Wade had never imagined the corridors of Hogwarts could be so crowded.
Students wore their meticulously prepared formal robes, the vibrant colors making everyone's faces stand out and their smiles brighter than usual.
Wade had to turn sideways several times to make way for girls in long dresses; just two or three of them, with their voluminous skirts, could occupy every inch of the corridor.
And as everyone knew, girls always liked to move in groups.
On the first floor, Michael adjusted his tie, waved dashingly, and said, "Good luck, Wade, don't get beaten up... I have to find my dear Daphne!"
The colorful stream of people converged towards the Entrance Hall, while Wade turned alone and headed for the main door.
It had just snowed during the day, and the snow outside the castle shimmered with a pearlescent glow. Snowmen built by students earlier stood on the open ground, some even sporting striped scarves around their necks.
His timing was perfect; after waiting for only a short while, he saw the Koldovstoretz students approaching the castle in groups.
Someone in the group glared at Wade, but with their Headmaster nearby, no one dared to cause trouble directly, so Wade simply pretended not to notice.
He was always very good at ignoring irrelevant people.
Natalia walked at the front of the group, wearing a dark blue velvet gown. Its skirt rippled with each step, and the silver-grey lace shimmered like water.
She sized Wade up and down, then smiled contentedly, and proactively walked over to link arms with him.
"Perfect, our outfits match wonderfully today," she said with a smile. "Have you been waiting long in the snow?"
Wade didn't say how long he had waited, only remarking, "I couldn't possibly let a beautifully dressed lady walk into the castle alone; that would be quite rude."
Natalia's smile brightened even more, tiny ice crystals on her eyelashes sparkling with her movements. "So thoughtful. I bet you've had several girlfriends."
"No, I just have an experienced friend," Wade said politely. "Relationships can be distracting. I don't plan on forming overly intimate connections with anyone before I graduate."
"Oh..." Natalia eyed Wade askance, raising an eyebrow. "Are you afraid I'll confess to you, administering a pre-emptive strike?"
Her bluntness nearly made Wade choke. His steps faltered, then he chuckled.
"I'm not that self-absorbed... I was just making small talk."
Natalia glanced at Wade, a playful curve on her lips, as if she had only been joking, yet a faint, ineffable sense of disappointment lingered in her heart.
She knew that the more polite this person appeared, the more resolute his true thoughts were, like the perennially unmelting glaciers of the far north, not easily changed.
Then Natalia thought again: But I'm not trying to date him. I just want to know... if he's the one who saved my mother.
But that person was disguised as Harry Potter at the time. Perhaps it was some secret operation? Maybe even illegal...
Even if I ask, he probably won't tell the truth.
"Mr. Gray, Miss Petrova!"
Professor McGonagall, wearing red robes, stood by the door and beckoned. "Champions, come over here first. Once the other students are seated, you can queue to enter."
Wade walked over and saw Harry. Beside him, Padma was twirling a golden bracelet on her arm, chatting with Hermione.
And Hermione today was simply stunningly beautiful—perhaps it was because she usually looked rather disheveled, so a little effort made the contrast particularly striking—in any case, she looked like a completely different person.
Harry even walked up to Wade, wearing a mysterious expression, pointed at Hermione, and asked, "Do you know who that girl in the blue dress is?"
Wade gave him a strange look and said, "...Hermione."
Harry was greatly surprised: "You recognized her at a glance?"
"No... I had to look at least three times to recognize her," Wade said dismissively.
Harry: "..."
He was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed, his gaze shifting to the stone wall nearby, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
Wade looked back and, sure enough, Cedric and Cho Chang were approaching.
"Harry, Wade, you're already here!" Cedric greeted them warmly. "Oh, Natalia, you really are Wade's partner!"
"Of course!" Natalia laughed. "I thought this news had spread everywhere! It seems I overestimated our importance."
After a few jokes, the previously congested students melted away quickly from the Entrance Hall. Then Professor McGonagall approached again to line up the ten Champions and their partners.
Subsequently, the tightly shut Great Hall doors opened again, and to the sound of applause and music, everyone filed in.
Tonight's Great Hall was also exceptionally magnificent, with walls hung with silver frost and a ceiling like a starry night sky;
Unmelting icicles hung from the ceiling, decorating the place with crystal-clear brilliance;
Twelve Christmas trees were adorned with sparkling holly berries, golden bells, and owls;
Fairies flew around, scattering shimmering specks of light behind them, and the surrounding suits of armor swayed, singing carols.
Under everyone's gaze, the Champions sat in the empty seats closest to the teachers' table. Wade was watching the several extra Ministry of Magic officials at the teachers' table when he heard a soft voice beside him:
"H-hello."
He turned his head. The person who had sat down next to him was the Beauxbatons Champion, Clementine Durand. She had honey-colored curly hair, freckles, and was short, overall a rather cute-looking girl.
Her partner was a Beauxbatons boy who looked refined but silently stared at the plate in front of him, as if not wanting to speak much.
"Hello, Miss Durand," Wade nodded.
"I just wanted to say, you were truly amazing in the arena, Mr. Gray," Clementine said softly. "If it weren't for your excellent performance, I might not have had the chance to participate in the second task. So I wanted to thank you."
Her partner immediately turned to look, and even Wade raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Many people, out of their fondness for Fleur, claimed that Clementine's participation was a fluke—and while there was some truth to that, Champions from other schools didn't face the same verbal attacks and skepticism.
Most people would probably become withdrawn and upset in such a situation, or try desperately to prove themselves, but the way this girl spoke… it was almost as if she took pride in it?
Wade vaguely felt like he was catching a hint of gossip.
"No need to thank me," he said with a smile. "You've already proven your strength by getting past the Dragon."
"Actually, you can't really say that," Clementine said, a bit embarrassed. "The Champions before me had already injured the Welsh Green's eyes, so it couldn't see, and its ears were hurt too… I didn't have to try very hard to run past it."
Her dance partner's expression twisted slightly, but he didn't contradict her. Then Clementine continued softly:
"It was the same in the Chamber of Secrets… when I went in, there were no more traps, and I didn't encounter anyone else. Several of the scorpions hiding the Golden Egg had already been defeated by others… I just walked in and accidentally stepped on a Golden Egg."
Wade: "…"
"So, it really was luck that I made it to the second task, but I'm probably not going to be that lucky afterwards. I've heard that the further you go, the more dangerous the tasks get."
Clementine clasped her hands together, saying in a soft, quiet voice, "I know Mr. Gray is very smart, and you must have already figured out the secret of the Golden Egg, right? Could you give me a little hint? Just a tiny bit!"
Before Wade could speak, a hand suddenly reached out and pushed Clementine's leaning head back.
"Excuse me," Natalia said coldly, lifting her chin. "This is my dance partner."
Clementine was silent for a moment, then said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Then why don't you two switch seats?"
"Fine!"
Natalia said decisively, not bothering with pleasantries. She grabbed Wade's arm, made him stand up, and then sat down next to Clementine, looking at her with a sneer.
Wade, who had been pushed behind the girl, "…"
He sighed and silently sat down.
Clementine's cheeks were slightly flushed. She leaned forward a bit, timidly whispering, "Actually, Miss Petrova, I'd rather discuss this with you than with Wade Gray."
"You know my strength is much weaker compared to yours. The second task is really dangerous for me. Since we're all girls, could you possibly help me a little?"
Her eyes darted around nervously as she looked at Natalia, her face filled with admiration and pleading.
Natalia's mouth was slightly agape, and after a long pause, she let out a monotone sound:
"…Huh?"
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