The maze presented Harry with two different paths, one to the right and the other to the left. "Here goes nothing…" Harry mumbled, stepping towards the path to the left. He soon reached another fork, and chose the right, then another and chose the left. He continued on like this, occasionally checking his wand for northward direction.
As he wandered through the maze, he couldn't help but wonder where the challenges were. Surely he shouldn't be going through this easily without facing any danger? He at least thought he should have met a champion by this point.
Harry was getting so unnerved by the lack of challenges in the maze, he almost breathed a sigh of relief when he came upon a dementor. "Expecto patronum," he said easily, smiling as he thought of his father playing quidditch with him.
Once the dementor had gone, Harry moved forward, only to be stopped by a blood curdling scream. He turned to stare at the icy eyes of Victor Krum, standing over Fleur threateningly. Recognizing immediately that he was under the imperius, Harry stunned him and helped Fleur up.
"Are you alright?" He asked, shooting red sparks into the air so someone would come and retrieve Victor.
"Wi wi," Fleur mumbled, hugging Harry and thanking him profusely for saving her again. "I owe you my life, I will follow you and help."
"You don't have to, Fleur." Harry insisted, despite the comforting feeling that another person would bring during this challenge. "It's only right that I finish myself, besides, you can still win now."
"No, I will help you," she insisted with a smile, pulling Harry in the direction he was originally going.
After walking for another twenty minutes and not meeting any challenges, Harry was growing concerned again. "It shouldn't be this easy, did you meet anything before you ran into Victor?"
"Wi," Fleur said again. "I met odd creatures zat breathed fire-"
"Blast-ended skrewts," Harry mumbled under his breath.
"What?" Fleur asked.
"Nothing," Harry said with a grimace. "Anything else?"
"A boggart, and ze maze tried to grab me a few times." Fleur said with a frown. "I don't like zis, it iz too quiet."
As if on cue, Cedric popped out beside them. "Oh, hey. What are you two doing?"
Before Harry could offer an explanation, Fleur answered. "Harry zaved my life, he deserves to win. I am walking with him until it's over."
Cedric nodded, then held his hand out to Harry. "Well, may the best Hogwarts man win." Harry grinned and shook his head before they parted ways again.
Fleur and Harry walked for another hour before they met a mighty sphinx. With the body of a lion and the head of a beautiful egyptian woman, it was a sight to behold. "This is it," Harry whispered, staring up at the beast.
"Hello," the sphinx said, looking at Harry as if he was a potential meal. "Answer my riddle correctly, you may pass. Answer incorrectly, I will attack you. If you decline my offer, you can search for another way to the cup."
Harry nodded, "May I hear the riddle?"
The sphinx smiled, then began. "First think of the 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 the 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?"
"I'm rubbish at riddles…" Harry mumbled, looking to Fleur who seemed equally confused.
"I guess just take zem apart and answer zem one at a time." Fleur said, patting Harry's shoulder comfortingly.
"Okay… well, er-" the sphinx smiled and Harry reconsidered the riddle. "Wait, that's the answer to the hard-to-find word part!" Harry exclaimed. "But not my final answer," he added quickly, beginning to think of the first part again.
"First think of ze person who lives in disguise," Fleur said quietly, wanting to help Harry.
"Who lives in secrets and tells naught but lies," Harry finished for her. "Like, a spy?" The sphinx smiled at him again. "Spy-er… spy-er… spider! The creature's a spider." Harry said confidently, smiling as the phoenix stepped aside.
Sirius paced worriedly beside his station in the maze, searching intently for any sign of distress from his son. He could faintly see Remus's outline from his station in front of him, and McGonagall's behind him.
It had now been two hours since his son had entered the maze, and the only comfort he had received since was extracting Krum from the maze and seeing Harry's backside as he walked away.
Knowing that Harry was still alive gave Sirius hope, but just barely. He couldn't wait until the end so he could take his boy home and never have to think about this blasted tournament again.
Fleur and Harry stepped past the sphinx, only to come face to face with a giant acromantula, similar to Hagrid's in the Forbidden Forest. Harry wouldn't put it past Hagrid to bring Aragog into the maze for good measure. Before Harry could ask it's name, the acromantula moved forward towards them both. "Watch out!" Harry yelled, pulling Fleur out of the way, only to be struck with a pincher himself in the leg.
He braced himself and stood regardless, knowing that as soon as the beast was destroyed he would be able to go to the hospital wing and get healed.
"Petrificus totalus!" He yelled, the spider barely moving out of the way to dodge the spell. Harry and Fleur ducked as it reached a hairy leg out towards them. They backed away as far as they could, but were soon surprised to see the spider move away from them.
"What-" Harry began, cut off by a strangled cry. "CEDRIC! Petrificus totalus!" He yelled again, freezing the spider completely. "Cedric, are you okay?" Harry asked, limping over to where Cedric had fallen to the ground in front of the acromantula.
"Yeah, thanks Harry. I wasn't expecting-" Cedric said, cutting himself off when he noticed the gleaming blue Triwizard Cup. Harry looked at it longingly too, so ready for the entire tournament to end.
"Well, go ahead." Cedric said softly after a moment.
Harry looked back at him. "What?"
"You saved both of us and got here first, you should take it." Cedric said, shrugging and backing up to where Fleur stood.
Harry shook his head. "No, I had help… for all of these tasks. I don't deserve it any more than you two do."
"Just zake it, Harry." Fleur said with a smile.
Harry turned to Cedric with pleading eyes. "At least take it with me, Cedric. It will be a Hogwarts victory either way."
Cedric looked longingly at the cup for a moment before finally nodding. "Okay, let's do it. One."
"Two," Harry said approaching the cup beside Cedric.
"THREE!" They both yelled, grabbing it and feeling a jerk behind their navels as they were taken away from the maze, leaving Fleur behind to shoot up red sparks.
"Fleur," Remus started as him and the other professors reached the middle of the maze. "Where's the cup? It should be here. And you look fine, why did you call for help?"
"Harry and Cedric won, of course. Zey grabbed ze cup and port-keyed out of here." Fleur said, walking over to the group.
Remus felt his blood run cold as he turned to Sirius and McGonagall. "Was the cup supposed to be a portkey?"
McGonagall turned a deathly pale color as she shook her head, and Sirius let out a strangled cry. "He was so close…" He mumbled, falling to his knees as McGonagall went to Fleur and Remus turned to help his friend.
"Oof!" Harry exclaimed as the two plopped down on the ground in an unfamiliar place. "Where are we?" He mumbled once he regained his composure.
"No idea," Cedric said, helping Harry to his feet. "Did you know the cup was a portkey? Do you think it's a part of the challenge?"
Harry shook his head as he approached a tombstone, recognizing that they were in a graveyard. The area was dark and the grass surrounding the blocks of stone were dead - it was nothing like the small, charming graveyard in Godric's Hollow. There, it was like a memorial or a history book of those who lived rich and happy lives, finally coming to rest. This graveyard only reminded Harry of one thing - death. It was unnerving.
Once he reached the large tombstone, he searched for it's owners; his blood ran cold as he read the name on it. Tom Riddle.
"Cedric, we've got to get out of here." Harry said, turning immediately to his peer. "Grab the portkey-"
"Kill the spare." A familiar voice hissed.
"NO!" Harry screamed as he felt himself being pulled back, tied up, and gagged, and watched Cedric's limp body fall to the ground with a sickening flash of green light.
"Now, Wormtail," A voice hissed as Peter Pettigrew approached Harry. "It's time."
Pettigrew carried a large knife in his hand, with a small black bundle under his arm. His wand was in his other hand, and he had the same evil, crooked smile that he had given Harry a year prior when he first transformed from his animagus form.
Harry glared at the small, mousy man with hatred. This man had taken so much from him - his parents, his godfather. He was the reason Sirius was in hell on Earth for twelve years, the reason Remus spent the rest of his adolescence alone, the reason Harry had grown up with the Dursley's. If he wasn't gagged, he would have spat on him.
He stared as Pettigrew summoned a large, black cauldron. "Bone of the father, unwillingly taken." He whispered, summoning the late Tom Riddle's bone from his grave and placing it in the cauldron. He let the potion sit for a moment, as if mentally preparing himself for the next part.
With a sigh of defeat, Pettigrew lifted a large knife to his own arm. "Flesh of the servant, willingly given." With a sickening sound, Harry watched in horror as Pettigrew's forearm fell limply into the potion. Pettigrew fell to the ground in agony, only to force himself to stand at the harsh demand of his master.
Harry's eyes widened as he approached with the knife, terrified of what this horrible man would do to him.
"Madame," Dumbledore insisted, his voice urgent. "What happened, please tell us. It is of utmost importance."
"Well, Victor was under ze imperius curse and tried to attack me. Harry came and he saved me by stunning Victor, so I said I would walk with him and help him because I owed my life and my sister's life to him. We didn't meet any challenges until ze Sphinx. Harry solved the riddle and he fought the acromantula. Ze acromantula bit him, but he seemed okay. Zen Cedric came and was attacked by the acromantula and Harry saved him too. Zen zey decided to take ze cup together. It was a portkey, I don't know where zey went." Fleur said, shaking her head.
Sirius was standing nearby, listening to all the details and pacing a hole in the floor. They didn't know where Harry was, and every minute they stood talking was another that his boy could be fighting for his life. "We need to act now, Albus, Harry could be hurt or… or…" Sirius shook his head, not willing to acknowledge how bad things could potentially get.
"I agree with you, Sirius, but we cannot do anything if we don't know where Cedric and Harry are. We will know immediately whenever Harry casts a spell - you see, he's using the wand that chose me when I was eleven, before I got my current one. As you know, wand magic can be very powerful, so the wand should alert me, it's true master, if it is used in defense by Harry. I set it up that way after Harry was attacked, thanks to Ollivander. I'm sad to say that I think you and I both anticipated something like this happening, and we've taken all the precautions we could, besides pulling Harry out of Hogwarts entirely and risking his magical essence." Dumbledore said, placing a calming hand on Sirius's shoulder.
Sirius gave him a nod, but continued pacing.
"I'm sure the boys are fine and it was just a small accident." Fudge said, turning to face Dumbledore and Sirius. "This championship is meant to be dangerous, perhaps the ministry workers that set-up the cup thought to add an extra challenge?"
Sirius glared at him and Dumbledore shook his head. "Fudge, I implore you to see reason. This attack has been prepared for a long time and we have tried our best to heed the warning signs, but we couldn't keep Harry from competing. You think that Barty Crouch's death was an accident or that Harry was attacked twice for simply existing? No, there's a reason, and I'm willing to believe that death eaters and Lord Voldemort are behind it."
"Oh come now, Dumbledore, don't be ridiculous. The Potter boy got rid of you-know-who over a decade ago! Both boys will be back soon." Fudge said, turning a red color at the mention of Voldemort.
"Then why was Harry's wand taken? I believe that Voldemort had an insider at Hogwarts." With this Dumbledore turned a watchful eye to Mad-Eye Moody, who was conveniently leaving the judges tent. Sirius followed the headmaster's gaze and gritted his teeth - could his suspicions have been true? Before he could act on his anger, Dumbledore spoke again. "I think that this insider got to know Harry personally, and realised that his wand shared a core with Voldemort's - in other words, Voldemort discovered somehow that he could not properly duel Harry if they shared a wand. So this person was ordered to attack Harry and take the wand from him to make Harry more vulnerable. As I said, I anticipated this - now, all we can do is wait for Harry to use the wand and pray we aren't too late."
"ENOUGH," Fudge yelled. "I'm not going to go rushing into something that a crazed fourteen year old boy is making up-"
"Don't you say a word against my son," Sirius started, advancing dangerously close to the minister. Dumbledore grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, knowing that if Sirius attacked, things would only be worse for Harry if he returned.
"Now, Minister, you don't have to do anything. Sirius and I are both more than willing to go on our own. But when we return with the proper evidence, you and I will need to talk about our options for the future-" Dumbledore was cut off by Fawkes flying into the tent, signaling the use of his old wand. "Now, Sirius, grab onto Fawkes!"
Harry gritted his teeth as the large knife pierced his skin - he wouldn't give Pettigrew the satisfaction of hearing him scream. It felt like a sharp drill was being thrust into his arm as the beady-eyed man twisted the knife, collecting enough blood to go into the potion. His scar was on fire, and with a sickening realization, Harry discovered what was in the black bundle that Pettigrew carried - Voldemort.
He watched in horror as Pettigrew dropped his blood into the cauldron, feeling as if he would be sick. Pettigrew dropped the ugly bundle into the cauldron and Harry quietly begged for the thing to drown.
To his dismay, a tall, pale man stepped out, completely naked and scrawny. Pettigrew handed him robes and the man put them on, then turned back to his servant.
"Ah, Wormtail. Your arm, please." Voldemort hissed.
"Master, thank you-"
"Your other arm, Wormtail." Voldemort said, a cruel smile playing on his chapped lips.
Pettigrew had tears in his eyes as he lifted his good arm to reveal the dark mark. Voldemort pressed his wand to the mark, causing Pettigrew to shout out. Soon, about a dozen other wizards in black robes joined them in the graveyard. Pettigrew was still whimpering in a corner and cradling his injured arm.
The wizards formed a circle around Voldemort and he let out a sickening laugh that chilled Harry to the core. "Welcome, my followers. Though I can't say that you have been faithful… Malfoy!" He shouted, pulling Lucius Malfoy to his knees.
"My Lord, if I had any sign that you were rising again-" Malfoy started.
"Oh there were signs - plenty of them. You and all the others ignored them." Voldemort hissed, knocking down other death eaters in his rampage.
"I-I returned," Pettigrew whimpered from his place on the ground.
"Out of fear, Wormtail. And once we retrieved you from prison, at that. But I will admit you have been useful. For that, I will repay you." Voldemort waved his wand and a magically silver hand appeared over Pettigrew's arm.
"T-thank you, M-master." Pettigrew whimpered, bending down to kiss the man's robes.
Harry couldn't help it - he gasped at the sickening display of affection from one of his father's old friends.
"Ah, Harry," Voldemort said with a cruel smile, turning to face him. "I almost forgot you were here. Time for the show, I suppose. Now I've heard you're using an old wand of Dumbledore's since yours was… taken. That's okay, perhaps you will still be an opponent worthy of dueling the Dark Lord."
With a flick of his wand, Voldemort removed the ropes tying Harry. "Get up, it's time to duel!"
Harry shot to his feet and backed away, knowing he was no match for the darkest wizard of their time, but willing to fight nonetheless.
"Now, I presume you know the rules of dueling? First, we bow." Voldemort bent over, but kept his piercing red eyes on Harry. "Come now, Harry, Dumbledore wouldn't want you to forget the niceties. Now, bow." With this, Voldemort forced Harry down to his knees and had him bend to the ground. "Good, now crucio!" He shouted.
Harry writhed in agony, his every nerve on fire. This was by far the worst pain he had ever felt, but he kept his teeth clenched, refusing to scream and give Voldemort the satisfaction. No, he wasn't going to go without a fight.
The pain stopped suddenly and Harry attempted a weak disarming spell, only to be thrown backwards twenty feet. He jumped up as quickly as his weak and injured body would let him and staggered behind a rock.
"Come back here, Harry, I want to see your face when I kill you!" Voldemort shouted as his followers laughed.
Harry rested his head against the rock, and breathed heavy. He thought of his father and how much he wanted him right now. "Please help me, dad. I need you," he whispered, tears falling down his face as he thought of inevitable - he would never see Sirius again.
