𝓘'𝓶 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓒𝓪𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓪 {𝓗𝓮𝓻𝓶𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻}

27

Easter approached students were excited because the Third Task was approaching.

Hermione was receiving hate mails and being called horrendous names in the letters. Because of people believing she broke my heart. I gave her assurance that I wasn't going anywhere giving her letters, singing to her, and small romantic gestures. But even though all is well in our relationship I could never shake off the feeling a fucking Bulgarian named Viktor Krum was still lurking around.

We tried reaching out to Ron's older brother Percy to discover some sort of information about Crouch. But instead, we receive scolding because we were implying horrible accusations about his dear boss. Even my connection in the ministry wasn't helping there really keeping things tight about Crouch.

The start of the summer term would normally have meant that I was training hard for the last Quidditch match of the season. This year, however, it was the third and final task in the Triwizard Tournament for which I needed to prepare, but I still didn't know what to do. Finally, in the last week of May, Professor McGonagall held us back in Transfiguration.

"You two are to go down to the Quidditch field tonight at nine o'clock. Scott, Potter," she told us. "Mr. Bagman will be there to tell the champions about the third task."

So at half-past eight that night. Harry and I left Ron and Hermione in Gryffindor Tower and went downstairs. As we crossed the entrance hall.

"What d'you reckon it's going to be?" I asked Harry as we went together down the stone steps, out into the cloudy night. "Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels; she reckons we've got to find treasure."

"That wouldn't be too bad," Harry said.

We walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the field.

"What've they done to it?" Harry said indignantly, stopping dead.

The Quidditch field was no longer smooth and flat. It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it that twisted and crisscrossed in every direction.

"They're hedges!" I said, bending to examine the nearest one.

"Hello, there!" called a cheery voice.

Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the field with Krum and Fleur. Harry and I made our way toward them, climbing over the hedges. Fleur beamed at Harry as he came nearer. Her attitude toward him had changed completely since he had saved her sister from the lake.

"Well, what d'you think?" Bagman said happily as Harry and I climbed over the last hedge. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high. Don't worry," he added, grinning, spotting the less-than-happy expressions on our face, "You'll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"

"Maze," I said.

"That's right!" Bagman said. "A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."

"We seemply 'ave to get through the maze?" Fleur said.

"There will be obstacles," Bagman said happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hagrid is providing several creatures...then there will be spells that must be broken...all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze." Bagman grinned at Harry and me. "Then Mr. Krum will enter...then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending on how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"