The Final Trial Begins
As Draco had said, the next day they had something important to deal with. More specifically, one thing that would take quite a bit out of them. And that was the third trial.
Time had passed quickly, much faster than anyone would have liked, and in that time each of the champions had prepared as best they could for what was coming.
Even Harry, who had seemed to take the previous trials pretty lightly, this time showed a seriousness that was somewhat surprising, not going out much like he usually did, something that earned him more than a few suspicious looks from his friends.
At times, they thought Harry would go bother Fleur, like he had practically done all year… up until that point.
But it seemed they were wrong.
And against all expectations, Harry had distanced himself from her. And whenever they asked him why, his answer was always the same.
"I'm giving her what she wanted," he'd say with a faint, wicked smile.
So it was better not to ask too much.
And just like that, the day of the fourth and final trial arrived.
But before that, Sirius had a small surprise for each of the champions; a visit from their families.
For the others, that was something truly joyful.
On the other hand, for Harry and Draco, who basically had their entire families walking around the castle all the time, and met once a month directly in the Headmaster's office… it turned out to be something rather simple.
Though it also made their level of privilege painfully obvious.
Something many would probably complain about.
Though it would be interesting to see who would dare.
After all, every member of their families, and their friends' families, were monsters in their own fields… and no one would want to get involved with them.
Of course, they didn't abuse those privileges either.
But it was still something curious to notice.
Harry was walking outside the castle with his mother, Wanda Maximoff, and his brothers Billy and Tommy. Meanwhile, Draco had gone off with his mother in another direction, having his own private family moment.
"So… are you ready for this final trial?" Wanda asked calmly as the four of them walked peacefully through the fields near the Forbidden Forest.
"I'm always ready," Harry replied, a hint of pride in his smile, earning a laugh from his mother.
"Come on, Harry, you better take first place. I bet a bunch of snacks against Astoria and Luna. They bet you'd throw the match against Fleur… so don't you dare let her win," Tommy said, stepping closer with a serious and completely convinced look.
Billy, on the other hand, gave his twin brother a flat look. He just wanted Harry to win so he'd win the bet; honestly, no matter who won, the snacks would come out of Harry's pocket anyway… so it didn't even make sense. Though he wasn't about to break Tommy's illusion either.
"Of course not. After all, I'm a child… and children are pretty childish and competitive," Harry said calmly.
But his wicked smile said something completely different.
Wanda, hearing that, looked at him for a moment before shaking her head slightly and ruffling his hair.
"Don't overdo it," she said simply.
Harry didn't answer.
He just gave her a smile back.
…
After that small relaxed moment, the sun began to set.
And it was time for the champions to head to the waiting room, where Ludo Bagman would be waiting to explain the rules of the final trial.
Harry changed into a more movement-friendly outfit, something Sirius had commissioned for both him and Draco.
It was a long-sleeved shirt, high quality and comfortable, light and breathable, even making him feel cool, paired with pants that looked thick but at the same time flexible and comfortable.
The outfit had two colors.
Blue, representing Ravenclaw.
And black.
With a large Hogwarts crest on the left side of the chest, embroidered in gold.
It was also stitched on the back, much larger, with each of their names above it in golden thread.
Harry, as always, let out a small sigh at his godfather's exaggeration.
But he couldn't deny the clothes were really comfortable.
And even though defensive enchantments or anything that could give an advantage weren't allowed, at least it had a cleaning charm, so it would stay spotless at all times.
The last thing included was a wand holster, with a recall enchantment. It seemed to be standard for each competitor, made of fairly durable dragon hide, with two straps that allowed it to be worn on the wrists, arms, or legs depending on preference.
Harry chose to place it under his sleeve and slid his red wand into it calmly. For a moment, he felt a faint pulse from it, making him stop and stare, but it seemed to have been just his imagination. He adjusted the strap calmly and stepped out of the changing room.
Straight toward the champions' waiting room, where the others, after getting dressed, were starting to gather.
Draco stepped out almost at the same time as him, just like Luciel Delacour, and they stayed there waiting for the others, while Ludo Bagman waited with a bit of impatience, glancing around now and then, like he couldn't take it anymore and just wanted to announce the start.
The next ones to come out were Marton and Viktor Krum, and finally Fleur Delacour, who took a bit longer, though no one was going to complain about a woman taking her time getting changed.
When Fleur arrived, she gave her cousin a quick look with a smile before turning her attention toward Harry; but he didn't even turn to look at her, which made her frown, let out a small "hmph," and shift her gaze back to Ludo.
"Alright, we're all here. Now follow me," Ludo said excitedly as he turned around, almost like he wanted to run, unable to hold back the start of this final trial, which for him felt like the peak of his career at the Ministry.
The champions followed him in line, passing through the door, and the moment they stepped out they arrived directly at the Quidditch field, which was completely packed with people, so much so that extra levels had even been built above the existing ones. To the point that this simple school tournament felt more like some kind of Quidditch World Cup.
Obviously, it wasn't the same number of people, but judging by the noise they made when they saw the champions walk out… it wasn't far off.
Now Harry understood perfectly why Ludo was so excited.
This had clearly escalated to another level.
Before moving toward the front of the maze, where the judges were waiting, Ludo stopped for a moment. There stood Flitwick, McGonagall, Moody, and Hagrid.
But the most striking thing was that all of them were wearing wizard or witch hats, with glowing stars decorating their tips in an exaggeratedly obvious way, except for Hagrid, who had them on the back of his moleskin coat.
"We and the other professors will be patrolling around the maze. If you need help, just send red sparks into the sky and we'll come get you out. Don't worry, Headmaster Black even seemed to hire far more guards than we had planned, so if anything happens someone will reach you immediately," Flitwick said, giving a small smile toward Harry and Draco.
"Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. We don't want anyone getting hurt out of pride," he added quickly.
The champions nodded without issue.
"Alright, you may go," Ludo said formally, and the professors gave them one last look before leaving. Hagrid muttered a "good luck to you two" toward Harry and Draco before heading off.
For a moment, Harry noticed more than a dozen people wearing those same hats walking around. Many looked like employees from his uncle Edward's and Sirius's companies, and he even spotted Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks among them.
It seemed a bit excessive, but he didn't think much of it; there had to be a reason.
"Alright, let me give you a quick rundown of what you'll find in there and what you'll have to do, alright?" Ludo said, turning toward them with a smile.
"This is simple. It's a race inside the maze, but you'll also have to overcome the obstacles set to stop you… which," he said, lowering his voice into something more dramatic, "will be each of the previous trials."
"What?" Marton said in surprise, being the only one truly shocked, since the others seemed to have expected it.
"That's right. It's the final trial, so it has to be spectacular. You'll have golems from the first trial, though improved; beasts from the second, and let's hope you're lucky enough not to run into them, because this time they're not there to test if you deserve the golden egg, they're there to stop you at all costs. And the third trial… well, that one's a bit problematic, so we added creatures to replace it. All while your goal is to find the Cup of Victory," Ludo explained as he pointed upward.
At that moment, magical screens appeared, all showing the same image; a cup shining with different colors, like a rainbow, surrounded by a faint white glow, resting on a carved marble pedestal.
Ludo snapped his fingers like a showman, making the image vanish, and the crowd burst into noise, cheering for the champions.
"So… are you ready?" he asked with a grin.
The champions, after looking at their goal, turned back to him and nodded at the same time.
"Then…" he said, raising his wand to his throat and murmuring "Sonorus." "It's time to begin our fourth and final trial of this competition!"
The roar of the crowd became deafening.