Third Task Ⅱ

Ignoring the red sparks hovering in the sky, Rowan returned her attention to the hedge corridor in front of her. Walking a short way forward, she quickly found herself in front of a rock wall. Without any hesitation, she blasted her way through a rock wall next before emerging into an open space. The Triwizard Cup was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away. Walking toward it, she paused as she stared at the gleaming trophy. There was something off about it, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what that was.

It simply wasn't worth dying for the stupid metal trophy. She had plenty of money and didn't need the prize money. Pointing her wand into the sky, Rowan is about to release red sparks, when a dark figure rushes past her.

"I am the winner!" Igor Karkaroff smugly called out, when suddenly the golden cup began to ominously glow. In a panic, Igor thoughtlessly reached out and grabbed Rowan's sleeve, who was standing just a step away. Without so much as a warning, they were suddenly hurtling away.

"Of course," Rowan sarcastically thought to herself as she was jerked through a howl of wind and colors. "It had to be the idiot, who drops us in hot water. I should have known that my blasted luck wouldn't hold out until the very end."

Rowan felt her feet slam into the ground as the Triwizard Cup was pulled away from Igor's grasp. Looking quickly around she found herself hundreds of miles away from Hogwarts. The surrounding mountains were gone, and they were standing on the edges of a murky marsh. Letting out a curse under her breath she quickly looks for the Triwizard Cup, but it has been pulled somewhere into the fog.

"Vat is happen'ng?" Igor exclaimed as if Rowan was to blame. If anything, she should be the one who is angry right now. She hadn't even touched the blasted cup!

"Someone enchanted the cup into a portkey," Rowan hissed angrily in reproach before hastily closing her eyes and pulling up her world mapscape. Instantly the surrounding area for miles appeared as a new location on the mapscape. Dozens of figures appear on the map that are rapidly approaching them with one red dot in particular that caused her to pale.

"Well, bloody hell," Rowan swore under her breath as she spotted the Triwizard Tournament on the map in the distance sitting on a rock ledge surrounded by Inferni. Really, who keeps Inferni outdoors like weird creepy crocodile watchdogs? But apparently, she had her answer, who else but dear old Tom Riddle!

There was no way on Earth they would be able to run through the marsh and safely get back to the Triwizard Cup. Not with everyone rapidly approaching them. No, she would have to teleport with Karkaroff in tow, and then obliviate him. Provided that they didn't die in the attempt.

"Shut up!" Rowan hissed as she dragged Igor by the collar and pulled him close nearly nose to nose. "Listen you dunderhead, someone is trying to kill us. I can safely get us to the Triwizard Cup, but I'm going to need your help. Now shut up, they're coming!"

Still holding Igor by the collar of his shirt, Rowan teleported away some distance away into a tree that was high above a pool filled with Inferni. "Okay, I'm-," Rowan doesn't even get to finish her sentence when Igor's eyes roll back, and he slumps in dead faint against the tree. Of course, she had forgotten that most non-teleporters tended to pass out when carried in a jump. Well, that made things easier at least.

Rowan pulled out her wand and said, "Accio Triwizard Cup!" But nothing happened. Naturally the judges had cast a spell preventing a champion from cheating. That instantly meant that the Seize and Pull charm she'd used in the second event was out of the question as well.

"Oh, why is it never easy?!" Rowan swore under her breath, before coming up with a plan to get the blasted tournament cup down without being killed or drowned by the Inferni dwelling at the bottom of the pool of water.

*

Elsewhere at the edge of the swamp, Lord Voldemort leads the way as he eagerly seeks to find his prize, the old Prince's granddaughter. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Voldemort victoriously said as evil chuckles from the accompanying Death Eaters echoed through the marsh.

Emerging from the rising green fog, Voldemort froze at finding no one standing at the location of the portkey. Whirling around he roared, "Find her!" Immediately Death Eaters spring into action spreading in all directions as Voldemort clenches his wand in anger, before hurrying forward into the marsh. He would not let his prey escape.

S.R. Wilkes, unlike the rest of the Death Eaters, remained behind along with Rodolphus Lestrange, who frowned at the scene. "What are you doing, Lestrange?" S.R. Wilkes inquisitively inquired as he observed Lestrange's every action. So intent on observing Lestrange that he failed to notice Lestrange crouching on the ground and slipping a fallen mud-encrusted wand into his boot.

Straightening up, Rodolphus Lestrange raised his wand, "Appare Vestigium!" Suddenly footsteps begin to appear all over them in different shades of colors revealing the paths of all those that were in that area. Yet a pair of silver and yellow footsteps halt after only a few steps.

"How very peculiar," Rodolphus observed as his dark eyes gleamed icily in the ghostly moonlight.

"What is?" S.R. Wilkes coldly asked.

"I would think that you would have more of a conscience about what will happen to your former schoolmate," Rodolphus replied without answering the question. "By all accounts, you were on familiar terms with the girl."

"And why would I have a speck of guilt? We were as you said merely schoolmates," S.R. Wilkes handsome face contorted in annoyance.

"Mm, a little birdy told me that you might have even had feelings for the girl," Rodolphus pointedly said and his attempt was successful as he did not miss the look of surprise on S.R. Wilkes face which just abruptly vanished replaced by eerie glittering eyes that seem to hide a terrible foulness peering back out.

"It was all an act to better entrap her for the Dark Lord's use," the present S.R. Wilkes truthfully explained.

"Is that so?" Rodolphus murmured as he turned away and stared into the fog. "But then again, you've always been a superb actor, Wilkes. Why in your first five years of Hogwarts, you were very different until the fateful winter break of your 5th year. I heard whispers that your change began shortly after that. Were you already so soon tired of your theatre antics? Yet that seems to be counterproductive being so close to winning the girl's affections or sincere friendship. Most peculiar and foolish wouldn't you agree?"

"I was bored," S.R. Wilkes irritably snapped irked with all the jagged questions. "Anything else?"

"No, that was all," Rodolphus smugly said, before moving into the marsh to search further.

From behind, S.R. Wilkes coldly sneered at the tall, thin dark-haired wizard. "If anyone is peculiar or odd, it is you, Lestrange. Did you also not abruptly change because of your wife's death?"

Rodolphus comes to an abrupt stop. "S.R. Wilkes, my wife is dead. Of course, I would change," Rodolphus replied without turning back. But if Wilkes had been able to see his hateful filled eyes with the fires of Hell, he would have immediately turned and run.

"Yes, well, everyone is in agreement that it was for the better, Lestrange. You have become far more useful to the Dark Lord since then," S.R. Wilkes mockingly said.

A cold icy chuckle fills the air as Rodolphus says, "Oh, Wilkes, Wilkes. The more I get to know you, the more I can't help but smile."

"What?" S.R. Wilkes blinked in surprise at failing to earn the reaction that he was expecting.

"Come, we have a job to do," Rodolphus said as S.R. Wilkes arrogantly sneered again and follows after Lestrange. But if S.R. Wilkes had been able to see Rodolphus's face he'd have not followed him. Murder could plainly be seen on Rodolphus's face. The same exact look when Cain bashed the brains out of Abel with a stone.