The brilliant red firework slowly climbed along an unsteady trajectory. Diminished by the distance, its piercing shriek had become indistinct, but its light still left a clear imprint in the three of their eyes.
The firework exploded. With his sharpest eyesight, Harry vaguely caught sight of two dark shadows hurtling at tremendous speed toward where the firework had risen.
Two minutes later, the shadows took to the air again and sped off in one direction. A few seconds later, they vanished from sight completely.
The three gazes fixed on that direction withdrew. Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at one another, each seeing the suppressed tension in the others' eyes.
"Someone's out."
Ron stated the obvious, but Harry and Hermione did not blame him.
"Who could it be?"
Hermione's breathing was slightly ragged as she asked.
No one could answer that question, but Harry hoped it was not Neville or Luna. Although he did not like Cedric, they were fighting for Hogwarts' glory in this arena. That was what mattered most.
His little grudge with Cedric was not enough to make Harry change his stance.
The several Monitoring Mirrors floating above them continuously shifted their angles, trying to capture the three young wizards' pale faces and helpless expressions more clearly.
Unsure whether Professor Breen's contraptions could capture sound as well as images, Harry, Hermione, and Ron did not discuss someone being eliminated right at the start. They did not want the audience to think they were gloating.
The Devil's Snare in the swamp still held up their emerald-green vine tips, as though they sensed living creatures nearby that had not moved away.
In the gloomy, eerie Forbidden Forest, the sight was truly terrifying. Harry and the other two hurried farther away.
Pulling his legs free from the muddy marsh, Harry climbed