Harry cautiously moved forward through the dimly lit passage, the light from his wand's tip casting flickering shadows on the damp stone walls.
Suddenly, he heard a faint groan coming from a narrow crevice to his side, and Harry's nerves instantly tensed.
He had originally intended to simply leave, but as he got closer, the sound seemed oddly familiar.
Harry hesitated, then asked in a hushed voice, "Cedric?"
The groaning stopped abruptly. A moment later, a weak voice called out from within, "Harry?"
Harry's heart tightened. He quickly hurried through the crevice and into a small stone cave, where he saw Cedric half-stuck in a step, his limbs seemingly glued down by something, unable to move.
Several one-inch-long Red Caps were swarming around him, screeching and making a ruckus, poking his nostrils, pulling his ears, and tugging his hair. They weren't causing much harm, but they were incredibly annoying.
Harry quickly used a Repelling Charm to drive the Red Caps away, then knelt down and asked, "What happened?"
"It's Salem Institute," Cedric coughed twice. "Be careful, there are three of them."
"All three Champions from the same school teamed up?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Cedric said with a bitter smile. "They got lucky."
He had originally thought the Dragon would be the biggest challenge, but after entering the Chamber of Secrets passage, he realized the real danger was this place itself.
The narrow passage, with almost no diverging paths, meant that if contestants who arrived first couldn't leave in time, they would inevitably encounter those who came later.
Those who entered early had to solve mechanisms, detect traps, and deal with magical creatures in the passage... The process of finding the Golden Egg couldn't be smooth sailing. Even a slight delay meant swarms of enemies behind them.
The early arrivals could set ambushes in the passage; this was their advantage. But the later arrivals could also set traps on their way back. Once they met, it would be difficult for either side to trust the other.
Moreover, the contestants couldn't hear the commentary of the match, so they didn't know how many people had already left with the Golden Egg, how many Golden Eggs were left in the Chamber of Secrets, or who was in each passage.
It was as if everyone was trapped in a black box. Because they were unsure how many Golden Eggs remained, as long as there was an opportunity, they had to do their best to eliminate their current competitors and seize the qualification for advancement that was closest and most certain to them.
The students from Salem Institute knew very early what the crisis of this competition was, but Cedric still harbored the naive idea that "half the people can enter the second round, so we can totally help each other when looking for the Golden Egg."
Or at least, he thought they could discuss it face-to-face before deciding whether to fight, just like he did with Ryan and the others before.
As it turned out, the Salem students were far more aggressive than he'd imagined. Hearing footsteps from afar, the three of them quietly set an ambush. The moment Cedric poked his head out, they disarmed him of his Wand, then threw him into this hard-to-escape trap.
"Hold on, I'll get you out." Harry stood up, took a deep breath, aimed his Wand at the floor next to Cedric, and said, "Diffindo!"
Crack! A thin crack appeared in the stone. Cedric shook his shoulder, but his arm still wouldn't move.
"No use," he said sullenly. "I feel like I'm stuck in a huge bucket of glue that's hardened... You should just go. I don't even know how to undo this magic."
Harry felt a little anxious too. He looked into the depths of the passage, worried that all the Golden Eggs would be taken by others. But seeing Cedric stuck in the stone steps, he felt he couldn't just leave him.
"What about you if I leave?" Harry asked. "You can't even handle Red Caps. What if you encounter something else, like a Red Cap or something?"
Cedric looked at him and said rationally, "Dumbledore must have put effective safety measures in place. At most, I'll just be stuck here; my life won't be in danger. But if you..."
Before he could finish, Cedric suddenly felt a golden light seem to streak across the edge of his vision. He quickly turned his head but saw nothing.
Cedric frowned, asking doubtfully, "What just ran past?"
Harry slowly turned his head, asking, "...What?"
Cedric said, "I think I saw a golden light..."
"Stop! Put the Golden Egg down! You thief!"
An exasperated voice echoed through the passage. Harry and Cedric watched in astonishment as the three Salem Institute students ran past through the passage, moving as fast as galloping horses.
Harry didn't understand, but Cedric, who often had classes with them, knew very well that the Salem people were usually gloomy and silent. He rarely saw them looking so... energetic.
He was silent for a moment, then said to Harry, "It looks like the Golden Egg they just found was stolen. What about you? Are you going to chase the thief, or continue exploring forward?"
He didn't offer options like "find a way to save me" or "stay with me."
Harry froze in place, looking at Cedric, then at the Golden Egg and its pursuers disappearing into the darkness.
As soon as Cedric finished speaking, he understood that his worry was completely unnecessary. Dumbledore wouldn't allow participating students to be killed by dangerous creatures in the competition while they were unable to resist.
Staying longer... he really didn't know what else he could do.
Harry stood up, holding his Wand. "I'll keep exploring... maybe I can find another Golden Egg?"
Slipping out of the crevice, the passage inside had become quiet again. Harry explored for a while and saw broken stone slabs, burnt scarecrows, and several unconscious, large-headed hairy monsters.
Further ahead, a remarkably vibrant flower drooped its head, emitting a strong stench. A circular base was discarded nearby.
This must have been where the Golden Egg was hidden before.
It should be testing Herbology skills...
Harry thought, Looks like the Golden Egg has already been taken. I wonder how many are left ahead.
Then, he saw a hole in the stone wall, with about a dozen broken vines, revealing an empty small hole in the wall.
This also looks like a place where a Golden Egg was hidden... I hope there's still one left for me.
Harry felt a little anxious. He quickened his pace towards the depths of the passage and suddenly heard rustling sounds nearby.
He followed the sound and saw a peculiar Crab Golem scurrying along the wall, carrying a Golden Egg on its back.
Harry: "...?"
Crab: "...!!!"
Harry opened his mouth, about to say something, when he saw several of the Crab Golem's legs suddenly flip over. It quickly took the Golden Egg from its back and frantically tried to stuff it into its branched belly.
Harry: "...?"
It didn't fit, because its crudely made belly was solid.
The Crab Golem froze for a moment, then reluctantly pushed the Golden Egg towards Harry's feet and scurried away with a clicking sound.
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