The competition concluded smoothly. Under Dumbledore's intentional guidance, everyone's attention was focused on Harry Potter, who had heroically rescued two hostages, while Ethan was largely ignored.
Scáthach, Illya, and even Rin all knew that his main objective this time was to protect Harry, and that the so-called competition was just a performance. So they weren't surprised by Ethan's deliberate restraint.
Ethan casually grabbed a towel, dried his hair, and calmly waited for Dumbledore to announce the results.
In the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, the winner was Harry Potter, who returned with two hostages. Although he surfaced right before the time limit, his heroic act of saving both earned him a significant amount of bonus points, placing him directly in first.
Second place went to Viktor, who had rescued his classmate early. Originally, his performance in this task should have secured first place and made up for his disadvantage from the first task. Unexpectedly, Harry managed to surpass him, so Viktor's mood wasn't great, and his expression remained gloomy, just like after the previous task.
Third place was Ethan, who returned just before the time limit, slightly earlier than Harry. His performance was unremarkable. He didn't rescue his target quickly, nor did he save extra hostages like Harry did.
He simply brought Hermione back in a standard fashion. Only Hermione herself knew that Ethan had been hiding underwater for over half an hour. If he had wanted to, he could have rescued her immediately after the task began, or even taken all four hostages, preventing the other champions from finishing.
It was just that Ethan didn't care about winning. He had no need to show off either.
With the second task complete, the Triwizard Tournament would now enter its final phase. The starting order for the last task would be determined by the results of the first two rounds. The champions would then search for the winning cup in a maze.
The first one to find the cup would be the winner.
"Before this task begins, shouldn't you prepare a bit?"
As events progressed, Dumbledore became more cautious. He didn't want any accidents now, which meant Ethan needed to speak with him more often.
"You've been watching that guy pretending to be Moody, right?"
"Yes. Snape has been monitoring him to stop him from doing anything."
This was different from the original timeline. Because Snape was always watching the fake Moody, Barty Crouch Jr., he didn't get many chances to contact his father, Barty Crouch Sr.
This prevented the tragedy where Barty Crouch Sr. recognized his son's familiar mannerisms, figured out the truth, and was killed.
"Should we act right after the third task begins?"
"Or wait until the task ends?"
"Why?"
"Someone needs to deliver a message for the Dark Lord. To tell the wizarding world that he has returned."
Dumbledore nodded. If they arrested Barty Crouch Jr. in advance, and the professors already knew something was wrong but didn't react, it would be too suspicious. It made more sense to wait until after the task ended, after Harry returned and brought back the news of Voldemort's resurrection, before arresting him.
"Also, I've figured out how I should make my exit."
"Oh?" Dumbledore immediately understood Ethan's meaning. "You mean..."
"Yes."
If he ever returned to this world again, it likely wouldn't be as a child, nor would he use the fake surname Arendelle.
"Exiting like this... it's quite dramatic."
Didn't the Dark Lord want a grand entrance? Ethan could grant him that. Originally, Cedric Diggory's death marked the Dark Lord's return, even though Voldemort wasn't the one who killed him. This time, Ethan's name would be enough.
Considering what the Minister of Magic, Fudge, who always denied the truth, might do, Ethan planned to bring in more witnesses this time.
Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and Harry Potter,the representatives of the three most prominent magic academies in Europe would all be witnesses to Voldemort's return. It would make it harder for Fudge to suppress the news.
"Fudge will definitely use all sorts of methods to suppress this kind of news. Are you prepared for that?"
Dumbledore knew Fudge wasn't actually evil or a supporter of Voldemort. He was just too obsessed with power, which made him incapable of making the right decisions. Now that Ethan had given him a warning, he had already made arrangements.
"As long as you're ready, make sure those idiots don't trouble Hogwarts. I left Leah, Rin, and Illya here so they could experience a peaceful school life, not to be bullied."
"Don't worry. That absolutely won't happen."
In that instant, Dumbledore felt an immense pressure radiating from Ethan. It was the same feeling Fawkes must have experienced.
If before, he had only suspected Ethan's identity without confirmation, then now, even though he still didn't know exactly who Ethan was, he could confirm that Ethan was no longer human.
Although Dumbledore was strong and one of the most brilliant wizards in the magical world, he was still just a human. The two simply weren't on the same level.
Ethan wasn't threatening Dumbledore. He just wanted his words to be taken seriously.
After Dumbledore nodded, he pulled out an amulet and handed it over.
"Even though I know you'll do your best to keep your promise, I also know that when the time comes, you'd sacrifice yourself without hesitation."
"What is this...?"
"Activate its magic when necessary. It can instantly restore you to your healthiest state."
As an old wizard with extensive experience, Dumbledore instantly recognized the value of this item. Having it was like gaining a second life.
He even thought about giving it to someone more important. Sacrificing his own life didn't matter much.
Seeing through his thoughts, Ethan silently took out a large handful of identical amulets and placed them in front of him.
"You decide how to distribute them."
"..."
This was essentially Ethan prepaying the tuition, books, and various living expenses for Illya, Leah, and Rin, even including pocket money.
Dumbledore understood that, but he really couldn't turn down items of this level.
With these, they would definitely be able to win the coming conflict with Voldemort, or rather, the "Pureblood faction" wizards.
This was also what Ethan wanted. The sooner the Pureblood faction was wiped out, the sooner Hogwarts—and the entire wizarding world—could enjoy peace. Only in a peaceful world could Illya and the others live and study safely.
If he wanted them to gain practical combat experience, he could send them to other worlds. He chose this one precisely because of Hogwarts.
After the conversation, Ethan didn't speak to Dumbledore again. He simply waited quietly for the final task.
After the third task, his time at Hogwarts would end. He wouldn't even stay until the end of the semester. On the surface, after all, he would have been killed by Voldemort...
Standing at the entrance to the maze, the site of the third task, Ethan lightly stretched his neck. This task wasn't hard. The only challenge was guiding the other champions to the cup at the same time.
To make that happen, Ethan had done quite a bit. First, he had to wake up Viktor, who was under the Imperius Curse. Then, using illusions and plant control, he guided Fleur and Viktor closer and closer to the cup.
Harry was the same. To ensure his "plan" went smoothly, Ethan had to be completely familiar with the layout of the maze, like having a god's-eye view, keeping everything within his control.
His mental power was strong enough now, and the maze was made entirely of thick plants. By sensing the flow of natural energy, he could determine the maze's layout and, using mental imprints he had placed earlier, track the locations of the other three.
At the same time, he constantly cast Confundus Charms, making the fake Moody outside believe everything was under his control, so he wouldn't detect anything odd.
"Suddenly, I find this way of doing things pretty fun."
The feeling of having everyone act according to his plan, of everything moving just as he willed, was dangerously addictive.
However, he didn't let himself get lost in that illusion of control. After creating a series of "accidents," the three champions "just so happened" to find the winning cup in front of them. All they had to do was reach out and touch it.
Each of them arrived from a different direction. At this point, they hadn't noticed one another yet, but they all rushed toward the cup with everything they had.
During the sprint, branches and small pits kept appearing beneath Viktor's feet, who was the fastest, slowing him down. Fleur, with the weakest stamina, encountered fewer problems. Harry was somewhere in between.
Through Ethan's "fine-tuning," the three of them reached the cup nearly at the same time. At that moment, Ethan also used a teleportation spell and appeared in front of the cup. All four of them touched it together.
(To be continued.)