Harry steadied his breathing as he stood by the entrance to the maze. The crowd filled the stands, brimming with excitement for the spectacle that was about to unfold. Glancing to his sides, he saw Viktor, Fleur, and Cedric all equally tense, staring into the foliage that made the walls of their task.
"Ladies and Gentleman!" The voice of Ludo Bagman roared over the crowd, his voice being magically augmented by some spell. "Welcome to the final task of the Triwizard Tournament! This Final Task will decide who is intoned in the rock of legend! Whose name will ring throughout the ages as the first winner of the revived Triwizard Tournament! Our contestants have fought long and hard to get here, overcoming both Dragons, and the dangers that reside beneath the waters of the Black Lake. The rules for this task are slightly different than others, and while the contestants have been informed ahead of time, I would like to take this moment to explain them to you, our audience. Contestants will be entering the maze at different times, in accordance to their scores. Viktor Krum, who is currently in first place, will enter the maze first. Two minutes after his entrance, Harry Potter will enter. Thirty seconds after that, Cedric Diggory, and then two minutes after him, Ms. Fleur Delacour will enter. The contestants will be making their way to the deepest portion of the maze, where the Triwizard cup stands, once they grab it, they will be transported to the winner's podium, where we will crown our Champion! Other ancillary rules include no flying over the maze, and no killing of the other contestants. Now, on the cannon fire, Mr. Krum may enter the maze, and we will fire the cannon again for every contestant thereafter!"
A cheer went up, and a cannon fired, Viktor taking his first steps into the maze, taking a path that forked to the left immediately. The tension in the air was electric, the stress of the situation sending Harry into overdrive. He wanted nothing more than to simply sit down and avoid this farce, surrender immediately. He knew he couldn't do that though. The wording of the contract with the Goblet of Fire was vague, and did not have any provisions for unwilling participants. The definition of participation was unclear, and it was decided that it would simply be safer for Harry to do what he could to win the tasks even if he had no real desire to. Harry had little intention of actually making it to the Triwizard cup. He intended to simply clear as many obstacles as possible, to make it easier for one of the others to win.
Harry had a reason for wanting each of the other contestants to win. With Cedric, Harry shared a school, a victory for Hogwarts was also a victory for Harry, so Harry wanted Cedric to win.
With Viktor, Harry found a friend who had learned to cope with celebrity, an acquaintance who shared Harry's love of dueling, even if Viktor did prefer Quidditch. Viktor and Ivan together had given Harry something he hadn't really recognized he missed in his life, a sense of brotherly rivalry. Harry and Neville were brotherly, they'd do anything for each other, but Neville wasn't competitive, he was capable, but simply didn't find joy in competition the way Harry did. Viktor and Ivan did, many a training session was spent pushing each other to further and further heights, proving to themselves and the others that they were the best. While Viktor had been a better duelist than Harry and Ivan when they had started this training, the gap between them was no longer present, they were all of equal standing, which to Viktor meant they would surpass him quickly. He loved that for them, wanting them to one day eclipse him entirely, even though he wouldn't make it easy for them. Viktor and Ivan had been friends Harry hadn't expected, but cared for deeply, he wanted Viktor to win.
With Fleur, well emotions with Fleur varied all over the place. At the beginning of the year, Fleur was simply his friend from the dueling tournaments. One he enjoyed the company of, and frequently exchanged letters with. Their closeness over the year had blossomed though, coming to a head during the Yule Ball. Fleur revealed her love for him, provided undeniable proof of it through her wand. She was truly in love with him, her magic even said so, and Harry could feel it ooze from her very body. Learning to love Fleur was an easy process, while he wasn't sure if he was able to say he was truly in love with her yet, such things took time after all, but he knew it was all but inevitable. Fleur was simply that easy to love, and she fit what the girls had affectionately referred to as 'his type', which Daphne claimed was "Smart girls who could kick his ass". Harry had little counterargument, he was a firm believer that she was correct. This blossoming relationship, combined with his long-standing friendship with Fleur was more than enough for Harry to want her to win.
The cannon fired again, and Harry pulled out his wand. "Accio supply bag!" He incanted, the prepared supplies coming to him, he reached into the back and pulled out a bandolier that was contained within. Vials of potions sat snugly within, each one with a ribbon tied around it that immediately gave away what was contained within. Labeling them by color had been Hermione's idea, several of the potions themselves were similar in color, and Harry wasn't about to attempt to discern the difference between dandelion and marigold while being attacked by an acromantula. That had theoretically limited the number of potions he could carry to the number of distinct colors they could make the ribbons, but that had proven unnecessary. Only seven vials were brought in: A flame-freezing potion, two wiggenwelds, a fleet-foot potion, a calming draught, and a couple of bezoars. Harry hoped that these would be enough. Reaching into the bag again gave him a survival knife in a sheath, which he attached to his leg. The underwater task had shown him the benefits of a knife, even when one knew the cutting charm, and he had made sure a solid outdoorsman knife had been a part of his preparations. This one was basic, five inches long with a smooth sharp blade on one side, and a jagged serrated back for sawing. Harry figured the saw side wouldn't see much use, but having it was better than not.
With his gear strapped on, Harry walked into the maze ready to deal with whatever threats may come.
After only a minute or so, Harry found his first encounter in the maze, from between the shrubs came a Orthros, a two-headed dog that growled at Harry. It lunged forward, ready to take a bite out of him, but Harry side-stepped, dodging the two sets of snapping jaws. Harry raised his wand, firing a distracting blast of sparks that blinded the dog while Harry readied another spell. "Confundus!" Harry said, whipping his wand through the air as a fog set over the canine's mind. The two heads began to fail to work together, and the creature stumbled. Harry broke a branch off of the hedge maze around him, transfiguring it into two muzzles that he then attached to the confused dog. Satisfied that the threat had been largely neutralized, Harry continued his trek through the maze, mentally preparing himself for his next encounter.
Said encounter was a familiar one, and easily dealt with once he recognized it. Devil's snare filled a corridor of the maze, its black vines twisted and roiling, waiting for its next victim. Harry lit up his wand without an incantation, as it had been the easiest spell to learn to cast without it, and held the illuminated stick in front of him. Things would not be so simple however, as just as the Devil's snare retreated, a new threat revealed itself from the hedges.
Neville had talked about this plant extensively, it was a marvel of magical flora. The Peruvian Man-Eater. It was a carnivorous plant, like a Venus Flytrap but capable of eating a human. Where the Venus Flytrap only had hairs to detect prey, the Peruvian Man-Eater had rows on rows of thorns that functioned like teeth, puncturing the body to empty it of blood, the resource the plant was actually after. Neville had long since mentioned his desire to create a version of this plant suitable for personal defense, thinking it would be an interesting way for him to keep up with Harry in duels if he could lay plant based traps. Thankfully, Neville's fascination with these plants informed Harry of their primary weakness. Cold. Peru was a very warm country, and the Man-Eater needed a warm climate to sustain it. Keeping these alive in a cooler climate like Scotland was likely a difficult task for the Herbologist in charge of maintaining them, something likely only successfully managed by warming spells cast on the plant and its pot. Such a thing would be impractical for long-term growth, but since these plants only needed to be active for a few hours? Doable. Harry shot forth a blast of arctic air from his wand, forcing the Man-Eater to retreat into the warmth of the bushes again. With the light from the light charm gone though, the Devil's snare began to crawl back into the pathway. Harry bolted, alternating his light and cold spells to deal with each of the plants before he exited their section.
Harry came across a fork in the path, he quickly chose one, not caring too much if he was getting closer or farther from the goal. He had no way of knowing, and while Hermione had suggested he take along a notebook and pen to accurately map his way through the maze, he knew it would be a worthless effort. The time it would take to do so would slow his actual progress through the maze and given his need to clear obstacles before others got to them, he needed to make as much time as he could.
His next obstacle he came across was a swarm of acromantulas, likely two dozen, all the size of house cats. They skittered towards Harry, and he responded with a torrent of water from his wand, blasting the spiders back and soaking them thoroughly. Harry followed this up with a blast of cold air, a widespread freezing charm that froze the spiders in place. Harry didn't mind spiders, years of living in a cupboard under the stairs had erased that fear as he spent much time in their company, but acromantulas did still give him some amount of pause. They were dangerous, unlike English house spiders, and were massive, with some in the Forbidden Forest supposedly being the size of a car. Harry distinctly hoped that such things were mere exaggerations, but he wasn't willing to stake his life on it. Rushing past the frozen swarm, Harry continued even further into the maze.
His next obstacle took place not in a corridor or fork in the path, instead in a large open arena with one entrance and one exit, stood a creature Harry was all too familiar with. Its feline body rested, although its muscles were obviously ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Its tail swung back and forth expressing interest in the new prey that had walked into its path. It's face was a mix of human and feline features, and a headdress reminiscent of Egyptian Pharaohs framed its head. Standing before Harry was a Gynosphinx, a sister species of the Androsphinx his patronus took the shape of.
"Harry Potter, I have been waiting for this opportunity. The one named Hagrid speaks highly of you. He requested that I not kill you, saying you were a good boy who didn't deserve this tournament." The sphinx said, it's feminine voice having a strange quality to it. It seemed to echo, despite the lack of walls to create one.
"Hagrid is a good friend, I am thankful he beseeched you for leniency." Harry said, bowing before the sphinx. Harry had read up much on the namesake of his club, his patronus was a sphinx after all, so he wanted to know everything he could. In ancient times, sphinx were guardians of cities or tombs. They required payment in knowledge and food, and would test visitors. Famously Oedipus encountered a sphinx in his story, and it gave him a riddle to solve lest he be eaten.
"Humble are we? An admirable trait. The handlers have requested that I serve the ancient duty my species has done many times throughout history. I am to offer you a riddle, should you solve it, you may move on without interference. Should you fail… I believe you would rather not want to find out." The sphinx said, her face stoic. Harry knew this wasn't an idle threat. Sphinx were no joke, his patronus had managed to fend off a dragon for some time after all, and that was only possible BECAUSE his patronus was a sphinx.
"I will answer your riddle then." Harry said, mentally preparing himself. In times like this, Harry always imagined Hermione in his mind, letting her take control of his thought process for a moment. When it came to riddles, no one could beat her.
"On great wings I soar yet I am down, falling when alone. I'll pen your end if you feed me, or cradle you to sleep." The sphinx spoke.
Harry let the Hermione inside his head think, sitting in the Sphinx Club room in his mind. "The word choice seems specific, why say down and then follow it up with falling? Why would something write your end if you feed it?" Hermione reasoned in his mind, scratching the words down with a quill pen. Harry looked at it in his mind, watching her work.
"A feather, birds need them to catch the wind to fly, but a feather can't fly on its own. They are called down, and are used to write things when you feed them ink. You can fill a pillow or a bed with them to sleep on." Harry said, locking his eyes with the Sphinx.
"Well reasoned, you may pass." The sphinx said, moving aside and letting Harry pass. "Your club honors the name of my people. I knew you would succeed."
"Thank you then." Harry said, walking deeper into the maze.
As Harry continued his path, he heard a scream, a feminine one. Harry dashed, moving towards the sound, hoping beyond hope that it was just some kind of trap and not what he feared it was. As he rounded a corner, he saw Fleur, on the ground slowly being consumed by Devil's Snare, seemingly unable to struggle. Harry dashed forward, crouching low with a light spell to ward the snare away, before quickly enervating her. "Fleur, are you okay? Speak to me!" Harry called out, trying to shake her awake.
"Mon dieu, oh 'Arry, I was attacked! By Viktor, I saw 'im and was trying to wish him luck, but when 'e saw me, 'e cast spells at me." Fleur said, her voice breaking a bit. "It was so unlike 'im. 'Is face was so flat and stoic, no emotion." Harry saw her eyes widen. "Behind you 'Arry!" Fleur called out, as Harry rolled them both to the side, dodging a curse sent forward by Viktor.
Harry stood up, reaching for his wand. "What the hell Viktor? I get you want to win, but attacking us? Is it worth it?" Harry asked, trying to figure out what was going on with his friend.
Viktor said nothing, firing out a few more spells. Harry brought up a shield spell to protect him and Fleur, but it was getting overwhelmed.
Harry wracked his brain for what to do. Viktor was older, and while they were roughly equally as powerful, Harry was drained from his spellcasting earlier. He hadn't prepared anything for a duel in the maze, knowing in his heart that none of his friends would think to attack him, at worst maybe trip him up if it was a race to the finish. Viktor seemed like he was going for the kill. Harry recognized many of his spells, favorites of Ivan when they wanted to push the boundaries of dueling. Piercing curses, bludgeoning ones, even a nasty slicing curse that nearly destroyed Harry's shield. A family style, and Ivan and Viktor had made it very clear that the Krum name was known previously for its knowledge in the Dark Arts. They had wanted to be better though, to prove that they weren't their forefathers. Yet Viktor was here, throwing it all away.
Harry looked into Viktor's eyes, but he saw nothing. Viktor's eyes held no emotion, no malice, no joy, not even annoyance, just a blank stare like nothing existed. Harry recognized that stare. Professor Moody had demonstrated the Imperious curse in class, and when people were taken over by it, they had the same blank stare. Viktor wasn't betraying them, he was being controlled!
"Sorry Viktor, but I've got to put an end to this!" Harry said, before calling back to Fleur. "Put in earplugs, this is going to get loud!"
Fleur grabbed her wand, managing to cast the candlewax spell and make earplugs for herself. "Pulsare!" Harry incanted, a blast of magical sound focusing itself towards Viktor, causing him to pause his assault. "Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Accio Viktor's boot!" Harry called out in sequence, disarming Viktor and knocking him unconscious before sending him toppling over.
Harry leaned down, helping Fleur stand up. "Are you good to continue Fleur?"
"Non 'Arry… I believe that Viktor has broken my ankle. I knew it 'ad 'urt terribly, but I cannot put any weight upon it." Fleur said, as Harry examined the damage. Her ankle was swelling, and was an angry purple.
"Send up the sparks then, here's your wand, I'll wait until they come and pick you up." Harry said, handing Fleur her wand from the ground. Fleur sent up the sparks, leaning on Harry for support.
"What would cause Viktor to do this? It is unlike 'im." Fleur wondered while they awaited their pickup.
"He's been imperioused, although who did it I have no clue." Harry said, looking down at his unconscious friend.
"Only the teachers have access to the maze… who could 'ave slipped past them?" Fleur wondered.
"No idea, we'll have to tell them when they get here." Harry said.
Within a moment, Professors McGonagall and Snape arrived, ready to pick up the surrenders. "It seems there are three champions here. Who has surrendered?" McGonagall asked, looking over them.
"I did Madame, although I believe Viktor also may be needing to be escorted out." Fleur said, still leaning against Harry for support.
"Viktor was imperioused, he attacked Fleur and I. He would have killed her if I hadn't gotten here. It's not like him, his face had that blank stare that I saw when Professor Moody showed us the Imperious curse." Harry said, looking down at the Durmstrang champion.
"You are sure of this Mr. Potter?" Snape asked, seemingly shocked, although hiding it behind his usual scowl.
"As sure as I can be. He attacked us, I know that for certain, and I've gotten to know Viktor really well over the course of this year, I don't believe he would attack me like he did. He was using curses that would have killed me if I didn't know how to block them, Viktor wouldn't do that. He might have tripped me up with some rope, or disarmed me, but never anything that would do significant damage like that." Harry said.
"We'll need to inform Albus." McGonagall said, looking to Snape.
"Quite, it seems there is foul play involved. I'll take Mr. Krum. You grab Ms. Delacour, we'll need to have Madame Pomfrey examine them." Snape said, waving his wand at Viktor and floating him up.
"We cannot provide any assistance to you Mr. Potter, so unless you intend to surrender, you will have to continue through the maze. I can however wish you safety. Come Ms. Delacour, we'll get that ankle looked at shortly." McGonagall said, as the quartet vanished into the undergrowth.
Harry psyched himself up for the dangers ahead. It was just him and Cedric in the maze now, barring whatever creatures stood between them and the cup. Harry hoped that Cedric hadn't been controlled either. Harry took a sip of a wiggenweld potion, letting the small burst of energy fill his body as he rushed deeper into the maze.
The paths all converged onto one point, a massive arena with four entrances and one exit, where Harry saw Cedric crouched behind a stone pillar that had fallen. Harry could immediately see why. Skulking around the central plaza, was a Manticore. A creature with the body of a lion, a scorpion's tail covered in spikes, and a set of massive bat wings. This one's wings seemed to be bound, preventing it from flying out of the maze. A safety measure for the audience, but did little to help Harry and Cedric.
Harry ducked down moving next to Cedric behind the pillar. "Fancy meeting you here." Cedric joked, trying to keep his tone jovial despite the dangerous circumstance.
"You know how it is, last place you expect to see someone." Harry joked back. He needed the levity at the moment, and this was nice. "Bad news, Fleur and Viktor are out."
"Saw the sparks, but only one set, what happened?" Cedric asked. It was well known among the contestants that while they all had a pretty good chance of coming out on top, Viktor was the strongest competitor among them, his scores leading up had been the highest for a reason, he was nearly as powerful magically as Harry, with the extra years of teaching and training that a seventh year prodigy had.
"Someone imperioused him, took control of his mind. He attacked Fleur, I managed to knock him out. He broke Fleur's ankle, the two of them got picked up by Snape and McGonagall." Harry said.
"They're both alive though right?" Cedric asked with worry.
"Yeah, they're alive. They should be alright after a trip to the medical tent. Now, we've got to figure out how to take out this Manticore." Harry said, refocusing their attention.
"Did Luna ever mention anything about them?" Cedric asked. "She's a genius, but she loses me sometimes."
"They're incredibly aggressive, territorial, and their venom is about the fifth most deadly in the world." Harry said, wracking his brain for information on the creature.
"Lovely, I saw this one shoot spikes at me, that's why I knocked over the pillar to give me some cover. It seems like it won't come past the half-way mark of the arena though." Cedric said, pointing to a line on the ground.
"A spell to keep it contained, they probably didn't want this thing prowling the maze, it could eat the other creatures." Harry said. "That probably means it's got a boundary around the back too, where it can't chase us past, but that would mean running through its territory."
"So we're dealing with an angry manticore no matter what?" Cedric asked.
"Probably. Could be worse." Harry said.
"How could this be worse?" Cedric asked.
"It could be a dragon again, or a basilisk, or a horned serpent, although getting one of those across the pond would be difficult." Harry said. "Ooh, or a Nundu. That'd be dangerous."
"You sound far too relaxed about that." Cedric said, looking at the younger student.
"I fought a Basilisk with a hat and a sword in my second year, and we both fought dragons a few months ago. This is a Manticore, and there are two of us now. We'll manage." Harry said, giving Cedric a light punch to the shoulder. "Tell me, how bright can you manage a Lumos?"
"Blinding." Cedric said, thinking he saw where this was going.
"You go left and try and blind it, I'll summon my patronus to try and keep it occupied. Once that's done we can shoot some stunners at it until it stays down." Harry said.
"Alright, let's get it done then! Lumos Maxima!" Cedric said, ducking around the corner and blinding the creature.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry said, summoning his androsphinx which slammed itself into the Manticore.
"Stupefy!" Harry and Cedric called out simultaneously, slamming the white stunners into the Manticore, which disoriented it. The sphinx patronus then pounced on the creature, pinning it.
"Stupefy!" The pair called out again, knocking the creature unconscious.
The patronus faded, as it was no longer needed, Harry and Cedric tried to catch their breath for a moment, Harry drinking the rest of the wiggenweld he had taken a sip of earlier, handing Cedric the full one.
"Thanks… there's only one path forward, so I guess we're together until it forks." Cedric said, drinking the offered potion. The pair were rejuvenated, and began their jog through the maze. At the end of the long corridor, on a pedestal, stood the Triwizard cup, a magnificent trophy, emblazoned with the emblems of the three schools.
"Take it then Cedric, we both know I didn't join this tournament to win." Harry said, gesturing for him to go forward.
"No, there's no way in hell I would have made it here without your help. I'd have never learned about the dragons, never figured out the egg clue, and wouldn't have known about gillyweed without Neville. Your Sphinx Club got all of us this far, you take it." Cedric said.
"Together then?" Harry asked. Cedric nodded.
"Together." The pair moved forward, grabbing the trophy, and the feeling of a hook behind their navel sucked them into the air.
Where they expected to see the winner's podium though, they instead found a graveyard, old and decrepit, largely uncared for.
"Two arrived… kill the spare." A voice said.