"Oh? Then where would you put them?"

She hums, thoughtfully, and taps her chin. "Well... A small one along your cheek here could enhance your features, but risks making them more rugged than ethereal..." She traces one finger down Ellie's face, suggestively. "I think any more highlights would run on similar principles..."

"I think I'd rather be ethereal than rugged."

"Fair. You are very gorgeous as-is..." Grin. "Though depending on your tastes, I might not mind some scars or tattoos highlighting my features."

"Mmm, tattoos, maybe. I don't want to let anyone scar you and I certainly couldn't do it myself."

"Not even if I asked nicely?"

"You would have to ask exceedingly nicely."

"Hm... I'll think about it. And maybe we can figure out what tattoos I should get... And if there's any nice places for a scar to ask exceedingly nicely for."

"I'd probably have to, ah, explore a bit."

She giggles, almost shyly. "Some first forays, maybe, and... Think about more."

"Take it slow."

"Venture cautiously into the unknown."

"Well, not completely unknown..."

Smile. "We'll see."

The study guides they have set them on a pretty intense course, taking up a lot of their free time - especially when they dip into some NEWT Defense points, ranging from spells to magical creature knowledge to prepare Ellie for the Third Task. Anathema has them using the Chamber of Secrets for a lot of the training - no one will interrupt or spy on them down here, after all, and then they can spend time with Gormlaith (who is often - and increasingly - agitated, but the basilisk can never articulate exactly why, and nothing seems strange to the girls when they look around).

They're allowed to sit their OWLs with the fifth years, and even get special permission to also sit the exam for the other's magical elective despite never having taken the class. The exams are much harder than their end of year tests have been so far, and they won't get results back until summer break, but they both feel pretty confident. 

And then there's a week after OWLs before the Third Task, which seems to be approaching surrealy fast - a week isn't long to learn a new spell, and Professor Reynolds ends up insisting on spending most of that week dueling Ellie, quizzing her during rest periods. The day before, Professor Reynolds suggests Ellie rest and empty her mind - focus on mediating, get herself calm and centered - and she suggests spending the day of the Task in light activity, mostly stretching and walking. 

The Third Task itself starts after dinner at sunset. Ellie will be entering first, an entire sixteen minutes before Victor Krum - the Cedric Diggory two minutes after him, followed by Elodie Delacour another two minutes later. The maze is huge, and their goal is to reach the Triwizard Cup at the center and be the first to touch it. They're allowed to duel each other if they encounter each other in the maze. There's no time limit, but the tournament ends when the cup is claimed. 

Ellie is... as prepared as she can be, really. She's got her cloak, her wands, some miscellaneous plausibly helpful supplies, and practice dueling Professor Reynolds. This can't possibly be as difficult as that last. And after this, it'll all be over.

When the start is called, she moves into the maze at a quick pace.

The maze shifts around her, rustling - making navigation hard as pathways close behind her or open suddenly - she can't hear anything she can't see, and it's darker than the setting sun suggests it should be. 

The first threat she comes on -

A sphinx, sitting calmly in the path as Ellie rounds a corner. The hedge shifts closed behind her - the only way is forward, now, past the sphinx, unless she can get through the hedge itself. 

"Good evening," the sphinx says, stretching languidly. Her eyes are odd - a lion's eyes in a human face - and they focus intently on Ellie.

"Hello."

"Do you want to get past me?"

"That'd be nice, yeah. Do I have to answer a riddle?"

The sphinx grins, slow and lazy. "Why, of course." A small hum, and, in a grim tone:  

"This thing all things devours:

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats high mountain down."

"Hmm. I'm going to say the answer is 'time'."

"Very good," the sphinx says, bowing and then leaping aside. 

"Thanks."

Onward!

More maze - the most common hazards seem to be assorted plants. Patches of grass that release toxic spores when walked on. Strangling vines trailing along the ground. Sections of carnivorous hedge. Creatures, too - an acromantula, red caps... Items here and there, some innocuous, some cursed, many hard to avoid approaching. The hedge regrows and turns aggressive if damaged. 

She still can't hear anything elsewhere in the maze, but partway through a large shower of sparks goes off from a distance - one of the Champions has tapped out.

The level of danger seems to be increasing the further she goes - the maze feels like it's herding her, and her navigation spells seem to indicate she's making her way steadily toward the center. 

It's an exhausting trek -

But she gets past one last guardian (stone lions), and sees a clearing with a stone pedestal and a golden cup. She's been going nearly two hours by now.