A/N: It's my birthday today so just for fun, can you guys guess how old I am? Idk if this counts as a hint but: I feel really old because I've been in Wattpad for seven years now WOW. I'm pretty sure a lot of my A/N's give away how old I might be as well haha :>

Hours turned to only minutes before the Third Task. Analeigh had gotten changed into a black and scarlet long sleeved shirt and matching track pants. Her dirty blonde hair was thrown up into a tight ponytail and her wand was snugly fit into a special pocket for it in her pants. She knew she'd be holding her wand during the entire task anyway, though, so that seemed pretty useless.

Fleur and Brigitte were in the same room as her — the girls locker room under the stands of the Quidditch stadium.

"We'll be at ze front of ze stadium, Analeigh," Fleur informed her after they had gotten dressed in their baby blue tracksuits. She and Brigitte sent her polite smiles which Analeigh returned, and then they were chatting again as they made their way to the door. They opened it to step out, but someone was right outside it and blocking their way.

"Oh, hi, ladies. Is Analeigh in there?"

Analeigh looked over her shoulder to see who was at the door, but Fleur and Brigitte were obscuring her view.

"She is."

The two Beauxbatons champions opened the door wider for them to exit and for the person at the other side to enter. It was Cedric.

"This is the girls locker room, you know," Analeigh said playfully.

"So? I can enter a girls locker room without it damaging my masculinity just fine."

"Or you should follow the rules and get out before people accuse you of being indecent."

Cedric chuckled, walking over to her.

"Come on, we only have around fifteen minutes until the task. I badly need you to do my favorite charm again."

Analeigh rolled her eyes.

"Focus on the task, Cedric."

"But I need my lucky charm," he said with a face that almost looked like a pout. Analeigh couldn't deny that it made him adorable in contrast to his usual look.

"Fine," she huffed, face growing warm at his request. She tiptoed slightly and leaned closer to Cedric, only for the sound of the door opening again to interrupt them. She stumbled away from him, almost losing her balance.

"What is he doing here?"

Analeigh and Cedric faced the door and found Altair Heart standing there.

"Oh, h-hello, sir," Cedric said. Analeigh blinked a few times. That must've been the first time that the charming and confident Cedric Diggory stuttered. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that her father was not hiding his glare directed at him whatsoever.

"Boys shouldn't be in the girls locker room," Altair said disapprovingly.

"You're in here too, dad," Analeigh pointed out.

"I —" he paused, at a loss for words, and then he huffed. "That doesn't count. I'm your father."

Analeigh laughed under her breath.

"We were just reviewing some spells, dad," she then covered up easily, not wanting Cedric to get roasted.

"I see."

There was an awkward pause as Altair continued to stare at the tall Hufflepuff boy, who stood unmoving with his eyes were glued to the floor. Eventually, he had the courage to speak up.

"I-I suppose I'll get going now," said Cedric. "I should see my parents before the task, too."

He hurried out of the locker room, barely making eye contact with Altair as he did. Once he was gone, Analeigh sighed.

"Do you really have to look at him like that?"

"Like what?" Altair said innocently, making his way to his daughter.

"Like you're going to hex him at any moment."

"Hex? Never," he scoffed. "Curse? Maybe."

"Dad."

"I'm kidding."

"What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you already be sitting at the front row with mum?" she said curiously.

"Yeah, she's already up there. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

His voice had suddenly turned serious, a stark contrast to the humorous tone he was using just moments ago when they were talking about Cedric.

"What is it?" she asked.

Her father sighed, trying to find the right words.

"I never really answered your letter, remember?" he said and Analeigh nodded. "Well, here's my answer: I don't think you're overthinking — not at all. What you said about Crouch's disappearance, Snape and Karkaroff's strange discussion... they're all highly unusual, there are even more suspicious things happening around us."

Analeigh frowned, not liking how grave his voice sounded. She thought he would simply tell her that everything was fine and that she could get through the tournament — after all, that's how most pep talks went, right? It didn't settle nicely with her that he was actually agreeing with her worries that she convinced herself were just exaggerations.

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is: you have to be careful, out there. I don't know what's going to happen at all, but I... I'm afraid. This task doesn't seem like good things are going to come out from it."

"It's just a competition, dad," Analeigh said slowly. "I'll be fine."

"Yes, yes, of course," he agreed, trying to sound livelier. He realized he was probably starting to scare his daughter right before she was set to compete. "But you know how dangerous the tournament was years ago, right? I'm just concerned."

"I'll be all right. I practiced a lot with Harry and Cedric."

"That's good to hear. I have something for you, by the way."

Altair fished out a necklace from his pocket. It was silver in color and looked slightly rusty as if it had been created a long time ago, but it looked quite regal nevertheless. The pendant was something Analeigh didn't recognize at all; it sort of looked like Hogwarts' coat of arms, but it wasn't as... welcoming. In fact, it looked a bit creepy if she was to be completely honest. She took note of a tiny skull and three crows engraved on it.

"Er, what is this?" she couldn't help but ask, the uncertainty evident in her voice.

"Believe me, I don't like the design, either," Altair chuckled. "But it was your grandfathers' — who didn't like the design, too, by the way."

"Then why are you giving me something you both don't like?" Analeigh asked, slightly amused.

"Let's just say it's the most fitting object I found for a time like this," Altair shrugged. It's not like I can give her a manky old boot to bring around during the Third Task, he thought.

He motioned for Analeigh to turn around to place it around her neck. With her back turned on him, Altair waved his wand and made sure it was pointed directly at the pendant, concentrating on the incantation in his mind. He watched as a sliver of light seeped into it successfully and paused to see if Analeigh noticed anything out of the ordinary. When she didn't make any objection, he nodded in satisfaction and finally clasped the necklace.

"There," he said. "If ever you're in mortal danger... just touch it."

"Mortal danger? You're overreacting, dad."

"Okay, okay, maybe I am, but still — do as I said."

Analeigh raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Don't tell me this has some ancient magic in it that'll make me win the tournament."

"What? Merlin, no," said Altair, and he was actually being truthful. "That'd be cheating."

"Then what'll happen if I'm in danger and I touch it?"

"Nothing big. It will just... take you away from your problems in an instant."

Analeigh's frown deepened. Why was her father being so vague and mysterious? He was usually quite blunt and straightforward, one of the traits she undoubtedly inherited from him, so this was throwing her off.

"Oh, I get it now," she said.

"You do?" Altair said in shock.

"Yeah. You're being metaphorical. This is just your way of saying it's for good luck, right?"

Altair pursed his lips.

"Oh, yes. Of course."

"Alright, then. If it makes you and mum stop fussing over me, I'll hold the necklace if I find myself in any danger and want to think of you guys to make me feel better."

"Grave danger, only. You should still focus on getting to the Triwizard Cup first. I still want my only child to win."

Analeigh chuckled and nodded.

"Sure, dad."

There was another knock on the door. This time, Professor Moody entered.

"Miss Heart," he said gruffly. "You, Potter, and Diggory are to go out into the field in five minutes."

"Oh, I'll be out in a minute. Thanks, professor," Analeigh said. Moody nodded before slipping out again and closing the door behind him.

"I suppose I'll head to my seat, now," said Altair. He brought his daughter into a brief hug, patting her back a few times. He wasn't sure if it was to comfort her or himself.

He pulled away from her with a small smile before wordlessly exiting the room. He was quite taken aback when he found that Alastor Moody was still standing outside the door. Altair wasn't very familiar with the renowned Auror since they had never worked together at all, but he respected the man, so he greeted him with a polite nod. Just as he was about to leave, Moody spoke.

"Good to see you again, Altair."

Altair halted in his steps.

"Oh. You too, Alastor," he said cautiously. He couldn't recall ever formally meeting Moody, yet the man greeted him as if they were friendly with one another. He brushed it off, assuming that they had probably met at some point in the Ministry of Magic, then made his way back up to the bleachers to sit next to his wife.

★ ★ ★

The Hogwarts band was playing a very lively and catchy song when Analeigh exited the locker area. The champions entered the field by school, and every time a pair went out, their respective school would erupt in supportive applause. Each headmaster or headmistress accompanied their students, but somehow, Amos Diggory got himself to escort Cedric out into the field. It was clear that he was one typical stage dad, but at least it showed how much he cared for his son.

Fleur, Brigitte, Viktor, Andrei, Cedric, Analeigh, and Harry assembled a few feet away from the entrance of the maze, whose hedges had grown over twenty feet tall already like Ludo Bagman had said. Dumbledore lingered a bit by Harry, a comforting hand placed on the boy's shoulder — there was no question that he was nervous for him. Whether it was because he was the youngest, going in alone, or something else Analeigh couldn't pinpoint, the concern was evident. She wondered if what her father said was true — that strange things were happening, and maybe Dumbledore was noticing them, as well.

Dumbledore eventually left their side and walked over to the podium. He pointed his wand at his neck and said, "Sonorus."

His voice boomed throughout the stadium and the band stopped playing their music.

"Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard Cup deep within the maze. Only he knows its exact position. Now, as Mr. Diggory..."

The Hogwarts side yelled Cedric's name. Amos even lifted his son's arm up as if he had already won, but Cedric tugged it back down, looking abashed at his father's actions.

"Miss Heart..."

More cheering from the school ensued. She spotted her parents and fellow Gryffindors in the crowd and smiled.

"... and Mr. Potter..."

The Hogwarts side exploded with even louder applause. It was almost unbelievable that Harry got so much hate for being a champion when he was first picked, and now, many people (even those from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang) were fond of him.

"... tied for first position, they will be the first to enter the maze. Followed by Mr. Krum and Mr. Grigor..."

The Durmstrang students were much rowdier with showing their support. Even Karkaroff was on par with their energy, chanting his champions' names repeatedly.

"... and Miss Delacour and Miss Champney."

The Beauxbatons crowd weren't as loud with their support, but the effort and enthusiasm was still there.

"The first person to touch the Cup will be the winner!"

At that, all three wizarding schools shouted, clapped, and stomped excitedly. The energy was insane, and it actually made Analeigh feel slightly better. She was getting pumped and looking forward to getting through the maze.

"I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter. If at any point should a contestant wish to withdraw from the task, he or she need only send up red sparks with their wands."

Dumbledore removed his Amplifying Charm and faced the champions.

"Contestants," he said. "Gather around, quickly."

The seven students did as told, forming a circle around Dumbledore as he lowered his voice to speak to them.

"In the maze you'll find not dragons or creatures of the deep. Instead, you'll face something more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Oh, find the cup if you can, but be very weary; you could just lose yourselves along the way."

And just like that, Analeigh's nerves kicked back in. Why was everyone saying such eerie and mysterious words of supposed advice today? She didn't want to sound ungrateful, but she would have preferred to hear some encouraging words to get her adrenaline going.

Dumbledore walked away from them to stand in front of the maze's two openings.

"Champions!" he said, arms wide. "Prepare yourselves."

The champions all scattered, lining up in position. Cedric and Analeigh made their way to the entrance on the right while Harry went to the one on the left. By the stands, there was an empty seat for Dumbledore, and the others were occupied by Igor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Ludo Bagman, and Cornelius Fudge (who had since taken the place of Barty Crouch as judge due to his disappearance).

Amos followed Cedric and Analeigh to the entrance. He embraced his son, whispering, "Good luck, my boy."

Cedric nodded, a faint smile on his lips at his father's words. Amos then turned to Analeigh and mildly surprised her when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You too, Analeigh. Good luck."

Analeigh said a quick thanks, glad that she had finally heard some words of positivity. Perhaps the Third Task wouldn't be as scary as she was making it out to be.

Knowing that they were about to start, Analeigh unconsciously started fiddling with the chain on the necklace her father gave her earlier since its pendant was tucked underneath her shirt. Altair specifically told her to hide it there, and Analeigh assumed it was just so that it wouldn't get in her way when she was in the middle of the task already.

Cedric noticed her actions and his eyes followed her hand to where he could see it touching a chain.

"I've never seen that before," he said.

"Oh," said Analeigh, dropping her hand back to her side. "My dad gave it to me for good luck a while ago."

"That's nice. But, I still haven't gotten my good luck charm," he reminded her with a smirk.

Analeigh scoffed and said, "Let's just make it your prize after we get through this maze."

"That means we really have to win, then."

"On the count of three!" Dumbledore announced, cutting their conversation short. "One —"

The cannon was released a tad bit too early, startling all champions, judges, and the audience. Dumbledore looked up tiredly, clearly unamused by Filch's carelessness. The Hogwarts caretaker could only shrug sheepishly from his place at the stands.

In spite of the early release of the cannon, it still signaled the official start of the Third Task. With that, Analeigh, Cedric, and Harry walked into the maze.

"Lumos," both Analeigh and Cedric said. The light their wands emitted only barely lit up what was in front of them as the entire maze seemed to be mostly dark and foggy. They walked in silence for about fifty meters down a straight path with no obstacle in sight yet. When they reached a fork in the road, they faced each other.

"Where to?" asked Cedric. "Ladies first, after all."

Analeigh looked from her left to the right and back and forth a few times. She retrieved her wand and placed it on her palm.

"Point Me," she said. The wand spun to the right, although it was directed at a solid hedge. She decided to try her luck and go down the path nearest that particular hedge and decided, "Right."

Cedric nodded, and then the two of them turned the corner and began walking. It was oddly quiet again for a few minutes, and then they heard a shuffle from somewhere around them. In an instant, Analeigh and Cedric were turning around with their wands raised, searching for the source of the sound.

"Where'd it come from?" she whispered.

"I don't know. I think —"

A loud clicking noise sounded behind them and they just knew that whatever it was, was right there. They had barely turned on their heel when they saw a large, scorpion-like creature barreling their way, clad in a hard silver armor and its curled tail with a stinger sticking up in the air. It was Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewt, now fully grown (hopefully) at a size of about twenty feet.

Analeigh and Cedric separated to dodge the large creature. It began releasing sparks from its behind.

"Stupefy!" Cedric shouted, pointing his wand at the skrewt. However, the jet of light only rebounded on its back and dissipated into the air.

"What the —" he began before it resumed its rampage again, heading straight for him.

Cedric nonverbally shot more spells, but they bounced off of the animal like nothing. Sparks continued to fly out of the skrewt's end, helping it to speed forward. Thanks to his Seeker reflexes, Cedric was able to jump away from it in time, but some of the sparks caught onto the sleeve of his shirt. It lit a small fire there and he felt the burning sensation seep into his skin. He quickly began patting it down to get rid of the flame, but the skrewt was running back to him. This time, Analeigh ran closer to where Cedric stood and cast a spell.

"Impedimenta!"

She lost control of her wand when the Blast-Ended Skrewt had neared them for she had to move once again to dodge it, so the spell hit a lower part of its body instead of its middle like she originally wanted. Surprisingly, the skrewt slowed down a bit just as the spell should have done. Analeigh narrowed her eyes, wondering why that worked when Cedric's spells hadn't. She wracked her brain for some knowledge, trying to recall her Care of Magical Creatures classes.

The spell soon wore off, and Analeigh expected it for she hadn't hit a vital body part, anyway. It let out grunts and stood up on its hind legs as if to gain momentum to tackle again. And that was when Analeigh realized it: its underside was bare flesh whereas the rest of its body was covered in armor. That was where it was most vulnerable.

"It's the armor, Cedric!" she yelled, making a run for it. She wasn't as fast as she thought, though, because one of the skrewt's many pointed legs managed to catch onto her pants. She felt it scratch her skin, and while it wasn't deep, it caught her off guard enough for her to fall to the ground.

"Aim for the underside!" Analeigh shouted frantically, trying to crawl away as fast as possible.

The Blast-Ended Skrewt was releasing more sparks and clearly preparing to tackle again as it leaned back. This was the perfect time to attack. Cedric ran to Analeigh's side, pointed his wand at the creature's belly, and once more shouted, "Impedimenta!"

The skrewt froze up in the air, tilting backwards until it landed on its armored back with a clunk. Analeigh and Cedric both let out sighs of relief and inches away from the beast.

"Are you alright?" Cedric asked, bending down next to her.

"I'm fine," she said, casting a simple spell on her wound to bandage it. "And you?"

Cedric glanced down at his burned sleeve.

"I think I'm going to need that ugly green paste for burns again," he said with a hint of humor. He held his unscathed arm out for Analeigh to take and helped her back up to her feet.

"You decide where we're going next," she told him. "If I choose again, we might be facing a Three-Headed Dog this time."

There were three paths to choose from: the one they came from, one on their left, and one straight ahead where the Blast-Ended Skrewt lay. Cedric was about to suggest overtaking the skrewt and going in the direction it came from, thinking that that could be the only obstacle placed there, but then the aforementioned creature twitched, clearly still alive.

"Left," he said at once, not wanting to face the skrewt again. He and Analeigh set off to that side next. Only seconds after they began running down that path, a figure bumped into them. All wands were raised and pointed at one another in an instant. Analeigh was the first to drop hers when she realized who it was.

"Harry," Analeigh let out a breath.

"What ha —" he started.

"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts," Cedric explained. "They're enormous — we only just got away!"

Harry knew it must have been an extremely close call because he could see Cedric's burned sleeve and a small bandage on Analeigh's leg, stained with a bit of red. On the other hand, Harry was completely uninjured from head to toe, and it made Analeigh wonder if he was either really lucky or he was just really much better at her at defending himself. She knew he was a good wizard, but to still be completely unharmed just sounded unbelievable.

"Don't go there," Analeigh advised him, her head tilting in the area she came from. "And be careful."

The three Hogwarts champions caught their breaths for a moment, and then without another word, they separated again.

Analeigh and Cedric jogged around the maze for a bit, but they kept coming face to face with multiple dead ends.

"Point Me," Cedric said. The wand was pointing back at where they came from. With frustrated sighs, the two of them went back there.

Someone screamed — a girl. Analeigh and Cedric halted in their steps. Another shrill voice yelled, "Stop!"

"Were those —?" Analeigh questioned when even more screams echoed into the sky.

"Fleur and Brigitte," Cedric said, eyes wide. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know if I want to know," Analeigh admitted.

"Let's keep going."

They continued on their journey to find the Cup with a bit more caution now. Fleur and Brigitte's screams had unnerved them. Analeigh felt as if the two girls had faced another witch or wizard rather than a creature to have sounded like that... but none of the champions would hurt another one, right?

A red spark was sent flying into the sky. That must have been from Fleur and Brigitte. Analeigh truly wanted to win the Triwizard Tournament, but that didn't mean she wished for other champions to have gotten severely hurt. Fleur and Brigitte were more than capable of handling themselves despite their soft and prim appearance, so the fact that they were forfeiting already sent a chill up her spine.

Yet again, Analeigh and Cedric had to stop when they reached an intersection. Cedric leaned his back on the solid part of a hedge as Analeigh had to once again use the Four-Point Spell. Her wand pointed straight ahead, barely moving. This was a good sign; they were close to the cup.

"We just have to go straight ahead," Analeigh said, looking forward.

"Great, let's — whoa!"

Analeigh whipped around immediately, only to find that the hedge Cedric was leaning on had grown and curled around him to create a new wall, separating the two of them.

"Cedric!" she exclaimed, trying to run before the hedge closed. She was too late.

"I'm fine!" he said back. "The wall just formed out of nowhere. I'm in an empty path right now."

"I'll find a way around it —"

"No, just go straight ahead and I'll meet up with somehow. I'll just — Krum?"

A number of things happened at once. First, another red spark was conjured from somewhere nearby. If Cedric and Viktor were on the other side of the wall, that had to mean it was either Harry or Andrei who sent it, but it didn't make sense; why would Viktor and Andrei not be in the same place if they were partners? The only explanation was that they were separated like Analeigh and Cedric at the moment.

And then, almost right after that spark, she heard Cedric ask confusedly, "What are you doing?"

Silence. Analeigh crept closer to the wall, trying to see if she could see through the grass but to no avail.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Hey!"

A flash of light seeped through the tall grass, indicating that someone had cast a spell. Panic flooded through Analeigh's veins. Viktor Krum must have done something to Cedric.

She burst into a run and she wasn't even sure at that point where she was going. All she knew was that she had to try to find her away around that hedge to get to Cedric and find out what Viktor did to him.

It felt like she was going in circles and that hours were ticking by. In reality, only a few minutes had passed and the panic inside of her finally lessened just a bit when she entered a path where Cedric was. However, he was on the ground, tightly bound with ropes, one of them even on his mouth to prevent him from speaking.

"Bloody hell," said Analeigh, rushing over to him. Before she could reach him, though, he shook his head wildly.

"Grrrm!" he struggled. "Krrrm!"

"What?" she asked, approaching him anyway. She mumbled a counter-spell to untie the ropes. They loosened and revealed that they had dug so deeply into his skin that they left marks. Although he was free, they still had to go through the trouble of untangling the ropes. Analeigh began with the one on his mouth, and he spoke the moment he could do so.

"Krum!" he finally managed to say. "He's going to go after you, too!"

"Why would he —" She was about to ask when someone grabbed her from behind. The sudden movement surprised her that she stupidly dropped her wand, and next thing she knew, she was forcibly on her feet, put into a choke-hold, and had a wand pointed at her neck.

Cedric scrambled to his feet, searching for his wand that he also dropped when Viktor trapped him in those ropes. Finally, he found it nearly hidden under a bunch of twigs at the bottom of the hedge and he retrieved it as fast as he could. He stood up straight and pointed his wand at the Durmstrang champion before him.

"I don't know how badly you want that Cup, Krum," Cedric said, trying to keep his voice stable. "But you don't need to do anything to her."

Analeigh held her breath, trying to find a way out of her predicament. But it was proving to be difficult because Krum could hurt her either with his own body or with his wand while she was defenseless.

Cedric soon noticed that Krum's eyes were glazed white as if he was in a daze. Was he bewitched? It was like he didn't even hear Cedric's pleas because not a second after he uttered them in an attempt to let Analeigh go, Krum simply said, "Crucio."

It was the worst thing Analeigh had felt in her entire life. She collapsed on the floor, jerking and twitching in pain. It felt like she was being burned alive and doused with below freezing point water at the same time. It was as if needles were digging into her skin, like her head was going to explode, and so much more.

She experienced all that in only about three seconds, but it was excruciating and felt like it would last forever.

"Stupefy!" Cedric yelled angrily. Viktor Krum was shot squarely in the chest. He was sent flying until he landed limply on the ground far away from them, now unconscious. Cedric was by Analeigh's side in a flash.

She was panting, still reeling from the feeling of being tortured. Never in her life did she expect to have been hit with one of the Unforgivable Curses.

"Merlin's Beard, are you all right?" Cedric pushed the hair away from her face and neck, both of which were matted with sweat already. Analeigh felt gross and weak at the same time.

"I-I am now," she said shakily. Cedric helped her sit up and she could fortunately feel the effects of the Cruciatus Curse start to fade away.

"How are you feeling? Is there anything I can —"

"Leigh?" another voice called out. From the ground, both Cedric and Analeigh looked up to find Harry at the end of the path. When he saw his two fellow Hogwarts champions, he hurried over to them.

"I-I heard Krum's voice," Harry said in confusion, recalling how clearly he heard the Bulgarian boy utter the word crucio. "And then I heard screaming, and I tried to get here as fast as I could, and —"

"I'm okay," Analeigh reassured him, though her voice was still wavering.

"He's unconscious for now," Cedric said, looking behind Harry where Krum lay on the other end of the alley.

"I can't believe this..." Harry mumbled. "I thought he was all right."

"So did I."

"Did you hear Fleur and Brigitte scream earlier, too?"

"We did," said Analeigh, her eyebrows creased in worry. "You don't think Krum got her too?"

"I don't know..." Harry replied.

"Did you see the other red sparks, though?"

"I cast those. I found Grigor on the floor a while ago. I think he was Stunned."

"Then... did Krum do that, too?" Analeigh asked, eyes wide.

"Maybe. It just doesn't make sense, though... it's bad enough that he'd attack us, but why would he do it to his own partner, too?" Cedric wondered.

None of them had an answer to that question. Cedric hoisted Analeigh up to her feet, and it took her a moment to not have her legs feel like jelly after what she had just gone through. Together, the three of them slowly approached Viktor Krum.

"Should we leave him there?" Cedric muttered, eyeing him in distaste.

"No," Harry said. "I reckon we should send up red sparks. Someone will come and collect him... otherwise, he'll probably be eaten by a skrewt."

"He'd deserve it," Cedric scoffed, but sent red sparks up anyway.

It was a strange moment. They were all Hogwarts champions, but Harry was an individual champion at the moment, so he wasn't supposed to be working with Analeigh and Cedric in a sense. Yet, all of them had united against Viktor Krum for his unforgivable actions, so they all weren't sure what to do next.

In an awkward silence, the three of them walked down another path. Analeigh was thinking that she and Cedric would eventually have to part ways with Harry once more when they approached yet another intersection. However, her plans changed, because at the end of one of the paths was the glowing Triwizard Cup. It looked far away, but it was there without a doubt.

No words were said as the they all sprinted towards it. Analeigh didn't know why she was feeling so competitive, because at this point, Hogwarts would come out as the winner, right? But the drive and ambition inside of her was so strong that it clouded her judgment for all she wanted to do was to come out as a winner.

Each step they took, they tried to run even faster and take even larger steps. However, something caught onto Cedric's legs in the middle of their race, and then he was on the floor in the blink of an eye. The roots from the ground and branches from the hedge were crawling over his body and dragging him deeper into the massive shrub.

There was no question that Analeigh was going to help him. He was the one who defeated the Blast-Ended Skrewt before it could pierce her and he Stunned Krum before the Cruciatus Curse could do her any more damage. Most of all, he was more than just a friend to her, and there was no way she was leaving him there.

Analeigh crouched down and was going to start freeing him from the twigs and branches, but another pressing problem occurred: a gust of wind came blowing their way. It was powerful, and it must have been a warning because the hedges from that direction began to close in. Little by little, they were merging into one thick and tall hedge, ready to engulf Analeigh and Cedric.

Analeugh had to make a decision whether to try and release Cedric right then and there or to protect the both of them from the enclosing hedges. When she saw how fast the hedges were closing in on them, she chose the latter.

"Protego Maxima!"

A translucent barrier formed just before the hedge could reach them. She wasn't even sure that it would work, but it thankfully did, and she supposed it was because the hedge was enchanted and could thus be blocked by magic, too.

She looked back at Cedric who was about to be pulled deeper into the hedge. It was a struggle as she tried to hold off the gust and growing hedge while single-handedly breaking and untying the twigs and branches that held him captive.

"Reducto!" Harry said, taking Analeigh aback.
She watched as Harry ran over to them, abandoning the Cup and helping Cedric while Analeigh protected them from the winds and hedges.

Eventually, Cedric was free and it looked like the hedges had finally stopped moving, so she removed the invisible barrier. By the end of it all, they were all trying to catch their breaths from that turn of events.

"Thanks," Cedric coughed out, clearly not expecting Harry to go back for him. "You know, for a moment there, I thought you were gonna let it get me."

"For a moment, so did I," Harry confessed. But he didn't, and it left Analeigh in awe at how selfless her friend truly was.

"Some game, huh?"

"Yeah. Some game."

Analeigh cleared her throat. "Okay, so, should we... you know..."

Harry and Cedric were brought back to their senses. The three of them glanced at the Triwizard Cup in the distance. It was so close.

And then, the winds were back and they were bigger and fiercer than before.

"Go!" Cedric shouted. He, Harry, and Analeigh ran for the nth time that day.

The Cup was becoming clearer and glowing brighter as they approached it. When they all found themselves standing before it, they paused.

"Go on, Harry," Analeigh urged. "Take it!"

But he hesitated.

"You saved me, take it!" Cedric insisted.

"We'll take it at the same time," Harry suggested.

"Stop being so noble —" Analeigh started.

"It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."

"Are you — are you sure?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah. We've helped each other out this whole tournament, haven't we? We all got here. Let's just take it together."

For a moment, Analeigh was going to object again. But the winds behind them were still roaring loudly and the hedges were creeping closer, and Harry's offer was just too tempting. It would be nice to win with one of her closest friends and the boy she was dating, and they were all representing Hogwarts. It just seemed too good to be true, but Analeigh was determined to make that outcome happen.

Cedric was thinking the same thing as he glanced at Analeigh. The mere look in their eyes was enough to tell the other that they both were thinking the same thing.

"Okay," they finally agreed.

"On three, right?" said Harry. "One — two — three!"

Three hands touched the Triwizard Cup simultaneously. The moment they came in contact with it, their bodies were lurched into nothingness. They spun around crazily until they found themselves being transported somewhere that was certainly not the maze nor was it the castle. The three Hogwarts champions landed on the hard ground with a thud, and the Triwizard Cup rolled away from them and stopped beside a tombstone.

A/N: Whew this chapter was a mouthful. I tried combining the events from both the book and movie (+ a little bit of my own ofc) and I think this became much longer than I intended oops. I also forgot how much more intense the maze was in the book! The movie didn't even include any creatures in there OOF anyway, the graveyard scene is next 😮