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The scoring ended, and Ludo Bagman walked to the center of the pitch once more.
He cleared his throat, signaling for the crowd to quiet down.
"Ahem—well done, everyone!"
His gaze swept over the nineteen champions standing at the edge of the pitch, a bright smile on his face.
"Now, I have a few words to say."
The cheers from the stands gradually died down as everyone pricked up their ears.
"The second task will take place next February," Ludo's voice rang out clearly across the grounds. "In the meantime, the champions will have a long period to rest. Heal your wounds, get back into top form, and prepare for the challenges ahead."
The three champions from Durmstrang heard this, and their eyes instantly lit up.
Didn't that mean they wouldn't have to see Lynn for a long time? That was simply wonderful!
"However—"
Ludo's voice sounded again, interrupting their pleasant fantasies.
"I've left you with a few problems to consider."
He pointed toward the golden eggs held by the champions.
"The golden eggs in your hands can only be opened under certain special circumstances. Once opened, they will provide you with clues for the second task."
The crowd fell silent, every eye fixed on those golden eggs.
"Remember," Ludo's expression turned serious, "do not open them by force. That will bring you misfortune—of the very unpleasant kind."
Lynn looked down at the six golden eggs in his arms.
The other champions had at most one or two, and some had none at all—like the three from Durmstrang, who were empty-handed and could only stare longingly at Lynn's six golden eggs.
Lynn fell into thought.
Only to be opened under special circumstances? That didn't seem right...
He turned a golden egg over in his hands, examining it closely. The shell was smooth, without any patterns or markings, looking just like an ordinary golden egg.
"Is everything clear?" Ludo's voice rang out again, breaking Lynn's train of thought.
"Any questions?"
No one spoke.
"Good!" Ludo nodded in satisfaction. "Champions, please go and rest! Spending three days and nights in the Forbidden Forest is no easy feat. Get a good night's sleep, have a hearty meal, and we shall see you again in February!"
The champions began to leave the field one after another.
Cedric patted Lynn on the shoulder, whispered a "well done," and then headed toward the exit with Harry and Roger.
Fleur left with Chloe and Sophie, Chloe's steps still a bit unsteady. Ryan waved at Lynn before being pulled away by Thomas and Jordan. Amina merely gave a slight nod before disappearing into the crowd with Nema and Wanjiru.
Among them, the three from Durmstrang walked the fastest.
The trio practically ran out of the pitch, looking back as they went, as if terrified Lynn might chase after them.
...
The champions had stepped down, but the stands did not quiet down; instead, they grew even more rowdy.
It was unclear who shouted first—
"You Durmstrang lot! Don't you leave!"
That voice was like a spark falling into a vat of oil, instantly igniting the entire stands.
"Right! Don't let them run away!"
"Beat them up!"
"Stealing golden eggs, are we?! Launching sneak attacks?!"
"Wasn't Karkaroff acting all arrogant when he gave those zeros?! Don't run now!"
Students from the five schools surged down from the stands like a tide, charging toward the Durmstrang spectator area.
The momentum and noise were like a small-scale war.
The Durmstrang students were surrounded before they could even react.
"What are you doing?!"
"Stop! This is a pitch, not a battlefield!"
"Professor! Professor!!!"
But where were the Professors?
"Stop! You must stop fighting!"
Madame Maxime shouted once, and then—
She leaned to the side, slumped against the back of her chair, and closed her eyes.
"I tried," she murmured. "I really tried."
Ludo Bagman stood in the center of the pitch, looking left and right, and then—he crouched down and began tying his shoelaces.
Even though his shoes didn't even have laces.
Only Karkaroff was roaring.
"Stop! All of you stop! This is barbaric behavior! This is an insult to Durmstrang! I shall complain to the International Confederation of Wizards! I shall—"
Before he could finish, his words were drowned out by the thunderous cries for blood.
The students of the five schools stormed the Durmstrang spectator area.
Fists and robes flew; curses and screams blended together.
"That's for stealing golden eggs!"
"That's for the zeros!"
"That's for Karkaroff!"
"We can't hit Karkaroff, but we can certainly hit you!"
The Durmstrang students scurried like rats, but with people on all sides, there was no escape.
A few clever ones tried to pull out their wands to fight back, but as soon as they raised their hands, they were pinned to the ground by seven or eight people.
The scene was momentarily chaotic.
Professor McGonagall stood at the edge of the stands, watching this scene with a brow furrowed so deeply it could have crushed a fly.
This was simply too lacking in decorum.
A group of Professors, all lying down on the job.
How improper!
She took a deep breath and pulled a Magic Phone from her robe pocket.
Dialing.
Ring—ring—ring—
"Poppy!"
From the other end came Madam Pomfrey's confused voice.
"Minerva? What is it? Has something happened?"
Professor McGonagall looked at the chaotic scene in the stands and took a deep breath.
"Poppy," she said, "the time has come to test your skills!"
Madam Pomfrey: ⊙△⊙
There was a two-second silence on the other end.
Then Madam Pomfrey's incredulous voice came through.
"...What???"
...
Lynn and the trio of Cedric, Harry, and Roger walked back toward the castle.
Sunlight spilled onto the path at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, stretching the four shadows long. Faint cheers and screams could still be heard from the distant Quidditch Pitch—it seemed the brawl over there wasn't over yet.
"That was one crazy task," Cedric remarked, rubbing his still-aching shoulder. "Three days and nights... I feel like I was in the Forbidden Forest for three years."
Harry nodded, his expression complex.
"I still can't believe we actually survived. Especially that Norwegian Dragon—"
He shuddered and didn't continue.
Roger Davies followed behind, checking his wand as he walked, muttering something under his breath.
Lynn walked at the front, cradling the six golden eggs, which shimmered so brightly in the setting sun that they were hard to look at.
Cedric's gaze couldn't help but drift toward the pile of golden eggs.
"Lynn," he couldn't help but ask, "you got six of them all by yourself... don't you have any thoughts on that?"
Lynn thought for a moment.
"My thought is that they're quite heavy."
Cedric: "..."
"No," Cedric laughed helplessly, "I mean, haven't you thought about what's actually hidden inside these golden eggs? Clues for the second task?"
Lynn stopped and turned back to look at them.
"Now that you mention it..." he said thoughtfully. "It really is worth investigating."
He placed the six golden eggs on a flat rock by the roadside and crouched down to examine them closely.
Cedric and the other two gathered around, forming a circle and staring at the pile of golden eggs.
"They look like ordinary golden eggs," Roger said, reaching out to touch one. "Just a bit heavy."
"There must be some kind of mechanism," Harry said, frowning as he looked closely. "Didn't Ludo Bagman say they can only be opened under special circumstances?"
"What special circumstances?" Cedric asked. "Submerged in water? Put in a fire? Or do we need to chant some spell?"
Lynn stared at the golden eggs for a long time, then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Look closely," he said, pointing at one of the golden eggs. "I remember there being a very thin seam on the golden egg."
The three of them immediately leaned in closer, their eyes practically pressed against the shell.
"A seam?"
"Where is it?"
"How come I don't see it?"
Lynn's finger lightly traced the shell.
"Right here. Look closely—it's a very thin line. You won't see it unless you're paying attention."
Cedric squinted, following the direction of Lynn's finger.
Then his eyes lit up.
"I see it! Right here!"
He pointed at a spot on the shell, his voice rising an octave in excitement.
Harry and Roger immediately crowded in.
"Where? Where?"
"There really is a seam!"
"It's so thin, you'd never notice it without looking closely!"
The three of them excitedly surrounded the golden egg, chattering away in discussion.
"So we're supposed to pry it open from here?"
"Pry it with what? A wand?"
"Could there be a trap? Will prying it open trigger something?"
"Who cares! Let's just pry it open first!"
Lynn stood to the side, watching the three of them enthusiastically research how to pry open the golden egg, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He quietly took a step back, then another.
Then he raised his wand and gave his ear a light tap.
A pair of earplugs appeared out of thin air and were firmly inserted into his ears.
The world instantly fell silent.
Lynn nodded in satisfaction, crossing his arms and standing leisurely three meters away, ready to watch the show.
Over there, Cedric, Harry, and Roger had already reached a consensus.
"Let's pry together!" Cedric said. "Three wands at once should be enough to pry it open!"
"Right!" Harry nodded.
"Let's do it!" Roger rolled up his sleeves.
The three of them raised their wands, aimed at the thin seam on the golden egg, and applied force simultaneously—
Click.
The golden egg opened.