Tom had been preparing for this project for a long time. He believed that the carefully prepared "gift" would surprise the champions. So when the volunteers were brought near the Forbidden Forest, Tom raised his hand directly to Professor Flitwick.
"How can I assist you, Yodel?"
"I need to go to Hagrid's hut."
Professor Flitwick was somewhat puzzled but didn't want to make things difficult for his student. He made a hand gesture and said, "Go and come back quickly, don't waste too much time."
So Tom got some free time.
He quickly ran to Hagrid's hut. At that moment, Hagrid had already put on a brown suit and stood at the door of the hut with a serious expression on his face.
"Can I borrow Buckbeak for a moment?" Without waiting for Hagrid to respond, Tom made his purpose clear.
"Well, of course you can, but do you think...?"
Before Hagrid could finish speaking, Tom disappeared. He quickly headed to Hagrid's pumpkin patch and found Buckbeak taking a nap on the ground.
Since being acquitted, Buckbeak had stayed with Hagrid, being fed and cared for by him. In return, he watched over Hagrid's pumpkin patch and chicken coop, killing any animals that tried to harm the pumpkins and chickens.
Tom's arrival startled Buckbeak, who raised his head and examined this familiar person with his large orange eyes.
Tom first bowed to him, and after receiving a response, he approached Buckbeak and untied his tether.
Although the man and the beast had met last year, creatures like Buckbeak were quite temperamental. The previous greeting had already expired. If he wanted to strike up a conversation, he had to start from the beginning.
"Come with me and participate in the Triwizard Tournament!" Tom stroked Buckbeak's feathers, excited and full of expectations.
Under the influence of the Translation Ball, Buckbeak understood Tom's words.
Although he didn't quite understand what the Triwizard Tournament was, Buckbeak could sense that Tom wanted to take him away from this pumpkin patch and go for a walk.
'It's not a bad thing,' Buckbeak thought. So he flapped his wings and accepted Tom's proposal.
When Tom brought Buckbeak back to the group of volunteers, most people turned pale.
"What's this?" A Beauxbatons student couldn't help but ask.
"A hippogriff."
"Yes, I know, but why can you participate with him in the tournament?"
Tom grabbed Buckbeak's tether and kept a safe distance from the group of volunteers, preventing them from getting too close to Buckbeak and provoking this proud creature.
"Why not? There's no rule against bringing a mount into the tournament," Tom replied with a smile.
The others: ...
There really didn't seem to be any prohibition!
The looks toward Tom became much more complicated: How can this boy be so clever? Doesn't he start causing trouble right after hearing the news?
"Can this really be done?" Madame Maxime looked at the clearly not-easy-to-handle hippogriff with an unpleasant expression.
"In fact, the rules do not prohibit volunteers from doing this." Ludo Bagman shrugged, feeling that Tom's actions did not violate any rules.
Then, along with other professors, they led the volunteers to different parts of the Forbidden Forest.
...
Most of the students had no idea what was happening outside the Forbidden Forest.
As usual, they got up, got ready, and went to the Great Hall to have breakfast with their friends. It was there that they gradually learned the news: the volunteers had already departed for the Forbidden Forest.
Everyone got excited immediately.
"I knew it, the competition will take place in the Forbidden Forest!"
"Why? It's too dangerous!" Some more rational young wizards expressed their concerns about the choice of location, but most of the students paid them no attention.
"The Triwizard Tournament has always been dangerous."
"Hasn't the Ministry of Magic prepared enough?"
"I think the Forbidden Forest is not a big deal. When I was in my first year, I went in there once..."
The students noticed something: if the competition took place in the Forbidden Forest, how would they be able to watch it? Should they follow the directors into the forest? This speculation made everyone nervous because if that assumption was true, everyone would have to enter the Forbidden Forest! The young wizards began to discuss animatedly, while Cedric, surrounded by his friends, had a stiff expression.
How could it be the Forbidden Forest? Wasn't the first event supposed to involve a dragon?
Both Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, and even Professor Sprout, after revealing the clues to their champions, had analyzed the content of the first event.
The conclusion they reached was that they would have to deal with dragons on the Quidditch Pitch for a while. The choice of the Quidditch Pitch as the competition venue was their assumption, as it was the most suitable place to watch and facilitate rescue.
But now the current information contradicted their assumptions! This was a problem!
Cedric felt confused, and what made him feel even worse was that his friends kept talking nonstop, making it difficult for him to concentrate.
"Someone saw Yodel in the group of volunteers today. I'm so jealous!"
These words reached Cedric's ears and immediately woke him up.
That person also joined the group of volunteers! The flames at the Quidditch World Cup final had left a deep impression on Cedric. In his mind, Tom's power was unfathomable.
Would it be possible to get Tom's help? Cedric began to devise a plan.
"Digory, all champions must gather near Hagrid's hut... Get ready and complete the first event." While Cedric was thinking quickly, Professor Sprout hurriedly approached him.
The interaction between the two drew the attention of many.
"Alright." Cedric stood up but accidentally knocked over the cup next to him, causing a metallic clang.
"Good luck."
"Go for it!"
"You're going to win!"
Cedric's nearby companions cheered him on. He did his best to muster a smile and show that he wouldn't disappoint everyone's expectations. However, that smile seemed carved in stone.
Cedric and Professor Sprout left the Great Hall together. It was clear that Professor Sprout was nervous too. Both of them arrived on the castle's lawn, where it was already cold, and dew covered the grass with a light white frost.
"Well, don't get nervous," Professor Sprout placed her hand on Cedric's shoulder, "Just do what you normally do. I trust your ability... And as for safety, don't worry, the Ministry of Magic has taken some precautions. If things go wrong, don't hesitate to use those additional resources..."
Cedric nodded briefly to show he understood.
"And there's one more thing. After the competition starts, you can try to approach the Whomping Willow. That might be a lucky opportunity." After giving the necessary instructions, Professor Sprout said this sentence.
Cedric gave her a puzzled look, but his head of house said nothing and continued walking with her head down.
Gradually, Cedric began to understand the meaning of his head of house's words.