After a brutal contest, Durmstrang was left with only Viktor Krum, while Beauxbatons had only Fleur Delacour remaining.
Hogwarts' two teams, on the other hand, were still intact.
But after their fierce battle with the Slytherin team, Cedric and the other two had expended a tremendous amount of energy.
Although their physical strength had recovered somewhat, magic required deep rest to slowly recover from depletion, not to mention that all three of them were carrying injuries.
If they had to directly face students from the other three schools next, then Cedric's team could be said to be of little use.
Hermione's group was in the best condition, but that was only relative.
If they entered another duel or similar contest, they would be crushed as well.
"Let's go."
Watching the other three teams enter their respective doors, Hermione took a deep breath, suppressed the unease in her heart, exchanged encouraging looks with Harry and Ron, then stepped through the stone door as well.
Darkness greeted them as expected.
Hermione and the others had all thought Professor Breen was repeating his old trick and that they would have to grope blindly through the darkness for a long time before finding their way out. But to their surprise, after taking only one step inside, light descended again.
Whoosh—
A breeze brushed against their faces, making Hermione and the others shut their eyes instinctively. When they opened them again, what lay before them filled them with unparalleled shock and bewilderment!
They had appeared on a wooden platform roughly thirty feet long and thirty feet wide.
The platform floated in the air, and above them stretched a magnificent river of stars against an endless black curtain.
Within that brilliant river of stars, two comets occasionally fell. They streaked through the lonely, vast expanse before