The Red Rose That Has Green Thorns

I was most thankful for the chance to walk down to the scene of the third task hand-in-hand with Scorpius, because if things happened to go wrong…well, I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to be near to him just a little while longer. The reassuring squeeze of his hand made me look up at him and smile nervously. I knew it would be blatantly obvious to Scorpius that something more than just nerves was getting to me, but I would tell him everything once it was all over…if I got the chance.

My nervousness wasn’t solely based upon all my visions, but also the extremely nervous look on my father’s face. Surely he shouldn’t have been so uneasy if there wasn’t due reason. After all, this was Ronald Bilius Weasley, one of the heroes of the war against Voldemort and one of the greatest aurors to ever live alongside the likes of Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody and Uncle Harry. He didn’t just get the jitters if nothing was wrong—or, rather, if nothing was likely to go wrong. And so I assumed that since he was nervous, he expected something to go wrong and it scared me that I didn’t know what. Was it perhaps one of the periodical uprisings of dark wizards? Wizards who attempted to be as Voldemort was but could never manage it? But no—if it was, wouldn’t they have postponed this task? No one would let six students in their final years of school face off against aged and experienced wizards.

The long, slender fingers of Scorpius tightened around my own as the tent came into view. The others had drawn just a bit ahead of us, but I didn’t pay it much heed. I let myself squeeze back, smiling up at Scorpius gently but forcedly.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized softly. In reply he started swinging our hands back and forth slowly.

“You can tell me later,” he responded with a calm, understanding grin. Always so understanding, even when he knew I was keeping things from him. And even though I knew that secrets didn’t make for happy relationships…how could I tell him that something felt so wrong? I couldn’t just tell him that I thought disaster was about to take over our lives. I couldn’t tell him about my visions, about the blood…I couldn’t put him on edge like that. It would make him more concerned for me than for himself, and I couldn’t have that.

Perhaps I was being selfish, but I couldn’t tell him.

“Deal,” I said softly instead, grateful for his hand squeezing mine.

And with that, we stepped into the tent.

“There they are, there they are!” exclaimed Professor Collins as soon as we entered. The others hadn’t been too far ahead of us, so I knew that the headmaster was just teasing us. I hadn’t expected that kind of thing from him, but lately in our encounters it had become a bit more pronounced. I didn’t really mind it that much usually, but now even that playful teasing had guilt crashing down around my shoulders.

Relationships weren’t built on secrets. I knew that. Scorpius knew that. But I couldn’t help not telling him the whole truth.

“Here we are!” I responded as cheerfully as I could muster.

“Ah, a bit nervous, Rose?” Uncle Percy commented at the slight waver in my voice. My chuckle then was rather nervous as I reached up and scratched the back of my head with my free hand.

“Maybe a little,” I admitted sheepishly to him.

A little was, of course, quite the understatement.

“Well, we’ve all been there,” said Gwen, her tone businesslike. That was the cue for all the champions to stand at attention and turn toward the judges. “Especially on the Quidditch pitch, where the next few minutes could turn into hours and you know that the team’s victory could count on your next move. And I suppose it’s just as bad here, where the victory depends on how well you work with your partner in the end.”

“Just like Quidditch,” Uncle Viktor agreed, casting his eyes across the six of us assembled. “But that’s not what we’re going to talk about now, is it?”

“Quite right, quite right,” Professor Collins agreed quite amiably, “we’re to explain the task that begins shortly, are we not?”

The other judges just nodded or somehow signaled their agreement to that and my heart leapt in my chest. Not only was I a little nervous—no, now I was borderline terrified. It wasn’t too obvious, but I could feel my heartbeat quickening. I couldn’t help the feeling that something was going to go wrong. The nervousness that my own father had shown to me was more than enough to cause suspicion.

“The third task will be much different from the previous two,” Gwen started in her no-nonsense manner. I’d come to expect this kind of attitude from her. “Rather than starting out at the entrance with your partner, you will be starting from opposite ends of the arena. With perhaps a bit of luck and hopefully with some skill, you will meet up with your partner somewhere towards the middle.”

This task really was going to be different, then. I felt Scorpius squeeze my hand tightly and I responded in kind, furrowing my brow in concentration. I knew there had to be some kind of spell to lead us in the direction of our partners—we just had to remember what it was. We’d come across it in passing in preparation for the first task, although we’d never used it.

“That can’t be all,” said Ethan of Durmstrang thoughtfully, hand on his chin.

“It’s not,” began Uncle Percy. “Once you meet up with your partner near the center, you will have to try your best to find the golden crest of your school and get to the exit before any of the others. This means that, quite unlike the last tournament, the judgment of the winners will be based on points at the end rather than on who reaches the goal first.”

There’s a kicker. I had expected something like that from the start, but for them to wait to say it until their last meeting with us before the final task was a tricky move on their part. There would be no handicaps, such as a staggered method of entering a maze, as had been the case with the last tournament. One team’s chance encounter with their school’s crest would not guarantee them immediate victory, as was supposed to be the case with the cup in the maze when Uncle Harry had been a contestant.

In all reality, I mused, this was quite a fair way to go about it all.

“One of ze rules,” Madame Maxime spoke up then, as if weary of the building silence, “I feel must be mentioned, is zat ze emblem for your team may not be picked up wizzout your partner.”

“Yes, she’s right,” Gwen hopped back in, nodding to the Beauxbatons headmistress thankfully. “It’s imperative that we not leave that out. Unless you have rendezvoused with your partner in the central area of the arena already, you may not pick up your emblem. The partners must each touch the crest within thirty seconds of each other, or, if only one partner is present, the emblem must be dropped before the thirty seconds has elapsed. If these requirements are not met, the team in question will be disqualified.”

“Are there any questions?”

The harsher tones of the Durmstrang headmaster struck home more fully than if Gwen had asked it. There was a certain finality to his statement, as if Uncle Viktor was daring us to say something.

“No,” Andy spoke up nearly immediately. “I ‘ave none.”

After a quick glance at me, Scorpius said, “Nor do we.”

“We don’t either,” Carmela spoke up for both she and Ethan.

It was kind of a lie; I could tell there were little inquiries they would have liked to make and I myself would have liked to ask something…my reason for withholding my question, however, was an attempt to keep from alarming my fellow participants.

What I would have liked to ask went something like, “Are there any chances that some sort of outside force will try to interfere with the task?”, or, “Do you know why my father is so on edge about the final task? Is something going to happen?”

Just asking the questions could cause needless panic…but they could also be helpful, too, to keep the others on guard.

“Very well, then,” Gwen seemed to be doing most of the explaining and none of the other judges seemed very eager to jump in, so she continued. “Hagrid and Professor Malin will be escorting the champions to their respective ends of the field. The ladies shall go with the professor and the gents will go with Hagrid.”

For the first time, I noticed the two escorts standing by near one of the tent openings and I almost felt ashamed for not realizing they were there sooner.

“The crests, once found, will guide you to the exit,” Viktor spoke shortly.

“Now, ze task starts in just a few moments,” Madame Maxime interjected, glancing at a clock in the tent. Why there was a huge grandfather clock out in the tent I had no idea, but we were witches and wizards. I guess it made sense. “So eef you vill follow your guides to the area, ve can give ze signal to begin shortly.”

I had a feeling she just wanted to get this over with—I didn’t blame her. I wanted it over with too.

“Olympe’s right,” Hagrid grunted, taking a step toward the flap of the tent nearest the arena. “Yeh lot better start headin’ this way.”

Scorpius gave my hand another squeeze, kissed me on the cheek, and grinned confidently and slightly nervously before walking to the half-giant with Ethan and Carl. Andy, Carmela, and I went to stand by Professor Malin, who sneakily winked at me. I did my best to grin back.

The nervousness coiled in the pit of my stomach like a snake waiting to strike, but I didn’t have much time to consider it. The professor and Hagrid started to lead the way out of the tent and off toward the arena in opposite directions.

This was it, then.

The third task had finally begun.