After hearing Professor White's explanation, the girl blinked: This game is so childish…
To her, it seemed like something that could be done with just a little focus. She was already fifteen years old—far past the age for playing with toys like this.
But out of respect for Professor White, she still took the wooden box and began fiddling with it.
Helga simply smiled without saying a word. This game wasn't nearly as simple as it looked.
The four balls in the corners of the box weren't affected by gravity, but they were highly sensitive to magical energy. So even an untrained young witch or wizard could instinctively make them move.
But making them move wasn't the same as guiding them precisely into the matching-colored holes. Whether or not one could control the balls with accuracy—that was what truly reflected talent.
However, the device did have one flaw: once a witch or wizard picked up a wand, they could control the balls inside the box with ease. That was why Helga forbade the use of wands.
The girl, unaware of this detail, picked up the box and instinctively tilted one corner. But instead of the ball rolling down as she expected, it remained firmly fixed in the corner as if it were stuck in place.
The girl: ???
Helga gave a cheeky little smile—she just loved seeing that surprised expression!
After lightly tapping the box to no effect, the girl began to realize that the game wasn't as simple as it appeared. Holding two corners of the box with both hands, she stared intently at the balls inside, ready to give it a serious try.
At this moment, she truly wanted to make the little ball move.
Almost as if sensing her intent, the yellow ball in the corner suddenly quivered—then, with a whoosh, it shot out from its position like a golden Snitch and slammed into the edge of the wooden box with a crisp clack.
"I did it!" the girl felt a rush of joy—getting the ball to move was half the battle! At least that's what she told herself.
Carefully, she repeated the same "procedure," and once again the ball began to move. But just like before, it shot across the box and slammed into the opposite side, completely ignoring her attempts to control it.
After trying over ten more times, the girl gave up—the final straw was when the yellow ball fell into the green hole, which completely eliminated any chance of finishing the challenge properly.
She set the wooden box down on the table in front of her, looking a bit embarrassed as she told Professor White she couldn't control the balls.
"It's alright, it's alright," Helga said warmly, having expected this outcome. She picked up the box and gave it a casual flick—resetting all four balls to their original positions.
By now, several Hufflepuff students had noticed Professor White and the girl playing with the strange little game. They gathered around, eyes full of curiosity as they stared at the wooden box in the girl's hands.
Seeing that her students were now interested and their eyes were full of eagerness, Helga decided to fan the flames of that excitement just a little more.
"Children, whoever clears this game first, I'll give them a cup as a prize!" Helga announced cheerfully, pulling a small golden goblet from her robes. The cup was exquisitely crafted, with a vividly carved little badger on it.
"During the day, if you pour in clear water, it turns into honeywater; at night, it becomes wine; and at the break of dawn or dusk, it transforms into black tea," Helga explained the cup's magical properties to the group of students gathered around her.
That got even more students eager to play the game.
They took turns trying, but few could get the sensitive little balls to obediently roll into the correct holes.
Those who failed didn't leave—they stepped aside to give space to the next player and enthusiastically shared what they had learned.
"Don't try tilting the box to move the balls!"
"Just think 'move' in your mind—don't overcomplicate it."
"Don't rush! Go slow, be gentle…"
"Ah, yes, just like that..."
Helga didn't stop the students from sharing their experiences. In fact, she had already anticipated this. A few helpful tips could guide young witches and wizards toward the right approach to the game, but how well they actually performed still came down to talent.
It was like telling someone who had never played a shooting game that left-click fires, right-click aims, and R reloads. Useful? Yes. But not particularly helpful in mastering it.
The box was passed to a round-faced boy. Like the others, he couldn't control the balls very well—the small spheres kept bouncing around the box with crisp clinking sounds, and his round face grew redder and redder.
In the end, after only a few failed attempts, he quietly set the box aside and ran off, his face flushed with embarrassment.
"Not going to try again?" Helga glanced at the boy, but he simply shook his head without saying a word.
"I'll give it a try," a voice called out from within the crowd. The gathered students instinctively parted to make way, and a tall, handsome boy stepped forward. He had a head of dark hair and a pair of bright gray eyes.
Seeing the boy standing before her, Helga's eyes lit up—she recognized him. His name was Cedric Diggory, a fifth-year Hufflepuff, captain and Seeker of the Quidditch team, and also a House Prefect.
In short, he was so exceptional it almost felt like he didn't belong in Hufflepuff.
Helga handed him the box. Cedric didn't rush to start the challenge—instead, he politely thanked her first, and then began working with the box.
Everyone, including the Hufflepuffs around him, held their breath, as though even the sound of their breathing might interfere with Cedric's performance.
Clack!
A sharp sound rang from inside the box as one of the balls collided with the inner wall—Cedric had successfully activated the first ball. Then, within just ten seconds, the box rang out with four successive thuds—thump, thump, thump, thump.
That was the sound of the balls dropping into their respective holes.
Cedric handed the wooden box back to Helga—he had successfully guided all four balls into the correctly colored holes.
The common room erupted into enthusiastic applause and cheers, with a few girls even letting out excited squeals. A warm smile appeared on Helga's face as well.
She had found her answer.
It was a pity he was a little older, but that didn't matter much. She would do her best to persuade him to stay at Hogwarts for further studies after graduation. Older wizards had deeper magical reserves, and their strength tended to grow faster under proper guidance.
After clearing the challenge, Cedric didn't rush to claim his prize. Instead, he told Helga that he had acted on impulse and cut in line, and so he hoped the professor would give other students a chance. If anyone else managed to complete the challenge, he would be happy to have a match with them.
Helga, of course, had no objections—her goal was to identify highly gifted students, not just to give away a cup. Naturally, she hoped every student would give it a try.
But afterward, no one else in the common room managed to clear the challenge like Cedric had. He remained the undisputed winner.
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