Ludo Bagman informed the four champions that the Third Task would take place on the evening of June 24th.
They would also learn the specific details of the task one month in advance.
The final scores from the first two tasks determined the champions' entry time into the Third Task arena. For every point of advantage, a champion earned a two-minute head start.
This meant that Jon Hart, with a 33-point lead over second-place Viktor Krum, could enter the maze—the actual content of the Third Task—1 hour and 6 minutes earlier. Compared to Harry Potter, his advantage stretched to 1 hour and 14 minutes.
Professor Flitwick returned the Ashwinder egg he had retrieved from the lake to Jon. It had reverted to its original size, though its shell had turned a dark gray.
"It still seems to contain a trace of energy," the Charms professor remarked. "You can keep it as a souvenir."
"Yes, thank you, Professor!" Jon quickly accepted it.
"This scoring is completely unfair!" Professor Karkaroff was still making a last attempt to argue on Krum's behalf...
But no one paid him any attention anymore. The Second Task was officially over.
Madam Pomfrey began escorting the champions and the hostages back to the castle.
"You must change into dry clothes immediately," she fussed, "and then come see me for some Pepperup Potion, just in case..."
...
After the Second Task ended, the whole castle buzzed with curiosity about what had happened beneath the lake.
Not only the students—portraits, statues, and even ghosts were talking about it.
The hostages eventually revealed the truth. In Professor McGonagall's office, Dumbledore had put them into a magical sleep, assuring them first that they would be in no danger and would awaken the moment they surfaced.
Astoria became the subject of teasing among many Slytherin girls, who called her Jon's "beloved treasure." She was now too embarrassed to even greet him in public.
Hermione Granger and Cho Chang had also drawn attention. Rumor had it Hermione's temper had grown particularly short, while Cho had all but disappeared from public view except during classes.
Jon Hart's situation wasn't much better.
He felt he could no longer find peace anywhere in the castle. Wherever he went, curious "onlookers" would appear, eager to strike up conversation.
Yes, he was popular now. With such a commanding lead, nearly all of Hogwarts believed he would win the championship.
Some Gryffindors had shown hostility at first, but that tension eased within days—thanks largely to Harry Potter, who worked hard to persuade his friends.
Except for a few of the Weasley boys, the rest of Gryffindor now at least greeted Jon politely when they saw him.
Meanwhile, Igor Karkaroff looked worse by the day.
Some claimed they had seen him hurling insults at Durmstrang students—everyone except Krum.
Many believed the outcome of the Second Task had dealt him a crushing blow, since Durmstrang was now virtually out of the running for the championship.
But Jon knew the real reason for Karkaroff's growing irritability: the Dark Mark on his arm was becoming clearer.
Jon had spotted him loitering around the dungeons and near the castle's entrance more than once, clearly seeking out Snape—his fellow sufferer—to discuss what to do.
Unfortunately for him, Professor Snape had pledged himself to stronger powers long ago and paid Karkaroff little attention.
Having betrayed Voldemort years earlier and named a long list of Death Eaters, Karkaroff surely knew he would be high on the kill list if the Dark Lord returned. His panic was only growing by the day.
...
The first Sunday after the Second Task.
At exactly 6:55 p.m., Jon arrived on the eighth floor, heading toward Dumbledore's office.
"Jon!"
The moment he stepped into the corridor, a cheerful voice rang out from the direction of the Gryffindor common room.
This had become common lately, but this time it was someone familiar, so Jon stopped.
"Good evening, Natalie."
"It's been so hard to catch you lately..." The girl ran over, her excitement obvious. "I saw your performance in the Second Task, it was just..."
"I'm sorry," Jon cut in gently. "But I need to get to Dumbledore's office now."
"Oh..." Natalie's smile faltered. She lowered her voice. "Go on, then."
Jon nodded and continued toward the ugly stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the girl quietly trailing after him.
He ignored her. A few minutes later, he stood before the gargoyle.
It lay sprawled across the passage, its long body blocking the way completely, snoring loudly.
"Hey... Mr. Stone..." Jon tapped its back lightly and whispered, "What's the password?"
"Hrghhh..." The gargoyle kept on snoring.
Jon glanced around, hoping to slip by, but the gargoyle's bulk completely blocked the corridor.
A glance at his watch—6:58. He was going to be late.
From behind came the sound of stifled laughter.
Natalie stood in the corner, covering her mouth, quietly mocking him.
Setting his jaw, Jon grabbed hold of the gargoyle's back, hauled himself up, and scrambled over. It didn't take much effort. He leapt down onto the other side of the corridor.
"What kind of guardian is this?" Jon muttered helplessly.
He pushed open the door and stepped into the staircase beyond.
...
"That's it?" Now it was Natalie's turn to be dumbfounded.
She watched Jon's retreating figure, then approached curiously.
The gargoyle's snores still rumbled through the hall.
Natalie gripped one of its ridges, trying to climb over as Jon had done.
Suddenly, a powerful force shoved her backward. She fell to the ground, staring up in horror as the massive creature rose to its full height.
The gargoyle's earlier lethargy was gone.
"Password?" it demanded coldly.
"I..." Natalie stammered, too frightened to speak.
"Headmaster's Office... No interruptions!"
With a furious roar, the girl turned and bolted in terror.