In the days that followed, Jon behaved with unusual obedience.
Outside of class, he almost never left the Hufflepuff common room—except, of course, for the times he was summoned to Dumbledore's office for "detention."
Every evening, he sat in the common room reading until the noise grew unbearable, then returned to his dormitory.
Occasionally, he practiced a spell or two. Professor Sprout had arranged an empty dormitory for him, and Zacharias volunteered to serve as his practice dummy.
For more than two months, Jon hadn't set foot in the Room of Requirement. He even wondered if the herbs stored inside had already spoiled from sitting there so long.
But he didn't really care. Ever since finishing the Veritaserum, he had put potion work aside for the time being.
...
At the end of May, during a Divination lesson, Professor Sprout suddenly appeared in the classroom.
She told Jon to go to the Quidditch pitch at five o'clock on Sunday afternoon. Mr. Ludo Bagman would be there to explain the Third Task to the champions.
She also offered Jon a few words of encouragement, telling him not to be nervous.
Only then did she let him return to class.
As he reentered, Professor Trelawney shot him an irritated look, then declared in her usual mysterious tone that before term ended, someone would die.
But after a full year of Divination lessons, both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students had already seen through her act.
No one took her prophecy seriously; instead, the class erupted in laughter.
...
On Sunday afternoon, Jon left the Hufflepuff common room and crossed the entrance hall, running into Harry Potter, who was rushing down from the upper floors.
The two went together to the Quidditch pitch, Harry speculating along the way about what they might see.
When they reached the small hut beside Madam Hooch's, both stopped in shock.
The pitch was no longer smooth and level. Instead, countless low walls had been built, crisscrossing and winding off in every direction.
Ludo Bagman and the other two champions were already waiting there.
Fleur gave Jon a bright smile, and Krum gave them a curt nod.
"Well, what do you think?" Bagman asked, looking somewhat weary. "Coming along nicely, isn't it? In another month, Hagrid will have the walls up to twenty feet. Don't worry... Well, I suppose you can guess what we're building here?"
"A maze?" Krum said gruffly.
"Exactly!" Bagman said. "A maze. The Third Task is very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed at the center. Whoever reaches it first earns full marks."
"So all we have to do is get through the maze?" Fleur asked.
"There will be obstacles, of course—Hagrid's creatures, enchantments, that sort of thing..." Bagman explained. "As before, entry will be determined by points: Mr. Hart goes first, then Mr. Krum, Miss Delacour, and finally Mr. Potter!"
After saying this, Bagman looked impatient and left in a hurry.
The four champions surveyed the half-finished maze.
Jon and Fleur left together, chatting and laughing as they walked back to the castle. Since the Second Task, Fleur's attitude toward him had been much warmer.
Harry was about to return to the castle as well, but Krum stopped him.
Krum whispered something, then used his sheer strength to pull Harry toward the Forbidden Forest.
Jon knew Krum wanted to ask about Hermione, so he didn't interfere.
...
After grabbing a quick bite in the Great Hall, it was nearly seven o'clock.
Jon hurried to Dumbledore's office on the eighth floor. With only a few weeks left in the term, his remaining "detentions" were few.
The stone guardian was, unusually, awake at this hour.
Someone was trying to force their way in.
"...Won't you just open the door?" came Harry Potter's frustrated voice. His face was full of urgency. "I really need to see Professor Dumbledore—it's important!"
The stone gargoyle lifted its head haughtily, ignoring him entirely.
Harry kicked it hard, but only ended up clutching his big toe in pain, accomplishing nothing.
"What's the matter?" Jon asked calmly as he approached.
"Jon..." Harry glanced at him, still frantic. "I must see Professor Dumbledore... Mr. Crouch showed up near the Forbidden Forest... He looks like he's gone mad..."
Jon immediately understood what was happening. He stepped forward, ready to help Harry open the entrance.
But it turned out he didn't need to.
The inscribed stone wall behind the guardian swung open silently. Dumbledore stood there in long green robes, a look of mild surprise on his face.
"Trouble?" he asked, looking from Harry to Jon.
Jon waved his hand lightly, signaling that he was only passing through.
"Professor... Mr. Crouch is in the forest—he wants to speak with you... He isn't right—he's lost his mind... He said he wants to warn—" Harry panted heavily as he shouted. "Krum's staying with him..."
"Lead the way," Dumbledore said at once. He rushed after Harry down the corridor, leaving Jon standing beside the stone guardian.
From afar, Jon could hear Harry's voice, fragmented but urgent:
"...Mr. Crouch said he did something terrible... mentioned his son... and Bertha Jorkins... and—Voldemort... He said Voldemort is growing stronger..."
Jon watched them disappear down the hall. After a moment's thought, he decided not to follow.
He turned to the stone guardian.
Moments ago it had been aloof, but now it lowered its head, grinning like a silly dog.
"Sugar quill..." it prompted.
"Yes, sugar quill!" Jon replied quickly.
The guardian stepped aside, and Jon slipped inside.
Barely seconds later, the scarlet bird swooped down on him.
Fawkes seemed to sense Dumbledore wouldn't return soon. He fixed his eyes on Jon's pouch.
Jon pulled out several herb packets. As the phoenix devoured them ravenously, he couldn't help but sigh in pity.
"Poor thing... Professor Dumbledore must be feeding you terribly..."