Family Visits and Tension Before the Final Task
"Einar, it's so lovely to see you after all this time," said Molly warmly as the young warrior approached the common room adapted to the Great Hall. That day, the families of the Triwizard Tournament champions were allowed to visit, cheer them on… or simply check if they were still in one piece.
For some reason, the Weasleys seemed to act as Harry's family. Or, to be precise, Molly and Bill Weasley. And, knowing the boy's real relatives""those despicable Muggles Einar had barely encountered once""the young Nordic thought this was for the best. Just remembering their faces made his mind start coming up with ways to make them suffer.
Einar was no stranger to the pain of others. He had helped, raised, and trained ten young people in his native world, and he knew how to recognize the signs of abuse. Harry was no different. The same patterns, the same inner wounds. Even some external ones. Einar had noticed scars on his body, hidden beneath school robes, invisible to common eyes"but not to a battle-hardened warrior. He could easily tell what kind of weapon had caused them. He had many of his own, each with a story carved into his flesh.
And more than the scars, his reaction gave him away. Every time someone raised their voice, every time an adult approached too quickly, Harry tensed like a cornered animal. The school was partly to blame, yes, but it was obvious his home was even worse.
But that was a topic Einar would save for later. Now was not the time.
In the room, Krum's parents were already present: a woman with jet-black hair and a burly man with a stern gaze. On the other side was the family of who was probably Cedric. Amos Diggory, whom Einar had already met, hadn't made a good first impression… and that was putting it mildly.
Then, a clear voice rose nearby:
"Mama, Papa! That's the elf professor!" exclaimed Gabrielle Delacour, pointing excitedly at Einar.
Everyone's gaze turned toward him, and Einar turned to the two adults beside the girl. The woman was simply stunning, with a radiant and inhuman beauty. The man, though handsome and dignified in bearing, was inevitably overshadowed by her. All eyes were on her, and she knew it.
"Bonjour. Professor Einar, yes?" said Madame Delacour with a charming"too charming"smile. "Our daughter Fleur has told us so much about you."
The "so much" had a particular tone, one that didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Monsieur Delacour merely sighed with resignation, as if already used to his wife's playful innuendos.
"I see…" Einar replied with his characteristic calm. "A pleasure."
"Thank you for protecting our little one," Monsieur Delacour quickly interjected, offering a firm and sincere handshake. "We had no idea something like this could happen. We only agreed to let her accompany her older sister, not to get involved in this kind of… madness. Of course, I filed a formal complaint with the Ministry and the organizers. In fact, we didn't even want Fleur to compete, but she can be a bit…"
"Difficult. Proud. Fussy… Ah! But she's a good girl," Madame Delacour interrupted with a radiant smile, anticipating the end of his sentence.
Before Einar could reply, the doors to the hall opened and the champions made their entrance. Viktor Krum was first, followed by Fleur, who moved with natural grace. Cedric appeared next, pausing a moment before fully stepping in to say something into the hallway. Finally, Harry entered, smiling with slight disbelief upon seeing Molly and Bill waiting for him.
Fleur ran to her parents, hugged them joyfully, and then flashed a quick but brilliant smile in Einar's direction. He responded with a slight nod. Calm. Present. Unshakable.
Harry, for his part, looked sincerely relieved. There was a light on his face rarely seen. He had feared the Dursleys might be the ones to come see him, but knowing them, they were probably happier knowing he could die in the competition. In fact, if they knew his name had come out of the Goblet, they probably would've thrown a party. That's why, not seeing them, he had nearly gone to find Einar to train… until Cedric called him to the hall.
"Harry, dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley before hugging him and giving him a warm, motherly kiss on the cheek. In the eyes of many, Molly was more of a mother to him than any blood relative.
"How are you?" Bill greeted with a friendly smile, patting Harry on the shoulder and offering a polite nod to Einar. "Charlie wanted to come, but his new boss has been making a lot of changes, and he's swamped with work. But he asked me to tell you that you were great with the Horntail."
Then, he lowered his voice and leaned a bit closer to Einar, throwing an arm around his shoulders with camaraderie.
"By the way… what's up with that stunning blonde? She hasn't stopped looking this way since we arrived. For a second, I thought she was looking at me, but… nah. It's you, no doubt."
Einar, used to the extroverted nature of the Weasley brothers, didn't even flinch at the invasion of personal space.
"Beauxbatons student," he said in his usual impassive tone.
"That explains nothing, and you know it," Bill replied with a conspiratorial grin. "Are you interested?"
"Maybe."
"Oooh!"
"That's enough. We came to see Harry, not to pry into Einar's love life," Molly quickly interrupted, though the smile on her face betrayed that she, too, was curious.
"Thanks for coming," Harry said sincerely. "For a moment, I thought it'd be the Dursleys."
Mrs. Weasley's face hardened at the mention of that name. She didn't say a word, staying true to her habit of not speaking ill of other families in front of children. But her eyes… her eyes burned with contained contempt.
After a brief conversation about Mrs. Weasley's school days, Bill suggested going for a walk through the castle gardens. Einar, with his hands clasped behind his back and a calm gaze, decided to join them.
As they passed Amos Diggory, he turned with a sardonic smile on his face and looked Harry up and down with barely disguised contempt.
"So you're here, huh?" he said in a voice heavy with disdain. "I bet you're not feeling so smug now that Cedric has caught up with you in points."
Harry frowned, confused.
"What?" he replied, stopping for a moment.
Mrs. Weasley and Einar also frowned, but didn't stop walking. The air around them seemed to tighten.
"Don't listen to him," Cedric quickly intervened, looking at his father with clear disapproval. "He's upset since he read Rita Skeeter's article"the one that paints you as the only Hogwarts champion."
"Sure, and you didn't bother correcting it, did you?" Amos said loudly, as if deliberately trying to be overheard by everyone nearby. "But it doesn't matter… You already beat him once, Cedric. Tonight, you'll do it again. It'll be easy."
Mrs. Weasley couldn't contain her irritation.
"Mrs. Skeeter would do anything for attention, Amos. I thought you, working at the Ministry, would already know that," she snapped sternly.
Amos opened his mouth, ready to fire back with something even nastier, but his wife stopped him by placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Her gaze was as sharp as lightning. He closed his mouth... but someone else had no intention of letting it slide.
"Second impression… and you're still wrong," said a cold voice, loaded with an implicit threat.
Amos looked up and found himself face-to-face with Einar. The young Norseman's gaze was so intense and lethal that a chill ran down his spine. An ancient and dangerous shadow seemed to lurk behind his eyes.
"W-what…?"
He didn't get to finish.
A fist appeared in his field of vision with the speed of lightning. A second later, his body was flying through the air, crashing into several tables. The sound of splintering wood"and bone"echoed in the hall. Muffled gasps filled the room as everyone turned, alarmed.
Einar walked forward without hurry, each of his steps echoing like hammers striking stone. Amos writhed on the ground, gasping in pain. He barely managed to lift his head when he felt the shadow of a foot plant itself firmly on top of it. He trembled.
"Professor!" Cedric shouted, rushing toward them. He stopped near Einar, breathing heavily. "Please… I'm sorry. My father's an idiot. I'm really sorry!"
"I'm fine," Harry added firmly, looking at Einar. "He wasn't worth it."
Einar glanced down at both of them. His eyes scanned the faces of his students. He took a deep breath and removed his foot. Then he leaned slightly toward Amos, who couldn't move.
"I don't care about your pride. I'm not interested in your scorn. The only reason you didn't lose a leg is because you're the father of one of my students." His voice was like iron striking an anvil. "Oh, and don't worry. If someone ever spoke about Cedric the way you did about Harry, I'd do exactly the same. They're both my students."
He turned away calmly, walking as if nothing had happened. All eyes followed him in silence.
Amos, overwhelmed by physical pain and the crushing pressure of Einar's aura, passed out.
His wife, unsurprised, simply sighed and shook her head"as if she had always known something like this would happen one day. It was clear she knew her husband well. The only reason he had never received such a lesson before was likely due to his position in the Ministry"and because she always stopped him before he crossed the line.
The group continued walking, and soon Mrs. Weasley resumed the conversation, now with a nostalgic smile. She told them how she had planted one of the garden trees during her student days, and shared some anecdotes about the old gamekeeper who came before Hagrid.
Harry changed the subject.
"How's Percy?"
Bill let out a short sigh.
"Not great."
"He's pretty shaken," Molly added with concern. "The Ministry doesn't want people to know about Crouch"or that he was being mentally manipulated. They've called Percy in several times to question him about the tasks Crouch assigned. He's under a lot of pressure. He's no longer judging the final task. Minister Fudge himself will be taking his place."
After that, Einar broke off from the group. With the last task of the Tournament taking place that night, he needed to make sure the idiots organizing it hadn't put anything too lethal inside the maze.
Harry accompanied Bill and his mother to the Great Hall, where they met up with the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione. Then they wandered around the castle, trying to take their minds off things.
That evening, during dinner, Fudge had joined the professors' table. His gaze constantly searched for Einar, but the Norseman ignored him while eating peacefully.
"A small mind that holds grudges," Einar thought, noticing how Fudge tightened his lips. "A weakling who only knows how to give orders. If I hit him like I did Amos, I'd probably crack his skull… or leave him in a coma."
Suddenly, the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall changed, darkening to a deep violet hue. Dumbledore rose to his feet. A reverent silence fell over the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced clearly, "in five minutes, we will move to the Quidditch pitch to witness the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Champions, please follow Mr. Bagman and Mr. Dovahkiin to the stadium."
The four champions stood up immediately, greeted by excited applause.
Curiously, none of them approached Ludo Bagman, who looked slightly puzzled by this. They didn't take long to leave the Great Hall.
"How're you feeling, Harry?" Bagman tried to ask as they descended the steps.
"Fine," Harry replied coldly.
Bagman frowned in confusion. He had always supported Harry, even acting overly friendly toward him. He didn't understand the attitude.
Einar observed him in silence for a few seconds, as if evaluating him. Then, without saying a word, he looked ahead again.
When they arrived at the field, the sight was imposing: a six-meter-tall hedge surrounded the entire pitch. Right before them, a dark and dense entrance opened like the mouth of a creature waiting to devour them. The inside of the maze seemed to absorb light, hiding its horrors in shadow.
Five minutes later, the stands began to fill with students, professors, and visitors. In the distance, the Weasley twins could be seen selling glass spheres with great enthusiasm, surrounded by a sea of eager buyers.
The final task was about to begin.
McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid approached them, each wearing large glowing red stars on their hats"except for Hagrid, who had his strapped to his back.
"We'll be on the outer perimeter of the maze," McGonagall explained quickly. "If you encounter difficulties and wish to be rescued, shoot red sparks into the air and one of us will come help. Understood?" she added, handing a star to Einar.
He glanced at it briefly before placing it on his head, prompting a few stifled chuckles from the students. Even the other champions had to cover their mouths to keep from laughing before quickly nodding to McGonagall.
"Well then, you may go," said Ludo Bagman, his voice full of excitement.
Einar stayed near the entrance, standing off to the side so he wouldn't be in the way.
While Ludo began his animated commentary for the crowd, Hermione"with a small black dragon in her arms"and Neville"with a proud red dragon perched on his head"approached Einar.
Hermione would take care of Harry's black dragon while he was inside the maze, and the red dragon seemed to have settled on Neville's head as if to declare that he was the tallest.