At the office of the Minister of Magic, the Floo suddenly burst into emerald green flames, revealing a teenage boy. Stepping out, the boy flicked his fingers to remove the ash and spotted his godfather sitting behind the elaborate desk.
"Hey, kiddo," said Sirius, smiling at him. "Are you ready?"
Harry nodded and followed his godfather towards the golden lifts. After exiting at the appropriate level, they entered the office of Madam Marchbanks, the Head of the Department of Education.
"Ah, young Harry Potter," said Madam Marchbanks, looking at him fondly. "It seems just like yesterday when you were here with your godfather requesting permission for the accelerated program and here you are, ready to take your N.E.W.T.s at the age of fourteen! Shall we get started?"
"Yes, ma'am," said Harry with a small smile on his face.
For the next seven days, Harry had to endure one brutal exam after the other. All his exams had both a theory and practical component. He managed to stun his examiners in practical Ancient Runes by showing his knowledge of warding and enchantment, using a series of Rune clusters in the process. Arithmancy and Potions were amazing; after the second task, Harry had patented the Amphibian Potion and released it to the market. It was quite successful as there was no limit on the amount of time one could stay underwater after drinking the potion.
Companies who employed witches and wizards to collect potion ingredients from the sea or lake bed were the first to begin using them. Then the various commercial establishments like hotels and resorts began stocking the potion because it was easy to supply to their guests if they wanted to go exploring underwater. Magical governments were the biggest consumers as they used it to track those who tried to smuggle illegal goods underwater, a problem they had never truly tackled. Harry had never expected it to become such a hit in the international market and the returns he got from it were substantial. He certainly was not complaining.
In his Arithmancy and Potions exam, Harry told the examiners how he had arrived at the formulae and how he integrated it into the potion; needless to say, they were most impressed.
His Charms exam was easy in his opinion as he demonstrated the Patronus Charm and several other charms which they asked for, all non-verbally. His glamour charms and space expansion charms were very well received.
The Transfiguration exam left his examiners gaping in shock and Madam Marchbanks beaming in pride. He was able to conjure a large gilded carriage, conjured a tiger which roared and chased a conjured deer, and finally, his concept of Battle Transfiguration had them applauding for him.
His Defence exam might have made a few of the 'pro-Dumbledore' examiners queasy as he explained and demonstrated accurately various dark curses and exactly how to counter them. He reasoned with them saying that unless you knew the curse itself, you could never identify it, so where did the question of defence come from?
Herbology was also good and by the time Harry returned to Hogwarts, he was exhausted. Daphne ensured that he was plenty relaxed for several days after the exams.
As the date of the third task rolled in, Harry could feel his excitement building up. He had survived for this long and he was confident he would do well in the third task as well. He could just picture himself holding the Triwizard Cup. After going through all this, he did not feel bad about wanting to win. He definitely had worked harder than the other three champions - combined!
...
Harry looked at the maze speculatively, not listening to the sounds made by the band or the hundred thousand people milling around the stands. He was standing with the other champions at the entrance, thinking about various ways to counter wards or break curses or how to defend against magical creatures. The Greengrasses had already hugged him and wished him the best of luck and were sitting in the front row, smiling encouragingly at him - Harry did not even want to ask how much they had paid to get front row seats, but he did appreciate the gesture.
Daphne and Dylan were on either side of him, both of them looking queasy. Daphne was standing still, staring into the distance, but Dylan was mumbling to himself that it was going to be fine.
Fifteen minutes later, the stands were full, and the live broadcast began. The tiny crystals were surrounding the champions and the four appeared on the large mirrors. Millions of witches and wizards around the world were watching the final task of the very popular Triwizard Tournament.
The Triwizard Emergency Squad came over to the champions and one of them said, "We'll be patrolling the perimeter of the maze and monitoring your progress. If you run into any trouble and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, understood? If you are in a life-threatening situation, we'll be there immediately to rescue you."
Mr Bagman pointed his wand to his throat and began. " Sonorus! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament! This task is very straightforward - it's a maze, filled with different traps, wards, spells and magical creatures. The Triwizard Cup is at the centre of the maze, and the champion who reaches for it first will win the Tournament, earning him or her eternal glory and twenty-five thousand Galleons! The cup is a Portkey that leads them directly here. So once any one of them touches the cup, they will be transported out of the maze and be declared the winner!" he said as the crowd cheered.
"Let me remind you how the points currently stand - in fourth place is Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy with 68 points! In third place is Mr Viktor Krum of Durmstrang Institute with 81 points!" he said and the crowd roared in approval for their respective champions.
"In second place we have Mr Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts School with 82 points!" he shouted as the crowd screamed.
"And finally, in first place, we have Mr Harry Potter also of Hogwarts School with 98 points!" he shouted, and the noise from the audience was deafening.
Harry breathed deeply; it was time. He turned around and hugged Daphne tightly, giving her a soft kiss.
"Good luck, Harry," she said softly. "I know you can do this. Stay safe."
"Thanks, Daphne."