"Then go to a secondhand shop, Ron. You just couldn't keep your hands to yourself again, could you?"
Hermione took out the Correction Fluid and deftly swiped it across the correct answer on the paper in front of Ron. It vanished instantly. He curled his lip and filled in a random word.
"Don't be upset, Ron. Aren't Chocolate Frogs and collecting all those famous wizard cards your favorite things?"
Harry tried to comfort him.
"They're not my favorite things. They're the biggest hobby I can afford! What if—and I mean what if—the first prize was getting to hug your parents once? How would you feel, Harry?"
Harry stammered, unable to answer. Luo Bin suddenly raised his head and looked at the piles of prizes on the stage.
He thought that if first prize really meant being reunited with his parents, even for just a few seconds, he would gladly rig the results.
But the Show-Off had money to burn and little magical talent. He couldn't breach the barriers between dimensions, nor did he understand how important family was to other people.
"Luo Bin, what's wrong?"
Hermione had finished answering the questions and had just put away her Quill when she noticed her friend staring at the prize display with an unreadable expression.
"Oh, nothing. I was wondering what we should do next if nobody solves that riddle."
"Easy! Mix it in with the riddles that most people get wrong, post them on the noticeboard, and add a few lines offering a reward or challenging people. We won't have to worry about nobody trying. The only worry is whether anyone can work out the answer."
The top two students in their year had spent a week thinking without solving it, which made Hermione wonder whether anyone else could help.
"Don't worry