Chapter 35
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The three teams froze in front of the vegetation wall. Very soon the champions would be launched into the maze, and at that very second another action would begin. The commentator, who was Ludo Bagman, was telling the spectators and participants the rules of the last and final round of the tournament, and the four young mages were counting down the seconds to the start of the final stage of their entire plan. Draco found a glance at the Greengrass sisters and Millicenta. Bootlestrode was sitting between them, staring serenely ahead. Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief: the Slytherin girl had correctly understood the words Daphne had given her and had led the girls away from the judge's box, choosing a place for herself and them at the very edge of the Slytherin section, near the passageway. Harry, on the other hand, was looking in a completely different direction. It might have been puzzling to someone other than himself and his friends why, in fact, the Minister of Magic - Cornelius Fudge - was sitting next to Dumbledore. Actually, because of the charges brought against the old man, he shouldn't have been a member of the jury. But... It was the Minister who gave him this privilege. After all, the protagonist of the drama should be in the public eye.
- I wish it would all work out," Ron whispered faintly behind his friend's back.
- Everything will work out," Harry said confidently.
- Nothing depends on us anymore. Not now, anyway. So, our dear red-haired friend, stop worrying. It makes me nervous and makes me want to bite someone," Neville said mockingly.
- Not me," Draco immediately dismissed the prospect.
- Blondes aren't my type," Longbottom snorted.
- He likes brunettes with more rounded forms than some," Potter snorted.
- A good man must be many things," Neville shoved his friend.
- I hasten to disappoint you, pretty soon you'll have half as many good men," Draco sang out.
- Shut up or I'll bite you first.
- I'm not tasty, Mr Ogre, don't touch me," Malfoy squeaked in a childish voice.
- Shut up, all of you, or I'll bite you myself," Pruett couldn't stand it.
- And then we'll be speckled with red hair," Harry laughed, and immediately became serious and ordered. - All jokes aside. We'll be in in a minute.
The boys immediately wiped the smiles off their faces and inwardly braced themselves. Who knows what the old goat might ask them during the mission. The vow imposed on him was not ideal and gave enough space for the flight of fancy and actions through other people's hands. And the old man had always had plenty of other people's hands. A signal sounded, and the living wall of bushes slid apart, forming a passage. The first to enter were the "tigers", in a minute it would be the turn of the "bears", and in another thirty seconds the "salamanders". As soon as the guys entered the labyrinth, the passage was instantly overgrown.
- May fortune be with us," Harry whispered, shining a wandless lumos, which was a ball of light, and sending it forward.
The friends supported their leader in the request and began to look around warily. Because of the special charms cast on the bushes, it seemed as if it was evening, although it was actually just over one o'clock in the afternoon. A ball of light flew forward, dispelling the semi-darkness and lighting the way for the champions. The mages slowly made their way forward, wands on alert to strike at the first hint of danger and destroy it at the root. All was quiet for the first three hundred feet, but a trap awaited them around the next corner. Harry remembered her, but last time it had counted as the second one. Stopping two feet away from the fog, Potter began his diagnostics. By all indications it came out that she was harmless. But the change in order was a little alarming.
- Well? - Ron asked.
- I think it's clear," Harry answered a little tensely.
- Seemingly clear or clear? - Malfoy asked meticulously.
- That's the thing," Potter stared tensely at the results of the test.
- What was it like THEN? - Neville asked.
- Second to last," the green-eyed wizard replied.
- Well, the conditions are a little different," Pruett said uncertainly.
- Let's check it out," Draco suggested.
- How? - Neville asked.
- Well, let's put someone in there," the blond shrugged, but he didn't have time to finish.
- It's too risky.
- For a human, yes. But if you'd listened to me, Harry, you'd have realised that I was suggesting we use an animal.
- Where are we going to get an animal? - Ron asked sceptically.
- Pruett, is it just me, or are you really getting dumber? - The blond snorted irritably. - Are we mages or what?
- Are you suggesting transfiguration? - Neville guessed.
- Well, thank Merlin, at least someone has a brain. Naturally, yes. Transfiguration.
Half a minute later, Malfoy was already holding a large toad. After another minute, having chosen the desired trajectory, Draco launched the amphibian into the mist with a light, repelling charm. A moment and the mist exploded.
- Damned bastard! - yelled Pruett, referring to Dumbledore.
- Don't worry, Ron. The toad died a brave death for our well-being. We won't forget about her," Malfoy said ironically.
- I don't mean...
- We understand, Ron," Harry patted him on the shoulder. - But let's keep the names out of it for now.
The fog trap disappeared as if it had never existed. The boys moved cautiously forward. After about ten minutes, they were blocked by a giant snot-tail, and a woman's desperate cry came from somewhere in the distance.
- Mordred's bollocks," Harry hissed, "Ron, Neville, help the girls! Draco, don't just stand there. Hit the ground, we need to flip him over!
Pruett and Longbottom rushed to the shout, while Potter and Malfoy began blasting the ground in close proximity to the huge creature.
- This isn't going to work! - shouted the blond, hiding behind a corner.
A jet of flame struck the spot where he had just been standing. The Snot-tail was very bouncy, something Hagrid had never seen before, which meant it had been handled well.
- I get it," Harry yelled as he collapsed to the ground and crawled towards the bushes, forgetting what those cute plants had done to Fleur at the tournament.
That had been his mistake. The shoots bursting out of the ground immediately began to braid around the wizard. Draco was about to rush to his aid, but a snot-tail got in his way. Both fought their enemies. But both were not entirely successful. Finally, Harry reached the boiling point and hurled ice fire, one of the higher spells of grey magic, at the bushes. The spell is so called because the fire that flies out in small clots from the wand is a deep blue colour, with a pale blue outline. It does not burn, but freezes as if the object had been treated with chilled nitrogen. If you knock on such an object, it will shatter into shards. A significant section of the maze wall turned to ice crumbs when Harry hit it with a weak explosive spell. Draco, realising he couldn't deal with the creature with the school armoury, decided to use ice fire as well. The explosive finished his job.
- It's a good thing some things are going to end today, otherwise we could have ended up in front of the full Wizengamot for those spells," Malfoy said, barely out of breath.
- Yeah, okay," Potter nodded, shaking off the ground and shards of bushes. - It's taking the lads a while.
- Shall we go to them? - Draco arched an eyebrow questioningly and, receiving an affirmative nod, cast a search spell centred on Longbottom.
A thin, red ray flew out of his wand and pointed to the right. The boys headed after him. After a couple of minutes of intense pacing, they met up with their friends. Ron, swearing desperately, was practically dragging Neville on top of him.
- What's wrong? - Harry was the first to run up to them.
- Fuck... manticore, it happened," Pruett growled, stopping.
- There were no girls there. It was a bird howling, I forget what it's called. Well, it can imitate all kinds of sounds. And then there was a manticore. Anyway, it had me pretty banged up before Ron took it down," Neville explained with a sad shake of his head.
- I see. Another trap," Draco stretched out. - Can't you walk yourself?
- No," Longbottom shook his head and wrinkled his nose.
- What exactly does it hurt? - Malfoy asked, waving his wand at his friend.
- My leg, I think I twisted it. Ribs and head," he replied.
- Well, my friend, congratulations. You have indeed a dislocation, a severe contusion of the three lower ribs, and a slight concussion. We can fix your leg and your ribs, but we'll fix your head later.
Neville nodded and immediately screamed. While Draco distracted him with his diagnosis, Harry set his ankle.
- 'Perverts,' Longbottom moaned, but obediently lifted his leg and arms, allowing Potter and Malfoy to treat and bandage him.
- 'Merlin, it's a good thing that you, Draco, are so paranoid and carry a lot of stuff around with you,' Ron said, supporting his friend by the shoulders so he wouldn't fall over, losing his balance.
- I'm surprised you didn't pick that up from your godfather," Draco snorted.
- Well, why not," Harry grinned, binding the ends of the bandage with magic, "I've got some with me too. After all, Snape is our godfather in a way too, thanks to the twinning ritual.
- Don't tell him that," Ron joked, "or he'll have a heart attack.
- We won't tell him, but I wonder if he'll ever figure it out. - Neville asked, trying to step on his injured foot. - Thanks, Harry, Draco.
- You're welcome. Let's get going, we've wasted enough time," Potter clapped his friend on the shoulder and walked in the direction he and Draco had come from.
The last obstacle for them was the sphinx. The cute pussy cat riddled a riddle and flashed its sharp claws at the correct answer. The four wands quickly persuaded the magical creature to become a soft and fluffy house cat. A couple of minutes after that, the boys found themselves in front of a pedestal on which the winner's trophy was gleaming.
- Well? Shall we wait for the others? - Harry suggested.
- I want to go to Mordred's, I want to see what the old man's up to," Draco shook his head.
Neville and Ron supported him in this. Harry nodded. 'If they want to, then let them watch. A quick spell on the goblet and oh wonder! It was almost completely clean. No deadly gifts, just a portal spell. Checking the given coordinates, humming, and readjusting it to the ones they needed, Harry made a wave to his friends that it was ready to go. A second and the four mages disappeared from the maze, only to find themselves immediately in front of the judge's box. And there was something unimaginable going on.
For some reason, the French and Bulgarian teams were fully present here and not in the labyrinth. "The Bears held defences around Karkaroff, who was lying on the ground in a blood-soaked robe, with Pomfrey and Snape fussing over him. "Salamanders" stood around their headmistress, who was also injured but confidently pointing her wand at McGonagall, bound with ropes and swearing desperately in a mixture of catcalls and Scottish vernacular. The Auror platoon had Dumbledore in their sights, who in turn had his wand at Fudge's throat and the old man's intentions were clearly not peaceful. Flitwick, Sprout and almost all of the remaining teachers were lying on the ground passed out. Barty-Alastor, Sirius, the Malfoys, Bellatrix, still in the guise of a journalist, and the three Longbottoms appeared in front of the slightly dazed lads. They closed in on the boys with a living wall, wands pointing towards Shacklebolt, Tonks, Lupin, and the five other members of the Order of the Phoenix.
- 'My boys, now tell us where you've been,' Dumbledore addressed the 'tigers'.
Dumbledore's sweet voice was openly maddening.
- In the maze," Harry replied coldly, slipping between Sirius and Lucius.
The boy stood up so that he could cover his godfather with himself. Green eyes followed the old man's wand tenaciously as he held it to the throat of the 'Minister'. The rest of the boys stepped forward in the same manner, now a living wall covering their adults.
- The trial ended more than an hour ago, my dear boys," the old man shook his head. - It is not good to deceive adults.
- It's not nice to threaten the first face of magical Britain," Ron growled and raised his wand.
The red-haired boy's posture showed that he was ready to use it.
- Aye-aye-aye, Mr Weasley, you don't need to threaten me. Mr Malfoy is clearly a bad influence on you," the old man grinned madly. - 'Well, that's alright, I'll fix that soon enough.
- I've always found that excessive consumption of sweets dulls even the sharpest mind. You are mad, Dumbledore. Let the Minister go nicely," Potter's wand was now pointed at the old man as well.
- Are you threatening me, my boy?
- Just a warning," Harry shook his head, "a warning for now.
- Warning? What did Tom promise you?
- I don't know any Toms.
- Well, of course you don't. Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort. Remember when you destroyed his diary in second year?
- Oh, that Tom. You said it right, it's destroyed. I don't know why you're bringing him up now.
- Harry, Harry, it's a shame you took a bad road. That's the corrosive influence of your Slytherin friend. You never lied to me before, my boy. Why don't you tell everyone that the Dark Lord has been reborn?
- Dumbledore, you are clearly out of your mind. Voldemort is dead. He died permanently at the end of my second year when I destroyed his soul anchor.
- That's a lie. You were at his rebirth! - Yelled the former headmaster of Hogwarts.
- We were in the labyrinth. Here's the trophy. We won, by the way," Harry tossed the cup forward and nodded sharply to Ron.
He instantly hit the goblet with a repulsor curse and it flew towards Dumbledore. Albus immediately pointed his wand at the object flying at him, which the Aurors took advantage of. The Minister was quickly pulled out of the old man's grasp and surrounded. A spell from Dumbledore's wand melted the goblet, and he fell, hit by a concerted volley of stun curses sent by the law enforcement officers. A second later, the Orderers surrendered as well, unable to fend off the attacks from the boys' defenders.
* * * * *
The next morning the editorial staff of the Daily Prophet worked tirelessly, printing another batch of newspapers, as the first one was not enough. The front page of the country's main newspaper was full of shocking headlines and collodographs. The mages' hair stood on end as they read the articles about what the great, light mage had done, and what danger threatened their children. There was also an article in the press with an interview with Fudge. The Minister announced that he was resigning, but before that there would be an inspection of Azkaban, as there were reports that it contained innocent wizards sent there because of inexplicable considerations of the former head of the Wizengamot.