Chapter 565: The Maze
Chapter 565: The Maze
The Care of Magical Creatures class went smoothly, and by the end of it, not a single student was injured.
After leaving Hagrid's enclosure, the group chatted and laughed as they made their way back.
As they approached the castle's entrance, a group of first-year students emerged from within, seemingly headed for their Flying lessons, judging by their direction.
Speaking of flying... This was usually the busiest time for Quidditch players, as they prepared for the final match, with all four teams eager to utilize every spare second for practice.
The Quidditch pitch was always occupied, never empty.
However, due to the Triwizard Tournament, the Quidditch matches had been canceled, and the once bustling period suddenly became idle, leaving Kyle feeling a bit unaccustomed.
Autumn, too, felt the same way, but not because of the Quidditch matches; she had other reasons.
One weekend, she suddenly spoke mysteriously, "Have you noticed that a ghost is missing from the castle recently?"
"No way..." Fred narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment before shaking his head, "I feel like all the ghosts are there."
"Nearly Headless Nick... Peeves..." George counted them off, "...and the Wailing Willow on the second floor. She used to stay in that small washroom, but I've seen her in other places several times now."
"It's not them; it's the Ravenclaw ghost, Lady Grey..."
Autumn said, "She used to appear in our common room every day at six o'clock, standing in front of a statue in a daze, but she hasn't shown up once recently."
"Oh, I see." Fred nodded, but he wasn't particularly interested in the topic. He merely humored her, saying, "Maybe Lady Grey doesn't want to go anymore."
"Just like Nearly Headless Nick," George added, "He used to like the tower, but in recent years, he's been more willing to stay around the entrance hall where there are more people."
"No, we've searched everywhere, and Lady Grey isn't in the entire castle."
Autumn shook her head. "Do you think ghosts can just disappear into thin air?"
"In theory, yes," Cedric replied seriously, "But as far as I know, this has never happened before. According to the records in 'Hogwarts, A School History,' these ghosts have existed for hundreds of years, and not a single one has gone missing."
As they spoke, Kyle stood quietly by, listening without saying a word.
He knew where Lady Grey was.
Since the Easter break, she had been in the Room of Requirement, along with the Ravenclaw Crown.
But because he had promised to keep it a secret, he couldn't tell the others.
Fortunately, Autumn wasn't particularly concerned; she was just curious about the sudden disappearance of her house ghost.
Before long, their conversation shifted to the final task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Everyone was curious about what the final task would be and how the champion would be chosen.
Kyle, however, had no idea. The only thing he could guess was that the Griffin would likely appear in the competition.
...
After the break, the weather gradually warmed up, and everyone began to shed their thick robes.
On the last week of May, after Professor McGonagall finished teaching Transfiguration, she asked Kyle to stay behind.
"Go to the Quidditch pitch at nine o'clock tonight," Professor McGonagall said, "Mr. Bagman will be there to inform the champions about the third task... Good luck." She offered a rare smile.
So, that evening, at eight-thirty, Kyle left the Hufflepuff common room right on time.
"I say, why are you following me?"
As he walked through the empty entrance hall, Kyle muttered to himself.
"Of course, it's out of curiosity." Fred's voice could be heard nearby... or perhaps George's.
Their voices were even more similar than their appearances, and even Kyle would have difficulty distinguishing who was speaking without seeing their faces.
"That's right, we spent half a year learning the Animagus Transformation, and now is the time to put it to use."
A ripple went through the air but quickly disappeared.
"Oh, Cedric, you stepped on me."
"It wasn't me, I'm over here..." Cedric's voice came from the other side of Kyle.
"Fred, well done!"
"Hey, it wasn't intentional."
...
As they passed through the Entrance Hall, Madame Maxime and Fengrong were also walking towards them from the other side of the venue.
Fred and the others immediately quieted down and no longer followed Kyle.
"What do you think it will be?" Fengrong suddenly said as they walked through the darkening night, "I think it's an underground tunnel, and we're going to search for treasure."
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Madame Maxime glanced over, seemingly wanting to stop them, but in the end, she said nothing and quickened her pace, leading the way.
"That's simple enough." Kyle said, "Maybe we can borrow some Nifflers from Hagrid and let them do the work. Those little guys might even dig up the Triwizard Cup."
They walked along the dark lawn towards the Quidditch pitch, then entered the pitch through a passageway.
"Oh, this is spectacular."
The pitch was no longer flat, as someone had built countless intricate and winding hedges here.
Mr. Bagman walked over from the middle of the pitch, talking to Dumbledore. Not far away were Chris and Bartemius Crouch, whom they hadn't seen in a long time.
"Oh, poor old Barty, that investigation had a huge impact on him."
As Kyle and Fengrong walked past, they overheard Mr. Bagman whispering to Dumbledore, "He didn't want to deal with this matter anymore, but we thought since he contributed a lot to the Triwizard Tournament, he should still be involved.
"Of course, the choice of referee won't change. To be honest, his current state isn't suitable for scoring."
"Oh, hello there." At this moment, he also noticed the two approaching and quickly changed the topic, "How are things? It's going well, isn't it?"
"In a month, Hagrid will have them twelve feet tall... Oh, and Krum is here too."
Mr. Bagman's tone became more cheerful.
"Well, I think you can probably guess what we're going to do here."
"The maze." Kyle said.
"Absolutely correct." Mr. Bagman said, "The Triwizard Cup is located in the center of the maze. Whichever champion touches it first will win... It's that simple and clear, right?"
Mr. Bagman said cheerfully, "There will be many obstacles in the maze. Hagrid provided a lot of magical creatures, Pomona supplied various plants, and there are some spells to be dispelled... Things like that. It should be quite fun."
"Wait a moment, does getting the cup mean becoming the champion?" Krum asked in a hoarse voice, "What about our previous scores? Are they useless?"
"Of course not," Mr. Bagman smiled at Kyle, "Mr. Krum, you're the second one, and finally, Miss Delacour."
"Of course, the lead is only temporary. Whether you can win the Triwizard Cup in the end depends on your ability to overcome the obstacles..."
Alright, if there are no other questions, let's head back to the castle... It's a bit chilly here."
(End of Chapter)
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