Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 57 - Finding Harry Potter

You lovely folks are not gonna be too happy with me :)

 Al sprinted towards the quidditch pitch where a crowd was watching from the stands. She could see the entrance of the maze, with a few teachers milling around it. "And look - here's Dursley!" Bagman's voice announced, and Al felt hundreds of pairs of eyed on her. But it didn't matter - she needed to get to Harry.

 Al was nearing the entrance now, and she saw as Snape stepped out in front of her path. "Move!" she bellowed, still flat out sprinting. He stayed put, probably getting ready to berate her for being late. She got closer and didn't slow, and ploughed her shoulder into his chest, sending him flying to the side. She heard a brief shout of cheers from the students before she crossed the threshold of the maze, and everything went eerily silent. But she didn't slow down.

 The maze was cooler than outside as well, and Al was glad she brought a jumper as she ran breathlessly through the leaf-lined corridors in search of Harry. She'd plotted a route and she had her map, so hopefully - if he was at all competent - she'd bump into him before he reached the centre.

 Al took a left, and then another left and then a right and came almost face-to-face with a ten foot long scorpion-thing. "What the-" she began, before realising it was coming towards her. She kicked out at it, wishing more than ever that she had her wand. It flew backward a few feet, but then sparks shot out it's behind and it flew forward towards her. She only just dodged it in time. "What the fuck are you?" she half shouted.

 But it was advancing on Al again, and this time she needed to get rid of it permanently. What could she use? She looked to her left and saw a large branch at the perfect snapping angle. She used all her force to tear it away, and let the scorpion thing get close to her again. Then, she kicked out and jumped sideways, using the sparks from its arse to set the branch on fire. She jabbed it forward triumphantly, but the scorpion-thing's head followed the flames as she waved it from side-to-side.

 "You like this? Huh?" Al said. "Then go and get it!" she shouted, launching it down the path and sprinting in the other direction.

 She ran without any contact for what seemed like hours, and she thought she heard Fleur scream at one point. Had she fallen into the trap? There wasn't any time to help her though - it sounded like it was too late. She needed to save Harry.

 Eventually, she turned a corner, and saw a woman's head, but when Al looked closer through the gloom, she saw she had a body of a lion. "You're a sphinx," Al said.

 "And you're a witch without a wand," the sphinx said smoothly. Her voice was calming to Al's ears.

 "Has a boy been here?" Al asked. "Short, black hair-"

 "Glasses," the sphinx interrupted, "I just let him pass. And I will allow you to follow, if you answer my riddle. If you don't, you can-"

 "Walk away or be attacked. I know the rules," Al said impatiently, "What's the riddle?"

 "Very well," the sphinx said, "When does Christmas come before Halloween?"

 "What?" Al said.

 "When does-" the sphinx repeated.

 "I heard you," Al said, "It just sounded like a load of rubbish!"

 "If you do not know, you can walk away," the sphinx reminded her.

 "No, no," Al said dismissively, "I just need to think." God, she hated riddles. She was much better at real life puzzles, except she hadn't been this time. Crouch had got the better of her. No - think about the riddle, she reminded herself. But her mind was blank. Hermione would have this in a heartbeat, Al thought, growing increasingly frustrated, she eats bloody dictionaries for breakfast. Wait!

 "A dictionary!" Al shouted triumphantly. The sphinx smiled and stepped aside, and Al thanked her before continuing along her route at a run. She took a right, and there it was - the Triwizard cup. And stood next to it, reaching out, were Harry and Diggory. Bollocks. "No!" But they didn't hear.

 She ran forward, a part of her knowing what would happened if they touched it. Just as their hands simultaneously closed on the handles, she leaped forward, and grabbed hold of Diggory's ankle. But instead of landing on the floor, she felt a tug at her navel.

*****

 Al landed on the cold grass floor with a thud, and two more thuds told her Harry and Diggory had done too. "Al?" Harry said, helping her up, "How did you get here?"

 "It's a trap," she said, gasping for breath and grabbing at the cramp in her side, "Moody works for Voldemort. He made the cup a portkey."

 "Wands out, d'you reckon?" Diggory asked, having listened in from a few yards away.

 "Yes," Al said, "But really-"

 "Where's your wand?" Harry asked, alarmed, but stepping all the same in the opposite direction to Diggory.

 "Moody took it," Al said impatiently, "Listen, we need-"

 "Are we in a graveyard?" Diggory asked.

 "Get back to the cup!" Al half shouted. Shuffling footsteps sounded from behind them, grabbing their attention.

 "Someone's there," Harry whispered.

 "No shit, Sherlock," Al whispered, watching with the others as the stout figure shuffled between the graves. It stopped six feet from them, and Al saw they were carrying a bundle of robes. Suddenly, Harry screamed out in pain, falling to the floor with his eyes screwed shut and clutching at his scar. "Harry!" Al shouted in alarm, dropping to his side.

 "Kill the spare!" a voice hissed from nowhere.

 "Avada Kedavra!" the figure said. A flash of green light hit Diggory squarely in the chest and he crumpled beside them.

 "No!" Al shouted, turning instead to him. Diggory's face was pale and his eyes were empty and emotionless. His chest no longer heaved with breaths and his wand was only balanced loosely in his hand. Cedric Diggory was dead.

 Al felt tears dripping down her face as the realisation hit her. She hadn't known him well, but he was...he was so young. He had his whole life...it could have been her.

 She hardly remembered the figure that had killed him, or felt as Harry was dragged up from beside her. She just stared into Diggory's eyes, tears dripping onto the grass below. Disbelief, mingled with loss and fear, all whirling around inside her.

 "You!" Al heard Harry shout from further away. Al snapped out of her trance a second too late, and a four fingered hand clamped around her shoulder. Al turned roughly around and stared into the face of Peter Pettigrew.