The highly anticipated third task finally arrived with great fanfare.
The Quidditch pitch had been transformed into a huge maze surrounded by seventy-foot-high hedgerows.
Everyone waited at the maze entrance for the champions to enter the dangerous labyrinth.
Hogwarts had organised a band playing cheerful music in the stands, and Crabbe had even written "KRUM" on his forehead in bold letters.
"Silence!" Dumbledore pressed his wand to his throat and used Sonorus with authority.
"Earlier, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard Cup inside the maze."
Dumbledore clenched his palm, and the four champions immediately floated up and flew to his side.
"Since Mr. Prewett..."
Ravenclaw erupted in deafening cheers. Aiden even saw Edmund holding up a banner that read "Rose Must Win".
Cross marks appeared on his forehead, but Aiden forced himself to smile at them with obvious embarrassment.
"And Mr. Potter achieved excellent results in the first two tasks; they will enter the maze first!"
"Next is Mr. Krum, then Miss Delacour."
Beauxbatons also cheered enthusiastically, while Durmstrang was not to be outdone.
"The first person to touch the trophy will be the winner."
Then Dumbledore explained the maze's emergency withdrawal mechanism.
With a sharp cannon blast, Aiden and Harry were the first to enter the maze.
The hedge walls were tall and dense and had been enchanted so that when Aiden entered, the cheering behind him completely disappeared.
After walking about fifty metres forward, he encountered the first fork in the path.
Aiden glanced at Harry and found Harry was also looking at him with obvious uncertainty.
"See you later." Aiden smiled at Harry and stepped onto the right path.
Aiden hadn't walked far when he suddenly sensed someone following behind him.
"Sigh, why are you following me?" Aiden asked, holding his forehead.
"Um, well, it's just..." Harry stammered awkwardly.
"Snap!" Aiden snapped his fingers, setting up an illusion barrier in front of Harry.
Then he turned around and ignored him. Harry tried to follow Aiden but, after going in circles, found himself still in the same place. Helplessly, he could only return to the previous fork and go left.
Aiden continued forward and came to the second turn. At this time, another cannon shot rang out, it looked like Krum had also entered the maze.
Soon after, a third cannon shot sounded, Fleur had entered.
After stroking his chin thoughtfully, Aiden decided to use the Point-Me spell.
Taking out his black walnut wand and placing it in his palm, he recited the incantation. "Point me."
The wand pointed southeast. Aiden followed the wand's guidance forward.
Then he encountered a fifty-foot-tall Blast-Ended Skrewt.
"Fifty feet? Aren't these things only supposed to grow to ten feet?" Aiden asked, momentarily stunned.
The Blast-Ended Skrewt's tail spewed intense flames, but the runes on Aiden's robes lit up, and a transparent barrier blocked in front of him.
"Well then, let's have a warm-up exercise!"
A smile crept across Aiden's exquisite face as he crouched low and pounced forward.
In mid-air, his robes merged with his body, wings spread, and a magnificent silver dragon lunged forward.
Aiden bit down on the Blast-Ended Skrewt's tail, his slender dragon neck whipping it up high.
Then he pulled down on the tail, and the Blast-Ended Skrewt was flung like a meteor hammer, crashing heavily to the ground.
With a thunderous bang, the ground cracked like a spider web and caved in, while the Blast-Ended Skrewt in the centre of the depression was already convulsing.
"Speaking of which, I haven't tried the effect of dragon breath on magical creatures yet?" Aiden suddenly thought with curiosity.
Then the silver-white dragon cast malicious eyes toward the Blast-Ended Skrewt in the middle.
Opening his mouth, magical power began flowing along the dragon's magical pathways.
Aiden felt something powerful condensing in his mouth.
"Hah, ptui!"
A large mouthful of... no, a large mouthful of dragon breath was spat out by Aiden.
A blue light orb flew from Aiden's mouth, and the struck Blast-Ended Skrewt immediately began to freeze.
Soon, a huge chunk of ice appeared before Aiden's eyes.
"Hey, others are fire dragons, but I'm an ice dragon," Aiden said, who had returned to human form, complaining.
This is Prewett Premium Selection. After all, ice attributes can help you stay calmer during battles, the system bubbled up appropriately.
"That makes sense." Aiden nodded with approval.
Bypassing the Blast-Ended Skrewt, Aiden continued forward.
On the other side, Harry, who had turned left, encountered a Dementor.
Facing the rotting robes and the creature making heavy breathing sounds, Harry couldn't help but take a small step back.
But suddenly he recalled that before entering, there had been no look of disgust on Aiden's beautiful face.
Only then did he realise, raising his wand. "Don't move, you're a Boggart. Riddikulus!"
Harry's wand shot out a white transparent light orb, and after hitting the Dementor, it immediately transformed into a large-sized sunny doll.
Harry continued forward when suddenly a cluster of transparent white mist appeared in front of him.
Harry stepped into it, and in the white mist, the vines on the ground suddenly came alive, wrapping around Harry's legs.
The whole world turned upside down, Harry looked toward the deep sky, like an abyss opening its maw to invite his arrival.
Harry forcefully pulled his leg out, and the moment he broke free, the world returned to normal.
Harry didn't dare enter the white mist again and could only run backward. On the way, he saw the Blast-Ended Skrewt frozen into an ice block.
I must ask Hagrid to take good care of them when I get out! Harry decided in his heart.
Having bypassed the Blast-Ended Skrewt and walked not far, Harry heard commotion from the other side of the wall.
"What do you want to do!" A female voice rang out, it should be Fleur.
"Crucio!" A voice casting a spell.
Fleur fell to the ground and began screaming in agony.
Hearing this conversation, Harry immediately used the Reductor Curse to blast open the hedge, then crawled through to the other side.
On the other side of the hedge, Krum held his wand, looking at the fallen Fleur.
Hearing the noise, he looked up, revealing eyes covered with white film.
The two stared at each other, but Krum was expressionless. After confronting for a while, Krum actually turned and ran.
"Stupefy!"
Harry fired a Stunning Spell at Krum. After being hit, Krum fell to the ground, lifeless.
Harry couldn't imagine that the usually gentle Krum would actually use the Cruciatus Curse to torture others.
"Fleur, Fleur!" Harry ran over, calling to Fleur.
"Ugh..." Fleur still had breath.
Harry raised his wand and fired red sparks into the sky for help.
Then Harry moved the two together and continued forward.
After a while, Harry encountered Aiden at a corner.
The two looked at each other and hurried toward the centre together.
A huge claw reached out, blocking their path.
"Well, well, you're very close to your goal, but you need to guess a riddle correctly before I'll let you pass."
The creature before them had a lion's body and a woman's head, it appeared to be a Sphinx.
"First think, what person always wears a mask, acts mysteriously..."
The Sphinx began reading the riddle, but Harry carefully glanced at Aiden.
"Hmm." A certain dragon returned his gaze with obvious displeasure.
Harry could only give him an awkward smile in return.