Chapter Thirty-Two: Riddle Me This

It wasn't like Cordelia to be so nervous. Fiddling fingers, nervous murmurs and anxious thoughts had never plagued her as much as they did that afternoon, but the brunette couldn't do much but hide behind a crumbling mask of confidence. There weren't many who noticed her facade and fewer paid heed to the Hogwarts champion, but Cordelia couldn't help but think the room's eyes were rested on her.

It felt like the day she was sorted, except she couldn't decipher whether the pressure was lesser or more.

"It's going to be fine."

Lia rolled her eyes but didn't dare turn towards the side as she continued down the Banquet Hall.

"Easy for you to say when the room isn't subjecting you to crude judgement."

Orion chuckled at his sister's words as he continued following her down the centre of the hall. For once the younger Black chose not to return his sister's impudence but Cordelia wasn't sure if she appreciated or despised the sudden change.

Even if her brother wasn't of much use, Cordelia had to admit he had efficiently taken her mind off of the rampant hippogriffs zooming through her stomach.

That distraction, however, was short-lived as she finally took her place beside Tom, ignoring the gaze sent her way.

"Wizards and witches, it is my pleasure to announce the first task for the Triwizard Tournament!!

Madame Maxime's words drew a series of applause from the crowd before them, the sound slowly but surely making Cordelia feel nauseous.

"The champions will now faint and awaken in the location of the first task while I set some ground rules."

Cordelia didn't have much time to process the situation and couldn't do much except suddenly feel very aware of the French professors surrounding them. For the first time since she stood beside him, Cordelia chose to turn towards her right and lock her gaze with Tom's.

The confusion swimming through his brown pools weirdly calmed her as Cordelia turned back to the front, sending a questioning gaze towards Dumbledore. Madame Maxime didn't seem to comprehend the champions' unease as she turned on her heel, smiling at the six teenagers with the most typical French smile Cordelia could think of.

"It won't hurt-" her statement was cut off as the Beaxubaton faculty sent fainting spells towards each champion, causing the crowd to gasp,

"much."

Cordelia mustered a final gaze towards the Slytherins clustered near the front before she gave into the spell, Orion's concerned gaze being the last thing she saw.

There were a lot of situations Cordelia thought she would wake up in.

Her first thought was the lake near the palace. The thought itself had caused a shiver to roll down her spine as she imagined the freezing water and slips of ice that would encompass her body as she bobbed up and down the lake. It was enough for Cordelia to grasp bits of the ice under her body, reassuring herself that while her circumstance might be as cold and dreadful as the lake, at least she wasn't soaked.

The ice, while remotely comforting, also triggered Cordelia's senses, causing her to contemplate the first task.

Icy walls surrounded her, their glistening forms as solid as Beauxbatons' pillars. The walls weren't very relieving, so she flipped her gaze towards the ground, noticing something that could possibly cost her the Tournament.

In her tardiness, Cordelia had wasted precious time simply thinking of the task rather than doing it. The thought itself caused her to flinch as she mulled over what her parents would say in such a situation. Devils Snare crawled up her legs, one vine going as far as her knee with several others following after it.

Cordelia yelped as she quickly scrambled back, hitting her back against an ice wall as her palms automatically sought out her wand.

Horror raced through her heart as the brunette frantically began searching faster, discarding her robe and sifting through her skirt pockets and the sides of her boots. She came up empty-handed each time, the result making Cordelia groan and glare at the Devil's Snare.

They had taken the champions' wands. She wasn't sure if that was even allowed in the Tournament, but Cordelia couldn't do much except gather her wits and get on her feet.

"What good is a witch without a wand?"

An answer came to her as soon as she muttered the question.

Wands were what ran the Wizarding World, they were what helped magic folk harness magic and control magic during school, and even after it for most. But it wasn't the only source of magic. Potions, creatures, plants and dark, almost satanic, blood spells were always overlooked, being switched out for wands.

It was logical to take away their wands, for that was the only way to have them use logic.

Cordelia might have been rendered without her familiar black wand, but for a skilful witch, the lack of a wand should simply be a hurdle, not her demise.

Blue eyes a shade darker than the walls grazed over the room, scanning every nook and cranny for a hint to the challenge. It was clear that the only way out was through the Devil's snare, but Cordelia was unsure how she would do that.

Light and fire weren't at her disposal, and without a wand, she couldn't summon either of them. The only bodily answer would be to walk through it with a completely calm mind, but Cordelia was unsure if there was something on the other side of the room.

That only left one option; outside help.

The professors had to have left a clue or potion, or anything to help each contender, she simply had to find it.

"For Merlin's sake, think!"

Her frustrated outbreak had the bookworm running a hand through her hair. The familiar action helped calm her as Cordelia walked away from the wall, making sure to dwell away from the plant as it filled the room. Her palm clenched and unclenched as she gazed at the plant, finally deciding to try and use wandless magic.

She lifted her arm and thrust it towards the front, summoning every bit of magic in her as Cordelia prepared to light up the room. However, something stopped her just as she parted her lips.

There, at the base of her palm lay a water droplet that certainly didn't exist before.

Blue eyes widened in realization as Cordelia turned on her heel, returning to her previous spot and glaring at the ceiling. Nestled between two slips of ice was a small potion vile, one with a lava-like substance flowing through it.

Cordelia had the urge to jump as high as she could to try and touch the chamber's ceiling, but she knew the room was too high for her to achieve such a thing.

The Devil's Snare finally caught up to her as she glared at the potion vial, contemplating her options.

"Of course!"

For the first time since she awoke that afternoon, a smirk found its way across her lips as Cordelia tensed her body, prompting the Snare to travel farther up her body.

When the plant had made it halfway up her body, Cordelia lifted her feet above the ground, allowing her body to rise with the Devil's Snare as it piled on and around her. It took a few minutes, time that she would have rather spent escaping, but in the end, the brunette rose high enough to reach the vial and drop it onto the vines curling around her shoulders.

A weird screech-like sound echoed in the chamber as the Devil's Snare burned and receded, causing Cordelia's smirk to widen as she leapt away from the deep green vines and raced across the chamber. A wooden door was nestled in the middle of the ice, the sight making her smirk as the witch pulled the door open without hesitance.

A loud racket and bright lights suddenly flooded into the room, making Cordelia flinch and shut her eyes as she attempted to adjust her senses.

When she finally peeled her azure eyes open Cordelia gaped in surprise, finally registering the crown of spectators watching her. The sight made the brunette cock her head to the side as she gazed around the rest of the room, finally catching onto the situation.

Each champion was locked into a room with the Devil's Snare, set to escape into an icy passage that led directly towards the crowd.

The passages formed a circle around a rather large mob, allowing the spectators to watch each champion easily.

Only one other champion had made it past the Devil's Snare, her feminine figure immediately making Cordelia think of Camilla, the second Beauxbaton champion and the apparent 'queen' of Beauxbaton's palace. The slim girl was halfway through her passage, but just as she began to move out of Cordelia's line of sight, Camilla paused and took several steps back.

The motion made Cordelia turn back to her own passage as she took tentative steps towards the front. For a brief moment, she searched her skirt pocket, attempting to find a wand that was no more in her possession. She had to admit the comfort of her wand was one that couldn't be replaced, but Cordelia couldn't do much except proceed down the passage.

Just as she began to think the challenge was suspiciously easy, a loud thud made Cordelia snap her gaze to the back of her passage. Camilla, Tom, Danka and Magnus all happened to enter their passages at the same time, but that wasn't what made her shudder and suddenly switch her gaze to the front.

The wooden door had been locked, presumedly by Madame Maxime who sat in front of the crowd. Cordelia suddenly felt inexplicitly trapped and weirdly scared as she took a tentative step back, feeling very aware of the sudden silence from the crowd.

Several loud bangs echoed across the room, the sound making Cordelia immediately crouch and cover her head.

When she finally felt safe enough to get back on her feet, the brunette wished she had never left the Devil's Snare, to begin with.

There, standing in its all nine-foot-something might, was a Yeti incomparable to anything she had ever seen before. The sketches Cordelia had seen in the past were nothing opposed to the long fangs, shiny white fun, and sharp claws that met her gaze.

The Yeti was twice her size and had an impressively short temper, one that prompted it to growl at Cordelia and take slow steps forward.

"Bloody hell."

She wasn't sure why she did it, and if anyone would have asked her Cordelia would have strongly denied it, but at that moment all she could do was turn to the left and gaze at Tom. Peculiarly he was already looking her way and sent her a small smirk as soon as their gaze met.

Cordelia rolled her eyes, aware that Tom wouldn't allow himself to show any weakness even in such a situation. He seemed to catch onto her thoughts as Riddle finally let go of his mask and allowed a small smile to slip through, one that held more sympathy than she thought he had.

The expression calmed her for a moment, but her remote tranquillity was lost when Estelle let out a scream akin to a wounded dear's. Cordelia didn't bother turning to her right to gauge out the situation but she could see a bit of blood splattered onto the wall separating them.

Yet another wounded sound echoed around them as one of the Dumstrang boys, presumedly Danka from the small frame lying on the ground, crawled to the back of his passage as he clutched a long gash across his left leg.

"Focus."

Cordelia took deep breaths as she turned her attention completely towards the Yeti, attempting to ignore the sudden fear that crept through her heart and mind.

The Yeti didn't seem to like Cordelia's talking as he finally charged forward, causing her to gulp and dash towards the side. She had studied creatures enough to know larger beings usually were slower than others, which meant if she played her cards right, Cordelia could possibly make it out of the passage.

The thought had her smirking as she waited for the Yeti to charge at her, dodging to the side just as it got close enough to reach for her. It let out a yell of anger at her sudden movements, going as far as to bang a fist onto the icy ground.

Usually, such a scene would have scared Cordelia, but she chose to instead use it to her advantage and quickly speed down the passage. Just as she thought the Yeti was too close to her, Cordelia turned to the left and dashed towards the left wall.

She ran towards the wall with all her might, making sure the tall creature was fooled and followed after her, before quickly changing course and going to the right.

For several minutes Cordelia couldn't do much except evade the Yeti in any way possible, choosing to either run or duck or use non-verbal spells to force him away from her. She knew it wouldn't be too long before she ran out of strength, but Cordelia couldn't quite comprehend how she would surpass the creature.

She wasn't daft to think that was all, and the brunette knew the Yeti would catch on eventually, thus she used her slight advantage wisely.

Cordelia tuned out the crowd before her as she focused solely on her opponent, concentrating on its footfalls and rapid breathing. The Yeti was tired of running around and playing games, and so was Cordelia. Perhaps it was time for her to use a bit of magic.

Unlike her previous moves, she chose to rush into her next plan with barely any thought, something that Cordelia would come to deeply regret.

It was a simple plan; slow down enough for the Yeti to catch up and then cast a non-verbal Bombarda. Had she thought of every factor and been in the right mental and physical state, Cordelia was certain the plan would have worked smoothly.

But, unfortunately, the pureblood witch was running out of ideas and thus chose to ignore the ice below her.

Cordelia forgot that a sheet of ice, no matter how thick, could only remain intact for so long, and eventually would begin melting. It wasn't enough for her to slip and fall, but the sudden puddle of water caused a stutter in her step, a brief pause that the Yeti took pleasure in using to its advantage.

The large creature roared as it yanked on her hair, pulling Cordelia long enough for her to trip over her feet and land onto the ice with her head facing up.

It took her a moment to register the situation, but when she did it was far too late for Cordelia. The Yeti had kneeled above her, far enough to maintain a distance but close enough for her to only see, smell and hear it.

She took her time analyzing the creature, noticing how soft its fur looked and how small its claws truly were. The Yeti reminded Cordelia of a wild cat, elegant yet deadly, something you would fear in person but revel at from a mile away. However, there were evident differences between the two.

Wild cats didn't have big beady black eyes filled with malice and hatred or long, ebony fangs hanging out of their mouth. Fangs that could tear a human apart within seconds if used correctly.

Fangs that were currently moving closer to her face.

The thought of being devoured during the first task had her screaming at herself to move, but Cordelia's fear was too strong and had her stuck to the ice. It felt as if the Yeti could sense her fear as it leaned forward, harshly breathing onto her face as it parted its lips to let out a guttural growl that caused a shiver to roll down her spine.

Cordelia let out a breath as the Yeti snarled at her, finally cutting to the chase and reaching out a palm. The action had her flinching as the brunette shut her eyes, presuming it would be a quick and easy ordeal.

"Lia!"

Orion. Her baby brother. How could she have forgotten he was in the audience?

How could Cordelia have possibly let herself bow to a Yeti, a creature with wits to rival an infant, with her brother and closest friends watching? What would her parents say?

What would she say?

Perhaps Cordelia had finally gotten the adrenaline rush she was waiting for, or perhaps she was simply too determined to remain still, whatever was the cause, she thanked Merlin for the clarity as she rolled towards the side, evading the Yeti's blow and rolling as far as she could.

Cordelia didn't bother pausing and leapt onto her feet as soon as she had created a safe distance between her and the creature. Her legs hurt and her body craved sleep, but Cordelia didn't succumb to her fatigue as she bolted across the passage.

The Yeti let out a yell at her escape, something that normally wouldn't have confused her. Had the sound been more aggressive and louder, much like its other yells, Cordelia would have sped up and ignored the creature, but this yell was different.

A smirk subconsciously formed across her face as Cordelia turned back, settling her gaze on a sight that had her chuckling with relief and joy.

In his attempt to smash Cordelia, the Yeti had slammed his fists into the ice below them, causing his right hand to get stuck in the ice.

The realization had her smirking as Cordelia didn't waste any time, ignoring the whoops of joy from the audience as she made a mad dash to the end of the passage. For a brief moment, she contemplated looking back to check on Tom, but the thought left her mind as soon as it entered, making her sigh and sprint faster.

A golden fence surrounded a small podium of sorts, one that held seats for the headmasters and their two champions. Madame Maxime stood from her armchair in the centre and walked forward with a lazy gait, reaching the front of the fence and opening it as Cordelia exited the passage.

Loud whoops of joy and a series of applause were directed towards her as she slowed down, taking her time in climbing the three steps to the podium. A lazy smile stretched across her face as Cordelia approached Madame Maxime, but it was replaced with a frown as she noticed something, or rather someone, she hadn't quite taken the time to observe.

Camilla was casually leaning against a seat behind her headmistress, a smug grin lazily forming across her painted lips. The brunette French girl had beat Cordelia. Usually, she wouldn't care too much about such details after fighting off a Yeti, but the lack of wounds on the short girl had Cordelia reeling.

How was it that five of the champions were bloodied and bruised yet one of them, the one who also happened to be the first to enter the passage, was in pristine condition?

"Miss Black, you may join your headmaster as we wait for the rest."

Cordelia simply nodded at Madame Maxime, taking a moment to glare at Camilla before she joined Dumbledore and Dippet near the left of the podium.

"Something is wrong."

She didn't bother lifting her gaze off of Camilla as Cordelia took a seat beside Dumbledore, leaving the one beside Dippet vacant for Tom.

"Indeed, Miss Black, but we mustn't focus on such things yet."

Dumbledore's ignorant words made her frown deepen as she turned to the side.

"I don't think you-"

A shake of the older man's head silenced Cordelia, making her huff and swallow back a choice few words as Dumbledore finally spoke his mind.

"It would be improper to bring it up at such a moment-" she disagreed strongly but sealed her lips as Dumbledore continued.

"There is a time and place, Ms Black."

Cordelia couldn't do much except turn back to the front with a sigh, allowing her body to relax as she noticed Tom and Danka approaching Madame Maxime at the same time.

While Riddle remained mainly unscathed save for a few cuts across his robe, Danka had ripped the better half of his robe to instead tie it around an awful gash near his right knee. Cordelia gulped as she realized how fortunate she was to have moved at the right time, her mind forgetting all thoughts about Beauxbaton as she wondered whether she truly would have made it out alive.

"As you all know, the singular winner of the first task was Miss Camilla Usmani, but-"

Cordelia sighed at Madame Maxime's words, ignoring the look sent her way from Estelle.

The champions were a peculiar sight to gaze upon as they queued up behind their headmasters, their uniforms and appearance looking wild and dishonourable in comparison to the professors' pristine robes.

Cordelia, however, didn't care too much about her appearance and chose to instead send a subtle glare towards Dumbledore and Dippet's backs as they idly stood before her, pretending not to know exactly why Camilla had won.

"She cheated."

Tom nodded along to her words but didn't bother turning towards Cordelia as he leaned closer to her and lowered his voice.

"We'll just have to make sure she can't do it again."

Cordelia smirked at his words, catching onto what he meant as Madame Maxime continued speaking.

"But, the overall scores place 'Ogwarts as the winning school for the first task."

The declaration resulted in abnormally loud whoops of joy from the Hogwarts students. Cordelia let out a chuckle as she saw Orion whistle and Druella whoop. She turned towards Tom with a grin as Madame Maxime attempted to silence the crowd.

"I guess it isn't all bad news."

Cordelia grinned at his words, subconsciously letting out a giggle as she reached forward and briefly gave Tom a hug before turning back towards the professors, pretending not to notice the grin Estelle sent her.

It was peculiar for Cordelia to be friendly towards Tom, especially with what took place before the task.

She hadn't forgotten about their encounter in the library, neither had she gotten more comfortable around Tom, Cordelia simply felt what any other person in her position would feel; relief that the only person who could understand her situation had made it past the first task.

The gesture hadn't changed anything for her, but it certainly had affected Tom as his gaze trailed to the chamber's ground in confusion.

While one of the Hogwarts champions fell into a pit of contemplation and confusion, the other had her mind set on revealing Beauxbaton's true colours and have a chat with a certain brunette queen.