Chapter 3

"As I have told you a week earlier, this task will take place on the grounds. As the last time, the map was charmed into the foreign champion's minds", roared the Minister with his magnified voice, "The regulations are just the same. An hour. A paper with your clue. But this time there are three hiding places, individually for each champion. Points will be taken according to time and number of clues asked. And I would like to remind you that the points would be announced after the final task, right before champions are chosen. Any questions? Ah, no. I trust that you have looked at your given clue so you would know what you are looking for this time".

Harry shuddered. Indeed, he looked at the clue but it hasn't given him anything for that matter. He looked around at other champions. Gerard's face twitched slightly at mention of the clues, but Anna's stayed stone passive. Well, at least he wasn't the only one having difficulties. He briefly wondered what the other champion's clues were but brushed it away preferring to think of his own. Teachers gave them their clue papers. They were ready to go.

"On your marks, get set, go!"

This time Harry was prepared. He was the first to bolt. He made his wave towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest and stopped there to think. He saw the two others running into the trees some distance away from where he was. Gerard was definitely heading for the lake. Anna hesitated a little but nevertheless moved on. Harry concluded that he was the only one knowing anything about neither direction, nor the thing he was looking for. Panic swept through him. He unfolded his directions clue, figuring its better to find out where to go first and only then try and guess the other clue.

An extraordinary ball unfolds Step on the path of tears, which it holds

Look for a table with a candy dish

Among the rot and mould of fish

The thing you see will glint of gold

And it will be the one that's cold

Who are the people that make this riddles? Harry shook his head. If the last riddle he was supposed to take literary, this one is all figurative? Where would you find a ball in a forest? Because obviously it wasn't a ball, as a Quidditch ball, but it was a ball, as in Yule Ball. Step on the path of tears… the ball is held on a path of tears? What were they talking about? Harry's head spun. He felt a little nauseous. He hated panic but there it was.

"Clue, clue. I need a clue. Path of tears…" he said without thinking.

The paper responded right away. Harry wasted one clue.

Cracks in the ground will lead you on

Just follow them, you will not say alone

"Oh, okay! So the path of tears is like a cracked path. Darn it", he thought looking at the paper.

He searched his mind for cracked paths of Hogwarts grounds and found that he hasn't actually given them much thought. Not good. Harry walked rapidly along the edge of the forest, looking at numerous paths leading into the forest. They were all either dusty, or sandy, or full of leaves and pine needle, but no cracks. No stupid cracks!

Hagrid's hut appeared ahead. There was the now empty pumpkin patch, where he grew giant pumpkins. There was the path they took so many times into the forest. The path was cracked. Harry hit smacked his forehead once again wondering about his stupidity. There was a main crack on the path as if someone walked with a saw deliberately making the tear but Harry knew better. The crack looked ancient and he was pretty sure it was always there, he just didn't give it much thought.

He followed the path until it forked into two ways. The young man hesitated and took the right one. After a little while he noticed that the crack faded and he was walking on a completely smooth ground. In a little while he reached the edge of the lake, right where he battled Dementors in his third year. He shivered remembering their raspy breathing and long slimy fingers.

Harry's thought were interrupted by some movement on the other side of the lake, where he had seen his Patronus come from. For a moment his heart fluttered in anticipation before realising that it wasn't possible. He saw a figure of a young man- the Beauxbaton champion. He stood on the edge of water, looking extremely hesitant and reading his paper. Suddenly he dived in.

Harry started. What was the guy thinking? What if something gets him there? He stood there for a while waiting for Gerard to come up. Finally he did. But after taking a couple of deep breaths, he went below again. Becoming aware of his timing, Harry decided it was safe enough to leave Bonchance to his business and followed his path back to the fork.

This time he took the left one. The crack tear in the ground was very distinct. The farther he went, the more smaller cracks appeared there. Then suddenly the path ended. Harry looked around. So where was he supposed to go now? He glanced at his clue, an extraordinary ball unfolds. A ball in the forest? With whom? Birds and bees? He sighed. There was no choice.

"Clue about the ball", he said to the paper.

A ball of figures, all gone long

In other world they don't belong

Okay. Long gone, meaning dead. He gulped. There weren't zombies in the forest, were there? No, they are mindless. These are supposedly smart, since they have balls. Oh my god! THE ANNUAL GHOST BALL! So that's where it took place! He remembered Headless Nick mention it some time.

He continued in the direction the path was supposed to go and much sooner then he expected, Harry heard voices and a horrible orchestra. He walked on to a clearing. The floor looked like a desert. The earth was dry and cracked everywhere. Ghostly shapes floated around him. He walked through a couple, careful not to say, "Excuse me". Okay so now he needed to find a table with fish.

"Harry, my boy! How very good to see you here", said Sir Nicolas, floating towards him.

Harry gave a small smile, nodded and waved.

"Oh right, you are our champion again. Looking for a clue, aren't you? Yes, yes. How about something to eat while you catch your breath?"

Harry was about to shake his head frantically, remembering all the dishes he had a chance to look at during Nick's birthday in his second year. But then he realised he needed to get to the food, because that was where his clue led him. He nodded carefully. Nick made his way through bodiless spirits with Harry trailing behind him. They came to the edge where the tables were situated. The boy was left to himself as Nick, blushing silver, floated away to speak to the Ravenclaw ghost.

Immediately Harry located the fish table. It was sickening. Everything was rotten and full of mould and fungi and some dishes even had they own warms. Harry's breakfast was about to go for a long vacation. But then the boy spotted a golden bowl. He was rather astonished to find out it was full of what looked like golden jelly beans. He looked at clue of the object.

A little sun of ticking clock

The line was leaving him clueless for a week already and now it made no sense either. He took out the directions paper and observed the last lines. So he found a candy dish all right. The whole thing glinted in gold! But there must be one that will be cold. Okay, so he needed to touch all of the beans? That would take way too long!

Harry sighed and lifted the bowl without any further thought, spilling the contents on the clacked earth. Suddenly everything started to shake. The boy nearly lost his balance and was about to collapse, when the shaking stopped. When he looked at the beans, he was surprised to find out that there was nothing left there, except one thing. It was a detail of a clock that looked a little bit like the sun. a piece of paper was stuck through the hole in the middle. So that was it! He picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket, reflecting that it felt icy.

Now Harry ran as fast as his legs carried him. He raced out of the forest already out of breath from dodging tree but kept on running, noticing that Bonchance jumped out of the forest at the same time Harry did. He was all wet but he was over taking the Hogwarts champion by far. Where was Nemiroff though?

As if answering his question, fingers griped his collar and he stumbled and fell down heavily. He heard a triumphant shriek and the next second saw a pair of feet running away. The girl turned and sneered.

"Looser!"

The next second she fell like a potato sack, her legs locked together. Harry didn't lose his time. He was furious and that gave him power to run. He leaped over the shrieking in rage Anna and gained on Gerard. The boy got there first but Harry was a second behind him. He collapsed on the ground right away as people flooded the field. The task was over. He came second, which Harry thought wasn't such a bad thing at all.