Hedge Maze

• Type: Magical Obstacle Course
• Location: The Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
• Owner/Residents: Constructed and overseen by the staff of Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament.
• Key Features: Twenty-foot-high, impenetrable hedges; shifting pathways; magical enchantments and creatures; sound-dampening properties.

The Hedge Maze was a massive, temporary magical construct grown on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch for the Third Task of the 1994 Triwizard Tournament. The hedges stood twenty feet tall and were solid and impassable. The purpose of the maze was to test the four champions' courage, determination, and magical ability in a final, challenging trial. The maze was designed to be deliberately confusing, with paths that twisted, turned, and sometimes changed, making navigation exceptionally difficult. Once inside, the roar of the crowd was magically silenced, creating an eerie and isolating atmosphere for the contestants. The maze was patrolled by professors, including Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Alastor Moody (secretly Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise), and Filius Flitwick, who were positioned around the perimeter to intervene if a champion got into serious trouble. A champion could signal for rescue by sending up red sparks from their wand. The ultimate goal was to be the first to navigate the treacherous paths and reach the Triwizard Cup, which was placed on a plinth in the very center of the maze.

The Hedge Maze serves as the setting for the climax of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The champions—Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour, and Viktor Krum—entered the maze in an order determined by their points total from the previous two tasks. Inside, they faced a series of dangerous magical obstacles and creatures:

• A Blast-Ended Skrewt, one of Rubeus Hagrid's creations, which Harry Potter managed to repel.
• Fleur Delacour was attacked and taken out of the competition, presumably by Viktor Krum, who was acting under the Imperius Curse cast by Barty Crouch Jr..
• Harry Potter encountered a Boggart that took the form of a dementor, which he dispatched with the Patronus Charm.
• A mysterious golden mist that turned the world upside down when entered.
• Viktor Krum attacked Cedric Diggory with the Cruciatus Curse but was stunned by Harry before he could do serious harm.
• Near the center, Harry and Cedric together defeated a giant Acromantula guarding the path to the Triwizard Cup.

Showing great sportsmanship, Harry and Cedric agreed to take the Triwizard Cup simultaneously, making them joint winners. However, Barty Crouch Jr. had turned the Cup into a Portkey. Upon touching it, both champions were transported to the Little Hangleton graveyard, where Cedric was murdered by Peter Pettigrew on Lord Voldemort's orders, and Voldemort himself was returned to a physical body. The maze, therefore, was the final, deceptive stage in Lord Voldemort's plan for his rebirth.

While the maze did not have formally named sections, its interior contained several distinct zones where champions faced specific challenges.

• The Entrance: The single point of entry where the champions began the task.
• Pathways: A complex network of corridors formed by the tall hedges. These paths were known to shift and change, disorienting the competitors.
• Obstacle Zones: Specific locations where magical challenges were placed. Known obstacles included a Blast-Ended Skrewt, an enchanted golden mist, a Boggart, and a giant Acromantula guarding the final approach to the center.
• The Center: A clearing at the heart of the maze where the illuminated Triwizard Cup rested on a plinth, marking the end of the task.

• The conversion of the Quidditch pitch into the maze for the Third Task meant the cancellation of the Inter-House Quidditch Cup for the 1994-1995 school year, much to the dismay of many students.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the maze is depicted very differently. Instead of containing separate magical creatures and obstacles, the hedges themselves are sentient and actively hostile. They grow and shift rapidly to trap the champions, creating a more claustrophobic and dynamic threat. The obstacles from the book, such as the Blast-Ended Skrewt and the Acromantula, are omitted in this version (film).