Chapter 21

The Third Task

"What about your Dad?"

"No."

"Remus?"

"No."

"Dumbledore, then."

"Bloody hell, Hayden! Leave it alone!"

Orion slammed his quill down on the table in frustration. Hayden had been nagging for answers ever since they had been allowed to leave Professor Dumbledore's office two weeks ago. As Professor Dumbledore had predicted, no attacker had been found but that hadn't stopped Sirius from increasing the security, making it even more difficult for Orion to prepare for the Third Task. Now Orion had two Aurors 'monitoring' with one always being a member of the Black Team.

Rumors were out of control. No one had said why the school had been in lock down for a few hours but everyone knew that Orion had been involved due to the extra protection. It took a lot of convincing to keep Hayden from telling their friends everything. Orion had pleaded that he needed to concentrate on the Third Task and not some obscure theory but that was only a part of the reason. Truthfully he didn't want everyone pestering him like Hayden had been.

Neville, of course, was the exception. Orion had managed to share as much as he could the morning after the 'attack' and was surprised how quickly Neville put everything together. Orion's headaches were happening because of his 'connection' to Hayden which meant until they could figure out a way to basically disable Hayden's connection to Voldemort, Orion would be paying the price.

At least Orion now knew why potions hadn't worked over the summer.

"I'm sorry, Ori," Hayden said quietly while looking around to make sure no one was watching. The Gryffindor Common Room was rather empty which wasn't surprising with as late as it was. "I just—I—you wouldn't understand. Your dad tells you everything."

Orion stared at Hayden with a raised eyebrow. "This has nothing to do with what my dad tells me and what your parents don't," he said coolly. "Professor Dumbledore has a theory, nothing more. Dad has them all the time. This entire year has been one theory after another and you've seen what's happened. You don't understand what it's like having the entire school watch and judge you while all you want to do is stay alive so forgive me if I want to focus on the bigger danger—the Third Task."

Hayden winced and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I am sorry, Orion," he said softly. "I don't mean to cause more problems. I just—"

"—want answers," Orion interrupted dryly as he stood up and started cleaning up. "Surprisingly enough, I figured that out. What you have to understand is that Professor Dumbledore isn't your parents. If he had any proof to his theory and felt that we needed to know, he'd tell us."

"Would he?" Hayden countered suspiciously. "You may trust him but he's never been completely honest with me."

Orion let out an exasperated sigh. "I'll tell you what, if this—phenomenon happens again, we'll go to Professor Dumbledore and demand answers. If it doesn't, then please give me the time to get through this Tournament and then we'll investigate."

Deep down, Orion knew he was entering dangerous territory. The only way to explain what was happening was to tell Hayden the truth which was still the last thing Orion wanted. The only thing he could do was hope that perhaps Professor Dumbledore had some other explanation.

"Promise?" Hayden asked hopefully.

Orion could only nod and watch as Hayden smiled happily before hurrying up the stairs to the dorms. Slowly sitting down, Orion could only bury his face in his hands. Hayden please forgive me but you can't know…ever.

With the deal in place, Orion suddenly found himself with more than enough help for the Third Task. Hayden, Ron and Neville were Orion's normal opponents as he tried every spell, curse and jinx that could possibly help. Hermione also offered help but she was so consumed by the Rita Skeeter mystery that she would often hurry off to the library without any explanation. Ron and Hayden seemed to relax more when she wasn't there since she wouldn't be 'nitpicking every little thing', as Ron would say.

"I don't know why you're so nervous, Ori," Neville said as he pocketed his wand. "You know these spells better than most seventh years."

"And cast them better too," Hayden added, wincing as he rubbed his left shoulder. "Have you learned any healing spells?"

"Learned, yes," Orion answered uncomfortably. "Practiced, no. Evelyn?"

The door opened revealing Evelyn and Auror Williamson. "Something wrong, Ori?" Evelyn asked.

"Could you look at Hayden's shoulder?"

Evelyn looked like she was trying to hold back a smile as she entered the room and headed straight for Hayden who looked like he wanted to hide.

"Come and look at this," Ron, who was standing by the window, said suddenly. He was staring down on to the grounds. "What's Malfoy doing?"

Everyone moved to join him. Draco, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were standing in the shadow of a tree below. Vincent and Gregory seemed to be keeping a lookout while Draco was holding his hand up to his mouth and speaking into it.

"What is he doing?" Neville asked curiously.

"Williamson, go," Evelyn said, her tone suddenly businesslike. "I'll take them back to Gryffindor Tower then join you."

Auror Williamson was gone by the time they turned around. Not another word was said, even after they stepped through the portrait entrance to Gryffindor Tower. No one really knew what to say. Was Draco helping Voldemort? Probably not but Sirius' orders had been firm. Any suspicious activity should be treated as a threat to Orion's safety. Orion could only imagine how Draco was going to explain his way out of this one.

By the time breakfast was over the following morning, everyone knew that three Slytherin fourth years had been questioned by Aurors and had lost a hundred and fifty house points. There were a number of theories of what happened however by lunch everyone seemed to have figured out who was involved by lunch. Draco suddenly found himself where he always wanted to be—the center of attention but not in a good way.

Orion and Hayden couldn't stop from grinning every time they saw him surrounded by people.

As June the twenty-fourth drew closer, all focus slowly shifted from Draco to the Tournament. By now, everyone could make out what the Third Task would entail on the Quidditch Pitch only leaving many to speculate what creatures the champions would have to face. Orion tried not to listen as the suggestions got more and more dangerous. After all, Professor Dumbledore would never approve it.

One thing was for certain, June the twenty-fourth was the turning point. It was the day all questions would be answered including the most important one of all: why had Voldemort singled Orion out of all people?

Breakfast was a noisy affair on the morning of the third task. Everyone seemed to be taking the long way to their tables so they could stop by and wish Orion luck. Post owls arrived, brining good-luck cards from Charlie Weasley, the Longbottoms, the Diggorys, the Krums, the Black Team and strangely, the Potters. Orion could only stare at the short letter Mrs. Potter wrote, unable to comprehend the words written. Why would she write to him? Why would she ever think that he'd want her of all people to wish him luck?

The sound of Hermione spitting out a mouthful of pumpkin juice thankfully pulled Orion out of his confused thoughts.

"What?" Hayden and Ron asked quickly, staring at her.

"Nothing," Hermione said quickly, trying to shove the paper out of sight but Neville grabbed it. Orion leaned over and caught a glance of the headline: DANGERS AT HOGWARTS: WHAT IS DUMBLEDORE REALLY HIDING?

"No way," Neville said as he quickly skimmed the article. "Not today!"

"What?" Hayden asked again. "Rita Skeeter again?"

"Er—no," Neville said and attempted to hide the paper under the table.

Hayden glanced at Orion nervously. Orion could see the desperate need to know mixed in with the worry that it would only make focusing on the Third Task worse.

"Hey, Potter!" Draco shouted across the Great Hall from the Slytherin table, the Daily Prophet held firmly in his hands. "Potter! Are you going to let Black have any attention tonight or are you going to fake another nightmare?"

Orion and Hayden shared a worried look. That meant the article was about…

"Let me see it, Neville," Hayden said with a sigh. "Give it here."

Reluctantly, Neville handed it over. Hayden turned it over and set it down on the table so he, Ron and Orion could somewhat read it. Under the headline, there was a picture of Orion and Hayden looking nervous that had clearly been taken recently.

DANGERS AT HOGWARTS: WHAT IS DUMBLEDORE REALLY HIDING?

The Triwizard Tournament has been a under scrutiny since the moment Orion Black's name was selected by the Goblet Fire, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. After all this time, no one has discovered just who wanted to subject such a demanding competition to a fourteen-year-old. Black, however, rose to the challenge and is now entering the Third Task with a commanding lead.

The only problem is Black's close friend, Hayden Potter. For the first time, the attention isn't centered on the-boy-who-lived and evidence reveals the change is sending Potter over the edge. On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter falling asleep in class. When Potter woke, however, he stormed out of class, insisting he needed to talk to the Headmaster.

This, of course, was moments before the school was forced into lock down.

What happened to cause the lock down? Why were Aurors seen running through the halls? No official explanation has been issued but several sources have their theories.

"After the lock down Black was given even more protection," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth year. "Nothing changed for Diggory and Krum."

Did someone enter Hogwarts to attack Orion Black or is Hayden Potter actually behind it all?

If Potter is behind Black's placement in the Tournament then he needs serious help, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The overwhelming attention Potter has received for the majority of his life may had altered his perception of reality.

"We may never know if You-Know-Who's attack altered Potter mentally," said one specialist. "With this current behavior taken into account, we can only hope his parents provide the help needed."

With the danger to Orion Black and the rest of the school, the Daily Prophet has to wonder why Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has failed to act in the school's best interest instead of the interest of one mentally unstable child.

Orion frowned. "Not her best work," he said casually.

"How did she know about Divination?" Ron asked. "There's no way she was there, there's no way she could've heard—"

"The window was open," Hayden said scowling. "I opened it to breathe."

"You were at the top of North Tower!" Hermione said. "Your voice couldn't have carried all the way down to the grounds!"

"Maybe Malfoy told her," Neville offered. "What if he was meeting her when we saw him on the grounds?"

"She wasn't there," Ron countered. "Malfoy was talking to his hand like he one of those bloody things your mum was trying to show my dad how to use."

"A two way radio?" Hayden asked. "That's impossible. They don't work here."

"I know that!" Ron said in frustration. "Do you have any better ideas?"

Hayden shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Is there any sort of magical bugging?"

"Listening charms but they're limited to short distances," Orion offered. "There's always Polyjuice Potion but she'd need to take that every hour."

"If that were the case, we'd see someone carry a flask around like Professor Moody," Neville pointed out.

"Unless it was Moody she was turning into," Orion countered back.

Hayden and Ron stared incredulously at Orion for a long moment before they burst out laughing with Orion and Neville joining in.

"I have an idea!" Hermione said jumping to her feet. "I think I know…because then no one would be able to see…even Moody…and she'd have been able to get onto the window ledge…but she's not allowed…she's definitely not allowed…I think we've got her! Just give me two seconds in the library—just to make sure!"

Orion, Neville, Hayden and Ron stared in amazement as Hermione seized her school bag and dashed out of the Great Hall.

"Oi!" Ron called after her. "We've got our History of Magic exam in ten minutes!" He turned back to Hayden, Orion and Neville. "Blimey, she's obsessed."

"You going to the library again, Ori?" Neville asked as he stood up and grabbed his school bag. "I mean, it's not like Binns will miss you."

Orion let out sigh and stood up. "I suppose," he said quietly. "At least I'll be able to hide from the stares just a bit longer."

"Mr. Black!" Professor McGonagall called as he came walking alongside the Gryffindor table toward him. "The champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast." At Orion's confused look, she continued, "The champions' families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them."

A hand grasped his shoulder as Professor McGonagall walked away. "Have fun with your dad, Ori," Neville said with a grin. "Maybe he'll talk some sense into you and make you see that you're ready for tonight."

Orion cast Neville and annoyed look before hurrying off to the side chamber and entered. He had only caught a glance at a mass of faces before he was pulled into a fierce embrace. People surrounded him but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that Sirius was there and that was all Orion needed for his worries to fade away.

"It'll be all right, Shadow," Sirius said quietly. "We're all here and not going anywhere."

Orion took a step back to see the Black Team, the Diggorys, the Krums and surprisingly Bill Weasley. Cedric and Viktor entered at that moment, each giving Orion's shoulder a squeeze and a smile before moving away with their parents. As close as Orion was to the Diggorys and Krums, he was grateful for the space. There was just so much that they didn't know.

When Orion's curious gaze focused on Bill, he spoke up, "I couldn't miss supporting my honorary younger brother, especially with everything Skeeter's written lately. Charlie would be here too but he couldn't get time off."

"Bill's offered to help patrol during the Third Task tonight," Sirius said quietly. "Officially, he's a temporary consultant so we could tell him what's been happening."

Orion bit his lower lip nervously. He wasn't sure he liked that more people were getting involved in this. The Black Team knew how to handle Death Eaters and the like. Bill—Bill could get hurt.

Sirius wrapped an arm around Orion's shoulders and pulled him close. "Don't worry about it, kiddo. We all know what we're doing."

Orion gave Sirius a weak smile. He knew Sirius wasn't one to put someone in danger unless they were prepared but that didn't calm his nerves. There was still so much that could go wrong.

"How about we go for a stroll outside?" Evelyn offered. "It might be easier to talk without an audience."

Orion let Sirius usher him out of the castle. The welcoming, sunny grounds were a complete contradiction to what Orion was feeling. He would have preferred a stormy skies threatening for what was to come but allowing everyone to hope that it would blow over.

They walked towards the lake and didn't stop until they were far enough from the castle but also a safe distance from Hagrid's, the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship.

"Kingsley," Sirius muttered over his shoulder.

"Already done," Kingsley answered immediately. "If Skeeter's around, she won't hear anything."

"All right then," Sirius said coming to a halt. "You should know that we are currently looking for Rita Skeeter to take her into the Ministry. We've discovered that she's an illegal Animagus—a bug Animagus to be more precise."

Orion's eyes widened although he couldn't really say he was surprised. "But Dad we—"

"—are now registered under sealed records," Sirius interrupted. "I discussed it with Rufus and Amelia. They agreed it was best to not allow it to become public for your safety."

"You haven't used your form to disobey a mandate issued by Professor Dumbledore, Ori," Evelyn added. "We have young Malfoy's statement and her own article as proof." At Orion's confused look, she continued. "Remember when the Weasley boy noticed Malfoy on the grounds? He was meeting Skeeter. He was telling her about your added security. When we mentioned the penalties he would face for aiding in illegal activity, he told us everything."

Orion stared at Evelyn suspiciously. "Why do I have the feeling that some of those penalties wouldn't be legal?"

Evelyn simply shrugged her shoulders. "It's not my fault Lucius Malfoy didn't instruct his son the basics of law. I'll just say that—for now—young Malfoy will be watching his behavior since he may or may not be under the impression that he's one step away from a criminal record."

Orion couldn't help but be impressed. "Evelyn, I think you've been spending too much time with the Marauders. That sounds like something Dad would do."

Evelyn smiled proudly. "And I'll never let him forget it," she said before turning serious. "Now, let's focus on tonight. You know that every one of us will be stationed outside the maze. All of the Champions will be instructed to fire red sparks if there's trouble."

"However, if there is non-task related trouble, send up white sparks," Sirius added. "If that happens, everyone patrolling has been instructed to burn the hedges and get to you as quickly as possible."

Orion nodded even though agreeing felt like the last thing he should be doing. The plan was positively mad. So much could go wrong but Orion honestly didn't have a better idea. He just wanted it all to be over with. Was that too much to ask?

They didn't return to the castle until lunch. Uncle Frank and Aunt Alice sat by Neville, Evelyn visited with her nephew and Bill quickly found himself surrounded by his siblings. Orion had to admit that he was grateful for the distraction. Sitting between Sirius and Remus kept almost everyone at bay. Rose quickly sat by Remus and started discussing her exams, Hayden sat across from Sirius in an attempt to find out any new information and Hermione sat across from Orion looking rather excited. Orion had to wonder if she figured out what Sirius' Team already knew about Rita Skeeter.

Once lunch was over, Orion was able to stroll around the castle with Sirius and Remus while the rest of the Team began their security detail. He really wanted to enjoy his time with his dad and uncle but the Third Task was only a few hours way. Was it really so close? Where had all the time gone?

Before Orion knew it, the evening feast had arrived. Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge had joined the staff table. Ludo looked quite cheerful. Cornelius Fudge, on the other hand, looked rather nervous, his eyes occasionally glancing at the Black Team members stationed around the Hall. Every one of them looked ready to strike as they stood in the shadows, trying not to attract attention. Orion had to admit, they were good at it. Very few people seemed to notice their presence.

As the enchanted ceiling overhead began to fade from blue to a dusky purple, Orion noticed the Black Team move towards the entrance. Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet at the staff table, attracting everyone's attention and creating the distraction needed for the Black Team to slip out of the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament," Professor Dumbledore said pleasantly. "Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

Orion got up, trying to ignore the applause that broke out at the Gryffindor table. He hardly noticed Sirius and Remus standing up and following him out. It was almost like there was a barrier between him and everyone else. Everyone's voices sounded muffled which was probably a good thing. Orion didn't want to hear everyone wishing him luck. He didn't care about the Tournament. All he wanted was to survive whatever Voldemort's endgame may be.

Cedric and Viktor were quickly at Orion's side, preventing Ludo from doing the same. Orion couldn't help noticing how disappointed Ludo looked and was glad he didn't have to deal with the overexcited man today. Ludo never handled serious matters well and Orion had a feeling that he would run away screaming if he had any idea what was really happening.

Then again, perhaps it would be best to tell him.

They walked onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty foot-high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.

Five minutes later, the stands had begun to fill. The air was full of chatter and the rumbling of feet as students filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. The Black Team came walking into the stadium and approached Ludo and the champions. Orion quickly noticed Hagrid behind them but it took the Black Team separating for him to see Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. Every one of them were wearing a large, red, luminous star. Professors Moody, McGonagall and Flitwick wore them on their hats while everyone else had them hanging over their left shoulder.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," Professor McGonagall said to the champions. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"

Cedric, Viktor and Fleur nodded. Orion couldn't help sharing a nervous glance with Sirius. If only it was that easy.

"Off you go, then!" Ludo said brightly to the patrollers.

Everyone separated and walked in different directions. Orion could feel his nervousness and anxiety increase with every step they took to their stations around the maze. He didn't even notice Ludo point his wand at his throat and mutter, "Sonorus."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!"Ludo said, his magically magnified voice echoing into the stands. "Let me remind you how the points currently stand! In first place with ninety-five points – Mr. Orion Black of Hogwarts School!" Cheers and applause send birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty-seven points – Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "In third place, with eighty-five points – Mr. Cedric Diggory, of Hogwarts School!" There was a louder roar of cheers and applause. "And in fourth place – Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beaubatons Academy!" There was a lighter, polite applause. "So…on my whistle, Orion! Three – two – one – "

He gave a short blast on his whistle and Orion walked forward into the maze.

The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path and, for some reason, the sound of the surrounding crowd seemed to be silenced the moment he entered the maze. Not willing to take any chances, Orion pulled out his wand and thought, Lumos. Light shined from the tip of his wand, illuminating the way.

After about fifty yards, Orion reached a fork. Both paths were completely dark, giving no sign if any path was safer than the other. Taking a wild guess, Orion selected the left one and continued on. He quickened his pace slightly but was still cautious. If only I could turn into Shadow. It would be easy to sense danger.

Ludo's whistle could be heard as Orion turned right and continued on the seemingly deserted path. Viktor had entered the maze and it wasn't long before another blast of the whistle signaled Cedric entering. Every instinct was telling Orion to hurry up but he fought every urge. Avoiding danger was more important.

The maze was slowly growing darker with every passing minute as the sky overhead deepened to navy. Focusing on the path ahead, Orion reached a second fork and took a left again. He had to trust his instincts now. The only problem—or perhaps not—was that the path ahead was empty too. This wasn't right. He was supposed to be facing obstacles. How could it be that he hadn't seen anything yet?

Ludo's whistle blew for a final time. All of the champions were now inside.

Turning a corner, Orion realized that his concerns had come too soon. He saw a figure, staggering toward him. It took Orion a moment to realize what he was seeing. It was his father, pale and dead looking. Orion took a step back as Sirius reached out for him…but Sirius was outside the maze. That could only mean one thing. It was a boggart.

"Riddikulus!" Orion said quickly.

There was a loud crack and the shape-shifter exploded in a wisp of smoke. Letting out a long breath, Orion moved on, silently hoping that he was ready for whatever was next. He turned right and then left before catching sight of what looked to be the tail of a Blast-Ended Skrewt. That was certainly one creature he didn't want to encounter and quickly turned around.

Right…left…left again. Feeling completely lost, Orion cast the Four-Point Spell and found that he was going south when he needed to go northwest. Turning around, Orion took a right turn and suddenly heard something moving on the opposite side of the hedge. He hurried on, not wanting to know what the creature could possibly be. Once he was far enough away, another Four-Point Spell alerted Orion that he was heading in the right direction. Now if there could only be some sign of how much farther he needed to go…

Orion met nothing for a long time. How long had it been since he had entered the maze? Was it mere minutes? Perhaps hours? It was becoming more and more difficult to stay on course. Orion was forced to take turns to avoid dead ends and try to turn back as soon as possible. Just when he believed that he had found the right path again, he rounded a corner and came face to face with the Blast-Ended Skrewt. It was now over ten feet long and looked more like a giant scorpion than anything. Thick armor covered it's back leaving only one area vulnerable to spells.

Aiming low, Orion quickly tried the Impediment Curse and fell to the ground as it hit some of the armor, rebounding back at him. Not low enough apparently. Trying again, Orion stayed on the ground and was relieved when the skrewt froze. Wasting no time, Orion jumped to his feet and ran past it. The greater distance he could put between them at the moment the better.

He didn't slow down until he started hitting dead ends. Stopping, Orion ignored his hammering heard and performed the Four-Point Spell again only to have it reveal the last thing he wanted. He had gone too far south. He wound need to backtrack. Turning around, Orion found the closest path that would take him northwest.

There were brief moments that Orion swore he could hear something or someone running but it faded away quickly. Where was everyone? Why hadn't he run across them?

Panic started to set in and Orion immediately slowed down, every sense on alert. This couldn't be good. What if this was what Voldemort had been waiting for—a chance to catch him alone? But—that couldn't be it. Why would Voldemort take the risk with so many Aurors around?

He wouldn't. Orion knew enough about Voldemort's tactics to know that Voldemort would never put himself in such a position.

Rounding a corner, Orion cautiously walked down a long, straight path until he saw movement. It took a moment before his beam of wandlight hit an extraordinary creature, one which was normally only seen in picture form. It was a sphinx.

How in the world had the Ministry managed to secure one of those?

Coming to an abrupt halt, Orion could only stare at the creature with the body of an over-large lion and a head of a woman. She stared at him with her long, almond-shaped eyes. For a long moment, neither moved and then that moment was broken when the sphinx started pacing from side to side of the path, blocking Orion from moving forward.

"You are very near your goal," she said in a deep, hoarse voice. "The quickest way is past me."

Orion frowned. "Close?" That can't be. How can he be close when he hadn't seen anyone else? Then there was the 'danger' everyone had been expecting. Where was it? Unless…unless it wasn't actually during the task. What if it was some time after when everyone was distracted? Returning his attention to the sphinx, Orion voiced his main concern, "have you seen any danger?"

The sphinx continued to pace. "No danger has been seen—does not mean that no danger exists," she said. "To pass you must answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess—I let you pass. Answer wrongly—I attack. Remain silent—I will let you walk away from me unscathed."

Orion was so caught on the first statement that he nearly missed the second. For being so close, it couldn't just be a riddle, could it? Then again, it could be a very difficult riddle. "Er—okay," Orion said cautiously. "Can I hear the riddle?"

The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs in the very middle of the path and recited: "First think of a person who lives in disguise, who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies. Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend, the middle of middle and end of end. And finally give me the sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word. Now string them together, and answer me this, which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"

Orion stared for a moment before forcing himself to break down the riddle. 'Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies'…the first thing that entered his mind was Wormtail—the spy. A spy! That's it! Next…what was next? "Could you repeat it again, please?"

She repeated the poem.

'Middle of middle and end of end' with 'the sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word' when combined with spy should give him a creature...Orion mentally ran through all of the creatures he knew about and could only think of one: a spider but did the rest of the riddle make that the actual answer? He had one chance to get it right. 'Middle of middle and end of end'…could it be…the letter 'd'? 'The sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word'…there was um…er…

Spy…d…er…It had to be. "The creature is a spider," Orion said at last.

The sphinx smiled broadly before getting up, stretching her front legs and then moving aside for him to pass. Orion bowed his head in respect and hurried forward. As soon as the sphinx was out of sight, Orion slowed down and continued on a bit more cautiously. His wand was telling him that he was directly on course. He reached another fork and took the right-hand path.

Continuing forward, Orion could see a light in the distance. The Triwizard Cup was gleaming on a plinth just over a hundred yards away. This was it. If something was going to happen…

Suddenly, a dark figure hurtled out onto the path in front of him. It was Cedric, sprinting as fast as he could toward the cup.

"Cedric, no!" Orion shouted.

Cedric looked over his shoulder just as something immense over a hedge to his left moved quickly on a path that would intersect.

"Cedric!" Orion yelled. "On your left!"

Cedric looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid colliding with it. Unfortunately, in his haste, he tripped and dropped his wand. Orion wasted no time and immediately started casting spell after spell at the gigantic spider that stepped into the path. The spider jerked, scuttled around and ran at Orion instead.

Whether it was an act of desperation or stupidity, Orion ran toward the creature. He heard Cedric shout out and slid, feet first, casting spells as he slid underneath the creature. The spider keeled over sideways, one of its legs piercing Orion's on the way. Orion couldn't stop the cry of pain as he dropped his wand and grabbed his leg.

"Orion!" Cedric shouted as he dropped to his knees at Orion's side. "Orion, what is it?" He pushed Orion's hands away and pulled up the pants leg to reveal the wound. "Ori, it's deep. We need to get you out of here."

"Bandage it up," Orion said through clenched teeth.

Cedric quickly picked up Orion's wand and pointed it at the bleeding wound. "Ferula." Bandages spun up Orion's leg, strapping it tightly to a splint.

Orion let out a sigh of relief as the pain faded to a more manageable level. Sitting up, he looked past Cedric to the Triwizard Cup. So this was how it would end. He had been so prepared for danger only for there to be none. Perhaps this was crueler than any possible danger Voldemort could have thought up.

"Cedric, go," Orion said finally. "Take it. You're there."

Cedric glanced over his shoulder at the Cup then looked back at Orion. "You take it. You should win. You just saved my neck, Ori."

"You saved me during the Second Task—"

"—and then you saved mine," Cedric interrupted then helped Orion to his feet. "I'll carry you there if I have to. You deserve this."

Orion shook his head. "That's not how it's supposed to work. The one who reaches the cup first gets the points. You deserve to be the Champion. You should be the Champion."

It was Cedric's turn to be stubborn. "No," he insisted as he grabbed Orion's arm below the shoulder and helped Orion limp toward the plinth where the cup stood. "The only reason you can't take it is because of me. I don't care about winning. I only entered the Tournament to make my Dad happy. Now, I realize he doesn't care. He just wants both of us to get out in one piece."

Once they had reached the cup, Cedric waited for Orion to take the cup but Orion stood firm. Cedric let out a sigh. "Fine then. Both of us, together, just like we've done everything else."

"But that still means—"

"I don't care!" Cedric said firmly and held a hand out over one of the cup's gleaming handles and looked at Orion, waiting him to do the same. "Take the handle, Ori, or I'll pull you along with me."

Orion's shoulders slumped. He knew how stubborn Cedric could be. Reluctantly, Orion reached out. "One three then," he said. "One—two—three—"

Together they grasped a handle and instantly felt a jerk somewhere behind their navels. Their feet left the ground. They couldn't let go of the Triwizard Cup; it pulling them onward in a howl of wind and swirling color. All Orion could think was something wasn't right.

A/N: I'm really sorry about the delay. I'm in the process of moving so free time's been minimal. Hopefully there's no delay with the next chapter since we all know what's coming: Cedric's fate. Am I cruel? Maybe just a bit. :)