Cedric Diggory looked close to tears, a state that Harry had never seen him in before. Maybe he would have understood if he'd ever been interested in quidditch, but that was something that had never taken his fancy. The only flying he'd done had been out of necessity, attempting to catch evasive keys back in his first year. So he didn't have the same emotional reaction to the sight before him compared to his fellow competitor, even if he was still slightly shocked to find what was waiting for them.

McGonagall had instructed him and Hermione to make their way down to the quidditch stadium after their evening meal, piquing their interests immediately. As the weeks had rolled by without any information about the dreaded Third Task, it seemed that they were finally going to get some much needed details. Harry thought that they were cutting it close, not giving them enough time to prepare properly for whatever lay ahead. Hermione had argued that that was entirely the point, forcing them to think on their feet. It wasn't like revising for an exam, a state of mind she would have much preferred to have been in.

As they walked through a gap in the stands, they came out onto what they expected to be the playing field. Instead of a smooth expanse of grass, they discovered that it was scarred by criss-crossing hedges, all intersecting at various points. Having never been a fan of the sport, Harry presumed that it must have always looked like this, though it felt like a weird design choice. Was it an added obstacle for the players, testing their agility? He doubted that they ever flew this close to the ground to make it worthwhile. And, judging from Cedric's despondent expression, Harry had to guess that something had definitely been done to it especially for them.

"What do you think?" a cheery voice asked them.

Bagman was standing in between the hedgerows, smiling at them enthusiastically, not at all dampened by their mellow response. Fleur and Krum were with him, having arrived just before them. Hermione was running her hand through one of the hedges, feeling the sharp pricks of the branches.

Cedric wasn't impressed. "What have you done to the pitch?" It was like his whole world had been destroyed right in front of his very eyes. Harry couldn't ever imagine loving a sport to that extent. His Uncle Vernon had once attempted to get Dudley into football but he didn't have the attention span to last ninety minutes focused on just one thing, meaning that Harry had never been given the opportunity either. Not that he likely would have even if Dudley had discovered a new hobby.

Bagman's smile faltered ever so slightly. "Don't worry! Once the Third Task is complete, you'll have your quidditch stadium back to what it once was! But the judges and organisers agreed that this was the perfect spot to host your final challenge!" He was trying to add some tension and atmosphere to the unveiling, which none of the champions were willing to embrace along with him. Harry was starting to feel sorry for him. "They're growing nicely, aren't they?" Bagman sounded as if he wanted this over now, not being given the chance to be the showman that he was. "With Hagrid's keen gardening skills, we'll have them standing over twenty feet high within the month!" Again, he paused, waiting for some 'oohs' and 'aahs' that never came. "Now, you're probably wondering what we intend to do with them…"

"It's a maze," Hermione said, cutting straight to the point.

Bagman's expression was now severely disgruntled. "It seems that the answer was more obvious than I thought. But should we be surprised when it comes to you, Miss Granger? She is, of course, correct! It's a maze. Well, a pretty poor one at the moment because you can see over the hedges but, like I said, we'll have that problem sorted in no time. You've faced terrifying ordeals already and, by comparison, the final task is relatively easy. All you have to do is make your way through the maze, in which the Triwizard Cup will be placed in its centre. Obviously, the first Champion to reach the cup…wins! Isn't that exciting?"

"That's it?" Fleur asked, knowing that there had to be more.

"I won't give away too many details because I don't want to spoil it for you all…but there will be plenty of obstacles standing in your way, besides the actual walls. It'll be your job to navigate them safely. I'm talking about magical creatures to be warded off and unexpected spells to be countered. Everything you have mastered over this past year in your endeavours, it all comes down to this."

Harry knew that the person they would be using to get the creatures would be Hagrid and, with his track record, there was absolutely no telling what beasts he would bring with him. The last thing he wanted was to come across yet another dragon because the half-giant had deemed it 'cute' and 'misunderstood'. He noticed Hermione standing next to him, closing her eyes and mouthing silent words as if she were already trying to remember every spell she had been taught, by her professors and by herself. He thought it positively adorable that she felt she needed the practice when he had more faith in her abilities than his own.

"The points you have accrued up to this point will determine when you're allowed to enter the maze. That means Mistor Krum will go first, followed by Miss Granger, Mister Potter, Mister Diggory and…last but not least…unless you look at the scoreboards, of course…Miss Delacour."

The French girl scowled at his comments but Bagman seemingly elected to ignore her. Harry was still amazed to hear the current standings. If he stayed in the middle of the pack by the end, then that would be seen as a major victory in his eyes. When they had realised there was no other choice but to compete, the main goal had been muddling through without any fuss. It transpired that he had mastered that skill after all. But he could tell from the glint in Hermione's eye that her pride was at stake now, with her name so close to the top. He worried that that would push her to do something reckless, but he wasn't going to say as such in present company.

"Now that you've seen it in its glory…or at least potential glory…I don't see any reason for us staying out in the cold," Bagman finished up. "Perhaps if we all make our way back to the castle…"

"Is he not saying anything to us?" It was the first time that Krum had spoken, the initial reason why it caught their attention. The second was the fact that he was pointing at another figure, standing off towards the other side of the stadium.

Bagman peered curiously at the unexpected visitor, partially obscured by the growing darkness of the evening. Although his expression was troubled at first, it quickly mellowed when he realised who it was. "Oh, it's only Mister Crouch. No need to disturb him, hey? You didn't hear this from me but he certainly isn't a people person. Though I don't remember him telling me that he was going to be joining us." He stroked his chin curiously. "Perhaps he just wants to ensure that the maze is going to be of a sufficient standard to truly test your merits, and give that audience something to properly get invested in."

As they began to walk away, Harry found himself looking at the Ministry official in suspicion. He did seem to be focusing on the hedges in minute detail. In truth, it could have been a completely innocent act; after what Sirius had told him about the man's haunted past, anything Crouch did was enough to put him on edge. But, as his head slowly turned around to face them whilst they departed, Harry didn't know what to make of the official's expression. It was the first time he had seen any emotion displayed on that face.

xxxxxxxxxx

Harry landed heavily on his bottom, not for the first time that day. He muttered something dangerously under his breath, which only served to delight his friend even more. The three of them were in a large room, the walls made of a soft foam for padding. It was the perfect location for what they intended to do, something Matthew had instructed the Tardis to construct for them. After they'd discovered what the third task entailed, they had quickly decided that the only true chance they had was if they fully focused on mastering any spells that could come handy in a fight. Which meant they needed a space to do that safely. As far as they were aware, Hogwarts didn't have one of those lying around, so it was always beneficial to have a Tardis up your sleeve.

"Get up," Matthew instructed impatiently, tapping his foot. Hermione was standing next to him, both of them clutching their wands.

"What's the point?" Harry grumbled. "I'll just end up in this same position yet again."

"That sort of attitude isn't going to help you in the task, is it?"

"Why won't you let me get a free shot on you? I thought the whole point of this was for me to practise my spells. I can't do that when you're firing at me!"

"If you're in a duel, is your opponent going to stop and let you have a free shot? Are they going to take it easy on you?"

"We're not supposed to be having any duels in the task!" Harry argued. "Bagman didn't mention anything about that."

"He did say something about there being surprises though. What if you have to fight Krum to reach the end, hmm? What do you do then?"

"Probably let him beat me because I'm not interested in making it to the end."

Matthew paused. "That's a good point actually. Why are we training so hard when all that truly matters is whether you step into that maze or not. Once you've done that, surely your contractual obligation is finally complete. And then we can celebrate. I've already booked a table at the Three Broomsticks. Obviously, they don't usually allow students to make reservations but Rosmerta has always had a soft spot for me. Who can blame her?"

"Does she now?" Hermione wondered with a smirk. "She mustn't know you properly then."

"What does that say about you then?"

She simply rolled her eyes, not willing to be goaded so easily. "I don't think we should be resting on our laurels now we've gotten this close. If we step into that maze, which we have to, then there's no telling what might happen. The hedges might force us to keep moving forward, meaning we can't just wait it out. We'll have to come across some of the obstacles, which means that we need every spell we can find in our arsenal. So Harry does need to know how to do the stunning spell. And I've been meaning to look into the impediment charm."

"You'll both need a target for those. It's not something you can learn by just aiming at a wall or something." Matthew looked at her, noting her raised eyebrows and the gleam in her eyes. "No. No, I'm not doing it. I've got far too much dignity for that!"

"When have you ever had dignity?"

"All the time, thank you very much!"

Hermione pouted at him. "I would have thought that you'd want to help your friends in any way that you can."

"But…I can't believe you're playing me like this."

"Yes you can. It's definitely something I'd do."

Matthew glared ominously at her, though there was a hint of playfulness there too, before he turned his attention back to the other boy in the room. "Harry…you're getting your free shot. Then I suppose you can take it in turns striking me down, because what are friends for if not to be actual punching bags for the afternoon?"

"Couldn't we just…I don't know…get some mannequins or dummies to use instead?" Harry suggested. "I'm sure you could conjure some up."

"Nope," Hermione quickly said with a devilish grin. "We've already decided on this. And, truth be told, I've always wanted to do this. Don't ruin it for me, Harry. Are you saying that you've never wanted to beat Matthew in a duel? Don't you remember our second year, when he beat you easily? This is basically payback for that."

"You know, I am standing right here." Matthew had his hands on his hips, already having abandoned his cloak to the floor. He'd produced an assortment of cushions, placing them on the floor to ease his inevitable fall. No matter how many times he had to do it. He beckoned his friends with his hands. "Come on, Harry. Let's get this over with. Aim true, away from the face, please. And make sure you use the right spell. I rather like the way I look and I don't want that to change. Also…you know when I said we'd go to the Broomsticks? Yeah, you're definitely paying after this."

xxxxxxxxxx

"I want you to know that my back is absolutely killing me now."

Matthew hadn't stopped complaining since they'd started making their way back through the Tardis, something that was only making the other two laugh even harder. They were relatively content with the way things had gone in their training, Harry believing that he now had a fairly decent stunning charm under his belt. He obviously didn't want to cause anyone or any thing too much harm, which meant it was the perfect spell. Especially when he'd been able to see Matthew get knocked down repeatedly, somehow missing the cushions every time. It had been quite startling to see just how precise Hermione was with her spellwork, perhaps benefiting from her increased connection to her own magic. If it had done anything, it had made her infinitely more terrifying.

"I'll give it a massage later," Harry offered sarcastically, knowing that, if Matthew really were in discomfort, he would have used a spell by now to sort it out. He was just wanting to get his own back after being their crash dummy. He should have known that it was a dangerous position to be in when Matthew was wanting revenge.

"Thanks for the offer but, if anyone's going to be giving me a massage, then I'd hope it would be Hermione."

She laughed heartily at that. "I may like your company, Matthew, but that's never going to happen."

"Just a quick one! Otherwise, I'll probably have to start using my cane for real because my body might never be the same."

"Well, at least we know you suit it so no harm done there."

"You're becoming just as sarcastic as me, I hope you realise that."

"Don't worry," Harry commented. "I've already noticed it. It's like having two of you around me all the time."

"If you should be so lucky…"

"I'll have you know that I've always been like this," Hermione countered. "I suppose you may have brought it more out of me and I'm not going to apologise for that."

"Who said I was complaining?"

"Get a room," Harry muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

Hermione was immediately looking at him. "What did you say?" She was using that pointed look of hers that told him whenever he was in trouble. As large and as infinite as the Tardis was, there would be nowhere for him to run and hide if he pushed his look too much."

"Nothing, nothing. I think you must be paranoid. Or on edge, with the final task approaching."

"Well…I can't stop thinking about it but that's perfectly reasonable. At the very beginning, I would never have guessed that we'd still be in with a chance of winning the whole thing. In truth, I never would have guessed that we'd still be in it, full stop."

"I'm trying not to see that as a partial insult on my abilities as a wizard."

"You know what I mean."

"You're not supposed to be thinking about winning," Matthew sagely pointed out, wary as to where that mindset would lead them. Once they were in the maze, he wouldn't be able to stop them from doing something stupid. Now was his chance to make sure they avoided that possibility. "All I care about is you remaining unharmed. And that's all Sirius cares about, as well as Lupin. And your parents, Hermione."

"But…just think how much good it could do for a Muggleborn like myself to win it! It would go a long way in hopefully removing that stigma that some people still view us with. They wouldn't be able to deny that we're just as magically gifted as any Pureblood."

"We already know that you're ten times as brilliant as any of them. You don't have anything to prove. Neither of you do. You've gotten further than anyone expected. Don't push yourself too far for the last hurdle. Focus on clearing it, so that we can put this past year behind us."

"I don't know whether I want to do that." Hermione had stopped walking, leaning against the silver wall of the corridor. "Put it behind us, I mean. As daunting as it was when our names were read out, I think it has done me some good. I'm certainly more confident in my abilities than I ever was before. And more confident to be who I am. I've learnt not to be scared as much, in the face of dragons or asking a boy I like to the dance." She smiled softly at Matthew at that. "I don't want to revert back to the way I was once this is all over."

Matthew nodded his head in understanding. "As much as I want to tell you that you've always had a certain level of confidence, just by always putting your hand up in class, I know what you mean. Both you and Harry are remarkably different from the people who started the tournament. You've had to grow up a lot because of it, perhaps leaving me behind in a sense. I'm not asking you to forget anything." As his hand neared hers, he could feel her uncontrolled magic reaching out to him even now, signalling another way they had started to change. "I'm asking you to preserve it. There's no point evolving this much just to throw it away and die at the end. And that's a real possibility if you get cocky."

"I don't think I'll ever be cocky," Harry said. He thought back on the stories about his dad that Sirius and Remus had told him, about how he had always been more confident than everyone else. Harry had never been like that, more grounded thanks to his treatment by the Dursleys. He'd learnt not to make a spectacle of himself in that house.

"I'll be sitting in that audience during the task, not knowing what's going on. I need to have faith that you'll keep yourselves safe. I feel helpless, I really do, just thinking about it." He didn't know whether Hermione was going to agree so he pulled out his ace, crossing his arms defensively. "And, if you don't promise to do that for me, I will be telling your parents."

Hermione gasped, which wasn't something she did very often. "You wouldn't."

"I would. You know I would."

"I know you're smart enough not to get on my bad side."

"The fact remains that your parents will be coming to Hogwarts to watch the final task, meaning that such information might accidentally fall out of my mouth without me realising."

"Matthew."

"Yes, Hermione?"

"You should start running."

He stood his ground. "This is my home!" He wilted somewhat as she continued to glare at him. "Harry…on second thought…I am going to get out of here rather hastily. Would you mind holding her back so that I have a chance to survive?"

xxxxxxxxxx

Time was running out. The Third Task approached, only two days left until its arrival. The sleep Harry had been getting had gradually decreased until he was frequently bumping into walls, doors, and other students. Particularly in a morning, such as now, as he rested his head against the cool wooden surface of the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. He couldn't put it down to nerves. He was more at ease than he had been since the tournament's beginning, truly believing that he had gotten through the hardest parts. That was, of course, not a logical way to think because the final challenge surely had to be the most difficult. Despite that, Harry was determined to succeed.

It wasn't nerves then that were eating away at him. His mind had been restless for about a week. He wasn't having bad dreams, it wasn't as clear cut as that. It was simply a sense washing over him that something was approaching. Undoubtedly, that could have been the tournament's end. But some sort of feeling was telling Harry that it was something else entirely. What that was, he had no idea. There was nothing in the news. Nothing exciting had happened in school, with professors gearing everyone up for their end of year exams. He and Hermione, as champions, were exempt from such tests, a fact that had traumatised his bookish friend. She had only stopped complaining when McGonagall had assured her that it wouldn't go on her academic record.

Hermione didn't seem as troubled as he was, seemingly prepared for the task better than he was. With his troubles, Harry continued to struggle to control his mind well enough to advance to the next stage of his training, whereas Hermione had accomplished that a good chunk of time ago. Perhaps that was why her mind was at ease. She simply could tell it to be like that, whilst he had to make do with his stupid worries. They told him that there was nothing to worry about, that all they had to do was walk around some hedges for half an hour and then they'd be free. He doubted that it was going to be that easy. Things never were.

There was a bowl of porridge sitting in front of him that he hadn't touched yet. The closest he'd come to eating it was when his face had almost fallen in when the arm he'd been resting his tired head on slipped. Hermione was looking at him in concern, like she was always doing. Always worrying about him. Harry wanted to tell her that there was no need, but he lacked the energy to lift his head up to do so. With the wood pressed up against his face, his words would have just come out as mumbled nonsense.

"You really should eat something," she said patiently, cutting into a slice of jam on toast. "You're going to need your energy levels up for the task. We have no idea how long it's going to last. It could be all night, depending on how deep the maze goes."

"I'm fine," Harry grumbled. "I had a bit of pumpkin juice. What more do you want from me?"

"It would be nice if you were a functioning person in the morning but maybe I'm asking for too much."

"At least you're understanding it now. Thanks, Hermione."

She bit into her toast with a bit more force than was necessary, disgruntled by the boy next to her. "Matthew, will you tell Harry to listen to me? He might pay attention if it's coming from you."

"I doubt it." Harry still hadn't lifted his head.

Hermione looked at her other friend. "Matthew?"

He'd just picked up a copy of the Prophet, taking in its front page. As he did so, Hermione noticed that other students seemed to be looking at them, pointing and gesturing in their direction, even blatantly talking about them. She frowned, wondering what sort of gossip had been published once more. She'd truly believed that they'd moved past that. Maybe she'd overestimated the wizarding world's tolerance for trashy reporting.

"Matthew, what is it? Are they talking about me and Harry again? Honestly, the rumours people come up with. They'll start thinking that we're all dating one another!"

"It's not that," Matthew murmured. "It could be much worse than that."

He turned the paper, showing her the cover. Even Harry looked up now, curious as to what was going on. There was a large photo slap bang in the middle, an image of a recognisable blue box. Hermione blanched. Harry reckoned he needed to go back to sleep before he could deal with this mess.

Potter's Pals and Their Secret Box!

Matthew stood up, feeling the eyes of everyone on him. "And here I was, thinking you two were going to get all of the end-of-school-year fun."