At the ball the next day, Chris appeared before everyone wearing a light purple evening dress. Her golden curls had been carefully styled, and she looked stunning the moment she stepped into view.
Although she was only twelve, girls at that age matured faster than boys. Standing at about five foot three with a slender figure, she already carried a hint of graceful femininity.
When Sean had first met Chris in Diagon Alley, he had thought she was a cute and pretty little girl. Nearly two years had passed since then, and her features had grown more refined.
However, since everyone saw each other every day at school—and Sean's mind was almost entirely focused on studying magic—he hadn't really noticed how much she had changed.
"Chris, you seem prettier than before," Sean said.
"Hm?" Chris glared at him. "Are you saying I wasn't pretty before?"
Sean suddenly realized that his straight-forward comment sounded exactly like something Ron or Harry might say. He quickly corrected himself.
"What I meant is—you look even prettier today than usual."
"Sean, come over here. We're gathering," Theo called out while approaching with his partner, signaling that it was time to enter.
"Let's go," Sean said.
He bent his right arm, and Chris linked her arm through it. Wearing low-heeled dancing shoes, Chris stood about five foot four. Fortunately Sean had grown a little taller this semester as well and was now around five foot six.
Zach looked at Percy's dance partner and muttered under his breath,
"This is ridiculous."
Penelope had rejected Zach's invitation, yet she had paired up with Percy instead. That hurt Zach deeply.
Even more miserable was Cassius, who had come alone.
The moment Sean entered the hall, his eyes were drawn to the four trophies displayed on the stage.
Each one looked different.
Uagadou's trophy was shaped like a pot—with an actual lid on top.
Castelobruxo's trophy resembled a tree.
Ilvermorny's and Hogwarts' trophies looked more conventional.
Later, Professor McGonagall explained that each school had provided its own trophy.
In other words, the three visiting schools had brought their trophies themselves. Before the fourth event began, the trophies would be handed over to the judges and placed inside the Valley of Echoing Woods.
"Why are you spacing out?" Chris whispered softly. "Put your hand on my waist and follow my steps."
"Oh—right," Sean said, snapping out of his thoughts and looking away from the trophies.
The six representatives and their partners immediately became the focus of the ball.
Soon after, the Castelobruxo representatives joined the dance floor with their partners, followed by Ilvermorny and Uagadou.
Sean was completely inexperienced when it came to dancing. He had absolutely no sense of rhythm.
Fortunately, Chris led him skillfully, preventing him from embarrassing himself.
After two consecutive days of social events, Sean felt more exhausted than when he spent an entire night studying the Flying Charm.
At least practicing magic gave him a sense of accomplishment.
Before he realized it, the semester had reached its final month—the month of the Valley of Echoing Woods.
June 3rd, 1991 — Monday
Early summer warmth filled the air, and students began wearing light short-sleeved shirts.
Inside Hogwarts Castle, everyone had disappeared except for Filch.
Meanwhile, about ten kilometers north of the castle, hundreds of people had gathered at the foot of a mountain.
"Prefects, organize your groups!" Professor McGonagall instructed. "Set up the tents by house and year."
At the edge of the mountain range known as the Valley of Echoing Woods, a wide flat woodland stretched out.
Hogwarts students were chatting excitedly like they were on a field trip, backpacks slung over their shoulders.
The four houses were divided into four areas.
Each house's seven year groups shared a large tent.
In the Muggle world, fitting more than a dozen people into a single tent would require something enormous and impractical.
But wizards had the Extension Charm.
With this advanced magic, a small tent's interior space could be expanded hundreds of times larger. The tents Hogwarts had brought had all been enchanted this way.
Of course, the spell had been approved by the Ministry of Magic, since it was normally forbidden for private use.
"Tonks! Go help your younger schoolmates!" Professor Sprout called out.
Nymphadora Tonks, who had just finished helping set up the fourth-year tent with three classmates, was immediately sent to assist the second-years.
"Yes, Professor," Tonks replied, while quietly complaining to her boyfriend Joseph.
"They wouldn't let me compete, and now I'm stuck doing all the chores. It's infuriating."
"Well, at least Charlie led the team to first place," Joseph said with a laugh. "Otherwise I think you'd be scolding him nonstop."
"Of course I would," Tonks said matter-of-factly. "If they pushed me out of the team and didn't even get first place, I'd tear into him."
When they reached the Hufflepuff second-year tent, they saw Cedric chatting happily with his classmates.
Tonks couldn't resist teasing him.
"Cedric, you're still smiling?"
"Your year produced a monster like Sean. For the rest of your school life, you'll probably be completely overshadowed by him."
Cedric blinked in confusion.
He had just been happily chatting when he was suddenly singled out and lectured by a senior.
He felt rather innocent.
Meanwhile, the four representative teams were entering the southern side of the mountain range in order of ranking.
The winding three-kilometer boundary line at the southern foot of the mountains served as the competition's entrance.
Sean and the other five members of the Hogwarts team would enter the Valley of Echoing Woods from six separate starting points.
One hour after they entered, the second team would follow.
The forest was enormous.
Walking across it on foot would take at least two days.
Like the Forbidden Forest, the valley contained mysterious magical forces that disrupted spatial magic, meaning Apparition could not be used inside.
As a result, the ability to fly became extremely important in this event.
Fortunately, Sean had successfully completed the magical framework for the Flying Charm by the end of May.
The 241 hours from the Time-Turner had also been reduced to only one final hour.
When Sean informed Snape that he had mastered the Flying Charm and demonstrated it on the spot—
"Very well. I underestimated you," Snape said, staring in disbelief.
Such an expression was rare on Snape's usually impassive face.
However, Sean's total magical power had not increased much.
The Wizard's Heart still couldn't absorb more magic and continued to function merely as a rechargeable battery.
Contestants entering the Valley were forbidden from bringing any equipment except:
their wands
and Magic Recovery Potions
Each person received enough food for two days. After that, they had to find their own solutions.
There was no time limit for this event.
Victory would be achieved when two members of a team returned to the southern entrance carrying a trophy.
The forest contained:
wild animals
magical creatures
and dangerous terrain
This event was the true highlight of the entire tournament.
Injuries—or even deaths—were technically possible during the competition.
However, contestants were strictly forbidden from using Dark Magic against one another.
If someone wanted to withdraw due to danger, they only needed to fire a red flare.
A professor on a flying broom would immediately arrive to rescue them.
Following Snape's suggestion, the Hogwarts ring—the key used to unlock trophy barriers—was entrusted to Sean.
However, Snape had not informed the others that Sean had mastered a flying spell.
"My magic reserves are still too small," Sean thought as he walked quickly into the mountains with a backpack.
"The Flying Charm can't sustain flight for even five minutes."
"I shouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary."
Since Hogwarts was entering first, they would not encounter the other teams during the first hour.
Their strategy was not to regroup immediately.
The six members would spread out and search for the trophy individually.
After one hour, Charlie would launch a yellow flare, signaling everyone to gather at his location.
By that time, the second team would have just entered the forest.
Even if they saw Hogwarts' signal, they would hesitate—should they pursue the Hogwarts players, or continue searching for the trophies themselves?
Three hours later, the fourth-ranked team—Uagadou—also entered the forest.
And within the Valley of Echoing Woods…
a conspiracy had already begun to spread.
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