GLORY // book one

- PART 31 - p a r t _ t w o

EVERYTHING WAS WHITE AND silent, save for a quill furiously scribbling down notes. Nobody dared to even breathe in this tiny room the Ministry Officials had forced us into. The Ministry didn't waste any time questioning Harry and me. I could barely keep up— not when I was trying so hard not to freak. Tears trailed down my cheeks every few seconds— they couldn't seem to just stop. Thoughts of a funeral dress rang through my head. Did I even own something fitting for a funeral?

I suddenly burst into laughter. Tears fell from my face, and my throat hurt, but I still laughed. They all stared at me, but I couldn't stop.

"And what happened while they were— what happened next? With you, Miss Black?"

I blinked, looking up at the skittish man. "That's when Krum tried to kill me."

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EARLIER THAT NIGHT

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I stumbled backward, wincing as my back hit the branches of the hedge. Holding up my wand, I warned him. "Victor— stop it!"

His drew near, eyes clouded. Another curse was aimed my way and I deflected, just barely missing his attempt.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, missing him in my hurry.

Suddenly, another figure appeared, golden hair glinting amongst the shadows. "Expelliarmus! Stupefy!"

Cedric casted in rapid succession, disarming Krum and disabling him. I breathed heavily, staring up at my friend, eyeing Harry a few feet behind him. It felt like an eternity before they reached me, Cedric's hand grasping mine. "The Goblet— I saw it, Ced!"

He nodded, pulling me upwards. "Are you alright?"

Nodding quickly, I looked between the two boys. "Well?"

"Should we just . . . leave him?" Cedric questioned.

Harry shook his head. "No, I reckon we should send up red sparks. Otherwise, some Blast-Ended Skrewt might come— "

"Periculum!" I called, wand aimed at the sky.

Both boys stared at me.

I shrugged, pulling Cedric with me on the right side of a fork. "Good look, little cousin."

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I could see the goblet— or at least, I could have sworn I did. Cedric on my tail, I bolted down the path, a larg black mass blocking me just as I saw the glint of gold. The largest spider I had ever seen stood between me and the goblet, beady eyes glaring at me. I yelped, bounding backward before I could get bitten. 

I noticed Harry coming from the other path, nearly getting squashed the same way I almost was. I pulled him back by the shirt collar, nearly tripping myself. Looking between Cedric and Harry, I chewed on my bottom lip.

"Let's . . . " I trailed off, staring up at the giant spider. It seemed to be waiting for something. I couldn't help but shiver. "Arania Exumai!"

The repelling spell made the large beast reel back, a shot of webbing spraying a hedge as it tried to escape the power of the spell. Recovering quickly, it shot forward with a hiss, nearly succeeding in it's attempt to behead me.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, causing it to jolt slightly and redirect it's vision.

Cedric stepped forward, shouting his own spell, but it had the same small effect that mine did. I tried the repelling spell once more, but it seemed to have adapted quickly. With a quick swipe, Cedric was hanging in the air, caught in it's grasped.

My heart stopped for a minute. Cedric— red-faced, a little bloody, and covered in dirt —looked down on me in horror, mouth open in a silent scream. I raised my wand, ready to send up red sparks and give up. Harry could win or Romanov— I didn't care.

"Expelliarmus!" He shouted, sending Cedric propelling from the beast to the ground.

I dug my hands into Cedric's shoulder, pulling him up with me. The spider wasn't done, not yet. I pointed my wand once more, mostly out of desperation.

"Stupefy!" I called. But, it wasn't only me. Two other voices shouted with me, three jets of light colliding and hitting the spider. The combined force of all of us casting did what none of us could do on our own. The giant spider hit the ground with a thundering smash, immobilized. A shocked laugh left me as we stood in it's wake, silence filling the space. Somewhere in the maze, the other champions were fighting their ways towards us.

Looking around, I smiled at Cedric, looking around for my cousin. "Harry?"

A flash of panic ran through me, but the scrawny boy appeared with a grin. My eyes caught the goblet and the sudden urge to run towards it overtook me. Grabbing my head, Cedric pulled me with him down the stretch of grass, Harry on our tail. The goblet looked nearly magical— in a way that didn't involve actual magic, but something very different. 

I grinned at both of the boys, gesturing towards it. "We won."

Harry took a step back. "You guys take it— you deserve it."

"Shut up." I insisted, rolling my eyes. "You've earned it just as much as us."

Cedric nodded in affirmation, eyes glinting as he gazed at the goblet. "We'll all grab it. At the same time— a tie."

I grinned at Cedric, letting go of his hand to grasp the cool metal of the goblet. This was it. We had made it. Harry and Cedric's hands did the same, the three of us surrounding the object. A dizzy sensation hit me unexpectantly and suddenly we were moving. A Portkey, I realized dumbly.

I hit the ground hard, head smacking against the grass. Muffled shouts surrounded me and I struggled to process what was going on.

"Kill the Spare." An unfamiliar voice hissed.

I forced my eyes open, searching for Cedric, for Harry.

A jet of green shot out, gone before I could do anything. He fell to the ground, eyes open wide with shock. He wasn't moving. He— 

"Ced?"