Harry and Ron climbed up the dirt slope as well. After looking around, they agreed with Hermione's deduction.
"So, the situation now is..."
Ron pulled a grilled sausage from his backpack to replenish his strength.
"This unlucky team has been eliminated?"
Hermione and Harry's lips moved, but neither of them spoke.
It was a very interesting question.
What would happen after being defeated by the pursuing team?
When that group from Slytherin had flown over their heads just now, Harry had not spotted anyone from the other three champion teams. That meant that after being defeated, the team had automatically lost its eligibility and been taken away. No, wait!
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry caught sight of a patch of lush green vines on the other side of the slope. A sharp glint flashed through his emerald eyes.
"This team is still in the arena."
Harry pointed at the vines.
"There are trampled marks on them. After these two were defeated, they weren't transported out of the arena. They're still here."
After encountering the pursuing team, the two had clearly become smarter. They had left by stepping on a large stretch of thick vine leaves spread over the ground, leaving no obvious traces nearby.
But when Harry and the others left the sea of vines along the same route, they immediately discovered two "freshly made" footprints.
"Oh—"
Ron looked at the imprints in the ground, his eyebrows shooting up.
"It's Fleur and her teammate."
"How did you figure that out, Ron?"
Hermione looked at Ron in surprise.
Ron raised one foot and made another print beside the two footprints, then looked back at Hermione with smug satisfaction.
Without needing any further explanation, Hermione immediately understood.
The difference between boys' and girls' footprints was enormous. The prints on