novelraw Chapter 482 Encouragement
Chapter 482 Encouragement
Chapter 482 Encouragement
The warriors stood up one after another and left the field amid warm applause and blessings from their loved ones. Mrs. Granger held Hermione's hand tightly, tears in her eyes. "Dear, she will be fine." Mr. Granger said while hugging his wife.
"I know, I just..." Mrs. Granger was speechless.
Mr. Granger's eyes were red, and he said to Hermione very emotionally: "Your mother is a little excited... because of the video recording of the second project... I waited at the door of the Leaky Cauldron for an entire afternoon, and then I found a wizard in strange costumes, who took me in... In short, we want you to know, Hermione, we are proud of you."
Hermione's eyes were also wet. Harry and Ron stood aside at a loss, with Sirius and Bill holding their shoulders on the left and right. Sirius patted Harry's back hard, almost pushing him to stagger, and said to the Grangers, "There are two men in the team!"
"Yeah, that's right, we'll take care of her," said Harry and Ron hurriedly.
When they walked through the hall and down the stairs, Hermione was still in a low mood. Harry and Ron looked at each other, and Ron complained: "Hermione, you should tell your parents some common sense of the wizarding world. Don't they know that you are the strongest among the three?"
"Oh," Hermione burst into laughter, "In their impression, I just went to a different school, like... um, how to say it? A scholar studying the occult? After all, I can't use magic outside of school... Maybe the books I bring back every summer vacation also deepened this impression."
They walked cautiously in the dim field. A dozen warriors formed a long team, with some shadowy figures following on both sides.
"Who are they?" Harry looked to the side.
"Most of the people from the Ministry of Magic are Aurors," said Ron. Seeing Harry's puzzled look, he shrugged. "There must be someone watching every level of the maze, just in case. Professor Happ can't handle it alone... Percy told me. I have to admit that he has been doing very well recently."
As they crossed the grounds and passed the Quidditch pitch, several goblins with short bows waved at the warriors of Ilvermorny.
Hermione tensed, "We didn't consider dealing with goblins, they won't appear in the maze?"
Harry didn't say anything, just staring at the outline of the goblin. He wasn't sure. These little creatures used to live in the forest, so they must be able to thrive in the maze? He vaguely remembered that the goblin's bows and arrows were poisoned...
"Do you have the antidote with you, Hermione?" he asked.
"Yes, I prepared a lot of things... but to be honest, if we really get ambushed, we may not be able to use them." Hermione said, touching her beaded bag.
They remained silent for the rest of the time, walking along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The road became more and more familiar. Before turning a corner, Harry took a last look behind him. The steps they had walked on before were filled with dense spots of light. Those were the lights of wands. People in the hall also came out, but he couldn't hear any sound because they were too far away.
But Harry could imagine how excited they were. Seamus and Dean might be discussing what would be in the maze with great interest. They had been doing this for several months. Ginny might be with Luna, but he really couldn't guess what they would talk about. Maybe some magical creatures that had not yet been discovered? As for Neville, he asked Hermione for a list of spells some time ago, which would definitely shine in the duel class next year... And Malfoy, he might be gritting his teeth!
This last thought gave Harry a little cheer, "Oh, God!" Hermione moaned in his ear.
Harry followed her gaze and was shocked. In front of him was a square tower-shaped building not much smaller than Hogwarts Castle. He could only see three solid corners, made of black stones piled up into straight prisms, and the gaps between them were filled with dense thorns and hedges. The building was at least a hundred feet high, and Harry secretly estimated how many levels the maze would have.
They stopped ahead and Bagman waited for everyone to gather before leading them towards the huge building. They walked through the sparse trees and came to a clearing where a large silver tent stood, glowing faintly in the darkness.
Harry was a little dazed for a moment, he seemed to have returned to the first task, when they had to work together to fight a fire dragon... but that seemed like a thing that happened in the last lifetime.
"Well," Bagman said happily, "you should be familiar with this place. We have built a maze castle for the competition on the original field. The school has prepared two places, but I think the familiar environment will make you feel like home..."
Everyone stared at him.
Bagman looked at everyone with a smile, as if he wanted to get a compliment or two, but in the awkward silence, he had to give up the idea. "Well, uh, let me read out the rules. You need to get through the maze. There are seven levels in total, and the area gets smaller as you go up. There are no traps on the top level, only a trophy."
"No black magic, no powerful spells on people..."
He talked for more than ten minutes in one breath, and Harry felt a little annoyed. They had analyzed these things many times. Finally, Bagman got to the point.
"Next, let's introduce the order of entering the maze. According to the rules," Bagman glanced at Harry, "the two teams from Hogwarts will take the average score, but since they are ranked first and second, there is no need to do so. Just enter in order of highest score -"
At this time, the curtain of the tent was lifted from the outside.
"Bagman, the trophy is already there."
"Thank you, Yaxley. This is my job, but as you can see, I am too busy to do it..."
Yaxley bared his teeth and forced a stiff smile. "You're welcome." The man disappeared into the tent.
"Okay, the trophy has been put away. Next, let me introduce the guards in the maze. They are all from the Ministry of Magic. Well, except for Felix, the guards will not show up easily, even if you faint."
The warriors looked at each other. "What if the unconscious warrior is discovered by a wandering monster?" asked Jacqueline Bourgeois, one of the warriors of Beauxbatons. Several warriors nodded. They had the same question.
"Ah, that's the role of the guards," Bagman smiled. "They'll watch from the sidelines, and won't take action unless your life is in real danger. If the unconscious person is lucky enough to meet a companion, he can still continue the game..."
The tent curtains were drawn back again, and Kingsley and Felix walked in together.
"The audience is already seated, Ludo. In five minutes, the warriors will be allowed to enter, and the staff will take them in through different entrances." Kingsley said calmly.
"Great," Bagman said happily. "I can't wait to host the game."
"Wait, different entrances?" asked Byers of the Ilvermorny team.
"There are four entrances in total. Which one you enter is random. The only restriction is that the same team must be separated." Felix took over and said gently.
"Yes, that's right," Bagman agreed. "So—" He looked around.
"Can I say a few words?" Felix asked softly.
"Oh, what—of course," said Bagman.
Felix stood in front of the warriors, his eyes sweeping over each of them. "You have all made unimaginable efforts this year, and at the same time, you have gained tremendous rewards, including strength, friendship, courage, cooperation, and trust... Although the third project is extremely difficult, I believe you can successfully overcome the difficulties. You just need to mobilize your wisdom, trust your companions, and most importantly - don't give up hope even in the worst situation."
"Today is just an important node in your life, not the end - time is on your side."