Chapter 436 - Third Task Ⅱ

Returning her attention to the hedge corridor in front of Rowan 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 towards 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 rushed past her.

"I am the vinner!" Igor Karkaroff smugly called out, when suddenly the golden cup began to glow as Igor reached out and grabbed her sleeve and suddenly, they were 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 her 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.

"Someone enchanted the cup into a portkey," Rowan softly hissed, 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 her map that are rapidly heading towards their location especially 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 she apparently had her answer, Riddle.

There was no way on earth, they'd be able to run through the marsh and get to the Triwizard Cup. Not with everyone rapidly approaching them. No, she'd have to teleport with Karkaroff there and 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. "Listen you dunderhead, someone is trying to kill us. I can 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, 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 down against a branch. Of course, she'd 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 nor 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 prince granddaughter. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Voldemort said as evil chuckles from the Death Eater's echo at his side.

Emerging from the rising green fog, Voldemort froze at finding no one standing there. Whirling around he roared, "Find her!" Suddenly, Death Eater's spring in all directions as Voldemort clenches his wand in anger, before hurrying forward into the marsh. He would not let his prey escape.

Wilkes, who'd remained behind with Rodolphus Lestrange frowned. "What are you doing, Lestrange?" Wilkes asked as he stared at Lestrange, who hadn't moved a muscle from staring at the ground. He wasn't able to see when Lestrange slipped the fallen wand on the ground into his boot in his crouch.

Lestrange finally arose from a crouch and said, "Appare Vestigium!" Suddenly footsteps begin to appear all over them in different shades of colors revealing their path. But the footsteps in silver and yellow halt only a foot away. "How very interesting," Rodolphus said as his dark eyes gleamed in the ghostly moonlight.

"What is?" Wilkes coldly said.

"I would think that you would have more of an emotional reaction about what will happen to your former schoolmate," Rodolphus replied not answering the question.

"And why would I?" Wilkes's handsome dark face contorted in annoyance.

"Mm, a little birdy told me that you might have even had feelings for the girl," Rodolphus said not revealing how he knew that little fact. Nor did Rodolphus miss the surprise on Wilkes's face as quickly the usual chill overtook his face.

"It was all an act to better entrap her for the Dark Lord," the present Wilkes truthfully replied.

"Is that so?" Rodolphus murmured as he turned away and stared into the fog. "But then again, you've always been a superb actor. Why your first five years of Hogwarts, you were very different until the winter break of that year. I heard the rumors that you began to change after that. Were you already so soon tired of your play? But that is a bit strange given the fact that had you remained as before you'd surely have won the Prince girl's affections or deep friendship for sure."

"I was bored," Wilkes snapped as if annoyed with all the questions. "Anything else?"

"No, that was all," Rodolphus said as he moved into the marsh.

Wilkes coldly sneered at the tall, thin dark-haired man. "If anyone should not be talking it is yourself, Lestrange. Did you not change because of your wife's death?"

Rodolphus comes to an abrupt stop. "Wilkes, my wife is dead, of course, I'd change," Rodolphus replied without turning back. But if Wilkes had been able to see his hell filled eyes, he'd have run.

"Yes, well, everyone says, you became sharper and deadlier after that," Wilkes mockingly said. "But I wonder if it wasn't a foolish attempt to hide away your pain?"

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

"Come, we have a job to do," Rodolphus said as Wilkes sneers again and follows after Lestrange. But if 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.