0769 The Treasures

Karkaroff and Madame Maxime exchanged meaningful glances across the table. However, in the presence of British Ministry of Magic officials both foreign headmasters maintained a cautious silence. Their lips remained sealed, and they gave absolutely no response to Ludo Bagman’s probing question.

Their concerns were easily understandable to anyone familiar with the rules and traditions of the Triwizard Tournament. First and foremost, the tournament tasks required the champions to face their challenges completely independently.

This extended to include the headmasters and professors from each participating school—none of them should interfere, offer assistance, or provide any form of guidance that might give their champion an advantage over the others.

Under these strictly enforced circumstances, if they claimed to know their champions’ decryption progress clearly and in detail, it would appear highly suspicious and could potentially result in disqualification or other severe penalties.

Second, and perhaps more strategically important, they weren’t entirely certain about the other champions’ progress in solving the cryptic riddles contained within the golden eggs.

The tournament had always been as much about psychological warfare and strategic positioning as it was about magical prowess.

If they revealed key information about their own champions’ achievements or discoveries, it would be equivalent to helping their direct competitors, potentially giving away crucial advantages that could determine the outcome of the entire competition.

“Oh, don’t worry about your concerns, everyone—” Bagman interjected with his typical jovial demeanor, though his smile seemed somewhat forced and his voice had a tone of nervous authority.

This tense situation of deadlock had been anticipated.

Ludo smiled as he spoke, “From the moment you entered this office until the official start of tomorrow’s competition, you will not be allowed to meet with the champions or students from your respective schools privately, under any circumstances whatsoever.

In other words, as of this very moment, the decryption phase of the second task has completely ended. What follows now is for the champions to complete their corresponding challenges according to whatever hints they managed to extract from the golden eggs’ mysterious messages.”

“In that case—”

Karkaroff’s eyes were filled with deep distrust toward everyone present around the table. He was completely unwilling to reveal Krum’s decryption progress. Instead, he put on a sickeningly sweet smile.

“Since the decryption phase has ended, Mr. Bagman,” Karkaroff continued with exaggerated politeness, his voice soaked with false sincerity,

“there’s absolutely no need for us to reveal anything about our champions’ progress, is there? Moreover, I must admit that I truly don’t know Viktor’s progress in solving the golden egg’s riddle. To be completely honest with this distinguished gathering, I’m genuinely worried about his chances in tomorrow’s competition.

You all know that young Viktor’s extraordinary talent lies primarily in sports. As for intellectual decryption games like this mysterious puzzle, he’s not particularly skilled or naturally gifted. Perhaps he’s the only champion among the four who hasn’t figured out what he’s supposed to do tomorrow.”

The others sitting around the table didn’t want to acknowledge Karkaroff’s obvious dramatic performance. However, there was one prominent exception to this polite silence.

Moody made absolutely no attempt to hide his disgust. His scarred face contorted with open contempt as he glared at Karkaroff.

“Hypocritical snake!” Moody growled loudly.

“What exactly are we supposed to accomplish here, Mr. Bagman?” Madame Maxime asked ignoring Moody’s words.

She seemed somewhat impatient and restless. With the ‘great battle’ of tomorrow’s competition approaching, she much preferred to be by her student’s side to give encouragement and comfort.

But Ludo Bagman had just informed them all that they were under ‘house arrest,’ prevented from returning to their students during these crucial final hours before the competition. This unexpected restriction undoubtedly made her quite irritated.

The non-cooperation from the headmasters’ of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, combined with their obvious reluctance to share information, left Ludo Bagman feeling somewhat at a loss for how to continue.

His confident demeanor wavered as he realized that his planned revelation wasn’t going according to the script he had rehearsed. With growing nervousness, he looked toward Bryan with a pleading expression.

“I’ll take over the explanation—”

Bryan straightened his posture and smiled as he spoke.

“The champions need to go down into the depths of the Black Lake for the second task. They have exactly one hour to find and retrieve the treasure that we have taken from them while they navigate the underwater environment of the lake.

If they exceed the one-hour time limit by even a single minute, they will lose their precious treasure forever. This is the hint that the champions obtained from the golden eggs they received as their reward for completing the first task.”

Karkaroff, who had just been harshly scolded by Moody and was still stinging from the public humiliation, opened his mouth as if to say something in response to this.

However, upon seeing that Moody’s disgusting magical eye was still focused on him with intensity and suspicion, he merely gave a cold snort of disdain and said nothing further.

“So, you’re saying,” Seeing that Watson had already revealed it, Madame Maxime finally stopped being cautious, “we’ve all been gathered here to discuss the specific treasures taken from each of the champions?”

“You’re absolutely correct in your understanding, Madame Maxime,” Ludo Bagman confirmed with enthusiasm, his voice taking on a lighter, more cheerful tone now that the conversation was moving in the intended direction.

“The champions are all sleeping peacefully in their beds right now. When they wake up tomorrow morning and begin their preparations for the second task, they’ll discover that their most precious possessions have mysteriously disappeared during the night. Only by accepting the challenge and emerging victorious can they hope to reclaim their treasures.”

“Viktor has a Nimbus 2001,” Karkaroff suddenly interjected, unable to contain his eagerness any longer. His voice had a tone of desperate enthusiasm as he leaned forward in his chair, his yellowed teeth was visible as he clearly intended to show a persuasive smile.

“That broomstick is what the Bulgarian National Quidditch team gave him when he first joined their team as their youngest seeker in decades,”

Karkaroff continued, his words tumbling out in a rush of calculated emotion. “Of course, he uses a Firebolt now, but that original Nimbus was his very first racing broom, his introduction to the world of professional Quidditch. It means absolutely everything to him. He told me personally that he wanted to treasure it for the rest of his life, to pass it down to his children someday as a symbol of his achievements. I believe that this broom is Viktor’s most precious treasure.”

“If you dare try to play clever games again, Karkaroff!” Moody exploded with sudden rage.

He sprang to his feet with a clatter of his wooden leg against the floor, pointing his walking stick at Karkaroff’s chest like a weapon.

“I swear on my honor as an Auror that I’ll throw you out of this office window—and we’re on the eighth floor!” Moody roared. “You can see if your precious champion can get to his beloved broom in time to save you from becoming a stain on the castle grounds!”

“Alastor,” Dumbledore calmly called Moody’s name. The single word seemed to have an almost magical effect on the enraged Moody. After Moody sat down huffily with obvious reluctance, Dumbledore turned his attention to the dark-faced former Death Eater and smiled.

“Ludo and Bryan haven’t explained the situation clearly enough, Professor Karkaroff, which has unfortunately led to your misunderstanding of what we’re truly discussing here,”

Dumbledore said. “Treasure—for each of us as human beings, the most precious thing in our lives will never be gold, never be valuable artifacts or magical objects, never be the material wealth we accumulate over our lifetimes, but rather the people we love and who love us in return.”

“I’m sorry, Dumbledore,” Madame Maxime said politely, though her frown revealed her confusion. “I don’t quite understand what you mean by that statement.”

“Simply put,” Bryan continued Dumbledore’s explanation, “according to the plan, we will take away the person who is closest to each champion—someone who is absolutely crucial to their emotional well-being, someone they cannot bear to lose.

After selecting these individuals through observation and analysis of each champion’s relationships and emotional attachments, they will be brought here to this office, and I will personally cast specialized protective spells on them to ensure they remain completely safe and sound underwater for the full hour duration of the task while they wait for their respective champions to locate and rescue them.”

Before Madame Maxime could fully process this information or give a response, Bryan continued, “The hint contained within the golden egg is mainly meant to make the champions feel nervous and desperate, to add psychological pressure to their performance.

In fact, even if the champions fail to find their most important person within the allotted time limit, those who have been taken to the lake will not face any genuine life-threatening danger.”

“I see,” Madame Maxime said slowly in a thoughtful tone. She frowned in deep concentration. “The most important person to Fleur…”

Her voice trailed off as she began to mentally review her student’s personal relationships and emotional attachments.

This proposal was indeed extraordinary, and even the cunning Karkaroff became cautious.

His mind was working through the possibilities, unsure whether it would be strategically better for him to recommend someone relatively unimportant to Viktor, thereby giving him no substantial psychological burden that might interfere with his performance, or to select someone who was truly important to Viktor, which might instead inspire an overwhelming desire for victory that could push him to perform beyond his normal capabilities.

“What does Hogwarts plan to do regarding this matter?”

What Karkaroff was thinking about, Madame Maxime could undoubtedly consider as well. She became visibly more cautious, her posture straightening as she prepared to scrutinize whatever answer might come next.

“Who are the ‘important people’ that you’ve selected for Hogwarts’ two champions?” She continued asking.

“Oh, we haven’t actually started the selection process yet,” Ludo Bagman said cheerfully. “This entire process requires thorough discussion and unanimous agreement from all parties involved, doesn’t it? I mean, to prevent any possible accusations of cheating or favoritism, the ‘important person’ selected for each champion must gain everyone’s approval and consent before we can proceed with the plan.

Since we’ve brought up this sensitive topic,” Ludo continued, looking toward Hogwarts’ headmaster and the two deputy headmasters with an expression of hopeful expectation, “and considering that Hogwarts is hosting this Triwizard Tournament, perhaps you should set a positive example for the other schools by being the first to reveal your selections and the reasoning behind them.”

Dumbledore smiled at Bryan, who nodded and said, “No problem at all. For Hogwarts’ two champions, we’ve given this matter considerable thought and analysis.

Um, regarding Cedric Diggory—my suggestion is to select the fifth-year Ravenclaw witch, Cho Chang. I think anyone who has paid even the slightest attention to Cedric Diggory’s personal life and relationships should know that Miss Cho Chang is his girlfriend, and they have developed a very close relationship over the past several months.”

“Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang,” Ludo Bagman repeated thoughtfully. After a moment of scrutiny, he raised no objections to the selection, recognizing the obvious logic and fairness of the choice.

He looked around the circular table at each of the representatives, his expression inviting commentary or disagreement. “So, what are everyone’s thoughts on this particular selection?”

The choice was indeed suitable and well-reasoned, based on observable facts about the champions’ personal relationships rather than arbitrary decisions or manipulation.

Even the suspicious Karkaroff, who had been looking for any excuse to cry foul or accuse the hosts of favoritism, couldn’t find any reasonable fault with the selection. He looked at Bryan Watson with surprise, hardly able to believe that he would be so transparently ‘fair’ in his decision-making process.

“Now, regarding the matter of Hermione Granger…” Bryan began, but then his voice trailed off as he seemed to lose himself in contemplation.

Bryan didn’t immediately make a recommendation, which was quite in contrast to his confident presentation of Cedric Diggory’s situation. Instead, his gaze fell on the surface of the table as he appeared to think about it.

The silence stretched on.

For some reason, the atmosphere became subtle.

The air seemed to thicken with anticipation and anxiety as everyone waited for Bryan’s decision.

Bryan could sense that, except for himself and Dumbledore, everyone around the circular table had their heartbeats accelerating.

“Undoubtedly, Hermione Granger’s closest friends at school are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and between these two…” Bryan suddenly looked toward Professor McGonagall.

“What is your opinion, Professor McGonagall? Who do you think is more important to Hermione Granger?”

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