While Lynn was still weighing whether to use his miraculous medical skills to heal Fleur—
a flurry of disorganized footsteps echoed from the distance.
Fast, frantic, jarringly loud in the silent maze; at least two people, by the sound of it.
The next second—
before the people even appeared, the spells arrived.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A beam of green light shot out of the darkness, heading straight for Lynn's face!
"Reducto!"
Right after came a beam of red, striking from a tricky angle, cutting off his retreat!
Lynn rolled violently aside; the Killing Curse grazed past his ear and struck the hedge behind him, the branches and leaves withering black in an instant.
At the same time, he flicked his wand upward—
a stone wall shot up out of the ground, blocking the path ahead!
Bang!
The Reducto curse hit the wall dead on, and the freshly raised stone instantly turned to powder, rubble flying everywhere.
But Lynn had already used that split-second window to get his footing back.
He looked up.
Two figures walked out of the darkness side by side: Ryan... and Cedric.
Cedric spoke first, his voice flat, devoid of any feeling. "Lynn, don't resist. Just come with us quietly."
Ryan, beside him, echoed with a threatening edge: "Don't be ungrateful."
Lynn's nose twitched as his gaze swept over their faces.
No scent of Polyjuice Potion. No sign of disguise anywhere.
It really was them.
They've been hit with Imperio too, Lynn realized.
Could be even more people out here.
He didn't hesitate. If they'd been controlled, then fine—he was going to start pummeling his friends.
Lynn's eyes locked on Ryan, the stronger of the two—[Stagnant Gaze] activated quietly.
Just as Ryan started to move, his body suddenly felt like it was full of lead, his reactions crawling far slower than usual.
He frowned, but before he could figure out what was happening, Lynn's wand was already up.
A powerful jet of water burst from its tip, streaking straight toward them!
Thick, fierce, carrying tremendous force, carving a trench into the ground everywhere it passed.
Ryan tried to dodge, but his body wouldn't obey.
All he could do was hurriedly throw up a Shield Charm.
Bang—!!!
The water slammed into the shield with a dull, thunderous roar!
Ryan was shoved back step by step under the sheer force, his feet dragging two long furrows into the ground. His shield trembled violently, its light flickering, looking ready to give out at any second.
Cedric reacted a touch faster.
He barely dodged the direct hit of the water jet, circling to the side and raising his wand for a sneak attack on Lynn.
But before his Transfiguration could take shape—
a foul wind blew across his face!
Cedric looked up sharply to find the Acromantula lunging at him, fangs and claws bared.
A mouthful of venomous spit shot straight for his face!
Cedric jerked out of the way in a panic; the venom grazed his shoulder and hit the ground, instantly corroding a large hole into it.
The Acromantula's logic was simple enough:
Help Lynn—if he wins, it survives.
Don't help Lynn—if he loses, would these two even spare it? Not a chance, not even by half a thought.
So it picked a side without a moment's hesitation.
Lynn glanced over at that skirmish and quietly let the lightning already gathering in his hand dissipate.
"Don't kill them," he called to the Acromantula. "I need them alive."
With that, he cranked up the pressure of the water jet.
Splash—!!!
Ryan's Shield Charm finally gave out with a bang!
The water slammed him flat, sending him tumbling across the ground, soaked through and looking thoroughly pathetic.
Even then, he didn't forget to strike back.
"Diffindo!"
Red light shot up off the ground. Lynn didn't even bother turning his head; a Shield Charm formed instantly.
The spell struck the shield and deflected away—
straight toward Cedric, as luck would have it.
Cedric, busy fighting the Acromantula, never noticed the spell coming at his back.
By the time he did, it was too late to dodge.
The Fire-Making Spell he'd meant to cast got redirected into a hasty Shield Charm instead.
Clang!
The spell struck it, sparks flying.
Cedric steadied himself, but before he could breathe out—
"Expelliarmus!"
A red beam caught his wrist dead-on!
Cedric's wand flew free of his hand, spinning through the air before landing steadily in Lynn's.
Both Cedric and Ryan stood there, stunned.
Lynn gave them no time to recover, flicking his wand again.
The ground beneath Ryan turned suddenly, extremely muddy.
The mud seemed to come alive, churning, flowing, becoming a quagmire in the blink of an eye. Ryan sank straight in—ankles, then calves, then thighs—struggle as he might, he couldn't climb free.
Lynn even thoughtfully plastered mud over his mouth, sparing everyone from any further ranting.
The ground sealed shut, leaving only Ryan's head above the surface.
Mud-covered, his expression a mess of anger, frustration, and disbelief all tangled together.
Lynn didn't spare him another glance, turning instead to Cedric.
The Acromantula was still going at him.
"Fighting" might have been generous—really, it was Cedric dodging for his life.
Without his wand, all he had left was speed, and the Acromantula's eight legs kept attacking in rotation, driving him back in increasingly rough shape.
Lynn watched this and shook his head.
Whoever caught this spider—aside from being fast, it's basically useless.
Oh, and apparently excellent at knowing which side to pick.
"Useless. Can't even handle this."
Lynn muttered, raising his wand and firing off a Petrificus Totalus.
Cedric was caught off guard yet again.
Too busy dodging the Acromantula, he never noticed the spell coming from behind at all.
His body froze mid-motion, mid-escape, petrified into a statue on the spot.
The Acromantula stopped its attack, leaned in for a sniff, then glanced at Lynn as if angling for credit.
Lynn ignored it entirely.
He stood there, surveying the scene—Ryan buried in mud, Cedric petrified, Fleur pinned to the wall by vines.
Three people.
All three under Imperio.
All three showing up together, converging on him at once, meaning to take him somewhere.
No coincidence, that.
Lynn's expression darkened.
He could say it for certain now—a Dark wizard really had slipped into the maze.
He pulled out the three distress signal devices and pointed them skyward.
Whoosh—Bang! ×3
Red fireworks shot into the sky, exploding brilliantly against the dark.
—
At the commentary booth.
Ludo Bagman had been nodding off, head dropping again and again.
The sound of the fireworks exploding—
he jolted upright out of his chair, looking around in confusion. "What's happened now?!"
Not just him—the audience members who'd long since dozed off jerked awake too, rubbing bleary eyes, staring in confusion at the giant screen.
And then—
everyone froze.
On the big screen, the image had split into six sections.
Three of them empty, marking those champions already eliminated.
In Lynn's section—
he stood in the middle of a road turned to complete rubble.
Behind him, Fleur pinned to the wall by vines; beside him, Cedric petrified; a bit further off, just a head above the ground—was that Ryan?
And a giant Acromantula crouched fawningly at his feet.
Half-awake still, the audience found the scene only more baffling.
"What happened?"
"Who are those people next to Lynn?"
"Is that Cedric?!"
"Why's there only Ryan's head?!"
"Why's Fleur tied to the wall?!"
"He didn't turn on his own people, did he?"
Whispers spread like a tide.
Ludo Bagman was just as stunned.
He scrambled to open the private channel to the Monitor near Lynn, voice full of panic. "Mr. Lynn! What happened?! Why are there so many champions with you?!"
Lynn's voice came through the screen. "They've been hit with Imperio. Need medical attention as soon as possible."
Bagman felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
Imperio?!
In the middle of the tournament?!
He stood frozen for several seconds before snapping back and hurriedly gathering the judges together.
The headmasters rushed over, forming a circle.
"Where's Director Arthur?" Bagman glanced around. "Forget it, this is urgent—we'll deal with him later."
He gave a quick recap of what Lynn had found.
Every face in the circle changed.
Professor McGonagall's expression turned grimmest of all. Brow furrowed, lips pressed pale and thin, she stared at the familiar figures on the big screen.
"Mr. Bagman," she said, her voice grave, "I'd suggest suspending the event and holding it at a later date."
Bagman shook his head, clearly troubled.
"Professor McGonagall, the Goblet of Fire's contract isn't something we can just change on a whim. And once an event's begun, it can't be interrupted—a final winner has to be determined."
McGonagall's frown deepened further still.
The other headmasters exchanged glances.
Eventually, after discussion, evacuating the audience seemed the only real option left.
And then—wait.
Wait for the signal flares, then send help.
As for the tournament itself—
it would simply have to continue.
Deep in the maze, waiting on the outcome of that discussion, Lynn was already growing restless.
It was like knowing there was a mouse in the house—you'd found the droppings, but not the mouse itself. That kind of maddening, itchy discomfort settled over his whole body.
Just then, the Monitor beside him connected again.
Ludo's voice came through, far more serious this time:
"Mr. Lynn, you may choose to withdraw from the Triwizard Tournament now. Staff will escort you out along with the three affected champions."
He paused.
"Or, of course, you can choose to continue. Though... there'll be considerable risk involved."
Lynn didn't even need to think about it. "Continuing."
Was that even a question? Nobody knew who might be in real danger next.
If that Dark wizard dares show his face, I'll show him what actual danger looks like.
The same message went out to Harry and Katya as well.
Harry stood in a deep, dark passage. Hearing Ludo's words, he stayed quiet for a few seconds.
He looked into the darkness ahead; the championship was within reach.
He wasn't about to give up now.
"I'll continue."
On Katya's end—
he'd barely caught the first half of Ludo's message before the rest went in one ear and straight out the other.
"Continue, continue, I'll continue."
His answer came out crisp and decisive, without a shred of hesitation.
His logic, too, was simple enough:
Only three champions left—didn't that mean he, Katya Volok, now had a one-in-three shot at the championship?
Only a fool would pass that up.
Before long, Professor Flitwick arrived at Lynn's location with a large group of professors in tow.
His short figure led the way, followed by seven or eight professors and a handful of medical staff.
"Good Merlin..."
He hurried over to Fleur first, checked her condition, then moved to the petrified Cedric, and finally to Ryan, whose head was the only thing still visible.
Ryan stared up at him wide-eyed, letting out muffled sounds from beneath the mud.
Professor Flitwick knelt down, expression full of sympathy.
"Don't worry, child, we'll get you out right away."
He stood and turned to Lynn.
That small face had gone entirely solemn.
"Lynn," he said, his tone graver than Lynn had ever heard from him, "you need to be careful. That Dark wizard... may still be nearby."
Lynn nodded. "I know."
Professor Flitwick looked at him a moment longer, seeming to want to say more.
In the end, he simply patted Lynn's leg—since his shoulder was out of reach.
"Be extremely careful."
Lynn answered, solemn-faced: "I will."
The professors left with the three affected champions.
The maze fell quiet once more.
Lynn turned back to the Acromantula waiting nearby.
"Let's go."
It stood immediately, crouching low at his feet.
Lynn climbed on and patted its head.
"Toward the Dark wizard. Forward!"
The Acromantula's eight legs surged forward, running deeper into the dark.
---
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