The three former contestants were easily the fastest team as they had obviously worked out a plan to deal with the potions; Victor had lost his speech so was at the front of the group. Fleur couldn't see so she was in the middle with her left hand on Victor's shoulder while Cedric without his hearing brought up the rear. They had worked out a simple 'number of taps code to attract Victor's attention while Cedric spoke to her and guided Fleur around the course. They were the only team to use shields against the archer fish as everyone else had tried to dodge or stand up to their attacks, which resulted in them knocking four teams out.
Harry was starting to relax as the competition wound down, he'd been expecting trouble all day and just when it looked like they'd dodged a bullet, an unknown owl entered the arena and headed straight for Harry. When he read the letter it had carried his heart sank and Hermione ran sobbing from the arena with her hands over her face. Harry really had no choice but to comply with the letter and place his thumb on the marked square of the parchment.
A twenty-foot projection of the old bastard suddenly came from the letter, "I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, challenge Harry James Potter to a duel to the death for the lies he has told and the damage caused to my impeccable reputation. This duel will take place tomorrow on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch at one o'clock and all spectators are welcome as truth will out."
The old bastard was nothing if not a showman but Harry wasn't about to be outdone, using the same magic he had used on Christmas Eve, a thirty foot projection of Harry now dwarfed Dumbledores, "I, Lord Harry James Potter Gryffindor accept the challenge for all the harm this deranged lunatic has brought to my family. Yes, truth will out and justice will be done." Harry vanished, reappearing next to his distraught wife in the Gryffindor apartments.
Ginny grabbed the Grangers and Neville before saying 'blue lagoon' and they all appeared next to her parents where Harry was trying to comfort an inconsolable Hermione. Ginny couldn't understand this, her dad could kick that old fool's arse anytime he wanted, why was mum so upset?
Harry handed the note to Dan and the colour drained from his face the more he read with his legs giving way as he sat down heavily on the couch repeatedly muttering "oh shit"
The room filled up as people used the floo to find out just what was going on and as the letter went from Dan to Ragnok, Amelia, Minerva, the elves and the marauders, Hermione was rocking, sobbing with the chant of "my babies, not my babies."
Ginny couldn't take it any more, "will someone please tell me what the hell is going on before I start hexing people!"
Harry gestured for people to sit before explaining the situation to his daughter, "the old bastard has kidnapped two young boys and if I don't publicly lose the duel to him they will die." Hermione seemed to get worse with someone actually saying it out loud.
"Well ok, we will try our hardest to make sure we get to them in time but there's no way dad's going to loose his life to save a couple of kids. That's just not an option." Declared Ginny.
"You don't understand Ginny, it's who he's kidnapped. Should anything happen to Prince William or Prince Harry then we would be looking at the Greengrass scenario magnified a thousand fold, nothing less that the utter extinction of every magical creature and item in the country." Ragnok looked scared.
Emma was also hugging Hermione, trying to comfort her daughter and asked was there something wrong with her babies, Hermione clung to Harry pleading with him not to do this, hide on their island as he gently rocked her and held her tight. Harry then dropped the bombshell "due to our soul bond if one of us were to die, the other would follow. If I lose the duel tomorrow Hermione and our babies will die to."
There were a few seconds when the only sound was Hermione's "not my babies" before pandemonium broke out. The elves and goblins had known this fact but the rest hadn't. Ginny threw herself onto her parents and Amanda wasn't far behind her, Dan sat there totally out of his depth, every time he though he was getting a handle on the situation, fate seemed to kick him in the nuts. Sirius and Remus were trying to figure a way round this while Minerva had sent for Poppy who was administering some calming draft to all the ladies.
Sirius took control, "Ok everyone, and listen up. If the combined knowledge and abilities in this room can't defeat one crazy old man then my name isn't Sirius Orion Black."
"Could we use a substitute?" asked Remus "he didn't notice Crouch Jr and he sat at the same table as him."
"I don't think we can take any chances and I wont have someone die for me, he knows every magical trick in the book so we're going to have to use a different book," Harry's mind had been flooded with Hermione's distress but she was now getting it back together, the thought of her unborn children had swamped her emotions but Hermione's anger was beginning to surface, a good sign since it wasn't directed at him.
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