A Young Wizard's Journey - Goblet of Fire

Last Flight

He had lost. He was beaten. Daughtery had won. He'd seen the flash of green light, and heard the rushing sound-

-so why wasn't he dead?

The fatigue still tore through his bones, he still remained wandless, the wind still racked his body and the area had gone eerily quiet.

Then he heard the laughter, the shrill cackling laughter from Daughtery. He opened his eyes.

Still, he remained kneeling, still he remained in the land of the living. And there, about thirty feet in front of him, stood Daughtery cackling madly.

'Oh, that is just precious!' she cackled. 'The actions of the desperate to buy you another few seconds.'

Y/N didn't understand, how was he alive? What had happened?

And then, he saw it. And felt his entire body go numb.

Lying there, only a couple of inches in front of him, still and rigid in the grass, lay the small, lifeless body of Vesper.

It was as though his whole world had stopped. Nothing else mattered. He scooped up the body without even realising and stared down at her.

His longest friend, his closest confidant, his best friend. His heart pounded hard in his chest, threatening to burst out from him. She couldn't be dead, he hadn't been able to say so much to her, do so much with her. It couldn't be over. She was meant to be there for his entire time at school.

A rock, a support, anything he needed. Even just as something to talk at, even though she couldn't talk back.

Then, the reality of the situation he was in came rolling back. Daughtery.

Y/N lightly placed Ves down and positioned her so that it looked like she was mid-flight, simply moving on to wherever adventure took her next.

'I'm sorry girl,' he said, his voice shaking. 'I'll make it up to you, I promise.' And just as he finished, he once more began to recognise the sound of Daughtery's shrill laughter. He got to his feet.

'DAUGHTERY!'

Y/N's roar split the heavens. Daughtery's laughter faltered almost at once and she took a step back, looking terrified, but it was nothing compared to what happened next.

Y/N didn't know how he did it, nor did he care. A split second later and his wand was in his hand.

'You will pay.' His voice was deadly. Y/N levelled his wand.

Out of the tip burst a golden and red phoenix, the same one from when he'd been challenging Remus' shield charm the year before. It charged directly at Daughtery, who let out a scream as it collided. The part of the phoenix that had hit her dispelled and once it had cleared past her, so did the rest, but not before the light from it revealed the damage.

The area of her stomach where it had struck was charred black. The clothes all around her stomach were singed away and she was now the one hunched over gasping in pain.

Y/N did not care however, his fatigue was gone now. Instead, he felt a blinding rage, a need to hurt her for what she did.

Spell after spell soared from Y/N's wand and Daughtery began deflecting them, but she didn't manage many. Between the speed of Y/N's casts and her own injuries, she was soon getting peppered as new cuts and slashes opened all across her chest and face. Finally, Y/N bellowed.

'REDUCTO!'

This spell too was aimed for her chest, but Daughtery tried to twist out the way, instead allowing her arm to take the brunt. Y/N heard a satisfying crunch and her entire arm fell limp, her wand landing with a soft thump into the grass.