The rules had been announced.
The entire Great Hall fell into an eerie silence, a mixture of frenzy, calculation, and stupefaction.
Everyone's eyes darted as they calculated what sort of future they were willing to mortgage for one elusive chance.
Three spotlights shone squarely on the three champions, exposing their tension and their teams' solemn expressions to the entire school.
"The first to make a choice-will be the leader on our scoreboard, the pride of Hogwarts!"
Fred's voice broke the silence, full of incitement.
"Cedric Diggory!"
George roared next.
"Your team has a whopping 4,350 points! Will you splash out or play it steady? All of Hogwarts is watching you!"
The Hogwarts students immediately erupted into thunderous cheers, the waves of support from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor merging into a tremendous roar.
Cedric took a deep breath. His palms felt drenched in sweat.
He turned his head and lowered his voice, speaking to Hermione in a tone that was almost pleading:
"Hermione... I don't understand a single word anymore. What are Educational Futures? And the Champion's Choice Package? What... what should we do?"
Hermione did not look at him. Her gaze was like a scalpel, coolly dissecting the three mystery-box tables onstage, each glowing with a different light.
"Those aren't rules, Cedric."
She spoke quietly, her voice carrying suppressed anger. "They're traps. Every word is a precisely calculated trap designed to lure you into making a mistake."
She swiftly crossed out two options in her notebook.
"First, rule out the Golden Blind Box."
Her tone was firm and unshakable.
"Two thousand points, plus a fifty-point notarization fee, for an A- or S-Rank Clue with unknown odds. That's extremely poor value.
"More importantly, the so-called points loan means gambling your future in your N.E.W.T. courses on an unknown present. Only a gambler