Chapter 336: Pretending to Be Weak to Gain the Upper Hand
Chapter 336: Pretending to Be Weak to Gain the Upper Hand
Harry continued walking aimlessly.
He didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about reaching the center of the maze to retrieve the final trophy. Instead, he strolled along, observing his surroundings, though there wasn't much to see.
After escaping the Acromantula, he walked about eighty steps and encountered a golden cloud blocking his path.
He seemed intrigued by this strange object, muttering to himself, speculating about which professor might have lent it.
He casually cast a spell to stop it.
However, the golden cloud clearly wasn't a spell, and Harry's counter-curse had no effect on it. It remained stubbornly in the middle of the path.
Staring at the cloud, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds. He didn't believe the maze would have a challenge that students couldn't pass.
Since the counter-curse didn't work and the cloud wasn't a physical object, normal spells wouldn't be effective either. The only solution was to walk right through it?
Logically, if he were thinking like a typical Gryffindor, he would have charged right through.
But Harry wasn't that reckless.
Since he didn't particularly care about winning the championship, he could just try a different path if this one didn't work.
He turned around, returned to the previous intersection, and chose another route to continue.
This time, he hadn't walked far when he suddenly heard a scream!
Harry immediately frowned.
It was a woman's voice, and the only female in the maze was Fleur.
Without hesitation, he ran in the direction of the sound. Soon, in the dim light, he saw Fleur lying on the ground, stunned by a spell and unconscious.
She had clearly been attacked by someone. Her face was pale, but her breathing was steady, indicating she was only unconscious and not in any immediate danger.
After confirming her condition, Harry used his wand to fire a red spark into the sky, providing coordinates to the safety officers outside so they could rescue Fleur.
The first person to arrive was Hagrid, who carried Fleur out of the maze right in front of Harry. Before leaving, Hagrid wished Harry good luck.
Harry chatted briefly with Hagrid, confirming that Fleur had been safely taken away. Then, he continued forward.
Honestly, he had thought Fleur would perform well in this competition, but her luck was truly terrible.
The likelihood that a creature in the maze had stunned her was low. If it was another contestant, it was unlikely to be Cedric. He was an honorable person; even if he had a conflict with Fleur and had to stun her, he would have used a spark to signal for help.
That left only one person: Viktor Krum.
Harry rubbed his chin, deep in thought, when he suddenly heard Cedric's voice.
"What are you doing!" His voice was urgent, as if he was facing an emergency.
There was no response, only the sound of a spell being cast.
"Cruciatus Curse!"
The air was filled with Cedric's agonized screams, and Harry's face darkened.
He quickened his pace, turned a corner, and saw the scene before him.
Cedric was lying on the ground, convulsing, while Krum was aiming his wand at him, ready to cast another Cruciatus Curse.
Harry didn't hesitate and immediately pointed his wand at Krum. Krum had just noticed him, but Harry gave him no time to react.
"Stupefy!"
The red light hit Krum without any surprise. He suddenly stopped, fell forward, and lay motionless on the ground, face down.
Harry walked over to Cedric with a furrowed brow.
"Why would he use the Cruciatus Curse on you? If he wanted to neutralize you, wouldn't a Petrification Charm or a Stunning Spell have been enough?"
Cedric was breathing heavily. Fortunately, he had only taken one hit from the Cruciatus Curse, and Krum's proficiency with such advanced dark magic was limited to being able to cast it, not master it.
Otherwise, even one hit would have left him incapacitated for hours.
"I don't know... I can't believe it. He sneaked up behind me, and when I saw him, he just cast the spell right away... Using Unforgivable Curses is illegal! Doesn't he know that?"
Cedric struggled to stand up, his body still trembling.
"Did you hear Fleur's scream?"
Harry nodded.
"I found her. She was probably knocked out by Krum. The red spark was mine; Hagrid has already taken her to a safe place."
Hearing this, Cedric raised his wand with a trembling hand and fired another red spark into the sky.
"We can't leave him here. Who knows what monsters might come and eat him."
They only helped Krum by sending a spark to guide the safety officers and didn't wait around.
Harry and Cedric continued walking forward together.
Harry didn't know what Cedric was thinking, but he didn't care about winning the trophy. Now that Fleur and Krum were out of the competition, it was almost certain that the champion would be one of the Hogwarts champions.
As they moved forward, it grew darker. Suddenly, a massive lion with a woman's head blocked their path. It was a Sphinx, a well-known magical creature in the Wizarding World.
"You are very close to your goal. The fastest way is to pass through me."
"But to pass through me, you must solve my riddle. If you guess correctly, I will let you through. If you guess wrong, I will attack. If you don't answer, I will... What are you doing? What are you doing! Mmmph...!"
Harry didn't even give her a chance to finish her lines. He casually waved his wand, causing the hedges that formed the maze walls to grow rapidly and bind her, gagging her mouth in the process.
Cedric stared in disbelief as Harry completed this feat. The only thought in his mind was:
When did Harry Potter become so powerful!
He must have been playing possum all this time at school!
While Cedric was still in shock, Harry had already walked past the Sphinx.
"Are you coming with me, or do you want to split up?"
(End of Chapter)
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