Daphne's Gift

"Have no fear, Sire. I do not doubt in my mind you will triumph over your adversaries. After all, the Potters will always find a way."

"Mr.Potter, are you ready?" Harry turned towards Bagman, nodding his head in response."On three - two - one -" The whistle blew, and Harry took off into the maze, disappearing into the mist-filled paths.

"Mast-?! Mas-!? M-!?"

Gnarl's startled voice began breaking as Harry ventured deeper into the maze. The maze had some enchantment that interfered with the amulet's ability to communicate with Gnarl. Which meant, he truly was on his own.

He couldn't focus on that, though. He needed to move. This maze was huge, covering almost the entire Quidditch Pitch, which meant plenty of ways for him to get lost. If he wanted to win this, or at least survive, he needed a plan. He needed...

'Wait...' "Sonus Vistus!"

Before the Task, he and Gnarl had begun experimenting with the Radar Spell, trying to discover just how versatile it was. With a fair deal of effort, Harry learned that by waving his wand in a circle around himself, he could release a wave of magic that went in all directions, not just one. But now was the time to test another theory they devised while experimenting.

'Alright, focus. Close your eyes, and clear your mind. The mindscape is mine to command. I can see the walls, but I need to... YES!'

He could see it now! In his mind's eye, he could see the beginnings of a map from a birds-eye view of the maze. He could see the many paths he could take, the ones that led him to the maze's heart, and those that led into a dead end, or a trap.

Opening his eyes, he knew exactly which way to go. Racing forward, he followed the path he had memorized, pausing only briefly to re-cast the spell and refresh his memory, ensuring that the map remained current, especially considering the possibility of new paths opening and closing as he carried onwards. It served him well, allowing him to avoid a Blast Ended Skrewt by taking an alternate route, though he felt a distinctly familiar chill fall upon him by following it.

Recognizing the sensation, he conjured his Patronus and sent it ahead, toward the source of the unnatural chill, a Dementor. Rounding the corner, he found, to his shock, the Dementor was on the ground. It had tripped over itself, with the dragon Patronus hovering over it, snarling at the startled creature. That told him everything he needed to know.

"Riddikulus!"

The Boggart disappeared in a mist, allowing Harry to press onwards, his dragon following him, providing ample illumination for his path forward. By the time it dissipated, he found himself at a fork in the path. Upon recasting his Radar Spell he found the path that would take him to the center fastest. But as he prepared to turn down it, he heard the familiar sound of spell-casting. At first, he assumed it was one of the other Champions, possibly Cedric or even Krum, since they were the first to follow. But as he prepared to turn and follow the separate path, away from the others, a horrifying scream pierced the air. It was Fleur, and like it or not, Harry knew he had to help her.

Following the path closer to the fighting, he kept his ears open. To his surprise, it sounded like multiple people were casting spells—three people, which meant that all three Champions were facing whatever obstacle was blocking their path. Rounding a corner, he found, to his surprise, Viktor Krum casting down another path, using the corner wall as cover.

"Viktor! Are you alright?"

Harry called out to his fellow champion, concerned that he was seemingly caught up in a duel with multiple combatants. His concern was replaced by shock when Krum spun around and sent stunners at him, forcing him to duck behind cover. Peering around the corner, he saw that Krum had returned his focus towards whoever was casting against him. Closing his eyes, he listened intently to the sounds of the duel, and finally, he heard the voices of Krum's opponents-Cedric and Fleur.

Confused by this turn of events, Harry was ready to call out to Krum again, to try and stop this senseless fight, when he noticed something. Krum's eyes had a cloudy, vacant stare. He'd seen that look before when Professor Moody put everyone through Imperius resistance training. While Harry had been able to resist the Imperius Curse, many others in class did not, and when they fell under the sway of the Professor, their eyes took on a similar appearance. Which could only mean one thing: someone had placed Krum under the Imperius curse. Likely whoever was responsible for entering him in this deathtrap in the first place.

Peering around the corner, Harry saw, to his relief, that Krum had refocused his attention on Cedric and Fleur. Seizing the initiative, Harry stepped out and raised his wand to cast a Stunner, but Krum must have heard him. He whipped around and sent stunners Harry's way, trying to force him back. But Harry was faster. Sanctuary shielded him and allowed him to follow up with a Stunner of his own. Krum dropped to the floor, unceremoniously, leaving Harry room to breathe.

Gathering his wits, he called out, "Cedric! Fleur! You two OK?"

Seconds passed, as Harry waited for one of them to answer. As he stepped towards Krum, cautiously, lest someone Renervate him, Cedric called back, "Is Krum down?"

"I stunned him, Cedric. It's safe, for now."

"Non! Zat is not enough! Incarcerous 'im, before 'e wakes up!"

Hearing Fleur's demand, Harry was tempted, at least in part, to ignore it. After all, the man had been Imperiused. It wasn't as though he wanted to hurt any of them. But Fleur had a point, he could be easily Renervated by whoever was controlling him. Then they'd have to deal with him all over again. Reluctantly, upon reaching Krum, Harry placed him in Incarcerous.

"Alright, he's tied up. It's safe."

Turning his head down the path, Harry saw Cedric and Fleur emerge from their corners, albeit more hesitantly on Fleur's part. Cedric looked between Harry and Krum as he advanced, trusting Harry but uncertain about what was happening. Not Fleur though. She eyed Krum with intense anger and fear, never letting her eyes leave him, while holding her wand out, ready to retaliate at the slightest hint of betrayal from Krum.

"Zat Batard tried using ze Cruciatus on me!"

Fleur began moving her wand, as though preparing to cast another spell at Krum while unconscious. Knowing the truth of what had happened to him, Harry placed himself between Fleur and Krum, drawing her ire.

"Move, leetle boy! I won't let zat animal get away with zis!"

"Fleur, it wasn't his fault. He was Imperiused!"

Fleur drew back in surprise, while Cedric chose this moment to interject.

"How are you certain?"

"His eyes. I've seen them before when Professor Moody was having the class undergo Imperius Resistance Training. I was able to throw it off, but most of the class fell under its influence. They all took on a clouded, vacant look, and he was no exception."

"But who put him under their control? And where are they?"

"What does zat matter?" Fleur's voice rang out, her rising fury heard and felt by Harry and Cedric. "If he was controlled before, he can be controlled again. 'E is a danger to all of us. Let's leave 'im here and be done with zis."

"We can't do that, Fleur." Harry protested Fleur's callousness. "If he recognized the voice that commanded him, we know who's trying to interfere with the Tournament."

Without any further prompting, Harry cast Rennervate on the bound Krum. Fleur narrowed her eyes at Harry but kept silent as Krum stirred.

"What happened? Why am I tied up?"

"Krum, you attacked Cedric and Fleur while under Imperius," Harry told him as gently as he could, watching Krum's reactions. He widened his eyes in shock, as the memories came to him. "We need to know, the voice that commanded you, did you recognize it?"

Krum thought briefly, remembering the voice that whispered in his mind before he felt his body being wrested away from him, forced to watch as his body acted like a puppet on strings.

"No, Harry. I did not recognize the voice. But I do know what it wants. It wants you to win."

Harry and Fleur both drew back in shock, never anticipating those words. But Cedric looked thoughtful, pausing briefly before he asked Krum his questions.

"What makes you so certain they want Harry to win?"

"Because the voice ordered me to stop Cedric and Fleur from approaching the center of the maze. They want Harry to reach it, alone." Krum's explanation was interrupted by Harry as he sent up red sparks with his wand. While part of Harry wanted to win this Tournament, especially after being called a 'leetle boy' again, he'd rather deny his enemy the satisfaction of capturing or killing him. Plus, if he removed himself from the Task, they might divert their attention away from the other Champions.

"You three better move. The teachers will likely be here soon."

"That won't work, I tried it." At the other's confused looks, Krum pressed on. "When I felt my body being taken over, I sent up red sparks to get the teachers to stop me. If the staff haven't found any of us yet, I doubt they even saw it."

Harry wondered how that was possible until he remembered what happened as he entered the maze. He lost contact with Gnarl, the magic that allowed him to communicate with his house-elf blocked. And he didn't know the Patronus well enough to use it as a messenger. Which meant... they were alone.

"So, we're stuck in this bloody maze, with no means of summoning help from the staff?" Harry's voice couldn't hide the disbelief in his voice.

"If that's true, what do we do now?"

Harry looked thoughtful at Cedric's words. Right now, they don't have many options. They could try retracing their steps, the Radar Spell making that a possibility. But the one who cursed Krum was still out there, and they'd be watching their progress. Sure, they could draw them out, but there was no telling what they would do next. They could try forcing their way out, but the maze itself was alive. Harry didn't know how it would react to someone trying to burn a hole through it, but he doubted it was pleasant. Which left... one viable option.

"We stick together and go forward. I know where the maze's center is, and can lead us there. If whoever's behind this is waiting at the center of the maze, maybe we can surprise them?"

It... was a good plan, they had to admit. It wasn't completely crazy, and more importantly gave them strength in numbers. If they stuck together, they might have a chance of overwhelming the opposition. And if one of them should fall under the Imperius again, the other three could stop them. It took a few moments before the trio nodded their heads. Taking that as his cue, Cedric spoke to Harry.

"Alright, Harry. We'll follow your lead. Hopefully, we can all finish this together."

In response, Harry released Krum from the Incarcerous and helped him to his feet. Dusting himself off, Krum readied his wand as the group took up a diamond formation. Harry would take the front, leading them through the maze to the center, while Cedric and Krum walked beside each other immediately behind him. At the rear of the group was Fleur, and there was no doubt she was there to watch Krum. If he made even the slightest hostile movement towards anyone in the group, she'd drop him like a rock.

As they advanced through the maze, the group kept watch for any signs of interference. Branches from the maze reaching out to grab the Champions were cut and burned without a second thought. The slightest sound of movement from around them brought an immediate response in the form of Stunners and the occasional Bombarda. All of them were on edge, and even with Harry's use of the Radar Spell, he was uncertain just what was waiting for them.

Until, finally, they came upon an unusual sight at the end of a path. It had the body of a large lion, but the head of a woman. Harry was taken aback by the sight of it until he realized it was a Sphinx. That was when he remembered Gnarl's lectures about magical creatures like the Sphinx. A highly intelligent creature with a love of riddles and puzzles, it was often used to guard treasure and valuables.

Which no doubt meant it was guarding the fastest way to the center of the maze, and was going to challenge them with a riddle for passage.

Glancing at the others nervously, Harry walked up to it, summoning as much confidence as he could. "Hello, Great Sphinx. We wish to enter the path you guard."

The Sphinx watched the group with curious, almond-shaped eyes. No doubt it was expecting the Champions to arrive individually, not as a group. But that was not her concern. They wanted passage, and she knew only one way they might pass.

"To pass, each of you must answer a riddle. Those who answer correctly may pass. Answer wrong, and I will attack. If you remain silent you may leave unscathed."

The group nodded, and she looked at each of them as they stood side-by-side in front of her. First, she looked at Harry.

"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?"

As Harry pondered the answer, the Sphinx turned to Krum.

"I welcome the day

With a show of light,

I stealthily arrive here,

In the dark of the night.

I bathe the earthy stuff at dawn,

But by noon, alas! I'm gone.

What am I?"

Now it was Cedric's turn.

"Whoever creates me,

Does not need me,

Whoever buys me,

Has no use for me.

Whoever uses me,

Can neither see nor feel me.

What am I?"

Finally, it turns to Fleur,

"When you stop to look,

You can always see me.

If you try to touch me,

You can never feel me.

And when you walk towards me

I remain the same distance from you.

What am I?"

The Champions thought over their answers carefully. A wrong answer meant a fight and the Sphinx was undoubtedly powerful. A few seconds later, Harry figured out the answer to his riddle. Soon, each of the Champions had a confident look, ready to give their answers.

"A spider."

"Morning dew."

"A coffin."

"The horizon."

The sphinx smiles as they answer, nodding at them each in turn. Her game finished, she stood on her legs and moved out of the path, smiling as they passed her. They resume their diamond formation, though not for the dangers of the maze. Harry can already tell, the only obstacle left between them and the center is an Acromantula... one that's getting uncomfortably close.

Seconds later, it pops out from around a corner and is confronted with four, prepared Champions instead of one. Four potent spells are launched at it. All four of them hit with unerring accuracy. The massive spider is reduced to a mess of charcoal. In seconds it's been struck by a lightning bolt, Veela fire, a Confringo, and a Bombarda.

Stepping over the extra-crispy spider chunks, the group continues its advance until they finally see it. A blue light at the end of the path, in an open area. The Triwizard Cup.

They had done it. They had succeeded. It wasn't as individual Champions as they no doubt wished, but still, they had done it. Even with a potential Dark Wizard sabotaging their efforts, they had managed to reach the end, alive. But they had to remain alert. If this was the end of the maze, there could still be a trap waiting for them.

Inching ever so carefully forward, Harry remained on edge. He cast the Radar Spell again and again, watching for even the slightest movement, the slightest disturbance. Anything that gave even the slightest hint of things not being what they seem.

But there was nothing. No signs of an intruder. No sign of a trap. Nothing. It seemed as though the saboteur had backed off. Could they really be that lucky?

"We made it."

The words come from Cedric, but they lift a weight off every set of shoulders. Krum releases a breath nobody knew he was holding as Fleur releases the tension in her upper body. She finally feels at ease, now that the Tournament is finished. But Cedric wasn't finished.

"Harry, you should do the honour."

Harry spun around, staring wide-eyed at Cedric.

"Why? I never wanted to participate in this Tournament. You three should have the win, you were the ones who willingly put down your names."

"Harry, that's exactly why you deserve the win. You're the only one in history to achieve a perfect score in this Tournament, and you did it without even wanting to. And you warned us about the First Task, and waited for the rest of us during the Second Task, and you led us through this insane maze with a lunatic on the loose. Harry, nobody else deserves the win more than you do, now or ever."

Silence reigned as the group took in Cedric's words. And to Harry's shock, a silent consensus was reached with the other Champions. They nodded their heads, slowly at first, as they came around to Cedric's opinion.

"I... alright. I'll... I'll grab the Cup. Maybe once one of us has it, whatever's blocking us from summoning help will dissipate."

"Maybe. We'll keep trying to signal the staff. Hopefully, we can get something to them."

Nodding at Cedric's words, Harry turned and approached the Cup. Even in the dark mist of the maze, the Cup glowed a brilliant blue light, easily seen by anyone who approached it. He reached out with his hand and grabbed the Cup.

He did it. Against all the odds, he did it. He had won!

And then he felt a strange pull on his navel.