A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 666 What idiot came up with this competition format?

It was evening.

Ron was still in the library, staring at the golden egg, completely at a loss.

He felt like he was trapped in a nightmare and could only hope for a miracle.

But he knew even better that even if a miracle occurred and he discovered the secret of the golden egg, it would be difficult to find a solution overnight.

How did things come to this?

"I was so stupid, really. I only knew that becoming a warrior would make me the center of attention among all the students; I didn't know that every challenge would be this difficult..."

Ron couldn't help but think about it.

If he had studied the golden egg earlier, or paid attention in class—perhaps one of the teachers had mentioned how to crack the golden egg.

He's just like a student frantically studying the night before an exam. But he doesn't even know the exam scope, how can he possibly study?!

"Maybe I should just confront the referee tomorrow... I can't do it, I can't do it, I can't unlock the golden egg, I really can't do it!" Ron thought to himself.

Well, he had no idea where the second competition was held, let alone how to find the referee.

Ron couldn't help but cover his face, groaning in pain, and banging his head against the table.

The students around were all startled.

Everyone thought Ron was practicing some kind of evil magic through self-harm.

Get far away immediately.

As time passed, Mrs. Pince began to use a feather duster to shoo the students back to the lounge.

Ron went to the bathroom, changed into Harry's Invisibility Cloak, and evaded the search.

He quietly slipped out after Mrs. Pince had left.

Ron never imagined that he would one day be defecating in the library like this!

And... what about Harry?

He clearly said he would help me, but he's been gone for so long and hasn't come back yet!

Forget about him, I can only rely on myself now.

Using the faint light from the tip of his wand, Ron slipped into the bookshelves and pulled out one book after another—books about dragon eggs.

He pulled out any book that might mention eggs even in the slightest.

He moved all the books onto a table and buried himself in reading, searching diligently by the faint light of his wand, occasionally glancing at his watch...

Nine o'clock at night...ten o'clock...the only thing that kept Ron going was telling himself over and over again:

The secret is in the next book... in the next book... the next book...

Ron felt extremely tired.

He yawned and decided to take a short nap on the table. He would only nap for a few minutes before continuing to read.

Just a few minutes later, snoring began, banging against the library window.

Ron had a dream that he won the Triwizard Tournament.

Harry congratulated him, Malfoy knelt on the ground and sang "Conquer," and the girls all looked on with envy, wanting to date him...

Ron woke up groggily, wiped the drool from his mouth, and glanced at his watch... It was only 9:30...

Take another five-minute nap.

Just five minutes.

"Aaaaaah... It's 9:30!!!"

A heart-wrenching wail echoed through the library. The sound was so loud that even the water in the cup rippled slightly.

The screams were mixed with grief and despair, as if what they had missed was not a game, but their own...wedding!

But no one heard Ron's cry from his soul.

Because all the students, along with Mrs. Pins, were gathered by the Black Lake, waiting for the second competition to begin.

The seats that surrounded the Fire Dragon Arena last November are now arranged in tiers on the opposite bank of the lake, completely full, and their reflections are mirrored in the lake below.

The referees sat by the water, next to a table covered with a golden tablecloth.

The warriors stood side by side around the referee's table, like lackeys.

Mrs. Maxim rested her chin on her hands, staring blankly at the lake.

After a moment, she suggested softly, "Should we wait a little longer?"

However, she knew it was pointless to ask, because the suggestion would not be approved.

Sure enough, Karkarov immediately jumped out and coldly objected:

"I don't think it's necessary! A competition is a competition. Why waste everyone's time for one warrior?!"

"Is it Professor Dumbledore?"

Karkaroff is in a bad mood now; this is intelligence he paid for. He wants fairness!

"What do you think, Barty?" Dumbledore didn't answer, but looked at Crouch.

"No, according to the competition rules, we have to start the competition now," Crouch said curtly.

"Being late disqualifies you; no one can violate the rules!"

"Alright," Dumbledore said with some regret. "Have you found Ludo?"

There were originally five referees, but Ludo isn't here, so there are only four left.

"I've got some leads... I think I'll find him soon." Crouch's eyelids drooped. "Don't worry."

"I hope he's alright," Dumbledore said softly.

"I think...we've already wasted a lot of time."

Karkaroff rudely interrupted Dumbledore's stalling tactics.

"Hey hey~ Ron Weasley hasn't shown up yet!"

The second competition ended with Li finishing. His voice, characteristic of anime characters, echoed throughout the arena.

"I regret to inform you of the referee's decision."

According to the competition rules, Ron Weasley was disqualified from the second event.

A commotion arose from the crowd, with people whispering among themselves about why Ron hadn't shown up.

"Perhaps he forgot it's match day..." Li guessed.

"Or perhaps he hasn't discovered the secret of the golden egg yet. Of course, maybe he's already slept with it, who knows?"

The students burst into laughter.

"Alright, our warriors are all in position. I'll blow my whistle, and the second event will begin."

They had a full hour to reclaim what had been stolen.

When I learned the competition was being held at Black Lake, I thought it was a diving competition or a swimsuit show... I'm sure everyone wants to see it...

"Li, get started now!" Professor McGonagall said with a dark expression.

"Okay, I've received death threats. Maybe I should learn from Ron and oversleep... I'll count to three."

one two three!"

A sharp whistle echoed in the cold, still air.

A burst of cheers and applause erupted from the stands.

With a wave of her wand, she cast a head-bubbling spell on herself, then jumped into the half-deep water and headed towards the middle of the lake.

Cedric, meanwhile, was using his wand to transform himself.

He's been practicing this a lot lately, so he quickly turned into a monster with the upper body of a fish and the lower body of a human.

Everyone was clapping and cheering for him.

Krum was the same; he wanted to turn himself into a shark.

George then pulled out a strangely shaped alchemical object, which looked like a respirator, and hung it on his face.

This is the respirator he provided the idea for, made under William's guidance.

Malfoy then pulled out a large bottle of Polyjuice Potion. Octopus tentacles had been added, making the Polyjuice Potion pitch black, like riverbed silt.

Malfoy forced himself to swallow the compound decoction despite feeling nauseous.

His whole body trembled, and he slowly twisted, turning into a monster that was half human and half octopus.

Malfoy's head turned into an octopus face, with tentacles flailing wildly, looking exceptionally...exciting.

Somewhat like the captain of the Flying Dutchman—David Jones.

Drinking a compound soup containing animal hair or body structures will not turn you into an animal, but rather into a half-human, half-animal.

Snape looked at Malfoy with satisfaction.

There was no other way; he couldn't learn the head-drinking spell, so this was the only method he could use.

It's just a bit troublesome to change it back later... Okay, it's a minor issue.

The other students cast spells on themselves, then jumped into the water and swam toward the center of the lake.

But Hermione is not like that.

Before everyone's eyes, she actually took flight.

"Wow, that's amazing! Granger is flying in mid-air!" Lee exclaimed.

There is almost no magic in the magical world that allows wizards to fly, at least not like Hermione's flying ability.

In the first competition, Cho and Cedric used flying brooms.

But Hermione seemed to have no help at all, and just like that, she flew into the air.

No one noticed her long black robe. No wizard had ever seen a flying cloak before.

Hermione fluttered like a butterfly, lightly treading the water, leaping five or six meters in a single bound, soaring high over the shallow water and flying to the center of the lake.

She drank a whole bottle of her homemade lung-watering potion, and then leaped into the water like a fish.

Her posture was incredibly graceful.

It captivated everyone who watched.

Soon, all the students entered the Black Lake, and the lake became completely quiet.

"Annie, what are we watching for the next hour?" Ginny couldn't help but ask from the audience.

"Read...read a book."

Anne was prepared; she waved the notebook in her hand, which contained Hermione's insights on handling magical materials.

Soon, the students all noticed this.

The Warriors entered Black Lake, and the spectators couldn't see anything, they just sat in their seats... feeling the cold February wind!

It'll take another hour to blow!

Who was the idiot who came up with this competition format?!

……