Brutal. | Fred Weasley

seven!

The winter months pass quickly in the Pyrenees. Aurelia continues her reign over pranks at Beauxbatons. Enchanting some of the stone statues they have or transfiguring vases, trophies and paintings— every week has a new addition. She's taking her tri-weekly visits home and continuing to work just as hard academically. Before long, the Third Task has been revealed to the Champions and Fleur and Aurelia are writing with increasing pace with ideas and potential threats. Even when she goes home, she struggles to hide the owls coming and going, but she manages.

She returns home for the day of the Third Task, the nerves building in her chest at the unknown components of this task. She distracts herself by watching some films, but her mind still drifts often to Fleur. She makes a decision later in the evening to make the trip back to Beauxbatons early in an attempt to quell her nerves. Madame Maxime will be revealing the results there first, after all.

Finn Apparates her to the Portkey site and she hugs him goodbye before he disappears with a snap. She searches, but can't find the Portkey. It's usually one of Aurelia's old trainers, something noticeable to her but ignored by everyone else (besides, the other one had been ruined beyond repair). She looks around frantically until another thing catches her eye. It's her old jacket, one that went missing months ago. She'd been unable to figure out where it had gone. It's hers— that much is obvious because of the little gold letters embroidered into the right corner of the collar. There's also the tell-tale label that reads La Mode par Dalila, the tiny shop in Place Cachée that she got it from.

The hairs on the back of her neck stand up and her senses prickle. She drops her overnight bag and pulls out her wand cautiously, reaching out and picking up the jacket between two fingers. Immediately, her stomach tugs and she's swept up in blue light. She lands with an unceremonious thud on uneven ground. Even through the dark, she can tell that this isn't Beauxbatons. Around her, shapes stick out in the night. She clutches her wand a little tighter, not wanting to light it in case someone else is here. She hears another thud and some whispers.

"Where are we?" The confusion in the familiar voice both comforts and unnerves her. She moves towards the voice.

"Did anyone tell you the Cup was a Portkey?"

"Nope. Is this supposed to be part of the Task?"

She rounds a grave and recognises Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory immediately. Her jacket has been abandoned behind the grave she was transported behind and she stands up. Both of the Champions jump in surprise. "No," Aurelia says certainly. "I don't think it is. But I do think that you should get your wands out."

Both boys comply with her request, Harry even seems relieved that she'd voiced it. The strong feeling of being watched prevails as they look around nervously.

"Someone's coming," Harry mutters suddenly. Aurelia turns to where he's facing and she sees a figure cutting through the night, growing ever closer. They're short, but covered in dark robes with a bundle of something in their arms. Aurelia thinks it's a baby for a split second, but something in her gut tells her that it's much more than that. Harry's wand lowers slightly but Aurelia reaches over with her spare arm and pushes it back up.