That night, a week before the third task, Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Madam Maxime and Cornelius Fudge led the champions down to the Quidditch pitch. Or what used to be the Quidditch pitch.

The four champions (mostly Rosalyn and Cedric, wondering what they would play Quidditch on next year) goggled at it. Where the pitch would have been was a number of tall, thick, bushy hedges formed to make a maze. It was massive, covering the whole area, and there was no doubt about it. This was the third task.

"Ah, so you've seen it!" Said Fudge rather excitedly. "Now, I take it that you've guessed what this is-"

"You're sending us in zere?" Krum asked bluntly. "Is zis the third task?"

"Yes, yes!" Fudge said, still smiling.

Rosalyn asked. "So what's happening next year? What about Quidditch?"

"Don't worry, you'll have your Quidditch pitch back next year, it's fine!" Fudge said again.

Rosalyn looked pointedly at Dumbledore, sick of Fudge answering everything. "Sir, will there be anything in the maze?"

"I shall tell you about that in due course, Rosalyn," Dumbledore answered calmly.

"So," Fudge took the spotlight back. "The third task is in a week. I would advise you to read up on some hexes and curses, even if they're just moderate. Does anybody else have any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. No.

"Okay, well, we'll see you here this time next week."

Everyone said goodbye and Rosalyn headed back up to the castle. She had no idea how she was going to survive this week. But once it was over, she would be glad.

Why am I worried? She asked herself. It's not like anyone's gonna die, after all.

However, she didn't realise that she was very, very wrong.

☆☆☆

A week had passed and it was the morning of the third task. Rosalyn was at breakfast with the rest of Gryffindor but, whilst they were tucking into bacon and sausages, she couldn't eat at all.

"Come on, Rosie," Seamus tapped Rosalyn on the shoulder.

"Yeah, you're gonna do great, but you have to eat something!" Harry said.

"Am I, though?" Rosalyn asked. "I... what- what if I-"

"You won't," Ron assured her, his mouth full of food. "Come on, we've got sausage-"

"No, thanks," Rosalyn said pointedly.

Hermione sat down beside her then and said. "Rosie, Professor McGonagall wants to see you, she's in the entrance hall."

"Why me?" Rosalyn asked.

"Well what would she want with us? You're the champion," Ron said, now on the bacon.

Rosalyn sighed and swung herself off the bench, walking out of the hall. She felt eyes on her as she walked, but she kept her head up and stopped herself from reacting. She eventually got to the entrance hall and saw McGonagall there with the other three champions. Gabrielle, Fleur's little sister, was also there.

"Now, now," she said rather hurriedly. "Champions, in a second, you are going to have some very special guests. Guests to watch the third task, now these guests-"

"Fleur! Gabrielle! Rosalie, darling!"

A couple with very blonde hair and pale skin came gliding into the hall. Krum, Cedric and Rosalyn looked at them weirdly and McGonagall looked quite put off. Fleur and Gabrielle, however, instantly kissed these two on the cheek and started a rush of "hellos" in French. Rosalie, meanwhile, also rushed to see her parents, grinning widely.

Rosalyn sighed, smiling in spite of herself.

McGonagall, meanwhile, was talking again. "Yes, yes, well, as you've probably figured out from that interruption, your special guests will be your family, and they're here to watch the third task."

Soon, Cedric had met his dad and Krum his parents. Rosalyn was sitting in McGonagall's office awaiting Molly and whoever else was coming.

She hadn't realised how nervous she was until now. She was biting her lip and she was shaking, her leg was bouncing up and down. Her eyes were glassy and all she could think about was the danger that lay ahead in the third task.

She was so distracted that she jumped round when she heard the door open. Molly took one look at her adopted daughter and said. "Rosalyn..."

Rosalyn jumped up into Molly's arms. "Are you alright?" She asked.

Rosalyn pulled back. "I'm fine."

"I wanted to come the moment I heard that your name had been chosen from that damned goblet," Molly said.

Her adoptive daughter smiled. "I wanted you to come, too."

"Charlie and Bill are here too, d'you wanna go down and see them?" Molly asked her gently.

Rosalyn smiled and nodded, and the two of them headed downstairs.

"There she is!" Bill, who had shoulder length red hair and a fang earring, shouted when he saw her. "School champion!"

Rosalyn smiled again. "Hi Bill, Charlie."

Charlie came forward. "That first task, the dragons, it's brilliant!"

Rosalyn was beaming now. Molly was happy to have cheered her up and they all went back into the hall. As soon as Ron saw them, he was confused yet happy. "Mum? Bill? Charlie? What are you doing here?"

"We're here to watch Rosalyn on the third task," said a beaming Molly.

So the four of them sat back on the benches and Rosalyn actually ate something this time. She listened more than talked, because Ron and Charlie were having a talk about dragons that she wanted to listen to, but then Bill leant over to her.

"Who's that boy that's over there with that champion? He keeps staring at you." Bill asked her. Rosalyn looked over and saw Tristan looking at her. Of course, his sister was best friends with Fleur, so obviously he would know her parents.

She sighed, "That's Tristan."

"Who?"

"Tristan," Rosalyn repeated. "He- he's-"

"Your boyfriend?" Bill teased.

"No," Rosalyn said. "He and I were close, but then he insulted my friends, and I cut it off."

"You didn't say you were getting involved with boys this year!" Molly, who had undoubtedly been listening to their whole conversation, added.

Rosalyn looked at Bill, irritated and said. "Molly, I'm fourteen."

Molly seemed to be put off by this and hurriedly started up a conversation with Harry about charms class. Rosalyn turned round to talk to Bill again, but she found him staring back at Tristan, a lovestruck look on his face. Rosalyn's eyebrows creased until she realised that he wasn't staring at Tristan, he was staring at Fleur.

"Ohhh," Rosalyn said, getting her older brother back. "Do you have a crush of Fleur Delacour, now, Bill?"

"Who?" Bill asked, snapping his head away from the other female champion.

"Fleur Delacour, that's her over there, I'm friends with her sister, Rosalie. If you would like to, you know, get to know her, I can't help you, so don't think of asking me."

Bill rolled his eyes, playing with his earring. "I don't want to get to know her, Rosalyn, stop being-"

"Honest?" Rosalyn was glad of this opportunity to laugh.

Just then, Fred and George came into meet their family as they had heard they were in the hall. Fred hissed to Rosalyn. "Neville's outside in the hall, looking for you."

"Who's Neville?" Bill asked, suddenly seeing another reason to chide Rosalyn.

"A guy in their year who's got a crush on Rosie," George said. "Honestly, where have you been these past few years, Bill?"

"Egypt," Bill answered. He turned to Rosalyn, who had always laughed at his jokes, but Rosalyn had already got up off the bench and had went to find Neville.

She found him outside. He was obsessed with something fascinating yet invisible on the floor.

"I-I- I just wanted to say good luck," he said slowly.

Rosalyn went forward and smiled at him. "This year's been a rollercoaster for us two, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," He said slowly.

Rosalyn smiled, however. "Thank you. You're one of the people who helped me survive this year, if you hadn't given me that gillyweed then I couldn't have done the second task."

Neville looked down at her, due to the fact that he was a bit taller than her. "Rosie... thank you, you stood up for me, you're brave, you're fearless."

Rosalyn blinked. "Thanks Neville, thank you so much."

Neville smiled and Rosalyn asked. "D'you wanna come and meet Bill and Charlie? They're my older brothers, they're here to see the third task."

So they went back into the hall. Rosalyn grinned as Neville greeted her older brothers then started speaking to Charlie about herbology. Rosalyn remembered suddenly that Charlie had taken herbology at school, but ultimately didn't go into a job with it.

Bill said to Rosalyn quietly, looking at Charlie and Neville. "Nice, he's a good guy, he'll take care of you."

Rosalyn punched him on the arm. "I don't like Neville and I'm not dating him. Shut up, Bill."

Bill laughed. "Whatever you say."

And, despite closing down this accusation, Rosalyn couldn't help, deep down, feeling that what her oldest brother said was true.

☆☆☆

The trumpets played as the third task commenced. People had flags of all colours and the whole stands were supporting one of four. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus and many more people had RP on their faces. Rosalie was sporting three people's initials. RP, CD and FD. Rosalyn had laighed at this, as the only person she now wasn't publicly supporting was the one from her own school.

However, the initails on faces had touched Rosalyn. It was nice to know people were supporting her.

The sea of yellow cheered as Cedric came running out, Rosalie in with them, as he was her boyfriend. Fleur followed him with a dignified walk, the students of Beauxbatons doing the macarena in French as she was clapped. Krum was next, and he was cheered loudly by all of Durmstrang. Rosalyn saw Karkaroff amongst the crowd, and she noticed that though his right arm was up cheering his champion, his left remained by his side.

Rosalyn was finally brought out, and she was amazed by the number of cheers that greeted her appearance. She saw Harry, she saw Neville, she saw Ron, she saw Hermione, she saw Rosalie, and, inadvertently, she saw Tristan.

She hadn't meant to contact her eyes with his, but the look of regret on his face was too much for her. He nodded to her, his eyes glassy, then he mouthed "good luck". Rosalyn nodded back. Maybe he did feel bad.

She kept eye contact with him for another second, and nodded. She didn't want to hate him, but forgiving was undoubtedly harder.

Dumbledore stood at a podium and shouted. "Silence!"

The over excited crowd quietened down immediately.

"Earlier today Professor Moody placed the Triwizard Cup deep within the maze, only he knows its exact position. Now, as Mr Diggory-"

There was a huge cheer as the sea of yellow and black stood up, filling the stands with noise.

"And Miss Potter-"

The sea of gold and scarlet stood up and Rosalyn heard Ron, Hermione and Harry cheering the loudest. She smiled up at them, happy with herself, finally.

"Are tied for first position," Dumbledore said. "They will be first to enter the maze. Followed by Mr Krum-"

The Durmstrang lot roared. Rosalyn sighed and looked at Krum. Perhaps Hermione had been right about him, he didn't seem to be enjoying the noise at all.

"Then Miss Delacour," Dumbledore finished.

Rosalyn looked at the Beauxbatons side of the stands, where the students in blue were doing a dignified clap.

"First person to touch the cup will be the winner!" Dumbledore announced, and Rosalyn smiled. She didn't want to win. Just prove her point.

"Now plenty of staff are patrolling the perimeter, so, should any champion wish to withdraw from the task, they need only send up red sparks with their wand."

He stood down off the podium. "Contestants! Gather round!"

Rosalyn walked forward so that the four champions stood before Dumbledore, who was in charge of the pep talk.

He began. "In the maze, you'll find no dragons or creatures of the deep, no, you see, people change in the maze. Oh yes, find the cup if you can, but be careful, you might just lose yourselves along the way."

What sort of pep talk was that? Rosalyn thought as Dumbledore shouted. "Champions, get ready!"

She lined up at the entrance for her, and saw Moody standing beside her.

Rosalyn locked eyes with Cedric and the nodded to each other. A thousand words were said in one look.

"On the sound of the cannon!" Dumbledore shouted above the clamour. "One, two-"

As usual (so usual Rosalyn had been expecting it) Filch lit the cannon early and it went off. The trumpets played and Rosalyn slowly walked into the maze, shaking.

She carefully put one foot in front of the other as if the maze was going to swallow her up when she got too far in.

She looked back once she got to a two-way junction and saw Moody. And to her complete surprise, Moody lifted his hand and signalled, ever so slightly, to the right.

Rosalyn was surprised, but she decided to take the hint.

She took one last look at the stands and one last hear of the trumpets before the maze closed up behind her.

The only comforting people and sounds were gone. Out of reach.