"Now the champions must proceed to the arena—to participate in the first task."
Jane Yu had just finished her meal in the Great Hall when Professor Snape appeared before her with his usual grim expression.
The surrounding Slytherins, too excited to contain themselves, let their forks clatter onto their plates.
Under Snape's deathly gaze, they braced themselves and awkwardly made cheering gestures and mouthed "good luck."
"What are the modified stirring steps for the Draught of Living Death?"
Striding ahead with his robes billowing, Snape suddenly asked.
"Uh... stirring counterclockwise seven times and then once clockwise can clear the potion faster?"
Jane was puzzled.
What, did she have to take a Potions exam before participating in the first task?
Surely, a dragon couldn't be taken down with just one potion?
But Snape seemed to think that discussing Potions was a good way to alleviate tension before the competition. He continued to comment:
"It seems your brain hasn't stopped functioning due to nerves."
He quizzed her all the way from the Draught of Living Death to Polyjuice Potion, finally stopping in front of the tent, with a slight twitch of his lips:
"Mr. Bagman is inside; he will tell you the steps. Good luck."
But when Jane entered the tent, she found everyone looking at her with awe, as if she had already claimed first place before the competition even began.
She curiously surveyed the champions. Fleur looked very pale, having lost her usual composure; Krum's face was darker than Snape's dungeon; Cedric gave her a smile, but his legs were uncontrollably pacing back and forth.
And Harry made a twisted face at her, which she guessed was a smile—
But it was clear his facial muscles' control nerves were completely disordered.
"Miss Yu, wonderful!" Mr. Bagman looked very cheerful. "The most confident contestant, we heard your conversation with Professor Snape, you're not nervous at all, you could even brew some cauldrons of potion, right?"
Mystery solved, Jane finally understood why the champions were looking at her with such reverence.
Truth be told, she wasn't nervous.
After all, she could peacefully lie down and surrender once she entered the field. What's there to be nervous about?
But her calm demeanor seemed to make the other four champions even more anxious.
Every muscle in her body was relaxed, and she even leaned back in her chair with a small mirror... admiring her teeth?
She was thinking about brewing some Draught of Living Death after the competition?
Is this the world of the strong?
Calm and unflustered, poised and composed?
Fleur and Krum occasionally glanced up at her, their faces turning green.
Why hadn't anyone told them beforehand that they would face such a terrifying opponent?
No, they couldn't keep looking at her; this must be her psychological tactic!
This Hogwarts, truly a place of hidden talents!
"You each draw a miniature model of what you'll face from this bag!" Bagman held up a purple silk bag in front of them, seemingly unaffected by the champions' tense atmosphere, he said excitedly, "Your task is to retrieve the golden egg through them!"
Jane reached into the bag and pulled out a small, exquisitely detailed dragon model—an Ukrainian Ironbelly, with a number 5 around its neck.
Then followed a long wait as Cedric entered the field with clenched fists, and the audience erupted in screams, gasps, and cheers...
"Danger! Oh dear!"... "That was a close call!"... "Very clever move!"... Bagman's commentary grew more enthusiastic.
Then there was a deafening cheer, accompanied by the hoarse grumbling of the remaining champions.
The next contestant, Fleur, left the tent with her head held high, trembling, and the same procedure began again.
Jane glanced at Harry, only to find he was also looking at her.
This protagonist seemed to have completely lost the ability to think; he was biting his molars hard, and Jane could hear his heart pounding from two meters away.
If he were hooked up to a heart rate monitor now, it would probably shoot up past 180.
Jane couldn't help but look at him a few more times.
Pause the game, call an ambulance to save the kid!
Unfortunately, there were no ambulances at Hogwarts, and in the small tent, it was just her, Harry, and a scowling Krum avoiding eye contact.
Jane decided to help the protagonist, to prevent him from having a heart attack before defeating Voldemort.
"What are the ingredients and principles of the Antidote Potion, Harry?"
She decided to use Snape's method, after all, high-end tension-relief often only requires simple Potions questions.
"Uh?" Harry made a confused noise, looking weak, pitiful, and helpless.
The thumping from his chest grew louder, like it shot past 200.
For some reason, he seemed to see a dark robe standing before him, grinning at him and threatening to deduct 50 points from Gryffindor.
Feeling like he was about to faint, Harry rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things due to nervousness.
How could he think Jane turned into Snape?
No, could it be Snape drank Polyjuice Potion to compete? Trying to sabotage him?
He dazedly speculated.
Jane frowned.
Was the question too difficult?
But wasn't this content taught in the second class of the fourth year?
She thought for a moment and decided to ask something more familiar to Harry, questions Snape had asked before.
"If I add powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood, what do I get?"
Like a reflex, Harry answered without thinking, seemingly having a deep impression of this question:
"A very powerful sleeping potion, the Draught of Living Death."
Jane smiled slightly, then continued to ask:
"And bezoar—"
Before she could finish, Harry's mouth went into automatic mode:
"Found in the stomach of a goat, it has strong antidotal properties; Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the same plant, also known as Aconite."
He received high praise from her:
"50 points to Gryffindor."
Harry was stunned for a few seconds, then burst out laughing, almost to the point of tears.
Confirmed, this was definitely not Snape with Polyjuice Potion.
After all, Snape would never give 50 points to Gryffindor.
Jane observed Harry, realizing that the pounding heartbeat sound had gradually lightened.
It seemed his heart rate had come down, no need to call an ambulance.
She nodded in satisfaction.
Unfortunately, while helping Harry lower his heart rate, she forgot one thing—
There was also a Durmstrang contestant, Krum, with a gloomy face.
Even with the strong psychological resilience of a world-renowned Quidditch player, his heart rate gradually increased under such stimulation.
He angrily plugged his ears with his index fingers, refusing to listen to their conversation.
These Hogwarts students, chatting about Potions before the competition!
Did they not take the dragons, or their formidable opponents, seriously?
This must be Hogwarts' scheme! To break his psychological defenses!
This British school is truly terrifying!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Discover 10 Amazing Fanfics on My Patreon!Unlock 400+ Advance Chapters and Dive into the Story Early! 👉 [patreon.com/DarkGolds]