GoF Sphinx's riddle: Did Harry get it wrong?

[tigerpatronus]

No: HPFGUIDX 130388

(I have too much time on my hands.) 

Howdy All, 

I'm just finishing up the rereading of GoF in prep for HBP, and I was 
bumped out again by Harry's answer to the Sphinx's riddle within the 
maze of the 3rd task of the Triwizard Tourney. 

The Sphinx's Riddle: 
"First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,
Next tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard,
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?" 

Harry's answer was a "spider," as such: 
A person who lives in disguise: spy
last thing to mend: "D"
search for a hard to find word: er
A creature you're unwilling to kiss: spider

As you can see, as in British-style (and NYer-style) cryptic 
crosswords, spelling doesn't matter and "spy" can become "spi"-der. 

However, what if Harry got it wrong? Maybe Crouch!Moody Confounded 
the Sphinx to let Harry pass. I submit, the real answer is thus: 

"First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,"

A Death Eater, or a "DE."

"Next tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?"

The last word on the first line: "mend" 

"And finally give me the sound often heard,
During the search for a hard-to-find word."

Harry got this part right: "-er." 

Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?" 

"DE-mend-er" = dementor. 

I think Harry got the riddle wrong, and Crouch!Moody must've helped 
him out so that the Sphinx didn't attack. 

Anybody else? 

TK -- TigerPatronus