The six warriors stepped out of the champions' tent and were greeted at once by roaring cheers and bursts of bright light, strong enough to make them squint and shield their eyes.
Maybe it was the timing, or maybe it was the atmosphere, but the weight of the crowd seemed much heavier than in the previous two rounds, and their already nervous minds grew even more tense.
Out of the six of them, Harry was probably the calmest, but even he could not help but gulp at the noise. Truly, what a fantastical reception, he thought to himself… too bad I can't find out for myself how the final champion would be received.
However, that did not disappoint him. On the contrary, along with the slight nerves, the excitement bubbled inside him even more. He did not know how to explain it, but he really, really couldn't wait to meet Tommy Senior to reminisce about their memorable childhood encounter.
"What's got you grinning like that?"
He snapped back at the tug on his shoulder and turned to see Cedric bouncing on his feet, all pent-up energy and focus. The pretty boy was looking at him strangely for some reason, and around him, the other champions were also giving him curious looks.
Did I space out? Harry coughed lightly and began to warm up like the others, getting his blood moving.
"I said, what's got you grinning like that?"
"I'm just a bit excited, mate…" Harry practically had to shout, the atmosphere was that loud. "Good luck though… I hope you get the cup…" He flashed a grin. He really meant it. Since he could not get the cup, it was only natural he would wish for his fellow schoolmate to take it.
Cedric, on the other hand, found that comment even stranger. What's that supposed to mean? Did he not want to win? He found Harry's behavior really strange. Even back in the tent, he had not seen a single sign of worry on his face, not even when the dangers of the task had been laid out to them.
Or… could it be some weird Gryffindor trait?
Today, the champions wore their schools' signature colors, he and Cedric in the same matching gear, a dim orange marked with black stripes along the sides of their fitted shirts and pants, made for maximum durability and comfort for a high-intensity challenge like this.
The five large screens zoomed in on the six of them, and despite the nerves they were feeling, it went without saying they were the envy of every student's eyes. While the announcer went on with more details, the crowd was on fire, and the atmosphere could not have been any better.
The order of the six champions was announced, and in that order they arranged themselves one after the other in front of the menacing-looking maze entrance. Beyond it, they saw only darkness, and they understood they would have to rely on magic entirely, even for the simple task of seeing where they were going as well.
"…you will go inside according to your ranks, with a two-minute interval between each champion," Mr. Diggory told them, while the announcer's voice also rang out across the grounds, signaling the start.
"On my whistle, Harry." Harry nodded. "Three - two - one -"
A piercing whistle cut through the noise, echoing across the grounds, and Harry, on cue, tightened his grip on his wand and surged forward with everything he had.
An overhead projection of him sprinting appeared on the large screens at once. It was spectacular. Despite the darkness inside, he was clearly visible, like a long-exposure shot at night, just without the blur that would normally come with motion. No matter how unscientific something sounded, give it to magic and it would find a way.
Two minutes later, Cedric entered, then two minutes after that, it was Krum's turn, and just like that, within ten minutes, all the champions were inside the maze.
The five ginormous display screens showed their actions clearly, sometimes from the front, sometimes from behind, and sometimes from overhead as they ran, and at other times as they stopped and considered their direction.
There were six champions, so one would always be out of view. However, that was never really an issue. The feeds did not stay fixed on one champion, instead they switched often, picking up different champions in action at short intervals. Because of that, it never felt like anyone was left unseen for long. If anything, it added a little more thrill to the viewing experience.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I remind you once again, unlike the first two tasks, the third task includes direct competition between champions… meaning they have the opportunity to take each other out," said the announcer. "Now, you might be thinking the second task had the same possibility, but they only realized that at the very last moment. This time, they were told beforehand… so expect some action soon…"
He chuckled at the excited noise from the crowd. "That is, of course, if they can find their way inside the maze and survive the dangers that are lurking."
Above the maze, another special effect came into play, an indicator like a GPS marker that followed each champion, their names hovering above them so the audience could clearly see their positions from above.
A little over ten minutes had passed, and so far nothing noteworthy had happened. Conjuring some light did not seem to be anything difficult for the champions, however, that did not mean they knew exactly where to go.
Even magic like the Four-Point Spell, which some of them had already begun to use, only pointed in a single direction. It could not tell them which path was right, nor which turn would lead them to the prize any faster.
That would have been too easy. After all, it was a maze, it was never meant to be easy.
Even Harry, who had the advantage of the lead, was still nowhere near the prize location and had already stumbled into one of the dead ends.
The other champions were not looking any better either. In fact, they seemed even more lost, not one of them heading in the direction where the grand prize was placed.
That said, a single right turn could open into a shortcut, giving a champion enough of a lead to make a real difference, while a wrong one might send them looping all the way back to the start. So those who went in first did not necessarily have all the advantage. In the end, it all came down to a bit of luck and the right coincidences.
And speaking of luck—
Ooooo!
The loud noise of cheers and whistles suddenly came to a stop, followed by a rumbling gasp that rolled across the entire grounds. Every eye was fixed on the large displays.
"Ah… bad luck for Mr. Morozov from Durmstrang…" the announcer's remark cut through the silence.
On the screens, the scene replayed what had just happened. The second champion of the German school of magic had just turned a corner when an Acromantula lunged at him, slamming him to the ground. He did not even get the chance to cast a spell in defense before the creature's massive fangs loomed over his face, ready to strike, then was whisked away at the last moment, pulled out of danger.
Unfortunately, that could only mean one thing.
"Mr. Morozov…" the announcer sighed into the mic, "all I can say is his luck simply was not there this year. We can all agree he is a perfectly qualified champion. Unfortunately, that is simply not enough. In the second round, it was also bad luck that took him out of the competition, and in this round as well, luck seems to not favor him—"
"Hang on a second, ladies and gentlemen, unlike Mr. Morozov, we have a champion who seems to be greatly favored by luck… Miss Marchand from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic appears to have stumbled into a shortcut that would give her a considerable lead—"
He cut himself off once again. "Ah… but that puts her directly on a collision course with Mr. Potter…"
The crowd, on the other hand, didn't seem to care in the least. They even seemed to have all but forgotten the unlucky bloke who had been disqualified just seconds ago, breaking into an explosion of cheers.
"The first clash between two champions… who will come out on top!"
---
Time ticks back a couple of minutes.
The towering hedges cast deep shadows across the path, and whether it was because they were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the roar of the crowd vanished the moment Harry stepped inside the maze. It felt almost like being underwater again, no, even more eerie than that.
The orb of light he had conjured helped only a little, lighting up just a short stretch ahead. Some paths were too narrow and closed in, so even if he made it brighter, it did not help much.
So he kept the spell just strong enough to see without draining himself and maintained a steady pace. The only problem was… Merlin's hairy chest… he was having a hard time remembering the path he was supposed to take.
He can't even count how many simulations he had gone through practicing with Professor Caesar. It was this exact god damn maze. He had been confident he could run through it even with one eye closed and still reach the destination he needed to go, but for the love of all things fair, his brain was not braining today when it mattered.
Already he had come across one dead end, and was sweating buckets now, not because he was tired, but at the thought that Professor Caesar and everyone else who knew might be watching his performance and thinking how stupid he was.
Merlin… the shame. At times like this, how he wished Hermione was here. She was always good at braining.
Damn it, he cursed under his breath and took another turn, when his eyes lit up and he came to a stop. Yes… he remembered this path. From here, he had to go that way, then that way… uh, probably, his mind raced thinking, when suddenly, he spotted something else too out of the corner of his eye.
Something—no, someone had just turned the corner and was heading this way. If it was not Cedric, then whoever it was would not be getting past him.
With that thought, a grin spread across his lips, and he snuffed out the Lumos overhead. Another flick of his wand later, he too disappeared from plain sight, then leaned against the hedge and readied himself for the ambush.
—————————
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