Hermione made her choice loud enough for everyone in the classroom to hear.
This wasn't a particularly surprising answer to most. All the Gryffindor students in their year knew that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the best of friends.
In their lower years, the three of them had been quite literally inseparable. It was only after advancing to the upper years that their schedules had become more complicated and fragmented, no longer aligning with one another meant they occasionally weren't together.
Even so, despite the inevitability of Hermione's choice, some people still let out disappointed sighs when hearing it —Neville, for instance, and Ginny as well.
"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley—"
Bryan nodded at Hermione.
"You're certain, Miss Granger?"
After receiving Hermione's firm affirmative reply, Bryan smoothly shifted his attention elsewhere. He turned to look at Cedric.
"Well then, what is your choice, Mr. Diggory?"
Compared to Hermione, who had made her choice with remarkable swiftness and confidence, Cedric appeared far more hesitant and conflicted.
He looked down at the Hufflepuff group below, his gaze wandering back and forth among those eager faces, unable to settle his mind or make any definitive determination.
Most of the Hufflepuff students currently participating in the Physical Education class were younger years than him. Although he was familiar with all of them, having been a prefect, they hadn't reached the level where they could truly rely on each other in combat.
Of course, Cedric understood that he could also choose his friends from around the school, just as Hermione had done, rather than necessarily picking classmates from his Physical Education section.
However, those friends of his, while genuinely kind and decent people, weren't particularly skilled in practical magical combat. They were the type who had to rely significantly on luck to successfully cast an Iron Armor Charm under pressure. They possessed courage and loyalty, certainly, but not the refined skills that would be required for what lay ahead.
The Triwizard Tournament arena was genuinely no joke. Bringing unprepared students onto the field would be undoubtedly irresponsible, potentially putting them in harm's way far beyond their current capabilities. Cedric's sense of honor and responsibility flinched from the thought of dragging friends into danger they weren't prepared to face, all for his own ambitions.
And as for selecting his teammates from the Physical Education class...
After hesitating for a moment, Cedric finally fixed his gaze on a figure.
His girlfriend, Ravenclaw's Cho Chang.
Just like Harry, Cho Chang seemed to have somehow anticipated this possibility long ago. Yet when Cedric's gaze truly fell upon her, her breathing still became uncontrollably erratic.
"Professor Watson—" Cedric's voice emerged hesitantly.
"May I speak with Cho first? Before I give you my answer?"
"Of course, no problem, Mr. Diggory," Bryan responded, his demeanor gracious and understanding. He raised his eyebrows slightly with a knowing smile.
Thus, under the teasing gazes and knowing grins of many young wizards, Cedric pulled Cho Chang, whose cheeks had turned red out from the crowd.
The two of them moved quickly toward the back corner of the Physical Education classroom. Once they reached that shadowed corner, they turned their backs to their classmates' line of sight and began whispering to each other.
"Cho—" Gazing at Cho Chang's lively eyes, Cedric's heart throbbed violently. He took Cho's hand and asked softly,
"If I wanted you to compete with me in the task..."
Mist rose spontaneously in Cho Chang's eyes. She bit her lip lightly, almost melting under the intensity of Cedric's loving gaze.
"I would of course be willing... Cedric—" Cho Chang's voice was soft. But after she gave her reply, the sudden tension that flashed in Cedric's eyes made Cho's heart skip a beat.
"What's wrong, Cedric?" she asked softly.
As lovers who knew and loved each other, Cho could certainly see that Cedric was carrying an enormous burden in his heart.
"I—" Cedric opened his mouth, clearly wanting to speak. But something held him back.
Cho's eyes flickered with sudden understanding, moving back and forth as she judged her boyfriend's conflicted expression. She immediately guessed what her boyfriend was thinking.
"You're worried about me, aren't you, Cedric?" she asked gently.
"Worried that I'll encounter danger in the competition."
Cho showed a gentle, knowing smile.
"I don't know..." Cedric's response sounded as though he had caught a severe cold, his voice was muffled with suppressed emotion.
He gripped Cho's hand tightly in his palm, holding on as if she might slip away from him. His fingers were trembling slightly.
"Can't be sure... but you know, the first task involved facing dragons—genuine fire-breathing dragons with lethal capabilities. And during the second task something went wrong..."
His voice grew quieter, more stressed as he continued.
"They—Hermione, Harry—they claimed they encountered You-Know-Who himself."
Speaking of this, Cedric shuddered violently, his entire body was trembling with the force of his fear.
"The Headmaster of Durmstrang... and Mr. Crouch... they both—the third task definitely won't be simple, will it? Otherwise, Professor Watson wouldn't have us bring teammates."
His words tumbled out in an urgent rush, as if he had been holding them back for weeks and they could no longer be contained.
"As long as I can help you, Cedric, I—" Cho began, trying to reassure him,.
"I know, of course I know—" Cedric cut her off, his anguished expression making it seem as though Cho was destined to meet with misfortune in the competition.
In fact, since the second task had ended, Cedric had been frequently awakened at night by nightmares of disaster that had nearly occurred.
If he hadn't been the first to rescue Cho from beneath the lake during the second task, she might have been taken outside the school along with Harry and Ron and the other hostages. Although Professor Watson had prepared competition suits for all of them, those protective enchantments couldn't eliminate all risks, could they? Accidents could happen.
And now, in the third task, he would have to actively bring his beloved girl into danger. This wasn't what Cedric wanted. Yet when he thought about the image of him and Cho fighting side by side on the field, working together as a unified team, supporting each other against whatever obstacles appeared—that vision was incredibly tempting.
He found himself caught between two impossible desires: the desire to protect her by keeping her away from danger, and the desire to have her beside him, to face whatever came together.
Staring at her boyfriend's eyes so close, watching the light in them alternate between conflicted and longing; sudden understanding flashed through Cho's mind.
Clearly, her presence had already become a serious burden to Cedric—not a burden in the sense of unwanted weight, but the burden of caring deeply for someone who might be hurt. If they were both on the field together…..
"You want to win, don't you, Cedric?" Cho asked gently, her question piercing to the heart of the matter.
"Win? Oh, of course!" Cedric said without hesitation, his response was automatic and honest.
But then he blinked in confusion, as if realizing that her question might have carried hidden meaning.
"But so, what, Cho? All champions dream of victory, don't they? That's why we competed in the first place."
Cho smiled—a smile filled with warmth and wisdom that seemed to glow in her captivating dark eyes.
"I already know how to make the choice, Cedric," she said softly, and before he could ask what she meant, she withdrew her hand from his palm and instead grasped his slightly cold hand in both of hers, holding it with determined gentleness.
Back with the Gryffindor group, Hermione, who had returned to her house group after making her announcement, found herself immediately confronted by Fred's commentary.
"What do you guys think that silly pretty boy will choose for teammates?" Fred asked with exaggerated casualness.
Hermione glared at George disapprovingly, her expression was stern and reproachful like Professor McGonagall's.
"Cedric is also a Hogwarts champion. You shouldn't talk about him like that."
"Ah, yes ma'am, our noble champion lady—" George said with dramatic respect, lazily brushing off Hermione's moral correction with a wave of his hand.
He turned immediately to Harry with mischievous interest gleaming in his eyes.
"Want to make another bet, Harry? We could wager on who Cedric picks. I'd say he chooses those two Ravenclaw seventh-years, but George thinks—"
"Are you two determined to win back the money you lost to me when Hermione tricked that stupid toad from the Ministry?" Harry replied with exasperation, rolling his eyes.
"You lost that wager fair and square. Sorry, but I'm not interested in making another bet this time. Especially not with you two."
Ignoring the twins' mockery, Harry stared fixedly at the couple in the corner. Regardless of anything else, there was some loneliness in his heart.
"Cedric looks somewhat surprised?" Neville speculated with great interest.
"I guess Cho suggested some outrageous teammates to him. Oh, they've decided. Look, they're coming back."
Indeed, Cedric and Cho had finished their session and were now approaching Professor Watson's position, holding hands, moving together.
Watching Cedric and Cho holding hands and jogging back toward him with, Bryan's face once again bore a warm, knowing smile.
"Have you finished discussing?" Bryan asked, though in reality, he had already 'heard' their choice.
This wasn't eavesdropping in any conventional sense—rather, all the movements and emotions in this classroom could hardly escape his notice.
Gulp—
Cedric swallowed hard and nodded with difficulty. Before giving his answer, he glanced at Cho, and reading encouragement and support from his beloved's eyes, seeing her nod faintly, he took a deep breath that seemed to center his resolve.
"I've chosen, Professor Watson. It is—"
Cedric turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the gathered students. His eyes fell upon the two teammates Cho had suggested to him. As expected, of the two people locked by his gaze, one showed bewilderment and shock, while the other didn't respond to his look at all—she was looking up at the ceiling with a somewhat dreamy expression, as if counting stars....
"Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood!"
A moment of silence fell as the young wizards absorbed the announcement and processed their surprise.
The reactions varied wildly across the room.
"Oh, are you joking?" Fred was the first to show an exaggerated expression of astonishment.
"Where did you get such a brilliant mind, Cedric!"
The classroom suddenly erupted into a noise of overlapping voices and reactions.
Harry was vigorously patting the dazed Neville's arm, while on the other side, Luna was surrounded by several Ravenclaw students offering congratulations.
"Cedric, Neville, and Luna—" Hermione said thoughtfully, pressing her lips together as she processed the choice and gave Cho an admiring smile.
"Without a doubt, they'll be the strongest opponents. That's a truly excellent choice."
The commotion quickly settled down after a few coughs from Professor Watson at the front of the classroom.
Bryan wore a smile that radiated satisfaction and approval, his voice was cheerful and warm as he said.
"Hermione Granger has selected Harry Potter and Ron Weasley; Cedric Diggory has selected Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. I hope that in the upcoming competition, you can fully trust your teammates, and..."
The meaningful look Professor Watson directed at her made Hermione pause slightly.
"...your opponents. Now then, would the two champions and the teammates they've selected please leave the Physical Education classroom. For the remaining time, I need to discuss end-of-term examinations with the rest of the students."
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