Chapter 9: The Third Task

"I hope this stupid tournament ends right now!" Ronald Weasley grumbled much to the annoyance of Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom.

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked as she approached them.

"He started hating the Triwizard Tournament as soon as he saw that hedge maze at the Quidditch field, Hermione." Harry explained.

"He can't stop whining about it ever since." Neville added.

"You should be upset as well, Harry." Ron argued. "What's Hogwarts without Quidditch?"

"A place for us to study, Ron." Harry answered.

"I'm not Hermione, Harry." Ron replied.

Meanwhile, Sirius Black was meeting the Board of Governors. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for coming." He told them. "I asked to meet all of you to discuss an important issue regarding the teaching of Potions at Hogwarts that our beloved Headmaster unfortunately ignores."

Back at Hogwarts, the students received their grades. "Phew." Ron was relieved. "I was so afraid I'd flunk. Especially in Potions since Snape…"

"Professor Snape, Ronald." Hermione corrected him.

"Since Snape was the one to grade us, Hermione." Ron continued, completely decided to refuse calling Snape a 'Professor' or listening to Hermione's rants over the matter. Snape wasn't someone Ron respected. Especially after learning the greasy bat was a Death Eater.

Later on, all students went to the Great Hall. Draco Malfoy then approached Harry. "How're your grades, Potter?" Malfoy asked.

"We passed, Malfoy." Harry answered. "What about you?"

"I passed as well." Malfoy replied and then gave a malicious smile. "By 'we', do you include Longbottom?" Harry nodded. "How much did his Grandmother have to pay?"

"I didn't have to pay for my grades, Malfoy." Neville bravely answered.

"If he did, it'd be less than your Death Eater Dad paid for yours, Malfoy." Ron added.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for falsely accusing a classmate, Weasley." Professor Snape intervened.

"Malfoy falsely accused Longbottom as well, Professor Snape." Hermione pleaded.

"Another ten points from Gryffindor, Ms. Granger, for the same reason I docked points from Weasley." Snape replied. "Does anybody else have anything to say?"

"I say you're even more of a greasy git than ever, Snivellus." Sirius Black replied as he just entered the Great Hall.

"Black, what're you doing here?" Professor McGonagall asked in outrage.

"I'm just bringing the Board of Governors' newest decision regarding Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Minnie." Sirius replied with a smile. "As of now, every student who gets at least an Exceeds Expectations in their Potions O.W.L.s shall be allowed to take N.E.W.T. level Potions classes regardless of what the Professor in charge of teaching the subject believes to be the minimum one should be required to take the classes."

"Sirius." Headmaster Dumbledore said in disapproval. "I know you hate Severus but there was no need to take it on the school."

"Regardless of how I feel about Snivellus, I just pointed out how his decision to raise the minimum requirement to Outstanding is responsible for the decrease on the number of Aurors, Healers and other professionals whose jobs require N.E.W.T. level knowledge in Potions." Sirius explained. "All of them accepted my point as evidenced by their signatures at this parchment."

Headmaster Dumbledore read the parchment. "It's true." Several students celebrated. Even Slytherins.

Sirius then approached Snape. "Snivellus, tell your fellow Death Eaters there will be more Aurors to hunt them." Practically all non-Slytherins cheered at that statement.

"Do you think you own the school, Black?" Professor Snape angrily asked.

"If I owned it, Snivellus, you'd be out of here before you had time to use an Unforgivable Curse." Sirius replied.

"Sirius, Severus, this is neither time nor place for school time grudges." Headmaster Dumbledore scolded the two of them.

"Headmaster, I won't have to accept N.E.W.T. level students who failed to get more than a mere Exceeds Expectations in their O.W.L.s." Snape pleaded. "Will I?"

"It's the Board's decision, Severus." Headmaster Dumbledore replied. "We have to accept it."

Several fifth year students felt better regarding Snape's subject since Exceeds Expectations became enough to take the course at N.E.W.T. level.

A few days later, it was time for the Final Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Everybody listened as Headmaster Dumbledore explained the task. The Triwizard Cup was hidden inside the maze and the Champions had to go after it. The number of points each Champion accumulated from the previous Tasks decided the order they'd enter the maze. There were several dangers inside the maze and the first Champion to touch the Triwizard Cup would win the Triwizard Tournament.

"I'm glad I'm not going in there." Harry commented.

"But you're not so there's no need for you to be nervous, Prongslet." Sirius replied. As a substitute teacher, he was allowed to be there even if his godson wasn't an entrant.

"You think I'm nervous?" Harry asked. "If so, you should take a look at Mr. Bagman."

Upon Harry's comment, Sirius looked at the judges' booth and noticed that Ludovic Bagman looked more of a wreck than anybody else there. "You're right, Prongslet. It looks like he lost a bet against the goblins and doesn't know how to pay."

Sirius Black didn't know how right he was. Ludovic Bagman took some bets from goblins during the Quidditch World Cup Finals and didn't have enough gold to pay. He tried to cheat them with leprechaun gold but it didn't work. Bagman then took an all or nothing bet regarding the Triwizard Tournament: if Cedric Diggory wins, his debts will be considered paid in full; if he loses, Bagman's debts will be doubled.

Inside the maze, the Champions put their reflexes to good use to escape every danger in there. What surprised them the most were the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Those creatures were the result of one of Hagrid's experiments. Eventually, Cedric Diggory was the first one to reach the final challenge: a sphinx. After solving the sphinx's riddle, Diggory reached the Triwizard Cup and won the Triwizard Tournament to Bagman's relief.

Unlike what Harry experienced during his previous years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this time the Hogwarts banners weren't displaying any specific House colors. There were also banners from the visiting schools. Headmaster Dumbledore gave a speech saying it was to promote unity. He also expressed his hopes that people from different cultures would learn from each other. "I'm gonna miss Krum, I mean, this Tournament." Ron commented.

"And I bet Hagrid will miss Headmistress Maxime." Hermione added. "Too bad Rita Skeeter meddled with that by exposing the two of them as half-giants."

"I'll certainly be glad to be rid of Death Eater Karkaroff." Harry said. "Too bad he won't take Snape with him."

"I bet even Durmstrang would find him too dark." Neville suggested.

"Probably." Ron agreed.

Alastor Moody was having mixed feelings about the end of the Triwizard Tournament. While he's glad Death Eater Karkaroff was leaving Hogwarts without doing anything wrong (that Moody knew of), he was also upset at himself for not finding anything that could be used as a reason to send Karkaroff back to Azkaban. Or at least Snape. Headmaster Dumbledore might believe in Death Eater Snape's supposed reform but that wasn't enough to convince Moody. Not that anything would, mind you.

Headmaster Dumbledore made another announcement: "Students, I have the displeasure to announce that Professor Moody will resume his retirement and it'll generate a new opening for the Defense position for the next school term." Nobody was surprised at that news. Hogwarts needed a new Defense teacher every year. "I'll put an ad at the Daily Prophet to inform details to potential applicants."

"Can't Hogwarts hire a curse breaker from Gringotts to put an end to the curse that prevents Defense teachers from keeping the job for more than one term?" Harry asked his friends.

"I never thought about asking for their help for anything outside Egypt, Harry." Ron replied. "Why don't you give the suggestion to your Godfather?"

"I'll do that." Harry answered.

End of Fourth Year