Chapter 957: As Planned
Chapter 957: As Planned
As Albert took his first step into the maze, he immediately sensed the transformation within. Someone had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on Hagrid's creation, expanding it countless times over. The original path now seemed unendingly long, and the twenty-foot-high hedges loomed oppressively over those who entered, the surroundings gradually darkening over time to create an eerie, terrifying atmosphere.
Albert waved his wand, and a ball of light flew from its tip, bursting into a brilliant radiance that temporarily dispelled the encroaching darkness. Unhurried, he ventured deeper into the maze.
As a precaution, Albert had long placed a Felix Felicis in his mouth, ensuring he could use it at a moment's notice. Even Barty Crouch Jr. wouldn't be able to detect it, and this lucky potion was his most crucial insurance policy.
Albert bit into the Felix Felicis, closing his eyes to savor the sensation it brought. That all-too-familiar feeling of elation coursed through his body, as if he could do anything and effortlessly solve all problems.
Suppressing the excitement and pleasure brought on by the potion, the last trace of anxiety in his heart vanished. Albert was now in a state where his emotions wouldn't control him. The Felix Felicis further enhanced his already impressive capabilities across the board, and he believed that in extreme situations, he could act with utmost precision and correctness.
This feeling was incredible! A slight smirk tugged at Albert's lips as he sensed someone secretly observing him!
It was Barty Crouch Jr.! Feigning ignorance, he continued walking forward, wand in hand.
Unfazed by the closing hedges behind him, Albert stepped out of the passage just before it completely sealed shut.
At that moment, the whistle sounded again, signaling it was Harry Potter's turn to enter the maze.
Albert had no intention of meeting Harry, so he casually chose a fork in the path and veered off.
Only when the feeling of being watched faded away did Albert casually flick his wand twice. With a crackling sound, a bag appeared out of thin air, which he deftly caught.
Slowing his pace, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses, specially prepared for the third task. These glasses provided night vision and the ability to see through objects.
Since Moody's magical eye could see through things, Albert naturally needed something to counter that advantage and prevent himself from being outmaneuvered in that regard.
The only issue was that these glasses didn't seem very useful, and their X-ray vision capability was quite limited. However, they would help prevent any nasty surprises.
Next, Albert took out a small bottle of Felix Felicis, bit off the wax seal, and poured the contents into his mouth. This amount would be enough to keep him "lucky" for the next few hours.
His preparations didn't end there. He continued rummaging through the bag, this time pulling out a piece of parchment. It was a map of the maze he had drawn some time ago. Although the maze had been expanded countless times with the Undetectable Extension Charm, the overall layout and routes remained unchanged.
With the help of the Human-presence-detection Jinx, he could see that the ink dot representing Harry Potter was nearby, while several professors on patrol were marked at the maze's periphery.
Albert also took out a metal bracelet and slipped it onto his wrist. This bracelet would alert him if any dark creatures came within a fifty-foot radius.
He positioned a spare wand on his arm's gauntlet. Should he lose his primary wand, this backup would immediately slide into his hand, becoming a pivotal weapon to turn the tables.
While Albert could perform wandless magic, having a wand in hand would enable him to wield magic more effectively. Moreover, anyone who underestimated him due to a lost wand would be in for a nasty surprise.
Finally, Albert donned a pair of special gloves and placed the 'Shrieking Shack' previously owned by Wena Roavena Smith—a place where he could quickly escape to—within easy reach. He also stuffed several Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder balls into his pockets, unseen even by the magical eye. If necessary, Albert wouldn't mind engaging in a blind duel with Barty Crouch Jr. After all, with the Felix Felicis on his side, the advantage was his, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
His pockets were filled with other items as well, such as decoy balls and cannon fodder dolls to attract attention, and mirror shields to block the Avada Kedavra curse.
Of course, expecting the mirrors to reflect the Killing Curse was unrealistic, but they could physically intercept it as obstacles.
The two-inch-thick steel shield, obtained through Transfiguration, had been reinforced with an Ironskin Charm on its exterior, preventing other wizards from turning it back into paper or reshaping it.
Little did Barty Crouch Jr. know that Albert's preparations far exceeded his own. More importantly, Albert had secretly cheated by consuming the Felix Felicis, allowing him to make better use of the props he had carefully prepared.
Even if Barty Crouch Jr. had also taken the potion, Albert wasn't worried. He had even prepared for a potential encounter with Voldemort or a mob of dark wizards.
Fully geared up, Albert began making his way deeper into the maze, mindful that he couldn't move too quickly. He needed to give Barty Crouch Jr. enough time to get Harry out of the way.
That guy was now stealthily approaching one of the patrolling professors. It didn't take a genius to figure out his intentions.
It was almost impossible to guard against the Imperius Curse when caught off guard, and even a professor would need time to break free from its control.
If the professor didn't get an opportunity to resist, there wouldn't be much they could do.
While it was unlikely that the Imperius Curse would hold a professor under control for long, it would undoubtedly work for a short while.
Unfortunately, Barty Crouch Jr. was unaware that from the moment Albert had stepped into the maze, he considered every creature within it an enemy.
Should anyone appear before him, he would strike them down, disarm them, and neutralize any potential threats.
Not even the school's professors would be exempt, especially those under the influence of the Imperius Curse, as they wouldn't be able to utilize their true strength.
Albert tore his gaze away from the map and continued deeper into the maze, seeking a battleground or, rather, a place to clear out and turn into a strategic advantage.
In warfare, one must consider the heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and human factors.
Timing was equal for all, and Moody had the advantage in numbers.
After all, that guy would undoubtedly use the Imperius Curse to control other champions and have them gang up on him, so he needed to secure a geographical advantage.
Ideally, he wanted to seize the initiative and maintain the upper hand as much as possible.
Achieving this wasn't difficult.
Letting Barty Crouch Jr. use the Portkey to send Harry Potter away, he would then suddenly realize that Albert was about to win the cup and rush over to intercept him, preventing Dumbledore from discovering Harry's disappearance right after the tournament ended.
Albert's thoughts were interrupted by a slight burning sensation on his left hand, and he glanced down at the words that had appeared on his palm: Harry Potter is on the move.
He couldn't constantly stare at the map, so naturally, someone was helping him keep an eye on it.
Yes, Albert was never one to fight alone.
At this moment, his loyal house-elf, Biter, was hiding in a secluded spot within the Quidditch stadium, keeping a close eye on everyone's movements in the maze through the map and relaying any updates to Albert immediately.
"It seems Harry Potter never learns his lesson," Albert shook his head as he watched the ink dot representing Harry Potter on the map move in a certain direction. It was proving to be quite a challenge to get Potter to wait in one place until the competition was over.
Protagonists, they never know how to stay out of trouble.
Even though the path before him was clear, with no obstacles in sight, Albert refrained from taking that route as it led to a dead end.
The detector on his wrist started to go off wildly, alerting him to the presence of some sort of dark creature nearby.
He soon discovered what the dark creature was as his path forward was blocked by a lengthy pond.
If he were to wade through the water, he would likely be ambushed by a Grindylow, and further ahead, several red caps were wandering about.
To be honest, these dark creatures weren't much of a problem. The real threat was the bog beneath the pond; if one wasn't careful, they could easily get sucked in and find it difficult to escape.
Seeing through the nature of the pond, Albert didn't rashly attempt to cross it, nor did he have the habit of wading through water. Instead, he waved his wand, conjuring a stone bridge that connected to the other side, ensuring there would be no issues as long as he didn't step into any traps.
Just as Albert was about to cross the bridge, the Grindylow in the pond unexpectedly jumped out to launch a sneak attack on him, and the red caps on the opposite side brandished their wooden clubs and charged at him.
"You're all just...a bunch of annoying pests," Albert muttered disdainfully as he elegantly waved his wand. Countless soil spikes shot up from beneath the pond, impaling the Grindylow in the water.
As for the red caps rushing towards him, they were sent flying by an unseen force and crashed into the hedges, where they were instantly bound and dragged into the bushes by countless vines, leaving only their heads poking out as they squawked and squabbled noisily.
The third task's maze was full of treacherous traps, and whether it was because he was heading straight for the center of the maze or some other reason, Albert had encountered quite a number of troubles.
If he were to continue down the path before him, he would likely encounter Devil's Snare; stepping on that trap would undoubtedly lead to big trouble as the hedges surrounding the path also included some Devil's Snare, and the trap itself was located in the middle of the passage. Anyone unlucky enough to trigger it would be wrapped up like a dumpling, and if they were especially unlucky, they might even be eliminated from the Tournament.
"How insidious," Albert grumbled.
In the end, he chose to confront the trap head-on, intending to dismantle it since he planned to use the area around it as a battleground and needed to clear out any potential hazards.
Albert waved his wand and summoned a stone, which promptly transformed into a round shape and expanded in size after a second wave of his wand. He then used magic to push the stone ball forward, toward the middle of the passage, where it triggered the Devil's Snare trap. The dangerous vines burst out from the ground and wrapped tightly around the stone ball as if it were their prey. However, the Devil's Snare had only ensnared a large stone.
Standing outside the passage, Albert waved his wand, and a burst of fiery flame shot out from the tip, quickly engulfing the Devil's Snare in the passage and even setting the surrounding hedges ablaze.
The Devil's Snare retreated when faced with the flames, and Albert easily located its roots and eradicated it completely with a well-placed Blasting Curse, thus destroying the trap in the passage.
Albert had once considered using the maze's traps against Barty Jr., but he ultimately abandoned that unstable method and decided to rely on his strength to push through, eliminating all potential variables.
After traversing the passage filled with Devil's Snare, Albert arrived at a spacious area with numerous paths before him, several of which led to dead ends. He was now very close to the center of the maze.
However, as if to deter the brave warriors from approaching the center, there was a troublesome behemoth lurking about: Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewt.
The creature was massive, measuring about ten feet in length, and it resembled a giant scorpion. Its long stinger was curled up on its back, and its thick, hard shell was said to be able to deflect most spells.
Upon spotting Albert, the Blast-Ended Skrewt immediately lifted its tail, displaying hostile intent, and spat a jet of flame at him.
In response, Albert waved his wand, and a lion-headed eagle made of infernal flames erupted from the tip of his wand, devouring the Skrewt's flame before continuing to pounce on the enormous creature itself.
The next moment, the Blast-Ended Skrewt was completely engulfed by the infernal flames.
Surprisingly, the Skrewt didn't die instantly; instead, it charged at Albert.
It only managed to stumble a few steps before collapsing to the ground, its body still smoldering with infernal flames that showed signs of spreading. Albert waved his wand, dispelling the flames with a swish.
"Well, that's one fire-roasted Skrewt. I hope Hagrid won't be upset with me," Albert remarked nonchalantly.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burnt flesh.
Albert raised his wand, aiming at the Skrewt's head.
A loud bang rang out, and the corpse, which had been smoking just moments ago, now sported a gaping hole in its head. The unfortunate Skrewt was thoroughly dead; even if it hadn't perished from the flames, the large hole in its head would have ensured its demise.
What a pity for it. Leaving a live Skrewt around could have created variables, so it had to be eliminated.
Just as Albert was about to continue his journey deeper into the maze, his house-elf sent him an update: Barty Jr. had just met with Fleur and was now making his way towards Harry Potter. It seemed he was preparing to send the savior away.
"How efficient," Albert remarked with a hint of pleasure tugging at his lips. "It looks like Barty Jr. has succeeded, and even faster than I anticipated."
At that moment, the ink dot representing Harry Potter on the map had vanished.
But would Barty Jr. leave with Harry?
No, he wouldn't dare.
Barty Jr. wouldn't want Harry's disappearance to be exposed right after the Tournament ended, as that would likely lead Dumbledore to discover the Dark Lord's resurrection using the Portkey.
That absolutely could not be allowed.
Next, Barty Jr. would have to stop Albert from winning the Triwizard Cup.
This meant that the initiative was now firmly in Albert's hands.
Moody was a cripple, and it wouldn't be easy for him to rush over and kill Albert while pretending to be someone else. He would have to move slowly and carefully, which gave Albert an advantage.
It was going to be interesting.
Albert was in high spirits.
Once Barty Jr. started to panic, he would be more prone to making mistakes, and his failure would soon follow.
Even if Barty Jr. had made thorough preparations, the advantage still lay with Albert.
In the end, who would be the one to outmaneuver the other remained to be seen.
(End of Chapter)
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