200 gems = bonus chapter
Fully support the story at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium
***
They missed the Death Eaters. Which was to be expected, since he and Moody were late, and the noise might have scared off an unknown Death Eater. As it turned out, the explosion of the wall of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom had attracted the attention of some professors, who had already notified the rest of the faculty. Moody took full responsibility for the damage done to Hogwarts as a result of several barrier-blasting charms. It wasn't an act of altruism or self-sacrifice, he simply blamed it on the mysterious Death Eaters and took no responsibility. And the problem itself was solved by calling in a team of Muggle masons who did the repairs for an unknown but rather large amount of pounds sterling. Of course, after completion, they had their memories corrected, and thus believed that they had been given the money for the work by the local Prime Minister's majordomo son.
Tonks left Hogwarts the next day. Not without a bit of a scandal, she had broken off all relations with Moody. Potter was also hurt, but less so, Nymphadora thought Mad-Eye was the one who had forced him to attack her.
- How could you, Harry! How could you! I trusted you!
Tonks had actually said something else, but after the event, Harry's mind was a little fuzzy and he couldn't remember exactly what she had said, but he remembered certain things word for word.
- You forced me to do it. I made it clear that I was one hundred per cent sure that Moody was real. You refused to believe me, and I was forced to deal with the problem in another way.
- And you find that way acceptable? Attacking your friends in order to... In order to what?! I don't even know why I did it!
- To catch Death Eaters. It would have been good for everyone! And as it turns out, I was right.
- Who cares who was right?! What was the problem with checking Moody with Dumbledore first and then going after the Death Eater?
- Time. Yeah and until we find out the identity of the bad guy, we can't trust anyone, Dumbledore included.
- Stop talking like Moody! You're not him.
- You talk like it's a bad thing. I'd rather be Moody than Tonks.
That was the end of the dialogue. Harry realised now that the last line had offended Nymphadora; yes, perhaps he had been a little overzealous in his own defence of his point of view. However, he was right. Moody had indeed turned out to be real.
That same day, the one had passed every possible test. Polyjuice potion, Polyjuice potion, fogging potion, Confundus and Imperius. All of the checks came back negative, which meant that Mad-Eye Moody was Mad-Eye Moody with a will of his own. The only test Alastor refused to take was the truth serum test.
Finch-Fletchley was in the Hospital Wing for two days after the incident. Bezoar had broken his nose, and the whip spell released by Potter had damaged his shoulder very badly. The other wounds weren't too dangerous and Madam Pomfrey healed them in no time at all. While in the Hospital Wing, Justin was forced to listen to Mad-Eye's educational speech. Finch-Fletchley had a very different reaction to the night's incident than Tonks.
- Harry, I'm sorry, I was wrong... Tonks said it well, so I thought, what if it did? It was all right, except for Moody's behaviour, but I didn't think it mattered. I just got it wrong, that's all right, isn't it? I thought it was odd that Moody hadn't found the Eater, because I thought he could spot any traitor in a second, and there was nothing, not a clue, and then Tonks and her suspicions, and I suddenly realised that the only person Mad-Eye hadn't checked was myself... Well, I'm sorry about that, but... Anyway...
Finch-Fletchley was worried when he said this, it was possible that he might have thought that Harry might have stopped being friends with him because of the conflict, it was also possible that Moody himself had suggested it to him. Either way, Justin had repented, and Harry had forgiven him, of course. Even if he hadn't apologised, or even if he had taken offence. Harry didn't think that Tonks and Finch-Fletchley were so much to blame for him, it just so happened that at the critical moment they didn't have the same opinions and it was his that turned out to be the right one. Anyway, Potter made up with Justin, and they never spoke of the battle again, except that Harry made Finch-Fletchley tell him in great detail how he had managed to dodge his Keeghn Sept spell.
That day had been unlucky for more than just them. Professor Lupin, who was actually ill that day, had somehow ended up in the Forbidden Forest, where he had met a werewolf who had chewed off two fingers on his right hand. The fingers could not be repaired: werewolves were dark creatures and wounds inflicted by such creatures could not be healed. Harry decided that no matter how many spells he had, he would not go into the Forbidden Forest.
Their battle had never been made public, Moody himself had taken care of that. Potter wasn't even sure if Dumbledore knew who was responsible for the Hogwarts mayhem.
The date for the third trial of the Tri-Wizard Tournament was fast approaching. In the first few days after the Easter holidays, during which Potter had decided to stay at Hogwarts, Pomona Stable had asked Harry and Justin to stay late after her herbology class.
- 'You will need to go to the Quidditch pitch at nine o'clock tonight, Potter, Finch-Fletchley,' she informed them. - There, Mr Bagman will explain to you and the other contestants what awaits you in the third round.
At nine p.m. Harry and Justin, along with the rest of the contestants, Fred and George not among them, stood outside the huge maze built on the Quidditch pitch, waiting for Bagman, who was running late.
- What have they done to the Quidditch pitch? - Cedric said indignantly.
- You're in your last year at Hogwarts, what do you care? - Finch-Fletchley asked.
- So? I'm supposed to take the 'After me, what's the flood? How are they going to play Quidditch next year?
- Relax, I think the organisers will clean it up after the Tournament. That's how it was last time," Adrian Roux cut in.
His English was so good that he didn't even have an accent.
- You had the Tournament of Three Wizards? - Potter wondered. - But the books didn't say anything about it.
- Not us, I read about a tournament in Czechoslovakia. There they turned the whole school into an obstacle course for the third trial. The students graduated a month early.
- I'm sorry I'm late, I was catching those two boys," Mr Bagman came up from Hogwarts, accompanied by Fred and George. - I had to pick them up from detention and wrestle them away from the head boy, Mr... Filch, I think, yes?
Johan Lundren came up to Mr Bagman and started whispering quietly with him.
- What's the time off for? - Justin asked the twins.
- We were bored.
- That's understandable, that's how all your great stories begin.
- ...So we sicced Weeping Myrtle on Peeves, and that was all right, but they chose McGonagall's office as the battleground. Two weeks of detention, plus thirty points, but we're still a long way from you, so we're not in danger of finishing fourth in the faculty competition.
- Not a good set of circumstances," Potter said.
- I don't care. Listen, you two, we're going to go to the Forbidden Forest. Are you coming with us?
- Are you crazy? After Professor Lupin had two of his fingers chewed off in there? Aren't you afraid of meeting a werewolf?
- That's exactly why we're going! - Fred answered in George's place. - We've been there so many times, but we've never met one.
- Except for an acromantula and that ghoul, brother, don't forget.
- Well, they're not dangerous if you don't go near them. So, are you coming with us?
- I'm not going and neither should you, it's not only dangerous, it's stupid. What's the point of going? Just to break the rules? Right.
- All right, all right, that's enough, Harry," Fred stopped him. - You're out, I get it. What about you, Justin?
- Actually, I think I'd have to agree with Harry. Shit, I'd hate to be without fingers.
- Well, as you know, I thought those who decided to blow up Hogwarts in the middle of the night wouldn't be so easily frightened.
- How did you know that? - Potter wondered. He was sure that Moody had made sure that no one knew of his involvement.
- From Cedric Diggory.
- Did he?
- I don't know. From an acquaintance of some sort, if you care, ask him. You shouldn't have kept it a secret, you'd have a lot of respect, even though you're already famous for the Tournament...
- All right! I want everyone to pay attention to me! - Mr Bagman said loudly.
He had already finished with Johan and was now standing near the labyrinth.
- The third test. The maze!
- You just have to go through the maze? - Fleur Delacourt wondered.
Harry tried not to look at the charmbaton. In all this time, he still couldn't get used to her charm magic - or was it not her? - and often couldn't take his eyes off Delacourt, which he supposed looked odd from the outside. So when the French girl interjected into their tandem with Justin, Harry would find an excuse to remove himself and spend his time either with Zhou, Colin, or Riddle at the books.
- So it's so small," she continued. - Fifteen people will find their way out in no time.
- There would be obstacles, of course. And, for one thing, it's not the way out, it's the Goblet of Fire. Whoever touches it first wins.
- What about the results of the previous trials? - George spoke up. - They'll be taken into account, won't they?
- Of course, you will enter the maze one by one, depending on your performance. The first to enter will be George Weasley," Mr Bagman wanted to point his finger at the twin, but he couldn't decide which one was George, so he changed his mind. - Then Adrian Roux and Victor Kram, you'll come in fifteen minutes later. Then George Hypotenuse and so on and so on. Juliette Laurent will be last, six hours behind.
- Six hours? In six hours, everyone will have gone through the whole labyrinth! I won't even have a chance!
- It only takes a couple of seconds to shoot red sparks into the sky, don't worry, you'll make it..." Justin didn't finish his sentence, as Fleur's elbow hit his nose, no doubt by coincidence.
- You have to listen to the terms and conditions. Secondly, there will be a huge number of challenges and enemies. Boggarts, ghouls, redcaps, sphinxes, acromantulas, dendroids, aggressive phoenixes of the Sh species, and that's just me mentioning the ones I'm allowed to inform you about. There are many unknown opponents, battles with which will test your wit and knowledge of spells. I can't say anything about the trials, I'm wearing a spell that forbids me from telling the participants other details of the final trial, the same was on the golden eggs.
Potter was encouraged when he heard the last phrase.
- Thirdly, the maze you see is just a shell. We had planned a maze like this for the third trial, but there are not three of you, but more, fifteen people, so we have enlarged the maze in proportion to the new number of participants, that is, fifteen times.
- Fifteen divided by three is fifteen. That's right," Finch-Fletchley said quietly.
- The final maze is larger than Hogwarts itself, and we've decided to warp the space within the Quidditch pitch. Because of this, emergency rescues will be severely hampered. Therefore, there will be aurors and some professors flying through the air, they will control the participants who will fight difficult enemies. To summon one of the guards you have to point your wand in the air and cause red sparks, but you know that. I'll only be able to comment on what's going on within the final area - several kilometres, the maze is too huge and there's no way to watch everyone. The spectators will only appear until one of you reaches the final platform. Okay, that's it. Any questions?
Silence was his answer. Even Babushka suddenly stopped drinking vodka and didn't disturb the silence.
- Well, that's good! All free except Mr Potter. Mr Potter, come here, I have something to tell you.
The case was a map of the labyrinth.
- There's only the first part of it, the spell won't let me reveal the rest," said Bagman when everyone but them had left. - You'll enter from Exit 6, and if you take the shortest route, you'll meet an acromantula, so be prepared. At the exit there is a fork, one path leads to phoenixes and redcaps, the other to boggart and sphinx, which one leads where, I can't tell you. If you pass the tests, you will meet a path to the second site, there you can meet other champions, be careful, after passing the second stage will be the final site. What will happen there, even I don't know. Beware of other competitors, battles between you are allowed. Don't show the map to anyone, it's marked, I'll be fired if they find out.
- Can I ask you a question?
- Go ahead.
- Why are you helping me?
Mr Bagman's been thinking.
- I bet my entire fortune on you winning. I made a deal with someone... With this card I've played you for a few hours, but even with that advantage you're not the favourite, I've bought you about an hour of time, but no more. You need to work hard to win... Win. All right?
- Well-" Harry didn't know how he should react to such an admission. - I'll do my best.