NOVEL NEXT Chapter 468: Chapter 468
(AN: Leave a comment and a review, your feedback helps me a lot.)
If you want to support me and read ahead!
Patrë-on.com/Se7enX
Yeah! Here's the new chapter!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Next Day – Sunday Night-
Today was a normal day, and after dinner Professor Flitwick came to me to tell me that Bagman wanted to see all the champions on the Quidditch pitch at 9 pm.
And when it was close to that time I started heading towards the castle grounds, and halfway there I met Harry, who had just separated from his friends and was also heading in that direction.
And after greeting him, we both started to go together to the Quidditch pitch.
And on our calm walk I could see that Harry was looking ahead with his lips pursed, seeming to be thinking about something.
"Why the thoughtful look, Harry?" I asked him, getting his attention.
"Oh, I was just wondering why Bagman wanted to meet us at night on the Quidditch pitch," he said, somewhat confused and curious.
"Well, I don't know exactly what it is, but it probably has something to do with the third task," I replied with a shrug.
And hearing this Harry frowned, "Hmm, I guess you're right" he said, before looking back forward.
And I could feel Harry's nervousness and worry after he realized that Bagman was probably calling us to talk about something involving the Tri-Wizard tournament.
'Well, those are normal feelings to feel in this situation' I thought, looking at the Gryffindor boy, 'And I'm sure Fleur and Krum must be nervous as well'
And I knew that at this moment I was probably the only one of the champions who was calm and relaxed.
And that was one of the advantages of knowing about the plot beforehand, since thanks to that I didn't have to worry because I knew that Bagman was calling us just to show us the maze.
But shaking my head I pushed those thoughts aside, continuing to walk to the outside of the castle.
And after walking for some more time, Harry and I finally arrived in front of the Quidditch pitch, and after passing through one of the entrances that was under the stands we entered the pitch.
And inside the pitch we saw that Fleur, Krum and Bagman were already waiting for us, but neither Harry nor I paid attention to them, deciding to focus on the large walls made of leaves and roots that now filled the Quidditch pitch.
"They're hedges!" Harry exclaimed in amazement, reaching out to touch them.
"You're right, Mr. Potter!" Bagman said with a cheerful smile, approaching us along with the other two champions, "And they're not even fully grown yet. Give it another month and Hagrid will have them at least 5 meters tall."
"5... meters?" Harry repeated, his eyes slightly wide as he stared at the hedges that already bigger than him.
"Yeah! And these hedges will cover the entire pitch!" Bagman nodded, "Oh, but don't worry, you'll have your normal Quidditch pitch after the task is over," he added as he saw Harry turning to him with a less than pleased look.
"Now, does anyone want to take a guess at what we're making here?" the chubby little man asked, looking at us with an expectant gleam in his eyes.
"Maze," I replied, stealing Krum's original line.
"You got it right!! It's a maze," he said excitedly, "And the third task will actually be very simple. The Tri-Wizard Tournament cup will be placed in the center of the maze, and the first champion to get their hands on it will become the winner of the tournament!"
"Is that all? We just have to go through the maze and touch the cup?" Fleur asked with a suspicious look.
"Pretty much," Bagman nodded, "But of course, things won't be that easy. Inside the maze there will be many obstacles and challenges that you will have to face if you want to reach the cup."
"Some obstacles and challenges? Like what?" Harry asked.
"Well, you'll have to deal with some charms and enchantments… And some magical creatures that Hagrid will provide," Bagman replied.
And Harry was finding the whole maze thing simple and easy until Batman talked about the magical creatures, and he became even more worried when he found out that his half-giant friend would be the one to choose the creatures.
'Damn, I just hope there's no dragon or cerberus in the maze' the Boy-Who-Lived grimaced.
And unaware of the Boy-Who-Lived's thoughts, Bagman continued the briefing.
"Now, you need to know that the champion who is leading the score count will enter the maze first," he said, looking at me with a slightly forced smile, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his dissatisfaction.
"The first to enter will obviously be Mr. Night, followed by Mr. Potter, then Miss Delacour, and finally Mr. Krum... But don't forget that everyone will have a chance to win, and it will all depend on your magical skills to overcome the challenges."
"But in the end it doesn't matter, since it's sure to be a very fun event, don't you agree?" Bagman asked, looking at us with his characteristic irritating smile.
However, what he received in response was silence and four pairs of dry gazes staring at him, which made him sweat in discomfort.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat to get rid of the awkwardness, "Well, that's all I had to say, so if no one has anything to ask I think we should head back to the castle since it's a little chilly out here," he said, not-so-subtly changing the subject.
And the chubby man didn't even wait for us to say anything before he turned around and started walking quickly towards the castle.
And those of us who stood in front of the maze on the Quidditch pitch could only stare at his back as he walked away with blank stares, watching him leave the pitch in the blink of an eye.
...
...
...
...
...
"That chubby man is strange," Fleur commented after a few seconds of silence.
""You have no idea,"" Harry and I both snorted.
"Hmm, why do I get the feeling you guys don't like him very much?" Fleur asked us with a small, amused smile.
And hearing this I prepared myself to respond to the beautiful Veela with some sarcastic comment.
However, out of the corner of my eye I saw that Krum, who had remained silent this entire time, was looking at the three of us, glaring at us with an irritated frown.
And seeing this I stopped, before turning to him with a questioningly raised eyebrow.
And Harry and Fleur, who noticed this change in me, blinked in confusion, before also turning to look at Krum, noticing his frown.
And when he realized that the three of us were looking at him, Krum seemed to have become even more irritated.
And the Durmstrang champion, in his best friendly and sympathetic personality, continued to stare at us for a few more seconds, before realizing that no one was backing away because of his gaze.
And disappointed or perhaps frustrated he grunted, before turning his back on us. And ignoring us and without saying anything he began to return to the castle.
"Huh?" Harry looked at the Quidditch star's back with a confused frown, not understanding what had just happened.
And Fleur who was also confused by the situation turned to us, "Err... Why do I have the feeling that he doesn't like us very much?" she asked while sweating.
"I think maybe, just maybe it's because he REALLY doesn't like us," I said.
And I actually knew there were a few reasons why he didn't like us, and those reasons were his competitiveness, a bit of arrogance and ego, and the fact that one of us sabotaged him on the last task.
'Well, I don't think sabotage is the right word... What I did is more like an aggressive and sneaky strategy to help my friends' I thought, my lips pursed.
But shaking my head I decided not to think about it anymore, and turning to Harry and Fleur I clapped my hands to get their attention.
"Well, we've already finished doing what we had to do out here, so I think we'd better go inside," I suggested, receiving nods from both of them.
"Oui, and the quicker we get into the castle the better, since I forgot my coat, and I'm not the biggest fan of the cold," Fleur said, rubbing her arms to warm herself up.
And the green-eyed boy in the group nodded at her words, rubbing his hands.
"In that case, let's go inside," I said, before turning to leave the Quidditch pitch, with Harry and Fleur quickly following me.
After that, the three of us returned to the castle, and halfway there Fleur separated from us saying that she was going to find her sister who had stayed in the library waiting for her.
And now Harry and I were alone again, and together we started to head towards the stairs that would take us up to the towers area, where the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers were.
'Hmm, I guess now is the right time for me to make that request to Harry' I thought, looking at the boy next to me with a calculating gaze.
End.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------