Chapter 243: As Promised, But Not Yet Arrived

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Cedric asked as they stepped down from the carriage.

"Fine," Harry replied truthfully; he had mentally reviewed every spell he knew, and remembered them all clearly, which made him feel much better.

At the center of the abandoned town of Tranzero stood a tower of modest height, its base extending three walls that separated the eastern, western, and northern entrances.

"Each entrance has a starting enemy," Madame Maxime explained. "The strength decreases in order from east, west, to north. Champions, you will enter the three entrances according to your total scores, from highest to lowest. The champion with the highest score will face the strongest starting enemy."

As they walked toward the entrances, Madame Maxime continued, "After defeating the starting enemy, you will enter a vast, ever-changing labyrinth. From then on, there will be no distinction of difficulty. Champions must rely on their wit, courage, and a bit of luck to find the path to the tower's peak, where the trophy is kept. The first to claim the trophy will be crowned champion."

"If you encounter danger in the labyrinth, shout 'Early Termination' three times, and the labyrinth will automatically transport you back to the entrance. We will score you based on your performance: fifteen points for solving each puzzle, twenty points for defeating each enemy." Madame Maxime went on. "If all teams choose early termination, we will award the championship based on total scores. I urge all champions not to be reckless—according to our rules, even if you choose early termination, you still have a chance to win."

Harry and Cedric stood before the entrance gate, staring at the massive golden seal and its countdown. More than a minute remained until nine o'clock. They gripped their wands tightly, counting down the seconds—until, at last, the moment arrived. The seal vanished, revealing a dark, gaping doorway.

"Lumos," Cedric lit his wand. "I'll go first."

"Alright," Harry said, squinting to make out the interior.

As they fully entered the magic tower, a deep blue light flared around them, illuminating their first enemy: a giant eight-legged spider.

"Weren't all the spiders from the Forbidden Forest cleared out?" Harry's face darkened.

"This is Beauxbatons," Cedric reminded him. "They can easily bring in giant spiders from elsewhere. But Harry, you've dealt with them before, right?"

Harry fell silent. The first time he faced spiders, Neville had saved him with a Time-Turner spell; afterward, he'd merely cast a Disarming Charm and fled. The second time, surrounded by a horde of centaurs, all he'd needed to do was protect himself.

"Obstupify!" Cedric cast a Barrier Charm, blocking the spider's first charge. The creature seemed cautious; after bumping into the invisible wall, it retreated a few steps, glaring at them with its eight fierce little eyes.

"Let me think," Harry said. "Last time we killed a spider, we used a Fire Charm—but the most efficient method was still the centaurs' swords and spears."

"We aren't without weapons either," Cedric said, narrowing his eyes. "I'll set it on fire—you cut off its pincers."

"Ready…" Cedric sprinted forward, then rolled sideways. "Incendio!"

The jet of flame from his wand ignited the spider's leg hairs, quickly spreading across its body. Harry noticed that fire always worked wonders against large, hairy creatures.

While the spider writhed in place, Harry pointed his wand at its forelimbs: "Sectumsempra!"

The still-burning pincer fell to the ground; black fluid oozed out and quickly dried under the flames, emitting a foul odor.

"Phew," Cedric rolled back to a safe distance, then both of them chanted together: "Sectumsempra!"

Undeniably, this was the most effective offensive spell Harry had ever learned. The invisible blade flashed again, severing another pincer and two right legs. As the spider's body hair burned away, the flames faded—but now it was writhing in agony, too weakened to attack.

Harry and Cedric stepped around the dying spider and reached the iron door behind it, but the door was tightly shut. They pushed with all their strength—no movement.

"Maybe we have to kill it outright," Cedric guessed. "This dark trial—perhaps it was designed by Karkaroff."

"Speaking of Karkaroff, he planned to flee long ago—but for some reason, he didn't." Harry turned back to the spider. "It's strange."

"But do we really have to kill it?" Cedric hesitated. "Still… it won't live long like this."

Harry suddenly felt a surge—a killing urge rose in his chest. He wanted to whisper the Killing Curse at the spider; the curse was as easy for him as breathing…

"Try it," Harry murmured, forcing himself to suppress the sudden flood of thoughts. He knew without doubt: Voldemort had come near.

Cedric paused, then unleashed a powerful Sectumsempra, splitting the spider in two. The door to the first stage opened.

They stepped into the true interior of the magic tower. Harry was stunned by the sight: besides two staircases—one to the left, one to the right—the three doorways ahead were shifting constantly. He imagined that at the tower's core lay a complex, rotating, shifting labyrinth, connecting every level's entrances and exits, luring students who refused to climb stairs to gamble their luck.

That was why Donald's map showed a large blank square at the center of every level.

"Which way should we go, Harry?" Cedric glanced at the notice beside the door. "Entering the central labyrinth makes everything random. But climbing the stairs means facing a trial on every level."

"What do you mean by 'trial'?" Harry saw no enemies beneath the stairs.

"A puzzle, or an enemy—no telling," Cedric shrugged. "We've already handled the spider on the first level. We won't know the next trial until we reach the second."

"What if we try the labyrinth?" Harry suggested. "We're on the first level. No matter where the labyrinth sends us, we won't lose anything."

"First, the labyrinth might loop endlessly and waste time," Cedric said calmly. "Second, I feel this trial might be extremely difficult—we may not be strong enough to complete it."

"If we climb the stairs steadily, we'll at least earn enough points—and points are our advantage," Cedric advised.

"But we already used Sectumsempra twice in the first trial, and I estimate this tower has at least ten levels. Our stamina might not hold out," Harry hesitated. "If we don't find another path, we're unlikely to make it to the end."

As the two debated their next move, a cold, high voice suddenly echoed through the labyrinth.

"Old man, are you still hiding from me?"

Cedric looked puzzled, but Harry recognized the voice at once: Voldemort's.

"Are you waiting for reinforcements—or are you not even here?" Voldemort continued. "If you don't show yourself, I'll go down and attack the students."

"Children, leave at once," Dumbledore's voice rang out. "I'll deal with him."

Cedric looked terrified, his face pale with shock. "What's going on?"

"The Dark Lord is here—just as planned," Harry said urgently. "But this shouldn't be happening. The doctors should've been lying in wait—he should've been subdued in an instant."

"Doctors?" Cedric didn't catch on. "Whoever they are, they clearly didn't show up."

Harry suddenly felt heat in his hand. He looked down at his wand—the silver-white sand that had flowed within the Time-Turner had turned golden, swirling like smoke.

He saw a black dog leap from the corner and dash into the first doorway ahead. A voice whispered in his ear: "The moment has come…"

"I have to go, Cedric. You must leave," Harry said. "This is too dangerous. Your survival comes first."

"But what about the competition?" Cedric had already considered leaving—but he couldn't bear to abandon the contest.

The voice grew clearer. Harry faintly heard Zhang Qiu speaking to him: "The rift in time…"

"I'll go to the tower's peak. Dumbledore is there fighting Voldemort," Harry blurted out the name he normally avoided. "If we win, I'll bring the trophy down."

"Now, run!" Harry turned and sprinted toward the first doorway without looking back. He didn't know where the Time-Turner's change or Zhang Qiu's voice came from—but if this was tied to the mysterious spacetime, then fate demanded he ascend to the tower's peak now.

Harry crouched before the first doorway, facing an endless abyss. The labyrinth hadn't activated here yet—but that was exactly what he wanted. He flipped lightly, landing on the platform below the doorway, then pulled out the magical key and thrust it straight into a door.

Donald's forbidden path flashed in Harry's mind. He ran forward without obstruction, trusting that fate would not lead him to ruin—because after the time-travel incident in his third year, they had done too much to mend fate's course. Now, fate's gift seemed finally ready to manifest in reality.