Chloe Cullen 4 - A Harry Potter and Twilight Crossover

Chapter 20: The Third Task

To my frustration, it's not until that night that Harry tells us what went on with Dumbledore. The four of us stay in the common room for most of the night, talking it over. "He really trusts Snape, even though he knows he was a Death Eater?" Ron says. "Yup," says Harry. "Rita Skeeter," Hermione mutters after ten minutes of saying nothing. I give her a questioning look. "How can you be worrying about her now?" says Ron. "I'm not worrying about her. I'm just thinking... remember what she said to me in the Three Broomsticks? 'I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl.' This is what she meant, isn't it? She reported his trial, she knew he'd passed information to the Death Eaters. And Winky too, remember... 'Ludo Bagman's a bad wizard.' Mr. Crouch would have been furious he got off, he would have talked about it at home." "Yeah, but Bagman didn't pass information on purpose, did he?" Hermione shrugs.

"And Fudge reckons Madam Maxime attacked Crouch?" Ron says, turning back to Harry. "Yeah, but he's only saying that because Crouch disappeared near the Beauxbatons carriage." "We never thought of her, did we? Mind you, she's definitely got giant blood, and she doesn't want to admit it -" "Of course she doesn't," I interject sharply. "Look what happened to Hagrid when Rita found out about his mother. Look at Fudge, jumping to conclusions about her, just because she's part giant. Who needs that prejudice? I'd probably say I had big bones if I knew that's what I'd get for telling the truth. Look at me. Newborn vampires are supposed to be bloodthirsty savages if they don't have older vampires with them. I'm a newborn vampire, and I'm the only vampire here. I haven't killed anyone. I've never even tasted human blood before. Just because a species has a reputation for acting a certain way, doesn't mean they do act that way," I tell him firmly. That shuts him up.

Since I've done all the studying I can for exams, I help Harry prepare for the third task. Now that they are no longer practicing the stunning spell, I can actually help. Even though they're not supposed to be helping due to exams, Ron and Hermione help anyway. Right now we're practicing the Impediment Curse, a curse that slows down objects. I'm able to hit my target each time. I'm able to make tiny bugs stop flying in midair. Later on in June, I help Harry with the Shield Charm. I manage to break it a lot though, but I try to be encouraging anyway. "Come and look at this," Ron says, who's standing by the window. "What's Malfoy doing?" We go to see what he's looking at. Malfoy and his goons are standing in the shadow of a tree. Crabbe and Goyle are acting like guards while Malfoy is holding his hand up to his mouth and speaking into it. "He looks like he's using a walkie-talkie," says Harry. I strain to see what he's talking at, but his hand is in the way.

The day of the third task, I sit by Fred and George. We're all thinking of what creatures might be in the maze. George just suggested that a sphinx might be in the maze. "I don't know. They give out riddles, and if you don't solve the riddle, they kill you. It's not easy to fend off a sphinx. I can think of a couple champions who don't have much of a chance of solving a complicated riddle. Well, actually just one," I tell them quietly, and I glance toward the Slytherin table, in the direction of the Durmstrang students. I hear Fred and George snigger. Krum doesn't strike me as the type to love riddles. I'm about to suggest a creature when Ron drags me off with him to History of Magic with him.

On our way there, Ron recaps the conversation he, Harry, and Hermione had and also tells me that the families of the champions will be at the third task. I highly doubt the Dursleys would show up, but Ron insists that Harry's family showed up. After History of Magic, it turns out that the Dursleys didn't show up. Ron's family did instead. The look on Ron's face is priceless when we go to the Gryffindor table during lunch. "Mum - Bill! What're you doing here?" "Come to watch Harry in the last task!" Mrs. Weasley says brightly. Mrs. Weasley looks at me. "It's so nice to see you again Chloe. Fred's been telling me that you were sick a lot last term. I'm so glad you're doing better," she says. I can't help but smile. "Thank you," I say genuinely. "I must say, it makes a lovely change, not having to cook. How did your exam go?" she asks. "I finished it in about five minutes," I tell her. Then she turns to Ron. "Oh... okay. Couldn't remember all the goblin rebels' names, so I invented a few. It's all right, they're all called stuff like Bodrod the Bearded and Urg the Unclean; it wasn't hard." Things feel like we're back at the Burrow when Fred, George and Ginny show up. That is, until Hermione sits down. "Hello, Hermione," says Mrs. Weasley stiffly. "Hello," says Hermione, her smile fading. Harry looks between the two and finally breaks the tension. "Mrs. Weasley, you didn't believe that rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in Witch Weekly, did you? Because Hermione's not my girlfriend." "Oh! No - of course I didn't!"