章 8: A Chance at Free Time
7 Advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven
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As he walked into the castle, Harry ignored the murmur from his surroundings. Some of them talked about what he had done on the train while the others talked about what he had done at the Quidditch World Cup. He ignored all of them. His brother, Charlus, used to be the one being treated this way. Although he didn't mind the attention, he could live without it.
As soon as he entered the Great Hall, every head turned to him. The professors bar Severus seemed to be as excited as the students upon seeing him. They hid their excitement well, however. Heading to the Slytherin table, he sat down beside the person who raised her hand and waved at him. They weren't the best friend, but he knew her better than the other.
"Hello, Mr Popular."
"Hello, Ice Cream."
The girl cracked up a little but quickly fixed her stoic mask. She still remembered Harry's reason for calling her Ice Cream: "You are cold but soft. You can never be ice as it has to be hard. You are just a hardened, cold cream. Ah, yes, Ice Cream. I shall call you that from now on, Daphne."
"Have you finally overcome your embarrassment from sitting with an underclasswoman, Mr Evans?"
"Five points for your cheek, Greengrass."
"Are you serious?"
Daphne looked at Harry like he had grown another head. Harry looked at her stoically and it made her think she had overstepped the boundary they had silently set. Her cold mask crumbled and a meek look adorned her face. She was about to apologize when Harry smirked.
"Five points to Slytherin for being cutely Gullible, Daphne."
"You bloody…"
Harry chuckled throatily as he blocked Daphne's swat. Daphne blushed, causing Harry to send her a teasing grin. The underclasswoman was a feisty blonde trying her best to hide everything under her cold mask. Harry's memory told him he had met her in the library last year. Their friendship began with their mutual annoyance and they had been trading barbs ever since.
Maybe, puberty had done something to Daphne. Harry had never recalled her being this meek around him. But maybe, his recent fame also had something to do with it. Of course, it was likely Unlimited Rizz Work affected her like it did anyone else. Even Lily, Harry's gorgeous mother, wasn't spared from the effect.
"Well, how is your holiday, Daphne?" Harry asked, sparing Daphne from her predicament.
"Boring. How about yours?" she said curtly, trying her best to get Harry's smile out of her mind.
"Meh…"
Daphne snorted in amusement. Very few could say battling Death Eaters was a boring holiday. Then again, Daphne was glad Harry didn't turn into an obnoxious snotty brat for what he did. Slytherin had too many people like that. It didn't need another one.
The first years entered the great hall and everyone watched as they got sorted. Harry was too engrossed in his book to care. Like some other girls, Daphne found herself looking at the fine specimen enthralled by his book. Oh, how she wished he would look at her the way he did the book. That particular thought almost made her shudder.
Where did that come from?
Unlike most, Daphne who abhorred romance couldn't accept her attraction to Harry. He was handsome, but she saw him no more than a barb trade partner. At least, she liked to think that was the case. She tore her gaze from him, something many girls couldn't do, and watched the first years getting sorted. Amusingly, Slytherin received a lot of witches this year.
When the ceremony was done, Dumbledore took the stage and evoked everyone's ire by announcing Quidditch was cancelled. He silenced their protest in favour of telling them they had a more interesting event this year.
"As I was saying, we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
Dumbledore briefly explained the Triwizard Tournament, earning an excited cheer from the students. He ruined their excitement, however, when he said no one under seventeen could participate.
"For those of you who cannot participate, you shall not feel let down. Since the Triwizard Tournament is a long event, we will hold a duel tournament in between each stage of the Triwizard Tournament. You can submit your application to your Head of House and ask for the details from them."
The Heads of Houses scrunched up their noses at Dumbledore's announcement. They could already imagine being swarmed by eager students. Each of them turned to Harry Evans instinctively. The young man had proven his fighting skills against Death Eaters. They decided Slytherin would be the absolute winner if he participated.
At the table, Harry's housemates were also looking at him. The spotlight he received made him purse his lips and put down his book.
"Are you going to participate, Harry?" a sixth-year Slytherin asked.
"Sure," Harry shrugged before returning to his book.
That was enough to make his housemates grin. Slytherin should win the House Cup after three years of consecutive losses. At the end of the feast, Harry went out of the Great Hall first, thinking about the tournaments. He wasn't interested in the Triwizard Tournament, but the prospect of having a year-long independent study was too great to pass up.
Quest: Win the Triwizard Tournament!
Reward: Spellcrafting Mastery
Of course, Kowalski also played a role in convincing him.
Aid: Heavenly Magic Circuit
Prerequisite: Inject Basilisk venom into your bloodstream!
The original Harry was shite and he could win the tournament. Harry was sure he didn't need any aid in completing the quest but he didn't plan to ignore it. No one in this world had a Magic Circuit in their body. Having them would make him better than most, so he didn't want to pass up the chance.
Harry should have been worried. After all, the last time he had put something in his body at Kowalski's instruction, he had suffered from a minute of intense pain. However, he was sure Kowalski wouldn't kill him. He was sure it would be painful, but the reward would be more than worth it.
"Hello, Professor Moody."
On his way to the second-floor girls' lavatory, Harry met the new DADA professor, Alastor Moody, in the hallway. Of course, he knew he was looking at Bartemius Crouch Jr under Polyjuice. Even so, he didn't make any indication that he knew. He was not afraid of Barty, of course. He could easily take Barty out.
Quest: Defeat Bartemius Crouch Jr in a duel in front of everyone!
Reward: Constant Vigilance
Kowalski had proposed something interesting, so Harry had no choice but to hold off on his plan. He needed the ultra-instinct that Constant Vigilance would give him.
"Are you going anywhere, Evans?" Barty ground out.
"Am I obligated to answer that, Professor?" Harry asked calmly.
"A good student will."
"I guess I am a bad student, then."
"All right. Go on with your mischief, then," Barty harrumphed.
"Good night, Professor," Harry shot a condescending look as he walked past Barty. To his credit, Barty didn't even react which would have exposed him if he did.
To defeat Barty in a duel was an easy feat. Making Barty accept his invitation for a duel would be quite hard. Harry's approach to the matter was a simple one. He would rile Barty as much as he could. Once Barty's annoyance reached its peak, he would accept Harry's invitation in the hope of humiliating the boy. Of course, it would only work if Barty's annoyance preceded his sense of duty to his noseless boss.
Once Harry was on the second floor, he entered the girls' lavatory. He looked for a snake-engraved sink tap and found it quickly.
"What are you doing?"
As Harry leaned down and was about to access the chamber using Parseltongue, the ghost occupying the lavatory, Myrtle made an appearance. Harry almost had a heart attack as her head out of the wall.
"Myrtle," Harry greeted the ghost. "Pleasant to see you at this hour."
"Oh, hi…" Myrtle replied shyly. "Why are you in the girls' lavatory?"
"To access the Chamber of Secrets, my dear," Harry smoothly answered. "I want to retrieve my spoil."
"S- Spoil? What is it?" Myrtle asked apprehensively.
"The very thing that unjustly ended your merry life, sweetheart. Now, shoo. Don't bother me."
Myrtle looked like she wanted to say more but obliged to Harry's word. The scene inwardly amused Harry as he couldn't believe even a ghost was prone to his charm. Hissing in Parseltongue, Harry opened the passage to the Corridor of Secrets. He walked into the pipe and glided down until he reached the beginning of the corridor.
The stench filling the corridor was as Harry remembered. It didn't bother him, though, so he kept walking until he reached the door to the chamber. Hissing in Parseltongue, he opened the door. Walking in, Harry could immediately see the Basilisk's dead body. Immediately getting to work, he harvested the fangs. Once he had what he wanted, he left the chamber.
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