Chapter 21
Harry and Cedric sat in the stands of the Quidditch pitch waiting for Ludo Bagman and the other champions. They were thoroughly depressed. Someone had planted a labyrinth of small hedges across the entire field.
"They're totally ruined it!" Cedric said angrily. "Why would anybody do this to a perfectly good Quidditch pitch?"
Harry shook his head. "Do you think they're going keep it like this?"
"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the next task, but I can't imagine what we'd do with a bunch of knee-high shrubbery."
"Good evening, Champions!" Ludo Bagman called as he entered the pitch with Victor and Fleur trailing close behind. "I see you've discovered my little secret."
"What is it?" Fleur asked, eyeing the shrubbery warily.
"Well, in one month, these shrubs are going to be about 20 feet high. Can you guess what we might use it for?"
"A maze," Victor said.
"That's right. The Triwizard cup will be placed in the maze, and the first one to touch it is the winner."
"So, all we have to do is find the cup?" Harry asked.
"Well, you'll have to get around a few beasts, which Hagrid will provide," he said.
Harry and Cedric exchanged baleful looks.
"And there might be a spell or two you'll have to break," Bagman added. "But, you have a month to prepare. Harry, being in first place, will be allowed to enter the maze first. Thirty seconds later, Cedric and Victor will enter together, and finally, Fleur will enter 30 seconds after that, so you'll all have an equal chance of finding the cup. Any questions?"
The champions shook their heads.
"All right, then. I'll see you in June. Good luck."
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"Did he say what kind of beasts?" Hermione asked in the common room that evening.
"Hagrid's beasts," Harry said pointedly.
"That shouldn't be a problem for you, Harry," Ginny said. "Can't you talk to animals in your mind?"
"Magical animals," he said. "If they don't eat me before I get a chance to say hello."
"What about the spells?" Hermione asked. "Did he give you any idea of what kind might be used?"
Harry shook his head. "The thing is, the other champions have had 3 more years of school than I have. By the final task, they'll all be fully trained."
"Harry," Ron said drolly. "You're in first place. You're so far ahead, the others couldn't catch up if they had to. You have powers they don't. You can talk with the beasts and use your Elf magic to take down the spells."
"I don't know how to detect the spells," Harry said. "If I can see the spell and know what it does, I'll be fine. But if I can't see it, I could be trapped before I realize one is there."
"I thought Elves could detect magic," Hermione said.
"Adult elves can," Harry said. "But I haven't reached my full potential. With mind magic, things happen in stages. Different areas of your mind open at different ages. It's kind of like growing teeth. You have a couple when you're 6 months old, then a few more by the time you're one, but you don't have all of them until you're in your twenties. I've been able to talk to animals in my mind for as long as I can remember, and as I've grown up, I've been able to do more, but I can't detect spells yet."
"Then there are three things that you need to learn, and we can help you with it," Hermione said. "First, you need to know a locator charm so you can find the cup. Second, you need a spell that can detect other spells and find out what they do. And, third, you need to trust your instincts when it comes to the animals, Harry. I've never seen any animal that you couldn't talk to, no matter how dangerous it was. However, we will do some research on what kinds of spells effect different kinds of beasts."
Harry turned to Ron. "You should have seen the Quidditch pitch," he said. "They've ruined it."
Ron looked horrified. "What do you mean?"
"That's where the maze is. They've planted shrubbery over the entire field. By the third task, it's going to be 20 feet high."
"Bloody hell!"
Hermione sighed in disgust. "It can be taken down in less than a day, and you won't be able to tell that a maze was ever growing on the field. I can't believe you two have been around magic all your life and didn't know that."
"I can't believe you've only been around magic for 4 years and know everything," Ron said.
"I can't believe we're discussing this when we could be in the library looking for spells," Ginny said.
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On June 21, at dusk, the champions walked onto the Quidditch pitch for the final task. Harry was accompanied by his family, including his godfathers. Cedric had his father with him; Fleur, her sister Gabrielle and Madam Maxime; and Victor was with his headmaster, Igor Karkaroff.
Ludo Bagman hurried over to them and motioned for them to come closer. The champions and their families formed an uneven semi-circle and leaned close to hear what he had to say.
"Barty Crouch is missing," he said confidentially. "He placed the Triwizard cup in the maze about an hour ago, and then just disappeared. Hagrid thought he saw him enter the Forbidden Forest, but we've searched and there's no sign of him. The other judges and I need to decide what to do, so we'll start just a few minutes late."
The champions and their families nodded, and Bagman, Madam Maxime, and Karkaroff went to join Dumbledore, who was talking with Hagrid. After about five minutes of discussion, they walked over to the champions.
"Sonorus," Bagman said, pointing his wand at his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your patience. The final task of the Triwizard tournament is about to begin . . ."
Harry tuned out the rest of his announcement to hear the quiet discussion taking place between Dumbledore and his father.
". . . Hagrid said he looked ill," Dumbledore said, "But he seemed fine when he was in my office earlier to get the cup."
"Do you think this has something to do with the tournament?" Mithrael asked.
"I'm concerned about Barty, but I don't think it has anything to do with the tournament. Mr. Filch watched him place the cup in the maze, and, as you know, it has been guarded constantly. I am concerned that he might be ill."
Mithrael nodded, but he did not seem so sure. "Should I instruct the guards to search the forest?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. I think that we can start the tournament without him, but the faster we find him, the better."
Mithrael turned to his son. "I will be here when you go into the maze, and I will stay here until you come out," he said. "Be cautious, my son. I do not trust that everything is as it should be."
"I will, Daka," Harry said. He watched his father summon one of the Elven guards and instruct him to take the others and search the Forbidden Forest.
"Sethrael," his mother said worriedly. "If anything goes wrong inside the maze, send up a blue flair so that we will know where you are. Your father will come to you right away."
"I will, Metha, but please don't worry. I'll be fine." He kissed her cheek, and then kissed his sister. "Take care of Metha and Daka until I get back," he instructed her. "And before the summer is over, I will take you for a ride on my broomstick."
He laughed at his mother's raised eyebrow and turned to his godfathers. "I'll be all right," he told them. "Don't worry. I've already decided that I'm going to win this tournament."
Remus placed a hand on his shoulder. "I've never doubted it for a moment," he said.
"You just take care of yourself," Sirius told him. "If you come across something you think you can't handle, turn and go in another direction. Don't try to do more than what you're capable of doing."
"I won't," Harry said and waved to them as he went to the opening of the maze where Ludo Bagman was motioning for him.
"When the whistle blows, you have 30 seconds before the next two champions enter the maze. Make the most of the time you have," he said.
Harry nodded. The whistle sounded, and he entered the maze. He ran to where the path connected with another, then stepped out of sight and took out his wand. Placing it on the palm of his hand, he whispered, "Point me," and the wand turned in his palm, and then pointed left. Harry concentrated for a moment, and then seemed to disappear into the hedge. He had watched his father do this many times, making himself invisible to the animals they were hunting. He knew that it would only work against those that would not be able to sense his magic, but he also knew that it would give him a chance to see them before they saw him.
Running as fast as he could, he used the point me spell before each turn of the maze, then turned onto the new path cautiously, expecting something to jump out at him at any moment.
His first obstacle came in the form of an acromantula. This was one of those beasts that could not be reasoned with. Harry waved his hand and he was suddenly surrounded by an illusion of fire. As he walked toward the giant spider, it began to back away. "Go," he said. "And I will not harm you."
The spider scrambled away, and Harry continued down the path. "Point me," he said at the next turn in the maze, and his wand pointed to the right. Yet, when Harry looked down that path, he saw a green mist hanging just above the ground. There was no way to get around it, and he knew better than to walk through it. He also did not know how to end it. His only alternative was to move it.
Harry pointed his forefinger at the mist and began to twirl it, creating a small whirlwind. When the mist was caught up in the funnel, he pointed toward the sky, and the little tornado rose above the hedge. He ran down the path, keeping his eye on the twirling green mist above him. When he was past it, he lowered his hand and spread his fingers, allowing the mist to once again hover over the path near the ground.
"Point me," he said, and then turned right and hurried in the direction of the cup. He stopped suddenly, seeing red sparks fly above the maze. Someone was in trouble, but he knew that the judges would send someone to help whoever it was that had sent up the flare.
For several minutes, Harry's path was free of obstacles. He followed the direction the wand gave him, knowing he should be near the center of the maze. Suddenly, an obstacle he had not expected stood before him. It was a sphinx.
"Hello, little elf," she said. "You are the first to arrive. Answer my question correctly, and you may pass. Answer incorrectly, and I will have to eat you. If you choose not to answer my question, you must turn around. What do you choose?"
"I will answer your question," he said. "But if I get it wrong, I don't think I would taste very good."
"And why is that?" the sphinx asked.
Harry grinned at her. "My daka says I'm spoiled."
The sphinx smiled. "Very clever, little elf. Let us see if you are clever enough to answer my question correctly. Are you prepared? If you do not want to answer the question, you may turn around."
"I'll answer it," he said.
The sphinx smiled. "As round as a biscuit, as deep as a cup, yet all the Earth's oceans cannot fill it up."
Harry frowned in concentration. He thought of the chocolate biscuits his mother made for him and the delicate cup Professor McGonagall used when drinking her tea. How could something that small not be filled by entire ocean? Suddenly, he grinned.
"I know this," he said. "At least, I believe I have the right answer."
"What is your answer, little Elf?"
"It's a sieve," he said. "It has holes in it, so it can't hold water."
She bowed her head. "Very clever, little elf. You are correct. Therefore, you may pass. You are near the end of your journey, however there is one more challenge to face, and it is the most difficult of all. The thing you fear most guards what you seek. Be brave, little elf. But, most of all, be wise." She stood and walked to the side of the path, allowing Harry to pass.
Harry did not hurry toward his goal. He thought about what the sphinx had told him. What was it that he feared most? He wasn't sure. The most frightened he had ever been was of Elder Kasha and his knife. Even though he now knew that the wise old Elder invented his stories to frighten the younger elves, he still could not see the man without wanting to protect his privates.
Harry turned another corner of the maze, and there at the end of the path, was the Triwizard cup. He started toward it.
"Seth!" He turned and saw his daka step out of one of the side paths, a smile of relief on his face.
He stopped, surprised. "Daka? What is wrong? Why are you in the maze?"
But before his father could answer, a green light struck him in the back. Harry watched, dumbstruck, as the life left his father's eyes, the smile still on his face.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Harry screamed, and without thinking of who might have cast the unforgivable, ran to his father. Tears of rage and despair ran down his face as he threw himself on the ground beside his father. He wrapped his arms around him and laid his head on his chest. "Daka! Daka!" He sobbed. "No! Please, Daka! Please don't be dead!"