Remain still and watch the situation develop. That was what Dumbledore said, and that was what he did. He took no action against Moody at the school, as if he had discovered nothing at all.
Eda also obediently stayed put, making no unusual moves. She was someone who knew how to distinguish between what was important and what was not.
However, her mindset had changed somewhat. Now, whenever Eda looked at the Moody in the school, it was as though she were watching an entertaining performance.
Watching the Moody at school continue teaching the students, watching him take out the small flask he always carried and pretend to casually drink the Polyjuice Potion...
Eda saw all of it, as though she were enjoying an animal performance at a circus.
Eda finally understood the joy her professors had felt during her first year. Pretending not to know anything while watching an exposed undercover agent continue with his performance was actually quite fun.
Sharing joy was better than enjoying it alone, so Eda shared this happiness with Fred and George as well.
Only then did the three of them remember that they still had a half-finished map in their hands, a map that could see through Moody's disguise at the school.
Because of certain technical problems and difficulties in development, the map had never met the three's expectations. The three of them no longer wanted to work themselves to death over a map, so the development of the Marauder's Map had been shelved indefinitely and had become an abandoned project.
The last test run of this unfinished map could even be traced back to the previous school year.
As time passed, the unfinished map was forgotten by the three of them and thrown all the way to Java, although they did not even know exactly where Java was.
When Eda rummaged through everything in the dormitory, trying to find the map again, Fred and George were also searching through their own dormitory. Then the twins found the half-finished map underneath one of the table legs. The brothers did not even remember how long they had been using it to prop up the table.
After nearly a year, the three of them spread the map out again. As expected, they could not find the name Alastor Moody on it. Moody, who should have been appearing in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, had been replaced by the name Barty Crouch.
Another flaw in the map appeared once again. Barty Crouch and his son had the same name, so simply looking at the map made it impossible to determine whether this Barty Crouch was the missing elder Barty or the younger Barty, who should have been dead for a long time.
This was why Eda and the twins had never been particularly enthusiastic about the map. It still had too many shortcomings and was not complete enough.
Time quickly passed into late May, and the third task of the Triwizard Tournament was drawing closer and closer. Finally, the last week of May arrived, and the champions were finally going to learn what the third task would be.
At eight-thirty that evening, Eda and Harry left the common room together, walked out of the castle, and disappeared into the cloudy night.
The champions had received new instructions. They needed to go to the Quidditch pitch at nine that evening.
The two of them walked across the pitch-black grass toward the Quidditch pitch, then entered the field through a gap between the stands.
Harry immediately became unhappy because the Quidditch pitch was no longer flat and smooth. It had lost its original appearance. The pitch seemed to have been filled with countless low walls. These low walls intersected with one another, forming a complicated and intricate pattern.
At this moment, Fleur and Krum also entered the field and saw the low walls.
"What is this?" Fleur asked softly, somewhat confused by the low walls.
There were four champions in the Triwizard Tournament. Although they had not caused the ridiculous situation of four people somehow forming five different groups, the four of them were not exactly on friendly terms either.
Among the four, Fleur could be said to have the best relationships with the others.
Because she decisively rejected the bootlicker Hector, Fleur had earned some of Eda's goodwill. Because Harry had helped Gabrielle during the second task, Fleur's relationship with Harry had also grown much closer.
Krum was not very talkative, and he had no conflicts with Fleur either. Their relationship could not be called good, but it was not bad either.
Some people naturally had good relationships with others, while some had worse ones. Krum was the one with slightly poorer relationships among the four.
Because of Hermione, Krum had mistakenly regarded Harry as a romantic rival, so their relationship naturally could not be called good. After the Yule Ball, for some unknown reason, Krum's attitude toward Eda had also changed, and he seemed to harbor some hostility toward her.
Eda herself was unaware of Krum's change in attitude, and even if she had known, she would not have cared. There were plenty of people who disliked Eda. Mr. Krum, please take your place in line and do not crowd or cut in.
"They're walls." Harry answered Fleur's question. He lowered his head and carefully examined the low wall closest to him. After thinking for a moment, Harry continued, "Maybe these walls will turn into a maze."
Looking around, the pattern formed by these low walls really did look like a maze. It was just that the walls were too short and could not serve much of a purpose as a maze.
"Hello!" a cheerful voice called out. "I'm so happy to see you all again!"
It was Ludo Bagman. He was still wearing his old Quidditch uniform, and there was still a smile on his face, although his smile did not seem quite as brilliant as before.
Seeing Ludo Bagman reminded Eda of the message Sergei had sent her, a message that had left her speechless.
Ludo Bagman, a famous former English Quidditch player, had once been prosecuted by the Ministry of Magic for helping Death Eaters pass messages.
But this famous athlete had not ended up in prison, not because he had bribed the Ministry or betrayed other Death Eaters, but because he was genuinely innocent.
He had always believed that he was working for Luke Wood at the Ministry of Magic. It was only when he was prosecuted that he learned Luke Wood was a Death Eater and that he had been deceived.
What made the whole thing even more ridiculous was that Ludo Bagman had agreed to help pass messages simply because Luke Wood had promised to arrange a position for him at the Ministry after his retirement.
"So, what do you think?" Ludo Bagman asked cheerfully, like a happy young man. "Coming along nicely, isn't it? In another month, Hagrid will have them twenty feet high. Don't worry, as soon as the Tournament is over, your Quidditch pitch will be restored to its original state!"
Hearing this, and knowing that his beloved Quidditch pitch would not be damaged, Harry's expression finally brightened.
"All right, I think you already know what these walls are for." Ludo Bagman continued smiling. "That's right, a maze. The third task is very simple and straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."
"We just have to get through the maze?" Fleur asked uncertainly. It was difficult for her to believe that the third task could be so simple.
"There will be plenty of obstacles," Bagman said cheerfully, hopping around on his toes like he was playing hopscotch. "Hagrid has provided a whole bunch of creatures... There are also some spells that have to be broken... Things like that."
Although the creatures Hagrid raised were generally dangerous, in Eda's eyes, the third task was actually not that difficult. Especially compared with the first two tasks, this maze seemed somewhat anticlimactic.
After explaining the task and the order in which the champions would enter, Ludo Bagman asked, "Any other questions? If not, let's head back to the castle!"
With that, everyone left the pitch together and headed toward the castle.
However, just after they left the pitch, Krum called out to Harry. He wanted to have a few words with Harry alone.
The scene gave Eda an inexplicable sense of familiarity, like a tall and strong school bully grabbing some skinny boy.
However, Krum was not forcing him, and Harry was willing to go as well. The two separated from the group and gradually disappeared into the night.
Watching the two of them walk away, Eda hesitated. She had a faint feeling that something was not right.
It was already past nine in the evening. The night was deep, and letting Harry wander around outside the castle alone was not a good idea.
It was not that she was worried Krum would actually beat Harry up, but she was worried that someone might take advantage of this opportunity and take a dangerous gamble.
After walking for a while, Eda also left the group and followed the direction in which Krum and Harry had disappeared.
...
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
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