Thursday, May 27, 1995 – Evening
There had been no hints, fair or otherwise, about the third task. Finally, the Champions were summoned to the school Quidditch pitch one night at 9.00 pm.
Cedric and Harry walked down to the school Quidditch pitch. There were odd structures everywhere making up a pattern of low bushes growing in lines which looked like low walls wandering left and right and then round and round.
“What’ve they done to it?” demanded Cedric. He was hot with indignation.
“They’re hedges!” said Harry.
“Hello there!” It was Ludo Bagman. He was standing in the middle of the pitch with Krum and Fleur.
Bagman burbled on about the third task. The hedges would grow to be twenty feet high. Finally, he noticed the murderous expressions on Cedric and Harry.
“You’ll have your Quidditch pitch back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we’re making here?” Bagman bounced on the balls of his feet.
“Maze,” said Viktor.
“That’s right!” said Bagman. “A maze. The third task is straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the centre of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks.”
“We simply have to get through the maze?” said Fleur.
“There will be obstacles,” said Bagman happily, again, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Hagrid is providing a number of creatures. Then there will be spells that must be broken; all that sort of thing, you know.”
In his head, Harry listed some of Hagrid’s favourite pet creatures, baby dragons, giant three-headed dogs, blast ended screwts, acromantulas. Harry was sure that Hagrid had one screwt left. It had eaten all its nest mates. Acromantulas were a certainty, there were plenty of them the last time Harry checked.
Bagman listed the Champions starting times which were staggered according to their current scores. Harry was happy to be last.
The Champions and Bagman walked back to the castle. Viktor came up and pushed in between Bagman and Harry. “Harry, may I have a word with you, privately?”
“Sure Viktor, don’t wait for us Mr Bagman.”
Bagman looked angry for a second but then hurried off.
“Harry, what are your plans for when you graduate?” Viktor asked.
“That won’t be for years yet. I am only fourteen.” Harry replied.
“You fly very well. I know you are the best seeker in Hogwarts, and you are only fourteen. I have seen you practising with your old team. You like the game; you practice even though there is no Quidditch for this year. What do you think of Quidditch as a career?” Viktor was serious.
“I haven’t thought about any career. Lord Greengrass tells me that he is training me to be a better businessman, but I don’t know if that is really what I want to do.”
“Think about it, Harry. Get in touch with me if you want to try it out. I can put you in touch with the right people. Unhappily, there are many tricksters, like Bagman, in the sport who will use you and ruin your career.” Viktor smiled.
“What are you going to do? You must be graduating from Durmstrang soon.”
“I have finished my courses at Durmstrang. My graduation was delayed for this Tournament. I was a year ahead in most subjects. I have a new Quidditch contract with a team in the USA, the Boston Bulldogs. I will continue to play while finishing my studies. I will be doing a Mastery at Ilvermorny, and a law degree at Harvard. My entry to those courses is already arranged.”
Harry nodded. Ilvermorny; no need to mention a former Hogwarts student who transferred there.
--ooOOoo—
Dark thoughts pursued Harry. He hadn’t had feelings like this for months. It was the Tournament. The third task was approaching. The maze was not frightening. Hagrid’s ‘interesting’ creatures needed to be treated with respect.
There was something else which was more powerful than before. Time was running out, Riddle obviously planned to do something to Harry. The interrogation of Barty Crouch Junior had revealed the plan as it was then. The last task was to be fixed so that Harry touched the cup before anyone else and he would be port-keyed to the old Riddle Mansion graveyard. That plan was old news. There must be a different plan now. The time for it to start was during the third task. Harry would be away from his guards and protectors.
The old Harry would put up the shutters and deny that there was anything wrong. Today’s Harry grudgingly asked to meet Professor Dawes and talk about what was going on in his mind. The Professor let Harry put it all into his own words. Many people answered their own questions when you got them to talk enough.
There was not much that could be done. The threat was real. It was not being imagined. Harry was training, his fitness level was the highest that it had ever been. He and the Merlin House girls were the most skilled duellists and fighters in Hogwarts. In the Defence class practicals, they had to be paired against each other, the weakest Merlin Tower resident could defeat any Hogwarts student from any year. This was no substitute for real street fighting but it was the closest that Miriam Dawes could make it.
The allies held conferences and made contingency plans. They developed plans for a number of possible attacks. One was that Harry would be kidnapped and taken to Riddle Manor. This was nearly the original plan but was taken seriously simply because it was known. Another was that Harry would be kidnapped and taken to Malfoy Manor or one of Malfoy vassal estates. The third plan was that Harry would be captured and taken to a location near Hogwarts, perhaps the Forbidden Forest or even a house near Hogsmeade.
The plans which came out of the conferences fell into two main patterns. The first was that Li and Abbott army units would be stationed at each of the most likely kidnapping destination sites. They would all know the other probable sites so that they could apparate to each site if they were summoned. The units were all linked by charmed tokens on which short messages would be displayed. The second was for DMLE officers to be stationed at observation points around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Amelia Bones was able to make these plans as Tri-Wizard Tournament security was under her control. The weak point in the DMLE deployment was that Amelia knew that she had a number of aurors who did not care for Harry Potter. It was a risk that had to be taken.
The Department of Mysteries copied the charmed jewel which would help to deal with Nagini if the snake was found to be at one of the sites. Unspeakables were assigned to each mercenary army unit. They each carried one of the jewels. They had to improvise a way to touch Nagini with the jewel and then retrieve the Horcrux. Professor Dawes and Unspeakable Davis each carried jewels and would attempt to deal with Nagini if the snake appeared at Hogwarts or in Hogsmeade. The field units had codes to send if any of them spotted the snake. An Unspeakable would then apparate to the location.
There were any number of ways for any plans to fail. The first maxim of military action planning was quoted many times.
“No plan survives contact with the enemy”
The plans were made, and people made available so that help could be sent. What was needed was alert observation and quick reaction to any unexpected events.
Harry was not involved with any planning but was briefed by Henry Abbott.
“I’m not going to say don’t worry Harry, that would be implying that everything is under control. What you should remember is that we are here to help you. We are watching you. You are carrying a number of charms that we can track. You are not on your own. If anything goes wrong, keep your head down and wait for the Commandos to arrive.”
--ooOOoo—
“Sirius! I’m not doing well. I have been working, training and keeping my mind off the third task. The bad news is that I feel like I am coming apart again. I’m not that brave, Sirius. I’m not going to last until the tasks starts.”
The face in the fire formed a frown. “Harry, I have to tell you that I don’t have anything to say which could help you feel better. Please Harry, last until the task starts. That is all you have to do. Bagman will send you off. Jog through the entrance, go around one corner then sit down and wait for it to be over. That is all you have to do. Plan to put the minimum pressure on yourself. From now on make no decisions if you can help it. Put the least pressure on yourself. If someone asks you to do more, say no.”
“What is this, Sirius? Why are you talking like this? This isn’t how great battles are won.”
“No Harry, this is how prisoners locked up in Azkaban for ten years survive. I should be dead. I should have died of despair. I survived. This is how it is done.”
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