Chapter 45: The Third Task: The Maze
The Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch had been transformed into an enormous hedge maze, its walls shifting and whispering like old ladies gossiping over tea. 🫖
At the center stood the Triwizard Cup, a gleaming beacon of victory—or, in Raja's case, another excuse to show off his questionable decision-making skills.
Ludo Bagman's voice boomed across the stadium.
🎤 "Champions! Your goal is to reach the Cup at the center! First one there wins! But beware—this maze is filled with dangerous magical obstacles! And please, for the love of Merlin, no more dance battles…"
Raja, grinning like a man who had no idea what he was getting into, patted Harry's shoulder with a wink.
💀 Harry (suspiciously narrowing his eyes): "What was that?"
💀 Raja (smirking): "Oh, just a little mood-enhancer… also, goodbye, losers."
Before anyone could question him further, Raja flung his cloak over his shoulder, wiggled his fingers like a magician who had never seen a spellbook, and moonwalked dramatically into the maze.
A few minutes in, Raja encountered a massive Sphinx lounging as if it had taken a nap in the sun and accidentally turned into a puzzle-solving machine.
🦁 Sphinx: "To pass, you must answer my riddle, mortal!"
It cleared its throat in a way that suggested it had watched too many mystery shows.
🦁 Sphinx: "I have cities but no houses, I have mountains but no trees, I have water but no fish. What am I?"
Raja stared at the Sphinx, blinked once, blinked twice, and then reached into his pocket for the one thing that would save him from any real thinking.
📱 Raja: "Hmm... hold on."
He pulled out his Magic-Pad and googled the answer.
📱 Sphinx (outraged): "HEY! That's cheating!"
📱 Raja (grinning): "Innovation, my furry friend. It's the future."
The Sphinx sighed dramatically and rolled its eyes so hard it might've pulled a muscle.
🦁 Sphinx (grumbling): "Kids these days… Back in my time, we used our brains instead of whatever this is."
Raja took five steps forward and— BAM!—an Acromantula the size of a small house appeared, skittering toward him with legs clicking ominously.
🕷️ Acromantula: "You shall not pass… unless you defeat me… in a DANCE BATTLE!"
Raja's eyes lit up. Finally, something that made sense.
💃 Raja (enthusiastically): "Bet."
The giant spider twisted and spun with an impressively smooth moonwalk, followed by a backflip, and then a pirouette that would've impressed even the finest ballerina.
🎶 Raja (shaking his head in disbelief): "Alright, alright, I see your moves."
With a flick of his wand, Raja cast "Boogie Bombicus," and his body took over, dancing like he had no bones to break. He spun, flipped, breakdanced, dabbed mid-air, and somehow ended the entire routine with a split.
🔥 Acromantula (sobbing): "That… was… BEAUTIFUL!"
It turned around, wiping its tears dramatically, and moonwalked off into the distance, still dabbing its eyes.
Raja turned a corner and froze.
A horde of Dementors hovered in front of him, their cloaks flowing eerily in the wind. But this time, something was off…
🎼 Dementor Conductor: "We challenge you to a SING-OFF!"
Raja blinked, completely unimpressed. Without hesitation, he grabbed his wand like a microphone and took a deep breath.
🔥 Raja (belting it out like he was born for this moment): "LET IT GOOOO! LET IT GOOOOOOO!!!"
The Dementors shrieked in agony, their cloaks flying off like they'd just been hit by an electric shock. One of them threw a golden record at Raja, while another disappeared into the shadows, clutching its ears.
Raja continued to swagger through the maze when he encountered his greatest foe yet: HIMSELF. A perfect mirror image stood before him, glaring with equal amounts of smugness.
🦸♂️ Evil Raja: "I am your greatest opponent! The one you fear!"
🦸♂️ Raja: "Pfft, I argue with myself all the time. This is just Tuesday."
Their swords clashed in a flurry of sparks. Midway through the battle, they both paused to check their hair in pocket mirrors. Because clearly, this was the true test of strength.
Finally, Raja waved his wand and shouted "Mirrorus Reflectum!" and poof—Evil Raja turned into glitter and vanished, leaving behind a faint smell of ego.
🏇 Raja leaped over flaming hoops, dodged cursed gnomes, and even had a brief, awkward surfing moment on a hippogriff that clearly didn't sign up for this.
The Cup was in sight. But instead of rushing for it, Raja crouched behind a bush, his face practically glowing with mischief. He pulled out his Magic-Pad again and sat down, waiting patiently for the one person he was sure would mess up the maze...
On the other side of the maze, Harry stepped in. The moment he did, the hedges slammed shut behind him. Silence. Harry, ever the optimist, just smiled.
💀 Harry (with a small shrug): "Let's see where this goes."
The hedges twisted and turned, and Harry felt a sudden tremor beneath his feet. He attempted to levitate, but a sharp jolt ran through his body.
💀 Harry (grimacing): "Alright, no flying. Fine. We'll do this the hard way."
He tried to light his way using "Lumos Maxima," but every time he turned around, the shadows seemed to take on even creepier forms. At one point, Harry swore he saw a bush wearing a wizard's hat. Or maybe it was just his brain going haywire.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him lunged—a wall of thorny vines shot up, attempting to snatch him!
💀 Harry (dodging with impeccable grace, though he was sweating buckets): "Yeah, not today, plant."
He transfigured the aggressive bush into a harmless potted sunflower, standing there, triumphant.
💀 Harry: "That's what I thought."
A chill ran down Harry's spine as a cloaked figure materialized. A Dementor, he thought, but he knew better.
With a flick of his wand, Harry cast "Riddikulus!" and BOOM—the Dementor turned into a kitten wearing a little wizard's hat.
💀 Harry (smirking): "Nice try, buddy."
The kitten meowed once and scampered away, offended.
As Harry pressed forward, a strange golden mist appeared around him. The moment he stepped into it, the world flipped upside down. He found himself dangling by the ankles, spinning wildly.
💀 Harry (flailing): "Oh, come ON. This is just showing off."
Thinking fast, he muttered "Gravitas Reverso," and the enchantment reversed, dropping him to the ground with a graceful thud.
💀 Harry (muttering): "Nice try, Maze. You'll have to do better."
Harry heard rapid footsteps. Viktor Krum appeared—but his eyes were completely blank.
Suddenly, Krum raised his wand and snarled, "Crucio!"
💀 Harry (sidestepping): "Alright, Krum, if that's how you want to play—"
With a flick of his wand, Harry hit Krum with a stunning spell, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious.
💀 Harry (sighing): "I'll let the professors deal with you."
Ahead, Harry found the massive Sphinx blocking his path. It stared down at him.
🦁 Sphinx: "Solve my riddle or face my wrath."
Harry grinned, really starting to feel the groove now.
💀 Harry (confidently): "Let's hear it."
The Sphinx spoke:
🦁 Sphinx: "I have keys but open no locks; I have space but no room. What am I?"
💀 Harry (smirking): "A keyboard."
The Sphinx raised an eyebrow. Then, a reluctant nod.
🦁 Sphinx: "Well played, wizard."
It stepped aside, and Harry trotted past, feeling invincible now.
He was so close. The Triwizard Cup gleamed in the distance. But just as he stepped forward, a massive Acromantula blocked his path, its pincers snapping menacingly.
💀 Harry (grinning): "Perfect. This is exactly what I need—a giant spider."
The spider lunged toward him, but Harry Dodged to the side, barely avoiding the gnashing teeth. He transfigured a rock into a giant fly to distract it, then stunned the spider with a well-aimed spell.
With the beast down, Harry dashed toward the Cup, reaching out for it—
And then, the world exploded into blue light and Vanished.
From the bushes, Raja emerged, flashing a victorious smirk and tapping his Magic-Pad.
🔥 Raja: "Oh. Now THAT… is going to be fun." 🔥
To be continued… 🚀