Chapter Forty Seven
Seeing Hagrid was always fun and he walked back up to the castle with them for the late lunch/ early dinner that had been planned. After a short argument about where they were going to sit, Sirius voting heavily for Gryffindor and Nikka trying to explain that Hufflepuff was by far the best option before Harry pulled rank and got them all to sit at the Slytherin table; a decision that Narcissa and Lucius were rather smug about.
"How did the exam go?" Harry asked his friends, filling his plate with roast lamb and potatoes, he was feeling much better with his family around him.
"Fairly well I think." Draco said, "I think I got some good answers down."
"Same here." Pansy agreed, "Although Ronald blowing up his cauldron in Potions was interesting." she smirked.
"Do you know how Hermione and Neville did?" Harry asked, looking over to catch a glimpse of them.
"Not yet. Hermione said she was going to try and sit next to us during the task." Daphne said.
Harry had forgotten about the task. He didn't think it would have been possible but he'd had such a good day, what was to come that evening had managed to completely slip his mind.
"Oh Harry I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." Daphne said, laying down her knife and fork at how pale Harry had gone.
"Don't worry about it." Harry said, managing to force a smile, "I was going to have to think about it sooner rather than later."
It didn't seem long after that that they were marching down to the Quidditch pitch. The maze had grown as much as Ludo had said it would, towering over them as they walked to the starting point.
"Good luck Harry." Lily said, giving him a tight squeeze.
"Be safe." Nikka told him.
"You got this." Sirius said, "You'll be OK."
Narcissa also gave him a big hug, it was clear she was trying not to cry. Lucius gave him a pat on the back and a smile.
"Just make it out of there Harry, doesn't matter if you win or not." Lucius said quietly.
Harry nodded, "Thank you."
"Harry!" Hermione rushed over, giving him a huge hug.
"Get off him!" Neville smirked, pulling her playfully away, "How is he meant to win if you smother him first?"
Hermione blushed, "I thought we were going to miss you, I've got a lot to tell you but not now. Good luck."
"Thank you." Harry smiled.
"Good luck, break an arm or whatever it is muggles say." Neville grinned, before guiding a worried Hermione to their seats.
Severus came over and gave Harry a big hug, "I'll be sitting just over there. If you need help, don't try and be brave; at this point it's just stupidity. You send for help, do you hear me?"
Harry nodded and gave him another hug, "I promise."
"Will everyone take their seats please?" Ludo Bagman's voice boomed.
Severus let go of Harry and walked away, leaving Harry, once again, very much alone. Fleur, Cedric and Viktor were all standing nearby, looking just as anxious as Harry was, clutching at their wands.
Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and walked over to where Bagman was standing. They were all wearing large, glowing red stars on their hats, Hagrid had his on his waistcoat.
"We will be patrolling the outside of the maze." Said Professor McGonagall, "If, at any time, you need help and wish to withdraw from the maze, you need only send up red coloured sparks and one of us will come and get you. Do you understand?"
Harry and the other three champions nodded.
"Very well." Professor McGonagall said, nodding her head and setting off.
Ludo turned to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!" he said in his magically amplified voice, "Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, on eighty five points each, Mr Cedric Diggory and Mr Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!"
There was a loud cheer from around the stands. It was dark enough now that Harry couldn't really see where all the noise was coming from, just a mass of black, slightly moving shapes.
"In second place, on eighty points, Mr Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute! And in third place, Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"
Harry waited, the knot in his stomach growing tighter as the minutes ticked on until the cheers died down.
"So… on my whistle, Harry and Cedric" Ludo Bagman said, raising a small metal whistle to his lips, "Three, two… one!"
He gave a short blast on the whistle and Harry and Cedric rushed forwards, towards the maze. It was just inside when Harry realised he had no idea where he was going. He lit his wand and ran down the path next to Cedric. It was only about fifty yards before it forked off in opposite directions.
Cedric didn't hesitate, and ran off towards the right. Harry shrugged, he might as well go the other way and ran off towards the left. Harry heard another blast of the whistle, telling him that Krum had entered the maze.
The path Harry was on seemed to go of for a while, there hadn't been any turnings off yet, Harry heard the last whistle and sped up, until he came to another fork in the maze.
"Point me." Harry said, laying his wand, flat on the palm of his hand. His wand spun around once and pointed towards his right, that way was North and Harry needed to go North west, he took the left fork, knowing he would have to take the next right to keep roughly on course.
So far, the paths had been empty, which Harry felt more put off by than anything else. Surely if he'd been going the right way he should have run into something, anything, by now.
Harry heard a noise behind him and pressed himself against the hedge. He could feel it moving slightly behind him, and knew he didn't want to stay there too long. Cedric came passed, looking seriously shaken.
"Cedric." Harry said, relighting his wand, "What happened?"
Cedric took several deep breaths, "Hagrid's Blast-ended Skrewts." he breathed, "They're enormous, I only just got away."
"Stay away from that path then." Harry said, "You OK?"
Cedric nodded and straightened up, "Yeah. I will be."
Harry nodded and walked down a nearby path, not the way Cedric came. Harry rounded the corner and ran along, stopping suddenly as a Dementor floated towards him, it wasn't cold enough to be a true Dementor though. Harry forced himself to think of a clown toy Dudley had once chased him round with, it had terrified him.
The Dementor swept round and changed to the clown, looming over him and laughing horribly.
"Riddikulus!" Harry said, there was a loud snap as the boggart vanished in a puff of smoke.
Harry continued on, right and left, trying to follow his guiding wand as well as he could. It was difficult to tell how much time had passed, the maze walls were so high Harry could barely see the sky above him. A couple of times he reached dead ends and had to move back, trying to correct his path as soon as he could.
The next thing that made Harry stop was a large floating golden mist.
"Reducto!" Harry said, pointing his wand at the mist, the spell went straight through.
Harry was just thinking if it was worth risking going through when he heard the scream. It came from further down the path, he was sure of it and it sounded a lot like Fleur.
"Could be a trick..." Harry mused, trying to convince himself.
He knew he wasn't going to ignore her though, he could. It just wasn't in his nature not to help when he had the chance.
Harry took a deep breath and stepped into the mist. The world flipped upside down, his hair on end and his glasses threatening to fall off his nose. Harry froze, he wasn't sure if he could move of if he would float off into the sky somehow.
There was no spell, that he knew of, that would help him now, he had two choices, send up red sparks and give up, or at least try to move.
Giving up like this wasn't an option. Harry knew he'd said to his parents that he would play it safe but he wanted to win. He wanted to show everyone watching that he wasn't just some child, a child with no control over his life. He hadn't volunteered for the Triwizard Tournament but he could show that whoever had done this to him was going to lose.
With that thought running around his head, he took a deep breath and moved his foot. The world spun again and he landed safely on the ground. Harry allowed himself a small smile, pulling himself to his feet and chasing after where the scream had come from.
He reached a crossroads, he couldn't remember which way Fleur's scream had come from, and he was sure it was her. The mean little part at the back of his brain was thinking that it was now one champion down. Gabrielle's face, twisted with tears at the news something had happened to Fleur was a brighter image though.
"Fleur?" Harry called, his wand out and ready, "Fleur are you there? Are you hurt?"
There was no answer. Harry picked a path and carried on. He was sure he was going the wrong way, it had been nearly ten minutes now with nothing but dead ends. Final he rounded a corner and ran into a Blast-ended Skrewt, quite literally ran into the side of it.
Cedric wasn't joking when he said how much they'd grown; it filled the maze and had smacked through one of the walls.
"Stupefy!" Harry cried.
The spell did nothing but rebound of the armour, thankfully Harry managed to duck just in time, it had caught the top of his hair though, he could smell it burning.
The Skrewt rounded on him, blasting a large jet of fire from its end.
"Impedimenta!" Harry yelled.
The spell hit and bounced off again, this time Harry could at least see a slight dent in the armour.
"IMPEDIMENTA!" Harry shouted, with as much force as he could muster.
The Skrewt froze, just a few inches away from him. Harry breathed deeply and managed to push the foul thing away from him so he could move passed it; just.
There was still no sign of Fleur, or anyone else for that matter, as Harry raced along the ground. He could hear someone running along side him, and the paths focused into one just up ahead.
Harry had always been a quick runner and put on another burst of speed. He stopped though, seeing who was coming at the shouts.
"What are you doing?" yelled Cedric, he wasn't talking to Harry though, "What the hell d'you think you're doing?"
Harry wasn't sure who he was talking to, holding his wand out, he heard heavy footsteps just behind Cedric, that had to be Krum.
"Crucio!" Krum's voice, broke through the maze.
The air was suddenly filled with Cedric screaming. Harry felt his heart begin to race as he sprinted down towards Cedric, he moved faster and further than he though he could.
"Stop!" Harry screamed, pointing his wand at Krum.
They were just up ahead, Krum standing over a twitching and jerking Cedric, face down on the ground.
Krum looked at him, with empty eyes and ran in the other direction. Harry didn't even have to say anything, he didn't even threaten him.
Harry didn't wait, "Stupefy!" he said, hitting Krum square in the back.
Krum fell to the floor and lay, motionless on the ground. Harry moved forward a few steps and helped Cedric to his feet.
"Are you all right?" Harry asked, trying to steady Cedric.
Cedric nodded, "Yeah. Yeah. I don't believe it… he just… crept up… crept up behind me… I heard him, I barely turned around, he… he… did you see?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah I saw. This wasn't Krum though, Krum is OK, he wouldn't do something like this."
Cedric, raised an eyebrow, "You sure about that?"
Harry nodded, "Fairly sure. Did you hear Fleur scream before?"
Cedric nodded, "Yeah. You don't think... you don't think Krum got to her too?"
Harry shrugged, "I don't know." he said slowly, his ears scanning the air around them for any noise at all.
"Should we leave him here?" Cedric said, nudging Krum with his toe.
Harry shook his head, "No, we'll send up red sparks and they can come and rescue him. If we leave him here anything could get him."
Cedric glared at the still Krum, lying on the ground, "It would be no less than he deserved."
Harry looked over Cedric and smirked, "I thought I was the Slytherin. Strong words coming from a nice little Hufflepuff."
Cedric grinned, "We've never been that nice."
Cedric raised his wand and sent a patch of red sparks into the sky, hoovering just above the maze walls over Krum.
"Thanks for coming to help." Cedric said, "Good luck."
"You would have come for me." Harry smiled, "Good luck, for you too."
Cedric ran off down the maze, he was going the wrong way, back the way he'd come. Harry waited until the sound of Cedric's foot steps had died away and the sparks were still there before carrying on, back the way he'd come.
Harry wasn't sure how it was managing to keep getting darker as he moved on, although he was sure it meant he was coming closer and closer to the centre of the maze, and the Triwizard cup. He hit several more dead ends before he came across another obstacle.
It was a large cat like creature, with huge paws, with razor sharp claws, a long yellow tail with a brown tuft on the end and the face and head of a women. It was a sphinx. Harry had never seen one before but he recognised it from the Monster Book of Monsters and there was an exhibit on such creatures he remembered from the zoo.
"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me." she said, pacing backwards and forwards across the path.
"Ok, thank you for telling me." Harry said, "I don't suppose you want to let me past?"
"No." She said, not pausing in her movement, "Not unless you can answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess, I let you pass. Answer wrongly, I attack. Remain silent, I will let you walk away from me, unscathed."
Harry sighed, he knew that was going to be the answer as soon as he'd seen the Sphinx. He'd loved it when he was little at the zoo, his mother asking him riddles to earn sweets. It was far easier when the riddle was 'what is bright and shines during the day'. Harry though that this was going to be a little more difficult.
He wouldn't have to answer though, he could just find another way if he didn't know the answer. It was Hermione who was really good at this sort of thing, or Pansy or Daphne, riddles had never been Harry's strong point, maybe it was a girl thing.
"Ok," Harry said, "can I hear the riddle? Please."
The sphinx sat down on her hind legs, in the very centre of the path and stared at Harry with large, yellow eyes.
"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 the middle and the 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?"
Harry blinked, he'd already forgotten the beginning of the rhyme.
"Could I, umm, could I have it again but a little more slowly please?" he asked, ready to run.
She didn't attack though, just blinked and said the poem again.
"All the clues add up to a creature I wouldn't want to kiss?" Harry mused, he didn't want to risk asking the sphinx to many questions.
"Can you tell me the clue, one bit at a time?" Harry asked.
The sphinx nodded, and repeated the first two lines.
"A person in disguise?" Harry muttered, "who lies… that's be an imposter or a… a spy? I'll keep thinking."
The sphinx gave him the next bit of the riddle.
"The last thing to mend..." Harry said, he felt totally overwhelmed, "Er… not a clue… middle of middle, and end of end? D? Next bit please?"
She gave him the last four lines, still not moving, still just watching him.
"A sound often heard in the search for a hard to find word… my brain burning?" He muttered, "Er… oh, er! Er is a sound!"
The sphinx smiled at him, Harry felt himself breath a little easier.
"So Spy..er..D, Spider!" Harry said, a little more loudly than he'd wanted to. He had a horrible sinking feeling he was about to be attacked for getting it wrong but the sphinx simply stepped aside and stretched, letting him passed.
"Thank you." Harry grinned, dashing forwards before the sphinx changed her mind.
He was close now, really close; he was sure of it. Harry couldn't believe it, he might actually win this thing.
He reached another cross roads, "Point me." His wand pointed him down the right path and he hurried on.
He saw it, gleaming, just up a head. The Triwizard Cup was just there, he was going to make it. Harry broke out into a run, but Cedric was there.
He was just in front of Harry and Harry may have been fast but he had shorter legs than Cedric did. He was going to lose by just a few yards. It did cross his mind to stun Cedric but he didn't want to win that way.
Harry saw something moving over towards them.
"Cedric! On you left!" Harry screamed, falling over trying to stop so quickly, "Look out!"
Cedric just had time to move out of the way as a huge spider crashed down on them. Harry saw Cedric's wand leave his hand as he fell.
Harry aimed for the huge, hairy body, "Stupefy!" Harry yelled, it did very little good, the spider didn't stop moving towards Cedric.
"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!" Harry yelled.
It was no good though, the spider was either to large or too magical or both. Harry's spells did little more than aggravate it.
Harry had one glimpse of eight bright eyes and horrific, razor-sharp pincers, before it was on him.
Harry felt himself be dragged into the air as the spider's front legs grabbed him tightly around his waist and lifted him up. Harry couldn't move, he couldn't raise his wand arm as the pincers snapped closer and closer.
Harry could hear Cedric yelling spells at the creature to no avail. Harry fought to free his wand arm, pain ripping though his body as the spider squeezed him nastily.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.
It worked. The spider dropped Harry leaving him to fall the twelve feet to the floor and crumple to the floor, hurting his leg even further. Harry didn't wait, or think twice, he aimed for the spiders soft underbelly.
"Stupefy!" Harry yelled, at the same time as Cedric. Their combined spells toppled the giant spider and Harry managed to catch his breath.
Now the spider was no longer an immediate threat Harry felt the pain in his leg grow. His robes were torn and there was some sort of gluey goop mixed with blood, one of the spider's pincers had caught it.
"You all right Harry?" Cedric asked, moving over, "Did it fall on you?"
Harry shook his head, "No." he tried to stand but his leg wouldn't hold his weight, "No it bit me. My leg won't hold."
They were so close, just a few feet away from the cup now.
"Take it then." Harry panted. He felt like crying, he was in pain and so close, he wasn't about to cry in front of Cedric though.
Cedric didn't move, he stood there, looking between Harry and the Cup. Harry could see how much Cedric wanted the Cup, his face glowing in the light coming from it.
Cedric shook his head, "No, you should take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here."
Harry rolled his eyes, "More fool me then, because that's not how this is meant to work." he knew he was getting angry, he was in too much pain to deal with this, "The one who reaches the cup first gets the points. And that's you. Honestly, I'm not going to win any races with my leg like this."
Cedric took a few paces forwards and sighed, "No. I can't."
"Stop it." Harry choked, "Just stop being noble. Take it, then we can get out of here."
"You told me about the dragons." Cedric said, "I think I would have gone down then if you hadn't told me what was coming."
Harry gritted his teeth, "I had help there as well, someone told me when they shouldn't of." he snapped, gripping his leg in pain, "You helped me with the egg, we're square."
Cedric shook his head, "I had help with that as well. I had no idea how to deal with it."
"We're still square." Harry said, he was hoping his leg would hold but it didn't and he dropped to the ground. He pulled himself up again, he seemed to have sprained his ankle when the spider dropped him, he could just bare it, his leg shaking violently.
Cedric moved back towards Harry, "You should have got more points on the second task." he said, "You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should have done that."
Harry rolled his eyes, "I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously! Just take the Cup!"
"No!" said Cedric.
"Gods I was wrong, you would make a terrible Slytherin!" Harry said. He just wanted to get out of there at this point.
Cedric smirked, "Power to the Hufflepuffs." He walked over and put Harry's arm over his shoulder, pulling him to his feet and supporting his weight, "We'll do it together."
Harry looked at him slightly confused, "Really?"
Cedric nodded, "Let's be honest, neither of us need a thousand Galleons, five hundred each is still pretty good going, and a double Hogwarts win? Definitely worth it."
Harry smiled, "You're on."
With Cedric's help they made the last few steps to the trophy.
"On three?" Harry said, holding his hand out.
Cedric nodded, "One… two… THREE!"
Harry grabbed hold of the cup and felt the familiar feeling of a port key starting off.