Chapter 396: Lupin suffers a loss, prepares for the game
"Harry, someone is waiting for you inside," Aaron called from the doorway of the conference room.
Harry stood up, a bit bewildered. He couldn't understand who would want to watch him compete; at least the Dursleys certainly wouldn't.
It wasn't until he pushed open the door and saw Remus Lupin that all his confusion was resolved. "Professor, I really didn't expect you to come watch my match."
"Miss Klein specifically invited me.
I may not be a relative, but I can reluctantly pass as an uncle."
Harry nodded excitedly, then looked at Lupin's purplish-green left eye, subconsciously frowning. "Professor, what happened to your eye?"
"He bumped it," Aaron interjected. "He was so excited that he accidentally ran into the doorknob."
"Really?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"That's exactly what happened."
Lupin rubbed his eye, a hint of awkwardness mixed with unnaturalness.
Just now, Aaron had displayed his astonishing magic talent: an illusion to deceive others' sight, a Silencing Charm to block sound, followed by a rapidly growing fist in his vision.
The combo was fluid and seamless; before he could even react, he took a heavy punch.
He had thought that explaining the letter would be fine; his original intention was simply not to want Aaron to go astray. But he hadn't expected... he actually dared to lay hands on a Professor.
Although he felt aggrieved, he couldn't really say anything, as he was in the wrong first.
Moreover, that layer of illusion in the conference room went undetected by everyone except Adrian and Gaines, which was quite intriguing.
Gaines was one thing; despite being a butler, he was unfathomably mysterious. Adrian could be explained by exceptional talent, though it was also possible that Aaron had unilaterally lifted the illusion from her.
But besides the two of them, there were several middle-aged Wizards in the conference room, and Cedric's father, Amos Diggory, was a director at the Ministry of Magic. His strength was beyond doubt, at least not inferior to his own.
None of these people had seen through Aaron's illusion, which directly proved Aaron's magic level.
The problem was that neither Adrian nor Gaines paid any mind to Aaron's punch. He couldn't find a way to appeal, so he could only swallow this bitter pill.
Adrian and Gaines didn't know what Lupin was thinking, but they both understood Aaron.
He wouldn't act without reason; Lupin must have angered him in some way. With this punch, past grievances were settled, and they had no reason to intervene.
Harry nodded, half-believing, then walked over to Adrian. "Thank you so much for finding Professor Lupin."
"You're welcome, it's what a judge should do," Adrian said calmly. "Also, it seems someone is deliberately targeting you in the Triwizard Tournament.
Bringing in Remus Lupin, someone who knows the ins and outs, is also to prevent any accidents."
Harry inexplicably let out a sigh of relief, then turned to talk to Lupin about his experiences this school year, feeling incredibly relaxed.
With Dumbledore and Moody overseeing things, it was already difficult for Lord Voldemort's subordinates to harm him in the third task.
Now, with the added insurance of Lupin, this was absolutely secure, foolproof!
"Let's go for a walk outside; talking here is a bit inconvenient," Adrian suggested, then walked out of the conference room on her own.
Aaron shrugged helplessly and followed behind her.
"You know how to fulfill my request, right?" Adrian teased.
"I know," Aaron said irritably. "The first task had me fighting five Dragons alone. I was lucky and barely survived.
For the second task, besides making difficult choices, I also had to clean up after others. Luckily, I bluffed the Merperson chief and managed to get ashore.
But isn't this third task asking too much? Big sis, you're just targeting me."
"You could say that," Adrian admitted directly. "But the choice has always been yours."
"I already said I'm not interested for now; I'm only fifteen."
"It's just a blind date, at most an engagement. There's no need to make such a fuss."
"Easy for you to say. I haven't seen you being very proactive!"
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "If you can find someone suitable, you can introduce them to me!
If not, shut your mouth. Besides, my younger brother is the heir to the Klein family; it doesn't matter if I stay single my whole life."
Aaron's mouth twitched slightly. He took a deep breath and said, "If I fulfill your request, how much time can you buy me?"
Adrian held up a finger and said faintly, "One year."
"No, that's too little."
"You can get married at sixteen," Adrian said somewhat anxiously. "This is an unspoken agreement between the Gaius and Darwin families. Regardless of whether you and Clia have a future, you must try dating for a period."
"I know," Aaron sighed. "But that time is really too short. How about three years? At least let me finish my studies at Hogwarts!"
"You're pushing your luck! I was prepared to bargain when I offered you a year, but don't you think three years is too exaggerated?" Adrian said, exasperated. "Two years at most, because Clia will be sixteen in two years.
If we drag it out any longer, not only will Clia be upset with me, but both your parents will also have something to say."
Aaron gritted his teeth. "Alright, two years it is."
"That's more like it," Adrian smiled meaningfully. "Perform well in the third task. If you don't meet my requirements, you won't even get two years. Prepare for blind dates when you go home for the holidays!"
Aaron was speechless, knowing only that he had to give his all in tomorrow's match.
"Uncle Gaines, what's the progress on the divine weapon Grandfather Alger is crafting for me?"
"All the parts have been forged; only one last material is needed for assembly."
Aaron nodded slightly. The progress was about what he expected. As for the last material, it was his own blood, which wouldn't be a problem once he returned.
Acquiring four divine weapons at once—the thought still made his heart pound.
"What's the progress on that artifact?" Aaron continued to ask.
"One-third complete."
"What?!" Aaron's mouth dropped open in shock. It wasn't that the progress was slow; on the contrary, it was much higher than he had anticipated.
"What happened?"
"Didn't Young Master send back two materials?
Ghost Crystal is a natural magic conductor, but even more important is the Black Crystal. It's a universal fusion agent that can blend the properties of all materials, perfectly integrating them."
Aaron paused, then turned to Adrian. That Black Crystal was Adrian's Christmas gift to him.
"Sis, you're still the best to me, much better than my stingy ancestor."
"Be polite," Adrian said, exasperated. "Grandfather Gaius has to be responsible for his descendants, and you are just one of them."
Aaron nodded profusely; he was just grumbling.
"Anything big happening in the magic world lately?"
"Besides the disappearance of Barty Crouch and Bertha Jorkins from the Ministry of Magic, there's nothing noteworthy for now," Gaines said. "However, due to Crouch's peculiar disappearance, Percy Weasley's interim judge status was revoked, and Cornelius Fudge took over."
"Not bad," Adrian shrugged. "I don't think Fudge has any ability, but compared to the arrogant Percy Weasley, he's quite pragmatic."
...Aaron and the thought-form sat opposite each other.
The Shadow Ninja stood respectfully to the side, ready to fetch anything their two masters needed.
"Ninja Mask, Higanbana, ten Unicorn feather bullets, ten Hippogriff feather bullets, ten Thestral tail feather bullets, ten Phoenix tail feather bullets, three Ghost Crystal bullets enhanced with Thunderbird tail feathers." The thought-form tallied the items on the table, feeling both speechless and helpless. "I know this third task is very dangerous, and I understand your intentions, but isn't this a bit too much preparation?
Not counting me, with your current magic power, you can at most fire twelve shots before you're at their mercy."
"That's assuming full power output," Aaron corrected. "If I channel less magic power, I can fire twenty, thirty, fifty, or even..."
"Don't say it," the thought-form quickly interrupted. "Fifty shots I can accept. The bullets fired are more powerful than spells of equivalent magic release, but if you say a hundred shots..."
"The power is still stronger than spells!"
"But it's a loss!" the thought-form rolled its eyes. "These bullets aren't our usual training rounds that can be easily conjured with Transfiguration.
The cheapest main material for them is a Knut; many are made with Galleons and Sickles. Plus, the magical animal feathers and my tireless enchantments, you could say every shot fired is pure gold."
"I know," Aaron said very seriously, then changed the subject. "But do you think Big Sis won't pull any strings?
Don't forget, my first two tasks were several times harder than expected, and the difficulty of the third task is even above the first two.
The last task requires other champions not to be too harmed, and I still have to win the championship... But the first person to touch the trophy is the champion.
To meet these stringent conditions, I must deal with all the champions. Everyone touches the trophy simultaneously; this way, either it's a tie, or the champion is decided by the scores from the first two tasks.
That means the maze is full of enemies, but that's the best-case scenario. But what if Adrian has another surprise planned for me? Then it's hard to say."
The thought-form secretly clicked its tongue. This possibility was not nonexistent, and quite high.
After a moment of hesitation, he gave a look to the Shadow Ninja beside him, who brought over a box of bullets.
"These are Unicorn feather, Thestral tail feather, and Hippogriff feather bullets, fifty of each, all enchanted twice.
This is half of our current stock. Once they're used up, they're gone, so you'll have to use them sparingly."
"Uh..." Aaron blinked. "Unless it's an emergency, I won't use Higanbana, after all, so many people are watching. But when the time comes, I won't be stingy."