Chapter 261: The Golden Egg

Next was the time to score for Harry.

Madam Maxime gave him eight points.

Alaric, Krum, and Dumbledore all gave him nine points.

Bagman gave him ten points, as he had placed a heavy bet on Harry.

However, Karkaroff only gave Harry four points, making him the laughingstock.

In summary, in the first round of the competition, out of a total of 60 points, Hermione scored the highest with 54 points, followed by Fleur with 50 points. 

Harry came in third with 49 points, and last was Krum with only 47 points.

After the match, all the champions gathered again in the tent. For them, the tent now felt completely different: warm and comforting.

"You've all done splendidly!" Ludo Bagman exclaimed, hopping into the tent with joy, as if he himself had successfully crossed a fire-breathing dragon.

"Well, I only have a few words. The second task will begin at half-past nine on the morning of February 24th next year. 

Until then, you can rest for a long period—though we'll leave you with some questions to ponder! 

Look at the golden eggs in your hands. You'll find they can open... see those seams? 

You must unravel the clues inside the eggs—that will tell you what the second task is about, so prepare yourselves! 

Clear? 

Any questions? 

Alright, off you go!"

Everyone left the tent with their golden eggs, but Harry, somewhat unlucky, was intercepted by a sudden appearance of a witch.

It was Rita Skeeter, who seemed fixated on Harry as if determined to extract some newsworthy material from him.

The reason was simple. Krum appeared brutish and uncivilized, impossible to reason with.

The other two female champions seemed to have some significant connection with the genius who frightened her, leaving Harry as her best option to deal with.

Looking at his friend Ron beside him, Harry sensed that this woman was about to arrange something strange for him again.

...

When Hermione and Alaric entered Ravenclaw's common room, another burst of cheers and commotion erupted. 

Tables and chairs were piled high with cakes, and there were jugs of pumpkin juice and butterbeer. 

Anthony Goldstein set off some particularly difficult fireworks, filling the air with stars and sparks.

Roger hung several conspicuous new banners, most depicting Hermione driving away the Swedish Short-Snout, though two depicted Harry being struck by the dragon's tail.

Hermione was naturally delighted, though unlike the other champions, she never worried about the dragons harming her.

Facing such a formidable beast for the first time, Miss Granger was understandably nervous. Nonetheless, she succeeded in the end.

That night she fully let go, feasting and drinking heartily with her fellow Eagles.

At the peak of the banquet, encouraged by her friends, Cho Chang approached her.

"Goodness, it's quite heavy," Cho remarked, lifting the golden egg Hermione had placed on the table with both hands. "Open it, Hermione! Let's see what's inside!"

"Alright, come on Hermione, open it!" several others chimed in.

Cho handed the golden egg to Hermione. She used her nails to pry into the grooves on the egg and cracked it open.

But before she could, she noticed Alaric smirking at them, discreetly covering his ears.

As the egg opened, it revealed nothing inside—just as Hermione opened it, a terrifying, piercing scream filled the entire room. It was like the noise made by a ghost band playing at a wake.

"Close it quickly!" Marietta shouted, covering her ears with her hands.

Hermione slammed the golden egg shut.

"What was that?" Eddie Carmichael asked, staring at the golden egg. "It sounded like a woman's scream... Hermione, you might have to pass by a ghost next time!"

"It sounded like someone in agony!" Michael Corner added, his face pale as he spilled sausage meat all over the floor. 

"You might have to deal with a Banshee!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Michael. That's illegal," Terry Boot said. 

"They can't use a Banshee's scream on the champions. I think it sounded a bit like Fleur singing... maybe you should attack her when she's showering, Hermione."

This remark caused everyone to burst into laughter.

Hermione laughed along with them, but she found their suggestions impractical.

She thought of Alaric's peculiar actions just now and looked at him.

"Do you already know everything?" she asked. "Why else would you cover your ears beforehand?"

"Of course, I know what's going on," Alaric said with a grin. "Who do you think is the judge here? Do you need me to tell you the meaning of the golden egg?"

"No, I don't need that," Hermione hastily replied. "I should solve the clues myself. That's the rule of the Triwizard Tournament... but if you're willing to give me a hint..."

It seemed that even Hermione, who was willing to follow the rules, had learned a thing or two after meeting Alaric.

"Alright, listen carefully," Alaric cleared his throat and said to her, "There are two hints. First: pay attention to the patterns on the golden egg. Second: that scream is actually a kind of song."

"Is that so?" Hermione nodded thoughtfully as she examined the golden egg. "I think I have an idea."

"Indeed, Miss Granger is as sharp as ever," Marietta leaned in. "But now it's time to enjoy the banquet, don't spoil it. Come and join us!"

So, the delightful banquet continued once more.

...

However, from the next morning onward, Alaric was completely surrounded by the Delacour sisters.

From breakfast time onwards, they sat on either side of Alaric. When he walked in the corridors, each one held onto one of his arms. 

Even during class hours, they sat near Alaric's classroom to eavesdrop.

For Cho Chang and Hermione, who had originally been happy about this, their frequent eye-rolling at Alaric became more apparent, revealing their jealousy.

Alaric himself was quite puzzled by this.

Since the sisters did not actively disturb Alaric's daily life, he did not take any action, just trying to ignore them. 

However, the charm of the beautiful half-blood Veela sisters was too great. Wherever Alaric went, he faced whispers and gazes from young wizards. 

Among all the male wizards, he had unwittingly become their common enemy.

It was not surprising. 

Now, the most outstanding and beautiful females in all of Hogwarts, Cho Chang and Hermione's favorite male companion, was only Alaric. 

Clearly, they were captivated by him. What could they do? Alaric was powerful enough to make them dare not voice their discontent. 

But now, with the arrival of the beautiful Beauxbatons students, who also arrived with numerous handsome men, the male students who considered themselves to have a chance discovered that the two most beautiful Beauxbatons girls had also begun to surround Alaric.

Seeing this situation, it seemed he wanted to capture all the beauties at once.

This was intolerable. We couldn't afford to provoke him, but we could certainly annoy him.

Thus, Alaric had to endure the annoyance of being surrounded wherever he went.

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