Harry wasn't prepared for such a quick start. Both champions rushed into the double oak doors just as he realised what they were supposed to do. He saw his face going red on the magical screen, as he ran after the two other champions. As he entered Hogwarts, he was stunned by the silence comparing to the roar of the crowd outside. There were two teachers standing. He could see the Durmstrang girl taking a piece of paper from one of them. The girl, whose name was Anna Nemiroff, had short dark brown hair and a rather dangerous appearance, in Harry's personal opinion. He guessed the Beauxbaton boy, Gerard Bonchance, already turned the corner and was on his way to finding the clue. It made Harry gather his wits and speed up a little.
"G-good morning", he said politely approaching the teacher in red robes, who just nodded and smiled at him, giving his a folded piece of paper.
Harry thanked her and turned around to go, but then it hit him that he didn't know where Bonchance went. He wanted to ask the teacher, but just as he opened his mouth, he turned into dust. Harry gave a startled scream of horror, looking at the clay at his feet. What happened there? He needed to find someone! Ask for help! As he was about to run back onto the grounds, a voice boomed all around, like a Howler, making him jump once again.
"Please proceed, Mr. Potter, and do not ask questions again. And for your information, it was no teacher, but a useful piece of magic called Homunculus. You will learn that in Auror training. Now go on".
Only now Harry did notice two other piles of clay in the Great Hall. His heartbeat steadied. He unfolded his piece of paper.
You look for key, untold to men
Have patience show you what she can
To find patience that you seek
Look up at towers on an peek
Harry looked around confused. Was this a real hint? It seemed like a bunch of nonsense words. Key untold to men? Key, meaning the hint he was looking for. What was he supposed to do, turn into a toad so the hint can be told to him? How on earth is he going to hear it? And why was "peek" written with "an"? Harry's head began to spin. What is he going to do now?
A brief thought about him just walking out of the castle and telling everyone he is giving up went through his mind. He shook it away, deciding to move on, but still having no clue of the direction. If he faced Voldemort, then he could face this. He turned the note in his hand. No, he would not use clues. He just needed to think a little. Looking at the note, he bumped into a wall. Harry looked up and saw an empty corridor, instead of a solid thing he walked into. He stared and stretched his hand cautiously. It seemed as if transparent rock was on the way. Was it-?
"MR.POTTER!" McGonagal's voice ricocheted off the stone walls making Harry jump for the umpteenth time. God, that woman had a voice that could wake the dead. "Would you PLEASE move on and stop trying to barge into Mr. Bonchance's corridor!"
Harry felt blush flooding his face again. He knelt as if to tie his shoelaces so no one would see his going crimson. So the corridors where the other champions went were blocked. Okay, one more thing cleared then. He got up and walked towards the corridor that people usually hardly noticed. It was very practical because usually it led to the main places of Hogwarts. He thought he would have a quite time to think there.
The corridor was well lit. He examined the note again and chuckled. Hermione probably would've figured everything out by then. She was good at these things. So he would have to think as she then for now.
Obviously clues were given as steps. There is the main problem the clue dangles in front of your face, Key untold to men. The untold to men part could be dropped for now. The key is the hint that must be told to him so he can find a puzzle piece. Have patience show you what she can, well, he surely felt patient enough, but it didn't show him much. Although it said he must find his patience. Assuming he hasn't got any. And he has to find a tower. There are hundreds of them in Hogwarts! Which one is he looking for? He sighed.
Okay, obviously the an peek is the first direction. Any peeks around? Something high. A peek could only refer to that, so that's a high tower, probably a big one… he frowned at the an… He needed another clue.
As if reading his mind, more ink appeared after the first riddle. It said,
Look thou upon the an
If thou shalt seek direction
Direction… there was left and right… south, east, west and… and North! Yes, it is the N on any map or pointer! An peek, North peek! Yes! He had to go to the North Tower. Harry's heart skipped a beat. He ran all the way up skipping stairs and arriving completely out of breath. After a couple of moments despair caught up with him. Yes, he guessed one clue, wasting a hint and some points, losing so much time. He wondered worriedly if the other two figured the right answer out. Or maybe he figured it out wrong? He glanced at his watch, nearly cursing but remembering that he was watched. Thirty minutes were up and he hardly got past the first clue.
Harry looked around. Except the top of the tower when they usually watched stars, there was nothing except hundreds of paintings on the walls. So now he is here, he has to find his patience. Well, probably the paper was right, he was lacking it at the moment. But how on earth will he find it? Have patience show you what she can. Okay, and why is patience a she? He paced down the hall of paintings, not realising what he was doing… patience, patience…
"Patience, my dear! What a lovely tea party! May I inquire about the occasion?" someone's voice whispered intimately, followed by a woman's giggle.
Harry turned, losing balance and tripping on the carpet. He could almost hear the laughter form the stands where people sat. Probably they'd be saying something like, the noble Harry Potter decided to help the carpet from swaying, how sweet. He jumped up as fast as he could, searching for the source of voice and spotting it immediately. There was a lovely rosy painting of a plump woman sitting upon a grass field, having a picnic with a thin pale man, who was kissing her entire arm now. To Harry though it looked more like cannibalism with a prior intensive moisturising. But the woman seemed to enjoy it. She was giggling like a chainsaw.
Harry looked at the tag of the painting. Patience. With a capital P. It hit him now! Patience was a name, and that's why it was referred to as she in the riddle. It was this woman!
"Oh, Albert, dear! Look we have a visitor", she elbowed the pale man and smiled the way that reminded Harry of burned sugar, "Would you like to ask something?"
Harry opened his mouth to ask about the clue, but a voice boomed in the air.
"Miss Nemiroff! You are not supposed to talk, ask for help or directions!" Minerva McGonagal said steadily.
Harry immediately shut his mouth and mentally thanked McGonagal. He was about to turn when he heard voices again, but this time it sounded as if they aren't supposed to be overheard.
"Minerva, I think that was a little too obvious! And I say, that is enough!" said the Minister coldly.
"I have no idea what you are talking about", replied the Professor as coldly.
"Stop helping the boy! You are saying you turned the wrong lever, meaning to speak to Miss Nemiroff, but spoke to Potter instead. And Miss Nemiroff was just looking at the mirror!"
"Well! I thought it was one of the magical once! I'd never-"
"Never mind, let this be forgotten, but this is the last time!"
Whatever lever was switched on was off now. Harry stood there stunned but then once again remembering about being observed, turned to wards the portrait. Lady Patience smiled at him again, but he just shook his head.
"Very well, smart move. One just rushed past, not even looking at me!" she sniffed. Harry's heart leaped. Someone was here, either both or just one. And one didn't notice the portrait at all. "Your clue now, boy".
She cleared her throat dramatically and turned to Sir Albert, who sprayed something in her mouth. After catching tone by singing a couple of notes, she turned to Harry, who was already on the verge of collapsing with anticipation waiting for her and from her voice.
The puzzle you seek is right in the doorBut neither on walls, and nor on the floor
Harry hardy kept himself from squealing and stuffing carpet into his ears. He almost pictured himself doing that and even kneeled… but then the voice stopped. Phew, and there he thought McGonagal's voice was hideous. He'd take that back and eat it along with the carpet he was clutching at now.
"Marvellous, marvellous!" Albert clapped, "Once again, please, maybe he has a poor memory!"
Harry reassured them with frantic nodding and shaking of his head that his memory is fine. Albert just thought that his lady's voice was terrifically unforgettable, so Harry left them before he had to hear it again. Looking at his piece of paper with clues, he saw that the latest one imprinted itself there. He pondered on the clue.
Now he understood that everything should be taken literary in the riddle. As it was said in the first riddle, key untold to men, was literary a key, not a hint! And so if it said, in the door, then it must be there, not on or behind or under. But the problem was finding a door that was not like all normal doors… it should be on the ceiling! Trelawney's class! How could he be so stupid!
There was the door, just as when he took the class… the way the ladder used to go down and they came up one by one for their exam… now it was closed and Harry could just make out a key hanging right in the lock. The boy decided not to hesitate as he did the previous tournament.
"Accio key", he said clearly.
The key struggled to get out for a moment and then flew right into Harry's hand on its papery wings. Harry unwrapped the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. The key was a solid gold colour. Its frame, unlike ordinary keys, was made of pipe like tubes. Harry hid the key and ran to the Oak Doors. The hour was almost up now. He had about ten minutes left now to cross the entire great turtle of Hogwarts.
Harry burst into the early summer sunshine to complete silence of the crowd. He was blinded for a minute and couldn't see whether he was the last one to finish. When he finally regained his sense of sight, Harry saw his Headmistress rushing to him with the Minister and other Headmasters at her tails.
"Congratulations, Potter, you made it first!" McGonagal shook his hand so hard that Harry thought he heard his brain rattling. And it seemed as it was, because he couldn't believe he was the first!
Just before his transfiguration teacher was swept away by the cheering crowd, Harry thought he heard her whisper, "Albus would have been so proud of you".