Chapter 308: Preparation
Chapter 308: Preparation
Because he had heard at the Hog's Head Inn that someone from the Ministry of Magic had been seen circling the Black Lake, Liam decided to prepare for any potential underwater activities upon his return. He borrowed Professor Mcgonagall's channels to order some Gillweed to make a Breathing Potion.
Professor Mcgonagall was more than willing to assist her House Champion. With her help, Liam received the necessary herbs in just a few days, which would have been impossible if he had ordered them himself, as he might not have received them before the tournament ended.
Despite everyone's efforts to gather information, the three schools had still not obtained any concrete details about the Second Task's specifics over the extended period. As the tournament approached, each participant began to grow increasingly anxious.
Just when everyone was worried about facing an unknown challenge, an unexpected event occurred: during a Charms class, five days before the tournament, Liam and Harry were called away from their lessons.
Confused, they hurried to an office in the castle, where they found the three Headmasters and Mr. Bagman waiting for them.
"Children, it's a pleasure to see you again", Bagman said with evident delight as everyone gathered. "We had initially planned to keep the details of the tasks secret until the tournament began, but given the complexity of this year's second task, we've decided to inform you in advance for safety reasons."
"What's going on? You were so secretive before, but now you're suddenly changing your mind and giving up the secrecy. And a whole week of preparation time is quite excessive. Remember, apart from the two Hogwarts participants, who are younger, the other contestants are all adults. Knowing the content of the task in advance, they will undoubtedly prepare more effectively, putting Hogwarts at a significant disadvantage."
However, seeing that Professor Dumbledore showed no signs of displeasure, Liam refrained from voicing his concerns. He sat quietly with the other contestants, eager to hear the details of the task and understand how the organizers believed it would be fair. Well, at least it sounded fair on the surface.
Bagman then got straight to the point, announcing the details of the tournament: "Well, the first task tested your courage, and the Second Task will test your commitment to your School's Honor Points."
As everyone looked puzzled by this concept, Bagman quickly explained the task:
"Only one person will ultimately win the trophy, but the Honor Points from the tournament will be awarded not only to the winner but also to their school. Therefore, the score for the Second Task will be the average of the two participants from each school to reflect the School's Honor Points."
"What?" "No way!" The contestants from the other two schools immediately voiced their objections. Due to the extra contestant, the participants from these schools already had a strained relationship, and this rule would force them to share points, which they found extremely difficult to accept.
Bagman's smile faded as he grew serious. "This decision has been unanimously agreed upon by all the Headmasters and the Ministry of Magic representatives. If you refuse, it will be considered a forfeit." This silenced everyone.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Bagman continued, "So, from now until five days before the tournament, you will have time to practice. To ensure that you complete the tasks independently, you will be housed in tents on the edge of the Forbidden Forest and restricted to a designated area. If you need anything, you can inform the staff, and they will provide it for you. Each contestant will have a budget of fifty Galleons for purchases, and these items can be brought into the arena. Please manage your resources wisely."
"Right." As Bagman finished speaking, Mr. Crouch stood up. "Minister Bagman forgot to mention one thing. The next task will take place in the Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest, and it will involve the creatures there. I hope you can prepare adequately. Now, any questions?"
No wonder they were keeping everyone isolated. Knowing the location of the Tournament in advance would make it too easy for the schools to come up with strategies. Keeping everyone in one place was to minimize outside interference.
"Hogwarts has an Alchemist, which makes the same procurement allowance unfair for us", Fleur was the first to raise her concern, pointing at Liam as if he owed her a fortune.
"No, this is fair", Barty Crouch explained. "First, everyone has their own strengths, just like how the Delacour contestant used her innate spell-like ability in the first task. We can't prohibit that. Second, most of the participants here are adult wizards, while Hogwarts' contestants are far from being adults. The headmasters all agreed that while this arrangement might slightly favor Hogwarts students, it remains fair for the Tournament."
Under the supervision of the three headmasters and a few Ministry of Magic officials, everyone left the castle through the main gate, crossed the lawn, and circled around half of the Forbidden Forest to reach a clearing. Three tents had already been set up in the clearing, and a golden circle surrounded the outer perimeter.
"Alright, you'll be staying here for the next five days. Remember, you are not allowed to step outside this circle, and no one from the outside is allowed to enter", Barty Crouch said sternly. For some reason, Liam couldn't help but think of the golden circle Sun Wukong drew for Tang Sanzang in Journey to the West, and then he thought about the differences in magic between the East and the West. But—
Enough of that, he couldn't afford to let his mind wander. Every second of preparation time was crucial. Liam used Core Techniques to calm his mind and then walked into the tent with the Hogwarts crest.
"Liam, what's going on?" Harry asked urgently as soon as Liam entered the tent. "I'm getting really confused by the Tournament procedures. What's the Ministry of Magic thinking? This whole thing seems so disorganized."
"What else? The people in charge must have changed the original tasks at the last minute", Liam sighed as he sat on the sofa and responded.
"Huh?" Harry looked bewildered. "But didn't they say the Ministry of Magic had been preparing for a long time? How could they just change it? That doesn't make sense."
"Why not? Didn't you hear Bagman say the second task is about calculating the school's team score? When the Triwizard Tournament was first organized, no one expected it to have six contestants or a team score. So, I think the tasks were changed last minute, which explains all the issues."
Honestly, Liam was quite calm about the next task, which he suspected would be a chaotic battle. He was confident that the other four contestants, even if they banded together, would only be there to be eliminated.
Liam's calmness was in stark contrast to Harry's anxiety. Despite his success in the first task against the Dragon, Harry still felt he had won by luck rather than skill, and he was far from Liam's level. Now, he was deeply worried that he would hold Liam back in the second team task.
"Liam, what do you think I should do this week?" Harry's unease grew, and he finally asked.
(End of Chapter)
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