The Hagrid's son

The third task couldn't be kept as secret as the previous two, given the obvious construction of the maze in the Hogwarts Quidditch Stadium. It was easy to deduce what its main purpose would be.

Barnaby had to spend a lot of time correcting mistakes, fixing Ramiris's improvisations, and placing all the content inside, filled with multiple challenges and deceptions that would test the champions' intelligence... or luck.

"Ramiris, I hope you've removed the Rabbids and Wabbits," Barnaby glared at the tiny flying lady beside him. "You didn't put another Pacman, did you? I swear, if I run into one again…"

"No, no, they're all gone! I swear by the sacred pancakes!" Ramiris assured, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead.

This maze was quite different from what she was used to, and she had to redo many things, leaving her exhausted each day, with the only consolation being the sweets Barnaby and Sanshi gave her.

But she endured and managed to do everything as instructed, without adding anything extra on the last day, truly!

She didn't dare. By the pancakes!

Oh, now she was hungry…

"Alright, go to my house for your reward," Barnaby nodded. "Today, we made a version with custard and cherries."

"Yay~!" Ramiris flew off quickly in search of her fluffy treats.

After watching her leave, Barnaby pulled a scroll from his pocket and opened it.

"I'll do a quick check just in case..."

The scroll in his hands was similar to the Marauder's Map, but instead of violating people's privacy by tracking their positions 24 hours a day, it contained a real-time version of the maze map, showing the creatures and the status of the traps.

"Everything seems in place," Barnaby said, putting the scroll away and heading to the castle to notify that the third task could begin tomorrow. He also needed to ask Moody to hand over the trophy so he could place it at the heart of the maze.

To his surprise, Moody insisted on placing it himself, claiming he needed to check the grounds for potential malicious external manipulations.

Though that was offensive to Barnaby, as he had personally ensured that nothing like that would happen, he attributed it to Moody's paranoia and let him handle it.

The news that the third task would finally begin sparked everyone's interest, and dinner became quite noisy; there wasn't a single student who wasn't excitedly discussing it with the person next to them.

Unsurprisingly, the most favored candidates to win the trophy were Krum and Fleur. Cedric was in last place, making his comeback difficult but not impossible. Harry, on the other hand, despite being in second place, hadn't received much support, as many thought he was cheating somehow.

Had Barnaby known how noisy the Great Hall would be because of the news, he would have preferred to have dinner at home with Tonks and Sanshi rather than in the castle. However, he had to stay tonight to ensure everything was ready when the final task began.

For added drama, the three headmasters requested that the task be held at night, so the champions could adjust their conditions to their peak performance.

Barnaby agreed since it didn't cost him much to wait a few more hours, but he found it strange that they wanted to do it when visibility was lower. This would not only disadvantage the champions but also prevent the spectators from seeing what was happening inside.

At least, he remembered at the last minute to install a Den Den Mushi at the heart of the maze, so when someone got close, it would activate, allowing everyone to see, projected on a wall, who would claim the Triwizard Cup.

Some might wonder, what was the point of the previous task rankings if the first person to take the trophy would win anyway?

Of course, it was to determine the order in which the champions entered!

"Welcome, young witches and wizards, to the final task of the Triwizard Tournament!" Bagman's tired voice came through the loudspeaker. "You all know the objective this time: the trophy has been placed at the heart of the maze, and the champions must reach it and claim it before the others. The champions will enter in decreasing order based on their rankings, giving them a five-minute lead between each. This means Krum will have a full fifteen minutes before Cedric enters the maze and has to compete against the others. The maze isn't simple and has several hidden dangers. If an accident happens or they withdraw, all they need to do is send red sparks into the sky, and the Aurors will rush in to get them out."

Naturally, each school headmaster made sure their champion knew how to cast the sparks.

"Champion Viktor Krum may enter. Good luck, lad!"

Viktor cracked his neck and entered with a determined expression, while every five minutes, Harry, then Fleur, and finally Cedric, followed.

"It's good the tournament is finally ending," Barnaby sighed in relief. "I won't take on such a complicated job again unless they pay me much better..."

It didn't take long for them to hear some sounds of combat, growls, and Fleur's scream.

"Is there a chance of death in the maze?" Maxime asked, concerned, realizing there were no red sparks even a minute after the scream.

"Yes, but it should be minimal," Barnaby shook his head, taking no responsibility for what might happen.

The maze was designed to be a moderately challenging task with a high bar, so naturally, there were some tougher elements. But death could only come if they did something really stupid, had very bad luck… or hurt each other.

Many minutes later, the Den Den Mushi screen flickered to life, and the audience saw a close-up of the room with the trophy on the altar.

Moody's expression shifted subtly, but with the headmasters standing next to the strange snail, he maintained his composure.

To the surprise of many, not only had three of the four champions arrived almost simultaneously, but they also saw Krum try to cast the Cruciatus Curse on Cedric!

"That's impossible!" Karkaroff jumped up, eyes wide.

It was true that Durmstrang taught Dark Magic, but even they warned against Unforgivable Curses with severity!

"Krum is acting strange," Dumbledore quickly noted. "Judging by his gaze and stiff movements, he's probably under the Imperius Curse."

The students heard this and paid closer attention to Krum. Indeed, he seemed to be under some kind of control, something especially clear to Krum's friends and the Durmstrang students who knew him well.

"But to what end?" Karkaroff was relieved that Dumbledore quickly cleared his school's and Krum's name before everyone and the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic.

"That would be…"

Dumbledore's response was cut off when Krum was knocked out by a Stunning Spell cast by Harry, who then sent red sparks into the sky to call for help.

"What are you waiting for?" Moody barked at the Ministry Aurors, who stood there, stunned by the surprise. "Move your asses, or I'll make sure Amelia triples your training!"

"Bring Fleur too, please!" Maxime added anxiously, implying they were surrendering to ensure their student's safety.

The Aurors snapped out of their shock and rushed to rescue Fleur and Krum. Meanwhile, in a show of sportsmanship, Cedric and Harry were seen deciding to take the trophy together, making it a tie.

"Can they do that?" Barnaby asked the Ministry official beside him, confused. "I don't remember there being a tie in this competition before."

"No, but it looks like they will," the man replied, hitting his forehead with his palm in frustration. "It doesn't matter. In the end, the winner is from Hogwarts. Worst case, we'll flip a coin or something."

Sure, their sportsmanship was admirable after such an intense competition, and everyone applauded their good behavior. But Barnaby had to report the result, and two champions wasn't something Fudge would want to hear!

Cedric and Harry took the trophy on the count of three, and to everyone's surprise, they disappeared.

"Was that Apparition?" Fred asked.

"No, I think the trophy was a Portkey!" George argued.

Moody's expression darkened in front of everyone, a clear manifestation of his anger. After all, he had been responsible for guarding, protecting, and placing the artifact there.

The fact that he hadn't been able to prevent its tampering was a humiliating failure for his career!

Barnaby, on the other hand, watched him with veiled suspicion.

If someone had entered after he placed the Den Den Mushi, the screen would have flashed, and it would have shown them. So, it could only have happened before then.

But the only one who went there was Moody…

Coincidence or misunderstanding?