Paid In Blood - Revised

Chapter 27

The atmosphere at Hogwarts was charged with excitement in the moments leading up to the third task. The stands had been almost completely filled with spectators, including the entire Black family, who were all sitting together to support Harry. Even Draco was sitting with the Blacks, albeit begrudgingly and only at his mother's behest.

Sirius was particularly excited and being quite vocal about his belief that his godson would easily win the task and the tournament. He was looking for someone to make a wager with, but no one in the vicinity was willing to bet against Harry. The best he could do was make a bet with Remus about how quickly he would complete the task. Sirius's enthusiasm was so infectious that even the more stoic Blacks couldn't help but crack a smile. Ted even managed to make Andromeda roll her eyes in amusement when he tossed a few galleons into Sirius's betting pool.

Enacting their own display of solidarity for their leader, the members of the Black Wands had all decided to sit together in the direct centre of the stands. To the many audience members not acquainted with the current goings-on at Hogwarts, the multi-house group must have seemed like quite an unusual sight. Just the visual of a small Gryffindor boy sitting amongst older Slytherin and Ravenclaw students was enough to stir conversation.

The hour was almost upon them. The three official school champions had already gathered, with only the fourth still unaccounted for. The judges had all taken their positions, and Moody was stalking around the area near the champions - supposedly performing his duty as chief of security.

Erected near the entrance of the maze was a humongous canvas stretched over a wooden apparatus, which had been divided into four sections. It was charmed to broadcast the progress of the champions to the audience, with one quarter of the canvas being dedicated to each champion. It was the fourth quarter unexpectedly flickering to life that first caught the audience's attention.

The buzzing of conversation mostly came to a halt as Harry and Dobby suddenly appeared on the display, both of them already in the maze and standing right next to the Triwizard Cup. Harry appeared to be in a towering rage. His eyes were glowing a vivid green, and his magic was swirling so violently that his hair was blowing as if he were caught in a windstorm. As stunning as that visual was to most people, it was Harry's words that caused the most commotion.

"That son of a bitch dug his own grave."

The audience gasped and started looking around at each other, wondering who the boy was talking about.

"Dobby, find Daphne and keep her safe."

"WHAT?!" Astoria Greengrass shouted, suddenly fearing for her sister.

Many in the stands shivered when Harry started hissing in Parseltongue, but the Slytherins were used to it. What shocked the silver and green contingent was the sudden appearance of a familiar serpent, which had been coiled around Dobby's waist.

"Is that...Scylla?" Eliza asked in surprise.

"It has to be," Brian responded, a look of confusion on his face. "But didn't Potter say he killed the basilisk?"

"He said he had taken care of it..." Alistair mumbled, and then his eyes widened in comprehension. Harry never actually said that he killed Scylla, he just let them assume that he did. "Clever boy..."

"What about the Horcruxes?" Dobby asked. Harry scowled at the question, and most of the audience frowned at the unfamiliar term. Dumbledore, however, knew exactly what Horcruxes were and immediately feared the worst.

"Albus, what is going on?" Bagman asked, but he didn't receive a reply from the thunderstruck headmaster.

"Shit, I forgot... Go now, and hurry damn it!" Harry ordered, and everyone saw Dobby popping away after a quick nod. The audience remained quiet as they watched Harry circle the cup like a predator readying to attack.