"I can tell you responsibly that whoever gets the Hungarian Horntail won't have an easy time of it."
Both Charlie Weasley and Rubeus Hagrid undoubtedly had a passionate love for dragons. At this moment, the former was earnestly analyzing the three dragons for the latter. He pointed to the nearest black giant dragon and said, "Its back end is just as dangerous as its front, look."
Hearing Charlie's words, Harry indeed saw long bronze-colored spikes protruding every few inches along the black dragon's tail. Combined with the fact that it was also the largest of the three dragons, it clearly looked quite formidable.
Please don't let us face that one! Harry silently prayed in his heart.
Meanwhile, several of Charlie's companions stumbled over to the Hungarian Horntail. Harry noticed they were carrying a blanket containing a clutch of huge, granite-gray dragon eggs.
When the group carefully placed the dragon eggs beside the Hungarian Horntail, Hagrid finally couldn't contain his inner desire and let out a groan.
"I've counted them, Hagrid!" Charlie said sternly, seeing Hagrid's expression. He had spent a full seven years at Hogwarts and knew Hagrid's nature all too well.
Moreover, Ron had told him about how Hagrid had secretly hatched a dragon egg during their first year. So, when Charlie saw Hagrid looking with such burning desire, he immediately watched him like guarding against a thief. Who knows, if he wasn't paying attention, Hagrid might actually help himself to one.
Hagrid coughed and raised his head, looking around, pretending to admire the scenery.
Charlie was an honest and straightforward person and didn't want the situation to continue being awkward, so he asked, "By the way, how's Harry doing?"
Hearing Charlie mention him, Harry's heart leaped to his throat.
"Quite well," Hagrid's answer was somewhat distracted because he had started staring at those dragon eggs with burning desire again.
This time Charlie didn't notice. He looked toward the enclosure holding the dragons, saying with a heavy heart, "I really hope he'll still be safe and sound after facing this danger. I don't even dare tell Mum what Harry has to face in the first task. You know, she's already frantic enough about him..."
At this point, Charlie suddenly imitated his mother's anxious voice, saying, "'How could they let him participate in that tournament, he's too young!' 'I thought they'd all be fine, I thought there would be an age limit!' And after that article about Harry in the Daily Prophet was published, Mum cried her eyes out. 'He's still crying for his parents!' 'Oh God, I had no idea!'"
Hearing Charlie's description, Harry was so embarrassed he wanted to dig out a two-bedroom apartment with his toes.
Although he was very grateful for Mrs. Weasley's care for him, she had actually believed Rita Skeeter's nonsense! Was she kidding? How could he possibly do such a thing?
Harry felt he shouldn't stay here any longer. After all, at this moment Hagrid's heart was completely filled with the three charming dragons in his eyes and his dear Madame Maxime. Nine times out of ten, he had already forgotten all about Sherlock and himself.
After all, that's what he did the last time he saw Madame Maxime.
Thinking this, he simply turned around quietly, preparing to call Sherlock to return to the castle together.
However, just then, another voice asked, "So, how is Sherlock, who's with Harry?"
Asking about Sherlock?
Harry's curiosity was immediately piqued. He recognized the speaker as a young woman, and the voice sounded vaguely familiar.
Thinking this, he turned back around and nearly cried out in surprise.
Another acquaintance!
Appearing in Harry's line of sight was none other than the former Head Girl who had just graduated from Hogwarts last term, the former Slytherin prefect who had an unclear, indescribable, but gentlemanly friendship with Sherlock.
Gemma Farley!
But why would she be here?
Harry immediately looked in Sherlock's direction. He saw his friend's face was calm, as if he had expected this all along.
Having followed Sherlock for four years, Harry had long since developed a brain. After thinking briefly, he immediately understood the connection.
Obviously, Gemma Farley was one of the dragon handlers with Charlie. With Sherlock's observational abilities and his familiarity with her, he must have spotted her long ago.
Seeing Gemma, Hagrid was clearly also surprised. "It's you, Gemma Farley! What are you doing here?"
Harry thought, excellent, that's exactly what I wanted to ask.
"Miss Farley came to the Romanian dragon sanctuary after graduation and became my colleague," Charlie explained to Hagrid with a smile. "She's performed excellently, and when the Triwizard Tournament was to be held at Hogwarts this time, she applied to come along with us."
"Oh, I see..." Hagrid nodded. "What a coincidence."
Sherlock naturally didn't need Hagrid to help inquire. The moment he saw Gemma, he understood why she was here.
When Gemma was still in her sixth year, she had already begun planning for where to go after graduation. And she had told Sherlock about this.
At that time, Mr. Farley had hoped Gemma would go to Sweden to get involved in the magical mineral trade there. But Gemma herself had preferred to do something related to her own interests, applying for a trainee position at the Romanian dragon sanctuary.
After discussing it with her father several times, he finally couldn't prevail over his daughter and agreed to Gemma's idea.
Unexpectedly, a year later, something major happened in the Muggle world. The European Union was formally established.
This made exchanges between major European countries suddenly much more frequent, and in this process, the magical world also went with the flow, bringing about the restart of the Triwizard Tournament after more than a century.
At the same time, the British Ministry of Magic was unusually competent for once, securing the hosting rights for the first tournament after the restart.
By coincidence, the first task was also set by the organizers as heroes slaying dragons. Many, many coincidences combined together, ultimately creating the current result.
Gemma Farley's limited-time return.
"Mr. Weasley is too kind, I'm far inferior compared to you," Gemma said modestly upon hearing Charlie's praise.
Although she had only recently graduated, Gemma gave the impression that she had already shed the immaturity of her student days, with more maturity and competence about her.
How to put it? They were both Head Students who had immediately started working after graduation. But Harry just felt that her state was much better than Percy working at the Ministry of Magic.
"So, is Sherlock doing well?" After greeting Hagrid, Gemma asked about Sherlock again.
Hearing this, Harry couldn't help but look toward Sherlock. Gemma really cared so much about his good friend!
"Ha, since you've already come to Hogwarts, you can ask him yourself in person!" Hagrid said with a laugh. "He doesn't know yet that you've come too!"
"Because Sherlock is a competing champion," Gemma explained seriously. "According to the rules, we can't meet or correspond before the first task is over."
"That doesn't matter, he's right at..."
Hey—!
At this moment, Harry almost cried out.
"...right at the school, you'll be able to see each other soon."
That was close! Harry was scared half to death by Hagrid. Just a little, just a little bit more, and Hagrid would have blurted out that Sherlock was secretly following him right now.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, he reined himself in at the cliff's edge and smoothed it over in time.
Gemma's blue eyes stared at Hagrid, and after a moment, she slowly said, "It seems... he should be doing quite well?"
"Haha, that's right—he's doing just as well as Harry. Since being chosen as Hogwarts' champion, he's become very popular."
Hagrid, feeling somewhat guilty under Gemma's stare, stroked his beard and said, "Gemma, you really don't need to worry, I've never treated that fellow as a child!"
Hearing this, Gemma couldn't help but smile sweetly. "Hagrid, I've never treated him as a child either. You're right, there's no point in asking about his current state now. After the first task is over, I'll be able to see him."
"If Sherlock knew you were here, he'd definitely be very happy."
"Perhaps," Gemma said with a slight smile, "but I think he'd be more likely to say, 'Obviously.'"
"Obviously, my friend."
On the way back to the castle, when Harry asked Sherlock what he thought about Gemma's unexpected arrival, Sherlock said this.
"Obviously?" Harry repeated, nearly tripping over a tree root at his feet. He steadied himself, his voice extremely low but unable to hide his surprise. "So you really did know beforehand? Before she spoke, you saw her there?"
Compared to Harry's stumbling steps, Sherlock's footsteps seemed exceptionally steady in the night. Moonlight filtered through the sparse canopy, casting alternating light and shadow on his sharply defined profile, making him appear even more profound.
"Precisely so."
Hearing Harry's inquiry, Sherlock nodded slightly. "When that group of people carried the blanket toward the Hungarian Horntail, I noticed that figure in the group. That height ratio and walking posture allowed me to identify immediately that it wasn't a stranger. Combined with the background of the Romanian dragon sanctuary and the current situation, if I still didn't understand what was going on, that would be strange!"
Harry's eyes widened, though this might have limited effect in the darkness.
"You're really something!" He couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice. "You know what, I was almost scared to death just then! Just a little, just that little bit, and Hagrid would have let slip that we were there!"
Harry recalled with lingering fear the words Hagrid had almost blurted out, and his palms seemed to break out in cold sweat again.
"Fortunately, at the critical moment, Hagrid swallowed back 'here' and changed it to 'at school.' By the way, Gemma... she didn't get suspicious, did she? I saw her staring at Hagrid for several seconds."
The corner of Sherlock's mouth curved slightly upward. "My dear Harry, your observational skills are becoming increasingly detailed. Hagrid's nervousness and unnaturalness were obvious enough. For Gemma, noticing this wasn't difficult. However, even so, her question was only directed at Hagrid's description of my current state."
Although separated by the Invisibility Cloak and unable to see Harry's current state, Sherlock seemed to still see his confused expression and offered further explanation.
"Although she keenly caught the inconsistency in Hagrid's words, she would only think Hagrid was concealing my current state, not that we would actually be right beside her. This is very reasonable. Even if our positions were reversed, I might not necessarily be able to deduce this point. It's also very fortunate. If we had been discovered in that setting, it wouldn't have been something to celebrate."
Harry nodded. Hagrid bringing Madame Maxime to see the dragons could still barely be glossed over with "Madame Maxime has professional ethics and would never tell the Beauxbatons champion about this."
Of course, Harry also knew this was absolutely impossible. But the world was like this—sometimes you just needed that thin layer. Even if everyone knew that this layer would fall off with the lightest tug.
However, if Sherlock and Harry, these two champions participating in the Triwizard Tournament, appeared directly at the scene, that would be a completely different concept.
So, Sherlock was right, this was very fortunate.
Speaking of this, Harry suddenly remembered Gemma's last words and couldn't help but laugh. "By the way, she also said 'he'd be more likely to say obviously.' Ha! She really understands you too well! Didn't you just say it? Right?"
Sherlock didn't directly respond to this assessment. His gaze pierced through the increasingly sparse trees ahead. He and Harry had been walking for a while now, and could vaguely see Hogwarts Castle's solemn and massive outline in the moonlight.
The time had come to midnight, and the surrounding darkness grew even thicker. The night wind from the Forbidden Forest, carrying coldness and the scent of grass, wood, and earth, didn't make one feel tired but instead made Sherlock's mind even clearer.
He walked in silence, seemingly pondering something.
Seeing Sherlock not speaking, Harry also quieted down, but his mind kept turning.
Gemma Farley had returned! She had come to Hogwarts! And in the capacity of Charlie Weasley's colleague, responsible for guarding the dragons for the first task!
All of this was too incredible.
But on the other hand, Harry's heart involuntarily sank. As one of Hermione's best friends, Harry at this moment couldn't help but feel a trace of worry and anxiety for her.
Harry knew very clearly that Hermione had an indescribable attention toward Sherlock. This attention had deepened over time and through their repeated battles fought side by side.
But there was one thing Harry hadn't told anyone. Not even Sherlock.
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