Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 414 The answer
Under a star-studded night sky, waves of sound filled the vast Quidditch pitch.

There were sounds everywhere: cheers, footsteps, clapping...

Dumbledore was the first to come over, followed by Cornelius Fudge and Percy.

“Oh, Siron Ollivander,” Fudge said happily. “On behalf of the Ministry of Magic, I congratulate you on winning the Triwizard Tournament. I knew you could do it.”

Despite saying that, his gaze remained fixed on the Three Strong Cup that was flashing blue light.

“Thank you, Minister,” Siren said, turning the Triwizard Cup around… It was quite heavy, and it was a bit difficult to hold with one hand.

At the same time, Fudge's gaze also shifted slightly.

Ms. Maxim did not come over with them. She stood not far away, talking to Furong, who had been eliminated early, and would occasionally glance in their direction.

As for Karkaroff, he remained seated, showing no intention of moving an inch.

Dumbledore stood beside Fudge, smiling, and waited for a while. Only after the loudest cheers subsided did he extend his hand and say in a booming voice:
"Very good, it seems that the champion of this three-way battle has been determined. Before you cheer, I think it would be better to let the other warriors in the maze come out first."

He fired a red spark into the sky, which exploded and formed a giant Goblet of Fire pattern.

This is a signal that the professors patrolling around the maze will see, and they will know that the third project is over, and then they will take the remaining warriors away.

However, Hibiscus has already failed and exited, so now only Krum remains in the maze.

While waiting, Siron was led by Mrs. Pomfrey to a changing room, which had been temporarily converted into a medical room.

Despite Siron's repeated assurances that he was not injured, Madam Pomfrey ignored him and continued to gesture with her wand over his body.

There was no other way but to cooperate.

Fortunately, Hermione and Harry arrived shortly afterward.

Seeing that Dumbledore outside the door did not stop her, Madam Pomfrey frowned but said nothing. She left a bottle of potion for Siron and then left.

"fantastic!"

Hermione excitedly hugged Siren as soon as she came in, "You won the Triwizard Tournament, Siren! I knew you could win!"

“Minister Fudge just said the same thing.” Celen picked up the potion on the table and took a sip. It tasted a little sweet, like raspberry juice.

It's a vitality tonic, a magical potion that can quickly restore physical and mental strength.

“Hermione, that’s not what you said just now,” Ron said quietly from the doorway. “When you met the Sphinx in Siren, you said that if he couldn’t answer the riddle, you’d have to change your route.”

Hermione blushed, but pretended not to hear anything... After all, that's what the book says: anyone who can't answer the riddle will be killed by the Sphinx.

She only remembered this point, but subconsciously forgot that the Sphinx is also a magical creature that can be defeated or killed.

"So, what is the riddle of the Sphinx?" Harry asked curiously. "Even you can't guess it?"

“I guessed it, but I chose the wrong one,” Celen said.

"Wrong choice?" Harry asked, puzzled. "What does that mean?"

“I have two answers,” Celen said.

"Tell me quickly," Hermione asked impatiently. "Perhaps we can help you."

“Well, that’s perfect, I do remember.” Siren recited the riddle poem of the Sphinx.

“I know, it’s time.” As soon as he finished reading, Hermione blurted out, “Time must always exist, right? And birds, beasts, trees, flowers, all of these die over time. And cities from hundreds of years ago are no longer visible now either. That’s what they call gnaws at steel, wears down solid stone, and destroys towns.”

“Yes, it is time.” Xiren shrugged. “But I chose the river because the river can do all of this, and it fits the third sentence better… something always ticks.”

“Yes,” Ron and Harry nodded thoughtfully. “A dripping sound is definitely water droplets, so why does the Sphinx think you’re wrong?”

“No, that’s not right,” Hermione suddenly said. “The ticking here isn’t the sound of water droplets.”

"What's that?" Harry asked.

“It’s a ‘T’,” Hermione said.

"What?" Harry didn't understand.

"This is it!" Hermione waved her wand in mid-air, and several golden letters appeared.

"Tick-tock refers to the 'T' in Tick-Tock." The two 'T's were moved aside.

"Then there's time, which is also...T."

"So this is the real meaning of the third sentence, hinting at the answer, rather than simply referring to the sound of dripping water."

Harry and Ron felt a tickling sensation in their ears, as if something had just gone in there and then passed through their minds again.

“T…who could possibly guess that?” Ron couldn’t help but mutter.

“That’s what the Sphinx is like,” Hermione said. “If you’ve read the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them carefully, you’ll know that they love to add wordplay to riddles. It’s not that difficult; you just have to think about it a bit more.”

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance... both seeing a look of confusion in each other's eyes.

Even Xilun pursed his lips.

So that's how it is? He had always thought that the so-called ticking sound was just a distractor.

“You guys just don’t read enough,” Hermione said irritably, then looked at Siren. “Siren must have thought of that too, right?”

"Huh?" Xilun blinked, then said firmly, "Yes, that's right, I've got it."

“That’s not what you said just now,” Ron muttered.

"I just chose the wrong answer," Xiren said confidently. "If I could answer it again, I would definitely have passed."

“It’s all the same,” Harry said with a smile. “When you beat the Sphinx, everyone in the stands went wild. Fred and George were throwing fireworks into the sky like crazy, and several of them almost hit Karkaroff on the head.”

“I bet they didn’t do it on purpose,” Xiren chuckled.

“Dumbledore said so too,” Ron said. “But while you were in the maze, that old bastard Karkaroff gave you a lot of trouble. He’s probably hoping you get killed by the Sphinx, so Krum will definitely win.”

"But Xiren still won."

“I was lucky,” Siron said. “Ordinary spells are useless against the Sphinx, and this magical creature is very intelligent and doesn’t easily reveal its weaknesses. If it weren’t for the Devil’s Net in the labyrinth, I probably would have had to take a different path.”

"That's your skill too."

Harry said, "Fleur also encountered the Devil's Web, but instead of using it against the Blasttail, she ended up getting tangled up herself."

……

(End of this chapter)