On the morning of May 16th, almost everyone got up early and after having breakfast, headed for the Maze Area.
No matter how confident he had sounded before, at this moment, thinking about the competition with many young wizards older and better than him, Harry, with his messy hair, felt his stomach was full.
He forced himself to eat something and drank a little pumpkin juice. He didn't dare eat too much, fearing that he might vomit later.
"Let's go."
Hermione, also looking nervous, came over and patted Harry on the shoulder:
"Everyone's ready."
"Oh... okay."
Harry stood up hastily and glanced at Ron, only to see him sitting with Percy.
It looked like Percy was passing on some tips to him, and Ron, with his mouth slightly open, looked a bit silly.
This time, they belonged to different teams, not as friends, but as competitors.
Harry walked towards the group from Umbrella House.
Michael's smile looked tense as he silently reached out his palm and high-fived Harry.
"Come on! You can do it!"
Padma raised her fist and said.
She didn't like fighting and was afraid of getting hurt, so she chose to be an audience member.
When they reached the center of the long table, Neville also joined the team. As he stood up, his legs were trembling with nervousness.
The rules required that each participating team could have a maximum of six people.
Harry, Hermione, Michael, Theo, Leian, the five of them were definite participants.
Padma and Vid backed out, the Weasley Twins formed a team with older students, and in the end, a previously shrinking Neville had to step up.
"I... I can't do it..."
During registration, Neville said with trembling voice, "When I get nervous, I forget all the spells..."
"Then bring a sword!"
Vid held him by the shoulder, said confidently, "Trust me, you can do it!"
Then he really made a sword for Neville, with a cold glint and it looked very sharp.
Vid hesitated for a while before handing it to Neville.
"I suppose you know, this thing shouldn't be used on people—of course, be careful not to accidentally use it on yourself."
Neville took the sword shakily and asked:
"Is it... is it okay not to use it?"
"Of course—it's your decision," Vid said.
Michael also asked, "Can we bring this into the competition?"
Vid said, "The rules don't say you can't, so you can."
At this moment in the hall, Neville hung the sword, which was as long as his calf, by his side, wearing clothes convenient for moving, he looked rather handsome if not for his face.
But Neville's face was pale, he looked like he might faint at any moment.
"Don't forget to breathe, Neville."
Theo reminded him,
"Take a few deep breaths, it should help."
Michael felt uneasy, but still encouraged,
"Cheer up! We don't have to win, but we must walk in upright."
"...Michael, are you always this pessimistic?"
Leian couldn't help but tease.
As they bantered, Neville's nervousness eased a bit, then Theo asked:
"Harry, didn't Vid say you have an advantage? What is it?"
Harry shook his head, "He said I'd know when we get in... but I think it's..."
He bit his tongue and made a soft hissing sound, Neville realized:
"Oh, that..."
"Don't say it out loud!"
Padma immediately stopped him, and Neville hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand.
But Theo shook his head:
"I guessed that too... but I don't think that's it."
Michael followed up,
"Don't forget, besides other teams, people from the Ministry of Magic will be present too, if they find out..."
He lowered his voice meaningfully and swallowed the rest of the sentence.
Everyone understood—though they didn't know what the outcome would be, it surely wouldn't be good.
Then Michael changed the topic:
"But in case of emergency, using it secretly is fine. We'll cover for you so you won't get caught."
Harry nodded slightly, though his heart felt heavy.
They walked out of the castle.
The weather was nice that day, not too hot or cold, a thin layer of clouds shielding the increasingly scorching sun.
The participating teams were already gathering in front of different Maze entrances, Filch and Hagrid checking names one by one, and Professor McGonagall was sternly watching the students, to prevent them from sneaking in.
"Today's Maze is different from usual, with many dangerous elements added. If you want to back out, now is your last chance!"
Harry heard Professor McGonagall saying loudly and his heart thought:
"Everyone came ready, who would back out at this point!"
Then, before the echo faded from his mind, he saw a team of first-year girls suddenly raising their hands, then giggling as they ran out of the contestant line.
Another Hufflepuff team was pleading with Filch:
"...That guy was too nervous yesterday, drank a little, and can't get up after throwing up this morning. But even if we only have five people, we can still compete, right?"
"No!"
Filch said rigidly,
"If even one person withdraws, the whole team forfeits! It's the rule!"
He unscrupulously crossed their names off.
One by one, people left the contestant lineup, making Neville, tense and anxious, want to leave the team too.
At this moment, a group came over, led by none other than Harry's most disliked Malfoy.
He glanced at their team and mocked:
"I heard you're participating too, Longbottom? Are you planning on amusing your opponents with clumsy trickery to let them spare you?"
Neville's face remained pale, but the trembling in his body suddenly stopped.
"I can do it! Vid said I can!"
"Oh?"
Malfoy said coldly,
"Then I must say, his judgment is a bit off lately, he should borrow Potter's glasses."
"Get lost, Malfoy!"
Harry stepped forward with clenched fists, angry as he said,
"Or let's have a fight right now!"
"What are you doing?"
Professor McGonagall noticed the conflict and immediately strode over, saying sternly,
"Malfoy, I remember you are not at this entrance! Go back to your team immediately!"
"Yes, Professor."
Malfoy said reluctantly, giving the two Gryffindors a glare when the Professor wasn't looking, and walked to another entrance nearby.
Professor McGonagall glanced at this mixed team of students from three houses, her tone softened slightly but remained stern.
"Please, at least be quiet today! Many people from the Ministry of Magic are watching you perform!"
Following her gaze, Harry and the others saw the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and also Vid standing over there.