"George, I suddenly have a new idea."
"Ha, me too!"
George and Fred looked at each other and said in unison.
As soon as they spoke, the two of them pulled their wands from their jacket pockets at the same time.
First, they blasted a few magical fireworks into the sky, then pressed their wand tips against their throats.
After casting the Sonorus charm, they began shouting loudly, "Show us Harry's camera shot!" x2
The commotion the brothers caused was far greater than Ron and Hermione's.
Almost instantly, everyone in the entire arena was drawn to their shouting.
Even Bagman, standing in the center as commentator, was startled by this sudden outburst, frozen in place for a moment, not knowing what to say.
But in truth, for Bagman, the bigger shock was still to come.
Because those brave little lions of Gryffindor, reminded by the Weasley twins, suddenly remembered, of course, their house still had Harry Potter competing out there, a true-blooded Gryffindor.
So, out of loyalty and support for their housemate, the Gryffindors in the stands began shouting along with George and Fred.
If it had stopped there, it might not have been a problem.
After all, with only Gryffindor shouting, their voices alone weren't enough to sway things. Bagman could still brush it off with, "Right now, the image of Link officially winning the championship is more important."
But the fatal problem was this, the little badgers of Hufflepuff thought, since their Link had already secured the championship, letting the cameras show Harry for a while also counted as supporting a fellow classmate.
The Slytherins thought Gryffindor's "begging" was rather pathetic. And since they were the "noble ones," of course they ought to show a little pity.
As for Ravenclaws, they just enjoyed the drama and wanted to see the excitement grow.
So after only a short while of spreading, the majority of students in the stands began shouting in unison.
"Show us Harry's camera shot!"
"Show us Harry's camera shot!"
———
On the Gryffindor stands, Ron finally couldn't hold back his tears when he saw this. Beside him, Hermione's eyes were also red.
They truly hadn't expected the other three houses to be willing to speak up for Harry. For a moment, they were so overwhelmed with emotion that even Slytherin, the house they usually hated most, suddenly seemed much more tolerable.
But Bagman, surrounded by the chants, wasn't feeling nearly as wonderful.
In fact, he was panicking so badly he nearly wet himself.
By reason, facing such overwhelming public demand, the obvious thing for him to do was immediately switch the broadcast to Harry's camera shot without a moment's hesitation.
But Voldemort and the Death Eaters hadn't made their real move yet. Could he dare do that?
He didn't dare.
So he could only stall for time.
Making his decision quickly, Bagman forced a fake smile and addressed the crowd, "Please, everyone, calm down."
"At present, the alchemical hummingbirds around Harry Potter have all been destroyed for unknown reasons."
"Right now, I am contacting staff to send out new hummingbirds to record footage, so I believe we'll be able to see him again very soon."
"In the meantime, let's focus our attention on Link Flamel. He seems to have no intention yet of lifting the trophy to celebrate his victory. Why could that be…?"
———
While the entire arena was shouting for his camera shot, the subject of those chants, Harry, had just dragged himself to shore.
Using up almost all his remaining strength to crawl onto dry land, the moment he left the water he felt a wave of weakness that dropped him flat on the ground.
To be honest, Harry really wanted to cry.
The torment he had endured on this journey had simply been far too much.
First, the gloomy Forbidden Forest had terrified him. Then he was "attacked" by Link. Even though his body hadn't been hurt, his spirit had been heavily shaken.
Later in the Black Lake, he had been chased and bitten by Grindylows, harassed by a Boggart that looked like a Dementor, hunted by merfolk, and forced to swim for his life. By now his body was covered in injuries, completely exhausted.
Struggling to his feet, he looked at the towering silhouette of Hogwarts Castle in the distance.
And he felt even more despair.
Just thinking of the suffering still waiting for him inside that familiar castle, and the fact that all he had gone through so far was meaningless, since the championship was destined to go to Link, he suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to give up and quit the competition.
For Harry, this temptation was nearly irresistible.
All he had to do was raise his wand and fire a red spark into the sky. Professors would immediately come and bring him to the infirmary.
Then Madam Pomfrey would treat his injuries, easing all the pain in his body. Afterwards, maybe he could drink a hot cocoa, eat something warm, and finally fall asleep in a cozy bed.
That was practically paradise.
Just imagining it made Harry's grip tighten around his wand. He was about to fire the signal.
But just as he lifted his arm, an alchemical hummingbird suddenly appeared before him, staring straight into his eyes.
It was Harry's first time seeing one so close.
And in that moment, he finally realized, these magical constructs that had always been filming him were truly beautiful.
The way they flew, the sounds they made, every joint, even each feather, was almost indistinguishable from a living hummingbird.
If not for their camera-like eyes, which carried an obvious mechanical imprint, you could hardly tell the difference.
Harry couldn't imagine how much effort alchemists had poured into creating such lifelike constructs.
But what drew Harry's gaze most was precisely those strange eyes.
Because through those lenses, it was as though he could see the arms of people waving toward him on the other side of the screen, familiar and unfamiliar faces alike, all cheering for him.
"They must all be watching me right now, right? If I choose to give up now, they'll all be disappointed. Especially Sirius, he always says how much I resemble my father. And if it were my father, I bet he would never quit."
Thinking this, and after a brief rest that restored a little of his strength, Harry pushed himself to his feet once more.
Step by slow step, he began walking toward Hogwarts Castle. His pace was painfully slow, but every step was solemn and heroic.
So what if he couldn't win the championship?
So what if he suffered?
Even if he had to crawl, he would crawl to the end.
This was to prove to everyone that he too was a true champion.
And this was to avoid disappointing those who cared for him, who loved him, who had pinned their hopes on him.
With sheer willpower, Harry forced himself into Hogwarts Castle.
The castle now was pitch-black, entirely different from the warm home it usually felt like. A heavy, sinister atmosphere clung to every corner.
But Harry was long used to sneaking out at night, he could handle such an environment.
What's more, as a Hogwarts student like Link, the "Floating Staircase Puzzle" set up by the organizers wasn't too difficult for him either.
The only difference was that Link, using Supersensory Charm and Occlumency's perfect rationality, could determine the optimal path almost instantly. Harry, on the other hand, had to take a few wrong turns and occasionally got tripped by hidden traps.
Still, it didn't matter. Eventually, he gritted his teeth and reached the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.
Looking up at the tall tower before him, Harry's heart beat nervously.
At the same time, within the shadows of the entrance, the Sphinx was secretly watching him.
With its high intelligence, it had the habit of guessing others' thoughts.
It knew very well that what was happening here was part of a competition.
Which made its purpose clear, blocking later challengers, as ordered by the terrifying wizard who had passed before.
But would someone capable of competing with that terrifying wizard be easy to deal with?
Just the thought made the Sphinx's heart sink bitterly.
Still, it had no choice. It knew its place.
If it deliberately went easy and that terrifying wizard found out, it would be killed without mercy.
Killing a beast meant nothing to noble wizards.
Gritting its teeth, the Sphinx forced a smile, poked out its head, and in the gentlest, most respectful tone said,
"Hello."
"Wah!"
Harry jumped back in fright at the sudden appearance of this huge creature, stumbling several steps.
The Sphinx was startled too, its mane bristling on end.
But as it calmed, its eyes flickered strangely.
'This little wizard… seems too timid. Does that mean he's actually weak? Not nearly as terrifying as the one before?'
Even so, the cautious Sphinx didn't change its friendly demeanor. Smiling, it said, "You're already very close to your goal. The fastest way forward is to pass me."
"Th-then… could you let me through?" Harry asked weakly.
He had recognized the creature and knew the Sphinx wasn't usually aggressive. Still, its terrifying bulk filled him with fear.
"I'm afraid not," the Sphinx replied, its smile widening. Confident now, it stepped fully from the shadows.
"Unless you can answer my riddle. Guess it in one try, and I'll let you pass. If not…"
Repeating its well-rehearsed speech once more, the Sphinx lay down and waited for Harry's answer.
Harry looked pained.
This kind of riddle-solving had always been Hermione's specialty, he was truly hopeless at it.
Still, the Sphinx's rules were generous. No real danger, and the creature seemed friendly enough.
After a moment's thought, Harry asked cautiously, "All right… can I hear the riddle?"
At that, the Sphinx's narrow pupils widened, staring at him as the atmosphere abruptly shifted.
The sudden change made Harry shrink back two more steps.
But his reaction only reassured the Sphinx.
This boy was indeed all bluff and no bite. Which meant it could carry out the terrifying wizard's orders without fear.
Deciding to give Harry the ultimate riddle, the Sphinx rose and towered over him, speaking in an arrogant tone, "Listen well!"
"Some try to hide, some try to deceive; but time will reveal all, and we always meet. Guess my name with all your might; When I truly have you, you'll know I'm right."
Harry froze.
Not because the riddle was hard, on the contrary, it was far too easy.
The essence was simply to name something every person inevitably encounters in life.
And there were countless such things.
His eyes lit up, and almost without hesitation he said, "Pain and injury!"
In Harry's mind, there was no such thing as a life without sickness or wounds.
But his answer only made the Sphinx laugh.
"Hahaha!" it said between laughs. "I'm sorry, that's wrong!"
"How could it be!?" Harry shouted in disbelief. "Then what's the answer?"
"The answer is... Death!"
The Sphinx grinned slyly.
The reason it counted this as one of its hardest riddles was because it had many possible answers, yet it treated it as a single-answer question.
Which made things very simple.
Whether the challenger passed or failed depended entirely on the Sphinx's mood.
Harry might have been a bit dense, but he wasn't stupid.
After the initial shock, he quickly realized what was going on.
And anger rose within him.
Clenching his teeth, he raised his wand to aim at the Sphinx.
But it was faster. With a casual swipe of its massive paw, the gust of wind alone sent Harry's wand flying.
"Take another path, child. The guardians at the other entrances aren't as strong as me."
The Sphinx smugly licked its paw.
Harry, hearing this, looked utterly crushed.
He stood in silence for a long time, before finally mustering his courage again.
He picked up his wand and began walking toward the side of the tower.
The Sphinx wasn't wrong. The other entrances should indeed have weaker guardians.
But just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the distance, "Looks like you've run into trouble. How about it, need some help?"
Startled, Harry turned his head, only to see Karkaroff leading a dozen Durmstrang students slowly walking toward him.
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