Harry Potter and the Hidden Treasure (Volume 3)

Chapter 596 End Of The Task

Cedric was gravely injured, but they were only superficial wounds, and Madam Pomfrey soon healed him.

The issue was the burns. A part of his pallid face was covered with a thick orange paste.

It was a highly effective ointment for treating burns. It guaranteed that no scar would remain, but it had to be applied all night.

"Rest, I have to go out. I must send a message to my mum. I will tell her everything that happened today... but it's unbelievable. She has always been concerned about Ron!" Charlie continued and embraced Ron. "Congratulations, Ron, you're the best! Oh, I almost forgot, I was told you had to stay a few more minutes. Bagman wants to talk to you back at the champions' tent."

They stayed for a while in the medical tent before heading to the champions' tent with Cedric.

Krum, Fleur, and Gabrielle were already inside, and Fleur had changed her clothes.

When Gabrielle saw Evan, she hurried towards him, dragging Fleur along.

They had gone to the carriage for Fleur to change her clothes, and they did not witness the scene when Evan attacked the Hungarian Horntail. They found out about it from others upon their return.

Gabrielle felt worried and regretful for not seeing Evan using magic.

She spoke at length with Evan and Hermione, asking for details from Evan. Fleur also expressed some words of concern...

As for Krum, he pulled Ron aside and whispered some words to him. When Ron returned, he said that Krum had apologized to him for the magic, and he had forgiven him.

Although Sirius had insisted that everyone should be attentive to Karkaroff and the Durmstrang students, Ron was stubbornly convinced that Krum was a good person and could not be involved in Karkaroff's plan.

They gathered and chatted for a while, focusing on each champion's performance and Evan's magic.

Evan's final magic, undoubtedly, was astounding, far beyond the level of a young wizard. Besides being impressive, there were no other adjectives to describe it.

Each champion's performance was unexpected, and everyone believed Ron had done very well. He flew very well and was quite successful in his tactics.

This lifted Ron's spirits a bit more and made him much happier than he had just been.

If it hadn't been for bad luck, he would have had flawless success, without dangerous incidents.

Speaking of which, except for Krum, the luck of the other three champions was not as good.

Their planned tactics to overcome the dragon were feasible, but the results were quite different. Fleur's clothes were burnt, and Ron faced many setbacks.

The worst was Cedric, who had been cornered by the Hungarian Horntail in the nest...

Fortunately, that didn't seem to leave any psychological scars, and he was chatting cheerfully with Harry.

Five minutes later, Ludo Bagman entered the tent hastily.

He looked as pleased as if he had personally passed the dragon.

Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Madam Maxime, and Barty Crouch were not there. Ludo Bagman came alone to announce the next task. He did not ask Evan and the others to leave.

"Champions... you all did very well!" he said with a smile. "Now, just a few quick words. You have a good rest before the second task, which will take place at nine-thirty in the morning on the twenty-fourth of February... but we will give you something to think about in the meantime! If you look at those golden eggs you're holding, you'll see they open... see the hinges there? You must solve the clue inside the egg... because it will tell you what the second task is and allow you to prepare for it. All clear? Confident? Good, then, onwards!"

Evan and the others left the tent and began to walk back along the edge of the forest, chatting animatedly.

Just as they rounded the group of trees behind which Evan, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had first heard the roar of the dragons, a witch suddenly leaped out from behind.

It was Rita Skeeter. Today she was wearing acid green robes, and the Quick-Quotes Quill in her hand blended perfectly with them.

"Evan, your magic was truly astounding!" Rita Skeeter looked at Evan with a smile. "I wonder if you could give me a brief word. How did you feel facing that dragon? And what was the final spell to make the dragon fly?"

She ignored the four champions and focused her attention on Evan.

"I have nothing to say to you, so please step aside," Evan said angrily. "I warned you before, Miss Skeeter, that if you continue like this, you will definitely be in serious trouble."

"Really?!" Rita Skeeter disregarded Evan's words. Instead, she appeared very excited. "Are you threatening me?! What do you plan to do to an innocent reporter to conceal the truth?"

Evan ignored her and headed back to the castle with Ron.

Rita Skeeter stood by a bush, watching his back as her pen eagerly scribbled.

Although Evan had not spoken a word, his demeanor was explanatory enough.

They all disbanded near Hagrid's cabin. The day had been exhausting, and everyone longed for some rest.

Fred and George had returned to the castle earlier with Ginny and Colin to prepare the surprise party.

Without surprises, the four must have been planning to go to the kitchen to fetch some delicious food.

Now only four remained: Evan, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. They were slowly making their way back.

"Don't worry, Ron," said Harry. "There's no way the other tasks are as dangerous. They can't possibly find anything more perilous than the dragon."

"We can't let our guard down. The dragon is not the most terrifying. The most dangerous thing is the conspiracy lurking in the darkness," Evan said.

He still remembered the ultimate goal of the Triwizard Tournament, something that could not be taken lightly.

While assisting Ron in the game, he was also training Harry to strengthen himself as quickly as possible so as not to lag behind in critical moments.

Although there was no pressure from the tournament, Harry's experience was absolutely invaluable.

Voldemort was his destined enemy. Only one person could emerge victorious, and this was unchangeable.

"Evan is right. There is still a long way to go to finish this tournament," Hermione said seriously. "If that was the first task, I shudder to think what comes next."

"You two need to be optimistic!" Ron said in a relaxed tone.

He held the golden egg and felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction!