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Chapter 474: Yin Rising and Yang Falling
Christmas Day.
As usual, Darren was awakened by the pile of gifts.
He began unwrapping them one by one.
As expected, another heap of gold Galleons.
This time he did not donate them.
He simply replied to everyone who sent him gold that he would eat well and take good care of himself.
That alone made them extremely happy.
By the time he finished unwrapping his gifts and stepped outside, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already waiting for him at the door.
They each held a letter—Sirius' reply.
"I came the moment I got this. I wanted to read it with you!" Harry said excitedly.
They found a spot on the lawn.
Harry opened the letter and read softly:
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Dear Harry and Darren,
Congratulations on passing the first task. I saw everything in the Daily Prophet.
I even got myself a photo sphere—don't ask how. Let's just say that the girls where I'm hiding are absolutely obsessed with you two.
I've watched the recordings. You did brilliantly. I was going to tell you to use the Eye Curse, but thank Merlin I didn't. Otherwise you might've ended up like Krum—trampled like eggshells. Your score would've been terrible.
Also, I saw the reports about Darren's injury. I'm worried. Both of you must stay alert. Whoever put your names in the Goblet clearly wants you to die in 'accidents'.
So stay vigilant. If anything feels wrong, write to me at once. I'll contact Dumbledore. Maybe we can avoid some nasty surprises.
Love,
Sirius Black
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Harry sighed.
"It sounds like we need to stay alert every second—like a Death Eater might jump out and kill us any moment."
"But Darren and I already passed the first task—the hardest one! The rest shouldn't be that bad. We'll be done with the dangerous part soon," he added brightly.
Hermione didn't share his optimism.
"You two still need to stay careful. After all, that golden egg contains the clue to the next task. If you crack it early, you might have more time to prepare."
"But I can't crack it," Harry began, before he was interrupted.
Darren laughed.
"I solved it last night. Tonight, when you're in the bathroom, bring the egg with you and open it under water. I fell asleep with it in the bath and accidentally opened it. That's how I heard the clue."
[Ding, Father Value +100]
[Ding, Father Value +100]
[Ding, Father Value +100]
"Oh, Darren! I told you not to overwork yourself. Falling asleep in the bathroom? You could've drowned!" Hermione scolded, worried.
Darren quickly looked embarrassed, which made everyone fall silent.
They all knew why Darren pushed himself like this—so they wouldn't worry.
Hermione had helped him, of course, but she never imagined he would push himself to exhaustion.
"I won't do it again," Darren murmured guiltily.
[Ding, Father Value +100]
[Ding, Father Value +100]
[Ding, Father Value +100]
He looked so pitiful that no one could bring themselves to scold him further.
All morning they spent Christmas eating and playing games.
After reading Sirius' letter on the lawn, they returned to the common room—too cold to stay outside.
They spent the morning playing inside.
In the afternoon, when the sun warmed things slightly, they had a snowball fight outside the castle.
Finally, five o'clock arrived.
Hermione declared she needed to get ready.
"But the Ball doesn't start for three hours!" Ron said, stunned.
Hermione ignored him completely.
She rolled her eyes, smiled shyly at Darren, and hurried off.
There were no Christmas refreshments today—everything would be served at the Yule Ball.
And the professors clearly felt no one would be calm enough for normal tea and snacks anyway.
Darren and the others returned to their dormitories to change.
The common room wasn't crowded—most students were elsewhere getting ready.
A few girls in beautiful dresses were gathered like elegant ladies, whispering excitedly.
When Darren walked in, they all flushed pink and subtly drifted closer.
Their dresses were adorned with enchanted butterflies that fluttered gently, as if ready to lift off the fabric.
Darren complimented them politely.
After passing several groups of nervous, blushing girls, he finally reached his dormitory.
His formal robes were simple—dark green.
He added the Slytherin-green scarf Hermione had gifted him.
A perfect little Slytherin prince.
He looked in the mirror—and nearly made himself cry from how handsome he looked.
His enchanted mirror was delighted.
It showered him with praise and begged to be allowed to take a picture of him.
Darren almost walked out with swagger, but he restrained himself—for the sake of maintaining his modest persona.
Once he confirmed he looked "appropriately polite," he walked out with a gentle smile.
The moment he appeared in the Slytherin common room, every girl's head snapped toward him, eyes sparkling.
If not for Slytherin dignity, half of them would've asked for autographs.
Even with restraint, their gazes clung to him.
Darren felt their looks were as intense as his own when viewing pretty girls—
because girls also appreciate handsome boys.
And he happened to be handsome enough.
This beauty came with trouble.
As soon as he entered the main hall, the problem grew—this time with Gryffindor girls.
Unlike Slytherins, Gryffindor girls had no reservations at all.
He even heard one whistle at him.
Good grief—this was true Yin Rising and Yang Falling.
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