From a Cradle to a Grave

Chapter 34

The Blast-Ended Skrewts came first. She shot an arc of fire at them using the Incendia spell that the traitorous Mikaelson woman, her monstrou's father's sister, had taught her. The Skrewt shrieked and flopped over on its back. Her spell left behind nothing but an empty shell.

The maze seemed to shift around her, as though it were one living, breathing thing. Hope used her werewolf instincts for a sense of direction. She knew that she needed to get to the center of the maze if she wanted to reach the Triwizard Cup.

Fifteen minutes in, she heard a scuttling sound behind her. She turned just in time to face an acromantula, one that looked eerily close to the ones that had tried to eat her, Ron, and Harry during their second year when the whole Chamber of Secrets fiasco had taken place.

"Bruciare supe terram, faciendo ignis ga praemium!" This time, she used a dark curse that she had learned after reading one of the grimoires Professor Vaughan had offered to her. The massive spider combusted from the inside, causing fiery bits of arachnid flesh to rain down all over her.

Gagging from the horrible stench, Hope kept running towards the center of the maze. Every now and then, she would run into a monster, but her witch powers, combined with her werewolf abilities and the dark spells that Professor Vaughan had taught her, made her fights easy ones.

A high pitched human scream went up in the air. Hope hesitated for a moment. She knew what Aurora would say to her if she were here now: 'Don't let yourself be distracted. Compassion is for the weak.' For so many months, Hope had been consuming all the lines that Aurora had been feeding her. She had let revenge cloud all her judgements. Everything that had ever been important to her had been left in the dust, and all Hope had been able to see in front of her had been a target shaped like the Original Hybrid.

But try as anyone might, no one would be able to fully snuff out the goodness inside of her. Mikaelson or not, Hope had been raised by the Weasleys, and they would never let an innocent risk their safety, not when there was something they could do about it.

Hope raced towards the sound of Fleur Delacour's voice. She arrived to see Viktor Krum standing over the French girl with his wand outstretched, as if... As if he had attacked her.

Krum looked up at Hope. Neither of them moved. Hope's brain furiously worked overtime, trying to find a possible explanation for the Bulgarian Qudditch Player's behavior.

What was it that Aurora had said weeks prior to the tournament? 'Don't worry, little bird. You'll get to the Triwizard Cup before the others. I'll make sure of it.'

Was this what Aurora had meant? Had she somehow brainwashed Krum using the various magical artifacts she had stored away in her small office?

As though in response, Krum gave Hope a curt nod. When Hope took a step back into the path she had been on, he followed. When she stopped, he stopped.

A chilling sensation overtook her spine. Aurora had taken over a man's free will without a second thought. Just what exactly else was she capable of?

Since Fleur only seemed Stunned, Hope set a jet of red sparks into the air above them and carried on with her venture through the labyrinth. With Krum following behind her to shoot hexes at any creatures that came their way, she made considerably fast progress.

At long last, she reached the clearing where the Triwizard Cup had been placed. Though no sunlight had made it into the dark depth of the maze, the trophy seemed to glow.

"Crucio!" Krum roared from behind her. Hope watched in horror as a piercing red light shot itself out of Krum's wand and straight into... Cedric. Cedric, who had appeared from the other side of the clearing. Cedric, who had been quietly crawling towards the Cup while Hope had been too busy admiring its beauty.

The Hufflepuff seeker let out a terrible scream. Recovering from her shock, Hope punched Krum across the face. Even Bulgaria's famed seeker couldn't protect himself against a werewolf's assault. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Hope rushed to Diggory's side. She had to believe the Cruciatus Curse was something Krum had come up with on his own. Aurora couldn't have been responsible for such a dark spell. She couldn't have. Because that would mean Hope had been listening to the stories of a sadistic torturer for the past months.

And yet... Hermione had grown close with Krum after the Yule Ball, and from the tales she had told Hope... Krum was a perfect gentleman. What was even more daunting was that Hope had known from the very start that there had been something wrong with Aurora. She had forced the small details away so that she could better focus on the plan of killing Klaus Mikaelson, but now that she thought back on it... The strange glint in Aurora's eyes, the delirious laughter, the moments when she would zone out... And Hope had once caught the red haired vampire addressing 'Tristan', though she had been all alone in the room.

Hope swallowed down the bitter taste that was rising from her throat. Whether Aurora was insane or not... She would not back out now. There was simply too much proof pointing Klaus Mikaelson to be a merciless monster. During the weeks following Aurora's explanation of Hope's birthparents, Hope had done a bit of research to make sure what Aurora had been saying had been true. She had written a letter to one of her father's- one of Arther Weasley's- friends at the Ministry, one who worked as a documents director for the Auror department. His frightening tales were all that had been needed to convince Hope that Klaus was a danger to this world.

"Diggory," Hope muttered, shaking the boy's shoulders. "Cedric, wake up."

Cedric's face was racked with pain, but he managed to open his eyes. Hope let out a sigh of relief. Fleur would be okay, Krum would be okay, and Cedric would be okay. They would all be fine. All that was left was to take the Triwizard Cup for herself.

As Hope turned to reach the Cup, Diggory grabbed her ankle and pulled her down. He raced for the Cup, instead. "Diggory, no!" Hope shouted. She scrambled to pull him away, but when that didn't seem possible, she shot her hand out wildly at the Cup.

Both Cedric and Hope's hands touched the Triwizard Cup at the same time. The Portkey activated, sending the world into a blur of motions around them. Wind howled around Hope's ears. Looking up, she could see that Cedric's face was alight in confusion and fear.

The world darkened around them. Then finally, they came to a stop.