Victor's astral form slowly opened its eyes.
For a moment, he couldn't understand what he was seeing. Then his gaze fell on his own body hanging limp as Moody dragged it away from the clearing.
No wonder people eventually think death is better than the Cruciatus.
The pain had been beyond anything he'd experienced before.
Not simply physical — it had overwhelmed his entire mind until he could barely think. For one terrible moment, he'd genuinely wished the curse would just end him.
He'd only managed to escape because, at the last possible second, he'd forced himself into Astral Projection.
Even that had been brutal. Pulling his consciousness out of his body while the Cruciatus tore through it felt like trying to move through deep water while every nerve screamed at him to give up.
Victor looked toward Draco.
Now, you dark Lord lapdog... touching my brother was your mistake.
Moody suddenly stopped. His expression changed as an invisible force slammed into him.
"What—?"
He was thrown violently across the clearing and crashed into the trunk of a tree. His wand flew from his hand, and before it could hit the ground, something struck it again, sending it deeper into the darkness beneath the roots.
Victor's astral form hovered nearby.
Moody pushed himself upright, looking around in confusion. "What the hell?"
Before he could recover, thick roots erupted from the ground and wrapped around his legs, wrenching them sideways and pinning him against the tree.
"Get off me!"
He struggled, but the roots only tightened around his legs and waist, holding him firm.
Then he heard something behind him — a series of deep cracks from the direction of Victor's body.
Moody's magical eye spun toward the sound.
Victor's unconscious body had begun to move. His fingers twitched first, then his arms pushed against the ground as he slowly forced himself upright, shoulders rolling with sharp cracks, neck and back settling back into place.
He raised his head. His eyes opened.
Moody stared at him. "What?"
"Didn't expect this, did you?" Victor asked, voice steady despite the pain still running through him.
He snapped his fingers. The vines around Moody's legs tightened immediately, dragging him harder against the tree until the bark creaked under the pressure.
Moody's expression finally shifted.
For the first time, he looked genuinely unsettled.
He'd used the Cruciatus Curse on Victor repeatedly — even a fully trained adult wizard would struggle to stay conscious under that kind of prolonged exposure — yet Victor hadn't just survived, he was standing there without a wand and using magic.
"What are you?" Moody demanded, magical eye fixed on him.
Victor ignored the question and glanced at Draco, making sure his brother was still breathing.
Moody's mind raced. The Cruciatus was one of the three Unforgivable Curses — used continuously, it could overwhelm a victim's mind and leave lasting psychological damage.
That was the part Moody couldn't get past. A fourteen-year-old shouldn't have been capable of wandless magic on this level.
"How are you doing magic without a wand?" he demanded, his confidence slipping.
Victor turned toward him slowly. "I have my ways."
The vines tightened again. Moody gritted his teeth as Victor approached, nothing left of the frightened boy who'd been lying on the ground minutes earlier.
"You really should have left my brother alone."
Moody tried to move. The vines held him fast. He reached toward his robes with his free hand, clearly going for something, but Victor caught the motion instantly and raised his hand.
The force hit Moody before he could draw anything. His head snapped sideways, and his body went limp against the tree. The clearing fell silent.
Victor stared at him for several seconds, then turned his attention to the broken pieces of his wand lying beneath the tree.
He walked over and picked them up. The wand had been with him for more than three years — through classes, duels, dangerous situations, and every moment he'd ever needed it.
Seeing it snapped in two left him more annoyed than he expected.
"Well, that's unfortunate," he muttered, slipping the pieces into his pocket. I'll deal with the wand later.
He turned toward Draco and checked once more that his brother was still breathing.
Then he looked toward the maze in the distance. The Third Task was still underway.
Now I need to deal with that noseless bastard and make sure Harry comes back alive.
He crouched beside Draco, ready to get him somewhere safe before heading toward the real danger waiting at the centre of the maze.
*****
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