Chapter 49

My morning classes flew by, and before I knew it, it was time for the third task. All of my friends wished me luck as I headed to the champions' tent. I had Frank's Gillyweed in my pocket, and I knew all of the right spells, so I felt prepared for what was to come. I only hoped that I was prepared enough to beat Laurette and Annalise.

I barely got a chance to talk to the other champions or McGonagall before I was told to enter the maze. The hedges were fully grown, and there was no way that I could see over them. "Point Me," I said, and my wand spun until it pointed north. I knew that the lake was south of the Quidditch field, so I would have to go in the opposite direction.

I started making my way through the maze, but despite the fact that I could use my wand as a compass, I still took a wrong turn at one point. By the time I got back on track, Annalise had passed me.

I eventually found a large brick wall blocking a passage that appeared to be going in the right direction. "Expulso!" I exclaimed, and the wall fell apart. I started running, and I saw that Annalise had been trapped in a Devil's Snare. It was really quite easy to get out of that, but I wasn't about to help Durmstrang win.

I continued through the maze, and I found a group of teenagers blocking my way. Have I mentioned that teenagers scare the living shit out of me? I started freaking out, but then I realized that I was dealing with a boggart. I cast Riddikulus, and the teenagers disappeared.

So far, so good. Hagrid hadn't put anything too terrible into the maze yet, and although I wasn't sure how close I was to the end of the maze, it felt like I was getting close.

I looked over my shoulder for a second and saw Annalise and Laurette battling the boggart behind me. I was glad to see that Annalise had gotten out of the Devil's Snare, but I still couldn't let her win. I ran faster, and hoped that the two other champions wouldn't catch up.

A few minutes later, I came upon a creature with the head of a woman and the body of a lion. I had never seen a sphinx before, except in pictures, but I knew enough about them to know that this one was going to ask me a riddle soon enough.

"You're so close to the end of the maze," the sphinx said. "The quickest way is past me."

"What do I have to do to get past you?" I asked, even though I already knew what the sphinx would say.

"You must answer a riddle," she replied. "If you answer correctly on your first guess, I will let you pass. If you answer incorrectly, I will attack. If you remain silent, you can walk away unscathed. It's your choice."

"Can I hear the riddle?" I asked.

"Sure," the sphinx said. "What's black and white and red all over?"

"The album cover for Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge," I said.

"NO!" the sphinx screamed. "You're wrong! It's a newspaper! But your answer was very creative. Nevertheless, I SHALL ATTACK!"

The sphinx roared and lunged towards me. I started sprinting away, but the sphinx was too fast. She quickly caught up to me. The sphinx was about to tear me open with her razor-sharp talons when I shouted "STOP! Can I please have another try?"

The sphinx sighed. "Fine, but you have to get it right this time. What's black and white and red all over?"

"A newspaper," I answered.

"NO! You're wrong!" the sphinx exclaimed.

"But you said that was the answer the first time," I said.

"I changed it," the sphinx said. "It's the album cover for Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. I thought that your answer was creative."

"That's not fair!" I said.

"Whatever," the sphinx said. "You answered incorrectly. I SHALL ATTACK!"

"ACCIO GUITAR!" I screamed, and an electric guitar came flying through the air. I started playing a few random chords. The sphinx looked at me in confusion, so I started singing.

Some say, now suffer all the children

And walk away a savior,

Or a madman and polluted

From gutter institutions.

Don't you breathe for me,

Undeserving of your sympathy,

Cause there ain't no way that I'm sorry for what I did.

And through it all

How could you cry for me?

Cause I don't feel bad about it.

So shut your eyes,

Kiss me goodbye,

And sleep.

Just sleep.

The hardest part is letting go of your dreams

The sphinx immediately fell asleep. That was oddly convenient, I thought as I continued through the maze. I knew that I was nearing the end of the the maze now. I spotted a Venomous Tentacula guarding the exit to the maze. As I approached the Tentacula, it tried to grab me, but I used a Severing Charm to chop off its vines.

Finally, I made my way out of the maze and came upon the lake. I could hear everyone cheering for me from the stands. "GO GEE!" Frank screamed as I took the Gillyweed out of my pocket and ate it. I then dove into the freezing waters of the Black Lake.

Once I was underwater, I took a deep breath to ensure that the Gillyweed was working. I looked down, and saw that there was webbing between my fingers and toes. I dove deeper, trying to avoid the Grindylows that I knew were hiding in the depths of the lake.

I heard a splash, and I saw that Annalise had entered the lake. She also had gills, so I presumed that she used the same method that I did. I swam faster. I just had to win this for Hogwarts.

Laurette dove in a few minutes later. Unlike Annalise and I, she was using the Bubble-Head Charm to breathe underwater. I continued to swim, but I heard screams coming from behind me. I turned around, and saw that Laurette was being attacked by a group of Grindylows. "Relashio!" I exclaimed, and the Grindylows released their grip on Laurette.

"Merci beaucoup," Laurette said as she swam away. I continued to swim and I eventually passed Laurette, but Annalise was far ahead of both of us.

The Gillyweed was beginning to wear off when I finally climbed out of the Black Lake. Annalise had already conjured a ladder, and she was climbing up to the top of the Astronomy Tower. "Accio Firebolt Supreme!" I exclaimed, and my Firebolt Supreme flew through the air and landed in my hand. I jumped onto the broomstick and quickly flew up to the top of the Astronomy Tower and took the Triwizard Cup.

"It's official!" Dr. Death said. "GERARD WAY HAS WON THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT!!!"

The crowd cheered as I glided back down to the ground. Frank ran up to me and shouted, "You won! I can't believe you won!"

"It was really close at the end," Ray said. "I was worried that Durmstrang was going to win instead."

"Hogwarts forever!" Mikey shouted, and he smiled. It was the first time that I had seen him smile in a long time.

"I can't believe that we're going to be graduating in a few days," Hayley said.

"Me neither," I said.

"I'm going to miss all you so much," Frank said, and he pulled all of us into a big group hug. Nothing was going to stop us now.