When Myths Meet Magic || 4

26|| Nico

The Quidditch field was almost unrecognizable. The hedges, which were about two feet high when they first saw them, was now twenty feet high. He couldn't see how far they went in, but it certainly seemed a lot deeper than just the quidditch field. Nico glacnced at Harry, who could not look more horrified about the fate of his precious Quidditch field. Nico was okay with it. He never liked Quidditch. Or flying, for that matter. Zeus didn't have as big a rivalry with Hades as he did Poseidon, the sea was a lot closer to the air than the Underworld was.

The sky was a deep, clear blue, almost a calming vibe. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came walking towards the stadium and to the champions with the rest of the school as they filled in.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," McGonagall explained to the champions. "If you get into difficulty and wish to be rescued, send red sparks in the air and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?" She turned and faced Nico. "You are allowed to use your wand for that and that only."

Nico nodded convincingly. There was no way he was making it through there without bending the Mist. He might not've been as good as Hazel or Thalia, but he had a vague grasp of it.

"Off you go, then," McGonagall shooed them off to the entrance of the maze.

Harry looked at Nico grimly. "It's almost over," he said. Nico smiled grimly back, turning to face the judges table. He could see Chiron standing behind Dumbledore, his face drawn. As usual.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! In first place, Mister Harry Potter!" There was a round of whooping and cheering along with the applause. Harry grinned less grimly. "In second place, Mr. Viktor Krum of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "In third place, Mister Nico Di Angelo!" 

"I still don't understand why they took off points for the dragon task because I supposedly used 'Dark Magic'," Nico grumbled to Harry.

"Hermione thinks it's because Karkaroff was a former Dark Wizard, but he turned in a bunch of his other death eater friends," Harry explained as Fleur was announced for fourth place. "And he thinks that if people are using dark magic again, then Voldemort's going to rise and he's going to be turned in for betraying them. And the others are also worried about Voldemort rising, so they tried to discourage you using dark magic."

"Hermione certainly did seem to think about this," Nico said.

"Because Harry is in first place, he gets a head start. On my whistle, Harry!" Bagman said excitedly. "One-- two-- three!"

Harry walked forward into the maze and vanished into the mist. Then Krum went. Then it was Nico's turn, and he strode forward, his sword ready. His eyes were fixed solidly in front of him and on the hedge walls-- he didn't want to take any chances of the maze being mixed in with the Labyrinth.

Mist swirled around from the hedges and on the ground. Not the magic kind, the actual Mist. Although Nico would've bet his sword that there was some actual Mist too. He reached a fork in the road. Then he stopped.

Memories of the Labyrinth flooded him. Often times, either forks would lead to certain death and Nico only just got away. Both passages looked exactly the same. He lifted his wand and focused.

The Mist (and mist) parted, and Nico could sense something moving in the left passage, that felt awfully familiar. Blast-Ended Skrewts. He turned to the right when suddenly a massive object launched at him from the darkness, tackling him with the force of a garbage truck.

Hellhound.

Nico's main grip was on his wand to help part the Mist from before, and his sword clattered from his grip. Nico reached for it, trying to avoid the snarling, panting, drooling breath of the hellhound. Nico paused, then shadow travelled out of it's reach, snatched up his sword, and struck it down.