While Cedric, Harry, Fleur and Viktor try to find their way into the maze...

SUSAN V

Susan stood up along with the rest of the people at the table of Hufflepuff table when the champions left to follow Ludovic Bagman. In fact, everyone in the Great Hall stood up to applaud the champions. However, unlike many of her friends at the same table, Susan was not only applauding for Cedric, but also for Harry.

She saw him hug his mother, shake hands with his godfather and also say goodbye to Ron, Hermione and many people at the Gryffindor table before he left. She noticed he turned his head towards their table, and she waved a hand at him. He returned the gesture with a tense smile as he made his way just like Fleur, Cedric and Viktor Krum towards the third task.

"I would ask everyone else to remain calm while we leave some time to our champions to get prepared," Dumbledore declared.

Susan felt her stomach shrinking. There were knots in it. She looked at her clean and empty plate. All plates were clean now that everyone was done eating, but Susan suspected that the house elves wouldn't have much work to do with her own utensils. Despite the generous feast, she barely ate anything. This meant something since, when special events happened, Susan usually engulfed industrial quantities. However, tonight, she was simply too stressed up. She was afraid for Harry. The third task was about to begin, and given how the two previous ones had been, she feared that this one would be even worse. And this time, she couldn't hide in the Hufflepuff common room, and she wouldn't be sleeping at the bottom of the Black Lake. This time, she would have to watch the full task from beginning to end.

"Hey." Hannah just placed a hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be alright."

Susan nodded. She told Hannah how worried she was earlier today. Right after their last exam was over this afternoon, they went to change in their dormitory. Hannah was all excited, but Susan was not. Hannah noticed it and asked her what was wrong, so Susan told her that she was afraid might happen, not only to Harry but also the other champions, including Cedric, during the last task. With the injuries they sustained in the previous tasks and Harry who almost drowned in the second, she couldn't help but be worried.

"Very well, ladies and gentlemen," Dumbledore declared. "The time has come. Please follow the professors as they lead you to the stadium where the third task of the Triwizard Tournament is to take place."

Everybody stood up as one. Some could not wait and rushed to the entrance. Susan preferred to lag behind. She wasn't very eager to arrive on the site.

Outside, it was almost dark by now. The temperature was neither cold nor hot. The trees of the Forbidden Forest nearby towered them all, giving sight on an area of complete darkness. The trees were not the only things towering the people walking towards the pitch. The hedges were so high that, as they approached the stadium, Susan wondered if someone inside the maze would be able to see the top of them.

Rows of benches were installed around a section outside of the pitch. Susan climbed stairs leading to the top of the stands. Since they were among the last to arrive, she and Hannah had to find their places among the highest seats. Rows and sections at the bottom of the stands had been saved for the judges, the champions' families, and the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. They were given the best seats. The rest of the school settled where they could, although students seemed to divide themselves naturally between houses.

Susan looked at the semi-circle at the bottom of the rows. Harry was standing there with the three other champions. There was an entrance in the hedge in front of them. She supposed that was from there they would walk into the maze. Harry hadn't been able to tell her much about the maze. He only knew there would be magical creatures and curses to break. Susan had come to check the maze a few times over the last few weeks, but she couldn't guess much about the shape of the maze or what it would contain while she could still see details inside. And once the hedges grew further, she couldn't see anything. Whatever was behind those hedges would be a complete unknown both for the crowd and the champions who were about to enter it.

Harry was pacing in the semi-circle, but Bagman soon had them gather around him. Four of their professors then approached the champions. They were all wearing a shining red star on their clothes. Then they left the semi-circle in two opposite directions. Bagman then pointed his wand at his throat.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMENT!"

The crowd of people cheered the moment he spoke. Hannah joined them enthusiastically, and Susan imitated her, though not very convincingly.

"The third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! 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. In second place, on eighty points, Mr Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute. And in third place, Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

Bagman then explained to them quickly that the first person to reach the Triwizard Cup at the centre of the maze would win the Tournament. He then raised his whistle.

It all happened in a blur for Susan. The whistle went off before she could think about it. And before she could even try to make a sign to Harry, he was rushing into this maze. About one minute later, Bagman whistled again, and Krum went into the maze. Only Fleur Delacour remained behind. When Bagman whistled for the third time, she moved more quickly than Susan would have imagined her capable of. She always pictured Fleur like this highly distinguished girl, always walking in a falsely dignified way. Seeing her rush towards something was unexpected. But she guessed that she never had the chance to see Fleur facing a danger. She didn't attend the first task, nor the second for that matter.

"So, that's it?" Hannah asked next to her, a while after Fleur ran in. "We just wait there for them to return?"

"I suppose," Susan answered.

"Again." She sighed in disappointment. "What's the…"

But before Hannah could complete her sentence, Bagman addressed them all with his amplified voice.

"Okay, everybody. All our champions are now in the maze. I suspect that some of you would have liked to watch them go through that last task, but I and the other organizers must confess that we didn't think about the hedges that would be too tall to see anything even from the regular benches of the stadium."

He laughed, but only few people joined him, and timidly.

"But anyway, at the end of this task, only one champion will remain. Only one will go down in history. So I want each and every one of you to be ready. For you see, the Triwizard Cup is a Portkey. And when a champion will touch it, he or she will appear here, in front of you all. I expect you, whoever wins, whatever your allegiances or your origins, to prepare a warm welcome for him or her. In the meantime, enjoy yourselves."

And that was it. Bagman finished on this note.

"I can't believe that we will not get to see the task again," Hannah complained. "Last time, we waited for an entire hour before someone came back to the surface. But now, who knows how much time it will take before someone comes back?"

Susan had to agree. It might be a while before something happened. People were already chatting among themselves. As for Susan, she stared at the hedges of the maze. She wondered what was happening beyond those grassy walls. What kind of threats, of magic could Harry be facing right now? She sat there, fingers crossed, waiting.

"Susan, calm down. Harry is going to be okay," Hannah tried to reassure her once more. "He got through two tasks unscathed."

"He almost drowned at the end of the second one," Susan reminded her best friend.

"Okay, it's true. But he was fine in the end. And you saw what he did against this dragon… No, it's true, you didn't see him. I mean, Harry can get through this. And if he can't, well, the professors are going to bring him back safe. You heard what they said."

"I know they've taken precautions, Hannah, but we only need one precaution to fail at the wrong time or one situation to happen that Dumbledore and the others didn't think about, and this is over."

"Stop worrying. Harry must know what he is doing. What can this maze be when compared to the other dangers he faced those last few years?"

Susan rolled her eyes. She wondered how she would have reacted if she had been dating Harry back then. However, it was true that she wouldn't get anything out of worrying for him. She was powerless to do anything right now. All she could do was wait. She would be better to find something to make time flow more easily.

"Do you think you will have good grades this year?" she asked Hannah.

"Susan, please. Let's not talk about exams. We just came out of them. What do you have planned for this summer?"

"Nothing special. Just rest, spend some time with my family, my friends." She sent a look to Hannah on this. "I'll take things easy."

"You're not planning to spend time with Harry?"

"Of course, I am." She just didn't mention it. Lately, she didn't have much time to spend with Harry, not with her preparation for the exams while Harry was preparing on his side for the third task.

"Maybe we could organize another group activity like last summer," Hannah suggested.

"I'm not against the idea. Though I would take another place than a beach this time."

"Why? Things went pretty well last year. There was even Parvati and…" Hannah stopped to talk. Susan was relieved that she did. She knew that Harry and Parvati started dating after that day in July, and although she didn't mind that Harry had another girlfriend before her, the previous relationship of her boyfriend was not the subject she wanted to discuss the most. "Well, anyway, it was funny."

"Yes, but I would like another kind of activity next time."

Susan had not hated the trip to a beach. However, after a few hours, she didn't really know what to do anymore. She and Hermione had taken refuge under umbrellas and trees to protect themselves from the sun and started reading at this point.

Susan had never been the type for outside activities. Again, she did not hate them, and she appreciated spending time outside on a regular basis, but she had never been the type of girl to practice sports. Even when she was a child, she appreciated indoor activities such as reading and making puzzles. The outdoor activity she appreciated the most were long walks, especially in natural places. She even liked to help her parents cook.

Perhaps this was a result of the way she was raised. Neither of Susan's parents were people for the outside environment. Susan was born and spent the first two years of her life in hiding. And after that, her parents always remained discreet, not prone to leave their house more than necessary. It might seem strange for her father, who was a great fan of Quidditch and a talented broom engineer. But although her father was passionate about Quidditch and could easily start any conversation about the topic, he remained timid in all other circumstances. As for her mother, she had always been the kind of person to work behind a desk. And like her father, she didn't speak much, but when it came to discuss a subject that fascinated her, she couldn't be stopped either. That was why in Susan's family, you needed to be always careful with the way the conversation could go. Susan suspected that she would have to be doubly careful to not bring on the table anything that might be related to her mother's native country when her aunt was present. A coalition had taken shape in Quebec to realize independence, and the referendum was approaching fast. According to her father's letters, her mother was working more than ever. Susan thought that she may need something to distract herself during summer.

"I don't know," Susan resumed. "An activity somewhere else. Do you have any idea?"

"You're the one asking for something else than a day on a beach. Can't you think of anything?" Hannah asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm not very good to organize group activities."

"You're lucky that I am your friend, Susan. Or else you might not be doing much." Hannah then looked at the maze. "They could have placed screens."

"Screens?" Susan asked.

"Yes. Screens. You know, those big rectangular things that show something that is happening somewhere else? The Muggles use them. It's like a huge television…"

"Yes, Hannah. I know what a television is. We both grew up in London, might I remind you."

"Yes. Well, they could install those kinds of screens and show us what the champions are doing. That's what they do with car racing. I once went to see one with my parents. The tracks are too long for the crowd to see it entirely, so they position large screens everywhere so the people may follow all cars."

"They really can follow all cars at the same time?" Susan asked, doubtful. "How many are there in a single race? Ten? Twenty?"

"Okay, there aren't enough screens to follow all cars at all moments," Hannah admitted. "But this is still better than nothing. They could easily produce four of these screens and show what each champion is doing. If the Muggles can do that, then why would the wizards not be able to?"

Hannah wasn't entirely wrong. There were many technological gadgets the Muggles invented that defied any magic or spell the wizards could use. Susan had gone to an elementary school for Muggles, like Hannah. They both grew up in London, surrounded by a culture that was made of both Muggles and wizards. Their families even had some of their utilities at home, although they didn't last long, the magical waves disrupting them.

"I don't know," Susan replied. "Maybe they prefer that the champions don't have the equivalent of cameras staring at them. People don't behave the same way when there are others watching their every move."

She tried to imagine herself wandering through this dark maze while everyone was looking at her. Susan already despised having everyone's attention on her, so having it in such circumstances would be even more unsettling, especially when her life could be in danger.

Conversations had settled all around. Some had been looking at the semi-circle and the hedges for a time, but so little happened that they ended talking with the other people around them. Susan, looking downwards, spotted the families of the champions. Hermione and Ron were sitting with Harry's mother and his godfather. Her heartbeat increased all of a sudden.

It was completely unexpected for Susan when she learned earlier today from Cedric that the families of the champions were invited to watch the third task. Susan had no knowledge about this. Harry neither apparently, from what he told her. During lunch time, after she fell upon the Delacours and the Diggorys, she went to the Great Hall and quickly spotted Lily Evans Potter, sitting next to Harry at the Gryffindor table.

Susan knew Harry's mother. They crossed paths a few times. It was unavoidable as they lived in the same tower of apartments. She came to Harry's home during summer furthermore, although his mother was often gone to work when she did. Even her parents knew her to a certain level, although they were more acquaintances than friends. Lily Evans also happened to be an employee of her aunt at the Ministry of Magic. However, Susan never had any meaningful interaction with the woman. She had to admit that she was intimidated in her presence. Harry was famous for having survived You-Know-Who when he was a baby, but his mother was no less famous for the same feat. Harry was the same age that she was, and she had spent years in contact with him at Hogwarts, so she got used well enough to him. His mother was another story. Not to mention that she wasn't aware of Susan's relationship with her son.

Harry had left the Gryffindor table during lunch when he saw Susan waiting at the entrance of the Great Hall. Once close enough, she made a sign to follow her in the Entrance Hall. There, she had whispered to him.

"Why didn't you tell me your mother was coming?"

"I didn't know before this morning. I wasn't even aware that she was back. I thought she was still in mission," he replied in a similar hushed voice.

The Delacours had then rushed on them, and they needed some time to get rid of them. Finally, Harry agreed with Susan that he would present her to his mother later, after the third task was over. He didn't have the chance to tell his mother that he had a girlfriend.

Susan didn't blame Harry for that. After the initial shock of seeing his mother at Hogwarts, she understood why he never told her. He simply couldn't. She was unreachable for months. Susan herself didn't tell her family about her and Harry. Neither her aunt nor her parents knew about them. She didn't really know how to announce it. She never had a boyfriend before. And it wasn't any boy she was dating now. She didn't know how they would react to such news. She expected that she would have quite an uncomfortable discussion with her parents in a week, after the Hogwarts Express brought her back home. She guessed that Harry would have a similar uncomfortable time with his mother. He told her that his mother learned of his previous relationship with Parvati only after he broke up with her, and by accident, because she surprised a conversation between him and Hermione. Susan didn't wish for the same to happen to her.

"Here you are," Ernie's voice rang at her ears. "You didn't take the best spot, you know."

He was followed by Justin, Megan, Wayne and Sally. As a result of the waiting, many people moved around the stands, and they instinctively moved downward to the better places. As a result, the benches around Hannah and Susan were relatively clear.

"It's a quiet spot," Susan said.

"They should have allowed us to see the last task," Hannah declared for their friends. "We have no idea where Cedric is and whether or not he's winning."

"It is true that they could have arranged things better," Ernie acknowledged.

"Like TV screens," Justin added, echoing Hannah's earlier suggestion.

"Tivi what?" Wayne asked.

"Bagman could at least inform us about what they're doing?" Megan said.

"I think that would get boring after some time," Hannah pointed out.

"I'm not sure. Bagman is quite good at commenting," Ernie said. "Remember how he was at The Quidditch World Cup."

"I'm not sure he would have been as successful a commentator if people didn't see the match at the same time," Wayne argued.

"As long as Cedric comes back with the Triwizard Cup, I'm fine waiting," Justin then said.

"He went in first, so he has a chance," Ernie said.

"Harry went first too. He could win as well," Sally pointed out. Susan was not sure that she liked the direction this conversation was taking.

"And so could Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour," Susan decided to add. "Going first doesn't necessarily mean arriving first."

"Well, I think Cedric has good odds," Ernie declared. Susan felt that he pronounced those words as if they were a conclusion.

"I don't think that Delacour is going to win," Megan said. "I mean, she was last in both previous tasks. She couldn't even manage to make it to the end in the second one. She needed Harry to bring her sister back to the surface."

"Susan too," Hannah said. "I mean, Susan helped to bring her back to the surface."

"No, Hannah, I didn't," Susan specified. "I only helped Gabrielle to get to the stands. She was already back to the surface at this moment. I couldn't have helped her while I was under water. I was asleep as much as she was."

"Okay, but you know what I mean."

"It was only a few meters of swimming," Justin pointed out.

"What was very impressive was when Krum emerged with Hermione," Wayne said. "The way his head was like a shark. You remember?"

"Yeah. That was pretty impressive," Justin agreed. "For a moment, I was afraid that he was a real shark."

"I couldn't believe it was Hermione Granger," Megan said. "I mean, Krum had gone to the Yule Ball with her, but still it was a big surprise."

"As much as when you saw her with Krum at the ball. If you saw yourself," Wayne said, laughing. "Your eyes were so big that they tripled in size."

"And I thought you loved my eyes," Megan countered on a sarcastic tone.

"I do." Wayne kissed her at this moment. Susan thought of Harry.

"By the way, Ernie, Sally… What's the status between you?"

Ernie took a pinker shade, while for Sally it was a redder shade. "We… We're only friends, guys, you know?" Ernie said.

"Yeah. We needed to go with someone, so we went together. As friends," Sally added.

"It's alright, people. They're not together," Hannah said. "I think even Parvati and Lavender did not put them together on their Board of Love." Susan rolled her eyes. She had heard about this game the two girls of Gryffindor played at making couples. "Though it's been some time since I saw it. They might have changed it ever since. I'm wondering with who I am now." Hannah looked thoughtful. Then she added on a spiteful tone. "As long as it's not with Ronald Weasley."

Hannah was much better now, but she still had not forgiven Ron about their breakup. Susan didn't blame her. Breaking up with someone in public like that was not very tactful. Even Hermione agreed when Susan talked with her about that.

"Do you know who I'm with on this board?" Justin asked.

Hannah seemed uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Eh… I'm sorry. I don't remember. And I think they rearrange their board constantly. Maybe everyone has already been with everybody on this."

"You mean that even I would have ended up with Susan at some point?"

This time, everyone was uncomfortable, Susan in particular. She had hoped that by now, Justin would be done with this.

"Then Megan probably ended with Neville Longbottom at some point," Wayne laughed.

"Oh! Be kind, please. You could have talked about Michael Corner instead," his girlfriend protested.

"Don't be like that with Neville," Hannah opposed. "He's very kind, you know."

"When he's not breaking something," Wayne answered, still laughing.

At this stage, the conversation had really turned towards gossips and rumours, two things Susan did not get much enjoyment from and from which she already received more than her dose this year. She looked around instead.

"Waiting for Harry?" Justin asked her after a while. He sat down right next to her and was whispering.

"Yes, I am," Susan replied, still looking away. She had no wish to discuss the subject with Justin. Whenever the subject was brought up, he was always in a foul mood. His behavior had improved. At least, he wasn't behaving like a child whenever she was around, but discussing Harry never brought good words from him.

"Do you love him?"

Susan was somewhat startled by the question, but she didn't move. She still looked away. "Yes, I do."

"I see." That was all Justin answered.

Susan kept looking at the hedges surrounding the pitch. No red spark appeared in the air so far. This probably meant that no champion abandoned up to now, and the four of them were fine. Though this may mean nothing. One of them could be injured or incapacitated in a way that prevented him to call for help.

Susan had not approved of resuscitating the Triwizard Tournament from the very beginning. The competition had claimed too many lives in the past. And now here she was, waiting for her boyfriend to finish the last challenge of a Tournament he never wanted to enter, unable to know if he was fine right now.

"Pardonnez-moi. Vous êtes bien Susan Bones, n'est-ce pas?" (Excuse me. You are Susan Bones, are you not?)

Susan turned her head to see a tall woman with long silvery blond hair arranged into a bun behind her head standing next to her.

"Oui, Madame Delacour. C'est bien moi." (Yes, Mrs Delacour. It's me.) Susan had not met Fleur's mother, but she saw her from afar a few times today.

"Ma fille, Gabrielle, souhaiterait vous voir. Voudriez-vous vous joindre à nous?" (My daughter, Gabrielle, wishes to see you. Would you like to join us?)

Susan thought about it an instant. She didn't like Fleur for the first part of the year, but her behavior towards her improved significantly after the second task. And this was her mother, not Fleur. Furthermore, Susan liked Gabrielle in a certain way. She saw no reason to refuse.

"Bien sûr." (Of course), she replied.

She said goodbye to her friends and followed Mrs Delacour. "If you prefer that I talk to you in your language, tell me. It wouldn't bother me," Fleur's mother told her in quite a good English. "Fleur told me you understood our language, so I allowed myself to talk to you in this way."

"I don't mind," Susan replied. "Ma mère tient à ce que je ne perde pas la maîtrise de sa langue natale." (My mother doesn't want me to lose the knowledge of her native language.)

"Vous la parlez très bien." (You speak it very well.)

"Merci." (Thank you.)

She stopped Susan as they reached the opening space down the stands. The crowd had been allowed to circulate in a narrow strip on the grass, near the stands, after all the champions entered the maze. "Je tiens à vous dire, en tant que mère, merci. Fleur m'a raconté ce qui s'est passé en février dernier. Je sais que me fille n'a jamais été en danger, mais je vous remercie du fonds du coeur malgré tout." (I really wish to say, as a mother, thank you. Fleur told me what happened in February. I know that my daughter was never in danger, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart nonetheless.)

"Je n'ai pas fait grand chose. C'est Harry qui nous a ramenées toutes les deux du fonds du lac. Je n'ai repris conscience qu'une fois la surface atteinte." (I didn't do much. Harry brought us both back from the bottom of the lake. I only regained consciousness once at the surface.)

"Merci tout de même." (Thank you all the same.)

She looked sincere, from what Susan could say. They resumed their progress towards a bench where Gabrielle was waiting. Susan noticed that Mrs Delacour walked in a very dignified way, not entirely different from the way Madame Maxime was walking. However, unlike her daughter, her behavior didn't seem to show contempt or any air of superiority. It looked natural.

"Susan!" Gabrielle said when she saw them approaching.

She smiled back at the little girl who was only eight-years-old. "Bonjour Gabrielle. Comment vas-tu?" (Hi, Gabrielle. How are you?)

"Je vais très bien. J'attends Fleur. Tu crois qu'elle va revenir bientôt?" (I'm doing very well. I'm waiting for Fleur. Do you think she will come back soon?)

"J'aimerais le savoir." (I wish I knew.)

"Crois-tu qu'Harry va revenir avant elle?" (Do you think Harry will come back before her?)

"Je n'en ai aucune idée." (I have no idea.)

Truth be told, all she wanted was for Harry to come out of this maze. She didn't care if he won or lost, or whether he abandoned. All she wanted was for him to get out of this maze safely, alive and well.

"Fleur m'a dit que Harry était très bon." (Fleur told me that Harry was very good), Gabrielle told her.

"Vraiment?" (Really?)

"Oui. Elle l'a vu voler à la première tâche. Elle dit que même Viktor Krum était impressionné. Et qu'il a créé un Patronus. Est-ce que c'est vrai? Tu l'as vu?" (Yes. She saw him flying in the first task. She said that even Viktor Krum was impressed. And that he created a Patronus. Is it true? You saw it?)

Susan felt embarrassed all of a sudden. She hadn't witnessed Harry's performance in the first task. She did not attend it at all. She didn't want to admit that she wasn't there.

"Oui, il a créé un Patronus." (Yes, he created a Patronus), she answered, not lying while not telling the whole truth either.

"Tu l'aimais déjà à ce moment?" (You already loved him at this moment?)

Susan felt herself redden against all expectation. She didn't expect a little girl like her to tease her about her feelings for Harry. And the truth was, before the Yule Ball, she had no feelings for Harry. At least, she didn't think she had any. It was after the ball that she couldn't get him out of her mind.

"Gabrielle," her mother warned the little girl, on a reproving tone yet with a big smile. "On ne pose pas ce genre de question à une invitée." (We do not ask this kind of questions to a guest.)

Susan thought that she began to understand where Fleur was taking her behavior from. She seemed to be a mix of her little sister and her mother, though with some nasty version of their traits from time to time.

Mrs Delacour went on to ask about her family. Susan explained what her parents were in doing in life. She didn't tell them about her aunt though. Susan didn't make it known to everyone that her aunt was one of the highest officials in the Ministry of Magic. Mrs Delacour proved to be very interested in what her mother was doing, as a representative of a foreign Ministry of Magic. Fleur's mother was aware that there was a French community of wizards in North America and looked very interested to learn more about it. Susan told her as much as she could. Gabrielle also talked a lot about her father, describing him as a very gentle, jovial and funny man. Susan had to say that he didn't really fit the idea she had about Fleur when the young French woman arrived.

"As-tu une soeur?" (Do you have a sister?), Gabrielle then asked her.

"Non, je suis fille unique." (No, I am an only child), Susan replied.

"Oh. Ce doit être… Fleur!" (Oh. It must be… Fleur!)

The exclamation of Gabrielle as she looked forward all of a sudden made Susan jump. She looked in the same direction as the little girl did and saw Hagrid coming out from the entrance of the maze, with Fleur's lying and unmoving body in his arms.

In an instant, the crowd realized that she was back, and all the attention was focused on her. Madame Maxime, the other judges, the professors, and also Fleur's mother and her sister rushed towards Hagrid. Without really thinking, Susan followed them. Fleur was then laid down on the grass, and the professors had the people who surrounded her turned away, except for her family. Somehow, Susan didn't know why, but she wasn't pushed back like the others. Perhaps because somehow she found herself between Mrs Delacour and Gabrielle as Dumbledore knelt over Fleur. He made gestures with his wand over her, whispering incomprehensible words. Everyone watched him without saying a word. Susan felt a pain in her left arm. She noticed that Gabrielle grabbed it and held it tight.

"Stupefied," Dumbledore then stated. He pointed his wand at Fleur. "Rennervate."

Fleur opened her eyes at this moment, and she looked around her feverishly.

"Fleur!"

Gabrielle released Susan's arm and rushed into her sister's arms.

"Gabrielle. Qu'est-ce que…" (Gabrielle. What…) Fleur began.

"Laisse un peu d'air à ta soeur, Gabrielle. Elle va bien." (Leave some space to your sister, Gabrielle. She is fine), Mrs Delacour said, calmly removing Gabrielle from Fleur. Despite her apparent quietness, Susan noticed a certain fear in her voice.

"Mademoiselle Delacour," Madame Maxime asked. "Comment vous sentez-vous?" (How do you feel?)

"Je ne sais pas. Je…" (I don't know. I…) All of a sudden, Fleur seemed to panic. And she turned to English to speak. "What am I doing here? Is the third task over? Did I fail?"

"No, Miss Delacour," Bartemius Crouch said. He looked stern, like he always did. "The other three champions are still inside the maze."

"What?" she looked at the entrance through people's legs. "I have to go back."

"Impossible." Mr Crouch stopped her. "You failed, Miss Delacour. You are out of this task."

"But…"

"First, Miss Delacour," Dumbledore interrupted her, quietly but with a voice full of authority, "can you tell us how you were stupefied?"

Everyone was staring at Fleur, when suddenly many people in the crowd gasped and pointed their fingers at something in the sky. Susan followed them and saw red sparks flying over the maze. Her heart ran. Was Harry in trouble?

"Hagrid, go there," Dumbledore ordered.

"Yes, sir." The half-giant turned on his heels and rushed into the maze. Dumbledore returned his attention to Fleur.

"Miss Delacour, please. What happened to you?"

"I… I don't know. I was just… walking, trying to find my way in the labyrinth. And then… I felt something in my back, and next I was falling to the ground. Then I woke up here."

It was hard to understand what she meant. She talked so quickly and with such an accent that Susan doubted that people like Karkaroff or most of the professors understood. It was only because Susan was familiar with both French and English that she could make out everything she said. Dumbledore, however, seemed to have understood very well.

"Are you sure? You didn't see the thing that stupefied you?" he asked Fleur.

"No," she replied.

"That doesn't change anything," Crouch declared. "She is out of the task."

"Mr Crouch…" Madame Maxime began.

"Not right now, Madame Maxime," Dumbledore said. "Judges, with me." He turned to Mrs Delacour. "Madame Delacour, please, take care of your daughter. We will come back to you soon."

Fleur's mother nodded and led her two daughters away from the maze. Susan followed them instinctively. She noticed Fleur throwing a few gazes over her shoulders towards the entrance of the maze.

"Je ne peux pas y croire. Je n'arrive pas à croire que cela se termine ainsi." (I can't believe it. I cannot believe that it ends like this) she said.

"Calme-toi, ma chérie. Cela ne fait rien. Tu as fait du mieux que tu pouvais." (Calm down, my dear. This is nothing. You did the best you could), her mother was saying.

"Mais que je perde ainsi? Cela fait deux fois, maman. Je n'ai pas réussi à sauver Gabrielle dans ce lac. Et maintenant, je suis la première à être exclue de la dernière tâche, après avoir été la dernière à entrer?" (But to lose this way? This makes twice, Mother. I couldn't save Gabrielle in the lake. And now, I am the first to be excluded from the final task, after I was the last to enter?)

Her voice was quivering. She was borderline in panic. Fleur brought her legs against her chin, and tears began to fall from her eyes. She was in a very sorry state, covered with dust and mud, strands of hair coming out in shambles from her ponytail. Gabrielle put her small hand on hers, and her mother massaged her shoulder soothingly.

Susan surprised herself by feeling sorry for Fleur. She hadn't liked Fleur from the beginning of the year. She behaved in quite an insulting way towards most people. And since Susan could understand very well what she was saying in her own language, she knew how even more insulting she was when talking in French. However, her attitude towards Susan and Harry, and also many others, improved after Harry got Gabrielle out of the Black Lake. Her nasty comments and behavior receded after that, even though Susan couldn't tell that she liked her still. But to see her broken like this, Susan felt some pity towards her.

She remained at a distance, somewhat leaving Fleur with her family. In the meantime, she looked at the entrance of the maze, waiting to see someone come out, hoping and dreading at the same time that it could be Harry who arrived next. She feared that those red sparks were sent for him and that he was gravely injured, and she was afraid to see his state when he would come back. But she was also afraid that he remained inside the maze, still going through dangerous magical beasts and curses.

Susan looked at Fleur. She was crying because she lost the Tournament. Now Susan considered her to be stupid. She was alive and well, surrounded by her family. She escaped mostly unscathed from a competition where competitors, but also officials and the crowd could be gravely injured or killed. She should consider herself lucky. In Gabrielle's place, she would be overjoyed to see her big sister back.

Susan was about to ask Fleur if she saw Harry in the maze when gasps came from the crowd again. She looked at the entrance of the maze to see McGonagall coming out with a body levitating next to her. For an instant, Susan feared the worst, but Igor Karkaroff broke her worries in the very moment.

"Viktor! What happened? What have you done to my champion?" he roared.

McGonagall and Dumbledore struggled to calm down the former Death Eater. Susan never liked this man, and seeing him right now, vociferating like a demon, did nothing to improve her opinion of this man. In her eyes, he remained one of those who participated to the slaughtering of her family. Even if he claimed that he killed no one that day, over fifteen years ago, Susan had no reason to believe him.

Anyway, Viktor Krum didn't seem to be in such a bad state since Dumbledore revived him as easily as he brought Fleur back to consciousness earlier. He also kept the curious students at bay like before.

Susan didn't hear what they were saying, but soon Krum was sent away from the discussions between the judges, who congregated away from everyone's ears. Krum wandered very slowly away from them, but his parents brought him back to the benches with them, right next to where Susan was sitting with Fleur's family. Fleur then turned to him.

"Viktor, what happened to you?"

The Quidditch player turned to look at her. He always had a dark expression, though it was more melancholy than anger or hatred. Susan only ever remembered him smiling once, when he was dancing with Hermione at the Yule Ball.

"I'm sorry, Fleur… I didn't want to hurt you… I don't know why I did this."

Fleur frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard you walking on the other side of the hedge. I stupefied you."

Even Susan was taken aback by this, but Fleur was the most vocally outraged. And seeing the traits on her face, Susan had the impression for a moment to see in part a furious Veela like at the Quidditch World Cup, or during the Yule Ball when she talked back to Fleur.

"Why did you do that? I thought you played fairly! How could I be so wrong about you, sale em…"

Susan thought it was probably for the better that Krum interrupted her, for she would have understood the word she was about to use. "I'm sorry, Fleur. I don't know what happened. It was as if… Someone was whispering things to my ear, and I could only obey… As if I was only a bystander in my own body."

This reminded Susan of something. This was like when…

"Did you receive an Imperius Curse?" she asked. All heads turned in her direction. Susan remembered its effects very clearly. She had barely been able to offer any resistance to the spell, and she was one of the very few who managed to actually resist it in any insignificant way when Professor Moody tested it on them.

"That's what Dumbledore said," Krum confirmed.

"But…" Fleur stammered. "Why? Who would do that?"

"I don't know. I went inside the maze, I began to advance, and… I don't know when it began. But when I crossed your path, I was told to stupefy you, and then when I crossed path with Diggory… I threw a Cruciatus Curse at him…"

"You did what?" Fleur and Susan asked together, distraught. Susan never thought that she and Fleur would be following the same line one day.

"I never threw one… But when I saw Diggory, I attacked him. Then Potter showed up out of nowhere. I tried to escape, and he stunned me in the back. Then he and Diggory sent red sparks in the air, and they left me there until someone found me."

So, Harry was fine. Krum saw him. And if he could manage to stun Krum, then he had to be well. However, if someone in the labyrinth was throwing Unforgivable Curses…

"I can't believe it," Fleur said. She seemed to be at a loss of words.

"I'm sorry. I never wanted to harm anybody. But I couldn't stop myself," Krum repeated.

"Incredible," Fleur spat. "I knew that we all wanted to win, but to stoop so low… I can't believe that Harry or Cedric have gone so far."

"Harry or Cedric?" Susan asked, unbelieving.

"Well, that can only be one of them. Who else would benefit from getting me and Viktor out of the competition?"

"Fleur, that's nonsense. I know Cedric well enough, and he wouldn't be able to cast an Unforgivable Curse. And Harry… Have you forgotten that he's the one who got Gabrielle out of the Black Lake? Do you really believe that he would be willing to go to such lengths in order to win?" She saw that her words had effect, especially when she mentioned Gabrielle's rescuing. "Anyway, that wouldn't be logical. Why would Cedric cast an Imperius Curse and order Krum to torture him? And why would Harry order Krum to torture Cedric only to save him afterwards?"

Fleur remained mute. Krum then spoke. "After I was stupefied, I heard Potter and Diggory speak. Neither of them seemed to understand why I did that. I didn't understand it myself. I don't think it's one of them who put me under an Imperius."

"But then… who did?" Fleur asked.

Susan already knew the answer.

"There's someone else in the maze."

Her conclusion froze her insides. Harry was still in there. And there was someone very dangerous in that maze as well. She looked at the judges and noticed then that both the mother and the godfather of Harry had joined the small group, along with most of the professors.

There was something very wrong going on.

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Next chapter: Harry