The Beginning
The camera then returns to the stands.
Unlike before, the members of the referee team were not sitting in the center of the field.
Instead, they sat in the seats where the professors had sat during the previous competition.
Each of them was wearing something that looked like headphones, which aroused a lot of curiosity.
It caused the surrounding students to unconsciously look away from the screen.
"Hello, Ron. Let's watch the game together this time." Dumbledore looked kindly at Ron, who was sitting stiffly beside him.
"Hello, Professor." Ron felt extremely uncomfortable.
Neville, who was not far away, began to feel fortunate.
Fortunately, Ron did that thing a while ago, which temporarily distanced him from them.
Otherwise, he would probably be sitting next to Ron right now.
Neville glanced at Hannah, who was holding his arm, and couldn't help but laugh.
One minute later, Mr. Weasley's voice began to resonate throughout the entire venue.
A small section of the screen also focused on Mr. Weasley, the only member of the referee team present on the field.
He was also wearing 'earphones'.
The little thing seemed to be connected to the screen, allowing his voice to come clearly from the screen.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final match of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!"
Dumbledore already introduced the rules of the game to you in the Great Hall, and even knew about the Points Shop before the Champion.
So I won't say any more.
I'll just give you a quick overview of the choices made by each Champion.
Harry Potter from Hogwarts purchased War Magic and Champion Uniform.
Harry used the remaining 29 points to buy an earlier departure time.
Durmstrang's Viktor Krum purchased War Magic and used the remaining 15 points to buy an early departure time.
Hufflepuff of Castelobruxo purchased Ilvas Champion Uniform, while the remaining 60 purchased early departure time.
Phoebe Dracula of Beauxbatons is really daring!
She used all 95 points to buy an earlier departure time!
I thought she would definitely buy a uniform!
Alright! Based on the items purchased by each Champion, we can determine their respective departure order.
First up is Dracula from Beauxbatons!
She started 950 seconds ahead of schedule, which is about 16 minutes.
Next up is Castelobruxo Ilvas!
He left 10 minutes early.
Next up is Harry from Hogwarts!
He started 290 seconds ahead of schedule, which is about 5 minutes.
Last but not least was Durmstrang's Krum! He started two and a half minutes early.
The applause and cheers startled the birds in the Forbidden Forest into the darkening night sky.
"Now... Miss Dracula, listen to my whistle!" said Mr. Weasley. "Three...two...one..."
With a short whistle, Phoebe, dressed in a casual evening gown, lifted the hem of her skirt.
They strolled leisurely into the maze, as if on a spring outing.
"Merlin's beard! Fast! Too fast!"
Once inside the maze, Dracula seemed to know the map perfectly, navigating each fork in the maze without hesitation.
The magical traps in the road were easily bypassed with a simple wave of the wand!
A brilliant Silent Spell! Nothing can stop her!
In the stands, in the family section, Gabrielle jumped up from Ryan's arms, while Phoebe's parents beamed with smiles.
He proudly introduced his daughter to Krum's parents, who were standing nearby.
Almost all the students at Beauxbatons stood up and, led by Mrs. Maxime, who was also standing because of her striking height, began to applaud.
This was because their Champion had purchased War Magic.
The judges, who were the students reviewing the spells under their principal's leadership, all looked on with amusement (except for Durmstrang and Karkaroff, who remained motionless, but the students, perhaps out of guilt, and even the parents of Krum, spontaneously began to review).
"My God! Dracula has made it through the first indentation!"
Unfortunately, that's not the right path!
Those were a bunch of Red Cap!
Dracula's hair wasn't even messed up!
That's truly superb spellcasting skill. The Soft Leg Jinx can even be cast on multiple targets!
This will be a momentous occasion in the A History of Magic! Her contributions will be remembered forever!
Outside the maze, the other three Champion watching Phoebe's performance on the screen became tense.
Their attention was focused on the screen.
Krum even conjured up a parchment and a quill pen, on which he wrote down the path Phoebe had taken.
"Ilvas, it's your turn," Professor McGonagall prompted.
Upon hearing this, Ilvas hurriedly entered through another entrance to the maze.
A second image appeared on the screen in the sky.
"Very good! Castelobruxo's Ilvas has also entered the labyrinth!"
He soon arrived at the first fork in the road.
Unlike Dracula, he chose the left!
"You know, Dumbledore, can I really say this?"
"Yes. Harry and the others have noticed."
"Well, you know, the Champion who start later also have an advantage."
That is a large screen that allows you to view the sky before you even enter.
By comparing the outlines with other maps you've noted down, this is a shortcut to quickly finding the correct depressions and passages!
But Ilvas chose an unfamiliar path!
Dracula had found the second indentation and went inside.
It's Lethifold!
What did she do? The Lethifold didn't stop her at all! It didn't move an inch!
Unfortunately, it's another wrong channel!
Ilvas' speed is comparable to Dracula's!
He would pause for three seconds before crossing each intersection.
Then they set off decisively. They made preparations before each magical trap, casting the corresponding counter-spells!
What?! Ilvas didn't enter the depression!
Did he somehow use some unknown magic to determine that the tunnel below was faulty?
A cacophony of discussion immediately erupted in the stands.
And it was time for Harry to set off.
"Harry, it's your turn." This time it was Hagrid who spoke, patting Harry on the back. "I believe you're the best!"
Harry dared not look Hagrid in the eye.
To be honest, after seeing Phoebe's performance, Harry had lost much of his confidence.
So Harry simply nodded and ran into the maze without looking back.
Stepping into the maze felt like entering another world.
The tall hedges cast dark shadows on the path. Whether it was because the hedges were so tall and dense, or because of some kind of magic, once you entered the maze, all sounds disappeared.
Harry had expected this.
If one could hear the words, Mr. Weasley's words would reveal far too much information.
He drew his wand, the Dark Curse activated in reverse, and the Sköll spewed out the sun again.
The result was that a great sun flew out from the tip of Harry's wand.
It began to hang above his head.
Outside the maze.
"Unbelievable! Harry Potter has created a sun! Our youngest Champion!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley.
In the stands, Ron forgot about Dumbledore's unease with him beside him.
She jumped to her feet. "I know! That's Dark Curse invented by Harry! This is an alternative use of it!"
Just a reminder: Phoebe didn't actually buy the War Magic, but everyone except Mr. Weasley thought she did, and later even Mr. Weasley himself thought so.
This is not a misremembering.
Kate will bring it up later.
P. S.: Thanks to Long Tianxiu for the monthly pass and to all the other students for their recommendations and subscriptions!