"Maybe this one? It looks promising."

Viktor accepted yet another tome from Hermione in the vague hope it would contain the information he was looking for.

"I hope so."

They had been in the library for hours, and had hidden in a forgotten corner when curfew started.

For hours, Viktor had shown Hermione wandless magic. First small charms most adults were capable of, but slowly advancing to jinx' and even seventh year D.A.D.A curses.

"I'm tired."

Hermione's head was slowly falling on her arms, stubbornly trying to continue reading.

"You can go back to Gryffindor Tower, I'll be fine on my own."

He got a hum back, so he continued skimming through the book. It was interesting, but not what he was looking for. Though he now doubted he would ever find it in a book in the Hogwarts Libeary.

A thunk resonated through the library. Viktor's head shot up to look at where Hermione was sleeping with her neck in an awkward angle. Before he could stand up to get her back to the Gryffindor Tower, his eyes felt too heavy to keep open.

A second thunk could be heard as Viktor joined Hermione in a dreamless sleep.

-

Something was wrong, very wrong.

For one, he was laying on a bed.

Secondly, as far as he could remember he hadn't fallen asleep. Nor had he walked back to the guest rooms.

"Hermione?"

The silence greeted him, a quick lumos showed him there was no one present.

The room he had slept in was his, but his possessions were gone. A lone non-magical broom the only thing laying on the ground, even his wand was gone.

The irrevocable had finally caught up with him.

The Third Task had begun.

-

Climbing out of the window and landing outside the castle walls was surprisingly easy. It appeared Dumbledore wasn't planning to kill them this fast.

But now he was in a labyrinth, with hedges twice as tall as he.

At the other side of the labyrinth, Viktor could see the contours of the entrance to Hogwarts. That would be the place he would have to go to.

A mazes shouldn't be difficult, right? At least not compared to dragons and a failed stimulation.

He had braved many mazes before and conquered them all, this would be a piece of cake. The only thing he needed to do was keep his hand on one wall and follow it till the exit.

The walls that consisted of thorns and nettles.

New plan.

He would mentally follow a wall till he had found the exit. That should work.

Viktor followed the path, turning left, right another left. But no matter what he did, he would end at the same road fork.

It was obviously not working, but as Viktor couldn't immediately come up with a different plan, he stubbornly continued walking. At some point he should have to find the right path, statistically speaking.

Nothing changed for what felt like hours, till Viktor almost facepalmed into the ground. The useless broom he had been carrying around for all that time, falling from his hands.

A book was laying on the ground, half hidden by leaves fallen over, where a footprint had pushed it deep into the soil.

It was N.E.W.T. level potions textbook signed by a certain Half-blood Prince. When Viktor opened it, his eyes immediately were drawn to the spells scribbled in the margins of the book.

Sectumsepra.

A howl resonated through the maze and prompted Viktor to start moving again. The book clutched in his grasp, the broom laying forgotten on the ground.

An equal exchange, though between who was yet unknown.

Viktor was finally progressing through the maze. From time to time, he would find footsteps he would follow to see where they would lead him. Some of them ended in a dead end, other brought him closer and closer to Hogwarts' entrance.

That was until he made a sharp turn to the left and stood in front of a graveyard.

A short balding man stood hunched over a cauldron, muttering in himself. Viktor took a step back, but stepped on a branch that announced his arrival to the man.

"Ah, you're here. I was already wondering howong it would take. Now come, come closer. There's nothing to fear."

The man didn't look trustworthy to say the least. Nor did Viktor feel compelled to come closer, who know what the man was planning.

"I see you found the book I left behind for you. It will surely be more useful to you than to the other boy."

A grin split the man's face in two. With a sinking feeling, Viktor connected the dots.

"Where the third one is I don't know, but you'll be useful. Being Karkaroff's boy after all."

Cedric would have stayed in Hogwarts, knowing the castle from the inside out.

"So make yourself useful and help me with this potion. Reviving someone isn't easy."

Which meant Daé was very likely laying somewhere in the maze, dying.

Luckily for Viktor, unluckily for the man. Did the hound decide to show himself.

-

Sirius hadn't been looking for the third champion, but when he encountered his smell in the labyrinth, he didn't need to think twice about going after him. Rightfully so as no one else than Peter Pettigrew was talking about reviving someone and killing Daé.

He had been the one to let Moony lose in the maze.

Sirius saw red as he charged I to the graveyard, shifting midair and landing in front of Krum, taking a protective stand. Not another kid would get hurt this night, not on his watch.

"Wormtail!"

Was all the warning the traitor got or deserved before Sirius had attacked him. His wand wasn't with him, but he didn't need a piece of wood to give him what deserved.

-

A hound Animagus appeared on the graveyard who knew the man. Well, he yelled a name before attacking.

Viktor watched as the fight enfold, not knowing what he was supposed in a situation like this. He didn't know the man nor the Animagus. How was he supposed to know who to support.

'One of them talked about reviving someone, the Dark Lord.'

Hermione's voice in his mind was just in time for Viktor to entangle himself from his daydream.

The man had managed to wrestle himself free and had his wand pointed at the Animagus.

"Stand back, Padfoot, don't think I won't curse you."

"I'm supposed to believe your cowardly ass would ever manage to do so?! Don't let me laugh!"

He did laugh. A big, ugly, full body laugh, making him lose sight of his opponent whose want glowed green.

"Ava-"

"Sectumsempra!"

A white light shot from Viktor's hand following the slash he made in the air, cutting the man open.

-

Sirius had laughed at Peter's attempt to threaten him, not even considering the fact he might be serieus. He still didn't believe the man he had once called a friend would have used the killing curse on him.

Were it not for the Krum using Snivellus' curse to save him.

He swivelled around to look at the boy whose arm was still outstretched, no wand in sight, looking at the crumbled body a few yards away from him.

Merlin's balls. He didn't want to get on this champion's shitlist. Even Snivellus couldn't perform that curse wandless the last time Sirius checked.

"He kid, calm down. We're gonna get you to the finish line, alright. Pomfrey will look you over and your Headmaster will be there too."

Krum's gaze was still fixated on the spot Peter had, or would very soon have, died.

"Please don't faint on me."

He didn't know what he was supposed to do, he wasn't the person to talk others down. That was Remus' expertise.

Yet Remus wasn't here.

"Alright kid,I'm gonna take your hand. Oke? And I'm gonna lead you out of this maze to where others are, and everything will turn out fine."

Amazing job, Padfoot, do keep on spouting lies.

Miraculously, it seemed to not backfire as Sirius led Krum through the remaining parts of the maze. Delivering him to Cedric who was waiting at the finish line.

Once he knew for sure Krum was Sage, did Sirius slink back into the maze and ran to the Shrieking Shack. Where he had left a yet untransformed Moony waiting for him.

-

"Attention everyone! The sun has risen, which concludes the Third Task. Cedric first place, Viktor second and Daé is yet to appear. A search party will enter the maze shortly to collect his body. Till the Winner Ceremony, and have a good day."

Severus was going to kill him. At this point he didn't care anymore whoever this him would be, they were death. 

Unfortunately for Lee Jordan. he was the closest and felt the initial full brunt of Severus' wrath, only to be saved from a certain bloodied death by Minerva.

Severus hadn't time to stay angry after that, Charlie and Fleur where with him and they needed emotional support, however bad he was at given that. Charlie and Daé had been testing the dating waters for some weeks now, for Charlie it was too soon to feel the full force of a severed Veela bond. But Fleur knew exactly what was going on his brain, especially now that Lucius still hadn't shown his face.

The search party that had assembled at the beginning of the maze, quickly skittered from Severus' path. No one in Hogwarts wished to be seen by a murderous potion master on a warpath, even Lucius knew better than coming too close.

An object fell from the sky, wings appearing in the light of the rising sun, carrying Daé to safety.

-

Viktor had watched in silence as the announcer told the world of Daé demise if it was nothing. As if a student hadn't died that night, because the Tournament hadn't be organised in a way that ensured everyone's safety.

He wanted to yell and scream, but his throat was locked. 

No one was waiting for him at the finish line, Karkaroff was asleep in his room in Hogsmeade. The few classmates that had traveled with him to England, had returned home after the first Task.

He followed the billowing ropes of professor Snape in wake of the search party and saw the Veela bring Daé to safety. He saw professor Snape and madam Pomfrey bringing him inside the castle to the hospital bay. 

Daé would live, he would live with the scars of a werewolf attack and likely be turned, but alive none the less. The same couldn't be said about the man that had set the werewolf loose in the maze, nor Hogwarts Headmaster when the Veela and his mate would get their hands on him.

The Tournament had been held once more after a break of two centuries, but at what costs.

-

Chosen item: regular broomstick

March 23, 2023