Geneticus

CHAPTER SIX: THE MAZE

The next few days were filled with class observations and talking with students. It was decided that Mulder's Muggleness would remain a secret from the population, and so he worked hard at maintaining a passable impersonation of a wizard. Harry and Hermione helped him for a few days, but soon their focus turned to helping Harry prepare for a contest he would be involved in the next month.

Some days Mulder didn't go to the castle at all, but rather spent the day wandering around Hogsmeade, seeing the shops, talking to patrons and shop owners, and generally learning more about what he was getting into.

From Rosmerta he learned about the contest Harry was preparing for: the Triwizard Tournament. Apparently there was a controversy around the fact that Harry was involved -- he was too young, and another student from Hogwarts had already been chosen. Still, Harry remained a part of things, and was now actually tied for first place with the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory.

Mulder also became quite friendly with a stray dog that spent its days in town. Many of the shopkeepers left out scraps for the large, black dog, but it didn't seem as though he had an owner.

Perhaps the most interesting of Hogsmeade's features was the large, abandoned house at the top of the hill overlooking the town. Residents claimed it was haunted by fearsome poltergeists, but when Mulder mentioned it to Harry, the boy just laughed.

"Even in our world, Mr. Mulder, not all ghost stories are true." He refused to elaborate.

About a week after she'd left, Hedwig returned with a note from Scully. Mulder carried the letter with him everywhere and read it often, imagining her voice reading the words to him.

M,

I'm not really sure to think about this all right now. I don't doubt that you're telling me the truth as far as you know it. I do doubt what's being told to you. You know I need to see it myself.

Part of me wants to pack up right now and join you over there. But my rational side says no. William is still too young for such a trip, and John and Monica still need help settling in. Maybe in a few months I'll feel more comfortable and we'll go over.

I hope it's soon, though. I think...there is definitely something different with our son, Mulder. He's been making the mobile move at night. And I do hope this wizard idea is accurate -- it's much nicer to think that William is a wizard and not something alien.

I can't believe I'm going to strap this note to an owl's leg now. She's very well-behaved, so that's something.

I miss you. I love you.

Forever yours,

S.

Alone at night, bored without a television or computer, Mulder began to draw. He hadn't dallied in art since his Oxford days, and he wondered if being back in Britain was bringing the talent back out. After two weeks in Scotland his room's walls were covered in drawings. Most were of Scully at various stages of their partnership, but he had many of William, and even a few of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

One day a week he spent in the school's library, learning the history of the Wizarding World. At Hermione's insistence he also read "Hogwarts, A History", and quickly realized why she was apparently the only student ever to do so. He became friends with the astronomy professor, Katrina Sandos, and she taught him how to read the skies, a pastime he hadn't let himself enjoy in years.

On June twenty-third, about a month after he'd arrived, Ron and Hermione came to speak to him in the library.

"The Third Task is tomorrow," Hermione told him. "I'm not sure if you were planning to come watch, but we know that Harry could use all the support he can get."

Mulder smiled. "I think I can manage to squeeze that in. Do you know what this task will be?"

Ron shuddered. "He has to get through a maze. A maze filled with spells and beasts and all sorts of dangerous things."

"Is he prepared, do you think?"

"About as well as he can be, we've made sure of that." Hermione's words were confident, but her eyes betrayed her worry.

"You said before that he's tied for first now, right?" The students nodded. "Well he wouldn't be there if he wasn't good, would he?"

Ron grinned. "He does have a knack for getting out of the trouble that finds him."

Mulder winked. "So do I. He'll be fine."

* * *

There was a feeling of anticipation all over the castle that day and the next. The town of Hogsmeade was bursting at the seams with people who'd come from all over to witness the final task.

Mulder went to Rosmerta on the morning of the competition with a question.

"Is there any way I can get myself one of the cloaks you wizards all wear? I'd really like to blend in this afternoon if I can."

Rosmerta laughed. "Honestly, I was wondering when you'd ask for that, Mr. Mulder! I didn't want to bring it up, but I did take the liberty of ordering a few robes for you, just in case. Let me fetch them, and I'll bring them to your room. We'll see how good I am at guessing a man's size."

Four hours later, decked in what Rosmerta assured him was a basic robe for all occasions, Mulder set out for the maze. He noted the two sets of hoops at either end and assumed that under normal conditions this was the Quidditch field. He'd read about the wizard sport and found it quite intriguing.

"Mr. Mulder!" He turned around and spotted Hermione and Ron waving to him. Behind them stood two very red-headed adults: an older woman who was on the plump side, and a young man who was tall and thin, hair pulled back into a ponytail. Mulder approached the group with a smile.

"Let me guess: you're Weasleys."

The woman chuckled. "Right you are! I'm Molly, and this is my eldest son Bill."

Amused by the vast difference between Bill Weasley and Bill Scully, Mulder held out his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Molly, Bill. I'm Fox Mulder, visiting from America. These two and Harry have been quite, uh..." Mulder wondered if the Weasleys could tolerate his Muggleness.

But Molly just smiled. "Yes, Ron's told us *all* about you. I'm sure your experience this last month has been simply fascinating!"

"That's one way to put it."

Bill gestured towards the viewing stands. "We ought to take our seats; I'm sure Bagman will want to start soon."

Hermione and Ron led the way up into the stands, going high enough to see above the tall hedges that traced the maze. Right away Mulder could see a few odd creatures lurking in corners, and he decided he didn't envy young Harry at all.

"Oh, there are the Diggorys," Molly said, pointing at a man and woman climbing towards them. She waved at them while explaining to Mulder that they were the parents of the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory. "Amos! Eolande! Come sit up here!"

When the Diggorys had reached them, greetings were exchanged, and Molly introduced them to Mulder, who she said was an associate of Bill's from America. Luckily, the conversation stayed on the tournament, and so Mulder was never forced to try and figure out what Bill did.

A hush fell over the stadium, and all four champions stepped out onto the field, accompanied by a portly man wearing black- and yellow-striped robes; he looked like a bumblebee.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" His voice boomed all around the stadium, though Mulder couldn't see any sort of microphone. "The third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each -- Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!"

Ron and Hermione cheered loudly, as did Molly, Bill and the Diggorys. Mulder just smiled and added his applause to the thunderous sound that resonated throughout the stadium.

Bumblebee Man continued. "In second place, with eighty points -- Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" The applause was decidedly less, but Hermione still offered a good deal of support, while Ron crossed his arms and groused. When the announcer introduced "Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy," Ron gave his enthusiastic support (as did most of the men attending), while Hermione simply rolled her eyes.

He noticed Harry waving up towards his section, and he waved back, along with the Weasleys and Hermione.

The Bumblebee Man held up his hand. "So...on my whistle, Harry and Cedric! Three -- two -- one --" He blew a whistle, and the boys hurried into the maze.

They split up quickly, heading for different parts of the maze. As they walked through it, Mulder could tell they were trying to find the center, where the large trophy awaited the victor.

Hermione was softly muttering to herself, as though she was trying to talk to Harry. Mulder wondered if wizards were telepathic.

"Oh!" cried Eolande. "What *is* that horrid creature?"

With a sigh, Hermione told her it was a Blast-Ended Skrewt, one of the last of Hagrid's brood. The skrewt was, as far as Mulder could guess, a dozen feet long with a nasty-looking sting at the end of its tail. Cedric tried to dodge around it, but, true to its name, a blast came from the end of the creature, singeing his robe's sleeve just before Cedric could get away. Eolande fanned herself, flushed with worry, while Amos cheered loudly for his son, who was quickly running for a different part of the maze.

In fact, Cedric bumped into Harry next; they paused briefly, then continued on in different directions.

"No! They wouldn't be that cruel, would they?" yelled Ron, tugging on Hermione's robe and pointing to something hidden in the hedges.

"A dementor? No way, it must..."

Harry stopped short, apparently seeing the same thing his friends did. After a quick moment of surprise, he raised his wand and out of it came a silver specter. Mulder squinted; it looked like some sort of deer or moose...something with horns, at the very least.

"Atta boy Prongs," Hermione muttered. Then she frowned. "Wait, it stumbled back when it saw the Patronus..."

Harry appeared to make the same realization, and waved his wand again. The dementor -- or whatever it was -- disappeared along with the silver deer.

Ron sighed. "Good, just a boggart." He glanced over at Mulder, whose face was full of the utmost confusion. "A boggart is this thing which becomes your worst nightmare, whatever that is. For Harry, it's a dementor, these horrible things that just suck the happiness out of everything and make Harry hear his parents' deaths in his head."

Mulder's eyes widened. "Yeah, I guess that would be rather nightmarish..."

Harry now moved into the far end of the maze, and the group strained to see what was going on, without much luck. Unfortunately, the skrewt was also moving to that portion of the maze, and when they saw the smoke from a blast go off in a corner, they all drew in a breath.

"Look, Cedric's met up with Krum," Amos said, pointing to a spot of maze not too far from Harry.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Perhaps they'll have a spot of tea." Hermione sighed loudly and shook her head. Mulder couldn't help but smile at the undercurrent between the two teenagers.

"What in the bloody hell is he doing?" Amos yelled suddenly. Krum was holding his wand to Cedric, who was bent over in what looked like agonizing pain. Suddenly Harry burst through the hedges behind Krum's back and pointed his wand at the older boy, who suddenly fell forward and lay still.

Eolande cried freely, holding tightly to Amos's shirt while he screamed about cheating foreigners. Out of the corner of his eye, Mulder saw Ron give Hermione a very pointed look, at which she simply lowered her eyes.

Harry and Cedric spoke for a few moments, though their words were unintelligible to those in the stands. Finally, Cedric raised his wand and a shower of red sparks shot up into the air, hovering over the maze where Krum lay. The boys split up again, though they looked a little shaken after the apparent betrayal of their competitor.

Ron asked, "Where's Fleur? I've barely seen her at all in the maze."

Mulder frowned. "Would this Krum guy have gone after her, too, like he did with Cedric?"

No one had a good reply to that.

Bill piped up, pointing to a spot very close to the maze's center, "Look, Harry's met up with a Sphinx." Indeed, a creature that looked just how Mulder had always imagined a Sphinx paced back and forth in the narrow passageway. "Is he any good at riddles?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I hope so...I never thought about something like that. It's really not his best area..." She sighed. "Oh, I hate this! I hate having to sit here, knowing I could help if only I could be down there with him!"

Mulder closed his eyes, for the young girl's words brought a deep ache to his heart, they reminded him so much of Scully. How many times might Scully have said those exact words while he was off being the hero, he wondered. More than ever he regretted the times he ditched her, and he wished with all his might he could be at her side at this moment.

"He did it!" said Hermione, clapping and looking quite relieved.

"Oh, but look!" Molly said, her voice frantic. Harry was walking into the center of the maze, just as Cedric did from the opposite side. And behind Cedric loomed a gigantic spider.

Ron whimpered and shrank back in his seat. "Bloody spiders! I'll kill Hagrid with my bare hands..."

Hermione patted his arm. "Just pretend it's a butterfly."

"No!" The group gasped as the acromantula picked Harry up in its pincers. Both Harry and Cedric were pointing their wands at the creature, obviously trying to do something to stop it. Harry finally dropped from its grasp, but it continued to move in on them until, finally, what appeared to be simultaneous spells from both boys stopped the spider, tossing it onto its side, motionless.

The cup was now visible in the center of the maze, a gleaming trophy waiting for the victor to claim it. Neither Harry nor Cedric moved, and both their families waited with bated breath to see who would make the first move. Mulder watched as the teenagers had a rather spirited discussion, and Harry was heavily favoring one of his legs.

Finally, Cedric grabbed hold of Harry's arm, and together the boys made their way towards the cup.

"What's Cedric doing?" Amos asked, clearly frustrated that his son hadn't immediately made a move for victory.

Molly smiled. "They're going to tie for it. I guess they feel they both earned it."

Everyone but Amos seemed pleased with that, and as the boys reached for the cup it felt like the entire stadium drew in a breath...

And then the boys disappeared.

END CHAPTER SIX