Chapter 31: The Third Task
The day had come. Before any guests had arrived, before anyone had gone out to the quidditch pitch, Albus summoned the four champions and Karkaroff, Maxime, McGonagall and Sprout to the pitch.
A podium had been built. They gathered on there. Albus and the Tri-wizard cup stood before them.
"I am aware you all read the papers and the transcript of the trial of Peter Pettigrew. I want to assure you all of the safety of touching the cup." There were some nervous expressions as the Headmaster spoke. "The cup is indeed a portkey." Albus reached out and touched it. He reappeared on the highest point of the podium. "But it will only take someone to here, to the thunderous applause of the crowd." Fleur giggled nervously. "The three remaining competitors will be brought out of the maze by our house elves and also brought back to here. I promise, you have nothing to fear from touching the cup."
Everyone looked relieved at the demonstration. Harry and Cedric looked out towards the maze. There was movement to be seen. Things were in there. You couldn't make out what was moving, but Harry could see his own nerves reflected in Cedric's face. Krum looked impassive. Fleur looked like she didn't want to be here any more.
It was time. The stands were full. Harry and the other three competitors were led to the entrance of the maze. Cedric entered the maze to the cheers of most of the school. Then Krum, then Fleur, and finally Harry.
Harry looked like he was only carrying his wand. As soon as he'd rounded the first bend, unable to be seen by anyone, he fetched his thin cloak from under his shirt and swept it round him. He also got the map out of his pocket and opened it. He studied all the dots. Krum and Cedric had obviously been doing the same kind of study Harry had been doing. They'd both memorised one of the routes, and from the speed of the dots looked like they confidently knew which way to go.
Fleur's dot wasn't moving as quickly, and didn't look like it was following one of the successful paths.
Around the next corner from Cedric were three dots, each labeled Blast-Ended Skrewt. Damn.
Harry followed the strategy he'd come up with with Ron and Hermione. Spent two minutes studying the dangers labeled on the map, then choose the route with least dangers and preferably one where he wouldn't meet another competitor. If came across an obstacle he could deal with, deal with it, otherwise, shrink, scramble under the hedge, go round the obstacle, come back under the hedge, resize and carry on.
They'd also worked out a number of 'shortest route' shortcuts. Points where shrinking and sneaking through got him further along. Or as Hermione had aptly put it to the non-comprehension of Ron, use the ladders, avoid the snakes.
Harry set off. He'd set off at a pace, realising the other competitors would have neutralised the earliest threats. By the time Harry had reached the spot where he'd seen Blast Ended Skrewts, there were no dots, but three carcasses.
He hurried on. No-one had gone in his preferred direction by the second fork. Moving silently and keeping an eye on the map he saw a dot labeled 'Sphinx' around the next corner. He had no idea what to do with one of those. He looked at the map. There was a parallel path. Now was as good a time as any to test shrinking and crawling under the hedge.
He cast a shield and aimed his wand at it, cast, and was four inches high as expected. He ran to the hedge and only had to duck a bit to get under the lowest branches. He came out on the other side and ran along the path. He could have resized to run, but doing two spells instead of four seemed a better idea for such a short distance. Three minutes later he was passed the sphinx, full size and back on track.
Hermione is brilliant, thought Harry. He continued to where the next important spot was. He needed to shrink, crawl through, cross another path and get back on to the route. A ladder. There didn't appear to be anything on the path in between or on the path he was aiming for.
He'd shrunk, crossed the path and was under the second hedge when he heard footsteps. He froze and listened. Krum trotted past. How the hell had he got here? Last time Harry checked he'd been on a different route. Harry waited for the footsteps to recede then returned to normal size and quietly followed Krum.
Around the next corner was a long straight. Krum was at the far end fighting a Boggart and not doing it so well. The boy fired some sort of cutting charm at the hedge and slipped through onto a different path.
Harry was surprised a cutting charm worked. But Krum's wand action hadn't been one Harry recognised as a cutting charm. Perhaps Karkaroff knew some nasty stuff.
Harry prepared himself to create his Patronus. He should prepare to cast Riddikilous, but he couldn't imagine a Dementor being funny. The chances of him slipping past a Boggart were remote but he tried it anyway. However a Boggart sensed people, it didn't use sight or sound. Harry was invisible and silent, yet there was a Dementor in front of him. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry thought of staying with Sirius, picturing himself sitting comfortably in Sirius' living room. The Boggart vanished.
Harry hurried on. He looked at the map. Viktor and Fleur were about to round a corner into each other. Harry looked up towards the direction of the interaction, perhaps 15 metres away across three paths.
Harry heard Viktor shout 'Stupify'. He heard Fleur scream and then there was silence. Harry saw red sparks fire up from the spot where they'd be, presumably from her wand fired by Krum. He looked at his map. Viktor's dot was red and moving on. Fleur's dot had faded to pink. That had been a lovely idea that George had had. Identifying a sleeping or unconscious person. Harry knew the twins' map would contain that feature.
Harry looked at the relative positions of the three remaining people. Cedric was closest to the centre but there were a number of obstacles, not least of which was Krum, heading his way. Harry had farther to travel but hopefully could catch up.
Fifteen minutes later and two hedge crawls, Harry looked at the map. The next problem was a biggie. All three of their dots were converging on the last bottleneck before the end. Harry wouldn't stand a chance against Krum. Or Cedric for that matter. Ron's strategy came to mind. Sit it out and hope they take out each other.
Harry was on the other side of the hedge when Cedric and Krum met. Both had their wands raised. Cedric wasn't about to be taken by surprise.
"Confringo!" shouted Krum.
At the same time, Cedric fired a Conjunctivitis spell.
Cedric only just got his shield up in time. Krum ducked Diggory's spell.
"What the fuck, Krum!?" demanded Cedric, "I could have died if that hit me."
"Winner takes all, Diggory, there are no polite rules here!"
Cedric's eyes hardened. His Totallus Petrificus was countered with a vicious Expulso. Harry was glad he'd remained hidden. Creamed didn't begin to describe what would have happened to him had he shown his face.
Cedric's shield only defended the Expulso partially. Cedric was thrown backwards onto his back, dazed, but he'd kept hold of his wand. Krum had walked past where Harry was hiding. Harry could see how this was going to end up, but both competitors were now between him and the cup, and Harry had a preference to which he faced. He stepped out into the path and quietly resized himself.
Krum was still approaching Cedric, his arm raised. Harry saw Cedric raise his wand. Harry did the same. Cedric screamed 'Protego!'. Krum fired a blasting curse and Harry fired a Totallus Petrificus at Krum's back. Harry had to side step the rebound from Krum's curse.
Cedric looked towards Harry not seeing anyone there. Harry raised his wand before slipping off his cloak. Cedric relaxed just a hair.
"Nice body bind, Potter," said Cedric, looking over to Krum, conscious but unable to move. "Where should we go from here? We both know we only have to walk down that path."
"Krum stunned Fleur and used her wand to fire sparks. We could do the same with his wand first and continue this discussion after he's gone?"
Cedric nodded. "You're nearest. I won't stun you while you're busy."
Harry edged over to Krum and used Krum's wand to fire red sparks. Harry backed away so that Krum was in-between them both, sixth feet from either of them. Both boys pointed their wands at the other, considering their options.
A house-elf popped in linked to Professor Flitwick. They landed in between both boys. Flitwick looked at them both, unphased by standing between two drawn wands.
"Madam Pomfrey will be very unhappy with you both if you cause her extra work," he said, kneeling down to touch Krum so that the elf could popped the three of them away.
"You want to take this into the centre square?" asked Cedric.
Harry nodded. Cedric got up and backed up the passageway where it opened out into a square. The cup was on its stand. Cedric took one side of the square, Harry the other, the cup on their right. They were perhaps fifteen feet apart.
"Nothing maiming?" checked Cedric.
"I think Sprout and McGonagall would kill us, don't you?" asked Harry.
Cedric laughed. "They really would," He raised this wand. "Ready?" Harry nodded.
"Go!"
Two body binds hit two shields, Harry's had been more accurate, Cedric's had been stronger. Harry's shield, while effective, wasn't as strong.
A bat bogey hex versus a knee reversing spell; a Tickling hex versus a stunner; a slug vomiting curse against a Relashio. Harry's shield was beginning to weaken, but Cedric didn't exactly look fresh either. Tarantallegra versus Expelliarmus. Harry was choosing effective spells that didn't use all his energy. He needed his energy to shield. Cedric realised this, and whereas Harry had been able to dodge the first couple, Cedric had got accurate. All his spells were on target. He was wearing Harry down. Impediment Curse versus trip jinx. Harry's spell got through, but Cedric's Impediment Jinx took the last of Harry's strength for his shield. From the floor Cedric cast a jelly legs Jinx. Harry went down, unable to stand.
"Your shield is done, isn't it?" asked Cedric. Harry nodded. "Do I need to hit you with a stunner or do you accept the loss?"
Harry nodded towards the trophy. "Definitely all yours."
Cedric nodded. He reached for the trophy and was sucked away. Harry heard the stands erupt in applause.
Nearly ten seconds later Harry heard a pop. Dobby arrived with Snape. Snape looked from where Harry was to the stand where the cup had been.
"Not a bad effort, Mr Potter. Hopefully when we analyse this later we will find you weren't too Gryffindor. Finite Incantatem!" He pointed his wand at Harry.
Harry got up. Snape put a hand on Harry's shoulder and took Dobby's hand. They reappeared on the podium with the other competitors.
Fleur was shooting daggers at Krum. Krum glared at Harry and Cedric. Harry and Cedric nodded to each other politely.
"Witches and wizards, honored guests!" called Ludo Bagman, his voiced enhanced by a Sonorus, "Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts, Tri-wizard Champion!" The crowd erupted again. Harry applauded as Cedric raised the trophy above his head.
That evening the great hall was jam packed. There were no tables, everyone was mingling, food and drinks circulated by the elves.
Hermione and Ron had got to Harry first, and smothered him in a hug. "Tell us all about it!" said Ron. "You know, watching a maze when you can't quite see what's going on, omniculars or not, isn't as much fun as I'd hoped. They didn't design this tournament for audience entertainment value!"
"Thank you so much for both of you working on strategy with me, it really helped. Where are the twins, I really only want to tell this once. I must tell the twins their map marker for unconsciousness works."
"I'm so glad they didn't test that one on each other," said Hermione.
"There you are!" said the twins, spotting the trio, "And look who found us first!"
Sirius enveloped Harry in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're OK!" he said. "How was the map?"
"A life saver, literally," said Harry. "Rather like the Boggart lessons last year," said Harry looking at Remus.
"Come on, let's hide away over here and you can tell us all about it!" said Fred.
Harry launched into a step by step description of the task. Sirius and Remus looked around the room to find Krum after Harry told them about Cedric's fight and Krum's choices of spells. They found Krum standing with Karkaroff's hand on his shoulder. Sirius and Remus exchanged glares with Karkaroff. Harry looked around the room more. He saw Amos Diggory was doing the same. Amos noticed Harry notice. The man briefly nodded at Harry and continued to glare at Krum.
"Is that going to get awkward?" asked Harry.
"Depends on whether Karkaroff and Krum leave before Amos has more than three Firewhiskeys," replied Lupin honestly.
Fortunately the Durmstrang contingent left before eleven, with the Beaxbattons returning to their carriage before midnight. Hogwarts partied until one.