The next few weeks were less than enjoyable. The attitude of the students stayed the same for the most part, but a lot of them had gone from muttering behind hands to downright hostility. A fun example was a few days earlier, when a Ravenclaw girl had whispered very loudly, 'I heard she sneaks out to go fight trolls'. Annabeth was this close to telling that girl that she had a troll to fight which she would have followed with a swift punch, but Daisy dragged her away before she could do anything. Daisy was probably the only reason Annabeth hadn't been expelled yet. Her, and the gym.
It didn't hide itself again, and Annabeth had taken to going there with Vera every day after classes. She would get to fight a few times, and then she would teach Vera with one of her daggers. Vera was getting better and better by the day, and Annabeth was excited for the moment to come where she could spar with an actual human.
One day when Annabeth was walking to Transfiguration with Vera and Freddie, they passed a boy who had called Annabeth a 'filthy half-breed' the day before. Freddie muttered something under her breath, what sounded like a countdown.
The boy's hair turned bright shades of pink and purple. His friend turned to him and said something between laughs, pointing at the boy's hair. The boy's face turned red and he ran off, shoving laughing kids out of his way.
"Did you do that?" Annabeth said, turning to Freddie.
"Oh, that was just the start," Freddie said darkly. "He's going to have a real shock next time he goes to the bathroom."
"Nice," Vera said.
Other than that, Transfiguration was boring. Annabeth already knew everything they were reviewing, so she spent most of the class spaced out, which made it go a lot faster.
"Potter, Chase," Mcgonnagall said when the bell rang. "A word."
Annabeth sighed. She was due in the gym right about now. Still, she gathered her things and went up to Mcgonnagall's desk while Vera and Freddie left, though Annabeth knew her friends well enough to know they were listening in.
"You are both to go down to the Quidditch field tonight at nine o'clock," McGonnagall said. "Mr. Bagman will be there to tell the Champions about the third task."
So, after the gym and a shower, Annabeth left the Slytherin dorm and headed for the front doors. She ran into Harry a few halls down from the Entrance. She steeled herself. She hadn't really talked to Harry after the article. They walked in silence for a minute.
"What's it like?" Harry suddenly blurted out. "Being a demigod?"
"What's it like being famous?" Annabeth countered as they pushed open the huge oak doors. She was so tired of people.
Harry was quiet for a second. "Good point. Though it's kind of the same, if you think about it. Whispers follow me everywhere. They follow you too, now."
"I guess it is. Except people admire you, and they call me names." Annabeth took a deep breath. She did not want to get angry right now. "Whatever. It's not like their opinions mean anything to me."
"I saw you try to fight someone yesterday."
"That was unrelated." kind of.
Harry smiled. Then it faded. "What do you think the task is going to be?"
"Something to top the last two," Annabeth said. She had given this a lot of thought. "Something including monsters, but that can't be the entire thing. Maybe an obstacle course, or a race of some kind."
They continued walking until they reached the quidditch pitch.
"What've they done to it?" Harry said, bewildered.
Normally the field was flat, but now it was broken into pieces by low prickly walls, snaking all around the entire place. It crisscrossed in every direction, stretching as far as Annabeth could see. She kneeled down and examined one of the walls, which was when she realized what they really were.
"They're hedges," Annabeth said, standing back up. Her heart sank. "It's a maze."
"What's wrong?"
Annabeth shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine. I just... don't like mazes."
"Well, what d'you think?" Bagman exclaimed as Harry and Annabeth approached. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high. Don't worry, 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?"
It was quiet for a second. Annabeth raised her eyebrow.
"It's a maze," she said.
"That's right! 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 have to get through the maze?" Fluer asked.
"There will be obstacles," Bagman said excitedly. "Hagrid is providing a number of 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 smiled widely at Harry and Annabeth. "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?"
Annabeth didn't think so.
"Very well... if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly."
Annabeth started to walk over to the castle with everyone else, but she noticed Harry and Viktor turn the other way, heading closer to the forest. She didn't exactly follow them, but she hung back at a distance where she could keep an eye on them. She didn't know Viktor very well, and she needed to make sure Harry wasn't in danger.
After a few minutes, she noticed a change in their body language. They looked tense. Well, tense-er than before. Annabeth stood up straight when Harry started to run. She broke into a sprint of her own, intercepting him.
"What's going on?" she asked urgently.
"Crouch," Harry panted. "By the woods— need to get Dumbledore—"
"Go," Annabeth said before taking off in the direction of the forest.
She ran as fast as she could, and she got to the edge of the forest just as a red light shot out from it and hit Krum square in the back. Why was he facing away from the forest? He crumpled, revealing the cowering form behind him.
"Dumbledore," the form kept muttering. "Warn... Dumbledore!"
"Flipendo!" Annabeth shouted, aiming her wand at the tree line. A jet of light shot out of her wand and she heard a thump, like someone had just fallen over. The cowering man on the ground screamed and curled up into a ball.
"Stupefy!" a voice shouted, and Annabeth barely avoided the red light.
"Impedimenta!"
"Confringo!"
Annabeth backed up and the spell hit the ground at her feet, sending up a shower of dirt and rocks and a shock wave that knocked Annabeth to the ground. She felt her head land harshly on a rock and her vision blurred for a second. Still, she scrambled to her feet as fast as she could but before she could stand—
"Silencio! Stupefy!"
Annabeth tried to cast a protection charm, but her voice didn't work and the red light hit her chest, sending her flying back a few feet and her vision spiraling into darkness.
***
"Renervate."
Annabeth had barely been conscious for a second before her fist shot out at the figure in front of her. A hand closed around her wrist before she could make contact and Annabeth twisted, trying to break the grip, letting out a guttural cry. Her head was pounding.
"Miss Chase, calm down."
When Annabeth relaxed slightly, Dumbledore let go of her wrist and she shot straight up, her head so painful she could barely see, searching her surroundings.
"Annabeth," Dumbledore said again. "Lie still for a moment. You're safe."
Annabeth wanted to laugh. Safe? When was she ever safe? But she didn't have the strength to fight against Dumbledore's arm as he eased her back onto the ground. She was barely aware of Viktor lying somewhere to her right.
"What happened?" Dumbledore said.
Before Annabeth could reply, she felt the ground shake as someone heavy ran over to them. Hagrid.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Hagrid exclaimed as Annabeth tried to sit up again. "Harry— Annabeth— what the—"
"Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore said, forcing Annabeth down again. "His student has been attacked. When you've done that, kindly alert Professor Moody—"
"No need, Dumbledore," Interrupted a voice Annabeth was not all too happy with. Great. "I'm here. Damn leg. Would've been here quicker... What happened? Snape said something about Crouch—-"
"Crouch?" Hagrid repeated.
"Karkaroff, please, Hagrid!"
"Oh yeah, right y'are, Professor..." Hagrid turned and ran in another direction.
"I don't know where Barty Crouch is," Dumbledore said to Moody, keeping a hand on Annabeth's shoulder as she tried again to sit up with increasing frustration. "But it is essential that we find him."
"I'm onto it," Moody growled, raising his wand and disappearing into the forest.
Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but her voice wasn't working and no sound came out. No one was looking at her and so no one noticed.
"What is this?" a furious voice said. "What's going on?"
"I vos attacked!" Viktor, pushing herself up. Oh, so he got to sit up? "Mr. Crouch or votever his name—"
"Crouch attacked you? Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?"
"Igor—"
"Treachery!" Karkaroff yelled. Annabeth wanted to tell him to shut the hell up, but her voice just didn't listen. "It is a plot! You and your ministry of magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore! This is not an equal competition! First you sneak Potter and a half-breed into the Tournament, though they are both underage! Now one of your ministry friends attempts to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences— here's what I think of you!"
Karkaroff spat at the ground. In the blink of an eye, Hagrid had him off the ground and pinned against a tree.
"Apologize!" Hagrid growled.
"Hagrid, no!"
Hagrid backed off, and Karkaroff crumpled against the ground. Annabeth tried to sit up again, but Dumbledore's hand was still on her shoulder, retraining her. She finally got the strength to tap his arm frustratingly and point at her mouth.
Dumbledore furrowed his brows for a second before muttering, "finite incantatem."
"It wasn't Crouch," Annabeth said immediately, her voice raspy. "Someone shot the spells from the forest. I had a short duel with them. Crouch was on the ground the whole time."
"You expect me to believe the word of a half-breed?" Karkoroff seethed. "It is already insulting enough that she is the champion for Hogwarts. Now she would make up ridiculous stories!"
"Kindly escort Harry and assist Annabeth back up to the castle, Hagrid," Dumbledore said sharply.
"Maybe I'd better stay here, Headmaster..."
"You will take them back to school, Hagrid," Ddumbledore repeated sternly. "Take Harry right up to Gryffindor Tower and Annabeth to the hospital wing. And both of you— I want you to stay there. Anything you might want to do, any owls you might want to send, they can wait until morning, do you understand me?"
"Er— yes," Harry said.
Annabeth accepted Dumbledore's arm and pulled herself to her feet, her head and vision swimming with the effort. She stumbled forward, just barely catching herself against a tree. Fine, maybe Dumbledore's insistence of her staying down had been reasonable. Harry went over to Annabeth, and she hesitantly accepted his help in standing straight.
"I'll leave Fang with yeh, Headmaster," Hagrid said, glaring at Karkaroff. "Stay, Fang. C'mon, Harry, Annabeth."
Annabeth leaned some of her weight on Harry, but she kept as much of it on her feet as she could and took a tentative step forward.
They continued on like that, passing the Beauxbatons' carriage and walking past the lake, though it was slow going.
"How dare he," Hagrid growled as they walked. "How dare he accuse Dumbledore. Like Dumbledore'd do anythin like that. Like Dumbledore wanted you, Harry, in the Tournament in the first' place. Worried! I dunno when I seen Dumbledore more worried than he's bin lately. An' you!" Hagrid turned to Harry. "What were yeh doin, wanderin off with ruddy Krum? He's from Durmstrang, Harry! Yer only lucky Annabeth was there! Coulda jinxed you right there, couldn' he? Hasn' Moody taught eh nothin? Imagine letting him lure you off on your own—"
"Krum's all right!" Harry protested as they went up the stairs to the Entrance Hall. "he wasn't trying to jinx me, he just wanted to talk about Hermione—"
"I'll be havin a few words with her, an' all," Hagrid said, stomping harder than necessary and jarring Annabth's head with every step. "The less you lot have to do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be. Yeh can't trust any of them."
"You were getting on alright with Madam Maxime," Harry snapped.
"Don't you talk to me about her!" Hagrid yelled. "I've got her number, now! Tryin ter get back in me good books, tryin ter get me to tell her what's comin in the third task. Ha! Yeh can't trust any of them!"
The rest of the walk up to Gryffindor Tower was silent, Harry and Hagrid both off in their own worlds. Annabeth was just trying to stay conscious, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.
She was embarrassed that she had been taken down so easily. She had barely gotten two spells in before the person— whoever it was— had gotten the better of her. And that was another thing, too. Who was that person?
Someone had abducted Crouch, that much was clear. And it had been going on for a while, if Crouch's cowering was anything to go by. Whatever the person in the woods had been doing, it was enough to terrify an important and cold ministry official. Who had taken Crouch? And why?
And when they shot confringo, it hadn't hit Annabeth, it had hit the ground in front of her. She wasn't naive. She knew it had missed her on purpose. A full on hit with confringo could cause serious damage, but the attacker had aimed the spell at her feet. They didn't want her badly injured. Why?
After they reached Gryffindor Tower and Harry had transferred some of Annabeth's weight to Hagrid, some of his anger seemed to melt away.
"Are yeh okay?" he asked while Annabeth blinked away a new wave of dizziness.
"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Just hit my head."
When they got to the Hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was standing ready at the doors. She rushed forward and grabbed Annabeth's arm to support her, which Annabeth wouldn't admit she was grateful for.
Dumbledore had said not to send any letters until morning. Annabeth wanted to scoff as she sank onto a bed. Yeah, right.