Chapter 596: The End of the Task

Cedric was badly injured, but they were all superficial wounds, and Madam Pomfrey was quick to heal him.

The problem was the burns. One side of his pale face was covered with a thick orange paste.

It was a very effective ointment for treating burns. It made sure that no scars were left, but it had to be applied for a whole night.

"Rest, I have to run. I have to go send mom an owl. I'll tell her everything that happened today..... But it's unbelievable. She's always been worried about Ron." Charlie continued and gave Ron a hug, "Congratulations, Ron, you're the best! Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I was told to tell you that you need to stay a few more minutes. Bagman wants to talk to you, in the champions tent."

They stayed in the medical tent for a while before going to the champions tent with Cedric.

Krum, Fleur and Gabrielle were already inside, and Fleur had changed into a new robe.

When she saw Ivan, Gabrielle hurried over, dragging Fleur with her.

They had gone to the carriage so Fleur could change clothes, and did not witness the scene where Ivan attacked the Chinese Fireball. They heard about it from other people when they returned.

Gabrielle felt worried and at the same time very sorry that she had not seen Ivan use magic.

She talked a lot with Ivan and Hermione, asking Ivan for some details. Fleur also followed up with some words of concern.....

As for Krum, she pulled Ron aside and whispered a few words to him. When Ron returned, he told them that Krum had apologized to him for the magic, and that he had forgiven him.

Although Sirius had repeatedly asked everyone to keep an eye out for Karkaroff and the Durmstrang students, Ron was stubbornly convinced that Krum was a good guy and could not be involved in Karkaroff's plot.

They met and chatted for a while, focusing on each champion's performance and Ivan's magic.

Ivan's final magic, needless to say, was amazing, well above the level of a young magician. Besides stunning, no other adjective could describe it.

The performance of each of the champions was unexpected, and everyone thought Ron did a good job. He flew very well and was quite successful at tactics.

This made Ron's spirits soar and he was much happier than he had just been.

If it hadn't been for bad luck, he would have had a flawless success, with no dangerous incidents.

Speaking of which, except for Krum, the luck of the other three champions was not so good.

Their planned tactics through the dragon were all feasible, but the results were very different. Fleur's clothes were burned, and Ron met with many accidents.

The worst was Cedric, who had been blocked by the Hungarian Horntail in the nest....

Fortunately, that didn't seem to leave any psychological repercussions, and he was chatting happily with Harry.

Five minutes later, Ludo Bagman entered the tent briskly.

He looked as pleased as if he had just personally overtaken the dragon.

Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Madame Maxime and Barty Crouch were not there. Ludo Bagman came alone to announce the next task. He did not ask Ivan and the others to come out.

"Champions... you all did a good job!" he said with a smile. "Now, I just have a quick word. You have a good, long break before the second task, which will take place at nine-thirty on the morning of the twenty-fourth of February.... but let's give you something to think about in the meantime! If you look at those golden eggs you are holding, you will see that they are opening..... See the hinges there? You have to solve the clue inside the egg.... because it will tell you what the second task is, and allow you to prepare for it! All clear? Are you sure? Well, let's go then!"

Ivan and the others left the tent and started walking back along the edge of the forest, talking a lot.

Just as they rounded the clump of trees behind which Ivan, Harry, Ron and Hermione had first heard the dragons roar, a witch suddenly jumped out from behind them.

It was Rita Skeeter. She was wearing an acid green robe today, and the Speed Dating Quill in her hand matched it perfectly.

"Ivan, your magic was truly amazing!" Rita Skeeter looked at Ivan with a smile. "I wonder if you could tell me something quick - how did you deal with that dragon? And what was the final curse to make the dragon fly?"

He turned a deaf ear to the four champions and his attention was focused on Ivan.

"I have nothing to say to you, get out of here," Ivan said angrily. "I warned you before, Miss Skeeter, if you keep this up, you're sure to be in serious trouble."

"Really?!" Rita Skeeter didn't care at all about what Ivan said. Instead, she became very excited. "Are you threatening me?!! What do you intend to do to an innocent reporter to cover up the truth?!"

Ivan ignored her and set off on his way back to the castle with Ron.

Rita Skeeter was standing by the bush and looking behind her, her pen writing excitedly.

Although Ivan had said nothing, her attitude was enough to explain everything.

They all parted near Hagrid's hut. Today had been very tiring and everyone wanted a good night's rest.

Fred and George had gone back to the castle earlier with Ginny and Colin to prepare for the surprise party.

It was no wonder that the four of them had to go to the kitchen for delicious food.

Now, it was down to the four of them: Ivan, Harry, Hermione and Ron. They were slowly making their way back to the castle.

"Don't worry, Ron," Harry said. "There's no way any of the other tasks are that dangerous. They can't find anything more dangerous than the dragon."

"We can't relax our vigilance. The dragon is not the scariest thing. The most dangerous thing is the conspiracy hidden in the darkness," Ivan said.

He still remembered what the ultimate goal of the Triwizard Tournament was, which could not be taken lightly.

While he was helping Ron in the game, he was also training Harry to get stronger as soon as possible and not hold him back at critical moments.

Although there was no pressure because of the tournament, Harry's experience was absolutely indispensable.

Voldemort was his predestined enemy. Only one person could win, and this was impossible to change.

"Ivan is right. There's a long way to go to finish this tournament," Hermione said earnestly. "If that was the first task, I don't want to think about what will come next."

"You have to be optimistic!" said Ron in a relaxed tone.

He held up the golden egg and felt an unprecedented satisfaction!