DISCLAIMER: I OWN NEITHER HARRY POTTER NOR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Bagman pointed his wand at his throat, muttered "Sonorus," and his magically magnified voice echoed into the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!" Bagman announced. "Let me remind you how the points currently stand! In first place with eighty-eight points - Edward Elric of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky, and Ed grinned and waved. "Tied in second place with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" More cheers erupted. "In third place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" Still more applause. "And in fourth place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"
Ed could make out Izumi, Sig, Al, Winry, Roy, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione applauding Fleur politely, halfway up the stands. Harry could see them as well. Ed and Harry both waved and the group waved back. Ed looked at Al to see that he was looking wary.
"Are you all right?" Ed mouthed to Al.
Al nodded.
"So…on my whistle, Edward," Bagman said. "Three - two - one -."
He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Ed hurried into thee maze. The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path, and whether because they were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the sound of the surrounding crowd was silenced the moment he had entered the maze. It had felt almost as though he were under water again. Ed pulled out his wand, muttered, "Lumos," and after fifty yards reached a fork. Ed took the left fork as he had heard Bagman's whistle for the second time. Harry and Cedric had entered the maze.
Ed rushed forward as he heard the whistle two more times. In just a few moments, Ed had come across something that had revolted him. It was a ten foot long Blast-Ended Skrewt, looking like a scorpion. Its long sting was curled over its back, and its thick armor glinted in the light from Ed's wand.
"Ed?" Ed suddenly heard.
Ed turned and saw that it was Cedric.
"I thought it was you, Ed," Cedric said, catching up to Ed. "What are you standing around - whoa!"
Cedric had just seen the skrewt as well.
"What a maniac," Ed said.
"Who, Hagrid?" Cedric asked.
"Who else?" Ed asked. "On the count of three, we - aaaaaahhhhhh!"
The skrewt blasted at Cedric and Ed, and they both bolted in opposite directions.
"On three!" Ed said.
Ed counted to three, and he and Cedric stunned the skrewt.
"Why did you decide for us to help each other?" Cedric asked.
"It was only a one time thing, don't get used to it," Ed said.
Then Ed left, not saying 'hi' to Harry as he passed. Cedric told Harry about the skrewts and went on his way as well. It was then that Harry heard Ed scream. He rushed to where Ed was and saw a horrifying sight: a would be beautiful woman had blood flowing down her face that spilled onto her lavender dress and white apron.
"You couldn't put me back to together…" the thing said with a distorted voice as it came near Ed. "It's so terrible…"
"Riddikulus!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand at the thing.
With a loud crack, the thing (a boggart) exploded in a wisp of smoke. Ed was still on the ground looking horrified. Harry got Ed's attention and helped him stand.
"That was a boggart, Ed," Harry said.
"I know," Ed said.
"Who was it that -?" Harry started.
"My mother," Ed answered. "Thanks."
Then Ed left to go his own way. Harry looked at the spot where Ed's 'mother' had occupied and wondered why the boggart took that form.
A few minutes later, an imperiused Viktor was trying to attack Ed, but Ed had fought him off. After walking another five minutes, trying to block out Cedric's screams, he came across an incredible creature…a sphinx. It had the body of an over-large lion: great clawed paws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. It's head, however, was that of a woman. She turned her long, almond-shaped eyes upon Ed as he approached.
"You are very near your goal," the sphinx said in a deep, hoarse voice. "The quickest way is past me."
"All right, then," Ed said. "Let me pass."
"No," she said, continuing to pace. "Not unless you can 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."
"If I do answer wrongly, will you really attack me?" Ed asked. "Or is that just to scare the kiddies?"
"Yes, I will really attack," the sphinx said.
"Sounds fun," Ed remarked. "Tell me the riddle."
The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs, in the very middle of the path, and recited:
"What is the animal that walks on four legs in the
Spring, two in the summer, and walks on three legs
In the fall?"
"Hm," Ed said, putting a hand on his chin. "It's the same animal, right?"
The sphinx smiled. Ed started to pace back and forth.
"I know I heard this one before," Ed said to himself. "Spring must mean infancy, summer youth and mid-life, and," Ed stopped and looked at the sphinx, "fall is old age, right?"
The sphinx smiled at Ed.
"Let's see," Ed said. "Human. It's a human!"
The sphinx smiled more broadly, got up, stretched her front legs, and then moved aside for him to pass.
"Thanks, it's been fun," Ed said, as he passed the sphinx.
As Ed closed in nearer to the choice of paths, he could hear the sphinx telling Harry a different riddle from his own. Ed stopped in front of the fork.
"Left or right?" Ed asked himself. "Ah, hell, I'll go right."
Then Ed chose the right path and as saw light as he walked. Ed broke out into a grin and dashed forward. He then noticed that Harry was right behind him. They were both heading for the Triwizard Cup that was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away. That was when they both saw Cedric run towards the cup and almost into a gigantic spider.
"Cedric!" Ed and Harry bellowed. "On your left!"
Cedric looked around just in time to hurl himself past the spider and avoid colliding with it, but in his haste, he tripped. Cedric's wand flew out of his hand as the gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon Cedric.
"Stupify!" Harry yelled.
The spider turned and went for Harry and Ed.
"Oh, FUCK!" Ed yelled.
He clapped his hands and slammed them onto the ground. A stone wall formed and risen out of the ground, but it was torn apart by the spider. He was lifted up in the air by the spider's front legs. Ed didn't struggle as he frowned in disgust at the spider. Cedric and Harry were beneath Ed, telling him to be patient.
"Shut up!" Ed said.
"Did he just tell us to shut up?" Cedric asked Harry.
Harry nodded. Ed scowled and clapped his hands. A flash of light later, Ed was down on the ground, landing on his feet. That was when Harry and Cedric stunned the spider. Ed straightened his red jacket.
"Are you all right, Ed?" Harry asked.
"I've been through worse," Ed brushed off.
"For some reason, I believe you," Cedric said. "What will we do about the cup?"
"Easy, we split the win," Ed said.
"Split it?" Harry and Cedric asked.
"Yeah, we all saved each other's asses and we all deserve it," Ed explained. "We'll get a Hogwarts win, and I'll get victory for the stupid government back home."
"Won't your superiors be mad at you?" Cedric asked.
"I don't care what they think," Ed said, as his auto-mail leg gave out.
Ed yelled and fell on his behind.
"Aw crap!" Ed said. "And Winry just looked it over! She's gonna kill me!"
Ed rolled his pant leg up and looked at his leg.
"Not too bad," Ed commented. "Not a word to Winry. She hates having to use magic on it."
Harry and Cedric grinned at each other. Ed muttered a spell and mended his auto-mail leg. Cedric and Harry helped him up.
"Well, let's do it," Ed said. "Let's be the winning threesome."
Harry and Cedric looked at each other.
"On three," Ed instructed. "One - two - three -!"
He, Harry, and Cedric grabbed the Triwizard Cup. Instantly, Ed felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. He frowned. He hated Portkeys. His feet left the ground, and he could not let go of the cup. It was pulling him onward in a howl of wind and swirling color, Cedric and Harry at his sides.