bacchusnovels Chapter 514 The End of the Triumph Tournament
Chapter 514 The End of the Triumph Tournament
Chapter 514 The End of the Triwizard Tournament (4)
By the time Sean and Fudge finished discussing their plans, it was almost dinnertime.
He had planned to take Fudge to Hogwarts as soon as possible, but Fudge became somewhat anxious before leaving, constantly asking questions and even mentioning the speculation that Voldemort might have already collected the legacies of the four founders of Hogwarts and gathered the three deadly artifacts.
This forced Sean to repeatedly stop at Fudge's office, patiently comforting him and painting a picture of the future for him.
Ultimately, there were as many as seven thousand action plans, including one in which Dumbledore and Voldemort joined forces to attack the Ministry of Magic.
Faced with this plan, Sean jokingly suggested that Fudge immediately flee to the United States or France to form a government-in-exile, but... surprisingly, Fudge actually took it seriously and wrote this absurd suggestion into his notebook.
They even came up with a slogan for their government-in-exile:
Europe belongs to Europeans. Oppose authoritarian governments! Long live freedom! Long live democracy!
(PS: The previous text has been revised to change the match time from the day before to the afternoon of the match day.)
At Hogwarts, several warriors spent a leisurely afternoon with their families.
Harry, Bill, and the Weasleys enjoyed a pleasant stroll through the castle before returning to the Great Hall for dinner.
Ludo Bagman and Connelly Fudge took their seats at the faculty table.
Bagman seemed to be in a good mood, while Fudge, sitting next to Professor Phillips, had a stern expression and remained silent.
Mrs. Maxim was focused on eating, her eyes appearing slightly red and swollen, while Hagrid, on the other side of the table, kept stealing glances at her.
The dinner was more lavish than usual, with a long table laden with all sorts of delicious food. Golden-brown roasted turkey, tender lamb chops, and rich beef stew were all laid out on the table, the aroma of the meat mingling with the fragrance of herbs and the smoky flavor of roasting.
Next to it were large bowls filled with various hot soups, steaming and with tempting spices and tender vegetables floating on top of the noodles.
Compared to Fudge, who was eating with no appetite, Sean was enjoying his meal immensely, taking one bite after another.
Fudge, standing to the side, couldn't understand why Sean could enjoy his meal so easily. Wasn't he nervous? Didn't he know who he was going to face next? Maybe the mysterious person would appear... Yes, Fudge still had doubts about the existence of the mysterious person.
This is Schrödinger's Voldemort.
Voldemort exists if his presence is beneficial to Fudge; conversely, he does not exist if his presence is detrimental to Fudge.
"Aren't you nervous?" After hesitating for a long time, Fudge finally asked.
"What's the rush, Minister?" Sean swallowed the tender beef in his mouth, glanced at Fudge, and replied calmly, "All the fear stems from insufficient firepower. With so many people on this mission, Voldemort has no chance of escape."
Perhaps he was thinking of the double firepower encirclement by hundreds of Auror strikers, perhaps he was thinking of the dozens of contingency plans in his mind, or perhaps he was influenced by Sean's eating habits.
In short, Fudge gradually started eating it too.
He cut a small piece of lamb chop, put it in his mouth, chewed it a few times, and continued cutting the food on his plate. His movements were a little slow, but they got faster and faster.
The food at Hogwarts is better than at the Ministry of Magic.
Fudge even thought—
If the food at the regular faculty and staff table is already this delicious, then the food at Dumbledore's table must be even better! Perhaps, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore secretly eats a late-night snack in his office after finishing his meal in the dining hall? After all, he sometimes does just that... putting on a show for his subordinates in the Ministry of Magic's dining hall, then going back to his office for a late-night snack. Maybe Dumbledore's cutlery is even made of gold.
Just like Fudge before, five other warriors were equally unappealing.
Even Selena, who never took the Triwizard Tournament seriously, became unusually nervous—which shows just how nervous the remaining four were.
Krum probably has the mildest anxiety symptoms.
Compared to the honor of the Quidditch World Cup, the Triwizard Tournament championship trophy is insignificant; if anyone should be anxious, it should be Karkaroff.
Does that mean Durmstrang would dare to fire or punish him just because he lost the game?
However, Karkarov is genuinely anxious lately.
Almost every night, he discussed potential problems that might arise during the Triwizard Tournament with Krum and Selena.
Yes, he also made contingency plans.
It wasn't as exaggerated as Fudge's; we just made about twenty or thirty contingency plans.
However, based on this assumption, given his past as a Death Eater, if he had known that Mysterio would be involved in the third project, he probably would have had as many contingency plans as Fudge.
As one of his subordinates, he understood Voldemort better than Fudge: Voldemort was vengeful and would inevitably face retribution for betrayal.
Never before had Karkaroff so longed for justice to come.
As the enchanted ceiling changed from blue to a dark purple twilight, Dumbledore stood up, and everyone fell silent.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes I will invite you to the Quidditch pitch for the final game of the Triwizard Tournament. Now, warriors, please join Mr. Bagman on the pitch."
The five heroes stood up, and the students and their families applauded them.
They walked into the Quidditch pitch, and the scene before them was completely unfamiliar.
A twenty-foot-high hedge surrounds the edge of the grounds, with only one gap leading to the entrance to the great maze, whose dark passages look rather frightening.
Five minutes later, the audience began to take their seats.
Hundreds of students filed in, their excited chatter and hurried footsteps filling the air.
The sky turned deep blue, and stars began to appear one after another.
Professor Phillips, Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Dumbledore, and Fudge entered the sports field and walked toward Bagman and several warriors. Each of them had a bright red star on their hat, except for Hagrid, whose red star was hidden behind his thick velvet vest.
"We will be patrolling outside the maze," Professor McGonagall told the warriors. "If you encounter any difficulties and need help, just fire a red spark into the air, and we will come to your aid, understand?"
The warriors nodded in unison.
"Alright, you can go now!" Bagman said cheerfully to the four patrolmen.
"Good luck, Harry," Hagrid whispered. The five of them walked in different directions, spreading out around the maze.
At that moment, Bagman pointed his wand to his throat and whispered, "Loud voice." His voice was then amplified by magic and echoed throughout the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final match of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!"
"The order of departure will be determined by a lottery."
With a short whistle, Harry, who had drawn the first lot, rushed into the maze.
If I'm not mistaken, someone tampered with this too—to ensure Harry was the first to hold the trophy that had been secretly turned into a Portkey—Barty Crouch Jr. helped Harry draw the first lot.
However, all of this was done right under the noses of Sean, Fudge, and Dumbledore.
Sean hadn't told them about the Portkey, so they were very confused by Barty Crouch Jr.'s behavior—if Sean hadn't already presented the evidence to them, they would have really suspected that this person was Moody himself, who decided to help Harry win because he couldn't stand Karkaroff, a former Death Eater.
"What...is he planning to do?"
This idea crossed the minds of both Fudge and Dumbledore.
Because of the secrecy of the operation, only the three of them knew about the entire plan; people like McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid were completely unaware of it.
The only thing they knew was:
Before the competition, Dumbledore spoke to a few people, telling them to be cautious about the third event.
That's all.
Soon, the second warrior, Cedric, set off, following closely along the right side of the maze. He encountered Harry after only a few steps.
The tall hedges cast shadows on the path, and whether it was because the hedges were so tall and dense, or because of some kind of magic, they could no longer hear the spectators once they entered the maze. The two felt as if they were underwater. Harry drew his wand and said, "Flicker." He heard Cedric behind him do the same.
After walking about fifty meters, they came to a fork in the road and looked at each other.
"Goodbye," Harry said, walking down the left path, while Cedric walked down the right.
Harry heard Bagman's whistle sound again, and Krum entered the maze.
Harry quickened his pace; the path he had chosen seemed unremarkable. He turned right and hurried on, wand held high in one hand, trying to see as far as possible, but still saw no visible obstacles.
Bagman's final whistle rang out in the distance, and the remaining two warriors entered the maze.
Harry kept looking back, as if he felt something was watching him from the shadows. The light in the maze grew dimmer, and the sky turned a dark blue-green. He came to the second fork in the road.
"Give me directions," he whispered, holding the wand flat in his palm.
The wand spun around and pointed to the dense hedge on the right.
That's north; Harry knew he had to head northwest to reach the center of the maze.
So he decided to take the left-hand road first, and then turn right as soon as possible.
The path ahead remained open. Harry walked to a right turn and entered, still encountering no obstacles. He didn't know why the path was so smooth; its unobstructed flow made him uneasy. The maze seemed to be luring him with a false sense of security.
Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him and hurriedly waved his wand in self-defense, only to find Cedric rushing out from a side path. Cedric looked flustered, and smoke was rising from his sleeves.
"Hagrid's Blasttail!" he hissed. "It's huge—I barely managed to escape!"
Cedric shook his head and dashed off down another road, trying to shake off the blasting snail.
Harry quickened his pace and continued on. Turning a corner, he suddenly saw a Dementor slowly approaching him. It was about twelve feet tall, its face hidden by a hood, and its rotting hands stretched out, pointing directly at him. It drew closer, reaching out to touch him by touch, and Harry could hear its gurgling breaths.
It was so cold you could almost feel the chill emanating from it, but Harry knew what he had to do—
He focused his mind, trying to think of the most enjoyable things, imagining himself celebrating with Ron and Hermione after emerging from the maze. Then he raised his wand and shouted, "Palmtops of Protection!"
A silver stag leaped from the wand and charged straight at the Dementor. The Dementor tripped over its robes and stumbled back two steps; Harry had never seen a Dementor fall before.
"Don't move!" he shouted, following the silver guardian. "You're a Boggart! Ridiculous!"
With a loud bang, the silver stag vanished into thin air, scattering in wisps of smoke. Harry was somewhat disappointed, wishing it could have stayed to keep him company. But he didn't stop, continuing forward, trying to move quickly and quietly, still holding his wand high, vigilantly listening to the sounds around him.
Turn left—turn right—turn left again—he found himself in a dead end twice. Harry cast the orientation spell again, realized he had gone too far east, so he turned back and turned right. A strange golden mist was floating ahead.
Harry cautiously approached and pointed his wand at it. It looked like magic. He wasn't sure if he could break it.
"Crush to pieces!" he shouted.
The spell pierced through the golden mist, but had no effect. Harry sighed, thinking he should have known; the Shattering Charm was for solid obstacles. What to do? What would happen if he went through the golden mist? Or should he go back?
Just as he hesitated, a scream suddenly broke the silence around him.
"Akiharu?"
On the other side, on the other side of the maze.
Cho Chang was somewhat bewildered as he looked at the large group of people who suddenly appeared in front of him, including Professor Phillips, Dumbledore, Fudge, McGonagall, and others.
What happened?
Why are there so many people here?
She didn't send a signal either.
Could it be... that someone has been killed?
Fudge and Dumbledore exchanged a glance, and in the end, Sean stepped in to explain.
"Miss Qiu Zhang."
"What...is going on, Professor?"
"Due to some special reasons, the third project has encountered force majeure and needs to be suspended for a period of time. All warriors will be removed from the site. Please remain quiet."
"We need you to give the signal, then pretend to be eliminated and return to the audience."
Cho Chang unconditionally believed Sean's words.
Without hesitation, she nodded vigorously, drew her wand to signal, and then, led by several Aurors, quietly led them away from the maze.
Qiu Zhang was the first to be taken away.
Next up is Krum.
When Krum was taken away, he seemed even more relaxed than Cho Chang, leaving get off work early. Who wouldn't be happy about that?
The third one is Selena.
The last one is Cedric... However, we encountered some trouble in the process of finding Cedric.