The Girl Who Hid | ✓

|54| the Third Task

The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path, and, whether because they were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the sound of the surrounding crowd was silenced the moment I entered the maze. I felt almost as though I were underwater again. I pulled out my wand, muttered, "Lumos."

About fifty yards, I reached a fork and panicked, I had no sense of direction or where to go.

I went left.

From outside, I heard Bagman's whistle for the second time. Cedric and Harry entered the maze. I sped up. The path I had chosen seemed completely deserted. I turned right, and hurried on, holding my wand high over my head, trying to see as far ahead as possible. Still, there was nothing in sight.

Bagman's whistle blew in the distance for the third time. Viktor Krum entered the maze.

I kept looking behind me. The odd feeling of being watched was upon me. The maze was growing darker with every passing minute as the sky overhead deepened to navy. I reached a second fork.

The whistle blew again, all of the champions were now inside.

"Point Me," I whispered to my wand, holding it flat in my palm.

The wand spun around once and pointed toward my right, into solid hedge. That way was north, and I knew that I needed to go northwest for the center of the maze. The best I could do was to take the left fork and go right again as soon as possible.

The path ahead was empty too, and when I reached a right turn and took it, I again found my way unblocked. I didn't know why, but the lack of obstacles was unnerving me. Surely I should have met something by now? It felt as though the maze were luring me into a false sense of security. Then I heard movement right behind me. I held out my wand, ready to attack, but its beam fell only upon Harry, who had just hurried out of a path on the right-hand side. Harry looked severely shaken. The sleeve of his robe was smoking.

"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts!" he hissed. "They're enormous— I only just got away!"

I shook my head and beckoned him to follow me, along another path. Keen to put plenty of distance between ourselves and the skrewts, we hurried off again. Then, as I turned a corner, I saw a dementor gliding toward me. Twelve feet tall, its face hidden by its hood, its rotting, scabbed hands outstretched, it advanced, sensing its way blindly toward us. I could hear its rattling breath; I felt clammy coldness stealing over me—

Summoning the happiest thought I could, concentrated with all my might on the thought of getting out of the maze and celebrating with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, I raised my wand, and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"

I heard Harry do the same thing.

A silver stag and doe erupted from our wands and galloped towards the dementor, which fell back and tripped over the hem of its robes...

"Wait, it's a boggart!" I laughed. "Riddikulus!"

There was a loud crack, and the shape-shifter exploded in a wisp of smoke. The silver deer faded from sight. Harry and I laughed lightly and proceeded forward.

Left... right... left again ... Twice we found ourselves facing dead ends. I did the Four-Point Spell again and found that we were going too far east. We turned back, took a right turn, and saw an odd golden mist floating ahead of us.

"Reducto!" Harry said.

Nothing happened. But then a scream shattered the silence.

"Fleur?" Harry and I yelled.

There was silence. Harry and I only looked at each other in confusion. What had happened to her? Her scream seemed to have come from somewhere ahead.