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 pulled out my wand, muttered,"Lumos."
I reached a fork. Taking a right I went ahead. I sped up. My chosen path 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.
I kept looking behind him. The old feeling that I was 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."Point Me," I whispered to my wand, holding it flat in my palm.The wand spun around once and pointed toward his 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.
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 me. I could hear its rattling breath; I felt clammy coldness stealing over me, but knew what I had to do. . . .
I summoned the happiest thought I could, concentrated with all my might on the thought of getting out of the maze with Harry, raised my wand, and cried,"Expecto Patronum!"A silver wolf erupted from the end of my wand and galloped toward the dementor, which fell back and tripped over the hem of its robes. . . . I had never seen a dementor stumble.
"Hang on!" I shouted, advancing in the wake of my silver Patronus. "You're a boggart! Riddikulus!"There was a loud crack, and the shape-shifter exploded in a wisp of smoke. The silver wolf faded from sight. I wished it could have stayed, I could have used some company . . . but I moved on, quickly and quietly as possible, listening hard, my wand held high once more.
Left . . . right . . . left again . . . Twice I found myself facing dead ends. I did the Four-Point Spell again and found that I was going too far east. I turned back, took a right turn, and sawan odd golden mist floating ahead of me.
I approached it cautiously, pointing the wand's beam at it.This looked like some kind of enchantment. I wondered whether I might be able to blast it out of the way.
"Reducto!" I said.The spell shot straight through the mist, leaving it intact. I supposed I should have known better; the Reductor Curse was for solid objects. What would happen if I walked through the mist?Was it worth chancing it, or should I double back?
I doubled back. Took another path and moved forward. I stopped dead. Hagrid's Skewerts. One of them at least, was standing in front of me. Shelly, Scaly all at once. I raised my wand then fell to the ground with a cry. My wand rolled a little away from me. I didn't care, my scar was burning.
No, no, no. Not now.
I can't. . .I can't see. . . the skewert seemed to be advancing. . . a voice in my head. . .It is done. . .Harry Potter will not return. The triwizard cup is set. . .the portkey is ready.
I shuddered the Cup was a portkey. I needed to warn Harry but. . .the skewert was too close I was going to die. Then I thought of my brother lying dead, not being alive.
I wasn't giving up.
I reached for my wand. Harry didn't like stunning spells, but they had become my speciality. Taking careful aim on the Skewert's fleshy underside I said "stupefy". It was blasted back, and landed a few feet away from me.
I gave a shuddering breath. I struggled to my feet, and stumbled on.
I moved on, continuing to use the Four-Point Spell,I sped up.Every so often I hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made me feel sure I was getting near the heart of the maze.
Then, as I strode down a long, straight path, I saw movementonce again, and me beam of wandlight hit an extraordinary creature, one which I had only seen in picture form, in me MonsterBook of Monsters.
It was a sphinx. It had the body of an over-large lion: great clawedpaws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. Its head, however, was that of a woman. She turned her long, almond-shaped eyesupon me as I approached. I raised my wand, hesitating. Shewas not crouching as if to spring, but pacing from side to side of thepath, blocking my progress. Then she spoke, in a deep, hoarse voice.
"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."
"So . . . so will you move, please?"I said, knowing what theanswer was going to be.
"No," she said, continuing to pace. "Not unless you can answermy riddle. Answer on your first guess — I let you pass. Answerwrongly — I attack. Remain silent — I will let you walk away fromme unscathed."
I was good at puzzels and riddles.
"Okay," I said. "Can I hear the riddle?"
The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs, in the very middle ofthe path, and recited:
"First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"
"Could I have it again . . . more slowly?" I asked tentatively.
She blinked at me, smiled, and repeated the poem.
"All the clues add up to a creature I wouldn't want to kiss?" I asked.
She merely smiled her mysterious smile.I took that for a"yes."
I cast my mind around. There were plenty of animals I wouldn't want to kiss; my immediate thought was a Blast-EndedSkrewt, but something told me that wasn't the answer. I had to go step by step.
"A person in disguise," I muttered, staring at her, "wholies . . . er . . . that'd be a — an imposter. No, that's not my guess!A — a spy? I'll come back to that . . . could you give me the nextclue again, please?"
She repeated the next lines of the poem
." 'The last thing to mend,' " I repeated. "Er . . . no idea . . .'middle of middle' . . . could I have the last bit again?"
She gave me the last four lines.
" 'The sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-findword,' "I said. "Er . . . that'd be . . . er . . . hang on — 'er'! Er'sa sound!"
The sphinx smiled at me.
"Spy . . . er . . . spy . . . er . . ."I said , pacing up and down."A creature I wouldn't want to kiss . . . a spider!"
The sphinx smiled more broadly. She got up, stretched her frontlegs, and then moved aside for me to pass.
"Thanks!" I said as I dashed forward. I had to be close now, I had to be. . . . My wand was telling me I was bang on course; as long as I didn't meet anything toohorrible, I might have a chance. . . .
I broke into a run. I had a choice of paths up ahead."Point Me!" I whispered again to my wand, and it spun around and pointed me to the right-hand one. I dashed up this one andsaw light ahead.The Triwizard Cup was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yardsaway.
But Harry and Cedric were already there.
I crept closer, no one noticed me. Diggory was talking. My Curiosity got the better of me
"You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neckin here."
"That's not how it's supposed to work," Harry said. "The onewho reaches the cup first gets the points. That's you. I'm tellingyou, I'm not going to win any races on this leg."
Cedric took a few paces nearer to a Stunned spider, away fromthe cup, shaking his head."No," he said.
"Stop being noble," said Harry irritably. "Just take it, then wecan get out of here."
Cedric watched Harry steadying himself, holding tight to thehedge."You told me about the dragons," Cedric said. "I would've gonedown in the first task if you hadn't told me what was coming."
"I had help on that too," Harry snapped, trying to mop up hisbloody leg with his robes. "You helped me with the egg — we'resquare."
"I had help on the egg in the first place," said Cedric.
"We're still square," said Harry, testing his leg gingerly; it shookviolently as he put weight on it; he looked like he had sprained his ankle.
Oh god, these morals.
"You should've got more points on the second task," said Cedricmulishly. "You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should'vedone that."
"I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously!" said Harry bitterly. "Just take the cup!"
No," said Cedric.
I stepped over the spider's tangled legs to join Harry, who didn't notice me. Cedric was serious. He was walking away from thesort of glory Hufflepuff House hadn't had in centuries.
"Go on," Cedric said. He looked as though this was costing himevery ounce of resolution he had, but his face was set, his arms werefolded, he seemed decided.Harry looked from Cedric to the cup.
"Both of us," Harry said.
"What?"
"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'lltie for it."
Cedric stared at Harry. He unfolded his arms."You — you sure?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah . . . we've helped each other out,haven't we? We both got here. Let's just take it together."
For a moment, Cedric looked as though he couldn't believe hisears; then his face split in a grin.
"You're on," he said. "Come here."He grabbed Harry's arm below the shoulder and helped Harrylimp toward the plinth where the cup stood. When they hadreached it, they both held a hand out over one of the cup's gleaming handles.
"NO!" I yelled "DON'T TOUCH IT THE CUP--THE CUP IS A PORTKEY"
But I was too late. They had touched it. And at that moment my necklace glowed.
My mother's necklace that is, it lets me know if anyone I love is in danger. Gripping my necklace I thought of every memory with Harry. I vanished from Hogwarts
My own selfish curiosity was leading us to our death.