Chapter 600: This Was All Wade Gray's Design!
Nataша of Durmstrang had just dodged a Fire Dragon’s attack, leaning against the wall to catch her breath, when she suddenly heard a rustling sound from the maze tunnel ahead.
She shot upright, alert. There, creeping through the shadows, was a creature that looked like a spider—except it was carrying a Golden Egg, moving swiftly across the stone floor.
Nataша froze for a split second, then fired a quick Obstacle Spell. The beam of light skimmed past the spider-like magic puppet, striking the wall with a sharp crack.
She lunged forward, but before she could close the distance, a voice roared from behind:
“Stop right there! Blazing Flame Spell!”
A serpent of fire roared through the tunnel, engulfing the spider. It burst apart with a pop, and the Golden Egg tumbled away, rolling across the floor.
Immediately after, Abby from Salem Academy burst out of the tunnel—her red-brown hair whipping through the air. Without hesitation, she charged toward the rolling egg. At the last moment, she locked eyes with Nata, startled, and instantly redirected her wand.
“Petrificus Totalus!”
“Bind Fast!”
Two spells collided midair, rebounding in opposite directions.
In that instant, a mantis-shaped magic puppet launched out from the vines like a spring-loaded trap, snatching up the golden egg just as it rolled toward the wall. Before Natasha could react, it darted into the far tunnel, clutching its prize.
“Wait! Leave the Golden Egg!” she shouted, but both she and Abby abandoned their rivalry, sprinting after it.
A second later, Samuel and Hope from Salem Academy emerged from the same tunnel. Natasha immediately skidded to a halt, pressing herself against the wall, politely watching them rush past.
Three against one? The odds were hopeless. Better to retreat now than risk total defeat.
---
“Split-into-Parts Spell!”
The Mantis Magic Puppet split down the middle in a burst of splinters. The Golden Egg fell once more—this time, a Locust Magic Puppet dropped from above, landing squarely on Abby’s face.
She screamed, startled, and stumbled blindly into the wall.
Hope dashed forward, grabbed the insect’s lower half, and slammed it hard onto the ground. Then she crushed it underfoot.
Abby, trembling and still reeling, frantically wiped her face and clothes. Only after Hope pulled her up did she see Samuel had already shattered another Ant Magic Puppet that had tried to steal the egg—securing it for himself.
“That was… too close,” Samuel said, his pale face tightening into a grim expression. “That one guy only used a few Magic Puppets to keep us scrambling. If we’d faced him head-on…”
“He brought the Magic Puppets in with him!” Abby frowned. “Why didn’t the Referees call it a violation?”
“Because the puppets were probably conjured here, on the spot,” Hope said, crouching to examine the remains of the Locust Puppet. “Look—these are all materials from the tunnel itself.”
Abby had been annoyed at first, but when she saw the tangled mess of dried vines and leaves, her anger faded. She fell silent.
After a pause, she whispered in awe:
“He’s… incredibly skilled at Alchemy.”
Hope nodded slowly, silently.
The three of them instinctively avoided confronting the truth: this was Wade Gray’s doing. They walked back toward the previous tunnel in silence, their steps heavy and slow.
When they reached the Golden Compass Room, they found a small crowd—some new arrivals, others who had passed through earlier, including Natasha.
Everyone stood frozen, staring at the far end of the tunnel.
There, at the entrance, a Spider Magic Puppet had woven a web from vines. It was a simple obstacle—anyone could destroy it easily. But what caught their attention was the sight of several Magic Puppets crawling across the web, pulling apart their own fibers to form a message in the air:
> Thank you for your enthusiastic cooperation.
> All remaining Golden Eggs are in my hands.
> —V.G.
Even without the signature, they all knew. Only Wade Gray could pull off something like this.
“Blazing Flame Spell!”
Mando’s Ganish unleashed a fiery burst, a blazing inferno that consumed the web and the puppets in a flash of heat and light.
He turned to the others, shouting:
“I don’t believe he took all the Golden Eggs alone. Who’s with me to check inside?”
Silence. Then Natasha finally spoke, barely above a whisper:
“Ganish… you came late. You didn’t see… a Magic Puppet carried multiple Golden Eggs right past us. It slipped into that tunnel.”
She pointed to the far passage.
Ganish followed her gaze, then turned back, his brow furrowing.
“So you just… watched it steal the eggs?”
He rubbed his temples, bewildered.
“Are those puppets that strong? These ones are barely more than scrap!”
“Because it was perfectly disguised,” Zahid from Akatim admitted, scratching his nose sheepishly. “It looked exactly like a vine. If it hadn’t dropped an egg at the end, we might’ve never noticed.”
No one could have guessed it. Among a swarm of insects, one was a plant—so lifelike that even at close range, it was indistinguishable from real vines. And in a chamber filled with vines, the illusion was flawless.
“Accidentally?” Ganish groaned. “Do you know of any Magic Puppet that accidentally drops a Golden Egg? It was on purpose—a trap to lure us.”
Nataша sighed. "So what now? Are we just going to let it happen?"
Another silence. Then Ganish, stubborn as ever, stepped forward into the tunnel. The others hesitated, then followed—uncertain, but unwilling to stay behind.
An Ultimate Wizarding Level trap was no match for their combined skill. They advanced smoothly, only to find every mechanism designed to store Golden Eggs empty. No choice but to turn back.
“We were played,” Samuel murmured to Abby, voice low. “If we hadn’t been lured away, we might’ve noticed the anomaly—the one vine that moved differently. We could’ve cracked the code.”
Abby said nothing. Her face was stone.
When they returned to the Chamber of Secrets, they found someone new: Olga Las from Kodostoriz.
He wore a scowling expression, but his voice was surprisingly calm.
“Looks like something unexpected happened here?”
He scanned their faces, then nodded.
“Then let’s go. If the Tournament requires Golden Eggs, and only Wade Gray has them… we go after him.”
Before anyone could react, he strode into the tunnel leading to Wade’s domain.
The others stared.
…Well, yes, it made sense. But couldn’t they at least discuss a plan first?
They hesitated, then slowly followed.
Samuel, Abby, and Hope stayed behind, deliberately falling back. Abby blocked the others’ view. Samuel casually shifted his arm—then, with a flick, the Golden Egg slipped into Hope’s outer robe pocket.
Even if not pure gold, the weight was unmistakable. Hope felt it instantly, eyes widening.
“Don’t say anything,” Samuel whispered. “Take this egg and leave. Now.”
Abby gave a small nod. “This isn’t about us. It’s about the school’s honor. Among us, you’re the best chance at winning. Don’t let this first task end your dream.”
Hope clutched the pocket, her voice trembling.
“…I’ll be back. I promise.”
She forced a nod, but a tear slipped down her cheek.
“Crying?” Abby smiled faintly. “It’s not a death sentence.”
---
The slender girl touched the Compass. Her form vanished.
The others were already deep in the tunnel, out of sight.
Harry exhaled in relief, turning to Cedric.
“How do you feel?”
He was glad he’d run back to rescue Cedric. Otherwise, he’d have run straight into that group—risking not only his own egg, but also being blamed.
Cedric, limp and weak, dragged his legs like sacks of flour.
“Still alive.”
Harry looked at his legs with sympathy, then patted his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. One night with Madam Pomfrey, and you’ll be fine.”
“Since when did you learn magic like that?” Cedric asked, bewildered. “We were both stuck. Then suddenly, you said you had an idea—something that’d hurt a little, but might work. I agreed… and you pulled the bones out of my legs!”
He shuddered. Without bones, he’d been easily dragged out of the trap. But now, his legs were soft and useless—only Harry’s Hovering Charm kept him upright.
“It’s Wade’s magic,” Harry said. “He taught it to me. Gilderoy Lockhart once used it on me. Wade saw it, memorized it, and passed it on.”
“…That’s terrifying,” Cedric muttered. “I don’t even feel like my legs are mine anymore. Don’t let the rest of us learn every dangerous spell you find!”
“We only thought it was interesting,” Harry said. “We’ve never used it on anyone.”
At the Compass, he placed the Golden Egg into Cedric’s hands.
Cedric refused. “This is yours. I can’t take it.”
“Salem’s right,” Harry said firmly. “The one with the best chance should pass first. And I need to go see Wade—maybe I can help him, too.”
With a flick of his wand, he lifted Cedric—still protesting—into the air and sent him toward the Compass. The rules were clear: once the egg was in his possession, he was through.
As Cedric vanished, Harry stood still, dazed.
He saw himself walking away with the Golden Egg, raising the Trophy—crowds cheering, Qiú Zhang watching him with eyes alight, smiling with pure joy.
Then the vision shifted—Cedric, standing tall, his face filled with gratitude.
“Thank you, Harry. You saved us.”
Harry felt a pang of regret. He’d been too noble. He was angry at himself—so hard, he slapped his own cheeks twice.
The fantasy faded. The chamber remained dim, littered with spell scars.
Harry gripped his wand and stepped deeper into the tunnel.
---
“Unbelievable! Third champion has made it through… well, not exactly smoothly. Medics! Medics! Hurry to Mr. Digory—he’s in bad shape! Let’s see what the others are up to…”
Bagman’s commentary echoed through the arena.
The Scottish Black Dragon roared in fury, thrashing against the barrier. Its eyes were bleeding, its scales torn—yet it still didn’t notice the tiny, rat-like creature that had hopped onto its claw, climbed up its leg, and now sat atop its back, gazing across the chamber.
Jabari, a Wagadoo student in disguise, kept his eyes calm. He hadn’t heard the commentary, but on the stands, a fellow Wagadoo student suddenly raised a sign, glowing with enchanted paint:
> GO! GO! GO!
“Only three made it out?” Jabari thought. “The competition’s even more brutal than I thought. Did the Referees really prepare for this?”
He didn’t smile. His dark eyes remained still.
As the dragon landed with a thunderous crash, Jabari slipped down its tail, moving like a shadow across the floor. He darted toward the Compass—four limbs flashing in rapid motion, a blur on the ground.
He leapt onto the Compass. His eyes blinked.
The world shifted before him.
(End of Chapter)
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