The same but different

Chapter 21 Ritual

The crowd for the third task somehow felt four times the size of the previous crowds. Harry peered out from the edge of the champions' tent, wide-eyed and slightly nauseous. A strong arm slid around his waist, gently pulling him back against a firm chest. "Don't think about it," Cedric murmured, nuzzling behind his ear. "You know what you need to do. Don't think about anyone else."

The only saving grace in Harry's mind was that there was no way Crouch's plan could possibly involve bringing Voldemort here, so at least Harry wouldn't have an audience for his ritual. He was kind-of counting on that, to be honest; that sort of magic was definitely illegal these days, and it would be incredibly questionable as to how he came across that knowledge. He'd be much better off with privacy.

He could feel the maze. The four of them had been holding the wards lowered all week, to allow the ridiculous amount of dark creatures and magic to be transported within school grounds. Harry was astonished that nobody questioned how it was possible to get these things within what was supposedly the most impregnable fortress in wizarding Europe. It hurt his pride that people seemed to think this was par the course for the Hogwarts wards.

They would learn, eventually.

But for now, they kept the wards down, but both of them had the advantage over Fleur and Viktor in being able to sense every intrusion into their territory. Harry wasn't going to complain, though; this task was an utter farce anyway, and he'd use every trick in the book to get to the centre quickly and deal with whatever Crouch had set up for him. Amongst it all, he could feel some kind of transportation magic, probably a portkey. That had to be it. It would sicken him to adjust the wards to actually let the portkey take him away from school grounds, but it had to be done.

The crowd grew wilder, and then a hush settled over them all; Ludo Bagman's magnified voice became audible, though through the tent walls they couldn't quite make out the words. Harry and Cedric turned to the two other champions, who looked equally grim. Fleur managed a weak smile. "Eet ees, 'ow you say, no 'ard feelings, oui?"

"No hard feelings," Cedric agreed. "May the best person win. And may the rest of us survive trying."

Viktor chuckled, his face serious. "It has been an honour, to compete vith the three of you," he said solemnly. "I hope ve can all keep in touch ven this ends."

"Definitely," Harry promised, smiling feebly. "Ced and I will come visit sometime. Catch a quidditch match, or something."

Viktor's lips curved. "I vould like that, very much."

The moment was broken when Bagman burst into the tent, beaming like a schoolboy. "They're ready for you," he declared, holding the tent open with a flourish. Harry shared a grimace with Cedric, then the pair of them walked side by side out into the roar of the crowd. This time their uniforms were a simple tracksuit - originally in their house colours, but Harry fixed that again, and now they were in matching black with their school crests emblazoned on their backs.

Professor Dumbledore stood at the entrance of the maze, and once all the champions were there he began to explain the rules; Cedric would enter first, then Harry and Viktor as they were tied, then Fleur. Cedric turned, pulling Harry into a chaste kiss, holding him close. "I love you," he breathed.

"I love you too."

The cannon went off, and Cedric entered the maze.

The scarce minutes separating them seemed like hours, and Harry jolted forward when the blast sounded a second time. He strode into the maze, letting his senses guide him; they were far more accurate than any navigation spell.

It was impossible to take a path that avoided obstacles entirely, even with Harry's keen awareness of the maze and its inhabitants. He simply chose what felt like the quickest path to the centre, making his way through without much incident. The boggart - still a dementor, though more for the reason that having his soul sucked would prevent it from joining with his love in the afterlife - was an easy enough opponent, and the sphinx's riddle was simple, though he did apologise to her for being subjected to such things for the amusement of wizards. She assured him she'd volunteered for the position, out of her own curiosity.