~The Big Five at Hogwarts: The Triwizard Tournament~ *Sequel*

Chapter 17

Elsa

Before I meet the Big Five outside the Ravenclaw common room that night, I tuck Marshmallow's furry little body inside my blue coat, where he snuggles into a pocket.

By the time I get outside the common room, Merida is trying to answer the door knocker's riddle, shooting out random answers.

 "Um...cattails! Unicorns! A rock?" She guesses.

"Close; werewolf," I laugh. Merida rolls her eyes, and we join Rapunzel in the hallway. I do a double take when I see her.

"What did you do to your hair?!" I stare wide-eyed at Rapunzel's new choppy, dark brown haircut.

"My mom always loved my blond hair. This'll show her." Rapunzel crosses her arms smugly. I shake my head, knowing that she'll regret it as soon as she and Gothel get over this petty fight.

"I kinda like it." Merida grins.

"Hiccup said he'd be at the maze," Rapunzel changes the subject.

"The maze" has been growing on the Quidditch field since Christmas vacation. It's a vast labyrinth filled with confusing, twisting passages made out of ten foot tall leafy hedges--or so I've read. 

"Are you ready to see Jack kick some"--

--"butt? Yes," I can't help but smirk before the four of us--we meet up with Hiccup and Astrid at the gate--sit down among the crowded seats near the front. The torches set up around the leafy entrance flicker in the cool night air and the students around us cheer wildly with the colors of their schools painted on their faces. I rest a reassuring hand on the warm wriggling ball of white fur in my coat.

"All Champions to the front of the maze," McGonagall calls out. My friends and I lean over to see Jack and Eugene and Mulan emerge from the outskirts to the front of the bleachers. There's been a guilty feeling in the pit of stomach for what I said to Jack ever since Christmas, and I'm not sure what to do about it. Just like I'm not sure about anything.

Still, today's a day to have a little fun.

"The winner of the Second Task, Miss Mulan, will be the first into the maze. Then Frost, then Fitzherbert. In the middle of a maze is the Triwizard Cup. Whoever reaches it first, wins," the Headmistress declares bluntly. I can finally see that she's standing in the press box behind us. "This year we have officials posted at intervals outside and within the walls. They are not to interfere, and while you will not see them, they will be able to assist if needed. Red sparks can be shot into the air if a Champion wishes to exit the Task."

"Are you telling me that with Jack dragging a hundred pounds of hair as well as saving Tooth, he still made second place?" Merida scratches her head.

"Jack said that Eugene didn't even make it to the unconscious people in the Black Lake," Hiccup joined in. "And that he got lost somehow."

"Lost? Your boyfriend's not very bright, is he 'Punzel?" Merida scoffs.

"He's not my boyfriend, and I'm sure there's a better reason than that!" Rapunzel says. I admit that that is rather strange.

"You guys, look." Astrid elbows us.

Before Mulan can even make it through the opening between hedges, someone in black robes Apparates in front of Eugene in a cloud of smoke. I feel everyone around me freeze.

"What the"-- I begin to stand up slowly. Without a sound, the tall figure disappears with Eugene.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel's scream follows her as she scurries down the last few steps to the ground. And through the entrance.

Suddenly, I'm leaping down myself.

"What happened?" I ask Jack, wide-eyed.

"I don't know, but it's not good; I think that was Pitch Black, the reporter," he answers gravely. Then the hedges begin to close up around where Rapunzel went in.

"They need help!" I grab his hand and yank him inside, while waving to Merida, Hiccup, and Astrid to join. I don't see if they make it through, because the walls close up, but the last thing I sense is McGonagall trying to calm the students down and the smell of torch smoke.

"As much as I like this new act-first-think-later attitude of yours," Jack leads us down the first dark path with the Lumos spell, "do we actually have a plan?"

"We can't have a plan if we don't know what we're up against," I mutter, whipping my wand out. If what I read was true, then this maze is dangerous and we have to be ready for anything. "Do you think the others made it in? We're gonna need their help if Pitch is the threat. Unless he's just looking for attention." I shake my head. For a little longer, we take turns guessing which directions to take and which way to go. However, pretty soon the walls' whispers and the gray mist seems to creep into my uneasy bones.

"Um...could we fill the silence? I'm getting a little creeped out," I whisper. Then a pause. "Thank you for returning my sweater," I say, remembering Anna's folded-up garment left on my bed yesterday.

"I know you need time," he mutters without looking at me.

"No...no, it's not your fault. It's just that--it hurts, and I don't want it to hurt. So I don't want to feel a--at all." My voice breaks, and the tears start to rush down my face yet again.

"Hey, hey it's okay," Jack slows down and puts an arm around my thin shoulders. My nose begins to sniffle. "I know you miss 'em. And I know telling you not to blame yourself will be pointless, and you wish there were some impossible way you could change what happened. But it'll be fine. You can't take your parents back, but your sister still needs you. Just like mine does." I lean my head against his shoulder, but keep moving. We still have a job to do, and that seems to add to the crushing weight I feel on my shoulders.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see several dark vines crawling out from within the bushes towards Jack's ankles. I shoot a hex at them without a second thought, sending them snapping back.

"Thanks," he gasps, turning and realizing what I've done.

"Just returning the favor." I smile.

I suddenly remember to check my pocket for Marshmallow, who I find fast asleep.

After that, we keep moving in silence. "I know you miss your family," I pipe up after a while, "and, if you don't hate me too much, I can still help you." He suddenly stumbles on a stray root as if in shock.

"I could never hate you," he breathes, looking straight at me. Then he awkwardly continues. "I mean, Tooth couldn't find anything in her father's records, and McGonagall hasn't gotten back to me, so I wouldn't know where to go from there."

"Wait," I begin, "you were asking for help from Tooth to find your family?"

"Yeah," he answers. Soon his mouth slides into a grin. "Why, were you jealous?"

"What? No!" I say a little too quickly. I'm grateful for the darkness when I feel my cheeks warm.