Harry was feeling extremely nervous on the day of the final test of the Triwizard Tournament. The test, a maze, had been described by Bagman as containing obstacles, and Harry wasn't sure if he was fully prepared for what lay ahead. Throughout the Tournament, he had realized that he owed much of his success to his friends, especially his talented sister.
Mia was an exceptional witch who could easily outperform seventh-year students at Hogwarts. She had been instrumental in helping Harry advance in subjects like Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. However, Harry couldn't help but feel that he had been leaning on her skills and abilities throughout the Tournament.
As Harry paced nervously, he reminisced about his sister. He hadn't seen her in a while, and he missed her terribly. He vividly remembered the incident when Mia had slapped Draco. While he knew Draco had likely provoked her, Harry had to separate them, leading to a heated argument and even a physical altercation between him and Draco. He had told Draco to stay away from Mia until he could apologize and work through his feelings of jealousy and anger.
Losing Draco as a friend had been difficult, but Harry's father had always taught him that family came first, and Mia was his older sister, his family. That was something he wouldn't compromise on.
Suddenly, Mia's voice interrupted Harry's thoughts, "Oh my God, I thought I wouldn't get to see you."
Harry turned to see his sister, who appeared even happier than usual. Her hair was tousled, her pupils dilated, and her lips were a bright red. Harry's eyes widened in realization.
"Who have you kissed?" he asked, pointing at her accusingly.
"I'm not going to tell you," Mia replied, sticking her tongue out.
"I'm going to find out," Harry said, mirroring her by sticking his tongue out.
Mia decided to change the topic and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Nervous," admitted Harry. "I don't know what I'm going to find inside the maze."
Mia comforted him by saying, "Don't worry. The whole family is here to support you, and Dad and Uncle Sirius will be outside the maze, watching."
"That makes me feel a bit better," said Harry, scratching his neck.
"I'm sorry I missed your second test," Mia said with a tinge of sadness.
"Don't worry," Harry assured her. "You were busy not dying."
Mia chuckled and playfully warned, "Don't you die now."
"I won't," Harry promised. "What are you planning to do after the Tournament?"
"I guess I'll pack my bags and go back to Durmstrang," Mia replied, deep in thought.
"You could stay for the party," Harry suggested. "Regardless of the outcome, we're going to have a celebration."
"I can't say no to a party," Mia said with a grin. She then hugged her brother tightly and wished him luck.
Harry hugged his sister tightly before mentally preparing himself for the daunting maze that lay ahead. He, along with Cedric, would be the first to enter, followed by Viktor and Fleur.
As they approached the Quidditch field, Harry was taken aback by the transformation it had undergone. What had once been a familiar playing ground was now encircled by a towering six-meter-high hedge, creating an imposing labyrinth. The entrance gaped before them, a foreboding passage into the unknown.
Within minutes, the stands began to fill with excited voices and the footsteps of hundreds of students taking their seats. The sky above was a deep, clear blue, with the first stars starting to twinkle.
"We'll be patrolling the perimeter of the maze," Professor McGonagall explained to the champions. "If any of you encounter difficulties and require assistance, simply send up red sparks into the air, and one of us will come to your aid. Is that clear?"
The champions nodded in raised his wand to his throat and muttered "Sonorus!" His amplified voice reverberated throughout the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to commence! Let me remind you of the current standings: Tied for first place, with eighty-five points each, we have Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both representing Hogwarts School!"
The crowd erupted in applause, and Harry could feel the collective anticipation and excitement in the air as he prepared to enter the counted down from three, and as the whistle blew, Harry and Cedric swiftly entered the maze. The towering hedges cast eerie shadows over the path, and the deafening noise of the crowd was immediately muted once they crossed the entrance. It felt as if they were plunged into a different world altogether. Harry drew his wand, whispered "Lumos!" to light its tip, and heard Cedric do the same behind him.
"See you later," Harry said, taking the left path, while Cedric chose the right.
Bagman's whistle sounded a second time, indicating Viktor Krum's entrance into the maze. Harry quickened his pace, finding his chosen path devoid of obstacles so far. He turned right at a junction and raised his wand above his head, attempting to see as far ahead as possible, but the maze remained third whistle marked the entry of all champions into the labyrinth, and Harry continued to check behind him, feeling the unsettling sensation of being watched. The labyrinth grew darker as night approached.
Approaching a second fork, Harry's wand pointed right, indicating the north. To reach the center of the maze, he needed to head northwest. His best option was to take the left path and turn right at the earliest chosen path remained obstacle-free, which puzzled Harry. Shouldn't he have encountered something by now? It felt as if the maze were luring him into a false sense of security. Suddenly, he heard movement right behind him. He raised his wand, prepared to defend himself, but the light illuminated Cedric, who had just escaped a side path on the right. Cedric seemed frightened, with one sleeve of his robe on fire.
"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts!" Cedric exclaimed through clenched teeth. "They're huge! I barely got away!"
As he turned a corner, he encountered something that sent shivers down his spine—a Dementor was approaching. Towering over three meters in height, its hooded face concealed, skeletal hands with pus-filled sores outstretched, blindly feeling its way toward him. Harry could hear its raspy breathing and feel the cold, damp aura enveloping him, threatening to drain all happiness from him.
However, Harry knew what he had to do. He concentrated on the happiest thought he could muster, the image of leaving the maze and celebrating with Pansy and her family and friends. With newfound determination, he raised his wand and shouted:
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver stag emerged from his wand and charged at the Dementor, causing it to stumble and fall backward, tripping over its left, then right, and left again, Harry found himself in two dead ends. He repeated the incantation for his compass and realized he had strayed too far east. Retracing his steps, he turned right and encountered a peculiar golden mist ahead.
Harry found himself in a disorienting predicament. The world had turned upside down, leaving him dangling from the ground. His hair defied gravity, his glasses hung mid-air, and he felt as if he were on the verge of falling into an endless sky. Frantically, he managed to place his glasses back on his nose and took in his peculiar situation.
It seemed as though his feet were glued to a grassy surface, which now appeared like a ceiling, while below him stretched an infinite expanse of dark, starry sky. Every instinct screamed that if he dared to move his foot, he would plummet into the abyss below.
With eyes tightly shut, Harry tried not to contemplate the vast emptiness beneath him. Summoning every ounce of determination, he slowly raised one foot away from the grassy "roof." The world around him realigned, and Harry found himself kneeling on solid ground once more. The shock of the experience left him momentarily paralyzed. He took a deep breath, forced himself back to his feet, and resumed his path through the maze.
Then, a whistle pierced the eerie silence of the night. Harry looked up to see two red sparks illuminating the sky, signaling that only he and one other person remained in the maze.
Harry continued to navigate the labyrinth, occasionally encountering dead ends. However, the encroaching darkness assured him he was approaching the center. As he strode down a long, straight path, he came upon something astonishing: a sphinx. It had the body of a massive lion, complete with powerful paws and a long, yellowish tail ending in a tuft of brown fur. Its head, however, was unmistakably that of a woman. The sphinx turned its large, almond-shaped eyes toward Harry as he approached.
With a deep, hoarse voice, the sphinx spoke, "You are very close to the end. The quickest way is this way."
Harry, still unsure of the creature's intentions, asked politely, "So, would you let me pass, please?"
"No," replied the sphinx, continuing its measured pacing. "Not unless you solve my riddle. If you answer correctly on the first attempt, I will allow you to pass. If you are wrong, I shall attack. If you remain silent, I shall let you proceed unharmed."
"Alright," Harry agreed. "May I hear the riddle?"
The sphinx seated itself on its hind legs at the center of the path and recited:
"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 middle and 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 listened carefully, his mind racing as he tried to decipher the was never particularly skilled at solving riddles. Frustrated, he asked the sphinx to repeat the riddle more slowly, hoping to gain a better sphinx obliged, smiling mysteriously, and recited the riddle once more.
Taking a deep breath, Harry began to analyze the riddle. "A person in disguise who lies," he muttered, furrowing his brow. "That'd be an liar... no, not quite right. A imposter? I'll come back to that. Could you repeat the next clue, please?"
The sphinx patiently repeated the lines about the last thing to mend and the middle of the middle. Harry struggled to make sense of these cryptic hints. "The sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word," he repeated, deep in thought. "That would be... 'er'! 'Er' is a sound!"The sphinx rewarded Harry with a wider smile, clearly pleased with his progress.
"Spy... er... spy..." Harry muttered to himself as he paced back and forth. "A creature I wouldn't want to kiss... spider!"
At the sphinx's broader smile and nod of approval, Harry felt a rush of excitement. He had cracked the riddle! Feeling quite clever, he thanked the sphinx and hurried past her, eager to continue his journey through the maze.
"Guide me", He whispered to the wand, which spun and stood pointing in the path of
the right. The Triwizard Cup shone on a pedestal less than a hundred meters away. Harry had just started running when a dark blur appeared on the road, running like a bullet ahead of him. Cedric was going to get there first. He was running towards the cup as fast as he could, and Harry knew that he would never be able to reach him, because Cedric was much taller and had longer Harry saw something huge looming over a hedge nearby
"Cedric!" Harry shouted. "To your left!"
Cedric looked just in time to dodge the thing and avoid colliding with it, but, in his haste, he stumbled. His wand fell from his hand, as the giant spider entered the road and pounced on him.
"Desmaius! Impedimenta!"
But it was of no use: the spider was so big, spells did nothing but.. Before it was upon him, Harry. He only saw the horrible image of eight shiny black legs and sharp pincers like blades. Struggling like crazy, he tried to kick it: his leg hit the animal's pincers, and he immediately felt an unbearable the spider opened its pincers again, Harry raised his wand and shouted:
"¡Expelliarmus!"
"Harry!" He heard Cedric shout. "Are you okay? Did it fall on you?"
He looked at his leg: it was bleeding a lot; his tunic was stained with a discharge viscous forceps. He tried to get up, but his leg was shaking and he refused to stand.
Cedric was a short distance away from the Triwizard Cup, which was shining behind him.
"Take it," Harry said breathlessly. Come on, get it."
"You take it. You deserve to win: you have saved my life" Cedric argued.
"The first one to reach the Cup wins. And you were here first" Harry replied. "I can't win any competition with this leg"
Cedric moved a little closer, moving away from the Cup and shook his head."No," he said.
"Take the Cup, Cedric." Harry snapped.
"Let's both take it." Cedric proposed.
"What?" Harry asked, clearly taken aback by the suggestion.
"We'll both take it at the same time. It will be Hogwarts' victory," Cedric explained with determination.
Harry was unsure about this idea. "Are you… are you sure?" he asked.
Cedric's resolve didn't waver. "Yes," he affirmed took Harry's arm under his shoulder and helped him to the pedestal on which the Cup rested. shiny handles.
"On the count of three, okay?" Harry proposed.
Cedric nodded in agreement. "One... two... three..."
Together, they each grabbed one of the handles of the Triwizard Cup, their fingers closing around the shiny, golden handles. The entire maze seemed to vanish around them, leaving them lying on the ground, gasping for breath. Time appeared to stand still, and then, as if on cue, the roar of applause Hogwarts band burst into jubilant music, celebrating the unexpected and unprecedented tie between Cedric and Harry.
Concerned for Harry's well-being, Cedric immediately called for the school nurse, who hurried to their side and began to assess Harry's condition. She carefully examined the wound on Harry's leg, and the Gryffindor couldn't feel anything below it, causing him to worry.
"Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said calmly, "this is going to hurt a little."
Harry nodded, bracing himself for the inevitable pain. He gritted his teeth and stifled a scream as the nurse removed the spider's pincer from his leg. However, as the wound was treated, he started to regain his clarity of thought.
Mia approached him, her eyes filled with concern. Behind her, Pansy, Ron, Blaise, and his parents, Lily and James, along with his godfather, Sirius, were all waiting anxiously.
"How are you feeling, little brother?" Mia asked with a soft voice
"I'm fine," Harry reassured them, despite the lingering discomfort.
Sirius, with a hint of amusement, chimed in, "You gave us quite a scare, Pronslet. We thought you had met your end."
"SIRIUS!" several voices responded in disapproval.
Mia hugged her brother tightly, congratulating him on his victory. Harry, still smiling, credited her with saving him from the dragon during the first task. Their friends and family members took turns embracing Harry in relief and joy.
"PARTY TONIGHT!" Cedric exclaimed, setting the tone for the celebration. The students erupted in applause once again, while the teachers looked on, torn between amusement and disapproval of the enthusiastic students.