Forbidden Fruit

Trial Three

I had spent the previous few days gushing in my victory against Harry. It was hard to deny all the attention and praise from my fellow classmates and even professors. 

The Champions all entered the arena for the final trial. The band was playing upbeat music and the students were cheering. I entered the arena first. The students went wild. I smiled and took my place. Cedric and his father entered the arena. Many of the professors and judges entered and just behind them was Harry, Krum, and Fluer. Dumbledoor called for the attention of the crowd. "Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the triwizard cup deep within the maze. Only he knows its exact position." The order of entry is as follows. First up was me. Then Harry and Cedric were to enter the maze together due to Harry's placement of the previous trial. Then Krum, and lastly, Fluer. "First person to touch the cup will be the winner!" The crowd cheered with excitement. Dumbledoor informed us that there will be professors placed in various positions around the permitter of the maze should anything go wrong. If we need to withdraw from the maze, we need to send red sparks from our wands as a signal for help. Dumbledoor called us into a circle around him. We all linked arms over each others shoulders. He spoke very low. Just loud enough for us to hear. "In the maze, you'll find no dragons or creatures of the deep, instead you'll face something even more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Find the cup if you can, but be very wary. You could just lose yourselves along the way." Dumbledoor backed away from us and we released each other. We took our places at the entry point. "Champions! Prepare yourselves!" Snape was standing at my gate and he nodded towards me. I suppose that was as much of a pep talk as I would get from Snape. The canon shot off and the last trial had begun. Snape tapped my shoulder and nudged me forward. I walked into the maze and turned back. The last person I saw from the arena was Draco. The maze wall closed before my eyes locking me in. I let out a breath trying to calm my nerves. Tight spaces and the dark were two of my biggest fears. This was not an ideal trial for me. The maze was dark and a fog was draped throughout the maze. I started forward with my wand at the ready. I came to a fork in my path. Three routes ahead of me. I stuck to the right and continued on. I picked up my pace and kept up with a slight jog. This maze was incredibly intricate. Even if I had a head start, there was no guarantee that I had chosen the right path or that I would continue to do so. Behind me, the walls of the maze started to close in at a rapid pace. The walls were nearly squeezing me in. "Oh shit, shit shit shit!" I ran as fast as I could keeping my head forward. Turning to look behind me will only slow me down. I could hear the walls continue to close. I saw an opening a ways down the path. I just had to make it there. I could feel the ground beneath my feet shaking and moving. I made it to the opening and made a hard left. The wall closed and stood still. I rested my hands on my knees and caught my breath. I heard a shrill scream from the other side of the maze. It must have been Fluer. Poor girl. The trials haven't been easy for her. A few moments passed and I heard a pop above me. I saw the red sparks calling for help. I shook my head and started walking along the path before me. I picked up a slight jog once again. The path was getting more and more narrow. My claustrophobia was starting to take its effect on me. The path opened into three paths once again. I finally ran into the other Champions. Cedric was in a full on duel with Krum. Harry trying desperately to get out of the way. Cedric had knocked Krum to his feet and he ran over to stand above him. Harry ran to Cedric and held him back the best he could. "Cedric no! He's Bewitched Cedric!" Cedric broke away from Harry and now it was a full on race to the finish. I had a head start so I ran as fast as I could. I saw the glow before me coming from the cup. It looked so small from all this way. The boys were starting to catch up to me. They were throwing each other around trying to get ahead. Vines from underneath our feet began shooting up trying to trip us. Harry had made it past me but we both turned looking for Cedric. He was tangled within the vines being sucked into the maze. "NATTY! HARRY!" he was shouting. Harry and I looked at each other. Neither one of us wanting to lose. "PLEASE!!" Cedric was pleading. We ran back to Cedric and Harry casted a spell to break the vines. We pulled Cedric from the ground and helped him stand. Cedric held his hand over his chest trying to calm himself. "Th-thanks" Cedric said catching his breath. We nodded. "No problem" Harry said between staggered breaths. "For a moment there, I thought you two were going to leave me. "For a moment, so did I" I said. "Some game, huh?" Cedric said. Harry nodded "Some game". A vicious wind started to circle around us. We ran keeping up with each others pace. We reached the cup. Cedric told us to take it. Harry looked at the both of us. "Together!! One..two..three!" We grabbed the cup together and hit the ground hard. We all rolled over groaning. We had been transported somewhere away from the trial. All around us were headstones and grave markers. "Harry, where are we?" I asked looking around. "I've been here before" he said looking at headstones. Cedric and I looked around together. We made our way to the cup and looked at it. Cedric looked up at me. "It's a portkey" he said looking at its glow. "Cedric...Natty, we have to get back to the cup..now!" Harry winced in pain grabbing his head. We rushed to his side. Cedric saw a man coming towards us. He was holding something wrapped up in a cloth. "Who are you?! What do you want!" I raised my wand standing just behind Cedric. "Kill the spares" we heard from the cloth. Cedric jumped in front of me and pushed me back as hard as he could. I heard "AVADA KEDAVRA" and everything went black. 

Harry had transported back to the arena. Cedric was lying on top of Natalia, both non-responsive. Harry was crying, the band was playing, the students were cheering. Fluer and Dumbledoor got up from their seats having a better look at the sight. Fluer let out a shrill scream which stopped the music. Dumbledoor rushed over trying to pull Harry from Cedric and Natalia, but it was no use. Harry began shouting "He's back, he's back! Voldemort is back!" A hush fell over the crowd. "Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back. And I'm not even sure if Natty is alive! I couldn't leave them! Not there!" Dumbledoor held Harry's face trying to soothe him. The crowd was getting anxious. A judge said "Keep everybody in their seats...a boy has just been killed...the girl looks just about gone as well." People in the crowd were starting to cry at the sight. Cedric's father started making his way through the crowd. He ran down to the arena. The judges finally pulled Cedric's body off of Natalia's trying to assess them individually. Dumbledoor moved to Natalia and checked her for a pulse. Cedric's father was wailing. Draco started pushing people in the crowd out of his way. "Draco! DRACO!" Pansy screamed. He turned back at her with tears forming in his eyes. "if you go down there, we're done! Stay up here with me!" Draco scoffed and ran down the stairs. Snape caught him and held him back. "Let me through!! Let me through!!" Snape continued to hold him back until they were able to call it. Dumbledoor called Hagrid over. "Pulse is very faint. Take her to the hospital wing as fast as you can." Hagrid delicately scooped Natalia up from the ground. Draco ran out of the stands and made a break for Hogwarts. Trying to get to the hospital wing as fast as he could. He ran up the stairs and swung the hospital wing's doors open. The nurses all were startled. Draco was desperately trying to catch his breath. "The girl..The...Triwizards... It's Natty.. Bringing..her up here...now" The nurses all scrambled getting a bed ready as quickly as they could. Hagrid walks in and gently places her on the first bed. "Everyone out!! Out now!!" Hagrid pushed Draco out along with himself, Dumbledoor, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Dumbledoor told the students to go back to their dorms. Draco stayed put. Hagrid and the rest left, but Dumbledoor and Draco remained. "Draco, it would be best-" Draco cut him off "You're going to have to pry me from this chair. I'm not just going to leave her. Don't you know that she has no family? Go ahead, try to ring her parents and say hello to Merlin, while you're at it. No one is coming for her! Don't you understand?!" Dumbledoor nodded and didn't mention it to Draco again. Snape and Mcgonnagal made their way up the stairs to sit and wait for any news. Around the two hour mark a nurse quietly stepped out into the hallway. "Where is her family?" the nurse asked. Draco stood up "We are her family. Can you just tell us what's going on?" The nurse nodded "We've examined her thoroughly, and overall, she sustained very minimal injuries. She has a large gash just here on her head" She turned and ran her fingers up the back of her own head. "We've gone in, and there isn't any internal bleeding, which is a miracle. She's just been stitched for her gash. She is showing signs of brain activity which is also good. She could wake up anywhere within the next twelve to twenty-four hours. When she wakes, we'll be able to assess any further damages to her brain." Draco shakes his head confused "So...she could have brain damage? What does that mean?" The nurse nods "She could, it's hard to assess these things without her being awake. She sustained a very blunt, very impactful force to the head. She most likely will have memory loss for a few hours after she wakes up. If the symptoms persist...well, we'll have a better answer. That being said, it does not do to dwell on the negatives. When she wakes, it is important to keep the conversation light. Do not ask her about what she remembers as the trial is likely a stressor. She will more than likely sleep through the night, so it would be best for you lot to take the evening to rest." The professors ask a few more questions, thank the nurse, and then leave. Draco stays at his chair outside. The nurse waits for the professors to clear out. She looks at Draco "you can come see her if you would like." Draco perks up at her "Really?" She nods and motions him in. He walks in and reaches her bed. She had on an oxygen mask to keep her oxygen levels up. Her head was wrapped with a white bandage to keep the swelling down. She had a cut going through her lip, but that looked like the extent of her injuries. A few bruises here and there but nothing substantial. Draco didn't take his eyes off of her. He pulled a chair around and sat beside her, but not too close. She looked so fragile in this state. The nurse looked at Draco. His eyes were glossed with tears. "You can hold her hand. And you know what? Some studies have shown that people who are in a similar state to Natalia can still hear the outside world. Might help her if she hears your voice." She smiles and rests her hand on Draco's shoulder for a brief moment and then walks out closing the curtain to give him some privacy. He reaches for her hand and slips his hand into hers as gently as he could. Her fingertips were cold. He hangs his head letting a few tears fall.