As June began, a sense of tension and excitement filled all of Hogwarts.
The reason was obvious: the "Third Task" at the end of term. Not wanting to lose to Harry and the others, who had been constantly practicing spells lately, I had been diligently training my magic as well, but—
"Ireina! Stop wrecking the Forbidden Forest already! The centaurs are furious!"
When I practiced things like "Incendio—Burn!" and "Diffindo—Sever!" by setting parts of the forest on fire or clearing it in large swathes, Hagrid would come running to me in tears with a pained expression.
"…Celesteria. I have received complaints from the merpeople. Stop bombing the lake."
So I changed locations and began practicing at the lake with spells like "Expulso—Explode!" and "Confringo—Blast!" only for Professor Snape to request, with a thoroughly displeased expression, that I cease.
"Honestly, how exactly am I supposed to practice…?"
And so, while preparing in that manner, the day of the "Third Task" finally arrived.
Incidentally, the champions of the Tournament were exempt from final exams, but being the good student I am, I took mine properly.
If one chose not to take them, the automatic grade would be an "A (Acceptable)." However, as someone for whom failing was never even a possibility, it would be far more beneficial for my future to sit the exams and fill my report card with "O (Outstanding)" and "E (Exceeds Expectations)."
Among the other champions, Cedric and Mr. Krum conscientiously took the exams, while Miss Fleur and Harry seemed to have chosen the exemption.
◇◆◇
On the day of the Third Task, after finishing the History of Magic exam, Professor McGonagall summoned us to a small chamber beside the Great Hall. Inside, the champions' families were already gathered.
Mr. Krum stood in a corner speaking rapidly in Bulgarian with his black-haired, hook-nosed father and mother. On the opposite side, Miss Fleur chatted animatedly in French with her mother and younger sister, holding hands.
Harry had been wearing a thoroughly miserable expression, muttering, "The Dursleys are coming…," but the moment he saw that it was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waiting for him instead, his face lit up brilliantly.
As for my parents, for some reason they were cheerfully chatting with Cedric's parents. The moment they noticed me, my father rushed over and wrapped me in an exaggerated hug.
"Ireina, I was worried you might've been in danger! But you're practically in first place right now, aren't you? That's amazing! Just what I'd expect from our daughter!"
Whether he was scolding me, praising me, or both, he hugged me tightly while openly pouring out all his emotions.
"Dear, if you don't ease up, Ireina's going to suffocate."
At my mother's wry voice, I was finally released. She hugged me gently and stroked my head.
"Ireina, you've done very well. But don't push yourself too hard, all right?"
"Okay."
"We've prepared both a reward and a punishment for you, and both are quite lavish. So look forward to summer vacation."
I would be perfectly happy if the latter were something modest, you know?
Just as I was about to ask my father for help in reducing the punishment even a little, he was addressed by Amos Diggory.
"Officially she's got zero points, doesn't she? My Ced scored 85."
"Well now, from what I heard from the judges, Ireina practically earned the highest score."
Oblivious to the warm gazes from the mothers and children, the two fathers began an unabashed competition of doting pride.
"My Cedric is more handsome!"
"You can't beat Ireina's cuteness!"
Exchanging looks with Cedric as if to say, "Sorry about this." "Not at all," Amos suddenly turned to Cedric.
"Ced, show them what you're made of. Beat her at least once."
"Dad, I'm not really—"
"That won't do. If you're a man, you've got to show your strength and prove you're dependable."
At Amos's words, Cedric flushed red and fell silent.
Ah, come to think of it, had news about the Christmas dance reached them?
It seemed we were being misunderstood as a couple.
My mother also spoke up with a mischievous smile.
"Ireina, quietly finding yourself a handsome and seemingly kind upperclassman boyfriend. You're quite something."
"No, it's not like that yet…"
I tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but they wouldn't listen at all, saying things like, "No need to be shy." Meanwhile, my father looked at Cedric—Prefect, handsome, and champion, utterly flawless—and asked in a stiff, strained voice,
"S-So, Cedric… with Ireina… um… have you two already kissed?"
He was so tense that his voice cracked as he blurted out the absurd question. Judging by the piercing looks from those around us, everyone seemed to be thinking, "Is that really the first thing you ask upon meeting him?" But the man himself appeared too flustered to notice.
As for Cedric—
"W-We did, on the day of the dance. On her cheek and forehead."
Apparently my father's nervousness had spread to him, because he answered with complete honesty, cold sweat on his brow.
"I-I see… This is also for your sake, but even if you're lovers, when it comes to such things, you must properly confirm consent verbally and repeatedly, understood?"
"Of course. Ah, and this is just a small gift…"
From his bag, Cedric took out a stylishly wrapped set of small jars of honey and jam.
"They're from Devon, my hometown. If you'd like."
"Oh… this is…"
My tea-loving father's expression visibly softened, and he turned to Amos.
"Amos, you've got yourself a fine son."
"And you have a beautiful daughter. I can't help but be envious."
"…."
Adults really are straightforward when it comes to gifts.
Thus the final afternoon passed leisurely, and at last, it was time for the Third Task.
The location was the Quidditch pitch, transformed into a massive maze. Hundreds of students took their seats one after another, and the air filled with excited chatter.
"Champions, if you find yourselves in danger or need assistance, send up red sparks into the sky. One of us patrolling will come to your rescue. Understood?"
At Professor McGonagall's words, we nodded and took our positions. Then Mr. Bagman's magically amplified voice rang out across the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The Third Task, and the final task of the Triwizard Tournament, is about to begin! Let us once more announce the current scores! In first place, with 85 points, Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts!"
A tremendous cheer, centered around Hufflepuff, erupted, startling birds from the Forbidden Forest into flight.
"In second place, with 80 points, Viktor Krum of Durmstrang! And in third place, with 75 points, Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy!"
Loud applause rose from both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons.
"And in fourth place, we have Miss Ireina Celesteria and Mr. Harry Potter! As their participation was in the form of an exhibition match, they officially have zero points, but both delivered performances worthy of 85 points!"
Cheers and applause rang out from Slytherin and Gryffindor alike. It was finally time.
"When the whistle blows, you will enter the maze in order of rank! One—two—three!"
At the sound of the whistle, Cedric hurried into the maze first, followed by Krum, then Fleur, and finally Harry and I set off together.
As soon as we entered the maze, the outside cheers vanished completely, likely due to magic.
"Lumos—Light!"
After advancing about fifty meters, we reached a fork in the path, and Harry and I split left and right.
"Point Me—Show me the way!"
Placing my wand on my palm and casting the spell, it spun once and pointed to the left. That was north. Given the Quidditch pitch's position, to reach the center of the maze, I needed to head northeast.
"I'll break through via the shortest route."
I aimed my wand at the hedge.
"Diffindo—Sever!"
"Reducto—Shatter!"
"Bombarda—Blast!"
After trying various spells, it turned out that blasting a hole through with explosive spells was still the quickest method.
＊＊
After forcing my way through the hedges with explosive spells for a while, it seemed the professors had anticipated such tactics. Attempting to take the shortest route only led me to encounter a large number of magical creatures instead.
Trolls, giant spiders, redcaps, hinkypunks, boggarts, Blast-Ended Skrewts… it was an endless parade of monsters.
Well, I dealt with every single one of them.
Along the way, I occasionally ran into Harry or Fleur, who would comment things like, "That explosion was you after all…" or pick a fight with, "British people are so barbaric," but gradually I drew closer to the center.
Finally, I emerged into a slightly open area and saw the Triwizard Cup shining about 110 yards ahead.
I glanced around. No one else was there. I had arrived first.
If I just proceed normally from here, wouldn't I effectively be the winner?
Officially, I was only participating as an observer, but the honor of effectively winning would be immeasurable. I would likely be flooded with interview requests, and if I wrote and sold an autobiography, there might even be royalties.
Blinded by such greedy thoughts, I began walking forward, lowering my guard—
"Ah!"
A swarm of pixies suddenly attacked from the side, and I hurriedly cast the Shield Charm.
"Protego, Protect!"
They were only pixies and lacked the strength to break through the Shield Charm, but unfortunately the Snitch Drone that had failed to escape in time was attacked and destroyed beyond recognition.
"Immobulus, Freeze!"
Just as Hermione had done in our second year, I froze the pixies midair. Then I heard footsteps approaching from behind.
The one standing there was...
"Ah, Mr. Krum."
Perhaps because the Triwizard Cup was right before his eyes, Viktor Krum wore a dangerously intense expression.
I hurriedly started running, intending to seize the Cup first.
After all, he was an active Quidditch player. In terms of power, speed, and physical ability, he had the overwhelming advantage. If that was the case, then my only option was to gain distance with a quick start.
However, surprisingly, there was no sign of Krum chasing after me.
That said, I did not have the leisure to look back and confirm it, so I kept running—
"Crucio—Suffer!"
The Cruciatus Curse, precisely aimed and cast from behind, struck me directly before I could react.
＊＊
An unbearable pain assaulted my entire body.
I let out a scream and writhed on the ground.
(It hurts, it hurts, it hurts—!)
It was pain unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was on a completely different level from everyday pains, like spraining an ankle after a fall, accidentally cutting a finger with a knife, or stubbing a toe against a corner. This was agony that seemed to corrode my entire being.
"S-Stop… please—!"
My thoughts went numb from the pain. Through tear-blurred eyes, I looked up to see Viktor Krum staring down at me, expressionless.
(Why…? Using an Unforgivable Curse—what is he thinking—?)
Unable to gather my thoughts, I struggled backward, trying to escape even a little. But Krum stepped closer, pouring more magic into the tip of his wand.
"—!"
This is bad. I'm going to die—
That was when it happened.
"Stupefy—Stun!"
A red flash shot from behind and struck Krum directly. At the same time, the Cruciatus Curse was lifted, and I was freed from the agony.
"Ireina!"
Replacing the fallen Krum, who had been taken by surprise, were Cedric and Harry. Their faces were filled with anxiety, fear, and anger.
"Ireina, are you hurt?"
"Ah—!"
Cedric rushed toward me in alarm, but his loud, worried voice only heightened my fear, and I instinctively recoiled.
"S-Sorry. It's okay. I'm on your side."
"—!"
"Relax. See?"
Cedric tucked his wand into his belt and raised both hands, looking at me with concern. Just as he was about to say something—
"Both of you, look to your left!"
Harry's voice thundered from behind. Startled, Cedric turned to the left just as a giant spider leapt out from the shadows of the hedge where it had been stealthily approaching.
Cedric barely dodged in time, and I heard Harry cast a Stunning Spell.
"Stupefy—Stun!"
However, Harry's spell did not leave so much as a scratch on the hairy black mass. Enraged, the spider lunged at Harry instead.
"Impedimenta—Impair!"
Whether the spider was simply too large or Harry's spell lacked sufficient force, the enormous creature moved with surprising agility. Harry could not dodge in time and was caught between the spider's forelegs, left dangling in midair as he struggled.
"Confringo—Blast!"
Cedric aimed an explosive spell at the spider's legs. A small explosion erupted, startling the creature and causing it to release Harry. He slammed into the ground, wincing as if he had landed badly, but he quickly raised his wand again.
"Ireina, us too!"
"Ah—huh?"
An uncharacteristically foolish sound escaped me. In truth, although I had faced danger many times over the past three years, this was the first time I had actually felt real, overwhelming pain.
My first experience with the Cruciatus Curse had hurt far more than I could have imagined. I was still somewhat dazed when Cedric shouted at me again.
"Pull yourself together! The three of us will take down the spider!"
"Y-Yes!"
Finally snapping back to my senses, I raised my wand. The three of us cast simultaneously.
"""Stupefy—Stun!"""
With our spells combined, their power increased. The giant spider was blasted sideways, crushing the hedge as it toppled over and lay on its back.
We could have shattered it to pieces with explosive spells, but somehow all three of us must have subconsciously thought that if the spider burst open, its bodily fluids would splatter everywhere. And so we had instinctively chosen the Stunning Spell instead.
"Harry! Are you okay?"
"Somehow!"
At Cedric's shout, Harry answered and limped toward us. It seemed he had indeed sprained his leg when he fell from the spider, his face twisted in pain.
"Don't worry about me. Go on ahead."
Harry urged us between breaths, but I shook my head and looked at Cedric, then at the unconscious Krum.
"Cedric should take it. If he hadn't saved me, I would have retired from the Cruciatus Curse long ago."
"If you're saying that, then I would've retired to that spider if Harry hadn't saved me."
Seeing that neither of us moved, Harry said impatiently,
"Both of you, don't try to act cool at a time like this."
"It's precisely at a time like this—"
"At least let me try to look cool."
Cedric and I spoke at the same time. Harry blinked, then smiled.
"You two are perfectly in sync."
After a brief silence, the three of us burst out laughing.
"Since we're here, why don't we just take it together?"
Thinking about it calmly, Harry and I were only observer participants. Whether we took it or not, Cedric would officially be the winner anyway. Hogwarts' victory would remain unchanged.
So "the three of us taking the Cup together" was, in a sense, simply self-satisfaction on our part. But somehow, I was beginning to think that wasn't so bad.
"If the three of us return together, the audience will be shocked."
Looking at the destroyed Drone Snitch, Cedric joked lightly.
"Yours too, Harry?"
"Mine got taken out when I ran into a swarm of baby spiders. They wrapped it up in silk and then chewed it to pieces…"
Harry grimaced at the memory.
Since the Drone Snitches' footage was being broadcast live to the stands, the communication mirror relaying Harry's view had shown, on the large screen, the moment it was entangled in silk by a mass of giant spiders and devoured. It likely left more than a few spectators traumatized.
"And yours, Cedric?"
"Mine was destroyed by Devil's Snare. I was trying to escape a Blast-Ended Skrewt, hid in a hedge, and it turned out Devil's Snare was lurking there."
Cedric had narrowly escaped by remembering that Devil's Snare was weak to fire, but his Drone Snitch had been dragged in by the vines.
For now, however, there was no sign of replacement Drone Snitches arriving.
"Shall we wait?"
When I asked, both of them turned their gaze toward the fallen giant spider at the same time.
"Which do you think will arrive first—the replacement Drone Snitch, or that thing's friends?"
"If I had to bet, I'd put ten Galleons on the spider."
"…On second thought, let's skip the betting and just finish the task."
After so many battles in succession, we were exhausted. None of us had the energy for another fight with magical creatures. All that remained was to grab the Cup, and once we did, the task would be over. There was little point in risking another encounter just to wait for a Drone Snitch.
"Alright, then."
Cedric and I supported Harry by the shoulders and slowly made our way to the pedestal where the Triwizard Cup rested. When we reached it, the three of us each extended a hand toward its shining handles.
"On three. Ready?"
At Harry's words, Cedric and I nodded.
"One—two—three—"
The moment we grasped the handles together—
Suddenly, it felt as though something behind my navel was yanked violently, and my feet left the ground. Realizing something was wrong, I tried to release the Cup, but my hand would not let go. As the wind roared around us, we were dragged into a swirling vortex.
(End of chapter)
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