Chapter 658
The Argument by the Stable
Chapter 658 The Argument by the Stable
After May arrived, the temperature finally warmed up. The damp sea breeze, carrying the fresh scent of plants, swept over the ancient castle.
The water level of Black Lake has also risen considerably, and occasionally some dark shadows can be seen gliding underwater, creating ripples on the surface of the lake.
After the afternoon potions class ended, Vader rolled up his sleeves and walked out of the classroom, still carrying the bitter smell of potions.
"Sorry, I almost sneezed when I was stirring for the sixth time."
Theo slung his backpack over his shoulder and said, "So I didn't adjust the rhythm properly during the seventh stirring, which made the potion I brewed this time less than perfect."
“Nobody’s perfect, and I can’t help sneezing when I’m about to,” Wade said. “But I read in a book that if the smoke is too thick, you can add a small spoonful of moonstone powder, and then…”
“Wade…Wade Gray!”
A panting Gryffindor junior ran ahead. He first glanced warily at the door of the Potions classroom, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that Professor Snape had not come out.
“Grey, Professor McGonagall asked me to pass on a message to you—go to the vicinity of Hagrid’s Hut at nine o’clock tonight.”
Michael came up from behind and asked, "Do you know what this is about? If there's any work to be done, we can help out."
The younger student hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "The professor didn't say, so I don't know either."
Ryan asked, "Besides Wade, who else did you pass on a message to?"
"Cedric of Hufflepuff".
A younger student glanced at Wade and added, "I heard that Professor McGonagall kept Harry Potter behind after Transfiguration class today."
“Thank you, I understand,” Wade said.
Michael raised an eyebrow: "Wade, I remember you said something like, a month before the third event starts, the referees are supposed to tell you what the competition is about?"
"That's what happened."
Wade nodded briefly, then looked away.
Through the thick stone wall, he seemed to see the dark and deep forbidden forest again.
“I see…it’s about time,” Michael said.
The younger students ran to find Cedric, and the group walked up the stone steps, through the corridor, and toward the auditorium.
"It's finally about to begin." Theo grinned. "We have a full month to prepare, and the third event is sure to be even more exciting than the previous ones."
Ryan sighed, "I hope not too many people get hurt, or Madam Pomfrey will definitely go crazy."
"Don't have such unrealistic dreams, Ryan."
Michael said, "Let's lower our expectations. Let's just pray that no one dies, otherwise this kind of event might only happen once in a lifetime..."
"Only once..."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, pondered for a while, and then suddenly said, "Wade, what do you think of the title 'The Only Eleven-School League Champion in History'?"
Ryan's face darkened: "Are you a devil?"
"Hahaha..." Michael chuckled dryly, "Just kidding!"
Theo asked, "Wade, what do you think the third event will be?"
"The first two projects involved tunneling and swimming in the Black Lake," Wade said uncertainly. "This time, it'll probably be... treasure hunting in the Forbidden Forest?"
Theo chuckled: "Impossible, the referee has to consider the Warriors' lives, right?"
“Perhaps this time the arena will be in the sky,” Michael imagined. “Just imagine, warriors riding broomsticks or fire dragons, competing in the sky for treasures that are even more agile and nimble than the Golden Snitch. Wouldn’t that be interesting?”
……
Half an hour before nine o'clock, Vader put on his cloak and stepped out of the castle gate.
The night was still cool and damp, and the sky was covered with dark clouds, so it looked like there would probably be a heavy rain tonight.
"Hey! Wade!"
A clear female voice came from the side.
Vader turned around and saw Natalia striding towards him, her fiery red cloak billowing behind her, and her face bearing her usual radiant smile.
Wade smiled and said, "Good evening, Natalia."
"Let's go together. I've been waiting for this day for ages."
Natalia took a brown paper bag out of her pocket, opened it, and handed it to Wade, saying enthusiastically, "Try this! It's homemade candy from my mother, with mead and cherry filling. I guarantee you've never tasted anything so good!"
Wade, who had already picked up a candy, withdrew his hand upon hearing this and clenched the candy in his palm.
"Thank you, I'll keep it and eat it when I get home."
"Don't mention it, I have plenty more!" Natalia shook the bag, and the candies wrapped in tin foil inside made a rustling sound.
Wade said in a serious tone, "Eating sugar at night is bad for your teeth."
Natalia said speechlessly, "Are you a child? You can just brush your teeth when you get back. By the way, we have a tooth-strengthening potion where we live. It prevents cavities for two or three years after drinking it. I'll ask my mom to send me a bottle."
No matter what she said, Wade just smiled and put the candy in his pocket.
As they spoke, the lights of Hagrid's hut were already within reach, and wisps of smoke drifted from the chimney, mingling with the aroma of freshly baked rock cakes.
Jabari Weaving, who had arrived earlier, was captivated by the aroma and asked Hagrid for a piece. Cedric looked at him with the eyes one would give a warrior.
Jabari stuffed the rock-skin bread into his mouth and took a bite, immediately displaying an expression of utter disbelief. Under Hagrid's expectant gaze, he ground the bread with his teeth, unable to offer a comment for a long time.
The arrival of Vader and his companion saved Jabari.
"Ah, you've come too!"
Bagman, dressed in a purple robe embroidered with gold patterns, his round face beaming with a childlike joy, exclaimed, "Wade, Miss Natalia, I knew you two would come together!"
He patted them both on the shoulder enthusiastically, only to be met with a roll of his eyes from Natalia.
“We just happened to run into each other!” Natalia explained, then pulled out a brown paper bag: “Have a piece! It’s candy my mom made!”
Everyone took one or two, and Jabari couldn't wait to put down his almost undamaged rock-skin cake and grab a few candies.
"It smells so good! I want to eat the candy first. Professor Hagrid, may I save this cookie for breakfast tomorrow?"
"Of course," Hagrid said with a smile. "Don't worry, my rock crust cakes won't spoil even if they're left for ten days!"
"Ah, but I prefer sweet food, and it would be even better with honey."
Bagman chuckled as he unwrapped a candy, when suddenly his eyes lit up and he looked past the crowd to the back of the room: "Harry, you little rascal, you almost got late!"
"Good evening, Mr. Bagman." Harry, under the spotlight, brushed a few stray hairs from his forehead and said somewhat awkwardly, "Good evening, everyone."
“Very good, everyone is here.” Bagman clapped his hands happily and said to Hagrid, “Professor Hagrid, please begin your introduction.”
"Ok."
Hagrid spoke gruffly, turning his gaze to the crowd, his expression slightly serious:
"They said they wanted to use the Forbidden Forest as the venue for the third competition, and to be honest, I completely disagreed. But unfortunately, the Ministry of Magic doesn't intend to take my opinion into consideration, so the forest ahead will be where you'll be fighting each other a month from now!"
The warriors all looked toward the Forbidden Forest.
In the darkness of night, the forest is like a black wall, with ancient trees intertwined and branches twisted. Sometimes, when the wind blows, they make a mournful sound like a wail.
Occasionally, a few ghostly green lights would flash through the woods, and sometimes the whimpering of some creature could be heard, along with the rustling sound of crawling.
Before Mando left, the elephant would only graze on grass and leaves at the edge of the forest, never venturing deep into the Forbidden Forest. "If you want to come back alive a month from now, listen up—the Forbidden Forest isn't some Muggle jungle where you can have a picnic!"
Hagrid looked intently at several students from other schools and said, "There are centaurs, werewolves, giant spiders, venomous snakes, and deadly insects inside. Some people have even seen sphinxes and ground bats in there."
He paused, giving everyone a moment to be shocked and to build up their fear, before continuing:
"Although the Ministry of Magic has temporarily banished some of my old buddies to the depths of the Forbidden Forest, accidents can happen at any time, so you'd better not wander off on your own!"
Clementine raised his hand: "I heard there are fire dragons in the Forbidden Forest?"
Hagrid immediately said, “Noberta is a good girl…and she’s moved away for the time being, so you don’t need to have a conflict with her.”
Although the Ministry of Magic originally intended to include Norbert in the competition, after watching the first competition, how could Hagrid bear to send his child out to suffer?
These young wizards were so reckless that injuring the dragon's eye with an eye-cursing spell was hardly a big deal for them. If they weren't so incapable, they would have killed the dragon without hesitation.
Since the Forbidden Forest was already dangerous enough, with Dumbledore's tacit approval, Hagrid persuaded Norbert to leave her residence temporarily.
The price was that Hagrid's carefully styled hair and newly grown beard were mostly burned off, forcing him to revert to his previous slovenly appearance.
Bagman cleared his throat and said, "The third competition is simple—you must use the compass you got in the last competition to find the Goblet of Fire in the Forbidden Forest! Whoever touches it first is the champion!"
“How do we determine who’s first?” Jabari asked, glancing at Wade, “In case someone knocks out the first person to touch the trophy…”
“Oh, that’s absolutely impossible,” Bagman said with a smile. “The trophy itself is a door key; the bravest person to touch it will be sent straight to the podium—with the glory of victory and the cheers of all the spectators!”
“But,” Clementine said with difficulty, “the compass I have is incomplete…”
She looked at Bagman with a pitiful expression.
To be precise, the girl only had one pointer in her hand.
“My dear Miss Durand,” Bagman winked, a sly smile spreading across his face, “you are the warriors. You can’t expect me, the referee, to figure out how to win the game, can you?”
He looked up and smiled, "Alright, is there any other problem...? If not, let's go back to the castle, it's getting a bit cold here..."
The group walked back to the castle on the lawn, with lights shining from the windows of the distant tower.
Wade walked at the back of the group, when out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a light figure passing through the crowd—Clementine smilingly stopped the barely noticeable Hope, twirling a strand of hair with her fingers and whispering something.
Hope shrugged, bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.
……
During a break at the Spells Workshop, Vader put away his wand and leaned against the window to rest his eyes.
The starlight wasn't very bright tonight, but his eyesight was excellent, and he could see clearly—two not-so-strong figures, covering each other, were running across the lawn toward the stables of the Beauxbatons.
The two people were a man and a woman. The girl's fluffy blonde hair bounced with her steps, making her recognizable even if you only saw the top of her head.
— Luna Lovegood.
Suddenly, a piercing shout rang out in the activity room:
"An eight-eyed giant spider? You're going to deal with that kind of monster?"
Ron, his face filled with terror, shouted at Harry in an unnaturally high-pitched voice, "Do you know how terrifying those things are? Do you know they always travel in packs?"
Many people were hearing about the third competition event for the first time, and they started discussing it, turning the previously quiet activity room into a buzzing noise.
Harry's face also turned slightly pale.
"The most important thing isn't the spider; there are far more dangers in the Forbidden Forest!"
Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Harry, I think you should prepare systematically! Spells, potions, weapons, and distress signals if necessary! Good heavens, there's so much to prepare, I have to make a list!"
She sat down and began writing rapidly, while Fred put his arm around Harry's neck, furtively handing him a list and saying:
"Harry, I'm sure you'll find something you need among the Weasleys' prank products. For our sake, I'll give you a 50% discount..."
"Gray!"
While the others were whispering among themselves, Zacharys Smith of Hufflepuff raised his arm and asked loudly, "Are there any effective spells to deal with the monsters in the Forbidden Forest?"
The activity room fell silent for a moment.
Wade turned his gaze away from the window, and amidst the varied expressions of the students in the classroom, he smiled and said:
"Of course there are—the eight-eyed giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest are terrified of fire; centaurs, sphinxes, and unicorns won't attack you unless provoked; if you encounter a werewolf, the Bright Light Charm can repel it, provided the werewolf isn't enraged. This spell is an enhanced version of the Fluorescent Charm..."
Vader didn't hold back and generously taught the spell. Zacharys, on the other hand, was very uncomfortable under everyone's gaze and ran away as soon as the event ended.
Wade quickly shook off the several classmates who wanted to talk to him, waved his hand, and then hurried downstairs.
Upon reaching the vicinity of the stables, a rich aroma of alcohol wafted from afar. Vader cast a Bubble Charm and then an Illusion Charm on himself before quietly making his way over.
"Oh, look, I found another one!"
Rolf Scamander said happily, holding a struggling beetle in his hand. Its shell was golden, similar in color to the coat of the Divine Horse.
“I’ve caught three too.” Luna shook the bottle in her hand, signaling Rolf to keep trying.
Most of the divine horses were already asleep, while a few were pawing at the ground with their hooves, their wings occasionally brushing against the fence, creating a soft rustling sound.
Luna and her companion were crouching near the stables searching for beetles when they suddenly heard heavy footsteps. Startled, they quickly hid behind a haystack not far away.
Vader, who was still invisible, moved his feet and waited behind another haystack. Luna, who was not far away, suddenly glanced in their direction.
Then, Mrs. Maxim strode over with heavy footsteps, her face as cold as frost.
Hagrid then strode over to her, puzzled, and said, "I don't understand! Being of giant blood isn't anything shameful! Why do you..."
"I'll say it again!" Mrs. Maxim raised her voice, angrily saying, "I! Do not! Have giant blood! Don't associate me with such savage creatures!"
The sleeping divine horses were startled awake, and they neighed uneasily in low voices.
"Savage? Madam, you mean the giant bloodline is savage?"
Hagrid said, heartbroken and shocked, then grew angry and growled in a low voice, "Are you insulting our origins? Saying such things...you are insulting yourself too!"
Maxim was equally trembling with anger; her breathing was rapid, and her chest heaved violently.
"Rupert Hagrid! Haven't you ever seen giants with your own eyes? Those savage, filthy, stupid, and brutal races—just mentioning their names makes me sick! I'm not like you. I... I'm not some hybrid giant. I just have a bigger skeleton than others!"
Hagrid's voice trembled: "You'd rather deceive yourself like this than face the truth? But I..."
"Enough, we have nothing more to say!" Mrs. Maxim coldly interrupted him and turned to leave.
Hagrid stood there dejectedly, watching her retreating figure, and finally sighed heavily before leaving as well.
After a while, Rolf poked his head out and brushed off the grass stems stuck to his body.
"They're arguing so badly, aren't they? They know their words will hurt the other person, so why can't they think before they speak?"
The boy sighed sympathetically, completely ignoring the words "half-giant" he had overheard.
“Like the Willow Tree,” Luna said softly.
"The Man-Beating Willow?" Rolf looked at her curiously.
The girl glanced at the willow tree in the distance and said, "It looks fierce on the surface, but its roots are intertwined underneath."
Rolf understood, smiled, and looked at Luna, asking, "...Really?"
“Of course they will.” Luna shook her head slightly, her voice ethereal. “They hurt each other because they’re close, because they’re too clumsy to express ‘I care about you’—you agree, right?”
The girl looked toward where Wade was hiding and asked softly.
(End of this chapter)