The Third and Final Task

The storms that had been raining down on us stopped just in time for the Third Task of The Triwizard Tournament. It was hot and humid, but as we all went to the quidditch pitch the noon sky turned to twilight and it was rather lovely. 

As the task was at the Quidditch Pitch we all went down to it and then into the stands. I got a little yelled at, flack for choosing to go sit with Durmstrang but the whole point of the competition is for unity. This time around there were no judges’ seats which removed any worry about the absent Durmstrang judge.

The Pitch had been transformed into a huge landscape, a thick forest in the middle and rocks and marshy lands ringing around shrouded in fog; it was both beautiful and spooky at the same time… And if you squinted just right you could make out a glint in the middle. 

The time for the task started, and Mr Pip Hawtrey went to explain what was to happen this time round.  The reason for having no judges was because where the champions placed in the last two tasks would influence when each of them entered and how much of a lead they would have, and this time it would be winner takes all! The first champion to the Cup would be the winner.

Elliott, being in the lead, was allowed on the pitch first.  He struggled a lot with the terrain and trying to find  a way into the forest at the centre.  Several minutes later Lars was dropped into the pitch as well. And then Cardan, both also struggling and jumping from rock to rocs and working their way around the pitch. Something seemed to be following them as well but I couldn’t make out what from my seat. 

As the task went on we watched the champions try to work out how to get to the forest (using a mixture of magnus sensus for some, omnioculars for others, and plain old binoculars for the rest.) We saw each champion struggle with different types of obstacles, The terrain, Creatures and plants. They really made a forest for this task to rival the forbidden forest. 

Lars was the first one to make it into the thick forest in the centre, Elliott kept circling on the rocks while Cardan kept being led away by what looked like a Hinkypunk. Then all of a sudden Lars made it to the centre and a ring of fire appeared around what looked like the cup with a  phoenix curled inside it. The bird demanded that Lars leave all but his wand behind. He struggled with what all the bird wanted him to leave behind Long enough for Elliott to catch up to him.

Then something attacked Lars but it was too small to make out just what, I found out after it was a pogrebin and apparently what was stopping Lars placating the phoenix! As Lars struggled with this Elliott showed up and the phoenix told him the same as the other. Elliott struggled as Lars did to figure out just what the bird wanted. But Then Lars managed to get rid of his Pogrebin and the bird took him away. 

BUT that wasn’t the end of it! We could see him taken to another clouded location, the mist over the stadium showed us what Lars faced next, whilst Elliott still struggled with the bird. The cup was not won yet! Lars found some stairs in the misty area he was in and went up where there stood a mirror. A mirror version then appeared in the reflection and began to talk to him, asking him very hard and very personal questions which Lars struggled to answer in a way that the mirror shadow found acceptable.

Cardan eventually found her way to the centre as well whilst Elliott still tried to figure out what else he needed to give up to let the bird allow him to pass.  With the focus on Lars I stopped watching them after a while but then they started to fight one another just as Lars began to duel his unsatisfied mirror-self.

Mirror-Lars seemed a perfect match to Champion-Lars, but the Durmstrang Champion managed to immobilize his counterpart. The shadow slowly vanished and Lars stepped through the mirror door. At this point none of us were sure if this was a path to the true Triwizard Cup or another step on the way to it. Meanwhile, Elliott and Cardan were still at the false cup and battling it, and each other.

Lars stood on the precipice of a giant bridge that hovered from nowhere and over nowhere, surrounded by darkness and stars. He seemed hesitant before moving carefully over the bridge and reached for the cup, which another phoenix flew around. When he grabbed it he soared into the air and fireworks went off! It was the true cup! The Tri Wizard Champion of 2028 is Lars Strangland of Durmstrang and his friends and schoolmates went wild with joy!  After all they had been through murder, chaos and treachery, their champion was the winner!  And while I do wish Hogwarts had won. I can’t help but be so happy for them. They needed the win so much. 

The other two champions still were fighting each other and Mr Hawtrey had to go down to break it up. Meanwhile Golovin’s Ghost appeared to us again and was jubilantly happy. A huge party followed, held on the ship!

But then as it winded down, as I said in the article about the Lunch. Golovin chose to go on to Valhala, he no longer felt tied to the world. His murder solved, his champion the Tri wizard champion, and it was time.

So there you have it. The last task!