Two hours after the match ended, the referees and Champion gathered in a room on the second floor of the castle.
Morris and Krum were chatting by the window.
"Did you just use Human Transfiguration?" Morris asked.
Human Transfiguration is an advanced application of Transfiguration, and at Hogwarts, it is only covered in the NEWT course.
"That's right." Krum nodded, and said in a low voice, "It's the best way I could find."
He paused, then turned to Morris: "And you? I see you're carrying something strange."
"That's an underwater propulsion device," Morris explained. "It's powered by magic and allows for high-speed movement underwater."
A rare look of interest appeared on Krum's face. "I've never heard of it."
"In fact," Morris continued, "The prototype for this thing comes from Muggle."
"Is that so?" Krum said thoughtfully. "I know very little about them."
After all, Durmstrang doesn't offer Muggle Studies.
After chatting for a while, the topic returned to Transfiguration.
"If my Transfiguration were a little more refined," Krum said regretfully, "I wanted to transform myself completely into a shark, instead of just changing one head. That would make me faster and more agile. But a complete cross-species Transfiguration requires extremely high skill and a lot of practice, I..." "Don't reveal any more, Viktor."
A cold, icy voice cut in from the side.
Karkaroff appeared beside them unnoticed, placing a hand on Krum's shoulder, his eyes filled with wariness. "Your methods and strategies are your own strengths; there's no need to share them with others."
Morris frowned.
To be honest, he felt the principal was meddling a bit too much.
Krum also looked somewhat displeased.
"Don't say that, Karkaroff," Ludo stepped in to smooth things over, a bright smile on his face. "Isn't it wonderful that the Champion from the three schools have become friends? Isn't that the point of the Triwizard Tournament?"
Karkaroff didn't reply, his expression shifting between light and shadow.
Thinking about it carefully, it seems that the four Champion from the three schools have a good relationship.
The most crucial link is undoubtedly the Hogwarts student standing before them.
Needless to say, Harry and Morris were already friends;
Phoebe was Morris's dance partner, and they got along fairly well;
Viktor also enjoys associating with Morris, as evidenced by their conversation by the window earlier. He is usually taciturn and keeps his distance from everyone.
What is it about Morris Black that makes him so appealing to three Champion with such different personalities?
That's really strange.
Karkaroff spoke up, "You're right, Ludo."
But judging from his expression, he didn't seem to think so.
Ludo didn't seem to mind; his smile was as bright as the afternoon sun.
"Oh, by the way," he said, looking at Morris, "Someone wants to see you."
He beckoned to the other side of the room, " Mrs. Heap?"
A middle-aged woman who had been chatting with Fudge turned around, nodded to Ludo, and walked over.
To Morris, this was a stranger.
She was around forty years old, quite tall, and wore a well-tailored dark purple robe with a silver brooch pinned to her collar.
The wrinkles on her face were very noticeable, especially around her mouth and eyes, which made her look composed and wise.
The only unpleasant aspect was probably the pungent perfume they wore.
Hmm... it has a mixed aroma of various spices.
The flavor was so strong that it even made Morris feel physically uncomfortable.
To be honest, he felt that this perfume didn't suit the other person's temperament.
"Hello, Mr. Black," Mrs. Heap politely, extending her hand. "I am Imogen Shipp, here at Mr. Bagman's invitation to watch the game. You performed admirably."
"Thank you." Morris shook her gloved hand.
Ludo said mysteriously, " Mrs. Heap will be in charge of some of the logistics for the Triwizard Tournament, especially the preparations for some of the little ones."
"Don't reveal too much, Ludo," Fudge said, walking over from the side. "The game is still a long way off; it's too early to talk about these things."
"Oh, yes, yes, yes."
As soon as Ludo finished speaking, the door opened, and entered Phoebe and Madame Maxime; they were a little late.
"I'm sorry we're late," said Madame Maxime. " Phoebe would like to spend more time with Gabrielle."
"It's alright," Ludo said. "Everyone's not here yet."
He then turned and began talking to Fudge.
Phoebe walked over to Morris's side. "Thank you, Morris."
Morris asked, "How is your sister?"
He already knew the identity of the girl underwater; she was Gabrielle Delacour, Phoebe's sister.
A hint of tenderness flashed in Phoebe's eyes, " Gabrielle knew she would be a treasure in the competition, and she wasn't afraid underwater; she was well protected."
"That's good," Morris nodded, then asked softly, "Is your sister like you?"
This question is vague and even somewhat inexplicable.
But Phoebe understood.
"Yes," she said softly, " Gabrielle and I share Veela blood. You should have seen that our hair is the same color."
"Then she one"
Before Morris could ask his next question, Phoebe glared at him impatiently. "Don't even think about it. She doesn't have any special abilities, and she can't conjure up a bird's head."
Morris wisely kept quiet.
How did the other person know what he was going to ask?
Seeing Morris's reaction, Phoebe smiled, even the curve of her eyes softened considerably.
"I'll introduce you to her in a few days," she said casually. " Gabrielle is also very interested in you, because I've mentioned your name many times in my letters to her, and she keeps talking about you."
Morris was taken aback.
At that moment, Harry entered the room, accompanied by Dumbledore and the Weasley Twins.
Fred winked at Morris.
Ludo clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright, alright, everyone's here!" he said loudly. "I have some announcements regarding the third match."
The room fell silent.
"The date for the third match has been set—the evening of June 24th," Ludo said, his tone noticeably more serious than usual. "The location will be the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts. The pitch will be transformed into a giant maze. Inside, you will encounter all sorts of obstacles and challenges."
Morris was somewhat surprised to hear this.
He thought the third match would be kept secret until the very last moment, just like before.