Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0626 Events (LARGE-CHAPTER)

Bryan carefully inspected the locking mechanism on the clasp. The magic sealing it was unusual, more similar to the enchantments used by goblins than typical magic. However, even these protective spells were no match for Bryan's prying curiosity and magical abilities. With a casual flick of his wand, he froze the restricting magic, rendering it inactive. He then cast a sound-dampening charm around himself to muffle any noise before slowly, lifting open the lid.

Looking down at the space inside the box, Bryan's expression underwent a subtle change. He fell into silence for a while.

Just as Bryan had sensed, the space inside the box was abnormal, having been magically expanded. It did not contain any priceless treasures, but a room.

Wooden stairs led directly to the bottom of the box several meters deep. The room's four walls were an oppressive light gray. The interior of the room, not even twenty square meters, was very simply furnished—a desk with a simple oil lamp, a coat rack with a few shirts and jeans, a bed, and a toilet. This was all the furniture in this room that looked like a confinement cell.

However—

On the bedpost of the camp bed below was a chain with a blood-stained surface, probably to ensure that the imprisoned person could reach any part of the room. This iron chain was very long.

The few clothes hanging on the coat rack all looked like they belonged to a young man, and the size was not something Barty could wear, especially that small wizard's school uniform that had been ironed without a single wrinkle.@@novelbin@@

Bryan blinked, suddenly remembering the half-torn family portrait he had seen when he entered.

Five minutes later, Bryan returned to the living room. When he looked at Barty Crouch on the sofa again, his mood had become very heavy.

"You were gone long enough, Bryan. Upset stomach?" Barty's face still had little color. He stared at Bryan who sat back beside him, a suspicious light flashing through his cold eyes.

"Ah—" Bryan leaned back on the soft sofa, pursing his lips. "Indeed, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Muggle breakfasts no longer agree with my stomach these days."

"Speaking of which, Bryan, what exactly did you insist on visiting me for by having Weatherby write to me?" Barty was clearly a bit impatient. He looked at Bryan with a gloomy face. "I think, with all the trouble you've gone through, it can't be just to help a house-elf that was kicked out to return to its master, right?"

"What are you saying, Barty? We're friends, aren't we?" Bryan smiled pleasantly, seeming not to notice the coldness and wariness in Barty's tone at all. "When I learned that an old friend's health had problems, even to the point of giving up work and needing to rest at home, I should visit, shouldn't I? Oh, of course—"

Before Barty could get angry, Bryan changed the subject. At the same time, the smile on his face faded, his casual gaze concentrated, and the heavy atmosphere he intentionally emitted startled Barty for a moment. For an instant, he almost wanted to take out his wand and jump away from Bryan.

"The reason I came to see you actually has to do with the secrecy of the Triwizard Tournament tasks, Barty—" Bryan said in a deep voice. "Just a few days ago, when I was chatting with a colleague, I accidentally learned that he already knew the content of the second task. He told me it was an employee of the Ministry of Magic who actively talked to him about it—"

Bryan looked very displeased. "We agreed to keep it strictly confidential, didn't we, Barty? We can't let some of the bad habits from past Triwizard Tournaments appear in this one. We put so much effort into the tournament tasks, but look, now there are still nearly three months before the second task, and the leaked content is already flying all over the sky. I have reason to suspect that some employees of the Ministry are even using their access to inside information to make a lot of gold galleons in the goblin-run betting market!"

Bryan's questioning stunned Barty. He really hadn't expected that Bryan's visit this time was actually about the leaking of the tournament.

"This is not a problem with the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Bryan!" Barty instinctively fought back. "I gave orders to all the officials involved in the planning of the tournament tasks not to reveal the content. The problem isn't on my end!"

"Oh?" Bryan pursued the question relentlessly. "Can I understand this to mean, Barty, that you think the problem is on Ludo's side?"

"We all know Ludo's style, Bryan!" Barty said firmly.

"I'm not an Auror or an enforcer for the Ministry of Magic, Barty. Investigating the truth is not my responsibility—" Bryan stood up, waving his arms impatiently as he paced back and forth in front of Barty.

"The reality is that the Ministry of Magic is leaking key information like a sieve! I don't know if Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have already managed to get the specific content of the second task and brainstormed solutions, while Dumbledore and I are still foolishly hoping that Hogwarts' champions can rely on their own talents to face the challenges.

If it were up to me, you should have had all the employees involved in the planning sign confidentiality contracts. Of course, it may be too late now. So, what do you think about changing the content of the second task to ensure the fairness of the competition!"

Barty had been impatiently enduring Bryan's nagging, but when he heard that Bryan Watson hoped to change the content of the competition, his brow jumped violently and he subconsciously stood up as well. "The content of the competition cannot be changed, Bryan!"

"Why, Barty?" Bryan narrowed his eyes.

"We've already broken too many rules in this tournament!" In just a few seconds, Barty had already thought of an excuse. "We restricted the age of the champions participating, we let Hogwarts have two champions, we even broadcast the competition to the entire European magical world... Every change here has caused huge controversy, Bryan. If we change the established competition content, what will people say... And, I'm sure you haven't forgotten, we've already given the hint for the second task to the four champions."

Barty's words seemed to really convince Bryan. He lowered his head, seeming to hesitate and ponder.

"All right, about the problem of the tournament leaking, Bryan—" Barty struck while the iron was hot. "I'll write a letter to young Weasley, instructing him to have all the employees in the department involved in planning the tournament sign a magical contract to ensure the content isn't further leaked. As for Ludo's side, I'll ask him to do the same!"

"But what good will that do, Barty?" Bryan sighed heavily. "The information has long been leaked. I believe many people have already found out about it."

"At least it can ensure the security of the third task, right, Bryan?" After a moment of hesitation, Barty lowered his voice. "If you feel the information leak is unfair to the Hogwarts champions, Bryan, then why don't you go and personally guide the two Hogwarts champions, especially that little girl. I think she's very likely to win the final victory of the Triwizard Tournament."

…

*SCENEBREAK*

…

In the week before Christmas, classes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had already concluded for the term. Though the teachers had assigned a large amount of holiday homework upon the fourth-year students, once the final bell rang, Harry had absolutely no intention whatsoever of even glancing at his assignments. Instead, he was determined to enjoy the break to the fullest, playing and relaxing as much as his heart desired, just like all his fellow classmates.

But, to say Harry completely neglected his tasks would not be entirely accurate. He, along with the other students in Professor Watson's physical education class did not abandon their daily running exercises.

The picturesque blanket of silver snow that had coated the Hogwarts grounds during the last heavy snowfall had not yet fully melted away when, amidst the tranquil stillness of the previous night, the cloudy sky once again began releasing swirling, delicate snowflakes. In just one day's time, the powdery snow piling up on the Quidditch pitch and lawns had already reached the knees of the young witches and wizards trekking through it. 

Hermione had suggested completing their running exercise before the sun peeked over the horizon. However, this notion was swiftly rejected by a shivering Harry and Ron, who shuddered at just thought of the pre-dawn chill.

Thus, the trio reluctantly waited until shortly before the evening meal to venture out, awkwardly walking through the irregular hills of deep and shallow snow. It more closely resembled an ungraceful struggle than anything resembling actual running.

Luckily, the three Gryffindors were not alone in their heroic battle against the nature. After Harry had been arduously making his way forward for over twenty minutes, a small group emerged from the castle, led by none other than Draco Malfoy with Pansy Parkinson and Astoria Greengrass on his sides and behind these three were the reluctant Crabbe and Goyle.

"Blimey, what're those two blokes doing just standing there like a pair of muddled trolls?" Ron coughed, struggling to catch his breath as he glanced sideways at Crabbe and Goyle. The two lingered on the bottom step of the Quidditch stands, looking utterly miserable as they trembled uncontrollably from head to toe.

"Isn't it obvious?" Harry replied, also panting slightly as he fought to regulate his breathing. The uneven terrain made even his experienced legs tremble with each sinking step. "Malfoy must have been stimulated by Hermione, I mean, Malfoy definitely didn't ignore Hermione's words mocking him last time in the PE classroom--"

"Hmph--" Hermione let out a cold, proud snort. "I'm afraid Malfoy spent a lot of effort persuading them to leave the warm castle, but he couldn't convince Crabbe and Goyle to work hard like you, right?"

"Oh, you saying that makes me feel embarrassed, Hermione--" Ron said with an exaggerated grin stretching from ear to ear.

Ron's silly expression prompted hearty chuckles from both Harry and Hermione. However, Hermione hastily composed herself, turning to Harry with a thoughtful expression.

"You know, Harry, after that intense duel, I genuinely expected your hostility with Malfoy to reach new heights. But then during double Potions on Friday, when Professor Snape was brutally criticizing you for botching the Alihotsy measurements...perhaps it escaped your notice, but Malfoy didn't mock or sneer at you even once. It was highly unusual."

"Come off it, Hermione!" Ron interjected, waving his hand dismissively. "Our rivalry with that pretentious ponce hit rock bottom ages ago, way back in first year! As for Potions class, I reckon the spineless git was simply scared witless by Harry's impressive dueling skills. The coward probably didn't anticipate that even after resorting to dirty underhanded tricks in a desperate attempt to seize the upper hand, he still couldn't manage to intimidate our Harry."

Harry didn't fully agree with Ron's statement, but he didn't refute it either, because he had indeed noticed that after that duel, his view of Malfoy had changed in some subtle way, but what exactly that change was, he himself couldn't say clearly.

As the trio finally escaped the Quidditch pitch and began wearily slogging up the slope towards the castle, their ears picked up the distinct sound of commotion emanating from the Beauxbatons carriage.

"Probably someone inviting Fleur to the Yule Ball." Even with Harry's keen eyesight, the long distance prevented him from making out the faces of the two people surrounded by some students in the center, but Fleur's silvery hair that still flashed in the snow from time to time confirmed her identity. "No matter who it is, he won't succeed--"

Ron clicked his tongue knowingly. "Blimey, ever since McGonagall made the official ball announcement, I'd wager at least ten boys have been shot down by Fleur on the daily. Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team captain, followed in the footsteps of those failures at noon. I heard from Neville that Fleur only had someone pass a message to Davies, he didn't even see her face, poor guy--"

Normally, Harry should have expressed a few words of sympathy for Davies like Ron, after all, he had competed against Davies on the pitch before. But thinking of his own experience, he couldn't say anything.

Cedric Diggory had publicly invited Cho Chang of Ravenclaw during the PE class right after Potions on Friday. Amidst cheers from the whole class, Cho turned beet red and nodded.

At the time, Harry's mind was filled with terrible thoughts, like rushing up to duel Diggory and such. Moreover, he was sure that he could have decisively defeated Diggory at that moment and proved to Cho that even though he wasn't a champion, he was no worse than Diggory.

In the end, he didn't act on the crazy notions in his heart, but slowly digested his bitterness alone. This incident also shattered all of Harry's illusions about the Yule Ball. When Ron asked about his plans, he frankly said he didn't intend to find a date.

"Blimey, Harry, you're really not going to take advantage and invite a pretty girl to the ball?" Ron asked, his tone carefully casual as the trio climbed the marble staircase. They moved slowly, using each other for support and balance on the steps, which were slippery with ice in some spots.

"Don't mind it, Harry. Even if you're not a champion, you're at least 'The Boy Who Lived', right? And you're also the youngest Seeker prodigy in a century. I bet not many girls would refuse an invitation from you. At least Ginny wouldn't, she's probably been hoping you'd invite her for ages--"

"I don't want to make a fool of myself, Ron--" Harry said in as casual a tone as possible, still unable to completely rid the sourness in his heart. "The last time I danced was seven or eight years ago, in Muggle school. If anyone wants to go to the ball with me, she'd better bring an extra pair of shoes--"

The sudden shout nearly made the three of them, who were climbing the stairs, sway violently. When they finally stabilized themselves and looked up with angry eyes, in just a second, the expressions in their eyes all turned subtle. Ron and Harry looked at Hermione, whose lips were pressed tightly, in unison.

"Is there something you need, Davies?" Hermione calmly avoided Roger Davies' courteously outstretched hand that meant to assist her when there was one step left to the landing. After stepping onto the platform, Harry and Ron also retreated behind Hermione with tacit understanding, even though their eyes on Roger Davies were full of strong hostility.

People coming and going in the Entrance Hall all sensed that something was about to happen. They stopped in their tracks and watched them with bated breath and interest.

"I've been looking for you for ages, didn't expect to run into you here, Hermione--" Davies' familiar address made Hermione, Harry and Ron all frown. Davies and Hermione's relationship wasn't good enough yet for them to address each other by first names. In fact, before today, they had never even spoken to each other at school.

Davies flipped his hanging hair off his forehead with a confident smile on his face. "Actually, I wanted to invite you to attend the Yule Ball with me. How about it, beautiful Miss Granger? I can assure you, if we show up at the ball together, we'll cause a sensation!"

For a moment, both Harry and Ron wanted to rush up and punch Davies' pretentious face. This guy had ulterior motives - he was rejected by Fleur at noon and now came to harass Hermione. He just wanted to use a champion's fame to make a name for himself!

Harry and Ron would bet that if Hermione agreed to Davies' invitation, they would go eat those Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts raw!

"Sorry, Davies--" Hermione said coldly. "I've already agreed to go with someone else--"

Hermione's answer immediately made Harry and Ron look at each other in surprise, and then uniformly stare at the back of Hermione's head.

As Hogwarts' champion who also earned the highest score in the first task, of course Hermione wouldn't lack admirers. In fact, quite a few people had invited her to the ball these days, but usually those inviting her would wait until Granger and her two friends weren't together.

But even so, Harry and Ron had heard plenty of gossip these past few days. However, due to the sensitivity of the topic, they both maintained a tacit understanding not to ask. But unexpectedly, Hermione had already found a date?

Harry's eyes were filled with pure shock and curiosity, while a glimmer of gloom flashed across Ron's freckled face.

Hermione's response also surprised Davies. He paused for a second before the confident smile returned to his face. "Oh, don't lie to me, Hermione. I already asked your good friend, that crazy girl, and she told me you haven't accepted anyone's invitation yet. Hmm... Maybe my invitation was too sudden for you, right? You need some time to process the pleasant surprise?"

"I don't know who this crazy girl you're talking about is, Davies!" The frost on Hermione's face deepened. She said stiffly, "My best friend in Ravenclaw is Luna Lovegood!"

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