"Ced," Cho Chang asked softly, "Can't you wait a little longer?"
"No, I'm afraid it's won't get any better even if we wait," Cedric said with a smile, "Professor Hap wouldn't set a hurdle that couldn't be passed, he's selecting a champion candidate, not a powerful wizard, the secret lies in what he said before."
Cho Chang looked at him and said thoughtfully, "Courage, Wisdom, Resilience, and Calmness?"
Cedric nodded and strode forward, Lee Jordan is encouraging people to go forward, the previous example has made the young wizards somewhat timid, with the intention of waiting for a little longer, waiting for the first person with the invitation card to appear.
Harry couldn't help himself, he moved a few steps forward, and in the afterglow saw Cedric approaching.
"Anyone else wants to try?" Lee Jordan continued to persuade, "The professors might come back after a cup of tea and will see three zeroes, what will they think? Oh, there's a fourth volunteer! Let's cheer him on, Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff House!"
Cedric took one step up the smooth, black steps, then touched the black door, and got sucked inside in the blink of an eye.
The students couldn't help but breathe slower, worried that he would be thrown out the next second, but ten seconds passed, thirty seconds passed, one minute, two minutes, until at five minutes, the hanging black door opened silently and Cedric walked down the steps holding a golden card high in the air.
"Look! Cedric made it! He's got the invitation card! He's the first one!" Lee Jordan shouted excitedly as a huge wave of cheers erupted from the students of Hufflepuff House.
Lee Jordan wrapped his arms around Cedric, "Man, you're good! Is there anything you want to say to us?"
Cedric smiled coyly, and the whole person had a kind of indescribable calmness: "I only have four words to say - courage, wisdom, resilience, and calmness, that's enough. Oh yeah," he thought for a moment, "Professor Hap enchanted the card with a spell, and I think that's the biggest reward I got today."
He returned to the Hufflepuff crowd and got surrounded by a cluster of people.
"Cedric, how did you get through?"
"Yeah, how'd you get past the mouth of the Runespoor Snake?"
"What about that thing with the big mouth, is it a giant?"
Cedric shook his head, "I didn't encounter any of those things, not a single one, I don't think Professor Hap is testing us to find out how we would defeat them, I already told you the secret."
He found Cho Chang, "Cho, I suggest you give it a try."
"Because of that magic on the card?" Cho Chang asked.
"That's also the reason, uh, but it's mainly because I want you to join me in the training." Cedric said as he scratched his head.
...
With success and key tips, some more daring people tried it, and even a long line formed. Lee Jordan reminded them. " The test can be done at the same time, that's what Fred and George did-"
One by one, the young wizards walked in, but more were thrown out at a faster pace, slumping on the ground.
Harry followed behind Ron and Hermione, "You don't have to accompany me, you can wait ..."
"Do not say silly words, I want to try it myself." Hermione said impatiently.
"Yeah, who doesn't want to get an invitation card?" Ron said with a smirk, but Harry could clearly see the fear in his eyes, even the tone of his voice was different from usual.
Harry took a deep breath, walked up the steps, touched the pattern on the door, and the next second, the pattern on the door moved, spinning and forming a shallow vortex that sucked him in.
'Let me see what's inside!' Harry said to himself.
His feet were on the solid ground, and before he could look around, a dazzling green light flooded his entire field of vision, accompanied by a hoarse, ghastly voice, as bitter as the cold wind -
"Avada Kedavra!"
Harry's heart almost stopped beating, his eyes went black, his whole body felt like he jumped straight down from the sky, falling helplessly, and the next second, his body tightened -
"Harry! Harry!"
"Harry, what's wrong with you?"
Ron and Hermione looked at him with concern, and Harry realized that he's not dead but just had been thrown out of the black door, and they caught him.
'What kind of test is this, not even giving me time to react?' Harry felt baffled.
Ron looked at the pale Harry and counselled him, "It's okay to fail, just the right time to see a good show." Harry followed his line of sight and there already lay a row of students on the floor, and he saw quite a few familiar faces from Gryffindor.
Angelina Johnson got up with a grimace, and when she looked up to find Harry staring at her, she smiled bitterly, "I thought, since there's no Quidditch tournament this year, I might as well find something for myself to do, being our school champion would be nice, but the fact that I couldn't even make it in the school try-outs means I'm not that material... ..."
She shook her head in defeat and prepared to leave.
"No, you can do it!" Harry said.
"What?"
"You can-" Harry struggled to get up, "I'll prove it to you."
At her puzzled look, Harry walked up the steps again, and even the commentator, Lee Jordan, froze and muttered, "Looks like Potter wants to try it for a second time, this ... I don't know if it will work ... "
Harry did not care what the others thought, with his hand pressed against the black door, he prayed inwardly.
A slight sense of weightlessness reappeared, making him pleased, it really works, he knew the professor would not instantly send people to their deaths, everyone can try again!
Hermione looked at his back worriedly, "Harry is too impulsive, I can guess that the professor used a technique similar to the thinking room, and perhaps added the ability similar to the Boggart and Dementor, making everyone confront their worst fears. And in the process, we will show all kinds of champion traits ..."
She shook her head, "But every failure would not be without significant impact, just look at those people." Speaking of which, she froze slightly, gazed at the black door, and suddenly laughed heartily.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked in confusion.
"Oops," Hermione managed to hold back her laughter, only to be followed by a violent shaking of her shoulders, "Look at the ... gate, the handprints left by Harry ... Harry! "
Ron and Angelina stared at the gate and vaguely saw a messy handprint, that was undoubtedly left by Harry. Previously it was the first attempt for everyone, only Harry repeated the challenge, even the mud on his hands was not wiped clean.
Angelina broke into a light smile and tried to say something when Harry got thrown out of the black door for the second time.
His face is even whiter than the first time, but his eyes are exceptionally bright, without waiting for them to question, Harry hurriedly left after leaving a sentence, "I found a little trick!" And then he dashed back likes a whirlwind, climbing up the steps in three steps, slamming on the black door, leaving a fresh mud handprint again.
Lee Jordan came over, lowering his wand, and asked in a whisper, "Is he a maniac?"
"I don't think so." Angelina said, "That's the Harry Potter I know, stubborn and single-minded, just like he was during his training."
Hermione stood up and yanked Ron up by the hand.
"What do you want?" Ron asked as he was surveying the handprints on the black door and commented, "The second handprint is much clearer, Harry's hands must be aching!"
But Hermione pulled him stiffly up the steps and said in a forceful tone, "It's our turn."
"I knew I couldn't dodge it," Ron muttered. Looking left and right, then he put his hand on the muddy handprint left by Harry.
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