Who Is It?

Fleur's scores were announced quickly.

Compared to Harry, her performance was subpar.

Although her Veela magic was remarkable, enough to charm a dragon, wild beasts only see beautiful "prey" as food rather than something to cherish.

Madame Maxime awarded her a perfect ten, drawing curses and complaints from the Hogwarts students.

"How could she give Harry a nine and then give Fleur a ten for that?"

Ludo and the Ministry officials gave her fair scores: both awarded six points. Dumbledore, ever lenient with students, gave her seven.

But when Karkaroff's score was revealed, the Gryffindors' curses grew louder. Stink pellets rained down again toward him—Karkaroff gave Fleur five points.

That score was still considered low, but the students were furious because Harry had only received four.

"What makes her performance worth five?"

Karkaroff remained stoic, unmoved by the angry students.

Still, the final outcome brought some satisfaction to the Hogwarts crowd. Fleur's final score was only 34, putting her nine points behind Harry.

Krum was the last to compete.

He was met with boos—thanks to his headmaster, who had turned a once-popular champion into someone less well-received.

Krum, however, wasn't fazed. As a Quidditch superstar, his mental resilience was exceptional.

He completed the task faster than Fleur and remained unharmed, but he provoked the dragon enough to make it crush several eggs in its nest. This left a Ministry official red-faced with anger—each crushed egg would cost the Ministry several hundred Galleons.

Madame Maxime gave Krum seven points, clearly upset over Karkaroff's low score for Fleur.

Umbridge hesitated for a moment and awarded eight points.

Ludo showed no mercy and gave him a four, which upset Krum's diehard fans. However, they didn't dare make too much noise, as the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were cheering loudly.

Dumbledore, fair and objective as always, gave Krum eight points. He took his role as a judge seriously, never abusing his authority, even if it was temporary and lasted only a year.

Karkaroff, as expected, was blatantly biased, not even bothering to hide it.

No one else set off fireworks for Krum, so Karkaroff did it himself.

A massive "10" exploded in the sky.

Jeers and curses followed.

Even with Karkaroff's obvious favoritism, Krum's final score was only 36—just two points ahead of Fleur, giving him a narrow second-place finish.

Ludo quickly returned to the tent.

He wore a radiant smile. "Congratulations to all three champions! Your performances were excellent."

Fleur pursed her lips, while Krum's expression darkened.

Compared to Harry's effortless display, they clearly fell short of the mark.

Ludo's eyes were fixed solely on Harry, completely ignoring the other two champions.

"But remember, the first task is just the beginning. I can promise you that the second task will be even more challenging," Ludo said with a grin, clapping his hands together for emphasis. "The next task will take place at 9:30 a.m. on February 24th of next year."

"You'll have over three months to prepare."

"Of course, in keeping with tradition, I can't give you any direct clues about the second task. However, a little hint never hurt anyone."

"Take a look at the golden egg in your hands. You'll notice it can be opened. Inside, you'll find a clue about the next task. But it won't reveal itself easily. You'll need to use your brain, exercise your wits, and solve the puzzle."

"Understood?"

The three champions nodded.

Ludo glanced at Harry, hesitating as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he sighed and left the tent without another word.

Harry walked out with Hermione and Ron, taking a route that circled around the Forbidden Forest toward the castle.

Krum and Fleur also intended to return and rest. But unlike Harry, they didn't have the luxury of a peaceful walk. Before they could leave the tent, Rita Skeeter intercepted them, her quill and notebook in hand, wearing a fake, oily smile.

"Champions, please wait! I have a few questions for you. Could you spare a moment for an interview?"

"What are your thoughts on your performance in the first task? And how do you feel about your competitors?"

"Do you believe the judges' scoring was fair?"

Fleur shot her a disdainful look. "You should be asking Potter these questions, not us. He's the winner of the first task."

Krum said nothing but nodded in agreement.

Rita's smile stiffened.

It wasn't that she didn't want to ask Harry. She just didn't dare.

"Please, answer my questions first. We can discuss Mr. Potter later," Rita said sweetly, pretending not to hear Fleur's words.

As Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked back to the castle, they avoided the crowded main path and took a quieter, less-traveled route.

Ron placed Crookshanks on his head and took the golden egg from Harry, examining it closely. "So this is the golden egg? It doesn't even look like it's made of gold."

"It's brass and silver," Harry said casually. "The Ministry wouldn't splurge on real gold."

Ron looked disappointed. "I thought it was solid gold, considering you had to get past a dragon to get it."

"Dragons are worth far more than gold," Hermione said, then turned to Harry with an eager expression. "Harry, could you sell me some of the dragon blood? It's used in so many potions and alchemical processes."

Harry pulled out his wand and was about to tap the Sorting Hat when he suddenly froze. His head snapped up, his gaze fixed ahead.

A faint presence.

His expression shifted as he pulled out the Marauder's Map.

Hermione and Ron also sensed something amiss, drawing their wands and scanning their surroundings.

The map showed a dense cluster of names near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, heading toward the castle. Harry extended a finger, tracing the direction. But the faint presence he'd detected wasn't on the map. It lingered just beyond its range, on the forest's edge.

Were they deliberately avoiding detection? Did they know about the map?

Or was it a coincidence? The figure remained stationary, seemingly unaware that Harry had noticed them.

"What's wrong?" Hermione whispered.

"A Death Eater from the night of the Quidditch World Cup," Harry said softly. He waved his wand, and vines sprouted from the ground, creeping toward the presence. "It might be the one who put my name in the Goblet of Fire."

As the vines approached, they shot forward with a hiss, forming a net that ensnared the presence.

Harry flicked his wand again.

Anti-Apparition Jinx!

It was a spell he'd learned from Professor Flitwick to counter Disapparition. Though the Ministry claimed Winky was dead, who knew if another house-elf might be involved?

The presence didn't vanish or move. It remained still.

No resistance?

Harry drew the Basilisk Fang sword and approached cautiously.

Hermione and Ron started to follow, but Harry raised a hand, signaling them to stay back.

He crept forward, finding the net covering... nothing.

The presence was still there, but it was invisible to the eye.

Trusting his instincts, Harry transfigured a branch into a hand. It reached into the net, lifting something unseen—a patch of invisibility cloth.

It bore traces of the Death Eater's magic. They had clearly used it for a long time, but it had been discarded here for weeks, maybe even months.

Harry bound the cloak with a spell and levitated it behind him.

"No one there?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Just this cloak. It belonged to that Death Eater. I don't know why it was left behind."

"Does that mean the Death Eater has been in the castle this whole time?" Ron asked, his face pale.

Harry shook his head. "I check the map every day. No unexpected names have appeared."

"Could they have used magic to hide their name?" Hermione suggested. "It's hard to believe the map wouldn't detect them, especially since Dumbledore is creating his own map."

"It's possible but unlikely," Harry replied thoughtfully. "They might not even know I have the map. And hiding a name requires extremely advanced magic—beyond most wizards, even Moody."

Hermione frowned deeply.

"And this cloak has been here for a long time," Harry continued. "At least a month, maybe longer. Does anything come to mind?"

Hermione's eyes lit up. "The night of Astronomy class!"

Ron added, "When the fake Moody was captured!"

"I was thinking of that night, too," Harry said, glancing at the cloak. "Someone else was there besides the Ministry, Barty Crouch, and Winky."

Ron gritted his teeth. "Did they use the Imperius Curse on Mr. Crouch and make him take the blame?"

"Maybe there are two Barty Crouches," Hermione speculated.

"Two Crouches?" Ron's jaw dropped.

"Yes. One in the Ministry and one in the castle," Hermione explained. "That would explain why they could both command Winky."

"And if one of them died that night..." Harry murmured, his gaze shifting toward the Forbidden Forest.

Ron still looked bewildered, muttering about how impossible it seemed.

As they walked toward the castle, Harry glanced back at the forest.

Deep within its shadows, something—or someone—was watching.

Later that night, well past midnight, the Gryffindor common room was quiet. Most students had gone to bed after their celebrations, leaving only Harry, Hermione, and Ron by the fire.

A small beetle flew in and landed on Harry's armrest.

"Transform," Harry said softly.

The beetle fluttered to the floor and morphed into Rita Skeeter. She looked at Harry nervously. "You promised not to tell anyone."

"They're not 'anyone,'" Harry replied calmly.

Hermione blushed slightly.

Ron, however, showed no reaction. He had always considered himself part of Harry's inner circle.

"And I only promised not to tell the Ministry," Harry continued. His amber, slitted eyes reflected the firelight, making Rita look away uncomfortably. "Trusted friends deserve to know."

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Powerstones?

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