How It All Goes Down
The Third Task
- Harry tells Hermione and Ron that Professor Dumbledore also suspects Voldemort is getting stronger.
- Ron is amazed that Professor Dumbledore "really trusts Snape, even though he knows he was a Death Eater" (31.4).
- Harry goes off to bed brooding about Voldemort.
- Ron and Hermione are spending all of their time helping Harry learn spells for the third task.
- They catch Malfoy talking to something in his hand: what can it be?
- And Sirius is writing letters every day warning Harry to be careful.
- Finally, the morning of the third task arrives.
- And, as (bad) luck would have it, there's a new article from Rita Skeeter: "Harry Potter: 'Disturbed and Dangerous'" (31.43). Great.
- It's got a lot of hearsay about Harry being a Parselmouth (someone who's able to talk to snakes; supposedly a Dark Art) and about Harry's scar connecting him to Voldemort.
- Harry doesn't take it too hard: "Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?" (31.51).
- Hermione suddenly has an idea about how Rita Skeeter is collecting information.
- She races off to the library before she can explain what's going on.
- Professor McGonagall arrives to summon Harry.
- All of the champions are meeting with their family members before the third task.
- Harry is surprised to see Mrs. Weasley and Bill there to meet him.
- They've come to cheer Harry on.
- Amos Diggory is also there, and he's rude to Harry.
- Mr. Diggory thinks Harry is stealing all the credit from Cedric, the rightful Hogwarts champion.
- Mrs. Weasley and Bill go to greet the other Weasley kids and Hermione.
- There's a bit of a feast before the third task.
- Harry is "starting to feel really nervous now" (31.113).
- And so, the third task begins.
- Harry and Cedric enter the maze and head in opposite directions.
- Harry soon runs into Cedric again, "look[ing] severely shaken. The sleeve of his robe was smoking" (31.136).
- The Blast-Ended Skrewts are in the maze!
- Harry turns a maze corner and runs into a Dementor. Even worse.
- It actually turns out to be a boggart, a ghoul that will take the shape of your greatest fear.
- Harry soon banishes it and keeps going.
- Harry hears a scream. He thinks it's Fleur, and he wonders if she's all right.
- At least this means Fleur is probably out of the running for champion.
- Harry finds himself face-to-face with a Blast-Ended Skrewt.
- Harry barely manages to stun the giant creature in time.
- Harry overhears Cedric yelling, "what the hell d'you think you're doing?" (31.145).
- And then, Viktor Krum's voice is casting the Cruciatus Curse.
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- Harry comes running to save Cedric.
- He stuns Viktor.
- Harry sends up red sparks from his wand to show the judges where Viktor is lying unconscious.
- Harry and Cedric go their separate ways to finish the tournament.
- But Harry continues to worry about what could have made Viktor use an Unforgivable Curse: "Krum surely couldn't have wanted the Triwizard Cup that badly ..." (31.185).
- Harry encounters a sphinx.
- She asks him a riddle, and Harry answers correctly.
- The sphinx lets him pass.
- Harry approaches the Triwizard Cup, but Cedric is on the path in front of him.
- Harry warns Cedric: "On your left!" (31.213).
- Out of nowhere, a giant spider is attacking Cedric. (Did you just grimace in a big way, or was that just us?)
- Together, Cedric and Harry manage to bring it down.
- But Harry has badly injured his leg in the process.
- Harry tells Cedric to go ahead and take the Cup. At least they'll have a Hogwarts victory.
- But Cedric insists that Harry take it: Harry has helped Cedric repeatedly.
- Harry decides: "We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it" (31.244).
- Cedric helps Harry walk to the Cup.
- They both grab a handle at the same time.
- Harry and Cedric are suddenly pulled "onward in a howl of wind and swirling color" (31.253).