Harry's Decision

The second task of the Triwizard Tournament would take place underwater, so it could only be the Black Lake, with its dark and gloomy hues.

Vincent did not focus solely on the location. He and Hermione gave Harry plenty of advice, such as learning to swim as soon as possible and finding a way to breathe underwater.

Before leaving, they also did not forget to restore the Golden Egg.

"Harry—" Hermione, who had returned after leaving, looked at him as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Her expression was especially complicated, both sorrowful and helpless, as though she were suppressing something.

"It's nothing." Her gaze gradually softened. "There's nothing we can do to help you. You need to think carefully about how to get through the second task safely."

"Okay, I will." Harry held the Golden Egg, a trace of confusion on his face.

Hermione clearly had something very important she wanted to tell him, so why had she said nothing in the end?

He lowered his head to look at the Golden Egg, which suddenly felt heavy in his arms. He had a feeling that what she wanted to say was related to the clue they had deciphered.

There were four Champions in total. He was the only one who had successfully taken the Golden Egg. The other three, with no clues whatsoever, would most likely be unable to move freely underwater and could only stand helplessly onshore as their "most beloved treasure" vanished forever into the Black Lake.

Harry's eyes flickered, his expression full of unease and conflict. He seemed to have guessed what Hermione had returned to say.

Although Sirius Black had not said so outright, it was easy to see his concern from their usual video calls.

The Triwizard Tournament had been plagued by accidents ever since it began. If the Champions entered the second task without any preparation and something unfortunate happened...

Harry's hands slowly loosened around the Golden Egg.

Before solving the riddle and obtaining the clue, he had already prepared himself to adapt to whatever happened.

Now that he had the clue, however, he felt an invisible pressure.

From the bottom of his heart, he did not want anything to happen to the other three Champions. If they were hurt because they had been completely unprepared, he knew he would feel guilty and blame himself.

What should he do?

Should he tell them the clue?

Still unable to make up his mind, Harry opened his Magical Communicator.

Soon, Sirius Black's face appeared. "Harry? Wait a moment."

In the projected screen, he was in a dilapidated tavern, with several young wizards desperately trying to squeeze their way inside in front of him.

"This is a filming location! All unauthorized people, get the hell out!"

Rather than driving the wizards away, his shout only made them push in even more frantically.

Harry watched the chaos in the projected screen, his brow furrowing deeper.

When Sirius Black saw that talking was useless, he could only draw his wand and point it at them. "Final warning. If you don't back off, don't blame me for using some extraordinary measures!"

Though the wizards stopped trying to force their way inside, they still crowded around the entrance and refused to leave.

There was no helping it. This would have to do.

Sirius Black spoke to one of the crew members, then went down the stairs to a quieter cellar in the tavern.

"Harry, why are you contacting me at this time? Did something happen?"

Unlike his earlier impatience, his face was now filled with worry.

Harry shook his head. "It's nothing, really. The Golden Egg's riddle has been solved. Vincent and Hermione helped me solve it."

Sirius Black visibly relaxed. "I see. What was the clue inside?"

Harry briefly explained the lyrics, but there was not the slightest hint of joy on his face. "Godfather, you look busy. How about we talk again tonight?"

"Okay."

Sirius Black watched as the projected screen gradually faded away. His instincts told him that Harry must have run into something—something he did not know how to tell him about.

He lit up the projected screen again and tapped Vincent's icon in his contacts.

After quite a while, the video call finally connected.

On the screen, Vincent stood beneath a mountain deep in the Forbidden Forest. It looked like he was drawing a new map.

Sirius Black got straight to the point and asked whether he knew if Harry had something on his mind.

"About that, I'll let Hermione tell you."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but she still told him about how she had returned after leaving earlier.

Harry was not stupid. He had probably guessed what she had wanted to say.

Sirius Black did not blame her. The repeated accidents in the Triwizard Tournament had all been caused by those damned Death Eaters. Even if she and Vincent had successfully caught that person when the Goblet of Fire was tampered with, it was still difficult to guarantee that no other Death Eaters had infiltrated the school.

And the fact that Harry, who did not know The Truth, could realize this was undoubtedly a sign of kindness. He had probably ended the call so hastily because he had already made his decision.

"I wonder what kind of decision Harry will make..."

Sirius Black's expression was extremely complicated.

Of course, he hoped Harry could gain an advantage in the second task and pass it smoothly, but he did not want Harry to become the kind of selfish person who cared only about his own interests.

"Ah..." He let out a heavy sigh. "Let's leave it at that for now. I still have a lot to deal with here."

Vincent ended the call and gently wrapped an arm around Hermione, whose little head hung low. "Didn't we say so? We'll catch that damned Death Eater ourselves."

Her confused eyes brightened. "Yes, we'll definitely catch him!"

At the same time, on the fifth floor of Hogwarts Castle.

Harry stopped outside the Black Swan Club's activity room, a neatly folded piece of parchment still in his hand.

Without much internal struggle, he walked straight into the luxurious room.

"Potter!" Draco, who had been leisurely sipping tea at the round table, practically sprang to his feet. "What are you doing here? Did you get lost without Weasley to serve as your guide dog?"

Crabbe and Goyle immediately burst out laughing.

Harry quickly swept his gaze over the Black Swan members, their faces full of mockery and ridicule, then strode angrily to the round table. "Malfoy, I'm not here to cause trouble."

He tossed down the parchment in his hand. "This is a clue about the Golden Egg."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Stay right there!" Draco narrowed his eyes. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe you?"

Harry turned back and stared straight into those disdainful eyes. "Whether you read it is your business, and whether you believe me is also your business. Either way, I've already given you the clue."

The Black Swan members laughed even louder. Only Draco watched Harry leave with a puzzled look.

They were rivals. Would Potter really be that kind-hearted?

"Hah—" Pansy sneered as she tossed the folded parchment into the trash bin. "He'll stop at nothing to win. How despicable."

Amid their laughter, Draco unexpectedly crouched in front of the trash bin.

"Draco?"

He said nothing, merely picked up the parchment and slipped it into his pocket.