Harry Potter and the Elder Race

Chapter 01

Harry Potter and the Elder Race 

Chapter 01

"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!" shrieked Voldemort. Harry's hand had closed on Cedric's wrist; one tombstone stood between him and Voldemort, but Cedric was too heavy to carry, and the cup was out of reach - Voldemort's red eyes flamed in the darkness. Harry saw his mouth curl into a smile, saw him raise his wand.

"Accio!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at the Triwizard Cup. It flew into the air and soared toward him. Harry caught it by the handle -"

- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

~o~

"Avada Kedavra!"

Harry heard Voldemort scream the Killing Curse just as he felt the tug behind his navel that meant the Portkey was bringing him back to Hogwarts. But at the same moment he had moved his arm in front of him in a futile attempt to shield himself from the Killing Curse and felt the curse connect to the Triwizard Cup instead of him. Then, almost at once, he felt the cup shake and vibrate so violently that Harry had a hard time holding on to the Cup. Harry did not know what was happening. The spell of the Killing Curse must have affected the magic of the Portkey Spell. Harry felt like he was being wrenched apart from the Portkey, his hands slipping their hold from it. It was as if the Portkey was pulling him one way while his own body was being pulled by another, more powerful, force in a completely opposite direction. If he lost his hold on the Triwizard cup, he did not know where he would land or if he would return back to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. 

Harry did not know for how long he could hold on. In the back of his mind was his promise to a dead man - to Cedric's ghost? - that he would return his body to his parents. He didn't want to fail. And neither did he want to leave the people he cared about back in Hogwarts without a clue as to what had happened to himself and Cedric. Dumbledore had got to know. Perhaps Dumbledore would realize that the Triwizard cup had been turned into a Portkey. If Harry could not save himself, perhaps it was still possible to return Cedric's body back to his parents. With that thought in mind, Harry wrenched his two hands together to bring the Triwizard cup and Cedric's body in contact, struggling to hook Cedric's arm through the handle of the cup. But soon he felt his grip slipping; he could not hold on for much longer...until....

~o~

Dumbledore stood alert at the entrance to the Healing tent where Viktor Krum had been brought, watching apprehensively for the reappearance of the remaining Triwizard champions. Beside him, Cornelius Fudge started clacking like a wet hen.

"I would never have believed it! Who would have thought, eh?" the Minister said, shifting a glance at Dumbledore. "Krum! Who knew that he was capable of doing such a thing?! But then again, he is, after all, from Durmstrang."

Dumbledore was jerked into speaking from his silent vigil, though his gaze never left the opening of the maze. "Cornelius, you ought to know better than to make sweeping judgments," he said, looking at Fudge askance. "We still do not know what really happened inside the maze. We'd have to wait for the other champions to return."

"Aw, Dumbledore, what more proof do you want? His wand says it all! And the Delacour girl has herself attested to the fact." Fudge swept his gaze around the field as if looking for someone, twirling his bowler hat in his hand. "And where is Karkaroff? Done a bunker, I'll bet! If that doesn't spell guilt, I don't know what does!"

Dumbledore pursed his lips, his back stiffening, cold disquiet growing in his mind. True, Karkaroff had been acting strange all throughout the night, like a skittish prey animal quite ready to bolt. His wand turned negative for Unforgiveable Curses though; still, it did not prove anything. Dumbledore was still checking Karkaroff's wand when he happened to look up and saw the Durmstrang Headmaster's face, all the blood seemed to have drained from it. He had no chance to probe any further, as Fudge and the other Ministry officials were increasingly becoming hostile against the Durmstrang party, short of accusing the latter of outright cheating. And, in the heat of the discussion that soon followed, Karkaroff had disappeared.