Chapter 345: The Maze
Chapter 345: The Maze
By the time dinner arrived, Liam and Harry returned to the Great Hall. Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge had taken their seats at the staff table. Bagman looked cheerful, but Cornelius Fudge, sitting next to Madame Maxime, had a stern expression and remained silent.
Due to the recent incident involving Barty Crouch, the final judge for the Tournament was now the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. However, recent events had strained his relationship with Dumbledore, and Liam noticed that although they sat side by side, both only spoke to others.
Dinner was more sumptuous than usual, and both Liam and Harry ate their fill. As the enchanted ceiling shifted from blue to the deep purple of dusk, Dumbledore stood at the staff table, and the hall fell silent.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes, I will be asking you to proceed to the Quidditch Pitch to watch the final event of the Triwizard Tournament. Champions, please follow Mr. Bagman to the pitch."
Liam and Harry stood up, and the Gryffindor students applauded them. The Weasleys and Hermione wished them both good luck. The six champions from the three schools walked out of the Great Hall amid the applause.
Along the way, Bagman pulled Harry aside to say a few words, but it seemed that his chances of making money from his bets were not looking good.
They entered the Quidditch Pitch, which had been transformed beyond recognition. A twenty-foot-high hedge surrounded the grounds, and in front of them was an opening, the entrance to the massive maze. The passages inside were dark and somewhat intimidating.
Five minutes later, the stands began to fill with students. Hundreds of them filed in, the air buzzing with excited chatter and the sound of shuffling feet. The sky had turned a clear deep blue, and stars were beginning to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor Mcgonagall, and Professor Flitwick entered the pitch and approached Bagman and the champions. Their hats were adorned with large, glittering red stars, except for Hagrid, whose star was on the back of his thick woolen vest.
"We will be patrolling outside the maze", Professor Mcgonagall told the champions, "and if you encounter any difficulties and need assistance, send up red sparks. Someone will come to help you. Understood?"
The champions nodded in unison.
"Good, off you go!" Bagman said cheerfully to the four patrol members.
The six of them dispersed in different directions, spreading out around the maze. Bagman then pointed his wand at his throat and cast "Sonorus." His magically amplified voice echoed through the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final event of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! I will announce the order of entry based on their accumulated points. The champions will enter the grounds in the following order: Harry Potter, Liam Liang, Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, Diana Dupont, and Gustav Anderson."
"Now... Harry, on my whistle!" Bagman said, "Three—two———"
With a sharp whistle, Harry dashed into the maze. Five minutes later, the second whistle sounded, and Liam plunged into the maze as well.
The tall hedges cast deep shadows on the paths. Whether due to their height and density or some magical effect, once Liam entered the maze, the sounds of the audience faded away.
Liam drew several Runic symbols in the air with his wand and infused them with magic power. Soon, a golden symbol resembling an eye floated above his head, emitting infrared light. At the same time, Liam activated his Eagle Vision in his left eye, using the reflection of the infrared light to see everything in the surrounding darkness.
This spell was developed by studying Lumos and combining it with insights from Alchemy. Its principle is similar to that of a first-generation active infrared night-vision device. When moving in the dark, it is much more discreet than using Lumos to light the way, making it a composite work that integrates Magic and Muggle technology.
"We don't know what kind of Magic Liam is using, but it's clear he can see everything in the dark", Bagman commented. Before the start, each contestant was placed under a special monitoring spell, and a giant light screen was formed above the stands surrounding the Tournament grounds so the audience could see what the contestants were doing.
This was a lesson learned from the previous Tournament, where, due to a lack of foresight, everyone could only stare at the lake and the forest in the biting cold. So, in this Tournament, the organizers used screens and tracking shots to make up for the previous shortcomings.
Next came the task of navigating the path. Liam held his wand flat in his palm and whispered, "Guide me." The wand pointed north. Liam knew the endpoint was in the southeast, so he turned right, following the general direction.
As soon as he turned into the right passage, Liam saw a group of Cornish Pixies blocking the way, chattering away. These little creatures weren't very dangerous but were extremely annoying. Seeing them, Liam pointed his wand at a section of the hedge and said, "Grow quickly."
Soon, rapidly growing branches formed a large net. Liam directed the net to suddenly surge out of the hedge, trapping most of the Cornish Pixies inside. Then he transformed the net into a cage, completely confining the group of Pixies on the path.
The few that escaped were so frightened they fled, and Liam successfully passed through. At the same time, the sixth whistle sounded, signaling that all contestants had entered the maze.
After Stunning two Red Caps blocking his path, Liam heard the sound of a battle ahead. He first followed the hedge to the corner, then quietly conjured a reflective Mirror on the other side of the path. Through the Mirror, he saw two people attacking each other with spells.
From their clothing and hair color, Liam recognized the silver-haired girl as Beauxbatons' Fleur, and the other as his schoolmate, Miss Dupont. After watching for a while, Liam noticed a significant difference between the reserve and the main contestant. Dupont was being thoroughly outmatched by Fleur, especially since Fleur seemed to have a mind-control spell that caused Gustav to experience delays or confusion during the fight.
Although each issue was brief and quickly corrected, they were enough to leave Dupont defenseless in the face of Fleur's superior strength.
After Fleur cast an Obstacle Charm, Dupont hesitated again. Seizing the opportunity, Fleur cast a Leg-Locker Curse, hitting her leg where she hadn't had time to defend. Instantly, Dupont fell to her knees.
This sudden turn of events threw Dupont into a panic. Fleur took advantage of the confusion and cast another control spell. Under the influence, Dupont stood frozen.
"Thud." Taking a Stunning Spell to the face, Dupont fell to the ground, eliminated. Out of consideration for their shared school, Fleur sent a red spark to protect her from the monsters in the maze.
At that moment, a red light shot from another direction, and a Flame Shield around Fleur deflected the attack.
"Krum", Liam recognized the person approaching from a distance. Krum must have tried to ambush Fleur, but he hadn't expected her to have a triggered protective spell that blocked his certain hit.
From Fleur's expression, it seemed this protective measure wasn't easy to set up and might have been her trump card.
"Hurry up and fight", Liam thought to himself, but at that moment, Krum suddenly turned his head toward the small Mirror Liam had conjured.
(End of Chapter)
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