"We'll take it together," Harry said.
"What?" Cedric stared at him.
"Both grab it at the same time—Hogwarts still wins. We'll be co-champions."
Cedric gaped at Harry, loosening his crossed arms.
"You—do you really mean that?"
"Of course," Harry said.
"Of course... We helped each other get through this, didn't we? We both made it here together. Let's take it together."
"I'm going to be sick," Snape said coldly, staring at the mirror. If it weren't for protecting Harry and preventing Voldemort's return, Orli thought he'd rather watch two slugs eat lettuce than waste time witnessing the Chosen One's noble spirit.
Cedric seemed to hesitate for a moment, then broke into a smile.
"You're on. Come on."
They walked up to the cup together, each raising a hand above one of the gleaming handles. On this side of the mirror, Orli and Snape both tightened their grips on their wands.
"On three, all right?" Harry said.
"One—two—three—"
Both of them grabbed a handle of the cup.
Nothing happened.
They remained exactly where they were, Harry's face beaming with a brilliant smile, Cedric mirroring his expression. One hand still gripped the cup, the other held his wand...
Wait! Orli barely had time to react before Cedric suddenly raised his wand in a flash.
"Expelliarmus!" Cedric shouted, a cold glint flashing in his hand. But before his words had even finished, Snape had already grabbed Orli and stepped directly through the mirror, appearing beside them.
"Incarcerous!" Snape snapped his wand, instantly binding Cedric with ropes. It took almost no effort—Cedric had no idea where they'd materialized from and hadn't even begun to resist. An extremely well-concealed small blade clattered to the ground from his hand.
Harry's wand had just been blasted far away. He stood there stunned, still clutching the cup with his other hand, apparently not yet grasping what had happened.
"What were you trying to do, Cedric?!" Orli demanded incredulously. She'd always thought Cedric was a decent person! If he wanted the cup, Harry had literally just offered it to him—why bother with the pretense of modesty?
"Ah!" Suddenly, just as everyone's attention was focused on Cedric, Harry cried out in pain, clutching his ankle.
The grass nearby rustled. A short, fat, weaselly man emerged from the undergrowth, a chunk of bloody flesh still clamped between his teeth, holding a Triwizard Cup identical to the one in Harry's hand. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the spot.
"Peter Pettigrew?!" Orli gasped, her gaze dropping to Harry's ankle as her face went deathly pale. Harry was gripping his ankle, blood seeping between his fingers.
"What's wrong, Orli? Peter Pettigrew?" Harry said in shock.
"Wait—how did you just appear out of nowhere?"
No one answered him.
Snape pulled a small vial of potion from his robes and forced it between Cedric's lips.
Like spring ice melting rapidly under sunlight, Cedric's face began to twist and transform.
The air around them filled with soft popping sounds as Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, and Professor Flitwick appeared at their side.
"What's happening? Orli? Severus? Why are you both in the maze?" Professor McGonagall asked in astonishment.
"Did they get it?" Dumbledore immediately looked to Snape.
Snape's face was ashen. He nodded grimly, saying nothing.
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