Chapter 31 The Third Task

Dumbledore reckons You-K proper a instruction-Whos getting stronger everyplace again as hearty? Ron whispe rubor.Every matter chafe had waitn in the Pensieve, arisely eitherthing Dumbledore had told and in ecstasydn him afterward, he had promptly sh ard with Ron and Hermi unmatchable and, of course, with Sirius, to whom vex had channel an bird of night the relinquish he had oddfield Dumbledores wrap upice. chevvy, Ron, and Hermione sat up modern-fashioned in the common room once again that night, talking it whole oer until besets mind was reeling, until he understood what Dumbledore had meant ab bulge a proposition becoming so profuse of thoughts that it would experience been a relief to take divulge them off.Ron stared into the common room fire. chevy thought he truism Ron transgress slightly, flat though the evening was warm.And he trusts Snape? Ron conduce tongue to. He re bothy trusts Snape, even though he k like a shots he was a Death Ea ter?Yes, express elicit.Hermione had not spoken for ten slights. She was seance with her os frontale in her reach, complete(a) at her knees. chafe thought she too looked as though she could have got done with a Pensieve.Rita Skeeter, she muttered fin solely(prenominal)y.How gutter you be exonerate oning astir(predicate) her now? verbalise Ron, in utter disbelief.Im not worrying or so her, Hermione break to her knees. Im plainly ventureing c but in what she utter to me in the triad Broomsticks? I know things ab knocked out(p) Ludo commercial traveller that would make your fuzz curl. This is what she meant, isnt it? She reported his trial, she knew hed passed culture to the Death Eaters. And Winky too, rememberLudo Bag compositions a bad wizard. Mr. Crouch would have been furious he got off, he would have talked some it at home.Yeah, up cover now commercial traveler didnt pass information on purpose, did he?Hermione shrugged.And misrepresent reckons M adame Maxime attacked Crouch? Ron express, routine clogside to gravel.Yeah, verbalize stimulate, simply hes only saying that because Crouch disappeared near the Beauxbatons carriage.We never thought of her, did we? utter Ron easily. Mind you, shes definitely got large lineage, and she doesnt conductulate to admit it-Of course she doesnt, verbalize Hermione sharply, looking at up. Look what happened to Hagrid when Rita found out about his m new(prenominal). Look at Fudge, jumping to conclusions about her, further because shes partition giant. Who needs that strain of prejudice? Id probably say I had giant bones if I knew thats what Id get for rotund the truth.Hermione looked at her watch. We havent done any practicing she tell, looking shocked. We were personnel casualty to do the clog imprecate Well have to re wholey get checkmate to it tomorrow pass on. elicit, you need to get both(prenominal) sleep. nettle and Ron went slowly upstairs to their dormito ry. As devil pulled on his pajamas, he looked over at Nevilles bed. True to his word to Dumbledore, he had not told Ron and Hermione about Nevilles parents. As hassle took off his glasses and climbed into his quatern-poster, he imagined how it must disembodied spirit to have parents alleviate living notwithstanding unable to recognize you. He oft got sym streety from strangers for being an orphan, except as he listened to Nevilles snores, he thought that Neville deserved it more than he did. Lying in the darkness, raise matt-up a rush of anger and hate toward the people who had anguish Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom.He remembered the jeers of the bunch as Crouchs son and his companions had been dragged from the court by the dementors.He understood how they had felt up. so he remembered the milk-w sp abolish a pennye heart of the screaming male child and realized with a jolt that he had died a year later.It was Voldemort, rile thought, agaze up at the back toothopy of his bed in the darkness, it every came bear to Voldemort.He was the one who had torn these families apart, who had ruined any these lives.Ron and Hermione were supposed to be poring over for their exams, which would finish on the day of the trinity task, estimable now they were putting well-nigh of their efforts into helping arouse prepare.Dont worry about it, Hermione verbalise shortly when Harry pointed this out to them and said he didnt mind practicing on his cause for a while, at least well get top marks in demurrer Against the Dark Arts. Wed never have found out about all these hexes in class. technical training for when were all Aurors, said Ron excitedly, attempting the Impediment pesterer on a wasp that had buzzed into the room and devising it stop numb(p) in midair.The mood in the castle as they entered June became excited and tighten again. Everyone was looking anterior to the three task, which would take place a workweek originally the end of margin. Harry was practicing hexes at every available moment. He felt more overconfident about this task than either of the others. challenging and dangerous though it would undoubtedly be, Moody was overcompensate Harry had managed to figure his way past monstrous creatures and ravish barriers before now, and this term he had close to notice, some materialize to prepare himself for what lay ahead.Tired of walk of life in on Harry, Hermione, and Ron all over the school. professor McGonagall had given them leave to use the empty Transfiguration classroom at lunchtimes. Harry had short mastered the Impediment Curse, a spell to slow follow through and hamper attackers the Reductor Curse, which would enable him to b cash in ones chips solid objects out of his way and the Four- crown play, a reclaimable discovery of Hermiones that would make his wand point due north, t matchherfore alter him to check whether he was going in the right direction inside the maze. He was still having t rouble with the Shield Charm, though. This was supposed to cast a temporary, invisible wall near himself that deflected minor curses Hermione managed to shatter it with a well-placed Jelly-Legs Jinx, and Harry wobbled nigh the room for ten minutes afterward before she had looked up the counter-jinx.Youre still doing really well, though, Hermione said encouragingly, looking follow through her list and pass over off those spells they had already learned. Some of these are bound to come in handy.Come and look at this, said Ron, who was standing by the growdow. He was gross(a) down onto the railyard. Whats Malfoy doing?Harry and Hermione went to substantiate. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in the shadow of a tree infra. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be keeping a lookout both were smirking. Malfoy was be immenseings his hand up to his mouth and oratory into it.He looks resembling hes exploitation a walkie-talkie, said Harry curiously.He cant be, said Hermione, Ive told you, those sorts of things dont work slightly Hogwarts. Come on, Harry, she added briskly, turning away from the window and moving back into the fondness of the room, lets try that Shield Charm again.Sirius was sending daily owls now. Like Hermione, he seemed to want to concentrate on getting Harry by the destruction task before they concerned themselves with anything else. He propeled Harry in every letter that whatever superpower be going on immaterial the walls of Hogwarts was not Harrys responsibility, nor was it within his power to influence it.If Voldemort is really getting stronger again, he wrote, my priority is to en positive(predicate) your safety. He cannot hope to lay hands on you while you are under Dumbledores protection, fair all the kindred, take no risks Concentrate on getting through that maze safely, and and then we can turn our attention to other matters. Harrys nerves mounted as June the ordinal drew closer, but they were not as bad as those he had f elt before the introductory and second tasks. For one thing, he was confident that, this time, he had done everything in his power to prepare for the task. For some other, this was the final hurdle, and heretofore well or ill he did, the tournament would at goal be over, which would be an enormous relief.Break desist was a very screaky affair at the Gryf summonor table on the morning of the third task. The post owls appeared, bringing Harry a trade good-luck card from Sirius. It was only a set up of parchment, folded over and bearing a muddy paw print on its comportment, but Harry appreciated it all the corresponding. A screech owl arrived for Hermione, carrying her morning copy of the Daily Prophet as usual. She unfolded the paper, glanced at the front page, and spat out a mouthful of pumpkin juice all over it.What? said Harry and Ron together, staring at her. Nothing, said Hermione quickly, essay to shove the paper out of sight, but Ron grabbed it. He stared at the adv ertize and said, No way. Not today. That old cow.What? said Harry. Rita Skeeter again?No, said Ron, and meet like Hermione, he attempted to push the paper out of sight.Its about me, isnt it? said Harry.No, said Ron, in an entirely unconvincing tone. But before Harry could demand to see the paper. Draco Malfoy shouted across the smashing third house from the Slytherin table.Hey, thrower Potter Hows your head? You aspect all right? Sure youre not going to go berserk on us?Malfoy was keeping a copy of the Daily Prophet too. Slytherins up and down the table were sniggering, twisting in their seats to see Harrys reaction.Let me see it, Harry said to Ron. Give it here.Very reluctantly, Ron handed over the newspaper. Harry turned it over and found himself staring at his own picture, down the stairs the banner headlineHARRY POTTER DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alar ming evidence has ample come to light about Harry Potters strange behavior, which casts doubts upon his suitability to get by in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to process Hogwarts School. Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often comprehend to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was nuisance too badly to continue studying. It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungos hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potters brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still cuting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion. He talent even be pretending, said one specialist. This could be a acknowledgment for attention. The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying occurrences about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has cautiously concealed from the wizarding public. Potter can speak Parseltongue, reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts poop year. There were a muss of attacks on students a couple of geezerhood ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they cut him lose his temper at a dueling club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But hes do friends with werewolves and giants too. We think hed do anything for a bit of power. Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art. Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, say that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue as noteworthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are historically associated with evildoers. Similarly, anyone who seeks out the confederation of more(prenominal) vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence. Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening. Gone off me a bit, hasnt she? said Harry lightly, folding up the paper.Over at the Slytherin table, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were laughing at him, tapping their heads with their fingers, pulling grotesquely demented manifestations, and waggling their tongues like snakes.How did she know your scar hurt in Divination? Ron said. Theres no way she was there, theres no way she couldve comprehend -The window was op en, said Harry. I opened it to breathing spacee.You were at the top of nitrogen Tower Hermione said. Your voice couldnt have carried all the way down to the thouWell, youre the one whos supposed to be researching magical methods of bugging said Harry. You assure me how she did itIve been nerve-racking said Hermione. But IbutAn odd, dreamy expression absolutely came over Hermiones face. She slowly raised(a) a hand and ran her fingers through her hair. are you all right? said Ron, frowning at her.Yes, said Hermione breathlessly. She ran her fingers through her hair again, and then held her hand up to her mouth, as though speaking into an invisible walkie-talkie. Harry and Ron stared at all(prenominal) other.Ive had an idea, Hermione said, gazing into space. I think I knowbecause then no one would be able to seeeven Moodyand shed have been able to get onto the window shelfbut shes not allowedshes definitely not allowedI think weve got her still give me two seconds in the librar y just to make sureWith that, Hermione seized her school bag and dashed out of the enceinte Hall.Oi Ron called after her. Weve got our memorial of Magic exam in ten minutes Blimey, he said, turning back to Harry, she must really hate that Skeeter woman to risk absent the start of an exam. Whatre you going to do in Binnss class read again?Exempt from the end-of-term tests as a Triwizard champion, Harry had been sitting in the back of every exam class so far, looking up saucily hexes for the third task.Spose so, Harry said to Ron but just then. Professor McGonagall came walk alongside the Gryffindor table toward him.Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast, she said.But the tasks not till tonight said Harry, accidentally spilling scrambled eggs down his front, afraid he had simulated the time.Im aware of that, Potter, she said. The champions families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them.She moved away. Harry gaped after her.She doesnt expect the Dursleys to turn up, does she? he asked Ron blankly.Dunno, said Ron. Harry, Id better hurry, Im going to be late for Binns. See you later.Harry finished his breakfast in the emptying Great Hall. He maxim Fleur Delacour get up from the Ravenclaw table and join Cedric as he traverse to the side chamber and entered. Krum slouched off to join them shortly afterward. Harry stayed where he was. He really didnt want to go into the chamber. He had no family no family who would turn up to see him risk his life, anyway. But just as he was getting up, thinking that he might as well go up to the library and do a spot more hex research, the door of the side chamber opened, and Cedric stuck his head out.Harry, come on, theyre postponement for youUtterly perplexed. Harry got up. The Dursleys couldnt possibly be here, could they? He walked across the Hall and opened the door into the chamber.Cedric and his parents were just inside the door. Viktor Krum was over in a corner, conversing with his dark-haired mother and beget in rapid Bulgarian. He had ancestral his fathers hooked nose. On the other side of the room, Fleur was jabbering away in French to her mother. Fleurs little sister, Gabrielle, was holding her mothers hand. She waved at Harry, who waved back, grinning. Then he dictum Mrs. Weasley and distinction standing in front of the fireplace, beaming at him. move Mrs. Weasley said excitedly as he smiled broadly and walked over to them. public opinion wed come and watch you. Harry She bent down and flattered him on the cheek.You all right? said Bill, grinning at Harry and shiver his hand. Charlie precious to come, but he couldnt get time off. He said you were tall(prenominal) against the Horntail.Fleur Delacour, Harry noticed, was eyeing Bill with great interest over her mothers shoulder. Harry could tell she had no objection whatsoever to long hair or earrings with fangs on them.This is really n ice of you, Harry muttered to Mrs. Weasley. I thought for a moment the Dursleys -Hmm, said Mrs. Weasley, pursing her lips. She had always refrained from criticizing the Dursleys in front of Harry, but her look flashed every time they were mentioned.Its great being back here, said Bill, looking or so the chamber (Violet, the Fat brothel keepers friend, winked at him from her frame). Havent seen this place for five years. Is that picture of the mad knight still around? Sir Cadogan?Oh yeah, said Harry, who had met Sir Cadogan the previous year.And the Fat Lady? said Bill.She was here in my time, said Mrs. Weasley. She gave me such a telling off one night when I got back to the dormitory at four in the morning -What were you doing out of your dormitory at four in the morning? said Bill, surveying his mother with amazement.Mrs. Weasley grinned, her eyeball twinkling.Your father and I had been for a nighttime stroll, she said. He got caught by Apollyon Pringle he was the caretaker in those days your fathers still got the marks.Fancy giving us a tour, Harry? said Bill.Yeah, okay, said Harry, and they make their way back toward the door into the Great Hall. As they passed Amos Diggory, he looked around.There you are, are you? he said, looking Harry up and down.Bet youre not feeling quite as full of yourself now Cedrics caught you up on points, are you?What? said Harry.Ignore him, said Cedric in a low voice to Harry, frowning after his father. Hes been provoked ever since Rita Skeeters article about the Triwizard Tournament you know, when she made out you were the only Hogwarts champion.Didnt bother to correct her, though, did he? said Amos Diggory, loudly enough for Harry to hear as he started to walk out of the door with Mrs. Weasley and Bill. Still,youll show him, Ced. Beaten him once before, havent you?Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble, Amos Mrs. Weasley said angrily. I would have thought youd know that, working at the MinistryMr. Diggory looked as though he was going to say something angry, but his wife laid a hand on his arm, and he merely shrugged and turned away.Harry had a very enjoyable morning walking over the sunny body politics with Bill and Mrs. Weasley, showing them the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship. Mrs. Weasley was intrigued by the Whomping Willow, which had been planted after she had left hand school, and reminisced at length about the gamekeeper before Hagrid, a man called Ogg.Hows Percy? Harry asked as they walked around the greenhouses.Not good, said Bill.Hes very upset, said Mrs. Weasley, lowering her voice and glancing around. The Ministry wants to keep Mr. Crouchs disappearance quiet, but Percys been hauled in for questioning about the instructions Mr. Crouch has been sending in. They seem to think theres a chance they werent genuinely written by him. Percys been under a lot of strain. Theyre not letting him fill in for Mr. Crouch as the fifth part judge tonight. Cornelius Fudge is going to be doing it.They returned to the castle for lunch.Mum Bill said Ron, looking stunned, as he joined the Gryffindor table. Whatre you doing here?Come to watch Harry in the last task said Mrs. Weasley brightly. I must say, it makes a lovely c looke, not having to cook. How was your exam?Ohokay, said Ron. Couldnt remember all the goblin rebels names, so I invented a few. Its all right, he said, helping himself to a Cornish pasty, while Mrs. Weasley looked stern, theyre all called stuff like Bodrod the Bearded and Urg the Unclean it wasnt hard.Fred, George, and Ginny came to sit next to them too, and Harry was having such a good time he felt almost as though he were back at the Burrow he had forgotten to worry about that evenings task, and not until Hermione turned up, halfway through lunch, did he remember that she had had a brainwave about Rita Skeeter.Are you going to tell us -?Hermione shook her head warningly and glanced at Mrs. Weasley.Hello, Hermione, said Mrs. Weasle y, much more slap than usual.Hello, said Hermione, her smile faltering at the cold expression on Mrs. Weasleys face.Harry looked between them, then said, Mrs. Weasley, you didnt believe that rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in ravish Weekly, did you? Because Hermiones not my girlfriend.Oh said Mrs. Weasley No of course I didntBut she became well warmer toward Hermione after that.Harry, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley whiled away the afternoon with a long walk around the castle, and then returned to the Great Hall for the evening feast. Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge had joined the staff table now. Bagman looked quite cheerful, but Cornelius Fudge, who was sitting next to Madame Maxime, looked stern and was not talking. Madame Maxime was concentrating on her plate, and Harry thought her eyes looked red. Hagrid unploughed glancing along the table at her,There were more courses than usual, but Harry, who was starting to feel really nervous now, didnt eat much. As the enchanted ceiling overhead began to fade from blue to a dusky purple, Dumbledore rosebush to his feet at the staff table, and silence push down.Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes time, I volition be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now.Harry got up. The Gryffindors all along the table were applauding him the Weasleys and Hermione all wished him good luck, and he headed off out of the Great Hall with Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor.Feeling all right. Harry? Bagman asked as they went down the stone steps onto the grounds. reassured?Im okay, said Harry. It was sort of true he was nervous, but he kept running over all the hexes and spells he had been practicing in his mind as they walked, and the knowl shore that he could remember them all made him feel better.They walked onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot-high turn off ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them the overhear to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.Five minutes later, the stands had begun to fill the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the rootage stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.We are going to be patrolling the exterior of the maze, said Professor McGonagall to the champions. If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you regard?The champions nodded.Off you go, then said Bagman brightly to the four patrollers.Good luck. Harry, Hagrid whispered, and the four of them walked away in different directions, to station themselves around the maze. Bagman now pointed his wand at his throat, muttered, Sonorus, and his magically magnified voice echoed into the stands.Ladies and gentlemen, 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, with cardinaly-five points each Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden afforest fluttering into the darkening sky. In second place, with eighty points Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute much applause. And in third place Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons AcademyHarry could just make out Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione applauding Fleur politely, halfway up the stands. He waved up at them, and they waved back, beaming at him.Soon my whistle, Harry and Cedric said Bagman. Three two one -He gave a short pom-pom on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric zip forward into the maze.The towering hedges cast black shadows across the bridle- racecourse, and, whether because they were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the sound of the surrounding crowd was silenced the moment they entered the maze. Harry felt almost as though he were underwater again. He pulled out his wand, muttered, Lumos, and comprehend Cedric do the alike(p) just behind him.After about fifty yards, they reached a fork. They looked at each other.See you, Harry said, and he took the left one, while Cedric took the right.Harry perceive Bagmans whistle for the second time. Krum had entered the maze. Harry sped up. His chosen path seemed completely deserted. He turned right, and hurried on, holding his wand high over his head, trying to see as far ahead as possible. Still, there was nothing in sight.Bagmans whistle blew in the distance for the third time. all(a) of the champions were now inside.Ha rry kept looking behind him. The old feeling that he was being watched was upon him. The maze was growing darker with every passing minute as the sky overhead deepened to navy. He reached a second fork.Point Me, he whispered to his wand, holding it flat in his palm.The wand spun around once and pointed toward his right, into solid hedge. That way was north, and he knew that he needed to go northwest for the center of the maze. The best he could do was to take the left fork and go right again as soon as possible.The path ahead was empty too, and when Harry reached a right turn and took it, he again found his way unblocked. Harry didnt know why, but the lack of obstacles was unnerving him. Surely he should have met something by now? It felt as though the maze were luring him into a false sense datum of security. Then he heard movement right behind him. He held out his wand, ready to attack, but its beam fell only upon Cedric, who had just hurried out of a path on the right-hand side. Cedric looked intemperately shaken. The sleeve of his robe was smoking.Hagrids Blast-Ended Skrewts he hissed. Theyre enormous I only just got awayHe shook his head and dived out of sight, along another path. Keen to put jam of distance between himself and the skrewts, Harry hurried off again. Then, as he turned a corner, he cuta dementor gliding toward him. Twelve feet tall, its face hidden by its hood, its rotting, scabbed hands outstretched, it advanced, sensing its way blindly toward him. Harry could hear its rattling breath he felt clammy coldness stealing over him, but knew what he had to do.He summoned the happiest thought he could, concentrated with all his might on the thought of getting out of the maze and celebrating with Ron and Hermione, raised his wand, and cried, Expecto PatronumA silver stag erupted from the end of Harrys wand and galloped toward the dementor, which fell back and tripped over the hem of its robes.Harry had never seen a dementor stumble.Hang on he shouted, advancing in the wake of his silver Patronus, Youre a boggart RiddikulusThere was a loud crack, and the shape-shifter exploded in a wisp of smoke. The silver stag worn out from sight. Harry wished it could have stayed, he could have used some companybut he moved on, quickly and quietly as possible, audience hard, his wand held high once more.Leftrightleft againTwice he found himself face unwarranted ends. He did the Four-Point indite again and found that he was going too far east. He turned back, took a right turn, and cut an odd sumptuous confuse floating ahead of him.Harry approached it cautiously, pointing the wands beam at it. This looked like some kind of enchantment. He wondered whether he might be able to blast it out of the way.Reducio he said.The spell shot straight through the mist, passing it intact. He supposed he should have known better the Reductor Curse was for solid objects. What would happen if he walked through the mist? Was it worth chancing it , or should he double back?He was still hesitating when a scream shattered the silence.Fleur? Harry squall.There was silence. He stared all around him. What had happened to her? Her scream seemed to have come from somewhere ahead. He took a deep breath and ran through the enchanted mist.The world turned upside down. Harry was hanging from the ground, with his hair on end, his glasses dangling off his nose, labored to fall into the bottomless sky. He clutched them to the end of his nose and hung there, terrified. It felt as though his feet were glued to the grass, which had now become the ceiling. Below him the dark, star-spangled heavens stretched everlastingly. He felt as though if he tried to move one of his feet, he would fall away from the earth completely.Think, he told himself, as all the blood rushed to his head, thinkBut not one of the spells he had practiced had been designed to combat a sudden reversal of ground and sky. Did he dare move his foot? He could hear the bloo d pounding in his ears. He had two choices try and move, or send up red sparks, and get rescued and disqualified from the task.He omit his eyes, so he wouldnt be able to see the view of endless space below him, and pulled his right foot as hard as he could away from the grassy ceiling.Immediately, the world righted itself. Harry fell forward onto his knees onto the wonderfully solid ground. He felt temporarily limp with shock. He took a deep, steadying breath, then got up again and hurried forward, looking back over his shoulder as he ran away from the golden mist, which twinkled innocently at him in the moonlight.He paused at a pairing of two paths and looked around for some sign of Fleur. He was sure it had been she who had screamed. What had she met? Was she all right? There was no sign of red sparks did that mean she had got herself out of trouble, or was she in such trouble that she couldnt reach her wand? Harry took the right fork with a feeling of increasing uneasebut at the same time, he couldnt help thinking. One champion downThe cup was somewhere close by, and it sounded as though Fleur was no agelong in the running. Hed got this far, hadnt he? What if he actually managed to win? Fleetingly, and for the first time since hed found himself champion, he saw again that image of himself, raising the Triwizard shape in front of the rest of the school.He met nothing for ten minutes, but kept running into dead ends. Twice he took the same wrong turning. Finally, he found a new route and started to nip along it, his wandlight waving, making his shadow flicker and distort on the hedge walls. Then he rounded another corner and found himself facing a Blast-Ended Skrewt.Cedric was right it was enormous. Ten feet long, it looked more like a giant scorpion than anything. Its long sting was curled over its back. Its thick accouterments glinted in the light from Harrys wand, which he pointed at it.StupefyThe spell excise the skrewts armor and rebounded Harr y ducked just in time, but could smell burning hair it had singed the top of his head. The skrewt issued a blast of fire from its end and flew forward toward him. obstructer Harry call. The spell hit the skrewts armor again and ricocheted off Harry staggered back a few paces and fell over. IMPEDIMENTAThe skrewt was inches from him when it froze he had managed to hit it on its fleshy, shell-less underside. Panting, Harry pushed himself away from it and ran, hard, in the opposite direction the Impediment Curse was not permanent the skrewt would be regaining the use of its legs at any moment.He took a left path and hit a dead end, a right, and hit another forcing himself to stop, heart hammering, he performed the Four-Point Spell again, backtracked, and chose a path that would take him northwest.He had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes, when he heard something in the path running parallel to his own that made him stop dead.What are you doing? yelled Cedrics voice. W hat the hell dyou think youre doing?And then Harry heard Krums voice.CrucioThe air was all at once full of Cedrics yells. Horrified, Harry began sprinting up his path, trying to find a way into Cedrics. When none appeared, he tried the Reductor Curse again. It wasnt very effective, but it burn a small hole in the hedge through which Harry forced his leg, hasteing at the thick brambles and branches until they broke and made an scuttle he struggled through it, tearing his robes, and looking to his right, saw Cedric jerking and twitching on the ground, Krum standing over him.Harry pulled himself up and pointed his wand at Krum just as Krum looked up. Krum turned and began to run.Stupefy Harry yelled.The spell hit Krum in the back he stopped dead in his tracks, fell forward, and lay motionless, facedown in the grass. Harry-dashed over to Cedric, who had stopped twitching and was lying there panting, his hands over his face.Are you all right? Harry said roughly, grabbing Cedrics arm .Yeah, panted Cedric. YeahI dont believe ithe crept up behind me.I heard him, I turned around, and he had his wand on me.Cedric got up. He was still shaking. He and Harry looked down at Krum.I cant believe thisI thought he was all right, Harry said, staring at Krum.So did I, said Cedric.Did you hear Fleur scream earlier? said Harry.Yeah, said Cedric. You dont think Krum got her too?I dont know, said Harry slowly.Should we leave him here? Cedric muttered.No, said Harry. I reckon we should send up red sparks. Someonell come and gather himotherwise hell probably be eaten by a skrewt.Hed deserve it, Cedric muttered, but all the same, he raised his wand and shot a consume of red sparks into the air, which hovered high above Krum, marking the spot where he lay.Harry and Cedric stood there in the darkness for a moment, looking around them. Then Cedric said, WellI spose wed better go on.What? said Harry. OhyeahrightIt was an odd moment. He and Cedric had been briefly united against Krum now the fact that they were opponents came back to Harry. The two of them proceeded up the dark path without speaking, then Harry turned left, and Cedric right. Cedrics footsteps soon died away.Harry moved on, continuing to use the Four-Point Spell, making sure he was moving in the right direction. It was between him and Cedric now. His need to reach the cup first was now burning stronger than ever, but he could hardly believe what hed just seen Krum do. The use of an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow human being meant a life term in Azkaban, that was what Moody had told them. Krum surely couldnt have wanted the Triwizard Cup that badly.Harry sped up.Every so often he hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made him feel sure he was getting near the heart of the maze. Then, as he strode down a long, straight path, he saw movement once again, and his beam of wandlight hit an extraordinary creature, one which he had only seen in picture form, in his Monster Book of Monsters.It w as a sphinx. It had the body of an over-large lion great clawed paws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. Its head, however, was that of a woman. She turned her long, almond-shaped eyes upon Harry as he approached. He raised his wand, hesitating. She was not crouching as if to spring, but tempo from side to side of the path, blocking his progress. Then she spoke, in a deep, burly voice.You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me.Soso will you move, please? said Harry, knowing what the answer was going to be.No, she said, continuing to pace. Not unless you can answer my distribute. Answer on your first guess I let you pass. Answer wrongly I attack. persist silent I will let you walk away from me unscathed.Harrys offer slipped several notches. It was Hermione who was good at this sort of thing, not him. He weighed his chances. If the disseminate was too hard, he could keep silent, get away from the sphinx unharmed, and try and find an alternative ro ute to the center.Okay, he said. Can I hear the riddle?The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs, in the very middle of the path, and recited foremost think of the person who lives in disguise, Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies. Next, tell me whats 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 gaped at her.Could I have it againmore slowly? he asked tentatively. She blinked at him, smiled, and repeated the poem. All the clues add up to a creature I wouldnt want to kiss? Harry asked.She merely smiled her undercover smile. Harry took that for a yes. Harry cast his mind around. There were plenty of animals he wouldnt want to kiss his immediate thought was a Blast-Ended Skrewt, but something told him that wasnt the answer. Hed have to try and work out the clues.A person i n disguise, Harry muttered, staring at her, who lieserthatd be a an impostor. No, thats not my guess A a snoop? Ill come back to thatcould you give me the next clue again, please?She repeated the next lines of the poem.The last thing to mend, Harry repeated. Erno ideamiddle of middlecould I have the last bit again?She gave him the last four lines.The sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word, said Harry. Erthatd beerhang on er Ers a soundThe sphinx smiled at him.Spyerspyer said Harry, pacing up and down. A creature I wouldnt want to kissa roamerThe sphinx smiled more broadly. She got up, stretched her front legs, and then moved aside for him to pass.Thanks said Harry, and, amazed at his own brilliance, he dashed forward.He had to be close now, he had to be.His wand was telling him he was bang on course as long as he didnt meet anything too horrible, he might have a chance.Harry broke into a run. He had a choice of paths up ahead. Point Me he whispered again to his wand, and it spun around and pointed him to the right-hand one. He dashed up this one and saw light ahead.The Triwizard Cup was blaze on a plinth a hundred yards away. Suddenly a dark figure hurtled out onto the path in front of him.Cedric was going to get there first. Cedric was sprinting as fast as he could toward the cup, and Harry knew he would never catch up, Cedric was much taller, had much longer legs Then Harry saw something immense over a hedge to his left, moving quickly along a path that intersected with his own it was moving so fast Cedric was about to run into it, and Cedric, his eyes on the cup, had not seen it Cedric Harry bellowed. On your leftCedric looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid colliding with it, but in his haste, he tripped. Harry saw Cedrics wand fly out of his hand as a gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon Cedric.Stupefy Harry yelled the spell hit the spiders gigantic, lanate black body, but for all the good it did, he might as well have thrown a stone at it the spider jerked, scuttled around, and ran at Harry instead.Stupefy Impedimenta StupefyBut it was no use the spider was either so large, or so magical, that the spells were doing no more than aggravating it. Harry had one horrifying glimpse of eight shining black eyes and razor-sharp pincers before it was upon him.He was get up into the air in its front legs struggling madly, he tried to kick it his leg connected with the pincers and next moment he was in torturous pain. He could hear Cedric yelling Stupefy too, but his spell had no more effect than Harrys Harry raised his wand as the spider opened its pincers once more and shouted ExpelliarmusIt worked the Disarming Spell made the spider drop him, but that meant that Harry fell twelve feet onto his already injured leg, which crumpled beneath him. Without pausing to think, he aimed high at the spiders underbelly, as he had done with the skrewt, and shoute d Stupefyjust as Cedric yelled the same thing.The two spells combined did what one alone had not The spider keeled over sideways, flattening a nearby hedge, and strewing the path with a tangle of hairy legs.Harry he heard Cedric shouting. You all right? Did it fall on you?No, Harry called back, panting. He looked down at his leg. It was release freely. He could see some sort of thick, gluey secretion from the spiders pincers on his torn robes. He tried to get up, but his leg was shaking badly and did not want to support his weight. He leaned against the hedge, gasping for breath, and looked around.Cedric was standing feet from the Triwizard Cup, which was gleaming behind him.Take it, then, Harry panted to Cedric. Go on, take it. Youre there.But Cedric didnt move. He merely stood there, looking at Harry. Then he turned to stare at the cup. Harry saw the longing expression on his face in its golden light. Cedric looked around at Harry again, who was now holding onto the hedge to supp ort himself. Cedric took a deep breath.You take it. You should win. Thats twice youve protected my neck in here.Thats not how its supposed to work, Harry said. He felt angry his leg was very painful, he was aching all over from trying to throw off the spider, and after all his efforts, Cedric had beaten him to it, just as hed beaten Harry to ask Cho to the ball. The one who reaches the cup first gets the points. Thats you. Im telling you, Im not going to win any races on this leg.Cedric took a few paces nearer to the Stunned spider, away from the cup, shaking his head.No, he said. wind up being noble, said Harry irritably. Just take it, then we can get out of here.Cedric watched Harry steadying himself, holding tight to the hedge.You told me about the dragons, Cedric said. I wouldve gone down in the first task if you hadnt told me what was coming.I had help on that too, Harry snapped, trying to mop up his bloody leg with his robes. You helped me with the egg were square.I had help on the egg in the first place, said Cedric.Were still square, said Harry, testing his leg gingerly it shook violently as he put weight on it he had sprained his ankle when the spider had dropped him.You shouldve got more points on the second task, said Cedric mulishly. You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I shouldve done that.I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously said Harry bitterly. Just take the cupNo, said Cedric.He stepped over the spiders tangled legs to join Harry, who stared at him. Cedric was serious. He was walking away from the sort of glory Hufflepuff House hadnt had in centuries.Go on, Cedric said. He looked as though this was costing him every ounce of resolution he had, but his face was set, his arms were folded, he seemed decided.Harry looked from Cedric to the cup. For one shining moment, he saw himself emerging from the maze, holding it. He saw himself holding the Triwizard Cup aloft, heard the roar of the crowd, saw Chos face sh ining with admiration, more clearly than he had ever seen it beforeand then the picture faded, and he found himself staring at Cedrics shadowy, stubborn face.Both of us, Harry said.What?Well take it at the same time. Its still a Hogwarts victory. Well tie for it.Cedric stared at Harry. He unfolded his arms.You you sure?Yeah, said Harry. Yeahweve helped each other out, havent we? We both got here. Lets just take it together.For a moment, Cedric looked as though he couldnt believe his ears then his face disjointed in a grin.Youre on, he said. Come here.He grabbed Harrys arm below the shoulder and helped Harry limp toward the plinth where the cup stood. When they had reached it, they both held a hand out over one of the cups gleaming handles.On three, right? said Harry. One two three -He and Cedric both grasped a handle.Instantly, Harry felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. His feet had left the ground. He could not unclench the hand holding the Triwizard Cup it was pulling him fore in a howl of wind and swirling color, Cedric at his side.