Chapter 230: The Second Task

Harry tried exchanging a few spells with Renata, both genuinely aiming to hit each other, but the spells flew wildly off-target. Harry suddenly realized this might have to do with light refraction—his aim was true, yet the spells landed completely off-course.

At that moment, Harry remembered a crucial point: Renata couldn't breathe in air, meaning she couldn't leave the water wall or touch the chest now exposed to the open air. So he didn't need to fight her at all—just run.

Harry slapped himself with the pre-prepared Invisibility Charm. Though his silhouette still flickered faintly as he moved, Renata, separated by a curtain of water, nearly lost all sense of his location and could only waste spells wildly toward the finish line.

Passing by Elena and Krum, who appeared to be locked in fierce combat, Harry took a closer look and realized there was a small safe distance between them—only from afar did they look like they were grappling. Their attacks clearly weren't meant to land, their dodges weren't even necessary, yet they fought with cheerful abandon, like dancing to street music.

He nodded silently. Under Donald's inherent bias, combined with Zhang Qiu's relentless efforts to cultivate rapport, Elena had finally joined the fixed-match crew. Things were now moving in Harry's favor; the only one still competing against him was Renata, perhaps at most Hermione, anxiously watching from the sidelines and determined to uphold professional ethics.

When Harry reached the chest, Cedric arrived too. The invisible Harry called out loudly: "I'm here—the password is Tranzerro!"

"What? How do you spell that?" Cedric started to step closer when a red spell struck the ground beside his foot, making him leap back. Renata had fired several spells toward the chest and was gradually finding her aim.

"You input the password," Cedric whispered. "I'll hold her off."

"Alright." Harry crouched low, creeping quietly toward the chest. Under Cedric's counter-spells, Renata didn't notice him.

"The password is Pandora—the Pandora's box Pandora," Cedric said, dodging another spell.

Harry quickly located the spot on the chest for entering the password. He traced each letter with his wand, and with a loud *boom*, the chest opened.

Three items floated out of the chest, emitting a faint white glow. Beneath each lay a sheet of explanatory text. Renata stopped shooting—perhaps fearing she'd damage the objects.

Harry quickly scanned their effects and read them aloud to Cedric: "This book reveals the current stage's information—usable once. These wings let you skip one enemy—usable once. This key opens locked doors—usable three times."

"I don't think we'll face any enemies we can't beat. Take the key," Cedric said.

Harry considered it. There was a strong chance the third stage would again be combat plus puzzle-solving. Cedric was right—if it was combat, they had nothing to fear; the real danger was getting stuck on a puzzle.

Of course, the book was flexible—it could help solve puzzles or reveal enemy weaknesses—but it could only be used once. After hesitation, Harry followed Cedric's advice and took the magic key.

The moment Harry took the key, the other two items instantly returned to the chest, which then sealed shut.

"Krum, I'll let you open the chest first—but you must tell me the other half of the password," Elena said calmly. In this situation, it was her best option.

"Okay, the password is..." Krum still struggled with his speech, so he quickly used his wand to write "Tranzerro" on Elena's sleeve.

The two fixed-match participants, now in silent agreement, abruptly stopped fighting. Krum strode confidently toward the chest. Renata gestured through the water curtain. Soon, their chest opened too. After a brief pause, Krum chose to take the book.

Finally, Elena stepped forward, entered the password, and took the last remaining wings. The second task was over. The champions ceased fighting and walked together along the channel Harry had opened, reaching the shore steadily. Fleur was wrapped in a thick blanket, sipping tea, and offered Elena a slightly apologetic smile.

Besides Harry, the other three champions were each wrapped in identical thick blankets and handed a cup of tea. Harry took a small sip—the tea burned fiercely, nothing else. He remembered Zhang Qiu describing a torture called "chili water," so he quietly set the cup aside.

"I'll announce the scoring criteria," Madame Maxime's voice rang from the stands. "Completing the task earns 20 base points. Ranking points: first place 20, second 16, third 12. Item points: wings 16, key 14, book 12. If someone abandons an item—which, in fact, no one did—they'd receive the full 20 item points plus 40 from the judges, totaling 100—but the actual total is 96."

"Now, the scores," Madame Maxime announced loudly. "The Order of the Phoenix team demonstrated excellent magical skill and cooperation, but failed to showcase dueling ability—28 points awarded, total 82."

Harry blinked. No one had said they needed to show dueling skill—surely the organizers didn't expect champions to brawl? But then he understood: the officials had expected him to fight the grindylow properly, but he'd cheated by skipping it.

"The Soviet Advance team displayed superb dueling skills and creative problem-solving, but their deliberate attacks on other champions underwater are not encouraged—22 points awarded, total 70."

Harry shrugged. Fighting clearly wasn't a good idea.

"The Judas Oath team performed nearly perfectly, but insufficient dueling skill led to one champion withdrawing early—26 points awarded, total 74."

Harry quickly calculated the scores: Fleur and Elena had 74 in the first task, now 148. Krum and Renata had 76 in the first task, now 146—exactly overtaking them. He and Cedric, with 83 from the first task, now had 165—far ahead.

It wasn't bad—but knowing his victory relied on so much outside help, and Donald's blatant cheating, Harry couldn't shake a pang of guilt.

Midway through the score announcement, Renata's gillyweed effect ended. She wrapped herself in a blanket and entered the tent. Just then, a rumbling sound came from outside—the river Harry had split now closed again.

"You may now go for lunch," Madame Maxime announced. "Champions will rest here. Interviews will begin at one p. ."

Inside the tent, Prince Montbardon suggested, "You may bathe. Food will be delivered shortly."

Several champions just emerged from the water headed for the showers. The tent wasn't as extravagant as the TARDIS, but each had a private shower stall. Harry felt he hadn't gotten wet, so he stayed behind.

"Tranzerro," Prince Montbardon suddenly said. "Everything will end there."

"What?" Harry looked up at him, sensing the old man's words carried hidden meaning.

"It's a remote magical village in northern France. All its residents fled during Grindelwald's time," he shook his head gently. "A place with no footprints—the one place you absolutely must not go."

"Are you also—" Harry stood up abruptly. He hadn't imagined the head judge was involved in the Ministry's plan.

"Shh," Prince Montbardon whispered. "You still have a chance to turn back, Harry—but this is your last chance."

"I don't regret it," Harry said. "I'd rather die carrying out the plan than live while the magical world burns."

"You remind me of myself when I was young, Harry," Prince Montbardon sighed. "Enjoy the days ahead. That moment is coming—and we have no certainty."

Harry wanted to ask more, but Cedric had already stepped out, towel-drying his hair.

"Hey, Harry," he said. "The merpeople told me Pandora refers to the third task—perhaps we'll face random monsters or puzzles."

"And the back of this paper mentions the final word," Elena said, stepping out wrapped in a towel, holding the item's description. "The third task: the Magic Tower."

"You're clever, children," Prince Montbardon said in his judge's tone. "The third task will be held on June 24th. You will enter a magic tower—a meticulously constructed three-dimensional labyrinth filled with dangers and trials. The first champion to reach the top and raise the Goblet of Fire will be the winner."

"After raising the Goblet," he continued, "the professors will score the remaining champions and determine second and third place based on final totals."

Other judges began entering. Dumbledore smiled and patted Harry and Cedric on the shoulders in encouragement. As the headmasters settled at the long table, food appeared: long loaves, roasted potatoes, steak, pork hocks. Without being told, the champions began eating.

The lunch was lavish. Judges complimented each other. Champions joked and laughed. The only two with poor moods were Renata, still bitter over her low score, and Harry, anxious about facing Voldemort in mortal combat on June 24th.