Chapter 241

In the days after finalizing the plan, Harry almost thought the final trial was imminent, but soon the surrounding laughter and chatter reminded him that there was still a long way to go before the third task—he didn't need to be so tense yet.

Under Zhang Qiu's encouragement, Donna kept pushing Barty Jr.'s limits until, finally, she was scolded severely for stealing potions, and Zhang Qiu happily crossed off the last daily divination of the term.

At the end of April, Alina suddenly found them and delivered a piece of news that felt terribly out of place—or at least, Harry thought so, while everyone else saw it as an exciting surprise.

"Did you know? Professor Tang Nade's movie is set to premiere on May second," she said. "Do you want to attend the premiere?"

"What's a movie?" Ron blurted out first, confused.

"It's a Muggle form of moving images that tell a complete story in one or two hours," Harry whispered in explanation.

"It'll be fun anyway. Tang Nade asked me to invite you—he's one of his favorite students, and he doesn't want you to miss it," Alina said cheerfully. "Not only did he fund it—he's also the lead actor."

"So all that time he was gone last year, he was filming a movie?" Harry asked.

"Didn't I tell you?" Zhang Qiu blinked. "I thought this movie perfectly reflects the life he dreams of: saving the world when there's trouble, throwing pool parties when there isn't."

"Then," Harry hesitated. He knew worrying about the plan now wouldn't help—Dumbledore and the doctors were the main force against Voldemort. "Then let's go, just to relax?"

On the afternoon of May first, they gathered in a clearing in the Beauxbatons forest, a feeling eerily similar to departing for the Quidditch World Cup during summer. Harry, Ron, and Zhang Qiu arrived together at the meeting spot. Tang Nade hadn't invited Cedric, and they hadn't told him either. In fact, Cedric himself might have preferred staying behind to spend more time with Fleur.

Not long after, Alina and Hermione arrived. Before Hermione could react, Alina casually took Ron's hand and announced loudly, "Alright, everyone, gather around me—this is a Portkey."

She pulled out a comb. "Everyone must grip it. Two minutes until activation."

The five stood close together, each extending two fingers to hold part of the comb. At such close range, Harry noticed a faint unease on Hermione's face.

Two minutes passed quickly. After a sudden darkness, they appeared in a room lit by dim yellow lights, filled with carts. One cart was covered by a curtain, on which a large smiling face was painted.

"I've prepared your formal attire for tomorrow. Your room key is in the pocket. You may check in on your own. If you have any questions, ask the front desk. Dinner, tomorrow's breakfast, or any other expenses can be charged directly to your room key."

"A driver will pick you up at 9: 0 tomorrow morning. Please change into your outfits in advance. Have a wonderful time."

P. .: I've cast a Muggle-dispelling charm on this luggage cart—you can push it out directly."

As Harry read the note on the cart, Ron had already pushed open the heavy door and was stunned by the opulent lobby.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"The Four Seasons Hotel," Harry said, pulling a room key from a suit pocket. "My room is 2308."

"Mine's 2307," Zhang Qiu said at once, spotting a qipao—clearly not meant for anyone else.

"Oh, mine's 2307 too," Alina said, finding her key in a skirt with a distinctly anime style.

"What, two people per room?" Hermione said, finding her key in the last dress. "Why am I in 2306 alone?"

"It's fine—it's right next door," Zhang Qiu said. "You're the one among us least likely to get into trouble. Ron, if he doesn't stick close to Harry, he might get lost in this Muggle hotel."

Hermione's expression remained slightly puzzled, but she took her key and led the way toward the lobby. "Let's go up first."

While waiting for the elevator, Zhang Qiu suddenly said, "You two go ahead. Harry and I have something private to discuss. I'll bring you juice up later."

After they entered the elevator, Zhang Qiu pulled Harry aside to the coffee stand.

"Tang Nade's making his move," she said. "Look at how Alina's acting around Ron—it's definitely on his orders."

"Ah, right," Harry nodded in agreement. "He probably heard about what happened in Gilneas and is targeting Ron."

"Targeting might be too strong," Zhang Qiu analyzed. "I think he wants Hermione to grow suspicious of Ron—and also to scare Ron off."

"Ron already feels inferior because of his poverty," she said, opening her diary and pointing to a line. "He'll brood over a ten-Galleon telescope for a whole year, let alone staying here for one night…"

She pointed to the price list and began counting on her fingers.

"Over two thousand Galleons," Harry calculated faster than her.

"And that's not even counting our meals," Zhang Qiu sighed. "Ron's actually very sensitive."

"What should we do?" Harry thought. "Should I tell him dollars are worthless, so he shouldn't care?"

"Perfect," Zhang Qiu teased. "That's exactly what Yanayev hopes you'll realize."

"Then what should I say?" Harry asked, annoyed.

"Actually, you don't need to say anything. Don't even dwell on it," Zhang Qiu blinked. "Ron likes the Hermione from Hogwarts. If he sees Hermione frequently visiting high-end Muggle places, will he still like her?"

"Right now, the only thing blocking you from selling Hermione to Tang Nade is Ron's inappropriate feelings for her," Zhang Qiu said. "This trip should make them realize the gap between them—it'll make things simple."

"Before you refuse, take a look at what Tang Nade's offering you as compensation," Zhang Qiu said mysteriously.

Harry sighed and decided to focus on enjoying himself for now. They had a very fun evening. Ron was cheerful all night, but just before bed, he sighed, "I really envy Tang Nade. If only I were this rich."

"Just some Muggle trinkets," Harry comforted him in his own way. "If you master Transfiguration, none of this is special."

The next day, they watched the movie Iron Man. As expected, Ron ended up seated between Harry and Alina. But everyone's attention was on the screen; no one paid much attention to those around them—after all, to wizards, movies weren't something they saw every day.

Harry realized Zhang Qiu's summary was spot-on: the film was practically a portrait of Tang Nade's ideal life—a rich heir, a magical genius, occasionally saving the world, mostly throwing pool parties, with a sharp, sexy secretary.

After the movie ended, as Zhang Qiu had predicted, Tang Nade prepared a compensation for Harry. He pulled Harry aside, secretive, and handed him a stack of A4 papers.

"These are the blueprints for the Pandora Tower," he whispered. "I drew them myself. The judges helped build it—I copied the layout, and I've marked a shortcut for you. You got a key that opens three doors, right?"

"Yes," Harry nodded blankly.

"See, once you enter, go this way, then this way," he sketched on the plan. "Then comes the crucial part—you open this door, ignore the chest, and just jump down."

"After you jump, you reach the basement level," he flipped pages rapidly. "Then climb up from here, open this door—you're opening it from the reverse side, so you don't need a key. Then you enter a dead end, but it keeps going upward. At the top, it looks like a wall, but you can walk right through."

Tang Nade switched to a highlighter. "This path is transparent. Halfway through, there's another chest—but again, ignore it. Jump down here, then open the door on your left. That uses your second key."

"Then just keep going up. At the end, there are four doors: left is puzzle first, then fight; right is fight first, then puzzle; center is two puzzles followed by two fights—easy to tell. Kill one enemy first. If the puzzle's hard, use your third key. Once you pass this, you reach the tower's peak." Tang Nade patted Harry's shoulder. "Good luck. And one more thing—the Portkey works both ways. After using it, if you touch it again after five minutes, you'll return. You know that, right?"

"I didn't know that," Harry blinked.

"You'll find out when you use Alina's comb to go back," Tang Nade's tone turned light again. "I can't wait to see you clear the tower in five minutes—it'll blow their minds."

After saying goodbye to Tang Nade, Harry hid the stack of blueprints inside the tote bag given to fans at the premiere, then walked back to his friends.

"Its core, without doubt, is the Philosopher's Stone," Zhang Qiu was saying about the movie's plot. "With the Stone, we could easily replicate the Iron Man suit in the wizarding world."

"The Philosopher's Stone? If I had it, I'd be as rich as Tony," Ron said, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"But if it's the Philosopher's Stone," Alina interjected, "could his father be Bran? Bran invented the Stone and is still alive."

Harry smiled and occasionally nodded along as they discussed, but his mind was elsewhere.