Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 317 A mere fire dragon poses no threat...

In the following days, not only the students on the Hogwarts Express, but everyone in Durmstrang noticed the anomaly on the open space Cedric had pointed out—construction workers had built a huge dome in that area, covering everything inside, making it look like a giant hill from a distance.

The dome was over twenty meters high, almost as tall as half of Durmstrang Castle. From the outside, it appeared as black as flowing ink, blocking any attempt to peek inside, even magical attempts. Only around midnight could one occasionally see staff members moving in and out, carrying sealed boxes inside and then coming out empty-handed…

Such a blatant action naturally sparked more discussion and speculation throughout the school.

After Karkaroff publicly announced that the location was the venue for the second event and requested that unauthorized personnel stay away, the discussion immediately ignited. Everyone was speculating about what kind of competition would require such a massive venue. Some thought the warriors might face some kind of dangerous behemoth, while others believed it might conceal a complex and perilous man-made environment; many even thought that this time, the warriors would need to cooperate rather than fight, just like in the first challenge, to overcome some unprecedentedly powerful challenge…

Such discussions (and perhaps betting?) continued for a full week. Finally, on a cold Saturday, as the bell rang throughout the castle, signifying that the match would begin in an hour and spectators could take their places, the emotions that had been building in people's hearts finally reached their peak...

Apart from the three warriors.

Perhaps because of Avada's parting words, "The conspiracy hasn't disappeared, stay vigilant," Krum and Fleur's complexions hadn't improved much in the past week. They looked worried almost every day, and their health had visibly deteriorated, making Avada feel somewhat awkward—he hadn't expected his reminder to make the warriors so nervous.

If Dumbledore's information hadn't been so reliable, and if he hadn't personally witnessed how Ludo Bagman had been switched in front of everyone, he would have suspected he was deliberately spreading rumors to influence the contestants' performance through external factors. Fortunately, on the day of the competition, Krum and Fleur's interviews finally improved considerably, probably because they had gotten a good night's rest or used some non-prohibited potion.

As for Avada himself... he wasn't nervous at all from the beginning.

Anyway, he was already used to navigating the undercurrents of events, dealing with whatever came his way, and if things went wrong, Dumbledore and Noblyridge University would be there to handle it. Besides, they had already secretly taken the initiative, and Dumbledore seemed to be in a good mood these past few days—so there was probably no need to worry about the conspiracies for the time being.

As for the second project hidden beneath the dark dome, it naturally couldn't escape his perception of magic. To prevent any underhanded tricks related to the conspiracy from being secretly added, Avada had been monitoring the magical structure within for the past few days. He hadn't discovered any dangerous elements, but instead had thoroughly examined the entire setup of the venue beforehand…

However, it is not complicated. There are only a few stone pillars hidden underground that can rise or sink at any time. Inside them are some messy but generally weak magical structures. It is unknown what their specific functions are. It is estimated that they need to be combined with certain rules to form a complete and challenging level.

"...Mr. Ken, Mr. Krum, Miss Delacour, you should assemble in the area below—you must be prepared to complete the second project!"

With less than twenty minutes remaining until the start of the game, the three warriors sat in Durmstrang's lobby, surrounded by their classmates and friends, whispering amongst themselves in varying degrees of tension and relaxation. Then, Barty Crouch's steady, booming voice suddenly rang out in the lobby.

"it is good."

Avada stood up as he spoke, pushed his chair up, and then turned to look in the direction of Krum and Fleur—they were a little slower than him.

"Good luck!"

A group of old friends from Hogwarts stood up as well: "We're going to the stands first—apparently, the match will be broadcast live back to Hogwarts. Good luck!"

I will try my best.

Avada smiled at them, then turned and followed Crouch with Fleur and Krum. They left the hall through a side door, and after leaving Durmstrang Castle, they passed through a path with barriers on both sides to prevent them from spying on the match field. Finally, they entered a tent that required force to lift the curtain to squeeze in. Ludo Bagman—or at least the person with his face—was standing inside with a smile.

"Alright, everyone's here now—it's time to give you a briefing!" Bagman said excitedly, looking like a big cartoon character, even wearing his old Hornets jersey from when he was a Quidditch player, making him look even more like Bagman than Bagman himself.

"The rules of this competition are a bit complicated. And because you will be taking turns to be tested, I can't tell you the complete rules here to be fair... But at least one thing I can reveal is your goal in this competition—to get the golden egg!"

Avada raised an eyebrow—still the Fire Dragon level?

However, this time there was no lottery for choosing the dragon, and there were a lot of strange pillars on the field, so there will probably be some differences from the original story. But to be honest, he didn't really care—when he was in his second year, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who had a huge influence on him taught him that no matter how powerful a dragon was, it was still just an animal kept by wizards, and there was no point in fearing it.

"Now, you will enter the game in the order of your scores from the previous match, which means..."

Bagman's gaze shifted to Avada, his small eyes brimming with amusement: "Mr. Ken, please be the first to enter the arena for the competition—staff will be outside to distribute the necessary equipment and explain the rules... Good luck!"

"...Thank you."

While secretly admiring Barty Crouch Jr.'s Oscar-worthy acting skills, Avada subtly thanked him, then casually lifted the curtain and stepped out of the tent—after all, he was someone who could withstand a few blows from a combat master like Benjamin Baker, and even though he couldn't use many control spells, ordinary fire dragons weren't really a problem for him...

This thought persisted until he finally stepped out of the tent and saw the entire competition venue.

(End of this chapter)