บท 255: The Riddle Of The Sphinx; Cedric, The Chosen One?
Little Hangleton Cemetery.
Voldemort asked impatiently: "Wormtail, is the boy still not here?"
"Master, it may take a while, please stay calm, Barty will definitely bring Harry Potter."
"I've been waiting for thirteen years, and I don't mind waiting a few more hours." Voldemort looked out at the night sky through the window.
He wandered as a disembodied soul for thirteen years, all that time just waiting for this day to arrive.
It's just that he doesn't know how many of those subordinates are willing to renew their allegiance to him.
How many people will choose to escape when they know that he has returned.
Seeing the cold light in Voldemort's eyes, Peter Pettigrew shivered slightly.
At the same time, Lucius Malfoy, who had already received the news, put on a Death Eater costume.
Beside him were Crabbe and Goyle. The two here refer to Crabbe and Goyle's fathers.
Alongside Pansy Parkinson's father and Theodore Nott's father, they all used to have a common identity, Death Eaters!
"Lucius, will he really come back tonight?" Mr. Parkinson asked anxiously.
When he saw Lucius nodding, his eyes gradually changed and it was the same for the others.
Lucius Malfoy looked around the crowd and said, "Don't worry, he's just coming back tonight, and he lacks capable men around him."
"As long as we respond to his call, at most we will be reprimanded, and our lives will not be in danger. Don't forget the unbreakable vow between us."
The night gradually deepened.
It's not going to be peaceful tonight.
Whether it is Voldemort or the former Death Eaters, they are all suffering while waiting.
The same goes for Dumbledore, Snape, and Barty Crouch Jr in Hogwarts.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for the storm to come.
After tonight, many things will be different.
After tonight, the second war will enter the countdown.
…
In the maze, the protagonist of tonight was looking at the three little black cats in front of him in doubt.
Harry wasn't fooled by their adorable appearance. The creatures that can appear in this maze must not be simple.
And he was unfortunately right, because the next moment, right under his gaze, several kittens turned into the size of leopards.
Looking at their sharp fangs and claws, he swallowed nervously and took a few steps back.
"Meow~"
A sharp, ear-piercing meow sounded.
Watching them prepare to attack, Harry decided to act first!
"Confringo!"
The flames flashed, and the front cat was blown away.
But when Harry was feeling happy that it was so easy to defeat it, he saw the cat split into three in the air.
Unfortunately he didn't know that these cats were Matagots. What is so special about this amazing animal is that as long as they are attacked with magic, they can multiply themselves.
They are also resistant to most forms of magic and spells, so ordinary attacks will only make them multiply more and more.
Because of this feature, the French Ministry of Magic uses them to guard some important departments.
Actually, there is an easy way to stop them, which is running into the muggle world, where they will automatically turn back into normal kittens. But by that time they would have accomplished their purpose which is to drive away the intruders.
Harry, who saw Matagots for the first time, was dumbfounded upon seeing it multiply after being hit.
It wasn't until the cats pounced on him that he finally came back to his senses, turned around and ran away.
"Diffindo!"
"Incendio!"
"Reducto!"
He used several spells in a row, and every time they hit a cat, it would cause it to multiply again. And in this way, the number of Matagots behind Harry gradually increased.
Seeing a dead end ahead, he stopped and turned around with his wand raised: "Avada Kedavra!"
Maybe Harry was really lucky, because the Killing Curse successfully hit the original Matagot.
After it died, its copies also fell to the ground one after another, and the remaining two started to back away.
Before Harry could shoot a second Killing Curse, they quickly disappeared into the intricate maze.
"A map fragment?"
Harry picked it up and found that it happened to be among the ones he was missing.
"Will the other two also have map fragments?"
With such doubts, he hastened to chase the cats in the direction where they were fleeing.
Noticing that the roles between prey and hunter were reversed, Harry's emerald green eyes shone with excitement, and at the same time, there was a flash of red in the depths of them.
'The curse of desire really worked too well. If this continues, wouldn't the savior become a bloodthirsty person?'
Lucas frowned tightly, considering whether to curb the curse
He followed Harry all the way until he saw him cleanly end the lives of the two Matagots with the Killing Curse.
"Harry!"
Harry turned his head subconsciously, and what appeared before his eyes was a red light.
Lucas raised his wand flat, and the red light in Harry's eyes gradually faded as the counter curse was cast.
He didn't stop the spell until the curse returned to its original state.
"Obliviate!"
After clearing Harry's memory, Lucas cast the Disillusionment Charm and disappeared again.
Harry froze for a few seconds before waking up. Then he frowned, feeling like he had forgotten something.
But seeing the six maps that have been collected in his hand, he didn't bother to continue thinking about it.
"Reparo!"
Under the effect of magic, the six map fragments pieced together into a complete map, and seeing where the Triwizard Cup is located in the map, he smiled determinedly.
At this moment, he seemed to see himself holding the Triwizard Cup.
Seeing Dumbledore's relieved smile, the pride in Sirius' eyes, he could even see the students congratulating and praising him all around him.
He even saw Lucas coming to him in frustration to congratulate him.
Satisfying the fantasy in his heart, Harry started on the road again, and approached the area where the Triwizard Cup was located step by step according to the map's instructions.
Lucas, who was hanging far behind, let out a sigh of relief.
Although there were many small accidents in the process, Harry still embarked on the road to Little Hangleton, what a joy!
As Harry gradually approached the Triwizard Cup, the last hurdle and the most important test finally appeared.
A sphinx was right in front of Harry blocking the way.
Different from the sculptures in Egypt, the monster in front of him has the body of a lion, but the head of a woman, and a pair of huge wings.
This is the Sphinx in myths and legends.
What it likes to do most is to ask others riddles, and if the answer is correct, everything will be fine. But if the answer is wrong, it will tear the person to pieces.
Harry recalled the introduction in "The Monster Book of Monsters".
Even in books, the Sphinx has only one hand-painted picture. He never expected to see a real Sphinx in his lifetime.
Just then, the Sphinx lowered her head.
"You're close to your goal, and the quickest way to reach it is through me."
The Sphinx's voice was low and a little hoarse.
Although he knew in his heart that he was unlikely to succeed, Harry still tentatively asked: "Then can you please let me pass?"
"No!" The Sphinx shook her head and continued: "You must answer my riddle first, and once you answer correctly, I will let you pass."
"If you don't answer correctly, I will tear you into pieces. If you choose not to answer, I can let you go back. How about it?"
Looking at the sharp claws of the sphinx, Harry swallowed in fear: "I choose to answer the question."
Hearing his choice, the Sphinx smiled with satisfaction.
"Very good! Listen carefully next."
Although he knew that guessing riddles is not his strong point, Harry still wanted to try.
If he really chooses to take a detour, he doesn't know how long it will take to reach the area where the Cup is located.
The Sphinx squatted down at this time, completely blocking the passage.
"First think about the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard
During the search for a hard to find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"
After finishing the riddle, the Sphinx looked at the human in front of her expectantly.
Harry blinked and said, "Excuse me, can you slow down and say it again?"
The Sphinx did not refuse, and with a smile on her face, she repeated the riddle just as Harry had requested.
For the sphinx, no matter what you ask, it will do it with a smile until you answer its riddles wrong. Of course, the demands made cannot be too excessive.
Just when Harry was fighting wits and courage with Sphinx. Cedric, who was far in the middle of the maze, gradually woke up from unconsciousness.
Lucas was in a hurry to find the Demiguise and forgot to cast red sparks, so the Hufflepuff champion was still eligible to compete at this moment.
Cedric stood up unsteadily, and seeing that there was no wound on his body, his expression was full of doubts.
He remembers quite well that he was injured all over by the giant spider's attack.
And although he didn't understand what's going on, he knew that the task was more important right now. So he drew his wand and continued walking northwest.
After a few steps, he fell into a golden mist and the world turned upside down, making him feel like he was hanging in mid-air.
Just when he was about to pull his feet out of the ground and leave this weird fog, he suddenly found a map fragment floating not far above his head.
For the next period of time, Cedric put on a show called "The Chosen One" as those map fragments seemed to be sent to him on their own initiative.
Just when Cedric reached the depths of the maze, he had finished collecting the six map fragments.
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