Harry, Pheobe, and Cedric rushed into the maze entrance.
The towering hedges rapidly closed and shifted behind them. Almost instantly, the three were separated.
The maze walls gave off the damp scent of earth and vegetation.
Harry took a deep breath, pulled the little crystal vial Hermione had slipped him earlier from his pocket, uncorked it, and drank down the golden liquid inside.
The peculiar warmth of Felix Felicis instantly spread through his body, filling him with an inexplicable confidence and optimism.
The journey that followed went unbelievably smoothly.
Whenever he reached a fork, his intuition always led him the right way. Whenever he encountered a magical trap, he always managed to avoid it just in time.
"This really is amazing."
Harry could not help muttering to himself. Felix Felicis worked even better than he had imagined.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the maze, Pheobe was locked in a desperate fight.
She was surrounded by a pack of vicious magical creatures resembling miniature manticores. They spat sparks and lashed out with their claws, leaving her struggling to fend them off.
One spell drove a creature back, only for another to pounce. Her robes had been torn in several places, and dust smeared her face, leaving her looking rather bedraggled.
As one of the creatures circled behind her and opened its fang-filled jaws to bite, Pheobe's heart clenched. It was already too late to turn and defend herself.
At that critical instant, a swift black-and-red blur descended from above, whipping up a fierce wind.
With several piercing shrieks, the magical creatures surrounding Pheobe were swept aside as though struck by an invisible force. They crashed to the ground in a scattered heap and lay still.
Still shaken, Pheobe looked up, only to feel an arm tighten around her waist. She was lifted off