Harry was a little deeper into the maze than he might have liked, but he'd caught a glimpse of a crest - or of a little stone pavilion where he thought a crest was probably housed wrapped in several runes and bright spells - and taken the nearest path away from it. Unfortunately, that path had yet to have any other paths branching off it, though Harry had been walking for several minutes. The Quidditch pitch was large, but it wasn't that large, which made him wonder if there was some sort of spell on the maze to make it seem bigger than it was, or if it was magically expanded on the inside, the way their tents at the World Cup had been.
Harry glanced back over his shoulder to find there were no footprints in his wake. He swore quietly and bent to check the bottom of his boot, which was caked with mud - probably from when he'd conjured water to deal with that skrewt-
A spell whizzed past him, missing by pure luck. Harry threw himself into a forward roll that took him almost into the hedge, and looked up to see a mass of quivering blackish red, like wine,, as intricately patterned as the engraving on a snitch - Krum.
Krum didn't have the Cup, which was bad; it meant he was still probably looking for it, and that meant Harry was deeper into the maze than he'd realised, or that Krum had got turned around at some point.
He flicked his wand to deflect another spell and then pulled the ground up to form a barrier for cover. A spell thudded into it and dirt sprinkled onto Harry's head.
"You remember I said it vas nothing personal, yes?" Krum said, sounding a little apologetic.
"I remember," Harry said.
"Good," Krum said, and then Harry's wall of earth exploded, knocking Harry back. He rolled to the side and into a crouch:
"Procellus!"
Krum was swept up in a small hurricane, and Harry swatted away a vine that was reaching for his ankle. He'd intended to run back the way he'd come, when Fleur - a silky, misty silver - popped out of a leafy passageway, took in the scene - Harry crouched on the ground, Krum newly-free of Harry's spell and striding toward him - and blew Harry a kiss before darting behind Krum's back and down another passage.
Harry made a face.
Krum jabbed his wand twice in rapid succession, and Harry deflected one, but was hit by the other. He opened his mouth to speak and found he couldn't breathe. He could feel invisible hands around his throat.
Densissima, he thought instead, and Krum cast a shield, but Harry hadn't been aiming for him; the air around Krum had gone thick now, and Krum opened his own mouth, still able to breathe, but certainly not as easily. He lifted a hand, or tried to - it was as if he was moving in slow motion.
Harry smiled grimly.
Finite, he thought, turning his wand on himself, and then drew in a breath- but couldn't.
A little panicked now, Harry tried again, failed, and then, remembering something Dora had said, stuck the tip of his wand into his mouth. Very carefully - lest he over inflate his lungs - he funnelled air in, then, said, "Finite."
The pressure on his throat eased and he coughed and drew in a breath.
Vines were tangled around his ankles and his left wrist, but Harry dislodged them with a silent, Acrisphaera, wincing a little; the spell didn't shock him through the air the same way it did in water, but the vines had been physically touching him. He was only glad they weren't very conductive.
Krum had managed to restore the air around him and was lifting his wand to deal with his own vines, which had wrapped around his feet, so Harry turned them to stone with a quick Duro.
Or tried to; he didn't think they became proper stone, but they certainly hardened enough that Krum's Diffindo wasn't enough to get all the way through them. Krum shot Harry a chagrined look and flicked a spell in his direction, but Harry was already on his feet and scrambling down the nearest path.
He almost collided with Fleur, which made no sense, given he'd just seen her go the opposite way.
"Krum's there," Harry said, tipping his head over his shoulder.
"So ees the Cup," she replied. Harry flicked his wand to cast Dobby's detection charm and found she was right.
"Good luck, then," he said. She smiled faintly at him, then strode forward.
Harry headed in the other direction and came across a fork not long after. He cast Dobby's charm again to be sure he'd go the right way, and stopped; it said the Cup was close - just in front of him, in fact.
The path he'd followed was straight, not curved, so it shouldn't have been possible for him to get turned around, and yet…
His boots still weren't leaving tracks, so he sat down to consider his options while he spelled the mud loose from the tread.
Fleur and Krum were both nearby - and maybe Cedric too, Harry just hadn't seen him - and if the Cup was also close, then it was surely only a matter of time before one of them got it. If it was Krum, the task was as good as over, as long as Harry himself didn't get any crests, which he hadn't so far.
So maybe wandering uselessly through the maze wasn't the best strategy. If he was going in circles, he risked stumbling across the Cup, and then- well, then who knew what would happen?
Maybe nothing, maybe something - Harry didn't want to find out, but more than that, didn't want to win for Walpurgis. And he wasn't sure what would constitute claiming the Cup; would he have to touch it, pick it up, or would finding it be enough?
That was another thing he'd rather not find out.
So maybe, if he wasn't guaranteed to find his way back to the outskirts of the maze, then the best strategy was to get himself disqualified and out of the task altogether. He could leave the others to battle it out.
Should have left Krum's choking spell on, Harry thought ruefully.
He pushed himself off the ground and turned back the way he'd come, only to sink knee deep into the ground; the moment he looked down, he could see the sheen of a concealed spell, as around him, the grass bubbled away to reveal quicksand.
For a moment, Harry considered letting it take him, or at least take him to his shoulders; if it did, he could put up red sparks. But what if they were too slow to come and get him and he sank all the way in? And who would believe it; Harry'd faced quicksand in the second task and been just fine.
He was thigh-deep now, but he jabbed his wand downward with his second Duro for the day, and this time the spell worked properly. Excavium. The spell gouged out the stone around his legs and Harry stepped out onto the grass, scraped his boot clean again, and continued on.
When he reached the corner that should have taken him back to the section of the maze he'd duelled Krum in, he instead arrived in a small round area, with seven possible paths leading off of it.
"Right," he muttered. "Point me." But his wand just spun around and around in his hand. He tried Dobby's spell again too, and found that the Cup was, once again right in front of him. Harry shook his head, and was seriously contemplating just sitting down on the grass to wait, when he heard a sound.
Heard several sounds, actually, all at once. The first was the stands - distant, and oddly muffled, but he hadn't been able to hear the stands at all until now. The next were footsteps not far off but moving quickly, and he could also hear spells sizzling, though no voices to go with them.
Something had changed in the maze.
Then Harry heard a new sound, a quiet clicking sound. As he was looking for its source, an enormous spider crawled over the top of a nearby hedge. For a moment, they stared at each other, and then it clicked its pincers and scuttled forward.
Harry lifted his wand without thinking, then caught himself, grimaced, and lowered his wand. The spider leapt and he leapt back in response - being willing to let it attack him and being willing to let it attack his head and neck were two very different things. It landed at his feet and he kicked at it.
Please don't let it be mortally venomous, Harry thought, but he liked his chances; while he'd come across a boggart and skrewts in the maze, he hadn't come across anything nastier than them, and didn't think they'd put anything really deadly in there. And, even if he was wrong, Fawkes was waiting at the judging table, and if phoenix tears could heal a basilisk wound, they were sure to be able to fix a spider's bite.
The spider caught Harry's leg and bit him. Harry gritted his teeth and tried to kick it loose, but it was stronger than he'd thought.
"Flipendo," he said, and tears sprung into his eyes as his spell ripped the spider free. Breathing hard, Harry thought, Fulmenium, but didn't let the spell charge for too long before releasing it; he didn't want to kill the spider. A thin bolt of lightning sprung from his wand and zapped the spider, which shrieked. Harry lifted his wand again, and it clicked its pincers once more and limped off, twitching.
Harry collapsed to the grass, breathing hard.
Hot blood trickled down his leg, dripping into his boot and onto the grass through the tear in his trousers and it hurt something fierce. Harry grimaced.
"That'll do it," he muttered to himself, and lifted his wand: "Vermillious." Red light streaked from his wand into the air, and then burst in a shower of bright red sparks over his head. He winced and tapped his glasses, removing the spell on them, and everything around him dimmed slightly.
He was starting to feel light-headed when he heard footsteps, but they weren't human footsteps; these were quick, light ones, and there were more than one set.
Harry saw shapes moving through the nearest hedge. He glanced at his sparks in the sky, then cursed and pushed himself hastily and painfully to his feet, wand held out before him.
Three ugly greenish-grey creatures dashed toward him. They had red eyes, long, wicked looking nails, and all three wore red hats; Red Caps, Harry realised. One was holding a beater's bat, one the broken off handle of a broomstick, and the third held a small axe.
They were sniffing the air, and cackling with rather menacing excitement as they approached.
Ventus, Harry thought, knocking them back. He got one with a body-bind while it was down, and conjured a line of fire in the grass between them to dissuade the other two.
He looked again at his sparks. How long would it take for someone to come and get him? Should he stay where he was, or should he find somewhere else to go and wait? Or should he just try to get himself out?
Cursing under his breath, Harry began to limp down one of the maze's passages. His head spun and his leg twinged hotly every time he put weight on it.
Foraminium, he thought, and the ground opened up behind him - one of the Red Caps skidded to a halt but the other launched itself over-
Levicorpus! The creature was hoisted into the air by its ankle, gibbering furiously. It threw its bat at Harry. It took him by surprise, but he managed to get his head out of the way, so it only caught him in the shoulder. Reducto, he thought, and the bat collapsed into splinters and dust. The Red Cap howled.
Harry limped down another path, becoming aware of rapid footsteps too late; for the second time that day, Cedric burst from a previously non-existent gap in the maze. This time, however, Cedric bowled him over - Harry gasped in pain - and this time, Cedric was not alone:
A lion, with a woman's head - a sphinx, Harry realised - leaped out after him. The fact that Cedric had knocked into Harry probably saved him; a leap that would have landed the sphinx on Cedric saw her fly over them instead, and skid into a hedge.
"Intrico," Cedric gasped, and the hedge seemed to come alive and entangle her. She snarled, a strange mix of lion and woman and tore through the vines with nasty claws as long as Harry's fingers, breaking free to pounce, but Harry flung a shield dome up and she bounced off.
Should've done that when I put red sparks up, he thought dizzily.
The sphinx bared her teeth and nudged the glowing orange dome with a paw, then began to pace.
"Move," she said fiercely. "Else I'll attack you too." Harry looked askance at Cedric, who was bleeding from a deep set of scratches on his arm.
"Got her riddle wrong," he said, and got slowly to his feet. "You'd think I'd be good at them by now, all the times I've gone to visit Cho." He flashed Harry a tired smile, then noticed his leg. Cedric's eyes widened. "Merlin, what happened to you?"
"Spider," Harry said, wincing as Cedric offered him a hand up. "Seemed like a good idea at the time." He was regretting it more and more with each passing moment.
"You're wasting time," the sphinx said, tail lashing.
"Can I have another go?" Cedric asked. "Another riddle? Please?"
"You chose to answer and you answered wrongly," she said.
"And you attacked like you said you would," Cedric said, gingerly lifting his bleeding arm. "That makes us even, doesn't it? Surely you don't have to keep attacking."
The sphinx paused, almond eyes narrowed, then, abruptly, sat.
"Answer on your first guess, I let you pass and get closer to your prize, Answer wrongly, I attack. Remain silent, and you may walk away from me unscathed."
"All right," Cedric said. "Let's hear it."
"Him first." She tilted her head and said, "Lower your shield, little lion."
It took a nudge from Cedric for Harry to realise she was talking to him. He looked at Cedric again, and the older boy nodded, so, warily, Harry let the dome fall.
"Can't Cedric go fist?"
"He did," she replied. The sphinx curled her tail around her feet and watched him, unblinking as a cat.
"Fine," Harry said. He didn't particularly want to pass the sphinx and get any closer to the Cup, but Cedric needed to, and if he got it wrong again and she attacked, he might need Harry's help.
And, if Harry got it wrong, at least Cedric would be there to help him.
Where were Hermione or Draco when he needed them - they were both excellent at riddles.
Safe in the stands, Harry thought, rather than in danger with me in the maze. What would they have thought about him letting a spider attack him? He smiled to himself, well able to picture Hermione's exasperation and worry, the way Draco would roll his eyes. Ron would have understood, though-
"I weaken all men for hours each day.
I show you strange visions while you are away.
I take you by night, by day take you back,
None suffer to have me, but do from my lack."
"Take you by night and then back by day…" Was it the sun, Harry wondered. But the sun didn't really take you anywhere, and people could suffer in the sun, just as much as they could without it… "Can you repeat it?" he asked, and she did.
Strange visions… like dreams? People could suffer from dreams, though; Harry knew that better than anyone, and he'd been doing rather well of late from a lack of them… It was the lack of sleep that he'd struggled with…
Sleep. Harry ran the riddle back through his head, then nodded slowly:
"Is it sleep?" he asked.
The sphinx smiled, revealing teeth a little more pointed than a normal human's.
"Well done," she said. "You may pass."
"I'll wait so we can go together." Harry nodded at Cedric, and the sphinx flicked her tail but shrugged. Cedric smelled relieved, suspicious, and worried all at once.
"I am somewhere a wise man will not be,
A state that may refer to both mind and body.
When you find yourself, you lose this place,
And on a map there'll be no mark or trace.
Where are you?"
Harry's leg was throbbing and he was beginning to feel a little sick - from blood loss? Or from the venom?
Or from both? The bleeding hadn't really slowed - being upright, and moving around, and being knocked over hadn't helped.
This was a terrible idea, a voice like Hermione's said in his head.
I was meant to be out of the maze by now, he thought back. Should he send up sparks again? No - they might take Cedric too. Or they might take me before he answers her…
Cedric was looking at the sky, mouth moving silently as he tried to work through the riddle. Harry'd already forgotten most of it - something about wise men and maps-
His leg gave way and he dropped back onto the grass. The sphinx's nostrils flared and her lips parted, as if tasting the scent of blood on the air.
Cedric reached for him, but Harry just grimaced and waved him away.
"Worry about your riddle," he said, and drew his wand. "Diffindo." His trouser leg slit neatly to his knee, and Harry gingerly peeled it back. It was a rather ugly wound, with a large, deep, puncture either side of his shin, that turned into two jagged tears from when he'd forced the spider off.
He'd practiced a bit of healing in the last few months, figuring he might as well make the most of not being able to sleep, but he'd never tried with anything this deep, or this complicated - he didn't even know where to start with the venom - and didn't trust himself to do it properly, or as quickly as he would probably need to.
So, Harry did the next best thing, and conjured tight, white bandages around his leg to stop the bleeding, and keep it clean in the meantime, then did his best to repair his trouser leg.
"Lost?" Cedric said, sounding a little lost himself.
"No longer," the sphinx purred, and stepped aside, disappearing down a newly formed section of the maze. As she did, a new part of the maze opened up: a short, straight section, at the end of which sat the Triwizard Cup on its stone pedestal.
Cedric started forward, then paused, turned, and offered Harry a hand up. Harry didn't take it:
"Go on," he said, nodding past Cedric to the Cup.
"It should be yours," Cedric said, grimacing. "You were the first to get the riddle right. If you'd walked past when she offered, you'd already be holding it." He let out a gusty breath. "Fair's fair."
"But I didn't," Harry said. "And I don't want it. Take it. End this."
"You must want it a little," Cedric said. "After everything you've been through-"
"Not at all," Harry said.
"So you're just going to sit there and let me take it?"
"Pretty much, yeah," Harry said. He certainly had no intention of standing; he was feeling light-headed again, and though the bandaging made him feel better - it was clean, and he probably wouldn't bleed out while he waited - his leg didn't actually feel any better.
"We can take it together," Cedric said, bargaining now.
"What- no. Why are you arguing?" Harry asked. "You wanted a Hogwarts victory, so go and take it before Fleur or Krum show up."
"If we take it together it's still a Hogwarts victory," Cedric said.
"But it's also a Walpurgis one," Harry said, "and I'm not letting that happen." Cedric opened his mouth - probably to argue more - and Harry sighed and lifted his wand. Cedric's own wand twitched up in response, but Harry aimed higher, then shot a set of red sparks into the air. Cedric stared at them open mouthed. "Take it, and get out of here before they come and disqualify you, too."
With an almost comical lack of ceremony, Cedric turned and strode the last few feet to the Cup. He hesitated just slightly before reaching out to take it, as if not quite able to believe it was his. Then he scooped it up under his arm and strode back over to Harry, who couldn't help but smile.
That was it - the Tournament would be over as soon as Cedric got himself out of the maze. For Harry, the task would be done as soon as the Aurors arrived, and, though anxiety still niggled at him because Voldemort had wanted to use this somehow, Harry knew he had, he wouldn't have to face it alone; at worst he'd have an Auror with him, at best, he'd be back on the grounds in a very public setting, and he'd have Dumbledore, and Padfoot, and Moony and Dora, and others from the Order.
"Congratulations," he said.
"Thanks," Cedric said, still looking uncertain. "Are you sure…?"
"It's too late now, even if I wasn't," Harry said, unable to help himself; he was grinning now, with relief.
Cedric smiled and shook his head, adjusting his grip on the Cup.
"You're all right waiting here on your own?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "I know you can defend yourself," Cedric said, "it just feels a bit rude to take your Cup and then walk away and leave you on the ground." Harry snorted.
"Your Cup, you mean."
Cedric's amusement twisted into something a bit like disbelief, and he glanced down at it again.
"Yeah," he said, sounding as if his win was just starting to sink in. "Yeah, I suppose it is." He shook his head again, but a small disbelieving smile lingered. "I s'pose I'll see you back on the outside, then."
"Sounds good to me," Harry said.
Cedric bent to clap Harry on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Potter," he said, and then straightened, looking down the various passages. He'd barely taken a step when the Cup pulsed blue.
Cedric startled, gave the Cup a look that was half-bewildered, half-amused, then looked at Harry. Harry threw himself at Cedric's ankle.