Ron stared at the stone on the ground for several seconds before understanding Hermione's meaning.
So that is said—
Ron said with difficulty.
"Does that mean the fake school emblem that appeared from the rock that Croum made for us?"
Hermione nodded glumly.
Harry was also watching the stone rolling on the ground, his feelings were complex; there was anger, but also a bit of helplessness and humor.
"We will definitely become the laughing stock."
Harry said that he meant that their every move was being broadcast live, so the audience outside must have seen them waste their efforts in beating the team from Durmstrang, only to be ridiculed by Wickerdore.
"What a clever trick—"
Ron also shook his head and sighed, surprised that he didn't get angry, maybe because. He had no more energy to be angry.
Now, the three of them realized that they couldn't be reckless and blind anymore.
Professor Brain's project wasn't as simple as they thought; they needed to use their heads properly.
The three of them climbed up the pit one by one, supporting each other, and limped away from the direction of the Slytherin pursuit group.
"This will go on forever."
Harry's voice was dull.
"Malfoy will definitely chase us or Neville next, even if they lose the ability to move quickly, but we are tired out and cannot rest well under the condition that we are exposed every half an hour, we will be caught up sooner or later."
"I'm more concerned about the conditions for victory, and also, where are the other students from Physical Education class?"
Hermione and Harry supported Ron on either side, and she said with a neutral expression,
"If we can't figure out these two problems, our actions will lack direction."
Ron looked worried.
"Ormonde lost the school emblem, but she didn't get expelled from the competition, and her emblem was taken by Malfoy. Clearly, Malfoy has two school emblems. Croum and others must have encountered Malfoy as well."
"It may not be that way."
Harry said abruptly, his face stern.
"Although Croum and others can't match Malfoy, he might push the blame onto us. I mean, he might tell Malfoy that their school emblems were taken by us."
"If Croum actually said that, Malfoy would definitely believe him because he knows well the difference between the other two teams and us."
Ron thought for a moment and nodded.
"However, at least we know that Ormonde's school emblem is in Malfoy's hands. If it takes four emblems to end the competition, we must kill Malfoy and others. It's not possible, isn't it? They have twice as many people as us."
The position was updated again, which was the fifth time since the game began.
Harry squinted at the map, and now, only two blue dots were displayed on it.
"Croum probably met up with Ormonde and others."
Harry said staring at the light point that was slightly closer to them, and Hermione and Ron also nodded their heads in agreement with his idea.
To their surprise, Cedric, Neville, and Luna, who had been wandering at the edge of the arena, began to move towards the intense center of the arena.
"Are they finally willing to join the competition?"
Although they were all on the same Hogwarts team, the past two and a half hours had left Ron unable to resist the temptation to mock them.
"They might have made a judgment that the school emblems in our three teams' hands might have been gathered in one party's hands, so they decided to join the battle."
Hermione looked worried.
"Now it's not suitable for us to meet with Cedric and others, isn't it? Once we meet, we must fight. Otherwise, it would be too mean. Many people are watching us. But if they ran into Malfoy. It seems that they may not know."
Harry's mind was whirling rapidly.
Currently, they have several options to choose from.
The first option is to avoid the approaching Neville and the approaching Malfoy, circumventing back and finding Croum to recover the real emblem of Durmstrang.
After some rest and food replenishment, their physical and magical energy had all been recovered, and Durmstrang's people hadn't brought any food into the forest, their physical energy was also consumed greatly. Compared to this, the possibility of successfully recapturing the school emblem again was quite high.
The second option is to meet with Cedric and others.
Given their current state, they cannot fight against Cedric, Neville, and Luna. Therefore, even if their school emblems are taken away, at least Hogwarts will benefit. Moreover, they can also remind Cedric of his veteran status and be cautious of Malfoy's pursuit.
The third option is to learn from Cedric and others' previous methods, completely stay away from the battlefield. After their physical condition improves somewhat, they can rejoin the battle. At that time, Cedric's school emblem may have already fallen into Malfoy's hands.
"Anyway."
The light on the blackboard went out, and they had to make a quick decision.
"We are finally escaping from Malfoy and others."
Harry furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before speaking slowly.
"That's for sure."
Ron also said with a grim face,
"Even if we keep dodging them until Christmas, we will eventually have to face them, unless we directly give up the competition."
"Then."
Harry spoke softly, his emerald eyes constantly flashing with light,
"This means that we can't avoid having to eliminate Malfoy and his group. We can also try to get information out of them."
"However, we must really be able to defeat them, Harry."
Fearful that Harry might make an impulsive move, Hermione reminded.
Harry looked up, his face still pale, but the light in his eyes was even brighter.
"I know that normally we can't do it, Hermione, but if."
Harry suddenly clenched his fists and looked determined.
"I have an idea. Let's go. We don't meet Neville and the others; we head back."
"Where to?"
Ron immediately asked,
"Are you going back to look for Croum?"
"No."
Harry slowly shook his head,
"Even if we get Durmstrang's school emblem, it will eventually end up in Malfoy's hands. Come on, let's go back to where we first appeared in the Forbidden Forest!"
Speaking of which, Harry turned around and walked in a different direction.
"To the place we first appeared in the Forbidden Forest?"
Ron looked astonished, but followed with his steps.
"But what are we going to do there, Harry? There are only a lot of deadly devil traps there."
By midday, the Hogwarts team had prepared a meal for both the spectators and judges.
Given the cramped nature of the viewing arena, it was unlikely that a lavish banquet could be held, so Amortentia had instructed the house-elves in advance to prepare mainly fast food.
On the judges' bench, Amilia only ate a few pieces of roasted sausages that were sliced and did not touch the sandwiches on her plate, and stopped eating.
To be honest, this mode of watching the game was indeed novel, even the wizards on the judges' bench who were used to watching games would also show great enthusiasm.
"They just experienced a 'defeat,' but they were able to get their spirits up for the next step. Such perseverance is very commendable."
Amilia looked at the screen showing Hermione, Harry, and Ron and asked with interest, "What are they doing?"
"But I really can't guess what their next action plan is."
"Sometimes those young minds come up with some ingenious ideas to help themselves out of a predicament, Amilia. Expecting me to guess is unrealistic."
In fact, Amortentia already knew what Harry was planning to do, but he didn't need to say it. Otherwise, Markix and Dredegen might have thought that they were secretly helping the warriors of Hogwarts.
"If I'm not mistaken, Amortentia, you're not even twenty-five."
"Yes."
Amortentia's tone was light and cheerful.
"I'm already approaching thirty, not young anymore, right?"
Amortentia's teasing words caused the few on the judges' bench who were over seventy to roll their eyes, while Albus Dumbledore, whose average age among the judges was raised, chuckled softly. However, his smile abruptly disappeared when Rubeus Hagrid appeared at the bottom of the bench, his elderly face showing a calm yet majestic expression.
Rubeus Hagrid was well-known in the British wizarding world, and those who knew him would have a deep impression of his stern and unyielding character.
However, at this moment, Hagrid appeared at the bottom of the bench, looking somewhat disheveled. His light yellow hair was stuck to his cheek by sweat, and his normally sharp eyes now showed signs of turmoil!
Amilia immediately realized that something was wrong. Without saying a word, she flew off her seat and descended to the bottom of the judges' bench.
As people watched, the Principal of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement leaned in to whisper something into the ear of the Chief Magical Law Enforcement Officer. Then, Mrs. Weasley's face slowly turned pale.
When Skellington stood up again, Mrs. Weasley's body swayed suddenly as if she was going to be blown over.
On the stands, Sirius Black, Amilia, Remus, and Mr. Weasley exchanged a glance and all stood up together, heading towards Mrs. Weasley. On the judges' bench, Dumbledore and Amortentia also left their seats and hurried down from the platform.
"What happened, Amilia?"
Dumbledore's half-moon glasses obscured his gaze, but his deep blue eyes revealed a hint of weariness in his voice.
"Rubeus just told me."
Mrs. Weasley's frightened gaze swept over the people around her, gasping a few times, and her gaze finally settled on Amortentia and Dumbledore's faces.
"The Azkaban has been breached!"
