Chapter Twenty Nine: The Third Task

Star Wars + Harry Potter Crossover

A/N: For some reason, I was unable to load my chapter in normally, so I've had to use the cut and paste method. I apologize for any formatting errors. Also, like normal Chap 28 review responses are available in my forums like normal. If I missed yours and you wish a response or have a question, feel free to post it in the forum.

Chapter Twenty Nine: The Third Task

- Kyle Katarn's biceps can repel firepower of that magnitude.

Even to someone like Severus Snape, it was still difficult watching someone familiar in pain.

Narcissa Malfoy's blood-red eyes followed Snape's progress through the foyer of Malfoy Manor even while her mouth opened in a silenced scream of un-ending agony. She stood seemingly caught in a cube of shimmering amber, frozen in a moment of unimaginable agony. The true horror of the curse was how very slow it was. Severus knew enough about the curse to know that it took tremendous power to cast it and that it could take years for the victim to die, all the while suffering cruciatus-levels of pain.

Within the amber, the once beautiful face was ravaged by agony. And it had been, for the past week.

Severus forced himself to tear his eyes from the horror if it. He knew the Dark Lord placed her there as a reminder and a warning to all his followers, and never, not even during the First War, had everyone feared him as much as they did then. Lucius lived, his hand replaced by hideous, silver claw, and every day was forced to look upon the results of his failure.

The Dark Lord did not just destroy those who failed him—he destroyed what they loved.

Into what once was a gaily lit and decorated ballroom, Severus reached the council chamber where Voldemort held court. A roaring fireplace and a few sparsely lit chandeliers provided scant light overhead, shrouding the few surviving members of Voldemort's inner circle in flicking shadow. Snape counted up the heads, noting coolly only a dozen remained alive after the Ministry fiasco.

If they had only lost the Prophecy or Potter, Snape was sure the Malfoys would have only suffered a few Cruciatus curses. But one of Potter's allies harmed the Dark Lord directly and took from him one of his most valued lieutenants, and his wrath was beyond terrifying.

"Ahh, Severus, you're late," the Dark Lord himself said. Ordinarily, the man's tone would have been slightly mocking. Now it sounded low and dangerous.

"I beg forgiveness, my lord," Snape said with a low bow. "I set about the task you assigned as soon as our forces freed me from Azkaban. The vampires did not wish to negotiate for the item after their losses. But I have obtained the object as you ordered."

He reached into his pocket and removed a twisted, mangled object which he held out before him in both hands. Voldemort's wand tipped up and the object flew across the room into his hands, while with a nod he gave permission for Snape to sit. "Do you know what it is?"

"As you suspected, it is one of Katarn's alien weapons, my lord. From what the vampire coven leader told me, it seems similar to the weapon used to harm you at the Ministry."

The Dark Lord's reparo charm reassembled the destroyed weapon, but when he pointed it up into the air, nothing happened. Frowning, he turned the Snape. "It does not appear to be functioning."

The threat hung in the air. Snape lowered his eyes. "My lord, this weapon is beyond my ken. I took it to even the finest Muggle scientists and they could not understand how it works. One said the technology was centuries beyond what they had even imagined. I beg forgiveness for failing you."

Voldemort tossed the useless weapon away, wincing slightly at the pain such a gesture still caused even weeks after his injury. "Bah! You are the only one to even have a small measure of success."

The other Death Eaters around the table looked at each other nervously. Obvious in her absence was Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and her brother in law. Also missing was Rookwood, one of the most effective of Voldemort's fighters. Lucius was there, but he looked so pale, weathered and crushed in spirit he seemed a shell of his former self. In the absence of the former elite, Yaxley of all people had drifted to the top of the food chain.

"How can I learn to shield against such weapons if I do not know their full capability?" Voldemort demanded. No one, not even he, expected an answer.

Knowing he was risking much, Snape cleared his throat. "Lord, my I speak as a loyal follower?"

"Speak, Severus."

"My lord, the last task of the TriWizard Tournament is in mere weeks. You told us originally the goal was to use Potter's blood for your rebirth. I obtained that blood for you, and here you sit—proof to us all that not even death can shackle your might. But my lord…when the boy discovered my role in Katarn's supposed death, he spoke of the whole world burning to glass. He spoke of great machines travelling through the stars and splitting all of Britain in half. And my Lord, Dumbledore himself believed him. Perhaps…perhaps your great patience can extend further to let the tournament play out. The boy will leave—he has no desire to stay on this world. And when he is gone, all of Britain will be yours."

"Just let him go?" Voldemort asked.

"If it removes the threat of their alien weapons…and if you think it wise."

Voldemort leaned back, staring intently at Snape with reptilian-red eyes. "Perhaps I would. The boy has made no secret of his desire to flee. But you see, Severus, despite the failings of those I trusted, I have had more success in discovering the boy's importance. Wormtail, bring her."

Snape and the other Death Eaters turned to watch as the traitor Peter Pettigrew walked into the room levitating a lump of cloth behind him. Voldemort took control of the levitating figure and positioned her directly over the table. With a sinking heart, Severus noted it was Sybil Trelawney.

"'Neither can live while the other survives,'" the Dark Lord said in a ringing voice. "So the prophecy goes. "Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. That was the part of the prophecy you never heard, Severus."

"Dumbledore never shared its entirety with me, lord."

"Do you still think I should just let Potter return to the stars?"

"No, Lord. Thank you for correcting me."

"We know this Katarn lives," Yaxley said. "Only he could have harmed our lord. If he survived, then Bones probably lives as well. Where are they weakest?"

"Bones is a strong witch, but she does have a weakness," Albert Runcorn said. The man still served as an auror in the Ministry and was a great source of information. "She lost the rest of her family and views her niece like a daughter."

"Yes, Susan Bones, a Fourth Year Hufflepuff," Snape said.

"Katarn's weakness is Potter," Voldemort said. "But what is Potter's weakness, Severus?"

Severus met the monster's gaze directly. "The witch he took to the Yule ball—a mudblood named Hermione Granger. She is his weakness. It was she who was what he would miss the most for his second task. But neither of these witches can be touched while Dumbledore remains at Hogwarts."

"Then we will have to see about that, won't we?" Voldemort said. "Bring him."

A lower follower dragged yet another figure in, and this time Severus saw with alarm it was a teary-eyed Draco. As horrible as it had to have been for the father, Severus could only imagine what it was like for the son to see his mother every day, hurt so horribly.

"Your father has failed me terribly, Draco," Voldemort purred. "But let it not be said I am not merciful. I have a task for you—one small task. If you succeed, then I will allow you and Lucius to try and save dear Narcissa. But should you fail me, you and your father will both join her. Do you understand?"

Draco choked back a sob. "I understand, my lord."

"Good. Despite Severus's failure, the events at the Ministry have given me a certain… inspiration. You shall be the instrument of that inspiration."

~~Katarn~~

Two days before the Third Task, Harry and Hermione took one of the several carriages into Hogsmeade. Ostensibly it was to celebrate the fact that, despite being age fourteen and only having a few months of study, Harry had taken and passed both his OWLs and NEWTs.

"Really, anyone could do it," Hermione said. "Not to take away from your accomplishment, but Hogwarts education is as much about indoctrination and social conditioning as it is about the magic. I'm studying sixth year material myself."

"I know," Harry said quietly as the two watched the trees slide slowly by on their way into the village. It was cold, with a heavy snow over much of the countryside. Harry's heavy Jedi robes shimmered with warming charms, while Hermione wore wool mittens and cap of a maroon color that complimented her hair. They sat snuggled up against each other.

"I couldn't do it," Neville said from across the bench.

"You might surprise yourself," Harry told the other boy. "Still, I'm glad that part's done. I understand why the tests were called Nasty."

"Any plans for the final task?" Neville asked, seeking to change the topic.

Harry shrugged. "A few. It's a maze and magical obstacle course."

"And then what?" Hermione asked quietly.

As wonderful as it was for Harry to hold her; as much as he enjoyed her company and looked forward to seeing her at every opportunity; there existed a growing weight between them as the Third and Final task approached. Despite all that happened and all that he had learned, Harry was a fourteen-year-old Jedi padawan. There was not now, nor had there ever been, any question of what he would do when the tournament was over.

He didn't answer her, but he did squeeze her shoulder. Neville chose that moment to start talking pointedly about a new plant he was working on with Professor Sprout.

~~Katarn~~

"Holy Adhan Mother of Merlin!" Tonks whispered. "It's true! You weren't lying!"

Kyle turned and stared at the suddenly blushing young woman. "So, the laser sword and blaster guns weren't enough?"

"Er, maybe?" she said weakly.

The others of their group made no comment as the Preening Crow decloaked and came to an automated landing in the clearing beside their hide-out. Kyle cut the engines with his control vambrace that he'd recovered from Sanguini.

While Kyle called Tonks on her reaction, he was aware of the startled, awed expressions on the rest, save Amelia. Her face was perfectly still, as if set in granite. "Are those weapons?"

She pointed to the laser cannons set on the tips of the stabilizers, and the autoblaster cannon he'd adopted from the old Alliance B-wing assault fighter set under the nose of the cockpit. "Yep."

"How powerful?"

Kyle shrugged. "I could level Hogwarts in about ten seconds. I could level London in about an hour."

Leaving his colleagues to consider that, Kyle led the way up the loading ramp and into the cargo bay. "Don't touch anything," he said over his shoulder.

"Protective charms?" Gumboil asked.

"Nah, you might just set off a torpedo and kill us all," came Kyle's laconic answer. He said nothing more as he left them behind, crossed through the familiar living space until he reached the cockpit. Somehow, he wasn't surprised when Amelia joined him a few minutes later.

"So it's all real," she finally said now that they were along. Her eyes rolled over the myriad controls of the cockpit, all in Galactic Basic. She spoke quietly, her face still and calm. "It was one thing to hear you admit it and know it intellectually. But to see this…"

Kyle took her hand, startling her sufficiently to look him in the eye. "So," he said softly. "What do you plan to do after this is all over?"

A corner of her mouth ticked up. "I owe it to the people of the United Kingdom to clean up the mess. But I also qualify for early retirement in a couple of years. After that, I just have no idea what I would do."

With a squeeze of her hand, Kyle nodded. "It's a big galaxy, Amelia. I'm sure if we work together, we can figure something out."

"Very possibly," she allowed.

The moment passed and she looked through the viewport to the house below. "So what's the plan?"

"The task is this afternoon," Kyle said. "We hover on repulsors over the school and track Harry's implant. If he disappears, we'll know in a second and get there in minutes."

"Are you sure something is going to happen?"

"No," Kyle admitted. "But Voldemort has been quiet since the Ministry. He's had time to recover and plan, and he's going to want to do something big and dramatic to try and erase his last kriff-up. Kidnapping Harry is just his style."

It was a mark of how close the two had grown that she could hear in his voice something very few could. "He's a remarkable young man. I have no doubt he can last long enough for us to get there."

Kyle nodded, patted her hand one more time, and then shouted over his shoulder. "Everyone sit down and buckle up!"

He had a little grin on his face as he dialed down the inertial compensators to 90%, and then gunned it.

~~Katarn~~

Harry stared in consternation as the ten-foot tall hedge grew back so quickly after his lightsaber cut that it was much like trying to cut an opening in water. I guess I'm going to the long way.

The days leading up to the tournament passed in a blur of intense lessons with Dumbledore, trying in a limited time to hone not just his magic but his magical reflexes. As a Jedi, Harry was conditioned to respond to hazardous situations with the Force. It was difficult to overcome that early condition, especially when the Force generally got him out of sticky situations. However, apparition was a useful tool to have and magic gave him an ability to attack at range the Force rarely allowed.

So he learned all he could from the ancient, powerful wizard. He was fully cognizant of the fact that Dumbledore was also constantly teaching him about wizarding culture and his personal heritage. He didn't know if the old wizard believed it would convince Harry to stay or not, but no matter how many times he heard fairy tales about brothers meeting death or how his grandfather use to jinx his grandmother's ponytails when they were children, Harry would not change his mind.

He had to complete his Jedi training.

So it seemed like no time had passed between his recovering from the Ministry fiasco, to his OWL and NEWT tests, to the morning of the Third Task. Harry started the day with a huge breakfast, intending to eat only a light lunch in anticipation for the task.

The Great Hall was abuzz with speculation and not all of it was good. People couldn't help but talk about the threat facing magical Britain. However, the confirmation that Voldemort had returned also alleviated some of the ill feeling many students had toward Harry for the supposed role Kyle Katarn had in Amelia Bones' death. Voldemort's return vindicated their supposed deaths in many eyes.

Susan Bones personally came and gave a tearful apology shortly after Harry put down Draco and his Slytherins.

He did not have much time to associate with the other students, though. With Dumbledore pushing him as hard as Kyle ever did he had times only for meals, meditation, and sleep. He rarely even got to spend more than an hour a day with Hermione, Neville, or the other few friends he'd made since his arrival.

But then the day arrived. The morning went by in a blur of well-wishes and shaking hands. He barely paid attention to the tournament announcers as he pulled on his Jedi robes. He knew Kyle could hear him and track him, but somehow even knowing his master was alive and nearby, he still felt isolated and lost.

When he joined the other champions at the mouth of the maze, he saw they were all as nervous as he was, though some showed it more than others. The beautiful French girl was so far behind following her failure of the second task that even if she won, it might not have been enough. Krum looked angry that he still had any competition, while Cedric just grinned nervously.

"Alright there, Harry?" the Hufflepuff asked.

Harry nodded and forced himself to smile. "Sure. And yourself?"

"Eager to get this over with. Good luck."

"Thanks, you too."

They entered in stages based on their scores; Krum, Harry, Cedric almost shoulder-to-shoulder, and then Fleur. And within minutes, Harry saw that the hedge was virtually impervious to his lightsaber. It was not entirely surprising, and in fact he almost was glad of it.

At least things would be fair. So, sinking himself into the Force, Harry let it guide his steps further into the impossible maze.

~~Katarn~~

"This is amazing," Tonks yelled.

"Hold on, you stupid girl!" Gumboil shouted back nervously. He was clutching a support railing with both hands and looked as if he were about to be sick.

Kyle ignored them both as he walked down the open cargo ramp to the edge, grabbed the overhead support bar, and looked straight down over the grounds of the school. He had the Preening Crow in passive stealth mode and on automated station-keeping a thousand feet over the maze. With his monoculars, he could see the contestants running through the maze, as well as the stadiums filled with cheering spectators.

Though he would never admit it, a small, prideful part of him wanted Harry to win the tournament. These witches and wizards had their own power, he had to admit, so it was not as lopsided an affair as might be the case if Harry were to compete against mainline humans. But still, Jedi were not supposed to crave victory. It was a sin, if Jedi had any sins. However, Kyle did not feel too guilty about it.

"Go, Harry," he whispered.

~~Katarn~~

A line of aurors stood just outside the wardline of the school flanking a stone arch that had been crafted to allow for visitors despite the heightened wards of the school. At their head stood Albert Runcorn, twenty year veteran of the auror force. He was one of three senior aurors tasked with doing the detection charms for any dark artifacts or contraband.

He spotted a particularly large group of wizards approaching the gate in the midst of the crowds for the final task of the tournament. While they were dressed no differently than any other wizard or witch around them, the way they clumped together and eyed all those around them made his instincts scream. And if he could detect it, then he knew all his colleagues could to.

Stepping forward with his wand out, he said, "You lot, stand aside, now!"

The clump of ten witches and wizards froze for a long moment, staring at him in shock. "Well, get over here!" Runcorn demanded loudly.

"Need help, Bert?" Smithers asked.

"Aye, keep your eyes on them," Runcorn said. The signaled witches and wizards slowly made their way to him. He could see one about to hiss angrily at him, but he beat them to it. Whispering urgently as he made a show of casting faulty detection charms, he said, "You lot look guilty. Merlin, every auror in the line spotted you. Break up, no more than two at a time, and smile like you're happy, or you'll blow everything."

All this was said sotto voce while he finished his false scans. "Alright, you lot, go in. But I'm going to be watching you, so no funny business."

"Yes, sir, gov," one of the witches said with a slightly manic, too-wide smile.

Runcorn continued to watch them suspiciously as they made their way through the arch. "Trouble, you think?" Smithers asked.

"Maybe," Runcorn said, looking after them. "Take over here. I think I'm going to keep my eyes on that lot, just like I said."

"Right, go on, then. We got it here."

With a nod, Runcorn walked through the wardline himself, despite standing orders that he remain outside with perimeter security, and he had a perfectly justifiable reason to do so. In a few minutes, he'd caught up with the others, and as he did so, they all disillusioned themselves as they made their way not to the stands or maze, but toward the castle.

In the increasing gloom of the late Scottish afternoon, the charms worked perfectly well.

~~Katarn~~

It should not have surprised Harry when the contestants turned on each other. Granted, the contest so far had been individual tasks, but this time all four of them were thrown into the same task at roughly the same time. Given the nature of the competition and human spirit, it was only natural that they would try to slow each other down as much as the maze obstacles.

Employing both magic learned from Dumbledore and the Force, Harry had easily handled the acromantulas and blast-ended skrewts, but the boggart gave him a hard time. He'd just turned a corner when he skidded to a stop and faced a tall, lean figure with red and black tattoos clad in black robes with a red lightsaber in hand. Behind him, littering the ground, were dead children in Jedi robes. To his horror, he saw Anikol and Ansaki among the bodies.

His own saber came up immediately, but the Sith merely chuckled. "Little Jedi," he laughed while his yellow eyes glared. "Another little Jedi."

It was only as Harry studied the bodies that he realized the impossibility of the situation. Most of his training with Dumbledore involved powerful magic geared toward high-level combat. But this was something he remembered reading with Remus. He delved into his memory, until with a grim expression he hooked his saber back on his belt, brandished his wand, and said, "Redikulus!"

The Sith blinked and then stumbled back as he suddenly ballooned out into an exaggerated caricature of Vernon Dursley, looking obscenely funny in Sith robes and tattoos. With a girlish scream, he turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Which is when Krum chose to try cursing him in the back.

If not for the Force, Harry would never have known it was coming. The older wizard had silenced his own footfalls. But with the Force as his ally, Harry was able to barely avoid the curse as he spun and knelt down, casting a disarming jinx.

Krum swiped it away with a contemptuous snort. "I do not see vat is zee deal vith you, Potter. You are notzing!"

He cursed again, this time employing a potentially lethal dismemberment curse that could easily have taken Harry's arm off. Rather than shielding, Harry spun past it and went on the offensive.

It wasn't his first time fighting against a wizard, but it was the first time he'd done so using nothing but magic. While Krum was no Dumbledore, neither was Harry. Krum was older, obviously more vicious, and showed none of the restraint Dumbledore would have.

Harry, on the other hand, was taught to fight by Kyle Katarn. Batting away a searing string of hexes and curses, Harry surged forward so fast that he blurred in Krum's eyes and spun about until his foot slammed into the Bulgarian's head.

As tough as he was, Krum was still a seventeen-year-old student. His dark eyes rolled up in his head and he dropped to the ground. Harry tossed his wand further up the path, thoroughly bound him, and then left him to be rescued.

Not ten minutes later, he came across a sight his young eyes were not entirely prepared for, although he was sure the young Emperor of the Galaxy would thoroughly have approved. A scantily clad Fleur Delacour was writhing against a glass-eyed Cedric, who lay prostrate on the ground. Her pale hand was reaching for his wand and he made no show of trying to stop her.

"Cedric!" Harry shouted.

Fleur looked up at Harry and suddenly her features darkened to something almost bestial and avian before she rose and conjured a ball of flame from her bare hands. "Go away!" she shouted. Her voice had two distinct tones—a girl's, and something higher and screeching just over it.

This time Harry didn't hesitate. It only took five charms to put her down and the moment she fell, he saw that what he thought was a state of undress was nothing but a glamour. When she fell, she did so fully clothed in the heavy robes she started the maze with.

Harry stepped over her at the still insensate Cedric. "I'm not sure I did you a favor," Harry admitted. Still, with no other participants, he made his way through the maze until he reached the final clearing.

After everything he had been through since his return to Earth, the final task of the tournament seemed rather…boring. He looked around the clearing for potential threats and cast every detection charm Dumbledore taught him, but could see nothing to stop him. So, he walked across the clearing to the flaming Goblet of Fire, and picked it up.

He felt a hook in his stomach and a sharp pull, and moments later he stood…exactly where he was supposed to be standing—on a raised platform in front of hundreds of cheering witches and wizards.

"And the winner of the Tri-Wizard Tournament is….HARRY POTTER!" a wizard announced in a voice augmented by magic.

~~Katarn~~

"Huh," Kyle Katarn said after lowering his monoculars.

"So that's it?" Tonks asked. "Nothing?"

"Appears so," Kyle said. "We'll hang around until the students are back in the castle and the guests are gone, but it looks like the enemy chose to wait for now."

Tonks sighed. "Whew! Good. My mum and dad are down there too!"

Kyle said nothing as he continued to peer suspiciously down at the school. He didn't say it aloud, but he knew things were not over yet.

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