Chapter 305 - 305: How Did She Know What He Was Going to Ask?

Two hours after the conclusion of the second task, the judges and the champions gathered in a room on the second floor of the castle.

Maurise and Krum leaned against the windowsill, chatting.

"You used Human Transfiguration earlier?" Maurise asked.

Human Transfiguration was an advanced application of the subject. At Hogwarts, it was only covered in N.E.W.T. level classes.

"Yes," Krum nodded, his voice low. "It was the best method I could think of."

He paused, turning to Maurise. "What about you? I saw you wearing some strange contraption on your back."

"It is an underwater thruster," Maurise explained. "It is driven by magic and allows for high speed movement underwater."

A rare look of intrigue crossed Krum's face. "I have never heard of such a thing."

"Actually," Maurise continued, "the prototype for this device came from Muggles."

"Is that so?" Krum looked thoughtful. "I know very little about them."

Durmstrang, after all, did not offer Muggle Studies.

The two chatted for a while longer, and the topic inevitably drifted back to Transfiguration.

"If only my Transfiguration skills were more refined," Krum said with a hint of regret. "I originally intended to transfigure myself completely into a shark, rather than just my head. That way, my speed would be much faster, and I would be far more agile. But a complete cross-species transfiguration requires an extremely high level of skill and immense practice, I..."

"Do not reveal anything more, Viktor."

A cold voice interjected from the side.

Karkaroff had walked up to them unnoticed. He placed a hand on Krum's shoulder, his eyes filled with vigilance. "Your methods and strategies are your own advantages. There is no need to share them with others."

Maurise frowned. Honestly, he felt this headmaster was a bit too controlling.

Krum also looked slightly displeased.

"Now, now, Igor. Don't be like that," Ludo Bagman walked over to smooth things over, wearing a brilliant smile. "The champions of the three schools have become friends! Isn't that a wonderful thing to see? That is the entire purpose of the Triwizard Tournament, after all."

Karkaroff did not reply, his expression remaining dark and unreadable.

Thinking about it carefully, the four champions from the three schools actually did get along quite well. And the core link between them was undoubtedly this Hogwarts student standing right in front of him.

Harry went without saying, as he and Maurise had been friends for a long time.

Fleur was Maurise's Yule Ball partner, and they seemed to get along quite happily.

Viktor clearly enjoyed conversing with Maurise as well. This was evident from their chat by the window, considering Viktor was usually a man of few words who kept everyone at a distance.

What kind of charm did this Maurise Black possess to make three champions with vastly different personalities so willing to befriend him?

It was truly bizarre.

"You are quite right, Ludo," Karkaroff finally said. But judging by his demeanor, he clearly did not mean a word of it.

Ludo did not mind in the slightest, his smile as bright as the afternoon sun.

"Ah, right," he looked at Maurise. "There is someone who wishes to meet you."

He waved toward the other side of the room. "Mrs. Heep?"

A middle aged woman who had been chatting with Fudge turned her head, nodded at Ludo, and walked over.

To Maurise, she was a complete stranger. She was perhaps in her forties, relatively tall, and wore a finely tailored deep purple robe with a silver brooch pinned to the collar. The wrinkles on her face, particularly around her mouth and eyes, were distinct, giving her an air of composed wisdom.

The only unpleasant thing about her was the pungent scent of her perfume. It smelled like a chaotic blend of various spices. The scent was so overwhelming that it made Maurise feel physically uncomfortable. Truthfully, he felt this perfume did not suit her aura at all.

"Hello, Mr. Black," Mrs. Heep offered her hand politely. "I am Imogen Heep. I came to watch the tournament at Mr. Bagman's invitation. Your performance was outstanding."

"Thank you," Maurise replied, shaking her white gloved hand.

Ludo said in a conspiratorial tone, "Mrs. Heep will be handling a portion of the logistics for the Triwizard Tournament, specifically the preparation of some 'little creatures'."

"Don't give too much away, Ludo," Fudge warned, walking over to join them. "The task is still a long way off. It is too early to be discussing this now."

"Oh, right, quite right."

Just as Ludo finished speaking, the door opened. Fleur and Madame Maxime walked in, arriving slightly later than scheduled.

"Apologies, we are late," Madame Maxime said. "Fleur wanted to spend a little more time with Gabrielle."

"No matter," Ludo replied cheerily. "We are still waiting on a few others anyway." He then turned back to converse with Fudge.

Fleur walked over to Maurise's side. "Thank you for earlier, Maurise."

"How is your sister?" Maurise asked. He had already figured out the identity of the little girl at the bottom of the lake. Her name was Gabrielle Delacour.

A look of tenderness flashed through Fleur's eyes. "Gabrielle knew she was going to be the 'treasure' for the task. She wasn't scared at all underwater. They kept her very well protected."

"That is good to hear," Maurise nodded. He then lowered his voice and asked, "Is your sister like you?"

The question was vague, perhaps even a bit nonsensical. But Fleur understood perfectly.

"Yes," she replied softly. "Gabrielle shares the Veela bloodline, just like me. You must have noticed our hair is the same color."

"Then can she..."

Before Maurise could finish his next question, Fleur shot him an exasperated glare. "Don't even think about it. She doesn't have any special abilities, and she definitely cannot turn into a bird."

"..."

Maurise tactfully shut his mouth.

How did she know what he was going to ask?

Seeing Maurise's reaction, Fleur laughed, the corners of her eyes softening considerably.

"I will introduce you to her in a few days," she said in a light, relaxed tone. "Gabrielle is very curious about you as well. I have mentioned your name quite a few times in my letters to her, and she has been talking about you non-stop."

Maurise blinked in surprise.

Just then, Harry entered the room, accompanied by Dumbledore and the Weasley twins.

Fred gave Maurise a quick wink.

Ludo clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention.

"Alright, alright, everyone is here!" he announced loudly. "I have a few things to announce regarding the third task."

The room quieted down immediately.

"The date for the third task has been set. It will take place on the evening of June the twenty-fourth," Ludo said, his tone noticeably more serious than usual. "The location will be the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. By then, the pitch will be transformed into a massive maze. Inside, you will encounter all sorts of obstacles and challenges."

Maurise was somewhat surprised by this. He had assumed the contents of the third task would be kept a strict secret until the very last minute, just like the previous ones.