Difficult Rules, Don't Get Involved in This Mess

"A maze," Aaron said confidently. "It can't be just a maze, can it?"

"Of course, the maze is the most basic one."

There are still many obstacles, such as Hagrid providing interesting animals.

Upon hearing this, the three Hogwarts Champion' expressions turned sour.

Krum and Phoebe may not know much about Hagrid, but they do. They believe that interesting animals are generally ferocious, and they are at least 100% certain that the Blast-Ended Skrewt is inside.

"The leading Champion will enter the maze first, which means Mr. Gaius has the advantage." Ludo Bagman raised an eyebrow at Aaron. "Then it's Harry Potter, then Mr. Krum, fourth is Cedric, and finally Miss Delacour."

Aaron forced a smile. As Adrian had instructed, he had to be the last to complete the competition, so this advantage was of little value to him.

"The trophy for the Triwizard Tournament will be placed in the center of the maze. The Third Task is to find it. Any questions?"

"Yes," Aaron raised his hand. "How will this Third Task be scored?"

"Um... this..." Ludo Bagman stammered, unsure how to explain for a moment.

"Is it difficult?" Aaron frowned slightly. "Mr. Bagman, I think we have the right to know the scoring criteria!"

Ludo Bagman hesitated for a moment, "The first Champion to encounter it gets a perfect score."

"What about the others?"

"Mr. Gaius, when I said 'perfect score,' I actually meant 'champion.'"

"Wortefa..." Aaron couldn't hold back any longer. He felt a dizzying sensation and stumbled back a few steps.

He suddenly realized that he had fallen into a bottomless pit from the very beginning, the kind that he couldn't climb out of.

If you're the last one to pass the competition, it means you're out of the running for the championship and won't be able to fulfill your older sister's request. When you go back home for Summer Holiday, you'll have to go on a blind date with Clea.

But if you win the championship, you have to be the first to pass the competition. If you still can't meet her requirements, you'll still be destined for blind dates when you go back.

If it were a completely unrelated person, a polite refusal would suffice. But Clea is a special case; their childhood friendship and their respective family backgrounds are far too complicated to handle without being exceptionally troublesome.

Seeing Aaron's helpless expression, the others seemed to realize something and their eyes widened in surprise.

"Aaron," Harry, somewhat gleefully, "Your sister won't..."

"Shut up!" Aaron roared angrily, then turned to Ludo Bagman. "This is unfair! I strongly suggest that the final champion be decided based on the scores."

"Don't get excited, Mr. Gaius, I'm completely at ease with your feelings." Ludo Bagman took a deep breath and softened his voice as he explained, "In fact, it's quite fair. Your scores in the first two events earned you the right to enter the maze first, giving you a few minutes' lead over them!"

"Do I need those few minutes?" Aaron roared angrily, but then realized he'd gone a bit too far, so he forced a smile. "I just think deciding the champion solely based on the order of entry is a bit hasty. Maybe the last one to go in will have a smooth ride and win the trophy, while I, the first one, will have to overcome many obstacles and still not get out."

Phoebe smiled and said with pursed lips, "Thank you for your kind words."

"Luck is also a part of ability," Ludo Bagman said calmly. "If it were based on points, Miss Delacour might not have won the championship no matter how well she performed in the Third Task, which would be unfair to her and even to the whole of Beauxbatons."

"That's exactly right." Phoebe was even more smug. "Mr. Bagman truly lives up to his title as the Department of Magical Games and Sports; he's so fair and just!"

Upon hearing this, Aaron nearly coughed up blood.

Damn it! I should have made this woman suffer more in the first project.

Others may not know the conditions Adrian imposed on him, but don't you guys know?

That's easy for someone to say when they're not the one suffering; such sarcastic remarks are utterly insensitive.

"Alright, Mr. Bagman," Aaron said, calming down. "Didn't my sister, referee Klein, say anything?"

"I almost forgot, she did have something for me to tell you," Ludo Bagman said apologetically. "Her exact words were, 'There's always a way to overcome a problem.'"

Aaron blinked blankly. "That's it?"

"It's gone."

"Hehe! Having a sister like this is definitely the best I've ever had in my life," Aaron said, on the verge of tears.

"Are you alright?" Cedric said. "If you ask me, a match should be played fairly and squarely. Klein asked you not to take it to heart."

"No way." Aaron shook his head, speechless. "My sister has me completely under her thumb. If I don't meet her demands, I'll..."

In short, it's a long story!

Cedric paused for a moment, exchanged glances with the others, and gave up trying to persuade Aaron.

This is not a loss for him; being able to 'eliminate' a strong opponent ahead of time is something he is happy to see.

On the way back, Aaron exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, preventing others from getting close.

He felt he needed to speak with Adrian face-to-face; there was no need to make things difficult for him like this.

Winning without being the first to touch the trophy is contradictory; it's practically a provocation against the rules of the competition.

Before they knew it, they had left the maze. Harry was called away by Krum, and they seemed to have some private matters to discuss. Phoebe headed towards the Forbidden Forest, where Beauxbatons ' carriage was parked. Aaron and Cedric returned to Hogwarts Castle.

The next day, early morning.

Aaron slept until he naturally woke up, selectively forgetting all his worries, and felt much more relaxed.

Adrian was definitely making things difficult for him. The fact that he could get Ludo Bagman to relay a message meant that there was a solution to the problem, but he just hadn't thought of one yet.

With nearly a month to go before the Third Task, he was confident he could find a solution.

If all else fails, ask Adrian before the competition starts; she certainly won't mind telling you.

As soon as they left the lounge and entered the Great Hall, Harry and his two companions approached them looking anxious.

"I'm not in a good mood. Let's talk about it after I finish breakfast," Aaron said casually.

"Something terrible has happened," Harry whispered.

"Nothing is more important than eating," Aaron said calmly, slowly adding a serving of water pie to Abei's plate.

"It's extremely urgent," Harry continued, his eyes incredibly serious.

Aaron rolled his eyes impatiently. "Speak."

Crouch has gone missing.

"Didn't we speculate about this a month ago? It's not a big deal, is it?"

"Let me finish. Crouch came to Hogwarts last night, but he seemed completely out of his mind and kept insisting on seeing Dumbledore."

Aaron immediately became interested. "Tell me in detail. I need to know all the details."

Harry nodded. "Last night, Krum and I had a private conversation at the edge of the Forbidden Forest about Hermione. He read Rita Skeeter's newspaper."

"What?" Hermione gritted her teeth, barely containing her anger. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"He just wanted to know if the newspaper was true. We explained it to him, and he believed us."

"Don't interrupt, Harry, continue."

"After that Crouch ran out of the Forbidden Forest. He said he had done something stupid and had a great difficulty escaping, and he wanted to warn Dumbledore."

He also mentioned Bertha Jorkins, as if he were quite certain that Jorkins was dead.

Is there anything else?

"He kept saying it was all his fault, and he even mentioned his son."

"Son?" Aaron frowned slightly. "That can't be! Didn't his son die a long time ago?"

"I'm sure I heard right. His condition is obviously wrong; he's practically mentally ill."

He started talking halfway through, assuming that his wife and son were still alive and that his family was happy and fulfilling.

He would also give Percy instructions and guidance from time to time.

"Poor Percy Weasley," Hermione sighed. "He always thought his boss wanted to groom him!"

"Is that so?" Aaron asked thoughtfully. "What about Voldemort?"

"Could you please not mention his name?" Ron asked hesitantly.

Crouch said the You-Know-Who is getting stronger.

Aaron let out a long sigh of relief. "What's meant to happen will happen eventually. That's probably true."

Harry nodded, clearly thinking the same thing.

"After that, I had Krum keep an eye on him and went to find Dumbledore, but Snape wouldn't let me in."

Fortunately, Dumbledore came out on his own after a short while. He followed me to the Forbidden Forest to see Crouch.

"And then he disappeared?" Aaron asked in surprise.

"That's right, we didn't see him when we arrived. Krum was knocked unconscious by Sleeping Charm."

Aaron was silent for a moment before speaking, "Tell 'Cold' about this first."

"We've already written him a letter," Ron said.

"I have a pretty good understanding of the situation." Aaron tapped the table. "If nothing unexpected happens, Barty Crouch has been afflicted by the Imperius Curse, and the exact time should be before he handed the work over to Percy."

However, to be able to break free from Mind Control through sheer willpower and still manage to reach Hogwarts is quite an achievement.

"But who could control him? And for so long?" Hermione asked in confusion. Barty Crouch was the director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation; someone in that position must have considerable magical power.

"There's someone," Aaron said meaningfully. "Isn't the You-Know-Who getting stronger?"

The three of them were immediately shocked and involuntarily swallowed.

"You mean the You-Know-Who did it himself?" Harry asked anxiously. "But he should be very weak."

"What if we add Wormtail?" Aaron countered.

Harry was speechless. Professor Trelawney's Prophecy mentioned that Wormtail would return to Voldemort's side, so it wouldn't be difficult for the two of them to control Crouch.

"Right now, all the clues are fragmented and intermittent, and many things have become even more confusing. All we can do is... ignore this mess."

The three people:...