Stupid... poultry... not doing what it was meant to do. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he blinked away the spots that the light had caused. This was... this was not good.

At all.

Oh god, Fletcher. More roosters, yes. Good idea. Raiden immediately moved, distancing himself from the cockatrice just as Fletcher had done. Making sure to keep his mirror/shield arm between himself and the creature, never looking directly at it, he flicked his wand at the cluster of roosters.

"Sonorus." Louder crowing would help, right? NOW CROW, DAMN IT. He had half an urge to rush the birds and kick them, for all the good it would do. He didn't want to die.

OOC: I posted before saying that Raiden enlarged his mirror, so it's actually quite big now. He did that right after he cast oppugno on the weasels, more of which he had conjured.

Feed it? Flipper was feeding it, and it wasn’t doing anything. And neither was the light supposedly. As the light didn’t work, Noel was beginning to panic slightly. Maybe they can scare the rooster into crowing?

Glancing towards the monster bird, lizard, thing…

It was moving forward! "It’s getting closer!" If that wasn't obvious already. Ahhhhhh! What do they do?! The rooster wasn’t crowing, the weasels weren’t doing their job except making the bird come closer which they DIDN’T need at the moment and…and he was panicking a bit more now.

Perhaps if they all created blinding lights?! Would that be enough for you.. you stubborn rooster!?

...roosters?

Watching the multiple roosters pop up, Noel stood still for a moment, before jumping at Flipper's loud yell. ACK! If the birds were THAT loud, then surely this other monster would...

"Immobulus!" he said, pointing his wand to the cockatrice and holding the mirror up with his other hand to the beast that was advancing towards them. He didn't like how close it was getting. How he'd love to have a batch of devil's snare right now and throw it at the bird lizard thing.

Backing away from the giant monster thing, and more towards the roosters, Noel held up the shield once more, covering his face mostly. Raiden...he had a good idea. "Sonorus." he said with his wand pointing at the roosters, hoping to at least get one of them. Louder is better.

CROW! Oh mon dieu!

The rooster suddenly multiplies and now five of the fowl start pecking the ground. They move away from the shelter of the large shield and the light blinds them.

All five open their beaks.

COCK-A-DOODLE DOOOOOOOO!!! COCK-A-DOODLE DOOOOOOOO!!!

The crowing sound of the roosters isn't at a normal level - its been amplified three times the normal level. The fatal sound of the roosters' crow fills the tunnel and the fearsome shadow wavers.

The wait is agonizing.

For a moment, it seems as if everything has come to a pause - the cockatrice is still, its eyes wide as if in disbelief and then slowly, very slowly, it begins to fall.

There is a mighty thud as it lands on the ground in a giant heap, its eyes now closed, its tail motionless.

Is it really dead?

THUD.

Mother of Merlin have mercy on them all. That sound could only mean one thing. SOMETHING or SOMEONE was dead.

"Is... is it dead?" Fletcher croaked, hoarse from his own cock-a-doodle-dooing. He took a chance and stood up now, bringing his shield up with him but not daring to fully look around it.

All right. He could look around it. He had to look around it to see who had caused the thud, be it boy or beast. Fletcher peeked toward the ground and just managed to make out the outline of the cockatrice lying prone in the clearing. His curious gaze just had to wander upwards a little and Fletcher flinched as he thought he was making eye contact with the deadly beast.

But no. WHEW. Its eyes were safely shut. Er, as safe as he thought it could be.

"Should we... finish it up or just... get the hell outta here?"

Fletcher was voting for the latter, so he started with a few steps closer to the exit behind the giant lump of a monster.

...He was deaf!!

Covering his ears, his knees bent a little, lowering himself to the ground somewhat as if that would help make the noise quieter. He didn't want it quieter though, he just wished it wouldn't last long!

Peaking around his rather large shield, Noel slowly moved his gaze over to the cockatrice, watching it stand still in place. Was that the bird's crowing doing? Or was that from his spell? He couldn't tell! But moments later, the thing fell over, landing rather a rather deep thud.

Standing up, the Beauxbatons student lowered his hands and stared at the bird, but keeping his wand at the ready and mirror close by. FINALLY...those roosters...

Was it dead? Noel couldn't answer Fletcher's question. Was it? It was supposed to be, after being subjected to a rooster's crow. And there were five of them. Five rather LOUD rooster crows. "Boz (both)...I suppoze." he muttered, inching his way around the bird, mostly keeping his gaze away from the head, while pointing his wand towards it. Or maybe just hold it down?"

"Incarcerous." he said, letting the strong ropes fly towards the beast. If it indeed was not dead, then it'll have a hard time getting up, oui? But... Get out. They should...get out of here.

Raiden back-pedalled a few more steps, wincing at the loudness of the roosters' crowing as his back brushed against hedge. He definitely didn't want to be anywhere near where the thing fell, when it did, and he hastily moved as far from the head as he could get at the moment.

Paranoia gripped him, as it usually did, and he let his eyes linger on the body of the creature for a moment, not daring to look to where the eyes would be. Medusa's powers had still hung about after she'd been decapitated, and the same was supposed to be held true about these things.

...what if it wasn't dead?

Looking at Fletcher, then at Noel, Raiden didn't lower his left arm, heavy though the mirror suddenly felt.

...hm. As he considered the idea in his head, he sent a Quietus in the direction of the roosters, so they wouldn't deafen those left alive in the clearing.

"Don't..." Fletcher. That was dangerous. Bad Fletcher! "Give me a second..."

Anxiety and paranoia causing him to shudder, the prefect duplicated the large mirror that was stuck to his arm, casting Geminio over and over on it until there were at least half a dozen of the mirrors on the ground. A few Engorgios enlarged these, and he looked at Noel and Fletcher.

"Precautionary measures," he muttered, picking one of them up. They were rather... huge, now. More than half as tall as he was. "Just in case... if it's not dead, and ropes won't hold it... help me levitate these, and fixate them in the ground near its head? Don't go near its face, just in case..."

He flicked his wand at the mirror and it floated a few inches off the ground.

"In case it's not dead. If it comes round and opens its eyes, it'll... petrify itself." He nodded. "Then we can go."

The sound of the crowing roosters is silenced and the dead cockatrice is bound for precautionary measures.

Even as the realization sinks in, brilliant light fills the enclosure and reflects off the numerous mirrors that were just set up as a precaution. The light is so bright that it hurts your eyes and causes them to water.

Where is the bright light coming from?

Hmmph. They had just conquered a monster of epic proportions together and what was Perfect Prefect Raiden doing? Bossing them all around. No surprise there.

Fletcher could have said something snide but instead he shrugged off his momentary irritation and decided to just go with the flow. It was all in the name of their safety, after all. Nothing wrong with just a bit of cooperation.

"Wingardium Leviosa," the Hufflepuff intoned, swishing and flicking his wand to utilize his favorite spell. He floated two of the enlarged mirrors over toward the closed eyes of the cockatrice and then focused on fixating them into the ground, with the spell fixate. That was easy enough.

He paused and rubbed his chin for a second, thinking of something else he could do to keep the cockatrice where it was... and in the state it currently was. Why not go with another one of his favorite spells, eh?

"Obscuro." Fletcher had apparently picked up on Raiden's and Noel's paranoia as the cockatrice was now gagged and blindfolded, so that its stare could no longer kill. Oh yeah AND it was surrounded by mirrors. Brilliant bit of teamwork, eh?

Fletcher started again on a route that would take him around the giant monster and toward the exit. And by around you can be sure he was certain to put a good distance between himself and that thing. But just as soon as he started Fletcher stopped, suddenly shocked and momentarily stunned by the bright lights flooding the arena.

"WHAAAAAA?" came his articulate response and accompanying expression.

Not dead?

Noel was finding that hard to believe, but than again, it could be true. Expect the unexpected, oui? He'd rather not have to expect anything unexpected though.

"I zink...it iz dead?" Pausing just at the side of the creature, he kept his mirror like shield in front of him, rolling his shoulder blades for a moment to loosen them up as he watched Raiden set up the trap. It felt rather weird, them rolling on the large mirror he had stuck on his back, and with the one on his chest making it hard to do so, but he had a ton of adrenaline running through him somehow. He needed to burn it off.

Speaking of burning...his eyes were finally doing just that!

Holding his own mirror/shield up to cover his blue eyes, he tried to peak over his arm to see where the light was coming from.

Mirrors, of course, were aiding in the brightness, but where was it originally coming from? From there? At the end of the tunnel place? Was it a way out? Their exit?

Their FREEDOM!? Or someplace so different, that they'd wish they never entered this tournament? "Zink zat iz our way out?" PLEASE!? He needed some sunglasses. For sure.

With the mirrors in place, Raiden was suddenly squinting massively from the brightness of the light in the clearing. Why was... What the heck?

He held his left arm up, trying to cast a bit of a shadow on his eyes to block the brightness a bit. So the world was trying to blind them now?

"What..." He stopped, having been moving toward the door, and blinked rapidly. "...maybe we should get out of here before we go blind..."

"I...I...I...I," Fletcher stuttered for a few before he managed to blink and throw his shield up to block out the light. "I'm with you both."

Fletcher shook his head and continued on with the shield over his face. On to the exit! He was more than happy to lead the way this time....

...as long as that was the exit. Really though. What else could they throw their way now?!

Squinting through the blinding light, you realize it is coming from a break in the hedgerow. Through it, you can see a long tunnel.

Apparently they had to go into the light. As... counter-intuitive as that felt. Brushing past Noel, careful to keep distance between himself and the cockatrice - no way was he going to accidentally touch that thing, who knew if it still had the power to get them - Raiden moved toward the tunnel thing, wand still clenched in his right hand.

With the cockatrice dead, one had to wonder what else could be thrown at them.

Keeping his sheild up, and his left arm slightly blocking the light coming from the mirrors as well, Noel followed the champion towards...the light.

Usually one didn't want to go towards the light right? It was like, walking to their death?

They, definitely weren't going to do that now. Oh no. That was nooooot happening at the moment. Glancing back to the mirrors, having to squint some more due to looking into the blinding lights again, the seventh year turned back around, taking one step at a time.

Sortie, s'il vous plaît. As he continued closer, he finally got a little view of where they were going. Another tunnel!?

Really?

"Ooooh, a tunnel!!!!!!" Fletcher pointed excitedly toward the break in the hedges and picked up his pace, flat out running toward the exit now. Anything to get away from the maybe dead cockatrice.

He didn't even care that he could barely see through the slits in his eyes; all he had to do was go toward the light...

Torches line the walls of the tunnel, making it extremely well-lit. There are no sharp turns, no zig-zags - the tunnel leads straight on and, eventually, you can see a grand, spiral staircase at its end.

Climb on to the first step.

...A staircase? Raiden couldn't remember having gone underground, at least not terribly much, so who knew where that went. Blinking the black spots out of his eyes, he focused on the ground in front of him to clear his vision, and moved toward the stairs.

Tentatively, he started up them. Really, they'd just survived a cockatrice, but he wasn't ready to let his guard down just yet. Traps always got those who were most at ease.

Flipper...Flipper was FLEEING!

"Monsieur!" he called out, picking up his own pace and lowering the shield from his face a bit more as he went after the young man.

EH!? Was he going to do anything? "Monsieur! You don't know what iz down zere!" It could have been anything!! There...could have been another cockatrice down there!

Running after the champion, since he obviously didn't want anyone to really die regardless if they STOLE his wand, the Beauxbatons student finally saw something that looked like stairs. Spiral staircase?

Frowning, he slowed down and stared at it. Looking up to try and see where it lead, he could only hope it really was to their freedom. He wanted as far away from the beast as possible.

Climbing...climbing would be good. But, he...well he wasn't sure. Raiden seemed fine soooo...he'll follow him.

"You mean UP there?" Fletcher called back to Noel, grinning as he saw the torches and stairs. "It's the way OUTTA here, mate, come on!"

He wanted to take the stairs two at a time, really, so confident was Fletcher that safety had to be on the other side.

The moment the last champion steps on the foot of the staircase, it begins to move. For a while, all is dark and it is hard to make out anything.You cannot tell if the staircase is rising or descending - all you know is that the staircase has begun to move.

Then the top step emerges out of the tunnel, all three champions standing on it, and you realize that you are out.

Out of the maze and back at the starting point.

"Fletcher-" Why did Raiden suddenly feel like a broken record. He'd kept cautioning the other guy throughout this entire task. It was like he had no sense of self-preservation or something.

Oh it was moving.

Taking a few steps more, to speed his own ascent to the top, Raiden was actually walking up the stairs as they moved. Anything to get out of here quicker.

...and thank Merlin, it was the exit. Taking a deep breath, shoulder bumping gently against Fletcher's as they reached the top and the movement abruptly stopped, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank Merlin. I was worried about what else they might be able to throw at us after we got through with a bloody cockatrice."

Apparently all they could throw at them was the exit.

It... whaaa whoaaaaaa it was a moving staircase. That was unexpected. And really schweeeeet, especially when the staircase carried them all the way back to the beginning of the maze, where they had started... and where everyone had been able to see them.

"Haha well they didn't. We...uh, we survived," Fletcher grinned as he stated the obvious. "WE DID IT! WE DID IT! CONGRATULATIONS!"

As the staircase started to move, there were at least two death grips on the thing. One from his left hand, and one from his right.

He had enough of moving staircases this year.

The sudden thought had him smiling slightly though. A real one, and not one of those fake ones he used during the task to try and 'lighten the mood'. Those Hogwarts girls really wanted to slide down the moving staircases? That was beginning to sound a lot more fun then this though.

Finally though, he was able to see. They were...

...they were out of the maze? It was true? Did his eyes deceive him? "I really hate moving stairs." he grumbled, taking in deep breathes of fresh air and staring at a random spot on the ground, Flipper's cheers making him deaf again. But it was true! They were out!

With the danger of the task cleared, Raiden immediately set to fixing things. Like finally taking the mirror off his arm, and shrinking it back down to the tiny size he'd reduced it to before the task. If previous encounters were any indication, he had very little time before he was going to get tackled by someone.

His hands were funny colours - blotched red, from grasping onto his wand so hard, he supposed. Stuffing them into his jacket pockets, to preserve the warmth brought on by the adrenaline still rushing through his system, he looked at Fletcher.

"You did well, in there." Raiden indicated the maze with a gentle jerk of his head, and omitted the comment that lingered in his head, about the whole rooster fight debacle. "Really well."

He paused.

"And thank you," he widened this to Noel as well, "-both of you. For agreeing to work together."

They'd survived, and in the end that was all that mattered. Whoever won now could feel good about it without reserve.

Fletcher really didn't want to move from this spot just yet. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with both Raiden and Noel and tried to just looook up at the crowd, and around, and around, to soak in the peaceful, happy feeling radiating through him like a warm beam of sun. It was a great day to be alive.

"Heh," the Hufflepuff chuckled, shrugging his shoulders like eh it was nothing. "Thanks. You did too. And you as well, Noel," he made sure to include the Frenchie as much as he disliked him.... still. "Those sonorous spells really helped do that cockatrice in."

They were like the icing on the cake, so to speak. Fletcher nodded at Raiden's comment about teamwork. "Three heads are better than one."

Usually. Except on giant dogs.