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Harry, like Fleur, had also come to the conclusion that all the strange things happening in the maze were connected to the person who put his name in the Goblet of Fire.
And he had realized this the moment he discovered that Krum was under the Imperius Curse, and now that they had dealt with this threat from Durmstrang school, he knew that there would probably be other dangers awaiting them until the task was finished.
In a situation like this, it was to be expected that Harry would be anxious and distressed, but the fact that Fleur, and probably Ethan, were also in danger made him even more worried.
Of course, he knew that Ethan was strong and that he knew how to handle himself in the face of danger, but that didn't alleviate any of his worries, because the one who was after his life didn't mind killing the other champions.
And in fact perhaps this mysterious criminal's focus for now is actually to eliminate all the champions in the maze before going after him, as evidenced by the attempted assassination of the hypnotized Krum.
Knowing all this, Harry felt a growing sense of fear, worry and guilt overcome him, since everything dangerous that was happening in the maze was happening because of him.
So even without knowing it and obviously without intention, Harry had put his two friends in great mortal danger.
But now that Fleur had said that the two of them should separate and each go their own way to find the cup, he couldn't help but feel tense and worried, while at the same time feeling a certain relief, as being with him would probably put Fleur in even more danger.
'Well, at least this way the unknown criminal might leave Fleur aside and focus only on me' he thought with a slightly guilty look.
Since Fleur was neither an empath nor a legilimens, she was unaware of Harry's thoughts or his distressing feelings of worry and self-loathing.
And even if she did know, she would simply dismiss his concerns with a dismissive wave of her hand and also tell him that he shouldn't feel guilty about anything, as she already knew the dangers she would face by entering the tournament when she put her name in the goblet.
Besides, having a psychopathic dark wizard try to kill her wasn't his fault at all.
The only people who could be blamed for this were the tournament organizers who didn't take more serious and safe measures to protect the goblet, and the damn criminal who was causing all this chaos.
But well, returning to the present moment, Fleur's eyes shone with determination and seriousness, and she decided in her mind that she would not abandon Harry in this dangerous situation.
And now with a new conviction Fleur decided that they would face the maze and its threats together until they, or Ethan, found the cup.
"You know what, forget what I said before," Fleur said, pulling Harry out of his thoughts and making him blink in confusion.
"Huh?" he looked at her blankly.
Seeing his confused look, Fleur began to speak again, "Look, we are practically exhausted and without magic after so much fighting, and from here on we will probably have to face more challenges in this maze."
"So taking that into consideration I realized that it would be better if we kept walking together, that way we would have a greater chance of reaching the end of the maze or at least getting out of here alive and without getting too hurt."
"Besides, we already know that we make a good duo, so it wouldn't be impossible for us to reach the cup, and when we find it we can then decide who will keep it and win the tournament," Fleur finished saying, nodding at her simple yet accurate analysis of their situation.
Hearing this explanation Harry knew that the Veela girl had raised good points, and that staying together really was the best choice they could make, but even so he couldn't help but grimace.
"I don't think that's the best option..." he said with a hesitant tone in his voice, not explaining why he thought that.
And Fleur, who could read people's expressions better than Harry could hide his, quickly realized why the green-eyed boy was hesitant and nervous.
"Harry, I understand why you're afraid and hesitant about us continuing to walk together, I really do," she began, looking at the Gryffindor calmly, "But the thing is, I've already made up my mind about this, and nothing you can say or do will make me change my mind."
"So, put aside your unnecessary and meaningless thoughts, and let's go look for that damn cup," Fleur finished, smiling with a playful but determined and fierce look on her face.
And what she said along with her decisive and firm tone left Harry speechless for a moment.
He didn't know how to react to Fleur's stubborn words, but he knew that now that his friend from Beauxbatons had made a decision she wouldn't give in for anything.
He hadn't known her for long, but from the short time he had spent with her and interacted with her, he knew that she was someone stubborn and persistent.
And with that notion he knew that she would continue to insist on walking with him even if he didn't want to, and that made him realize that from the beginning he never had an opinion on this matter.
"Sigh... Has anyone ever told you that you look just like him when you're determined?" Harry asked after a few seconds of silence, looking at Fleur with a slight ironic smile on his face.
And Fleur didn't even need to think to know that the 'him' he was referring to was their wild, black-haired friend.
"Well, no one has ever told me that, but if someone did I would consider it a huge compliment," she smiled happily.
"Of course you would," he shook his head in amusement.
And seeing him acting like that, Fleur realized that he had decided to accept her idea, not that he had much of a choice.
But now that he was no longer resisting or hesitating to continue exploring the maze alongside her, Fleur realized that they had to start moving, as they didn't know when or how the mysterious criminal would strike again.
"Well, since that's all settled I think we should get back to looking for the cup," she said, changing the subject and receiving a nod from Harry.
And with Harry's nod of agreement Fleur turned, looking around the area where they were until her gaze focused on one of the maze paths that was closest to them.
"Okay, then let's go. We have a fucking task to finish!" the blonde girl proclaimed, before starting to head in that direction.
Hearing Fleur's vulgar language that did not match her beautiful and delicate appearance, Harry could only shake his head with an ironic look, before following her.
And so the two champions from two different schools began their exploration through the dangerous and treacherous maze, searching together for the cup that would end this deadly task and tournament.
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-Outside the Maze-
"That was one of the most incredible and spectacular fights I have ever seen!"
"I agree!"
"Uhum"
"That was exciting!"
"These three are very talented"
"Talented and powerful!"
"Yeah!"
These were some of the comments that could be heard coming from the people in the stands, with practically everyone who was watching the tournament talking about or applauding the fight they had just seen.
Just as Fleur had said, her and Harry's fight against Krum was broadcast to the entire audience in the stands, with the teachers, students, ministry staff, and guests seeing everything that had happened to them from the moment Harry bumped into Fleur.
And after seeing how these three champions faced each other in this dangerous, fierce and dazzling magical fight, everyone couldn't help but praise and applaud them.
And they also began to feel that this task really deserved to be the last and most important one, and that it was worth coming all the way to Hogwarts, and in some cases all the way to Britain, to watch it.
"I wasn't expecting the two of them to join forces in this fight, nor that they would have such good synchrony and synergy between them," Professor Flitwick, who was on standby outside the maze, said, looking in surprise at the large mirror that showed Harry and Fleur running around the place looking for the cup.
"Yeah," Professor McGonagall beside him nodded, also looking at the large mirror.
"They really worked very well together… And that fight was magnificent!" she said, and there was a hint of pride in her gaze as she looked at her green-eyed student.
Hearing this, Professor Snape, who was next to the two, snorted in derision, finding the two's praise of 'Potter' completely biased and unnecessary.
But even though he didn't like the 'arrogant' boy he couldn't help but feel a little impressed by him, realizing that maybe, just maybe, Harry really did have some magical ability.
And that was the only 'positive' thing that Professor Snape could think of about Harry, but beyond this small positive impression that he would deny existed at all costs, Professor Snape also felt that there was something wrong with the whole situation.
"Tsk..." he narrowed his eyes, looking seriously at Lily's son who was running beside the French witch.
End.
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