The Third Task

With the arrival of their parents, William and Hermione instantly transformed into well-behaved children.

It seems that skipping classes, going out at night, violating school rules, dating in school, staying out all night, taking advantage of the school, running a shop, or opening a tutoring center... were not things they did.

Peaceful and quiet life

William and Hermione were just ordinary little wizards and model students.

It's that simple.

At least, all Roy and Lyanna saw and heard were words of praise.

They were generally satisfied.

Clearly, this is asking the wrong person.

If you were to ask Professor Snape, he could list five hundred crimes against William... each one deserving of a place in Azkaban.

Since they had come all this way, William and Hermione, along with their four parents, spent the entire day exploring Hogwarts.

Hogwarts is a large school, and there are many places worth visiting.

Roy and his group also brought gifts, not only for Hagrid, but also for Professor McGonagall and others.

They were quite familiar with each other; last year, they watched the Quidditch World Cup together in a private box over the entire summer.

The gift given to Hagrid was a custom-made Givenchy suit, specifically for him to use to woo women.

However, Roy's efforts were in vain; Hagrid had just broken up with Maxime.

The gifts given to Professor McGonagall were psychology books, intended for analyzing student psychology and improving student management.

The gift given to Professor Trelawney was an English version, which could enrich her boasting skills and enhance her sophistication.

Professor Snape also received a gift: a set of dental care equipment.

Actually, William thought that giving the professor a toothbrush would be enough, just a reminder that even if he didn't wash his hair, he still needed to brush his teeth.

The Great Hall was bustling with activity during the banquet. Even fifth-grade students gave up studying, unwilling to miss the final competition.

The champion will be decided tonight, and the next competition might be five years from now... or it might be postponed indefinitely.

If someone dies, wouldn't the period have to be extended indefinitely?

Traditionally, the death rate in the Triwizard Tournament is very high. With twenty-three Champion this time, it wouldn't make sense if not a few died, would it?

As one of the major causal laws of Hogwarts:

The Quidditch Match is bound to have an accident; the Triwizard Tournament is bound to have someone die.

When the Triwizard Tournament is held on the Quidditch field, it's an even stronger combination, doubling the synergy!

Professor Trelawney also predicted this early on:

People are sure to die tonight, and it will be a bloodbath!

Fudge also appeared in the Great Hall, replacing Crouch as one of the referees for the evening.

He had a stern face and didn't seem happy.

Unfortunately, he hasn't been having a good time lately either.

Kingsley's search was fruitless; the Crouch family had vanished, leaving nothing behind.

The reports about Rita are still being serialized, and it's clear there's a mole leaking information about the investigation's progress to her.

Damn it, traitors are the most hateful!

The most despicable of all are Karkaroff and Krum.

What happened that night must have been leaked to Rita by the two of them.

Hopefully Karkaroff is busy tonight!

It would be best Durmstrang's entire army were wiped out!

He glared at Karkaroff with hatred.

However, Karkaroff didn't notice that he was looking down, clenching his arms tightly, and his face was extremely pale.

Fudge glared at Krum again.

Even such a famous star seemed a bit nervous about the upcoming game, with a gloomy face and barely acknowledging anyone.

Krum's mother spoke up to comfort him.

Not only was Krum nervous, but Ron was also very nervous, and he even stammered.

George is laughing at him.

Ludo didn't seem so nervous; he had a big smile on his face and seemed convinced that Ron was going to win.

Sitting next to him, Madame Maxime, unusually, had a serious expression and was engrossed in eating.

Her eyes were a little red. Hagrid, who was at the other end of the table, kept glancing in her direction.

They were fine at noon, so it seems they had another argument in the afternoon.

Hagrid is such a scumbag!

Dinner was more lavish than usual, but no one had much of an appetite; instead, they were quite restless.

As the enchanted ceiling turned from blue to a dark purple twilight, Dumbledore stood up at the faculty desk, and everyone fell silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes I will be inviting you to the Quidditch Pitch to watch the final game of the Xwizard Tournament tournament."

"Now, Champion, please follow Mr. Bagman to the sports field."

Cho was the first to stand up, Ravenclaw students all applauded for her.

When Hermione stood up, the Gryffindor applauded wildly, cheering her on.

The twenty-three Champion walked out together.

With the Champion gone, William, as a Prefect, worked with Professor Flitwick to organize the Ravenclaw students to enter the arena.

When everyone entered the Quidditch Pitch, they were all somewhat shocked.

This place has become completely unrecognizable.

A twenty-foot-high hedge completely enclosed the edge of the grounds.

There were twenty-three gaps in front of them, which were the entrances to this great labyrinth. The passages inside were pitch black.

All the students filed in and took their seats, the air filled with excited chatter and the sound of hurried footsteps.

The sky is now a clear, deep blue, and stars are beginning to appear.

Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick walked onto the field and approached Bagman and several Champion.

Their hats were all adorned with large, glittering red stars, except for Hagrid, whose red star was on the back of his thick velvet vest.

Madam Pomfrey also appeared, pushing a cart, seemingly ready to offer oxygen cylinders at any moment.

"We will patrol outside the maze," Professor McGonagall told the Champion.

"If you encounter difficulties and need rescue, just shoot a red spark into the sky, and someone will come to help you. Do you understand?"

The Champion nodded in unison.

"Alright, you can go now!" Bagman said cheerfully to the four patrolmen.

The four people walked in different directions and spread out around the maze.

At that moment, Li pointed his wand at his throat and said, "Sonorus."

And so, his voice, amplified by magic, echoed through the stands.

Ladies and gentlemen, the final match of the Xwizard Tournament is about to begin!

After two exciting matches, let me report the current total scores.

Hermione Granger, 467 points, first place, Hogwarts School!

The applause and cheers startled the birds in the Forbidden Forest, sending them flying into the darkening night sky.

"Phoebe Delacour, 408 points, second place, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!"

Another round of applause followed.

"Chu Zhang ranked third with 402 points, Hogwarts School!"

Of the top five, all except for Phoebe, who came in second, were students of Hogwarts.

Of course, Hogwarts wasn't all excellent; they even had the bottom three spots taken.

Ron scored zero points in two games, so he's definitely in last place. Gorilla Captain only has ten points, so he's second to last.

Malfoy scored 72 points, ranking third from last.

So, Madame Maxime was alright, but Karkaroff and Snape looked really bad.

Karkaroff snorted coldly.

But it's okay, he's been giving Krum special physical training lately, every day until late at night.

In this final competition, he will definitely be the first to win the trophy.

Old Malfoy glanced at Karkaroff, then leaned close to Professor Snape's ear and said with some concern:

"Severus, did you really help Draco?"

"Trust me, he'll be fine tonight!" Snape, having received a bribe, naturally gave his full assurance.

Old Malfoy nodded, subtly clenching his fist. He wasn't too worried about his son; now he was starting to worry about his own situation.

As Death Eaters, he could also feel the mark on his arm becoming more and more obvious each day.

This means... that man is still alive.

If one day, that man suddenly summons him.

Yes, go.

Should we not go?

"In this competition, the Champion will enter the maze simultaneously from different entrances," Li continued, shouting.

"We will award points according to the area. The deeper you go into the maze, the higher your score will be."

The first wizard to receive the trophy will also receive an extra 300 points.

The higher the score, the greater the advantage. But even Champion with a low score can ultimately win the championship!

Anything is possible!

"Everyone, listen to my whistle!" Li said, "Three... two... one..."

With a short whistle, the Champion entered the maze through their respective entrances.