A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"Hmm..." After reading the letter, Aaron stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. "My intuition tells me that Barty Crouch is probably in trouble."

“But Percy says there’s nothing wrong with his handwriting,” Ron said, puzzled. “Maybe he really is seriously ill.”

"Perhaps! But I still trust my intuition."

“It’s best not to make assumptions without concrete evidence,” Hermione said seriously. “Mr. Crouch is, after all, the Director of the Ministry of Magic, while we are just a few fourth-year wizards. No one will believe us for no reason.”

Aaron didn't deny it, then looked at Harry, "No matter what Crouch's current situation is, we can't control it. You'd better start preparing."

“I understand.” Harry nodded, then said dejectedly, “But the last event of the Triwizard Tournament hasn’t been announced yet, and I don’t know how to prepare for it.”

"Then we need to find a way to improve our strength. The last project is definitely related to the Warriors' strength."

"Are you so sure?" Ron asked, somewhat doubtfully.

"Do you remember what Hagrid said when he first took out the Bombtail?" Aaron said meaningfully. "It was for a big project."

The three looked at each other, then, as if struck by a thought, they all swallowed hard.

Hermione frowned, her expression grave. "You mean the Triwizard Tournament champions might have to face Blasttail?"

"To correct you, it should be an adult 'Flaming Tail' snail."

If all goes well, they should grow to over three meters tall.

Upon hearing this, Harry turned pale; he didn't think he could defeat such a monster.

"It's alright!" Ron forced a smile, his face stiff. "Most of the Blasttail Snails are dead. There shouldn't be many left now!"

"I don't deny that, but it further proves that the third project isn't just about the Blast-tailed Snail. There might be other dangerous creatures as well. We need to make sure that each of the five warriors has one!"

Harry pursed his lips with difficulty and forced a smile, "Any suggestions?"

"Heh!" Aaron's lips twitched, speechless. "I won't go into offensive spells, you know a few of those, but defensive ones..."

"The Ironclad Curse?" Hermione said without hesitation.

"That's right, you have about two months left, you'd better learn this spell."

It provides some degree of protection for life safety.

Harry Potter: ......

......

Time flies, and before we know it, it's the last week of May.

That day, Professor Snape told Aaron to go to the Quidditch stadium at nine o'clock that night, where Mr. Bagman would tell the warriors what the third project was.

That evening, Aaron set off half an hour early and met Harry and Cedric in the foyer.

"What do you think it will be?" Cedric asked with interest. "Fleur said it will be an underground tunnel; she thinks we're looking for treasure."

“Ms. Maxim probably told her that.” Aaron shook his head with a smile. “We learned about the Niffler in our Magical Creatures Protection class a while ago. It seems Ms. Maxim has misunderstood something.”

“The situation might be a bit more complicated than you think.” Harry glanced at Aaron without making it obvious, and seeing that he didn’t react, he continued, “If nothing unexpected happens, we might have to deal with the Blasttail.”

"What?" Cedric was immediately taken aback. "Are you kidding me?"

Although he was in seventh grade, he knew a little about Hagrid's Blasttail, and Rita Skeeter had written about the creature's ferocity in the newspaper.

"Uncertain, but very likely."

The three crossed the lawn and entered the field area.

But as soon as they entered, Harry and Cedric became furious; it seemed the Quidditch arena had vanished.

The field is no longer flat and smooth, and the goalposts have been completely removed, replaced by a patch of green foliage plants.

These plants form walls, intricately connected, winding and stretching in all directions.

“This is interesting,” Aaron said half-jokingly. “But I don’t really like these kinds of levels; they’re too convoluted.”

“Especially since there are all sorts of monsters inside,” Harry added with a wry smile.

"You've arrived," Bagman called out from the center of the field, with Krum and Fleur standing beside him.

The three of them exchanged a glance, walked through the not-so-tall plants, and reached the very center.

"I'm sure you've all guessed what the last item is, right?"

Chapter 392 The "Difficult Person" Setting: Don't Bother with This Mess

“A maze,” Aaron said confidently, “but it can’t be just a maze!”

"Of course, the maze is the most basic one."

There are many obstacles, such as the interesting animals Hagrid provides.

Upon hearing this, the three Hogwarts warriors did not look too pleased.

Krum and Fleur may not know much about Hagrid, but they are certain that interesting animals are generally ferocious, and they are at least 100% sure that the Blasttail Snail is among them.

“The leading scorer enters the maze first, which means Mr. Gaius has the advantage.” Bagman raised an eyebrow at Aaron. “Then it’s Harry Potter, then Mr. Krum, fourth is Cedric, and finally Miss Delacour.”

Aaron forced a smile. As required by Adrian, he had to be the last to complete the competition, so this advantage was of little value to him.

"The trophy for the Triwizard Tournament will be placed in the center of the maze, and the third challenge is to find it. Any questions?"

“Yes,” Aaron raised his hand. “How will this third item be scored?”

“Um… 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 warrior to encounter it is the one who gets a perfect score."

"What about the others?"

“Mr. Gaius, what I mean by perfect score is actually the champion.”

"Watfa..." Aaron couldn't hold back any longer. He felt a dizzying sensation and stumbled back a few steps.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have fallen into a bottomless pit from the very beginning, the kind that he couldn't climb out of.

If I'm the last one to pass the competition, it means I'll miss out on the championship, fail to meet my older sister's requirements, and I'll have to go on a blind date with Keria when I go back home for summer vacation.

But if you win the championship, you have to be the first to pass the competition. If you still can't meet her requirements, you'll still be destined for blind dates when you go back.

If it were someone unrelated, a polite refusal would suffice, but Keria is a special case. Their childhood friendship and their respective family backgrounds are far too complicated to handle without being exceptionally troublesome.

Seeing Aaron's helpless expression, the others seemed to realize something and their eyes widened in surprise.

“Aaron,” Harry said, somewhat gleefully, “your sister won’t…”

"Shut up!" Aaron roared, then turned to Bagman. "This is not fair. I strongly suggest that the final champion be decided based on the scores."

“Don’t get agitated, Mr. Gaius, I completely understand how you feel.” Bagman took a deep breath and softened his voice as he explained, “But it’s actually quite fair. Your scores in the first two events earned you the right to enter the maze first, giving you a lead of several minutes!”

"Do I need those few minutes?" Aaron roared angrily, but then realized he might have gone too far, so he forced a smile. "I just think it's a bit hasty to decide the champion based solely on the order of entry. Maybe the last one to go in will have a smooth ride to the trophy, while I, the first one, will have to overcome many obstacles and still not get out."

Furong smiled and said with pursed lips, "Thank you for your kind words."

“Luck is also part of ability,” Bagman said calmly. “If it were based on points, Miss Delacour might not have won the championship even if she performed well in the third event, which would be unfair to her and even to the whole of Beauxbatons.”

“That’s exactly right.” Fleur was even more smug. “Mr. Bagman truly lives up to his title as the Director of the Department of Magical Sports; he’s so fair and just!”

Upon hearing this, Aaron nearly coughed up blood.

Damn it! I should have made this woman suffer more in the second project.

Others may not know the restrictions Adrian imposed on him, but don't you guys know them?

That's easy for someone to say when they're not in the situation; those sarcastic remarks are utterly heartless.

“Alright, Mr. Bagman,” Aaron said, calming down. “Didn’t my sister, referee Klein, say anything?”

“I almost forgot, she did have something for me to tell you,” Bagman said apologetically. “Her exact words were, ‘There’s always a way to overcome a problem.’”

Aaron blinked blankly. "That's it?"

"Gone."

"Hehe! Having a sister like this is definitely the best I've ever had in my life," Aaron said, on the verge of tears.

“Are you alright?” Cedric said. “If you ask me, a match should be played fairly and squarely. You don’t need to take Klein’s request to heart.”

"No way." Aaron shook his head, speechless. "My sister has me completely under her thumb. If I don't meet her demands, I'll..."

In short, it's a long story!

Cedric paused for a moment, exchanged glances with the others, and gave up on trying to persuade Aaron.

This is not a loss for him; he is happy to eliminate a strong opponent ahead of time.

On the way back, Aaron exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, preventing others from getting close.

He felt he needed to speak with Adrian face-to-face; it was unfair to make things difficult for him.

Winning without being the first to touch the trophy is contradictory; it's practically a provocation against the rules of the competition.

Before they knew it, they had left the maze. Harry was called away by Krum, and they seemed to have some private matters to discuss. Fleur headed towards the Forbidden Forest, where Beauxbatons' carriage was parked. Aaron and Cedric returned to Hogwarts Castle.

......

The next day, early in the morning.

Aaron slept until he naturally woke up, selectively forgetting all his worries, and felt much more relaxed.

Adrian was definitely making things difficult for him, but the fact that Bagman was able to relay a message meant that there was a solution, even if he hadn't thought of it yet.

With nearly a month to go before the third project, he was confident he could find a solution.

If all else fails, ask Adrian before the competition starts; she certainly won't mind telling you.

As soon as they left the common room and entered the Great Hall, Harry and his two companions approached them looking anxious.

"I'm not in a good mood. Let's talk about it after I finish breakfast," Aaron said casually.

"Something terrible has happened," Harry said in a low voice.

"Nothing is more important than eating," Aaron said casually, slowly adding a fruit pie to Abe's plate.

“It’s extremely urgent,” Harry continued, his eyes incredibly serious.

Aaron rolled his eyes impatiently. "Speak."