Harry Potter: I am the Legend

A corner of the maze.

The thin mist lingering in the air had unknowingly turned red. Nicolas Flamel looked up at the blood-red moon appearing in the sky, his expression grave. Removing his black top hat, he turned his head and called out, "Wormtail."

No response.

He called again, "Wormtail?"

Still no response.

Above the mist, dark clouds gathered at an alarming speed, rolling with distant thunder. The rustling of the maze's hedges added to the growing unease.

"WORMTAIL!!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

A faint scurrying sound came from within the maze. A gray-furred rat darted around the corner, its body swelling mid-run until it transformed into a short, filthy man clad in a tattered jacket. Rubbing his hands nervously, he stammered, "H-Here! What is it, Mr. Flamel?"

"Begin. Prepare to summon your master."

Flamel's face was devoid of emotion.

"Now?" Pettigrew glanced at his watch in confusion. "It's not yet the appointed time. The mother body and the relic may not be ready."

"There's no time to wait," Flamel said firmly.

"What happened, Mr. Flamel?"

"For God's sake!"

Flamel suddenly erupted in anger, grabbing a rock and hurling it at Pettigrew's forehead. "Why do you ask so many questions? I've been calling you for ages!"

"I—I was preparing the cauldron!"

Pettigrew shrieked, clutching his head where the rock had struck.

"Can't your damn master just Apparate here?!" Flamel snapped. "Isn't he supposed to be the greatest Dark Wizard in history? Can't he manage something so simple?"

"The Master is too weak! He can't withstand the strain of spatial travel, Mr. Flamel. Besides, didn't you already agree to use the method Lord Grindelwald suggested?"

"Shut up!"

Flamel reacted as if he had been burned, drawing his wand and pointing it directly at Pettigrew.

Terrified, Pettigrew clamped his mouth shut, retreating several steps. His beady eyes darted around frantically, like a rat cornered by a cat.

Flamel took deep, shuddering breaths, trying to steady himself. After a moment, he lowered his wand, his expression dark and tense. "Go. Bring the beast here immediately. Not a second wasted."

His face was taut with frustration. Pettigrew dared not protest. Relieved to be dismissed, he bolted deeper into the maze.

Once alone, Flamel kicked the grass violently. He glared at the blood moon beyond the mist and cursed aloud, "Damn it! Damn you all! Every last one of you!"

He was trapped in the maze, consumed by a rage so intense that he had nearly torn out half of his own hair.

Ten minutes later.

The distant sound of hooves echoed through the maze. Flamel's fury subsided, replaced by an icy, grim determination.

Clip-clop! Clip-clop!

A tall, majestic unicorn galloped into the clearing.

It tossed its head furiously, trying to shake off the rope around its neck. Pettigrew, clinging to the other end, was being dragged across the ground like a rag doll, his attempts to restrain the powerful beast proving utterly futile.

Seeing Pettigrew's pathetic struggle, Flamel wordlessly drew his wand and stepped forward. With a flick, several forked bolts of lightning shot from the wand, forming a lasso that wrapped tightly around the unicorn's neck.

The violent magic only enraged the unicorn further. It reared up, kicking wildly, and with a mighty jerk, flung Pettigrew into the air. Flamel's expression remained as hard as iron. Reaching into his robes, he retrieved a glass orb and hurled it at the unicorn.

The orb shattered against the unicorn's neck, releasing a shimmering pink mist that engulfed its head.

As the unicorn inhaled the mist, its movements became sluggish, as though it were drunk. It snorted, shaking its head in an attempt to dispel the haze, but within moments, it collapsed onto the ground, making the earth tremble.

Flamel took a step forward, wand raised.

"Don't hurt him!"

A desperate cry rang out from the distance.

A young girl came sprinting toward them, rushing to Flamel's side and grabbing his shoulders, shaking him vigorously. "Hey! Let him go! What did he do to deserve this?!"

The sky darkened as clouds swallowed the moonlight. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, momentarily illuminating the scene. The magnificent unicorn, startled, struggled to rise but lacked the strength to do so.

"Hey! Did you hear me?! Let him go!"

Fleur shook Flamel's arm frantically. Pettigrew, having recovered from his fall, scrambled over and forcibly pulled the girl away from Flamel.

Flamel silently observed the girl being restrained by Pettigrew, his lips pale.

"Mr. Flamel?" Pettigrew prompted. "Shall we begin the ritual?"

Flamel clenched his jaw. Sweat dripped steadily from his forehead as he averted his gaze, groaning, "Damn you, Grindelwald. Damn you, Riddle. You are true devils."

"Mr. Flamel!"

Pettigrew took a step forward, impatient. "When do we begin?"

Flamel's eyes flickered to Pettigrew's filthy, stubby nails digging into the girl's delicate arm. His disgust was evident. "I know what to do. Let her go first."

Pettigrew obeyed, releasing Fleur but keeping his wand trained on her as he slowly backed away.

Flamel crouched down and asked Fleur Delacour, "Do you like this unicorn?"

"Of course. Who wouldn't?"

Fleur, sitting on the ground, gazed dreamily at the majestic creature. "He's beautiful."

"Would you like to ride him?"

Flamel's voice was calm, but the hand hidden behind his back trembled uncontrollably.

"You'd let me ride him?"

She asked curiously. "Wouldn't he be angry?"

"Well, with a little trick, he shouldn't mind too much."

As Flamel spoke, sweat poured down his face like a waterfall. His facial muscles twitched, and his forced smile looked painfully unnatural.

"Alright then!"

Flamel turned away and signaled to Pettigrew. Understanding his intent, Pettigrew pulled a small bottle from his pocket. He uncorked it and poured a viscous green liquid onto the grass.

Almost immediately, countless vines sprouted from the ground. They twisted and intertwined, forming a skeletal structure resembling a ribcage and spine. The vines continued weaving together until they shaped a complete skeletal frame of a creature.

Flamel waved his wand, and from the vines grew thinner tendrils, which layered over the skeletal structure like muscle fibers. As the covering spread, green leaves sprouted along its surface.

Finally, standing in the clearing was a towering three-meter-tall unicorn, entirely composed of plants.

Flamel took one glance at the artificial unicorn and turned away, unwilling to look any further.

Pettigrew stood beneath the creature, dipping his fingers into the last drop of green liquid before pressing them into the soil.

From the ground, vines grew once more, this time twisting into a finely woven floral staircase, leading directly to a hollow cavity in the unicorn's chest.

After completing everything, he couldn't help but reveal a wicked smile. "Go up."

"What is this?"

Fleur curiously eyed the other unicorn before her—this one composed entirely of vegetation.

"A sacred artifact," Peter Pettigrew shrugged indifferently. "If you want him to accept you, you must become like him."

"Harming a unicorn is a grave sin. They are the pets of the gods and must ultimately be returned to them," Fleur said solemnly.

"Gods?"

Wormtail chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "If that's the case, then the gods shouldn't have created them in the first place."

With that, Peter Pettigrew rubbed his hands together and bowed deeply, like a professional hotel attendant. "After you."

Fleur looked at the ladder before her, confusion filling her eyes. She hesitantly reached out to touch it but recoiled as if she'd been shocked, like a child teasing a cobra.

Wormtail, growing impatient, grabbed the hem of Fleur's dress and pressed her back, forcing her onto the vine ladder.

The ladder came to life, coiling around Fleur like a snake. Without hesitation, it wrapped her up and pulled her into the chest cavity of the fake unicorn—so quickly that she didn't even have time to scream.

As she entered the false unicorn's body, countless pure white flowers bloomed all over its green, plant-formed body. It was breathtakingly beautiful, indistinguishable from a real unicorn.

Meanwhile, the male unicorn—weak and sluggish from inhaling the pink smoke—was startled to its feet upon seeing the flower-covered imitation. It snorted in surprise, its breath trembling in the air.

Another bolt of lightning flashed, and Wormtail burst into delighted laughter.

Not far away, Nicolas Flamel, hearing the commotion behind him, covered his mouth in shock.

Elsewhere, in the stands—

"What are the champions doing?"

"Why can't we see anything inside the maze!?"

Angry voices rose among the spectators. "Let us see the contestants compete!"

"Fraud! This is a scam!"

"You're wasting our time!"

"Hurry up and show us the competitors!"

"Yeah! The match started nearly half an hour ago, and we still can't see anything! What are the organizers even doing?"

"Everyone, calm down, please!" Ludo Bagman stammered, struggling to pacify the growing unrest. "The sky is a little dark, the wind is a bit strong, and, uh… the maze's trees seem to be… thicker than I expected…"

His words lacked confidence—because he, too, could see nothing. The entire competition arena had become a complete black box half an hour ago.

The audience was far from satisfied. If they had been merely grumbling before, now all their frustration turned directly toward Ludo Bagman.

"We came all this way just to sit here and stare at trees?"

"Whose idea was this? Why a maze?"

"Exactly! There's barely any action—it's not thrilling at all!"

Hats waved in the air, drinks were thrown, and the crowd grew restless. Faced with such an uproar, Ludo hesitated, at a loss for what to do. His voice faltered, and he slowly lowered the microphone from his mouth to his chest.

Perceiving the first hints of chaos among the audience, Gellert Grindelwald, seated at the highest point, couldn't help but grin. "The show is about to begin."

He clapped his hands.

In an instant, the branches of every tree in the maze became laden with fruit—some large, some small.

But these were no ordinary fruits.

Each one was an eye.

"Oh!!"

A collective gasp erupted from the thousands of spectators outside the maze. The eyes—like countless screens—began broadcasting live footage from inside the labyrinth.

"I can see! We can see inside!"

"Yes!"

Ludo Bagman let out a sigh of relief. The passion coursing through his veins finally found an outlet. Excitedly, he lifted the microphone to his mouth once more.

"Look! Who do we see there? It's Harry Potter! What is he doing?"

Deep inside the maze.

A messy-haired boy was sprinting at full speed. He had unruly black hair, glasses perched on his nose, and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. It was Harry Potter.

A hundred meters ahead of him stood a tall pedestal. Atop it, a golden trophy shimmered enticingly under the flashes of lightning in the night sky.

The Triwizard Tournament's championship was within reach. Anyone would be thrilled at such a moment. Harry was so excited that he didn't even notice the small fruits sprouting one by one from the surrounding bushes.

Suddenly, a shadow darted onto the path in front of him.

It was a handsome young man—Cedric Diggory had taken the lead and was now sprinting at full speed toward the trophy.

Harry knew he couldn't catch up. Cedric was much taller than him, with longer legs. But he wasn't about to give up. He quickened his pace.

Just as they were about fifty meters from the trophy, Harry caught sight of something massive moving rapidly along a crossing path on the left side of the hedge. Cedric was about to collide with it, but his eyes were locked on the trophy, completely unaware.

"Cedric! Watch out on your left!"

Harry Potter shouted.

Cedric Diggory turned his head just in time to see the danger. He quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a collision, but his sudden movement caused him to trip and fall.

Harry saw Cedric's wand fly out of his hand. A massive spider crawled toward him, lowering its body to pounce.

"Stupefy!"

Harry yelled.

The spell struck the spider's enormous, black, hairy body, but it was like throwing a pebble at a boulder. The spider twitched slightly, then swiftly turned and charged at Harry instead.

"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!"

No effect—it was either too big or too resistant to magic. The spells only seemed to enrage it further.

Horrified, Harry saw its eight gleaming black eyes and razor-sharp pincers. The spider lunged at him.

With its front legs, it lifted Harry into the air. He struggled desperately, trying to kick it. His leg struck its pincers, sending a sharp pain shooting through him.

He heard Cedric shouting, "Stupefy!" But the spell had no effect either.

The spider opened its pincers again. Harry raised his wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

The Disarming Charm forced the spider to release him, but it also meant Harry plummeted from nearly three meters high. His injured leg couldn't bear his weight, and he collapsed to the ground.

Without thinking, he pointed his wand at the spider's underbelly and shouted, "Stupefy!"

Cedric cast the same spell at the same time.

The combined force of both Stunning Spells had the effect a single one couldn't. The spider toppled sideways, crushing part of the hedge. Its long, hairy legs sprawled lifelessly across the ground.

"Harry!" Cedric's voice rang out. "Are you okay? It didn't fall on you, did it?"

The voice grew closer. His classmate rushed out from the darkness and helped him up.

"No," Harry gasped.

He glanced down at his leg—it was bleeding heavily. His torn robe was covered in a sticky substance secreted by the spider's pincers.

He tried to stand, but his leg trembled violently, unable to support his weight.

Cedric Diggory steadied him, and the two of them leaned against the hedge, just a foot away from the Triwizard Cup. The trophy gleamed enticingly behind them.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"This damn weather," Cedric finally broke the silence, muttering, "It looks like it's about to rain."

"Yeah, thunder in early spring," Harry agreed, though he wasn't sure why he responded.

"Did you see them on the way? Fleur and Krum?" Cedric asked.

Harry shook his head. "No."

"Strange. I didn't see them either. It's like they just disappeared—"

"Take it," Harry suddenly interrupted, closing his eyes and catching his breath. "You've made it."

Cedric didn't move. He stood there, looking at Harry, then turned to glance at the trophy. Under the flickering lightning, Harry could see the desire on Cedric's face.

But after a moment, Cedric turned back to him and took a deep breath.

"You take it. You deserve the win. You saved my life twice."

"That's not how the rules work," Harry said, feeling annoyed. His leg was throbbing with pain, and his whole body ached from the fall. "Whoever gets there first wins. You got here first. I mean it—I can't even run on this leg."

Cedric took a few steps toward the fallen spider, moving slightly away from the trophy. He shook his head. "No."

"Stop being noble," Harry said impatiently, pushing him away. "Go take it, so we can get out of here. The storm's coming."

Cedric saw Harry gripping the hedge tightly just to stay upright.

"You warned me about the dragon," Cedric said. "If you hadn't told me beforehand, I would've been eliminated in the first task."

"Someone told me first," Harry said irritably. "You gave me the clue for the golden egg. We're even."

"Someone helped me first too," Cedric replied.

"Then we're still even."

Harry carefully tested his injured leg. The moment he put weight on it, his ankle throbbed violently—it had been twisted in the fall.

"You should've gotten a higher score in the second task," Cedric insisted. "You stayed behind to save everyone. I should've done the same."

"I was the idiot who actually believed that song!" Harry snapped. "Just take the damn trophy! If we wait any longer, something else might happen!"

"No," Cedric said firmly.

He walked back over to Harry.

Harry stared at him. Cedric was serious. He was willingly giving up the honor that Hufflepuff hadn't won in centuries.

"You go," Cedric said. It looked like he had used all his willpower to say it. But his expression was resolute, his arms crossed, his mind made up.

Harry's eyes moved to the trophy.

The lightning lit up his face in the cup's reflection.

For a brief moment, he imagined himself lifting the Triwizard Cup and stepping out of the maze. The crowd roaring in excitement. Cho Chang looking at him with admiration—clearer than ever. If he won, everyone would see him differently...

But then, the illusion faded.

He saw Cedric's determined face in the darkness.

"Let's take it together," Harry said.

"What?"

"Let's grab it at the same time. It'll still be a Hogwarts victory. We'll be co-champions."

Cedric stared at Harry, his arms slowly uncrossing.

"You sure about this?"

"Of course," Harry said. "We both got here together. Let's take it together."

For a moment, Cedric looked like he couldn't believe his ears. Then he grinned.

"Alright. Let's do it."

He grabbed Harry's arm, supporting him as they limped toward the trophy.

Standing before it, they raised their hands over the glowing handles.

"On three, okay?" Harry said.

"One—two—three—"

BOOM!

A blinding flash of lightning struck.

A massive Thunderbird descended from the sky, its stormy winds blasting Harry and Cedric ten meters away.

The creature was over ten meters long, with six enormous wings that blocked out the sky. Its massive golden beak gleamed in the night, every muscle radiating battle-hardened power, each feather flowing like luxurious silk.

Harry and Cedric looked up in shock.

Both shouted in unison, "WHAT!?"

Then—

CRACK!

The majestic beast extended its talon, heavy and sharp like a crane's hook, and crushed the golden trophy into dust.

(End of Chapter)

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