked over, my wand pointed at him.  He did not raise his own wand.

“Are you real?”  I demanded.

“Yes.”  He replied, his eyes sincere.  I could tell they were his, no task creators could duplicate them.  “Sophie, calm down.  We’ve won.”  I lowered my wand slightly.

“Prove it.”  I demanded for the second time in less than a minute.  The applause had died down completely, everyone was watching.

“When we were at The Burrow, I kissed you in a broom closet.”  He said.  I dropped my wand and turned to McGonagall.

“We’ve won?”

“Yes, dear.”  She replied.  “You’re out.”  I nodded and went to take a step forward, maybe to go into a bathroom and clean myself off, but as I did, the world went black and I wondered if I was down in the dungeons again.

 

I woke up in my own clothes with Al next to me… Again.  The events of the second task filled my head and I curled up.  What had I done?  I’d made fools of us both.

“I’m sorry…” I said.  His hand found mine.

“‘Bout what?”

“Making you say that stuff in front of everyone…”

“That’s all right.”  His thumb massaged the back of my hand.  “Hey, look at me, it’s over.  And I heard what you said.  I’d still be down there if it weren’t for you.”  He looked me in the eye.  “thank you, Sophie.”

I tried to smile and failed.  “So how did the others do?”

“Well. We’re tied with the Beauxbatons girls for first.”

“We could take this.”  I said, suddenly imagining the both of us holding the cup.

“We could.”  There was silence as we imagined it.

“That wasn’t real blood.”  Al said.  “It was fake, I asked.”  He changed the subject.

“Good…” I sighed.  “That would be disgusting.”

“It would… Are you ready to check out of here, now?”  Al asked.

“Yeah.  I’ve had enough of the hospital wing.”

“We have another Quidditch match tonight.  You’ve been out for a while.  Do you think you can play?”  He asked as we walked out, holding hands.

“Yes.”  I said.  The Gryffindor team was much better this year.  We’d won almost every game.  We were sure to win the House Cup this year and next.  I was frequently called out for my Keeper skills, which had sharpened over my years of dedicated practice.  Al had become one of the best Seekers Hogwarts had ever seen, and Wizarding pro teams were already seeking him out.  He was still thinking about it, though I’m not sure why.  If a pro team even considered me, I would say yes.  But hey, that’s just me.

 

We won the game 230 to 70.  It was a long match, and Ravenclaw went home disappointed.  We had one more game before the final task.  I was terrified.  I spent nights awake for a while, afraid of seeing anything from in the dungeons when I closed my eyes.  I was only just able to sleep when our second match came.  We won by 40 points when Al caught the snitch.  I now had four days before the final Task.  Harry had written Al and I a letter so say he’d be attending with Ron and Hermionie, and of course Ginny.  That didn’t really help my nerves.  The Quidditch field was off limits after our game, meaning that they were building something there.  Al and I had talked, but it was awkward, we generally avoided talking about the third task.  I grew more and more distant as it came.

“Why don’t you talk any more?”  He demanded one night.

“Because I’m thinking, Al.  I have a lot to think about.”  I said, snappier than I’d meant.

“Are you saying I don’t?”

“No.  I deal with things differently than you do.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, Al… Just…” I was at a loss for words.  I didn’t want to fight.  “I’m going to bed.”  I sighed.

“Good night, Sophia.”

“Good night, Albus.”  I didn’t look back.

 

When the third task finally came about, we were still on bad terms, barely speaking, but still friends.  Rose had asked endless questions, trying to figure out how to fix us or whatever it was she wanted to do.  But she couldn’t help.  I was growing distant and he was growing cold.  Nerves do different things to different people.  So we just avoided each other entirely, and went about our separate ways.

Little did we know that once the third task had begun, we would need each other more than ever.

Author's Note

Tell me what you thought! If you kept reading this far, you are officially a ninja of awesomeness :) You probably ride unicorns through Narnia in your spare time, thats how awesome you are ;)