Year Four, Chapter Thrity One
"That was amazing, Holly. How did you do it - I've never seen someone just dodge every spell like that!" Ron said as they walked back to the castle.
"It was almost like you could see what Cedric was going to cast before he cast it. I've heard some Seers can do that, you know," Ginny said, her eyes wide.
"Or before he thought it," Hermione said, and from the way she looked at her, Holly knew Hermione at least had worked out how Holly had done it.
"Hermione's got it right. I used Legilimency on Cedric," Holly said.
"What, you read his mind? That's a little off, mate," Ron said.
"I didn't go looking for his secrets or anything. There's a thing you can do where you just read instinct without touching conscious thought. Let's you know what spell they're going to cast before they do," Holly explained.
"Wicked. I can see why Dumbledore taught you all this mind stuff, then," Ginny said.
"Is that allowed under the rules?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah... so long as I start after Flitwick's called start," Holly said.
"Maybe I need to learn that Occlumency stuff..." Ron muttered, and Holly frowned as she felt the breeze blow across the grounds. Not as cold as it had been, she thought.
Holly's classes were getting harder and harder as the school year hurtled towards the end, but she could only pay so much attention to them - she was by now incredibly busy with training for the tournament. She still managed to get Quidditch practice in, but only just. It was a good thing Fleur and Krum, who were in their final year of schooling, didn't need to sit their exams Holly thought.
She knew she couldn't have passed a NEWT this year, let alone all of the ones she wanted to take. It was only with the help of her friends that she was able to, just barely, maintain her grades in her fourth-year classes.
It was a great relief when she played Gryffindor's final Quidditch match of the season. Crushing Slytherin in front of the entire school was just as satisfying as she remembered it being, although she didn't think Draco had really been trying all that hard. His flying had been off for the whole match, and he seemed to be even more tired than her, judging by his reaction speed.
Holly had wondered why the Quidditch season had ended before the duelling competition, but as she saw the large banners shroud the pitch from view she realised that it was needed for something else. That was almost certainly the Third Task, which probably made sense - why build another stadium if you already had one, after all. She was half tempted to go take a look under her cloak, but if she'd have a month's warning anyway, cheating seemed like bad form.
All the teachers were helping her and Cedric, now. Of course, they weren't officially helping the two Hogwarts champions, but all the extra duelling practice Flitwick and Moody gave Holly (and she was sure Cedric as well) weren't on the standard curriculum. Neither was the very specific selection of "interesting critters" Hagrid showed Holly, explaining how to get past or disable them.
One night, she was sitting by the fire in the common room as it got low, most of her housemates long since having gone to bed. She took out her mirror and whispered Sirius's name into it.
"What're you doing up at this time?" he asked, slurring his words just slightly. Holly smiled ruefully - she'd swear she could smell the alcohol on his breath over the mirror.
"I see you've been having fun," Holly said.
"I'm an adult. We're allowed to go get drunk once in a while," Sirius said, sticking out his tongue at her. "Seriously though, are you alright? Your letters have been..." he continued.
"I'm - I'm not great, but I'll last until the Tournament is over. I'm just tired, that's all. At least this whole 'plot to kill me via the Tournament thing didn't work out for whoever was behind it," Holly said.
"Don't let your guard down, Holly. Whoever tampered with the Goblet still has access to the school, and if they don't succeed with the Third Task..." Sirius said.
"I know, I know. Really, I've been keeping an eye on all the suspects we had with the map, but none of them ever seem to do anything suspicious. Madame Dupont just teaches the Beauxbatons students and all Karkaroff does is hang around with Snape," Holly said.
"Hanging around with Snape is suspicious. Two former Death Eaters-"
"I've listened in on them a few times, Karkaroff is just trying to poach Snape for Durmstrang. Merlin knows why he'd want him," Holly said, interrupting Sirius.
"As greasy and annoying as Snape is, he does know a thing or two about potions. He'd fit in with all the pureblood supremacists over there too," Sirius said.
They talked for a little while longer, and Holly felt a little better. Her problems weren't all magically gone, but having someone like Sirius to talk to helped. She dreamed of the Chamber again that night, and of the terrible fire at the World Cup.
In the last week of May, Holly was told to head down to the Quidditch Pitch - the Third Task would, finally, be revealed to the champions. She found herself standing outside the Pitch, still covered by a large floating cloth drape, with the other champions. Night had already fallen, and whilst it was no longer the depth of winter, her breath still frosted in the cold climate of Hogwarts.
"Judging by the size of that cover, whatever arena they're building in there must be bloody large," Cedric said.
"I wonder where Mr Bagman is? He has always been so eager to show off his constructions before," Fleur said.
As she spoke, a number of figures emerged from around a bend in the Pitch. Bagman was there, but also a number of teachers - Moody, Karkaroff, and Madame Dupont.
"Ah, all here? Excellent, Excellent - well, if you'd join your teachers and follow me?" bagman said, and all the champions followed him into the stands. They climbed the steps in relative silence until they emerged into the teacher's box. Without waiting for anyone to speak, Bagman waved his wand and all at once the huge cloth drapes flew away from the pitch.
The normal oval of bright green grass had been completely transformed. In its place was a huge construction that seemed to be mostly made from hedgerows and overgrown stone. It was like a maze, but there were multiple levels, each smaller in area than the previous one. Odd structures were sticking out of the hedges, and there at the top was a large open rotunda. It had huge roman columns, and at its centre was a marble plinth that seemed to be at exactly the eye level of the general seating.
"Feast your eyes on one of the most difficult tasks ever designed for this tournament, a maze of such devilish construction - can you believe old Barty wanted only one level. Said there wasn't a budget for anything more - well, we've had some very helpful private donations and can give you the full experience. Monsters, traps, the maze... all of them will be as fiendish as we could make them. Well, any questions?" Bagman said.
"I assume we have to get to the top?" Holly asked.
"Quite right you are, my dear. That's why I asked for a representative from each school to come as well, you know. I assume the three of you can handle getting the actual cup to that top plinth there on the day? Good, good," bagman said.
"I am sure it will be no trouble at all, Monsieur Bagman," Madame Dupont said with a smile. She was much younger than the other two teachers here, being perhaps thirty, and strikingly handsome. Holly tried not to think about how good-looking the Beauxbatons defence professor was.
"Hmph. I doubt there is much you two could do to cheat with it, so I shall leave it to you. Viktor, with me," Karkaroff said. Krum followed him, and Holly thought he looked rather uncomfortable.
As everyone walked back to the castle, Holly lagged a little behind Cedric and Moody. She was surprised when she saw Madame Dupont approach her, but she smiled as the French professor walked alongside her.
"I wanted to tell you how impressive I found your duelling, Mademoiselle Potter. Not many at your age could claim such mastery of the mind arts," Dupont said, smiling back at Holly.
"Oh, uh, you noticed that. Thank you, um, Madame Dupont?" Holly said, blushing a little.
"I did. Holly - may I call you Holly? - I would like to ask you to think about your future employment. I myself am only a teacher at Beauxbaotns part-time, you know. My real job - and certainly the one which makes me almost all my gold - is as a troubleshooter for hire, of sorts. I have a few colleagues, but such a talented witch as yourself would be more than welcome amongst us," Dupont said, and Holly blinked. She really hadn't been expecting a job offer.
"I'll, I'll keep that in mind, thanks," Holly said.
"I'm sure you will. The Band can offer gold the likes of which you'll never see in this dreary little country - and I'm sure you'll appreciate the, ah, allure being a member of such an organisation can have. If you have no other plans this summer, perhaps you would like to come and.... what was the word? Intern with us, I think is the phrase?" Dupont said, and Holly blinked.
"I - yeah, I'll think about it," Holly said, and then she managed to extract herself from the very odd conversation. She'd never heard of this "Band" Dupont was trying to recruit her for, but they sounded a little shady to Holly. The idea did appeal to her, though - travelling to exotic locations and getting into adventures for a great load of gold sounded better than some boring ministry job to her.
As she returned to the Common Room, her friends rushed towards her.
"What is it then, the task?" Ron asked.
"They've built some insane multi-story maze out on the Quidditch Pitch. Bagman said there'd be monsters and stuff, and I think the other champions will be in there at the same time," Holly said.
"Sounds wicked. At least we won't have to watch it by listening to Bagman again," Ginny said.
"Honestly, his narration wasn't that bad. I think there are some spells that might help with the maze portion, Holly. And of course, we can help you practice duelling and dealing with magical traps," Hermione said.
"That'd be great, Hermione. Although there is something else..." Holly said, unsure how to phrase it.
"What, like a secret fourth task or something?" Ron asked.
"No, nothing like that. Madame Dupont - you know, one of the defence teachers from Beauxbatons who's here to teach the students at Hogwarts? She offered me a job," Holly said.
"What, she wants you to go teach at Beauxbatons?" Ginny asked.
"No, apparently she works for something called the Band -"
"Ohh, I've heard of them. They sound really powerful from what I've read, but also like they didn't much care for what they were doing beyond that they got paid," Hermione said.
"They did sound a little shady, the way she described them," Holly said.
"She must have been really impressed by you this year to offer it, though. There are less than ten known members, and they're all supposed to be really powerful witches and wizards," Hermione said.
"Anyway, let's get back to the Tournament, yeah,?" Ginny said, and Holly was a little surprised to hear her girlfriend so irritated.
"Yeah - so here's how I think the monsters will work..." Holly began, as she and her friends sat down for the first of many long planning sessions. They had a month to get Holly ready for the Third Task, and she was determined to win it.
