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Chapter 629: The Final Begins (1st Update)
Chapter 629: The Final Begins (1st Update)
"Mr. Carmen, over here, over here!"
A familiar voice called from the grass on the right side of the maze. Jerry turned his head and saw Ludo Bagman, one of the referees, waving at him. Beside him, the other two champions, Krum and Fleur, had already arrived.
Once all three champions were present, Ludo began to explain the general details of the third task.
"As you can see, we are constructing a massive maze, which will serve as the main venue for the third task.
At the time of the event, we will place the Triwizard Cup at the center of the maze. The champion who reaches the center first and retrieves the Triwizard Cup will be the winner of the Triwizard Tournament!"
At this point, he paused, giving Jerry a pointed look before continuing.
"However, I must warn you that once the maze is fully constructed, it will be filled with numerous obstacles.
For example, Hagrid has provided many Fantastic Beasts, and various professors and the Ministry of Magic have set up a wide array of magic traps.
In short, it will be extremely complex and dangerous, so you need to be mentally prepared.
Lastly, the third task prohibits the use of any spatial magic or flight magic!"
This rule was not originally part of the task, but it was added to address the concerns of the headmasters of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. The Ministry of Magic had no choice but to implement it.
There was no denying that Jerry's spatial magic and flight magic were extremely powerful. If left unrestricted, he could simply open a portal or fly over the maze, rendering the competition meaningless.
Moreover, after witnessing Jerry's performance in the first two tasks, everyone doubted their anti-flight and anti-spatial magic measures would be effective against him.
After all, even the powerful anti-spatial magic built into Hogwarts Castle couldn't stop Jerry's portals from functioning within its walls.
So, the referees decided to ban the use of such magic outright.
Of course, this was somewhat unfair to Jerry, but Dumbledore and Snape did not object.
They believed that allowing Jerry to be a champion was already unfair to the other two schools, and the added restrictions were likely futile.
The outcome was already decided when Jerry was chosen to represent Hogwarts. The other schools were merely making a last-ditch effort.
Upon hearing the ban on flight and spatial magic, Fleur and Krum let out long sighs of relief.
Without these additional conditions, they would have considered withdrawing from the final task altogether.
The first two tasks had been such a blow to their confidence. Compared to their initial enthusiasm when they arrived, they now felt only unease.
Jerry, however, showed no change in expression, appearing indifferent to the new rules.
Seeing that Jerry did not protest, Ludo's concerns eased, and he continued:
"By the way, the champion leading in points from the first two tasks will enter the maze first. According to the current rankings, Mr. Carmen will enter first, followed by Mr. Krum one minute later, and Miss Delacour will enter last, one minute after Mr. Krum.
That's about it. You will need to give your all to overcome all the obstacles and have a chance at winning the Triwizard Cup. Are there any questions?"
“No!”
Jerry and the others responded in turn.
“You can all go back to sleep now. Honestly, it’s really quite cold at this time of night.”
A cold wind blew, and Ludo shivered involuntarily.
On June 24th, the final event of the Triwizard Tournament began.
Unlike the other two tasks, the final event was set to start in the evening, after dinner.
So throughout the day, the young wizards were in a state of tension.
Among them, Fleur and Krum were the most nervous.
Given Jerry's overwhelming strength in the previous two tasks, the pressure on them for the third task was immense.
They knew that if they faced Jerry head-on, their chances of winning were slim.
Therefore, their strategy was to avoid a direct confrontation with Jerry and to solve the various traps in the maze as quickly as possible to find the Triwizard Cup, which was located at the center of the maze.
Due to Jerry's strength, their respective headmasters had gone to great lengths over the past month.
Karkaroff and Maxime used their connections and a bit of bribery to obtain the entire maze's layout and the types of magic traps from the Ministry of Magic witches who created the maze.
They also spent a significant amount of money to acquire magical items that could help them navigate the maze without interference, ensuring they could find the correct direction quickly.
Thus, the only obstacle left for them was the various fantastic beasts Hagrid had placed inside the maze.
Even so, they had gained a significant advantage over Jerry. As long as they followed the training steps from the past month, they still had a chance to compete with Jerry for the Triwizard Cup.
Around five o'clock in the afternoon, a ghost ship appeared in the Black Lake, carrying all the students from Durmstrang.
At the same time, several carriages pulled by Thestrals appeared in the sky, each filled with students from Beauxbatons.
Flames flickered in the fireplaces within the castle, and many Ministry of Magic officials and witches interested in the Triwizard Cup arrived.
“Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes, I will be inviting you to the Quidditch Stadium to watch the final event of the Triwizard Tournament. Please have the champions follow Mr. Bagman to the stadium.”
After the sumptuous dinner, Dumbledore stood up.
Hearing this, Jerry, Fleur, and Krum joined Ludo. Amidst the enthusiastic applause and cheers of the young wizards, they left the Great Hall and walked towards the entrance of the maze outside the castle.
After a month of construction, the maze had undergone significant changes.
First, a huge semi-circular tiered stand had been added in front of the maze, capable of accommodating at least a thousand spectators.
Second, the maze's area was clearly much larger, thanks to the Undetectable Extension Charm. The maze was no longer just the size of a Quidditch Stadium but gave the illusion of being vast and endless.
Finally, the maze's walls, previously just bare and about seven to eight meters high, were now covered with special magical plants, giving it a lush appearance.
However, in the dark of night, it looked even more dangerous and eerie, as if the vegetation held hidden threats at every turn.
(End of Chapter)
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