Edward jolted in shock—he had clearly chosen an empty spot, so when had someone appeared beside him? And he had not sensed it at all.
He turned his head, only to see a familiar face—the ticket inspector whom he had just rendered blindly foolish. Except now, whether it was the man's expression or the look in his eyes, everything indicated that he had become someone entirely different.
The ticket inspector shook his head helplessly.
"Sigh…I doze off for a moment, and when I wake up, one of my people has been turned into an idiot by you. Even if I were any duller, there's no way I wouldn't notice that."
Edward let out an awkward "Uh…sorry."
"But well, it's understandable. You must have many, many questions." He spread his hands. "For example—who I am, where you are, what all of this actually is, and so on."
Edward hesitated before asking, "May I ask…are you 'that person' mentioned by Adam and the Evernight Goddess?"
"Ah, I suppose I should be." He waved his hand with a smile. "But calling me 'that person' or 'this person' sounds terribly unpleasant. For now, just call me…hmm, let me think…call me the Creator."
Edward's pupils contracted. "The Creator?"
The "ticket inspector" extended both hands. Two illusory books leapt into existence upon his palms.
"That's right. Since I'm the one who created all of this…surely I deserve to be called 'the Creator.'"
In his left palm lay Harry Potter, and in his right—Lord of the Mysteries!
———
Meanwhile, outside the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.
The moment the last Beauxbatons professor rescued a female student, the first event of the Quadwizard Tournament drew to a temporary close.
Each professor who completed a rescue received clues regarding the next event, and, based on their ranking and scores, earned the right to have certain spells "unlocked"—another new rule introduced in this tournament.
All contestants could initially choose only five basic spells out of the twenty selected by the judging panel. As the competition progressed, additional spell permissions would be unlocked according to their ranking.
This shackled format undoubtedly made the tournament far more interesting.
The "inexperienced and not very worldly" Audrey could not help exclaiming, "The person who came up with these rules is incredible!"
A smile surfaced on Dumbledore's face.
"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Audrey."
"Ah—so it was your idea, Professor?"
"That's right." He chuckled. "To be honest, I've never been very satisfied that the wizarding world's most famous competition is essentially a bunch of people flying around chasing balls on broomsticks. I've always felt that…Quidditch simply isn't magical enough. So after referencing a variety of Muggle entertainment programs and a few interesting mini-games, I began wondering…could we turn the Triwizard Tournament into a uniquely wizarding event that feels far more…magical?"
"And so, this attempt was born. It's the first thing I plan to accomplish after becoming Minister for Magic."
Dumbledore continued, "But many people think I've grown senile and am just making a mess of things. I don't see it that way. If the magical world remains unchanged forever, that would be truly unmagical."
"Well, I should head to the judges' stand to give my scores."
He blinked mischievously. "I imagine they're secretly discussing how Albus Dumbledore could possibly take this long in the lavatory—and whether the greatest white wizard has finally started failing in health due to old age."
The Evernight Goddess suddenly said coolly, "So long as you manage to advance to Sequence 4, you should be able to live another three to four hundred years in perfectly good health. I don't think that would be too difficult for you, Dumbledore."
"Oh? Then I rather look forward to it."
Dumbledore gave a small laugh and strode forward.
Soon, amid the cheers of the students, the four heads of school began scoring the eight professors in turn. Despite the obvious favouritism at play, Snape still secured first place by being the first to rescue Harry, earning the full-throated cheers of every Hogwarts student present.
"Sonorous."
At that moment, Dumbledore pressed his wand to his throat, amplifying his voice so it reached the ears of everyone present.
"Then, the first event of the Quadwizard Tournament has come to a temporary close. All students, please return to the castle in an orderly fashion. A magnificent feast awaits you in two hours."
"Woooaaahhh!!"
"And lastly—let us once more give the warmest applause to our eight champions and the people they hold dearest!"
Thunderous applause erupted through the Forbidden Forest. On the podium, Snape shot a vicious glare at Harry, who was foolishly clapping along with everyone else, and barely restrained the urge to unleash a torrent of venom.
Damn brat, as if I'd ever care about this idiot Potter! Albus! This must be Albus's doing!!
———
Tonight's feast was even more sumptuous than the one held a month prior, when the four schools had first gathered. The Great Hall bustled with noise as everyone ate and chatted animatedly about the day's competition; the atmosphere was exceptionally joyful.
Audrey, Lilith, and the others were assigned to sit in the Slytherin area. After more than two months apart, Malfoy visibly jumped in fright when he suddenly spotted Audrey. He quickly composed himself, greeted her at once, then dragged his two followers to sit as far from her as physically possible.
This childish behaviour, combined with the lively and cheerful surroundings, eased much of the worry that had been weighing on Audrey due to Edward's prolonged absence.
Lilith sat quietly beside her, brows drawn together, her thoughts unknowable. As for Susie, she instinctively curled up in a corner, observing everyone around her with keen vigilance.
Priscilla—the Evernight Goddess—behaved quite differently from what Audrey had expected. She had thought that this deity, who symbolised silence and darkness, would feel uncomfortable in such a lively environment.
Yet the Goddess merely sat quietly, sampling the various dishes in small, dainty bites—frowning at times, showing a hint of pleasure at others.
"What are you looking at?"
The Evernight Goddess suddenly turned to Audrey and asked coolly.
"Ah—I…I wasn't, I…!"
Oh no! Audrey, how could you forget? One must not gaze directly at a deity!
Not only had she looked—she had stared at her eating, and for several minutes at that.
The Goddess asked again, "You are afraid of Me?"
"…Yes."
Stupid mouth, move! Say something—anything—to ease this awkwardness!
"Y-Your…your eating posture is very elegant."
"…"
Audrey's brain was practically steaming from overexertion when several figures suddenly ran over.
"Audrey!!"
In the lead was Gryffindor's resident genius, Hermione, followed by Harry and Ron—her two loyal tagalongs—and a slightly chubby boy.
"Audrey, you're back! When I saw you from far away just now, I thought I'd mistaken someone else for you!"
"Hello, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Neville. How have you all been?"
"Great!" Hermione replied with a bright smile. "Harry and Ron have been doing quite well too."
Ron muttered, "Oh, come off it. Ever since Fred and George earned a pile of money selling their improved Dungbombs, they've been constantly inventing new prank items—and every time they experiment, I'm the one they use!"
Hermione shot him a sidelong glance.
"I seem to recall it was you who wanted extra pocket money and volunteered to be their test subject?"
"You remembered wrong!"
At that moment, chubby Neville stepped forward timidly, his face full of gratitude. "Miss Audrey, I…I'm here to thank you on behalf of my dad, mum, and gran. While you were away, my parents' condition has been getting better and better. The healers said that at this rate, they could be discharged in as little as half a year!"
Audrey brightened instantly.
"Ah! That's wonderful!"
"Thank you! Gran wants to invite you to our home for a meal."
"Of course! Once Edward comes back, I'll ask him."
"T-Then I'll head back first."
Blushing slightly, Neville waved and hurried away.
Audrey turned to Harry with a smile. "Harry, I watched today's Quadwizard Tournament—you performed very well."
Harry instantly grew nervous and shy, glancing around awkwardly. "D-Don't…don't say that. Professor Snape warned me several times to forget about the whole thing. I just asked him 'Why,' and he punished me with a month of cleaning toilets."
At that, his expression turned aggrieved.
"I clearly just went to sleep like usual, and when I woke up, I was tied up in the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by a bunch of centaurs. I have no idea what happened…"
Because…Professor Snape loved your mother deeply. In a sense, even if he despises you as the son of his romantic rival, it doesn't change the fact that he values you.
Audrey thought this, but did not say it out loud. Instead, she smiled.
"When you're a little older, you'll understand. But I can promise you this—you truly are Professor Snape's treasure."
Ron immediately made a retching gesture. "Oh Merlin, that is…horrifying news."
Harry scratched his head, confused. Then he looked around. "Where's Edward? He's not with Hufflepuff, and he's not with you either."
"Oh, he went to take care of something important."
At the mention of him, shadows crept back into Audrey's mood. What on earth is happening on Edward's side? Why hasn't he returned yet? She quickly shook off her worry and began introducing the others.
"Right—these two are…"
But as soon as she began, she suddenly found herself unable to speak. It was as though someone had stripped her of the ability to form words; nothing would come out of her throat.
She looked at Harry and the others—they were staring at her in confusion.
Hermione asked, "What two people?"
"???"
Audrey froze, following their line of sight—Lilith and the Goddess were clearly right there…
Could it be that Hermione and the others can't see Lilith or the Evernight Goddess?
Just as she puzzled over this, she heard the Goddess say coolly, "Do not mind it. Simply act as though We do not exist."
Her words unexpectedly eased Audrey's tension. She immediately shifted the topic and resumed chatting and laughing with Hermione and the others.
The Evernight Goddess popped a small piece of golden fried potato into Her mouth. After chewing for a few seconds, She remarked, "Even if they are made by Hogwarts' house-elves, fried potatoes remain equally unappetizing."
She set down Her knife and fork, picked up a napkin to dab Her lips, then turned Her gaze toward the absentminded Lilith. A glint flickered through Her eyes, and the corner of Her mouth lifted slightly.
You do not look like someone worried about Edward at all. Have you discovered something?
———
[Note]: 790 Powerstones for an Extra Chapter tomorrow! Go, VOTE!
And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Thank me later~
Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]