Shards of glass shattered one after another, like death closing in step by step, while the sound of exploding glass was like the savage shriek of death swinging its scythe!
Already panting heavily, Hermione and Fleur pushed themselves to the limit, scouting the way for all four teams and the seven people among them.
But as each second passed, death finally caught up with them!
Crack!
The fourth-to-last pane of glass shattered under the prearranged magic.
"I think I'm done for, Harry!"
Ron, standing at the very back of the line, was deathly pale as he spoke mournfully.
Harry did not try to comfort the despondent Ron. What use would comfort be in a situation like this? Ron would fall into the abyss first, and Harry would follow barely a dozen seconds later.
"Can you go any faster, Hermione, Fleur?"
Harry craned his neck toward Hermione at the front of the line and gritted his teeth, his heart full of shame. He knew Hermione and Fleur had to be doing everything they could.
"We... ha..."
After Hermione gasped and pulled Fleur up, she hurried forward one space herself. Her teeth were clenched tight, and she was too exhausted to say anything more.
Crack!
Ron at the rear had just jumped forward one space, putting another pane between himself and elimination, when the last pane of glass behind him shattered in response.
"Twelve seconds!"
Luna, standing third in the line, suddenly spoke.
"There are twelve seconds between each pane shattering. And if we choose the wrong glass panel, it also takes twelve seconds before we can move forward one space."
Luna's words drove everyone's already panic-stricken hearts straight into the depths of despair.
For now, the timing was balanced, but Fleur and Hermione had limited stamina. No matter how hard the