Harry kept staring at the place on his leg where he had been injured earlier, as if by sheer focus he could make flowers bloom there.
In truth, that deep wound—so bad it had once exposed the bone—was already healed completely, even the tear in his trousers had been repaired with a Mending Charm.
Still, he silently fixed his gaze on the faint marks, and a cold sweat slowly trickled down his back.
It wasn't that the wound still hurt—rather, the air inside the tent seemed frozen solid. Anger simmered everywhere in silence, making Harry feel as though he were sitting on needles.
Because of Wade's maneuvering, most of the people in this tent had been eliminated—though to be fair, many of them might not have made it to the second task anyway. Regardless, Harry felt every glance thrown his way was sharp and barbed.
He looked left enviously at Cedric, whose bones were still regrowing. Even in unconsciousness, Cedric moaned in pain. Perhaps because he looked so pitiful, none of the other champions could bring themselves to aim hostility at him.
Then Harry looked right, again with envy, at Wade—the true target of everyone's hatred—who simply sat there calmly fiddling with the golden egg in his hand, seemingly oblivious to all the glares… or perhaps simply disdainful of them.
That only seemed to make the others angrier…
Suddenly, Wade seemed to notice Harry's lingering gaze. He turned his head, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What is it?"
"Nothing…"
Harry sighed, lowered his head again, and picked distractedly at a loose thread sticking out of his sleeve, enduring the torment of waiting for the moment they would be dismissed.
Wade studied the golden egg for a while, working out most of the runes and alchemical techniques used on it. Satisfied, he slipped the egg into his pocket and lifted his gaze to sweep around the tent.
At once, those angry, resentful, hostile, and challenging stares clashed with his own. Some people instinctively reached for their wands.
But when their eyes met the calm, lake-like stillness of his grey ones, their gazes faltered.
Truth be told, to lose to someone younger than most of them—and then to keep brooding over it—was hardly dignified.
Besides, not everyone here had been eliminated by Wade himself. Many were simply watching him out of curiosity, not trying to settle scores.
Yes, Wade Grey might have gone a bit overboard in clearing out his opponents in the chamber, but hadn't everyone who entered this competition been eager to show off? Before the task, hadn't each school tried to cheat in one way or another? Who here was truly clean?
Wade Grey had simply done it more cleanly, more decisively, and more brilliantly.
Once they thought it through, some busied themselves pretending to tidy their hair, some fixed their attention on their own wounds, and others sheepishly released their wands.
Slowly, silently, the atmosphere in the tent shifted into something more complicated.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps. The flap of the tent was thrown open, and two bloodied champions, supported by classmates, stumbled inside.
The newcomers looked utterly battered, but their eyes shone with a light that stood in stark contrast to the dejection of the eliminated.
At the front was Natalia from Koldovstoretz. Half her robes were scorched, her right arm hung limp and broken, but in her good left hand she clutched a golden egg tightly.
She beamed with excitement as she told the person beside her:
"Haha! When I drew number five, I thought I was doomed! I figured by the time I got past the dragon, all the eggs would be gone… but there were still so many left! I found one straight away!"
Closely following behind was Adam from Ilvermorny. He wore a gentle smile, and the golden egg in his hands cast a faint brightness over his pale, exhausted face.
But the moment he saw the crowd inside the tent, Adam's expression stiffened slightly. He quickly shot a look at Natalia, signaling her to keep quiet.
Natalia, however, didn't notice at all. Still brimming with excitement, she was telling her friend beside her:
"It's so strange! The golden egg wasn't even hidden that well! How did none of the champions before me manage to find it…? Could it be that the dragon eliminated most of them?"
The tent fell silent. Dozens of resentful, jealous, and indignant eyes fixed themselves on her.
Her friend, who had watched the match broadcast, didn't need to guess how everyone must be feeling. Hastily, she called out:
"Natalia!"
"What? Why are you shouting?"
Natalia jumped at the sudden tone. Only then did she turn and notice that the tent was crammed with injured champions sprawled across beds. Seeing the resentment and gloom on their faces, she instantly fell quiet.
Her fingers clenched tighter around the golden egg, and her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
The air was thick with suffocating awkwardness. A moment later, two or three more people trickled in, each holding a golden egg with joy still written on their faces.
But unlike Natalia, they were far more perceptive. Or perhaps it was because, after discovering that the scorpion's body contained more unclaimed eggs, they realized that the number of eliminated participants this time might be unusually high.
So none of them boasted. The moment they entered, they forced their smiles away, slipped the golden eggs discreetly into their robe pockets, and casually made their way to the remaining empty beds.
[Chinatsu… are you all right?]Kitajima Tachibana from Mahoutokoro approached one of the beds and carefully asked in Japanese.
Asada Chinatsu shrank a little under the blanket, forcing a faint smile as her eyes dimmed: [Congratulations… on getting the golden egg.]
[You…] Kitajima didn't ask whether she had managed to get one herself. He simply sat down quietly and chose silence.
On the other side, Beauxbatons' Clémentine didn't even dare to speak to Fleur Delacour—who seemed intent on suffocating herself under the blankets, her usually silvery hair now looking dirty and bedraggled.
As for Jabari from Uagadou, once his wounds were healed, he first went to hug Baboucarr and exchanged a few quiet words with him. Then he went over to Amina's bed to comfort her—only to be angrily chased away by the girl.
After a while, Ludo Bagman bounced into the tent with his face brimming with cheer.
"Wonderful, wonderful! Children, you all did splendidly! Of course, those who managed to secure a golden egg were especially outstanding. Even if—"
His eyes darted quickly to Wade, then swept across the other stormy faces.
"—even if luck was involved… But who says luck isn't a part of one's strength? Hahaha!"
Bagman's laughter rang jarringly in the heavy atmosphere. He himself noticed it immediately, cleared his throat, and rubbed his hands together as he went on:
"Injured champions, please rest and recover. I guarantee not a single knut of your treatment will come out of your pockets. Those whose wounds have healed may return now.
As for the champions who obtained a golden egg—oh, except for Mr. Diggory, who I suppose can't yet get out of bed—the rest of you, please come with me."
One by one, the champions stood up. Under the complex gazes of those left behind, they followed Bagman out of the tent.
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