Cedric looked a little dejected. Although he did his best to keep smiling, he could not hide the disappointment in his eyes from his friends.
Yes, he and Yi Qianqian had tried bringing Hufflepuff's Cup close to the statue of Hufflepuff behind the Merpeople Village at the bottom of the Black Lake. But short of dancing the tango in front of it, they had tried everything, and the statue still showed no response.
"It looks like I'm not the person Hufflepuff chose," Cedric said with considerable regret after coming out of the Black Lake.
"It isn't necessarily a problem with you. I think it's more likely to be me," Yi Qianqian hurriedly reassured him when she saw how dejected he was.
"Yes, I think that's the reason too," Harry chimed in to reassure him. "Qianqian isn't a Hogwarts student, after all. Perhaps the four Founders' legacies don't recognize students from other schools."
"Harry's right, and I actually have another theory," Hermione said. "Do you think it's possible that someone already inherited Hufflepuff's legacy long ago?"
"Hmm?" Hermione's idea caught everyone else off guard.
"Hermione, why would you think that?" Harry asked. Everyone knew Hermione would not make a suggestion without grounds. If she thought it was possible, she must have had her reasons.
"We'll know if we analyze it," Hermione said. "Suppose our earlier theory was correct, and obtaining the legacies requires the Founders' relics. Then we can look into which ones could have remained where they were and which ones might have been discovered by other people."
As she spoke, Hermione took out a sheet of parchment and wrote on it. "The Sword of Gryffindor has always been in the hands of Hogwarts' headmaster, so if the headmaster says no one has obtained it, then presumably no one really