ROTBTD: Hogwarts

Chapter Fifteen: Dueling Voldemort

There has been the ever-present problem of spelling errors in the chapters, and it really annoys me. If you find one please let me know!!

Enjoy!

Rapunzel was extremely lost. She had glanced away when Toothless took them along a barely-visible passage, and she missed it, going straight instead. She had so far encountered a boggart, which took the form of whatever it thought would frighten the person it met most (it had taken the form of Gothel, Rapunzel's fake mother), and Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts, which had grown to be monstrous. She was debating whether or not to enter a foreboding red mist when someone else came out of it: Jack. Rapunzel cried out and fell over backwards.

"Rapunzel?" he said, looking dizzy.

"Jack?"

"Don't go in the mist," he warned, dazed.

"Thanks for the tip," she pants, standing. "Do you know how to get out of here?"

"No. I think Hiccup and Toothless got out, though."

"Great," Rapunzel muttered. "How d'you suppose we find them?"

"Get out and circle the maze until we meet them."

They found a maze wall and broke through it using the Reductor Curse. This only led to more maze. They did this again and this time broke through into the forest. They traced the edge of the leafy maze wall until they heard Hiccup muttering to Toothles.

"... they have gotten lost anyway? We were right there, it can't be that easy to lose a huge drag --"

"Hiccup, we're right here," said Jack with a smirk.

"About time," Hiccup grunted, standing up. "C'mon, let's go up to the front and tell everyone about Merida."

They followed the maze wall until they reached the edge of the crowd. Hiccup sent Toothless into the forest, and the three entered the crowd.

But there was no need to inform anyone about Harry, Cedric, and Merida.

Wormtail approached Harry and, with his new silver hand, sliced through the ropes holding Harry to the gravestone. He grabbed Merida's wand, pushed it into her hands, then walked over to where Cedric lay and found Harry's, which he handed unceremoniously to him. He also dragged Merida forward a few steps so that the tightening circle of Death Eaters would surround her, Harry, and Voldemort.

"You have been taught how to duel, I assume?" Voldemort said softly. Merida had never needed to be taught; it came naturally to her.

"We bow to each other first," he continued, bending just slightly, but keeping his monstrous face toward the two teenagers. "Come, the niceties must be observed... Dumbledore would like you to show manners... Bow to death..."

Harry remained rigid, but Merida came a huge, fake curtsy that only served to annoy Voldemort further. He turned his attention to Harry. "I said bow," Voldemort repeated, and raised his wand. Harry instantly bowed, but it was unwilling.

"Very good," he said softly. "And now you face me, like a man... straight-backed and proud, the way your father died...

"And now -- we duel."

Before either could react, Harry was suddenly writhing on the ground, screaming, hit by the Cruciatus Curse. When it lifted, he turned his wand instead to Merida.

But Merida felt nothing.

She knew what it was, she knew she should be screaming in terrible pain, so she pretended. But she knew in that instant that it wasn't only the Imperius Curse that she was immune to. Was it all of the Unforgivable Curses?