Wade had never imagined that the corridors of Hogwarts could be this crowded.
All the students were dressed in the carefully prepared dress robes of their choice. The colorful garments made everyone stand out more distinctly, and their smiles shone far brighter than usual.
Wade had to sidestep several times to make way for the girls in long gowns—their voluminous skirts, even with only two or three of them together, could completely block every inch of the corridor.
And as everyone knows, girls always like to move in groups.
When they reached the first floor, Michael straightened his bow tie, gave a jaunty wave, and said: "Good luck, Wade—don't get yourself punched… I need to go find my lovely Daphne!"
The colorful stream of people flowed toward the Entrance Hall, while Wade turned alone toward the front doors.
It had snowed earlier that day. Outside the castle, the snow gleamed with a pearly sheen. Snowmen built by the students during the day stood in the open yard, some of them with striped scarves wrapped around their necks.
His timing was just right. He hadn't waited long before seeing the students of Koldovstoretz arriving in groups.
Some of them glared daggers at Wade, but with their headmaster nearby, no one dared to cause trouble openly. Wade simply acted as though he hadn't noticed.
He was always good at ignoring irrelevant people.
Natalia walked at the head of the group. She wore a deep-blue velvet gown, the hem rippling like waves as she moved, with silver-gray lace shimmering like liquid light.
Her eyes swept Wade up and down before a satisfied smile appeared on her face. She stepped forward and took his arm.
"Perfect—we match so well today." She smiled. "Have you been waiting long out here in the snow?"
Wade didn't say how long he had waited. He only replied, "I couldn't possibly let a lady dressed so elegantly walk into the castle alone. That would be far too discourteous."
Natalia's smile grew brighter. Tiny ice crystals on her lashes glittered as she moved. "So thoughtful. I'm guessing you must have had more than one girlfriend before."
"No, just a very experienced friend beside me," Wade said politely. "Romance is a distraction. Until I graduate, I don't plan on getting too close to anyone."
"Oh…" Natalia shot him a sidelong glance, raising her brow. "Afraid I'll confess to you, so you're giving me a warning in advance?"
Her bluntness nearly made Wade choke. He paused mid-step, then couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm not that narcissistic… it's just small talk."
Natalia glanced at him and the corners of her lips curved in a teasing arc, as if she'd only been joking. But in her heart, she felt a faint, indescribable disappointment.
She knew that the more polite this person seemed on the surface, the more resolute his heart truly was—like the eternal glaciers of the far north, unyielding and unmoved.
Then Natalia thought: But it's not as if I want to be in a relationship with him. I just want to know… is he the one who saved my mother?
But that person had disguised himself as Harry Potter at the time. He must have been on some secret mission—perhaps even something against the law…
Even if I ask him directly, he probably wouldn't tell me the truth.
"Mr. Grey, Miss Petrov!"
Professor McGonagall, dressed in crimson robes, stood by the door and beckoned them over. "Champions, over here first. Once the other students are seated, you will line up and enter together."
Wade walked over and immediately spotted Harry. Beside him, Padma was fiddling with the golden bracelet on her arm while chatting with Hermione.
And Hermione tonight was simply stunning—perhaps because she usually looked rather plain and disheveled, the contrast after a little dressing up was all the more striking. In short, she looked like a completely different person.
Harry even leaned toward Wade with a mysterious expression, pointed at Hermione, and asked, "Do you know who that girl in the blue dress is?"
Wade gave him a strange look. "…Hermione."
Harry was dumbfounded. "You recognized her right away?"
"No… I had to look at least three times before I was sure," Wade said perfunctorily.
Harry: "…"
Just as he was about to say something more, his face suddenly changed. He looked toward the stone wall at the side and his expression became slightly distressed.
Wade turned to look—and sure enough, Cedric and Cho Chang were walking over.
"Harry, Wade, you're here already!" Cedric greeted warmly. "Oh, Natalia, so you really are Wade's partner!"
"Of course!" Natalia laughed. "I thought this news had spread everywhere already! Looks like I overestimated our importance."
After a few lighthearted exchanges, the crowd of students that had filled the Entrance Hall melted away, vanishing quickly. Then Professor McGonagall walked over to line up the ten champions and their partners.
Soon after, the tightly shut doors of the Great Hall swung open again. To the sound of applause and music, everyone filed inside.
Tonight, the Great Hall was especially magnificent. Its walls were draped in silver frost, while the ceiling shimmered with a starry night sky.
Icicles hung frozen from above, making the space glitter like crystal.
Twelve Christmas trees stood adorned with glistening holly berries, golden bells, and owls.
Fairies flitted about, scattering trails of light like stardust, while the suits of armor lining the hall swayed and sang carols.
Under the gaze of all present, the champions sat in the empty seats closest to the staff table. Wade was glancing at several additional Ministry officials seated there when a soft, timid voice reached his ear:
"Hel…hello."
He turned, and sitting down beside him was the Beauxbatons champion—Clémentine Durand. She had honey-colored curls, freckles on her cheeks, and wasn't very tall, overall giving off the impression of a rather cute girl.
Her partner was a Beauxbatons boy who looked refined and polite, though he sat in silence, staring at his plate as if he didn't want to talk.
"Hello, Miss Durand," Wade nodded.
"I just wanted to say… you were really amazing in the first task, Mr. Grey," Clémentine said softly. "If not for your outstanding performance, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to participate in the second task at all. So I wanted to thank you."
Her partner immediately turned his head to look at her, while Wade himself raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.
Because of their admiration for Fleur, many people claimed that Clémentine's qualification as a champion was nothing but a stroke of luck—and though in some ways that was true, none of the other schools' champions had suffered from such verbal attacks and doubts.
Normally, at a time like this, most people would either grow withdrawn and upset, or desperately try to prove themselves. But this girl's words… hinted at a sense of pride in it.
Wade faintly felt as if he caught a whiff of Green tea in the air.
"No need to thank me." He smiled. "Just getting past the dragon was proof enough of your ability."
"Actually, not really," Clémentine said shyly. "The champions before me had already injured the Welsh Green's eyes. It couldn't see, and its ears were hurt too… I barely had to do anything, I just ran past it."
Her partner's expression twisted slightly, though he didn't speak up in protest. Then Clémentine added softly:
"And in the dungeon too… By the time I went in, all the traps were gone, I didn't run into anyone, and the scorpion guarding the golden egg had already been knocked down several times by others… I walked in and accidentally stepped on one of the eggs."
Wade: "…"
"So, my making it into the second task was really just luck. But I don't think I'll be so lucky next time. I heard the later tasks get more and more dangerous."
Clémentine clasped her hands together, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know you're very clever, Mr. Grey—you must have already solved the secret of the golden egg, right? Could you give me just a tiny hint? Just a little one!"
Before Wade could answer, a hand suddenly reached out and pushed Clémentine's head back.
"Excuse me." Natalia lifted her chin coldly. "He's my partner."
Clémentine fell silent for a moment, then said, "Sorry… then maybe the two of you could switch seats?"
"Gladly!"
Natalia answered at once, with not the slightest trace of subtlety. She pulled Wade up by the arm, sat herself down next to Clémentine, and gave her a cold, mocking smile.
Wade, now pushed to the back row behind the girls: "…"
He sighed and sat down quietly.
Clémentine's cheeks flushed red. She leaned forward a little, edging closer, and said timidly: "Actually… more than Wade Grey, I'd rather discuss this with you, Miss Natalia."
"You know my strength is so much weaker than all of yours. The second task is going to be really dangerous for me. Since we're both girls… could you please help me out a little?"
Her eyes darted nervously, her face full of admiration and pleading as she looked at Natalia.
Natalia's mouth opened slightly. After a long pause, she finally let out a single, flat sound:
"…Huh?"
[TN: "Green Tea" is a Chinese slang term, which is used to describe a person (typically a woman) who presents themselves as innocent, pure, and charming but is actually manipulative, calculating, and self-serving.]
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