Harry Potter Fan Fiction: For Talia

Chapter 6

For everyone it seemed the Third Task lay just on the horizon but for every student (save the champions) exams were a much more pressing issue. Talia was a bit worried. It was her first set of exams and she didn't know how things were run at this school for magic. Spell casting, potion making and even a bit of gardening were all things that seemed hard to test. You either did the spell correctly and passed or failed on the degree of how badly your spell backfired. If the potion did what it was supposed to you were in the clear. With Professor Snape threatening that someone would test their potion for real there was a great deal of motivation to get it right.

Talia passed with flying colours. She had studied relentlessly mostly with her fellow Ravenclaw students but occasionally with Anton. He had the best insight. When you worked a spell he could tell what you were doing wrong and how you could improve on it. It was remarkable and extremely useful. Talia knew she wouldn't have graded as high without his help. He topped the year but she was a close second. His disinterest in some of the subjects brought him down where Talia scored high right across the board. She knew her parents were proud.

The house Cup paled in significance next to the winning of the Triwizard Cup. Each of the schools was eager to win but Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were especially eager to beat Hogwarts and its two champions. There was talk of nothing else. Every time Talia saw Potter or Diggory in the Great Hall or around the school grounds she could see their anxiety growing and she felt sorry for them. There was so much pressure.

She had seen Krum in the library here and there all year and suspected his interest in Hermione Granger. She had been delighted to share this information with Tabitha and Kristy when the article about them appeared in the Daily Prophet. Anton had been edgy whenever he saw him or any other Durmstrang student and Talia didn't blame him. The looks he received were like daggers. Krum himself let it be known that Anton wasn't to be stood for. He cursed the young boy under his breath, shaking his head in disgust whenever he caught sight of Anton. He stayed out of it though. He had bigger fish to fry. The other students however made it clear to Anton that they were not about to leave him alone. There was confrontation brewing. It was only a matter of time and that time was running out.

The Third Task was a day away and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it coming.

***

It was lunch time. The Great Hall was filled with talkative students all fixated on the Third Task which was hours away. The four tables were cluttered with dishes, things half eaten, jugs refilling themselves as soon as they emptied. Nerves made the champions jumpy and their friends tried to console them any way they could. The rest of the students were bursting with excitement. Bets were being made. Money exchanged hands. House colours ran riot with badges adorning cloaks supporting their given champion. They couldn't wait for the last task to begin. School was over. There was not a worry to be had. The fineness of the summer was luring them into a state of restlessness. They were ready to celebrate and ready to be released but first the party!

Not many people witnessed the scuffle in the hallway outside the Transfiguration classroom. Nor would they have believed it had they not seen it for themselves. For most it would be overshadowed by the horrifying events that occurred later that night. For Talia, however, it would remain with her for as long as she lived.

She couldn't remember the question that had been on the exam paper that she wanted to ask Professor McGonagall about. It was stupid in hindsight- so small and irrelevant. Whatever it was, Professor McGonagall had left moments before the event went down. They were supposed to be at lunch. She remembered seeing Anton running round the corner; him seeing her and pushing her back through the open door into the Transfiguration room before sprinting on down the corridor. There had been the flash of red school cloaks- Durmstrang- and then Anton had shouted something she didn't hear properly. She thought it was the word 'Cowards!' Flashes of spells painted the walls. Talia had been surprised to see returning flashes from Anton. She hadn't known he knew how to duel.