Harry's heart felt like it was being gripped by a cold hand, and the door of the conference room seemed ominously threatening in his eyes.
Even though Harry knew the Dursleys couldn't possibly come, in these situations, one's mind always imagines the worst case scenario. Like the moment when you buy a mobile phone with your New Year's money as a child, you immediately think of the mixed doubles beating you'd get from your parents if they found out—
Right now, Harry would rather go to Africa to play house with the wicked Helbo than face Uncle Vernon's small eyes after going inside.
"Let's go, Harry."
Cedric's gentle voice pulled Harry back from his imagination, "I bet it's not them—you must have other family? Like, Black?" The black-haired boy patted his shoulder, comforting him.
"!"
Harry took a deep breath, as if a light bulb had suddenly turned on in his mind—then the boy eagerly pushed open the heavy wooden door.
The conference room was warm and bright, with bright sunlight streaming in through the window sills, and the sudden burst of enthusiasm nearly knocked Harry over onto the carpet.
"Harry! Our little Gryffindor champion!"
A tall, simply dressed young man with short hair rushed forward, giving Harry a tight hug that almost cracked his ribs—Charlie Weasley. Looking over his shoulder, Harry saw several others standing by the fireplace—
"Oh, my child."
Mrs. Weasley's voice was full of excitement and love as she also came over, stood on tiptoe to kiss Harry's cheek, her eyes even a bit red, "I can't believe it, you're going to the finals! Ginny wrote to me saying you've lost weight, come, let me have a look!"
Bill was much more reserved than the other redheads, only shaking Harry's hand, "Dad wanted to come too, but he just couldn't get away from work at the Ministry of Magic—"
Percy stood beside Bill, wearing a spotless robe, his red hair slicked back, looking shiny. The boy's face wore an obviously-restrained but still apparent smile.
"Didn't expect it to be us?"
Charlie noticed Harry's still somewhat bewildered expression, asking with a grin.
"Yeah, I thought—"
Harry nodded instinctively, replying.
"Thought it would be who?"
"Definitely not the Dursleys... I thought you might be... Sirius?"
Halfway through, Harry realized something was off, he paused, looking at the head peeking over his shoulder.
The man had messy black hair, a smile at the corner of his mouth, a handsome face that was somewhat thin but eyes full of the sparkle of freedom and vitality, Sirius Black, his godfather, dressed in a brand-new, well-fitting dark wizard robe, standing grinning behind him—
"Surprise, haha!"
Sirius laughed heartily, pulling Harry into a bear hug, ruffling the boy's already messy black hair, "This is the 'surprise' I mentioned—I thought you might guess it, I took the earliest Muggle plane yesterday morning—huh? By the way, do you know what a plane is?"
"I thought you were still in Italyan—"
"It's Italy, you really ought to look at a world map sometime."
In this warm and lively reunion, Percy, who had been maintaining a polite smile and seeming to wait for the right moment, finally cleared his throat, took a step forward, his movements precise and formal, instantly drawing the attention of the others.
"Now, if I may take a moment of your time."
Percy's chin lifted slightly, speaking in an officious yet unmistakably proud tone, "First of all, let me, personally, extend my sincerest pre-match greetings to Mr. Harry Potter and congratulate him on the honor he may soon bring to Hogwarts." He nodded solemnly at Harry.
Harry was still a bit bewildered, he instinctively nodded, "Uh, thanks, Percy?"
"More importantly," at this moment, Percy straightened his back, the glow of power and finally being part of an important occasion shone more clearly on his face, "I have a formal announcement for everyone, and Harry, this is crucial for your upcoming final."
He paused for a moment, seemingly savoring the silence just before announcing an important news.
"Specially authorized by the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and personally nominated and reviewed by the Director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman."
Percy's voice was loud and clear, each word seemed to have been meticulously rehearsed a thousand times—
"I, Percy Ignatius Weasley, will officially serve as the executive referee for the final task of the Triwizard Tournament! I will be responsible for supervising the champions' entry order at the venue entrance, monitoring the status of magical equipment inside the venue, and evaluating the champions' performance throughout, especially when facing sudden dangers in the maze and complying with the competition rules."
He looked at Harry, with an unprecedented eagerness and a sense of responsibility similar to that of a guardian in his eyes—
"Harry, this means the entire operation process of your final task, the compliance determination according to the rules, and even your response records when encountering special magical dilemmas will be strictly recorded, analyzed, and reported by me to the final panel of judges. This is crucial and will directly affect your final score and ranking!"
Percy's gaze became extremely sharp and serious, although Bill and Charlie nearby were almost laughing themselves silly.
"Therefore, I think it is very, very necessary to confirm your pre-competition preparations once again before the game. How is your magic wand maintenance? Is it checked for the last time? Is the plan for wearing protective gear finalized? Are there contingency plans for magical creatures and special environment protection measures that may appear in the project? Even the emergency magic potion list you plan to carry—I also suggest you provide me with a copy immediately for compliance review! We cannot tolerate any small omission, it concerns the honor of Hogwarts and the greatest guarantee of your personal safety! As your referee and the entire project's safety in-charge, I think I have a responsibility to ensure you are foolproof..."
"..."
Harry blinked a bit dazedly, looking at Percy who was still incessantly jabbering, he only wanted to hold his head and shout, "Master, please stop reciting the lines."
"That's enough, Percy, the competition is tonight, I know the referee's role is very important, but Harry needs to relax with his family right now."
Molly uttered a faint sigh, as if lamenting her son's bureaucratic demeanor, she had obviously forgiven Percy for not coming home recently, after all, compared to the long-haired eldest son, the earring-wearing second son, the naughty twins and Ron, Percy was considered one of the few serious people in the Weasley Family.
"Relax?"
Percy obviously disagreed, he frowned, "Mother, every minute and every second now is a critical period for tactical preparation and psychological construction—comprehensive pre-competition preparation is the cornerstone of victory, but..." The boy seemed to realize he went a bit overboard, his tone softened a bit—
"Considering there is still some time before the competition, family activities might be useful, Harry, is there anywhere you would like to visit? We can discuss your state adjustment issues as we walk."
"..."
Harry blinked, almost unable to suppress a laugh.
So, you mean you want to take me on a tour of Hogwarts where I've already lived for almost two and a half years?
Then, what followed was the refreshing "family time"—
The group walked along the edge of the castle to the edge of the Quidditch Pitch, looking at the vast green field, Sirius remarked, "Compared to a Muggle's airplane, riding a wizard's broom really makes one feel the charm of the sky—hey, Harry, where do you Gryffindors keep your brooms? Can you take me for a fly now? Just one round!"
"Sirius Black!"
Beside them, Molly, who was taking photos of flowers, promptly removed her scarf from her head and said loudly, "Absolutely not! The competition is imminent, Harry needs rest—and according to the regulations..." she glanced at Percy, hoping this "rule spokesman" would support her.
Sure enough, Percy stood out without hesitation, his expression extremely solemn.
"Mr. Black, with all due respect, according to the Triwizard Tournament special safety management ordinance Article Seventeen, Clause Three, champions are prohibited from any strenuous physical activity that may cause physical fatigue or accidents within ten hours before the final task begins, including but not limited to highly confrontational Quidditch training or entertainment flying…"
Sirius opened his mouth, and finally rolled his eyes in Percy's incessant jabbering, raising his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, Judge, I surrender." He turned to Harry, grinning mischievously, "See, with a referee brother, you don't even have the right to play."
Harry couldn't help laughing, looking at Sirius' defeated expression and Percy seriously upholding the rules, the boy felt a strange, warm happiness. "Family" was right beside him, an experience Harry had never fully had before.
Bill suggested a walk by the Black Lake, the breeze over the lake brought refreshing coolness, the giant squid lazily waving its tentacles, Harry pointed out Hagrid's Hut in the distance to Sirius and the Weasleys, chatting about Ron, the twins' jokes, and Cedric's training days.
The sunlight warmed his skin, the shimmer of the lake was somewhat dazzling, surrounded by the light-hearted laughter of everyone.
Harry turned his head, at this moment, he felt entirely distant from conspiracies, Death Eaters, and those intangible pressures, only enveloped by a peaceful and joyous love.
Let the troubles of tonight come, Harry looked at the sparkle on the lake, his mouth curled up involuntarily.
Because at this moment, the warmth around him is enough to support him facing any challenge ahead—