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Chapter XXX: The Third Task Begins

(Harry P.O.V)

Harry had felt a tightness form in the pit of his stomach as he stared up at the large hedge maze that had grown to reach the stands of the Quidditch Pitch. "A maze?" The boy beside him whispered, his grey eyes scanning the pitch he loved so dearly in confusion, "After all the shit they put us through, the last task is a maze?"

"I would not get so comfortable if I were you," The French Girl to Harry's left replied nervously, "I am certain that a maze alone would not be entertaining enough for the makers of this tournament and the wizards watching. There has to be more."

"I hate to say it but, I think you're right Fleur," Harry said his fist tightening as he gazed up at the large bushes, "Though, in fairness, it's not like the people in the stands would be able to see any of us inside it anyway." He sighed deeply, "Honestly, this had to be the worst spectator sport ever designed."

Cedric smirked before turning to face both Harry and Fleur, "Look, I think that we've all learned enough from the last two tasks that we can't afford to trust anyone else to help us out. Even Dumbledore checked off on putting innocent students below the water." Harry shuttered at the old wizard's name, he couldn't even think of the last time he'd gone so long without seeing the silvery-bearded man since he'd first met him. "The only people that we can trust are each other, at least when it comes to this, so I say we just keep to the same strategy. When the time comes, we enter the maze and we stay together. If we happen upon the cup, all three of us take it and tie. Agreed?"

"You and Harry both saved my sister's life," Fleur said with a gentle smile, "I'm more than willing to pay the favor back however I can."

"I don't really care about winning this whole tournament anyway, but," Harry's mind flashed back towards the hissing of the Horned Serpent, a tremble racing down his spine, "If it'll help keep me alive, I'm in. Plus, nothing would make me happier than wiping that smug grin off of Krum's face." He turned around, finding nobody, "Where is the Bulgarian Bon Bon anyway," He said in his best Rita Skeeter impression, "I thought all the champions had to report here."

"From what I've heard," Cedric began, "Supposedly he's ill and is staying on the boat in order not to infect the castle," He shrugged, "To me, it seems a bit out of character, I figured if he got sick he'd be sneezing into our breakfast to make sure we caught it."

Harry had found the notion hard to deny, though he had hoped he wouldn't be finding himself under Madam Pomfrey's care anytime soon. He had enough things to worry about and the flu certainly wasn't welcome to join his list of problems. Subconsciously, he'd felt his hand migrate towards his scar, the overwhelming feeling of pain that had filled his body the day of the ritual still leaving phantom shockwaves in its wake. It's been weeks and I feel like I'm still completely lost. What the hell was that magic? And why does it feel so familiar?

"Potter," Cedric's voice cut the silence like a knife through butter as he quickly snapped, turning towards the Hufflepuff Prefect, "You alright? You look a little spaced out?"

"I'm fine," Harry replied, though he didn't believe it much himself. Thankfully though, any further questions were put to a stop as another voice began to cut through the crowd, this one far more joyful than the atmosphere demanded.

"Champions!" Bagman called out with glee and excitement, though this time, the man was not alone. Beside him was a man he'd seen only a few times before, and not any more recent than the day before the Champion Selection, Barty Crouch Senior. "It's a pleasure to see you all again," Bagman continued with exuberant pleasantries, "I'm aware we did not end our last encounter on the best foot so to speak, but I am hoping we can put that experience behind us and look forward to the final and most exciting task of the Triwizard Tournament."

Harry simply did his best not to growl with anger at the sight of the once Quidditch World Cup Commentator, leaving the reply to Cedric. "Well so long as you're not putting the lives of people we love in danger, perhaps we'll be able to come to an understanding… civilly."

"Yes, yes, quite right you are," Bagman said with a grin, "You're father always praised you, claiming you to be of sound mind." Harry clenched his jaw, the connotation of Harry being of unsound mind irked him to no end. "That is why I have brought my good friend, and head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation with me today. I'm sure you recognize Mr. Crouch, right?" Harry and Cedric nodded disinterestedly, while Fleur simply glared at the Triwizard Organizers with a coldness that may have even impressed Daphne.

"Mr. Crouch was also once the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and I'm certain that he'll be able to clear up any doubts you have regarding the legality and safety risks of non-champions in this tournament." Bagman puffed his chest out proudly, almost as if the idiot believed the words of another ministry member would do anything to calm the nerves of Harry or his fellow champions.

Much to Harry's expectation, they all remained silent with Fleur's icy-glare never leaving Bagman's view, an aspect that was certainly throwing off the normally charismatic announcers game. "Look, Bagman," Harry said with a sigh, "We're all busy people, with lives to live outside of this stupid sport, so let's just get on with whatever it is you need to tell us."

Bagman growled, being disrespected was not something the ministry official took a liking to, but Harry paid him no mind, his attention silently being drawn to Barty Crouch. Harry was certain of it, but it almost looked as if the man was trying to tell him something with his eyes. He'd tried for a light legilimency probe but had found an iron-clad wall of resistance that he had no chance of passively breaking. To Harry, it looked as if the man was fighting against himself with every breath, and yet he had no idea why? "Are you feeling alright, Mr. Crouch?"

"Quite alright, Mr. Potter," Crouch spoke, but his voice sounded very dreamlike, almost as if the man was sleepwalking through life. He didn't have much time to press further, however, as Fleur's gentle nudge redirected his attention towards Bagman, both he and Cedric taking the lead as they headed into the center of the maze. Harry felt uneasy as he turned, something was definitely off about the former DMLE head, and something told him that whatever was happening, Crouch could not be trusted.

He shook that thought from his head for a brief moment, turning back to face his fellow champion as the two followed Cedric into the maze, Crouch trudging behind them. If possible, the maze had looked bigger from the inside with routes that seemed to spread for miles in all directions. "It's a shame that Mister Krum could not attend this, it's always a treat to see the look of magnificent splendor that crosses a person's face upon first entering here. Welcome Champions to the entrance of the Third Task."

This thing is huge, Harry thought to himself, his mind beginning to feel overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of the challenge before him. "Of all the tasks, this one is the most straightforward, at least in terms of concept," Bagman chuckled, his joke went unappreciated, however, as almost subconsciously, Harry had felt his back press against Cedric's and Fleur's the tree wizards waiting for something to pounce at them from the shadowy corridors. "No, no, there's no need to worry, nothing dangerous has been inserted into the maze just yet. You have my word."

If possible the three Champions' grip around their wands tightened, their expressions unchanged as Harry heard Bagman's sigh vibrate through the air, "Very well, do as you like," Bagman relented, "As I was saying," He started once more, "This is the simplest of the tasks before you. On the day of the third task, the Triwizard Cup will be placed randomly within the maze. Inside the maze you will find all sorts of dangerous creatures, though none are as dangerous as the maze itself," Bagman's tone started to fill with glee, Harry's head had returned by pounding with anger.

"The goal is simple," Bagman said smiling, "Be the first to retrieve the cup and win eternal glory." Harry rolled his eyes though Bagman seemed not to notice. "The champions shall enter the maze in order of their rankings, each person besides the two in the last place gaining a time advantage over the person behind them. A matter that must thrill you greatly Mr. Diggory, as you are in first place now."

Cedric shrugged, the sixth year's indifference making Bagman red in the face as he turned to face Fleur, "I do apologize Ms. Delacour, but due to your less than stellar performance, you've been pushed down into third place, but you will have the small advantage over Mr. Potter, though don't either of you be discouraged, plenty of Champions have come from either the third or fourth spot."

"Are you so blind to see, Mr. Bagman," Fleur said her voice jabbing through Bagman's smarmy demeanor, "That not a single one of us cares about this stupid tournament any longer? If it weren't for the risk of losing my magic, I'd be back at Beauxbatons by now."

"Surely you don't mean that," Bagman said, his face pale as a ghost, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You-"

"For the love of Merlin, please shut up," Cedric growled, turning to face the exit of the maze, "You've explained the rules, and we know when to be here, so unless there is anything else of importance, the three of us will be on our way." Bagman simply stammered, unable to articulate a single word, his face red as a tomato, "Harry, Fleur, we missed lunch, but I know a secret passage into the kitchen, want to go get some food?"

The two nodded following after Cedric, leaving the ministry officials in the dust until they felt certain that they were out of earshot. "It seems all but certain that they are hoping to split us up, thus the time delay," Harry whispered, "So I think the strategy would be to just wait out the advantage and move down one corridor together."

"I was just about to suggest the same thing," Fleur said, "I will not allow them to force us to play the game their way. We'll play it our way instead."

"So we're all in agreement then," Cedric called out, earning an affirmation from both Harry and Fleur, "Good. I gotta admit," Cedric said, throwing his hands back behind his head, "I'm feeling much more confident about this task. After all, what creature would want to mess with Fleur the Dragon Slayer and Harry the Parselmouth."

Harry chuckled at Cedric's antics as he turned back to face the arena, June 24th, huh? I wish it was a bit sooner. The quicker I can get this over with, the quicker I can get to work on this, he thought, reaching once more for his scar, And Astoria.

(Astoria P.O.V)

The morning hustle of the castle did nothing to brighten Astoria's mood as she gazed down at her breakfast, her stomach in knots. She twiddled her thumbs as she turned to face Harry, the Gryffindor Champion looking tired and yet relieved at the same time. Astoria watched on in confusion as the faintest of smiles appeared on his face and instantly, her frustration overtook her. "How can you be smiling?" She asked in confusion, "I feel like I'm going to puke and I'm not even competing, shouldn't you at least look nervous."

Harry shrugged, "Honestly, this whole year has been one thing after another, and truth be told, this is the task I'm actually the least nervous about. Sure dangerous creatures in the maze aren't exactly great, but I doubt they're going to be as bad as the Horned Serpent I had to face during the first task. Plus, at least this time I'm only risking my life. With the way this tournament has been going, that's sadly an upside." She watched Harry throw his hands up yawning loudly, "Between Dumbledore, Moody, the Order, this Tournament, and other things," Harry may not have said the word, but Astoria knew exactly what he meant as a guilty look filled her eyes, "I'm just glad that this year's almost over."

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot," He said with a chuckle, "Have you decided on whether or not you're going to go hang out with your boyfriend in Bulgaria or not this summer?"

"He's a boy, and he's a friend," Astoria growled a genuine concern regarding the pinkness in her cheeks building in her mind, "But he's not my boyfriend. Though, as a matter of fact, I am. He just wrote to his father yesterday about it."

"Ah going to meet the parents, didn't know things were already so serious?"

"You know Harry, I started the day worried about you, but now I hope a blast-ended skrewt explodes on you." She chuckled as the panic began to fill Harry's eyes, the image she'd described to him about the fire crab manticore hybrid clearly brewing in Harry's mind. "Only kidding," She tagged on meekly the two sharing a short laugh.

Astoria followed as Harry turned his eyes meeting with Cedric and Fleur from across the hall, the French Veelas seemingly reunited at the breakfast table having a civil conversation. "Fleur, Ced, and I made a pact to watch each other's back in the maze, statistically speaking this is probably the safest task for me so far." Harry's eyes fell once more to Cedric who nodded towards the exit after capturing both his and Fleur's attention, the Hufflepuff prefect taping his finger to his imaginary watch. Astoria felt her insides begin to unwind as Harry placed his hand atop her head, "Gotta go, they want the champions at the maze early because it could definitely take longer than any other task to finish." Her kaleidoscopic eyes clashed with Harry's once more as he manifested his signature lopsided grin, "Everything's going to be fine Astoria, the only real threat is Krum and we both know I can beat him in my sleep."

Astoria shook her head, a small smirk forming across her lips as she watched Harry rise to his feet, "So run along and prepare my victory celebration Short-Stack, you're about to see a comeback the likes of which you've never seen. After all, I can't let Krum keep going around thinking he's a better wizard than me."

"You're such an idiot," Astoria said with a chuckle as she watched the Boy-Who-Lived throw his hand up behind him walking towards the other two champions. "Win, Harry," She whispered beneath her breath, "I know you can do it."

Despite her confidence in Harry, Astoria's stomach still felt tight as she exited the Great Hall. She knew that the spectators would be gathering at the quidditch pitch soon, but Harry has asked them all early if they could wait for Sirius and Remus to arrive. She smiled at the thought, she knew Harry considered Sirius and Remus to be his family, and the fact that he wanted all of them together really solidified the fact that they were all together in her head.

She had Daphne of course, but growing up essentially without any parents, Astoria was glad that she had a family she could count on as well. Even if at times, they did worry too much about her. The summer breeze hit her face like an ocean wave as she exited the castle, hoping to take a walk to calm her nerves. But before she could even take a step, her eyes had fallen upon the curly-haired blonde, looking up at the summer sky sketching feverishly.

"Damyan?" She called out, her hand muffling her laugh as the boy jumped with surprise before turning to face her, his almond brown eyes shining brilliantly in the warm sun. "Sorry," Astoria said softly, "Didn't mean to scare you."

"I wasn't scared," Damyan said in a feeble attempt to hide his embarrassment, "I was just, caught off guard." She smirked at the Bulgarian boy who smiled back warmly, "Anyway, to what do I owe the honor of you coming out of your way to look for me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Astoria laughed, "I was just going for a walk and happened to see you out here staring at the sun. I know you rarely see it in Bulgaria, but surely you've been taught not to look directly at it." Her eyes fell to the boy's lap, a moldy brown book resting atop his thighs. "What is that?" She asked suspiciously, "It looks like it's about to fall apart."

"Well, it is a couple of hundred years old," Damyan said with a smile, "My dad sent it to me recently."

"Why?" Astoria questioned, "And what is it?" The boy's face sank slowly, a look of fear mixed with guilt lining his face. "Oh," Astoria whispered a lightbulb illuminating in her head, "Is it- does it have anything to do with your treatments."

"No," Damyan whispered, "But," He sighed, "If I tell you, promise you won't yell at me?"

"Now you're making me nervous," Astoria said approaching slowly, "What's in the book?"

"Information about blood curses," Damyan whispered, "My dad requested it from our nation's version of Unspeakables. After watching what happened to you, I felt I had to do something. I told my dad and he-"

"You did what!" Astoria said shooting up from the grass anger filling her veins. Her face hardened into a glare towards the Bulgarian boy, "I didn't trust you with how I felt about my blood curse just for you to go spreading the fact that I'm sick around to all the Bulgarian higher-,"

"Can you please let me finish a sentence before you start shouting at me!" Damyan retorted sitting up, his brown eyes piercing through her anger like a bullet. "You're my friend damn it! Just because I'm going to die young doesn't mean you have to! I get that it makes you feel weak and embarrassed, but for the love of Merlin let people who care about you help you!"

Astoria had felt her face glow red as she looked down at the boy apologetically, "I- sorry." She turned away her heart thundering in her chest as she whispered, daring only for a moment to hope, "Did you- did your dad find anything?"

The boy sighed leaning back against the tree, his face also red with shame, "I know I should have told you what I was planning, but I knew you'd have said no if I asked." Damyan extended the book outwards towards her staring at the dancing blades of grass, "And maybe."

Astoria's eyes fell upon the Bulgarian boy as he whispered, almost as if he was weary there was an invisible man watching over the two of them. "Blood curses, they aren't natural. They're a form of some really dark magic, black magic actually." Astoria swallowed at the boy's words, "To cast a blood curse, a grudge must be held that is so powerful it lives on even after the caster's death. It's just a theory mind you, and I don't really know who was responsible for it. But if you or your sister happen to know of any reason that another family your ancestors would have crossed paths with would have hated them enough to have cast a blood curse on your family's line there may be a chance to reverse it. If you can a direct living descendant of the family who cursed you, they may be able to cancel out the magic."

Astoria had felt as if she was floating, the wind rushing past her ears seemed to encompass all five of her senses. Her body began to tremble as her vision slowly began to return, "Are you- are you serious? You think there might be a way to-,"

"Yeah," Damyan said warmly, "There might be a way to reverse your curse. There might be a way you'd get to live a long and happy life. At least, that's what my research leads me to-" The boy didn't even have a moment to finish as Astoria launched herself towards him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "A-Astoria," Damyan stuttered his skin glowing bright red as she rested her head against his, "What are you-,"

"Thank you," She whispered, "I thought I'd killed it, this dream of me actually getting to live, but you brought it back. Even if it doesn't work, you gave me hope, and I haven't had any for a long time."

Astoria felt her smile grow as Damyan clumsily reached wrapping his arms around her as well, holding her tightly, "If you can find the person, I'm sure it'll work." A gentle laugh escaped his lips, "You're too good of a person for it not to."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Astoria whispered weakly, "I'm just-"

"Stubborn," Damyan said as she felt his arms tighten around her, "I know, but that's why we're friends. You're the backbone I don't have."

"You're pretty strong yourself," She whispered back. "Hey so- do you want to come with me to find my sister. I think if you explain it, well, maybe it'll make more sense." Damyan nodded and with a smile, the two re-entered the castle, a new hope burning in her chest.

(Sirius P.O.V)

Sirius couldn't help but glare up at the calendar that plastered itself on the wall right across from his seat in the library. He could quite remember the last time he'd been in the room for actual studying, but for as much as he hated reading, his godson's health was far more important. He could have killed us. The Auror's words rang through his head as if he was in the center of an echo chamber. For Moody to say that, Sirius thought quickly, shaking his head not wanting to finish the thought.

Why? Why was Voldemort's magic inside him? Sirius pondered, Does it have to do with their magical connection? I thought the occlumency silenced it, so why was Harry still affected? What kind of connection is it? Is Dumbledore involved? Questions rattled in his mind endlessly, and when added upon the view of Emmeline's growing stomach signaling his new role as a father quickly approaching, Sirius had found it hard to sleep.

James, He whispered in his mind, I wish you were here, I'm feeling way too in over my head. Sirius looked down at the green-colored book. He sighed, for weeks it had felt as if all of Sirius' non-existent free time had been trying to solve this riddle. He was beginning to feel not only like a terrible fiance, leaving his pregnant wife-to-be in charge of all the wedding planning, but he was beginning to feel like the worst parental figure alive. Time after time it had been Daphne, Michael, Neville, Tonks, even Moody, that had come to Harry's assistance. Children half his age were far more productive at handling the direst of circumstances than he was, and worse yet, what Moody had accused him of was true. When it came to Harry, he knew he wouldn't always be able to do what had to be done. His godson was far too precious to him. Sirius knew that for as much as he loved the boy, Harry needed a different mentor, one that would shape him into the man he needed to be. He'd secretly hoped that possibly Albus would have changed his ways, but it had become perfectly clear that was an impossibility.

He sighed as he considered the only possible candidate, his chest hurting at the thought, I just hope Harry can forgive me, but he's made it this far with him, just maybe, there's a chance. Sirius' thoughts of the artificial-eyed Auror were brought to a halt by a knocking on the library door. Sirius rubbed his fingers against his pulsing temples before with a flick of his wand the door opened. A grin forced its way across his face as he turned to face the brown-haired man that stood in the doorway. "You know, finding you was more difficult than I thought. Never in a million years would I have expected you to be in the library by choice."

"Fair enough," Sirius said with a chuckle as he stared at the last living marauder, "But things are a lot different now."

There was an air of uncomfortable silence. Remus had been more familiar with dark magic than even Sirius due to his studious nature. But the werewolf was equally as stumped by the connection between Harry, and his magic. Though despite the cloud of fear and worry that hung over the library like a dark cloud, Remus pushed forward, "We'll figure it out, Sirius. We have one of the largest libraries on dark magic in the world here, together we can solve this puzzle. But for now, we have to be there for Harry, this blasted tournament is finally coming to an end and I want to be there when he tastes his freedom."

Sirius nodded, every joint in his body popping as he took his friend's hand rising to his feet. He groaned as he cracked his back before a chuckle cut through the room, "With all those joints and bones popping, I'm starting to get worried I'm marrying an old man."

A flood of warmth flowed through Sirius' chest as he stared in awe of Emmeline. She was beautiful, not in her typical way, but the fact that his child, their child, was resting comfortably inside her made Sirius feel emotions he wasn't sure he could understand. He approached her slowly, kneeling before her as he wrapped his hands around the baby bump. He pressed his lips to the growing womb, placing a soft kiss as he smiled, "Alright James, let's go see your uncle win this tournament."

"You don't even know if it's a boy or not," Emmeline said with a chuckle, but her protest fell on deaf ears as Sirius rose to his feet taking her hand, the three of them marching towards the Floo, the final task of the Triwizard Tournament was about to begin.

Green flashed filled the room one after another as Sirius watched Emmeline, Remus, and the Tonks' all flash to the visitors' entrance of the castle. It wasn't long until Tonks' voice called out giving him the all-clear before he too dove into the flames. As they arrived in the 'visitor processing' room, Sirius was met with some familiar faces. Of course, Moody was there, Snape as well, the greasy-haired git's face making him want to puke, but on the more positive end of the spectrum, he saw a face he hadn't seen in years, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Sirius nodded towards the Auror, who returned with a polite gesture of his own, his eyes telegraphing his intention to speak later. After a quick search, Sirius was released from the processing hall, and within moments, the cheering of the stands that filled the Triwizard Tournament came into view. As eagerly as Sirius wanted to race towards the arena to share an embrace with his Godson, he knew the limits of his fiancee's mobility, and matched her pace as the two walked towards the arena. Their pulses each beating with alacrity as Emeline had become rather protective of Harry herself, and Sirius knew that each task of this atrocious tournament had sent every member of his family into a panic.

"Sirius! Remus!" A voice called out to them, halting them in their tracks, "Wait a moment will you?" They turned, and while Sirius certainly hadn't wanted any more delays, he was pleased with who he saw approaching them. The tall, ruddy-faced, smiling man was none other than Amos Diggory.

"Thank you for waiting," Amos said, "With how tumultuous this tournament has been I'm glad to see some friendly faces."

"It's nice to see you as well Amos," Remus said kindly, "Feeling nervous?"

"Nervous? Never," Amos said with a hardy chuckle, "No disrespect to young Harry, but my son is the most capable champion in this tournament, and he's done so with no distinct advantage I might add."

Sirius rolled his eyes out of view of the proud father, though Emmeline had clearly seen it, chuckling behind her arm-covered mouth. "Well, our two champions have seemed to form a pact for this tournament, I see no reason we can't be civil," Sirius said with a polite smile. "I've asked Harry's friends to hold us some seats, I'm sure there will probably be one more."

"Well said, Sirius," Amos said, "Civility and unity is, after all, the purpose of this tournament. Though I wish Cedric wouldn't have brought all this animosity upon himself. After he supported Harry, some people in the ministry even pressured me to disown him." Amos sighed, "Sometimes I fear the boy is too loyal for his own good, but that is what makes him special."

Sirius nodded, truthfully unsure of just how to respond to the man's statement as the group began to approach the arena. A squirrel Patronus met them at the gates, just as Michael had suggested, and with as much haste as possible, they quickly began to ascend the bleachers. It had taken longer than Sirius had liked, Amos wasn't exactly in the greatest physical condition, and Sirius didn't even want to fathom the pressure his fiancee must have been feeling on her feet. Nevertheless, finally, they had arrived at their spots, with the two Greengrass girls sitting side by side with both Michael and his new girlfriend as Harry described her lined right beside them. Hermione and Neville had been another recently reported development, but Sirius was proud of the look of strength Neville had in his eyes.

Both Blaise and Tracey sat in the row above them, but on the other side of the students were just enough spots for their rather large group, and better yet, the view of the maze's center was as clear as possible. Though, considering the rest of the maze was covered, Sirius pondered the point of even making this a spectator event, and what exactly everyone was cheering for.

Almost as if he and his Godson were magnetized, his eyes instantly fell upon Harry who met him quickly. All the panic in Sirius' heart evaporated, however, as a smirk that looked so similar to James' whenever he'd approach Lily appeared on Harry's face. He and Remus had playfully called it the, "I've got this," smirk, but unlike the disastrous outcomes the usually followed James attempts, the fire that burned in Harry's eyes truly made Sirius believe him.

He nodded and Harry did the same before he turned to face the maze. Sirius had wanted to reminisce longer about all the ways Harry had grown, but his trip down memory lane was interrupted by the hum of a charmed wand prepared to amplify the speaker's voice. Sirius' eyes locked onto the speaker, Ludo Bagman in seconds as the blonde-haired man paced along the maze's center. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome one and all to the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament!"

The crowd's applause shook the stand, yet Sirius did nothing, a look of pure contempt forming upon his face. "The rules of the task have already been explained to the champions, but in summation, the task is simple. Somewhere, buried deep within the maze, placed by our very own Barty Crouch, is the Triwizard Cup! Only he knows where it lies, and it is the job of our Champions to find it!"

Once more a booming applause erupted around him. "Oh but worry not, for this task is not as simple as a walk in the park. Around every corner of this maze lies a magical creature that will push our champions to the absolute limit. Though should a champion be unable to handle such a challenge, all they must do is shoot up red sparks, and they will be retrieved! As was the case with the last task, those in front will have a time advantage in the way of a head start! So, in this case, Mr. Diggory will be entering the maze with a fifteen-minute advantage!"

The Hufflepuff's around Sirius had looked torn at the declaration, many of them split between their love of Cedric, and their disdain of Harry, a boy who Cedric had stood by. . "After that time, Mr. Krum will be entering with a ten-minute head start!" Sirius watched with a snarl as Karkaroff rubbed his Champion's shoulders, the crowd of Bulgarian students roaring with enthusiasm." Finally, Mr. Potter and Ms. Delacour shall enter the maze with Ms. Delacour holding a small five-minute advantage over Mr. Potter! With that understood, Mr. Diggory, please approach the entrance you wish to begin at."

"I'll pass." The boy called out taking a seat in the grass.

"You'll pass?" Bagman called out in confusion, "Are you saying you aren't planning to compete? You understand that you'll lose your magic if you-"

"Yeah, Yeah," Cedric said waving off the ministry official, "I'll still play your stupid game, I think that I'm just going to make use of this fifteen-minutes by maybe taking a short nap or stretching. There's no rule against that, is there?"

"W-well, no," Bagman said with a stutter, "But surely you'd want to-"

"Really, I'm fine," Cedric said blankly causing Sirius to chuckle, though the vein pulsing in Amos' forehead made Sirius realize that Cedric's attitude was hardly amusing to his proud father. "I honestly don't even deserve second place, if it wasn't for Potter I'd probably have been dead by task one."

Boos filled the air as trash thrown from the stands aimed at Cedric were bounced off by the magical barrier, the boy simply yawning as he sat beside Harry and Fleur the three of them huddled up and talking. "So that was their plan," Sirius whispered, "Smart pup, safer together after all."

Sirius wasn't certain of it, his height had made the view a bit questionable, but it looked almost as if Karkaroff had whispered something into Krum's ear as they awaited Krum's chance to start, the boy standing at his selected opening. Sirius could have sworn that he'd never witnessed a slower fifteen minutes pass, but with a roar, Bagman shouted out "Mr. Diggory's fifteen minutes have expired! Mr. Krum, you are free to begin!" Unlike Cedric, however, Krum hadn't even looked back, clearly intending to make complete use of his head start as he charged into the maze, the green foliage sealing up behind him.

The ten-minute head start timer had gone off as well and with a disheartened tone, Bagman once more took the 'mic', "Ms. Delacour, you are now free to enter the maze as well." But Fleur hadn't even bothered to pay Bagman any intention. Instead, Sirius watched on as Harry, Fleur, and Cedric simply gathered closer, the three of them watching as Harry dragged his finger through the grass creating what Sirius only interpreted as a temporary battle plan. The ringing of Bagman's five-minute timer had left Bagman looking angrier that Sirius had ever seen the jovial man before with a sharp tone he called out, "Mr. Potter, you may begin when ready."

"Thanks for the heads up Bagman," Harry called out, "It's unfortunate, I was just getting comfortable, but I guess we have to compete." Sirius watched in amusement as Harry turned to face the now standing Cedric and Fleur, "Well you two, ready?"

"Yeah I think I'm ready now," Cedric said cracking his neck.

"As I'll ever be," Fleur said brushing the dirt off of her uniform.

Then before Bagman had even a moment to protest he watched as the three of them bolted through the same entrance, the maze walls closing too slowly to keep them out as it collapsed just behind Fleur's foot. The final task was officially underway.