Chapter 392: The setting that makes things difficult for people, don't worry about this shit
"The maze," Aaron said with certainty. "But it shouldn't just be a maze, right!"
"Of course, the maze is the most basic part.
There are also many obstacles, such as the interesting animals Hagrid provided."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the three Hogwartschampions didn't look too good.
Krum and Fleur might not know Hagrid very well, but they were clear that the animals he considered 'interesting' were usually quite vicious; at the very least, they could be 100% sure that the Blast-Ended Skrewts would definitely be in there.
"The champion with the leading score enters the maze first, which means Mr. Gaius has the advantage." Bagman raised an eyebrow at Aaron. "Then it's Harry Potter, followed by Mr. Krum, fourth is Cedric, and finally Miss Delacour."
Aaron forced a smile. According to Adrian's request, he had to be the last to complete the task, so this head start was of no value to him.
"The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze, and the task for the third event is to find it. Any questions?"
"Yes." Aaron raised his hand. "How is this third event scored?"
"Uh... this..." Bagman stammered, unsure how to explain for a moment.
"Is it difficult?" Aaron frowned slightly. "Mr. Bagman, I think we have the right to know the scoring criteria!"
Bagman hesitated for a moment. "The first champion to touch it gets full marks."
"What about the others?"
"Mr. Gaius, what I mean by full marks is actually the champion."
"What the f..." Aaron immediately couldn't hold back, feeling a wave of dizziness and stumbling back a few steps.
He suddenly realized he seemed to have fallen into a bottomless pit from the very beginning, the kind he couldn't even climb out of.
If he was the last to complete the task, it meant he wouldn't be the champion, couldn't fulfill his eldest sister's request, and would have to go on a blind date with Clea when he returned for the summer.
But if he became the champion, he would have to be the first to complete the task, still wouldn't fulfill her request, and would still face the fate of a blind date upon his return.
If it were unrelated people, a polite refusal would suffice, but Clea was special; their childhood sweetheart relationship and their respective family backgrounds were too complicated, making it unusually troublesome to deal with.
Seeing Aaron's flustered appearance, the others seemed to realize something as well and couldn't help but widen their eyes.
"Aaron." Harry sounded a bit gleeful. "Your sister wouldn't still..."
"Shut up." Aaron roared angrily, then turned to Bagman. "This isn't fair. I strongly suggest that the final champion be determined by the total points received."
"Don't get agitated, Mr. Gaius, I completely understand how you feel." Bagman took a deep breath and explained in a softer voice, "But in fact, it's very fair. Your scores from the first two events earned you the right to enter the maze first. You'll have a head start of several minutes!"
"Do I need those few minutes?" Aaron roared exasperatedly, but as soon as he finished speaking, he felt his attitude might have been a bit too much, so he forced a smile. "I just think it's a bit hasty to determine the champion solely by the order of entry. Maybe the last one in will smoothly get the cup, while I, the first, will have to overcome many obstacles, going around in circles and still not finding my way out."
Fleur's face was beaming, and she pursed her lips, saying, "May your words come true."
"Luck is also part of strength," Bagman said calmly. "If it were calculated by points, Miss Delacour might not win the championship no matter how well she performs in the third event, and that would be unfair to her and even to Beauxbatons as a whole."
"Exactly." Fleur grew even more smug. "Mr. Bagman truly lives up to his title as Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports; he is so fair and just!"
Upon hearing this, Aaron almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
Damn it! If only I had known, I should have made this woman suffer more in the second event.
Others might not know the restrictions Adrian placed on him, but don't you guys know?
It's easy for you to talk when you're not in my shoes; these sarcastic remarks are simply adding insult to injury.
"Alright, Mr. Bagman." Aaron calmed down and asked, "Did my sister, I mean Judge Klein, say anything?"
"I almost forgot, she did have something she wanted me to tell you." Bagman said apologetically, "Her exact words were 'there's always a way.'"
Aaron blinked blankly. "That's it?"
"That's it."
"Heh heh! Having a sister like this is definitely a blessing I've accumulated over eight lifetimes." Aaron said, on the verge of tears.
"Are you alright?" Cedric spoke up. "If you ask me, the competition should be fair and square. You don't need to take Klein's demands to heart."
"No." Aaron shook his head, speechless. "My sister has me completely cornered. If I don't fulfill her request, I'll... In short, it's a long story!"
Cedric paused, exchanged glances with the others, and gave up on trying to persuade Aaron further.
This was no loss to him; being able to 'eliminate' a powerful opponent in advance was something he was happy to see.
On the way back, Aaron exuded an aura that kept others at bay, making them afraid to approach.
He felt it was necessary to talk to Adrian face-to-face; tormenting someone shouldn't be like this.
Winning the championship without being the first to touch the cup was too contradictory; it was practically a defiance of the competition rules.
Unconsciously, they exited the maze. Harry was called away by Krum; they seemed to have some private matters to discuss. Fleur walked towards the Forbidden Forest, where the Beauxbatons carriage was parked. Aaron and Cedric, on the other hand, returned to Hogwarts Castle... The next day, early morning.
Aaron slept until he woke up naturally, all his troubles selectively forgotten, feeling much lighter.
Adrian was definitely trying to make things difficult for him, but the fact that she had Bagman relay a message meant there was a solution, he just hadn't thought of it yet.
There was still almost a month until the third event; he was confident he would find a way.
If all else failed, he would ask Adrian before the competition started; she surely wouldn't mind telling him.
Leaving the common room, he had just reached the Great Hall when Harry and his two friends approached with anxious expressions.
"I'm not in a good mood. Whatever it is, wait until I've had breakfast." Aaron said carelessly.
"Something big has happened." Harry said in a low voice.
"The world can wait, eating is most important." Aaron said calmly, slowly adding a fruit pie to Abe's plate.
"It's urgent." Harry continued, his eyes extremely serious.
Aaron impatiently rolled his eyes. "Speak."
"Mr. Crouch is missing."
"Didn't we already speculate about this a month ago? It's nothing major, is it!"
"Listen to me. Last night, Mr. Crouch came to Hogwarts, but he seemed completely deranged and kept shouting that he wanted to see Dumbledore."
Aaron immediately became interested. "Tell me in detail, I need to know all the specifics."
Harry nodded. "Last night, Krum and I were talking about some private matters on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, about Hermione. He had read Rita Skeeter's newspaper."
"What?" Hermione gritted her teeth, barely suppressing her anger. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"He just wanted to know the truthfulness of the newspaper. I explained it to him, and he believed it."
"Don't interrupt, Harry, continue."
"After that, Crouch ran out of the Forbidden Forest. He said he had done something foolish, had struggled greatly to escape, and wanted to warn Dumbledore.
He also mentioned Bertha Jorkins. He seemed very certain that Jorkins was already dead."
"Anything else?"
"He kept saying it was all his fault, and he also mentioned his son."
"Son?" Aaron frowned slightly. "That's impossible, isn't it! Didn't his son die a long time ago?"
"I'm sure I didn't mishear, but his state was clearly not right; he was like a madman.
Mid-sentence, he would think his wife and son were alive, and his family was happy and complete.
He would also occasionally give instructions to Percy, guiding him in his work."
"Poor Percy Weasley." Hermione sighed. "He always thought his superior wanted to mentor him!"
"Is that so?" Aaron mused. "What about Lord Voldemort?"
"Can we not mention his name?" Ron said, trembling.
"Crouch said You-Know-Who is growing stronger."
Phew!
Aaron let out a long breath. "What's meant to come will always come; this sentence shouldn't be false."
Harry nodded, clearly thinking the same thing.
"After that, I asked Krum to watch him and went to find Dumbledore, but Snape wouldn't let me in.
Fortunately, Dumbledore came out himself a moment later. He followed me to the Forbidden Forest, ready to see Crouch."
"And then he disappeared?" Aaron asked in surprise.
"That's right. When we arrived, we didn't see him, and Krumhad been knocked out by a Stunning Spell."
Aaron was silent for a moment, then said, "First, tell 'Moody' about this."
"We've already finished writing the letter to him." Ron said.
"I pretty much understand the situation." Aaron tapped the table. "If nothing unexpected happens, Barty Crouch was under the Imperio, and the specific time should be before he handed over his work to Percy.
However, to be able to break free from mental control by his own will and run all the way to Hogwarts, he's quite a talent."
"But who could have controlled him? And for so long?" Hermione asked, puzzled. Barty Crouch was the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation; his magical power at that position would certainly not be low.
"Someone." Aaron said meaningfully. "Isn't You-Know-Whogrowing stronger?"
The three immediately turned pale with shock, unconsciously swallowing.
"Are you saying You-Know-Who did it himself?" Harryasked uneasily. "But by rights, he should be very weak."
"What if Wormtail was involved?" Aaron countered.
Harry was speechless. Professor Trelawney's prophecy mentioned that Wormtail would return to Lord Voldemort's side. With the two of them combined, controlling Crouchwouldn't be difficult at all.
"Right now, all the clues are fragmented, and many things have become even more confusing, and there's only one thing we can do... don't bother with this mess."
The three:...