Chapter 250: Notification and Preparation
The announcement’s title immediately sparked curiosity among the students.
"May Challenge?" Padma asked, eyes wide. "Could there be some kind of June competition?"
"An event every month?" Michael exclaimed excitedly. "That sounds great!"
"Could the June Challenge possibly be the Final Exam?" came a suddenly dampening voice from behind.
The group turned. Sure enough, it was Hermione.
The girl looked eager, giving a small nod to herself. "The Final Exam isn’t far off. We really should start preparing."
"Never mind June!" Fred, who was also stuck outside, stretched his neck and shouted toward the inside. "Wood, what’s written behind you?"
Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, continued reading the notice, using magic to amplify his voice.
"May Challenge… This event will begin on Saturday, May 16th, at ten o’clock in the morning. The goal is to confront the enlarged Ball Python."
"Attention, all students: The Ball Python is Professor Kettleburn’s personal pet. Therefore, the following spells are strictly prohibited: Split-into-Parts Spell, Blazing Flame Spell, Eye-Impairment Curse, Entrail-Expelling Curse… "
A long list of banned spells followed, along with warnings against using poison curses.
Then came the rules of the competition and the criteria for victory.
This was more of a playful event than a strict contest, so fairness wasn’t absolute. Teams would first draw lots to determine their order of entry, then navigate a series of obstacles before finally facing the Ball Python.
The serpent, once a docile creature, had become irritable due to the spells used to enlarge it. Participants had to dodge its attacks while ensuring their own safety, and leave their team’s name etched onto the snake’s scales.
The team whose name was closest to the small red flag at the center of the snake’s forehead would be declared the winner.
"Oh, dead!" groaned a Slytherin student in the crowd, furious. "I’ve been practicing the Eye-Impairment Curse for two whole weeks!"
Clearly, he’d gotten a hint—but an incomplete one.
Michael and George exchanged mischievous grins, then quietly high-fived.
"What are you two up to?" Filch stood at the castle entrance, his pale face fixed on the tightly packed group of students.
"Great Hall is off-limits for gatherings!" he snapped.
MacMillan from Hufflepuff, mustering courage, called out, "There’s no such rule in the school!"
Filch glared in his direction, but couldn’t identify the speaker. He sneered. "If you don’t move, you’ll have a rule to follow soon enough. Move it!"
The crowd finally began to inch forward. As Wade passed the Great Hall, he gave Filch a subtle nod. The caretaker returned it with a barely noticeable dip of his head, and for a fleeting instant, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
Then he immediately scowled again, barking at those behind him to hurry up.
Wade and Michael stepped inside and found Harry and the others already seated at the end of the Hufflepuff long table. Theo stood up at once and waved.
Wade and the others walked over. The Hufflepuff students nearby were considerate enough to make room.
Hogwarts had one minor inconvenience: even during meals, students typically sat at their designated house tables. For a group like the SSC—spanning multiple houses—this meant splitting up every time it was mealtime, making conversation awkward.
So they’d gradually started sitting together at one table.
Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students often had a closed-off attitude, but Hufflepuffs were far more welcoming. Even if their table held students from other houses, the Little Badgers rarely minded. In fact, they’d often push their best food over to the others.
To them, it was a joy to see their house’s popularity grow.
"Seriously, Wade," Padma said, "you should join our team. That way, we’d have a real shot at winning."
Wade shook his head. "Even if we won, people might just blame it on me. Besides, you’ve got Harry. You already have a strong chance."
"—Me?" Harry looked up from gnawing on a chicken leg, startled.
When everyone turned to stare at him, he flushed red and waved his hands frantically. "Don’t forget, there are plenty of sixth and seventh years competing! They’ve got far more magic experience than we do."
"No need to be so modest, Harry," Wade said with a smile. "The truth is, your magic is already more than enough. And judging by the rules this time, you have a massive advantage over the others."
"An advantage? What kind?" Liam looked from Harry to Wade, puzzled.
Though all the SSC members agreed Harry had natural talent in battle spells, they still found it hard to believe he could outshine even seventh-year students.
Wade raised a finger, making a quieting gesture. "That’s something I can’t reveal. If I did, other teams would get a chance to prepare too."
"Oh…" Theo nodded slowly, still confused but willing to accept it.
"But first," Wade added, "you’ll need to get past the obstacles ahead. If you fall before then, none of it matters."
"I’ve already mapped out the common animals, insects, and magical plants you’ll encounter in the maze—along with their patterns and distribution," Hermione said, pulling out a thick notebook with a swift motion. "I’ve also written down the simplest spells to deal with them, and planned a route with fewer obstacles."
"Hermione, you’re amazing!" Michael cried, snatching the notebook and flipping through a few pages. "This is incredible… When did you do all this?"
"Um… just the past few weeks," Hermione said, slightly flustered. "I—I thought you might find it useful."
"Of course it’s useful!" Michael spread the notebook open for everyone to see. Then, turning around, he noticed Padma’s lips were pressed together, a hint of displeasure in her expression.
Michael reached across the table and grabbed a strawberry mousse cake. "Wow, we’ve got this today! I remember you said you wanted to try it last time!"
Padma took it, and finally, a small smile broke through.
Meanwhile, as the others passed around the notebook, Liam turned to Wade. "When everyone’s competing, what will you be doing? Are you going to help the professors as a referee?"
"No," Wade said. "Actually, Fred and George and I have nearly finished repairing the double-sided mirror. I’ll be using it during the event—just for testing."
(End of Chapter)
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