Next, the days of June rolled by in a suffocating calm, with the world outside the castle as peaceful as ever, and the little wizards within the castle causing no waves.
The young wizards went about their usual classes, playing and doing homework, except for an inexplicable incident where Hufflepuff House topped the House Cup one day and then mysteriously dropped back to their original place the next day—nothing that could cause a great uproar happened.
But as time edged closer to the end of the month, the atmosphere in the castle began to grow tense and exciting again.
"...I almost forgot about this,"
In the library, Harry put away his Potions Class textbook under the envious gaze of Ron and Neville. As a champion, he didn't need to sit for the finals, which meant he didn't have to review the damned potion theories he had worried about for so long. It wasn't until Hermione asked him what he was doing here that the boy remembered the privilege he had.
"So, shall we go find him?"
Cedric also stood up; he too had forgotten about it. Although the boy had excellent grades, he couldn't help but feel happy at the thought of not facing Snape's face. Ever since he became a champion, Snape would occasionally, frequently, target him.
"Of course—"
Harry took a deep breath, seemingly preparing himself mentally. The two said goodbye to others and quickly left the library before Madam Pince came out waving her feather duster to shoo them away.
They walked out of the castle, heading along the path towards the Forbidden Forest. Harry stopped at the door of the Hut and knocked hard.
"You're here again—"
Hagrid yawned as he came out of the hut. He lowered his hand, first cautiously looking behind the two boys. After ensuring that they hadn't been followed, he led them to the back of the hut—
"Hey, Hagrid, is it necessary to be this cautious?"
Cedric couldn't help but hunch his shoulders, catching Hagrid's nervousness. He grimaced and spoke subconsciously.
"This is cheating—"
Hagrid said as he opened the door to a cellar, releasing a foul stench that instinctively made Harry and Cedric hold their noses.
"But the seniors used to just bring us 'cheating'—all the champions."
To Cedric's words, Hagrid merely shrugged and shook his head without comment. Under his urging, the two quickly walked into the dim cellar, where the temperature was frighteningly high. Although this wasn't their first time here, Cedric couldn't help but rub his arm, already covered with goosebumps.
"Ahem, very good!"
Hagrid followed them in, stooping to enter the cellar. He clapped his hands, and shadows flashed as several oil lamps hanging around the walls lit up. "Hey, you little rascals! Wake up!" Hagrid raised his hand and slapped a piece of iron nearby, the clanging sound startling Harry.
"Time to entertain!" Hagrid spoke with the tone of an experienced brothel madam.
And finally, under the noise, "the girls" under Madam Hagrid revealed their true form.
"...No matter how many times I see them, they're still... disgusting."
Clearly, Cedric was not pleased with the "appearance" of the two girls. Harry nodded in agreement. Watching the two snapping Explosive Snails, each of them picked one and faced it. Practical training was often the best; not everyone gets the chance to confront their fears directly—
...
The last week of the semester went almost the same as the previous weeks, except Harry and Cedric frequently ended up injured. Their rugged appearances quickly sparked speculation among the other two champions. When Fleur got nothing from pestering Harry and Cedric for information, she turned her attention to Ron, who was closest to Harry—
For this, the red-haired boy felt very "heartbroken," then stated to let him stay heartbroken a little longer!
"There's no chance for us, but such a beautiful girl just walking beside you is very attractive... um, eyes, Harry, don't worry, I definitely won't tell Fleur your special training location—" The day after Ron confidently said this at the Gryffindor table, Fleur appeared at Hagrid's hut.
Because of this, Harry nearly had a big fight with Ron. If Hagrid, who knew the whole story, hadn't admitted to leaking the information, the two would have almost fallen out—
Of course, young people's conflicts come and go quickly. Soon, it was the last day of the semester. Before the Magic History exam, in the Great Hall, McGonagall stopped Harry.
"Potter, the champions gather in the conference room next to the Great Hall after breakfast."
Professor Meow said hurriedly, and even as she finished speaking, she was already striding towards the foyer—since a certain Hogwarts headmaster had other matters to attend to, all the school's affairs now fell to Professor McGonagall, and it was really wearing her out.
"But the competition is only starting at night?"
Harry's hand trembled, almost shoving the spoon into Ron's nose, startling Ron, who was packing his bag for the Magic History exam, into bumping into Neville's head. The mysterious plant seeds Neville was holding flew out, landing in Fred's porridge bowl, splattering George—
"…"
Professor McGonagall took a moment to react to this scene. "I know, Potter," she said, "the champions' families were invited to watch the final, and you can meet them."
After saying this, she hurriedly walked away.
"She doesn't think the Dursleys would come, does she?"
The boy looked blankly at Hermione, who was standing up, ready to head for the last exam.
"Uh... so, do you want them to come?"
Apparently, Harry didn't want that—so much so that he didn't even want to approach the conference room door, fearing he might see Vernon Dursley's fat face through the door crack, or Dudley sniffing around the room looking for food. But as the boy watched the Hall empty out, a sense of loneliness arose from within—
He thought he had found someone who understood him, but that person started to drift away for some reason...
Teenage boys are very conflicted, so, until Cedric finished his breakfast and came to find Harry to head to the conference room together, the boy was stuck in his sadness.
"…Just come with me?"
Cedric obviously had heard of Harry's aunt's family, that incomprehensible Muggle family. He draped his arm over Harry's shoulder, guiding him toward the conference room.