LRAB Chapter 185 Cedric's Plan
Chapter 185 Cedric's Plan
The next morning, everyone slept in late, and the auditorium didn't gradually fill up until noon.
The Hermione that Harry and Ron knew was back, with her plain school uniform and messy hair, no longer eyelashes, and no color on her lips or nails.
Harry asked Hermione curiously what had happened to her hair last night, while Ron pretended not to be interested and ate his onion rings, though he had actually been eavesdropping all along.
Last night in the Gryffindor common room, Ron finally lost his temper and had a big fight with Hermione because she was Krum's dance partner.
Harry didn't really understand why Ron was so bothered by Hermione dancing with Krum. To be honest, he didn't think Hermione would betray their friendship just because she became the Durmstrang Champion's dance partner, but Harry held back from complaining.
“It’s a quick-smoothing hair product; they sell it at the girls’ boutiques in Diagon Alley, and it works really well, doesn’t it?” Hermione said. “But spending time on dressing up every day is such a waste. The library has so many books, and we only have seven short years at school—”
Upon hearing this, Harry and Ron both began to focus on their lunch, but Hermione became more interested in the conversation.
“You haven’t heard yet,” Hermione said, regaining her friends’ attention in just two seconds, “Cedric and Lyra are in trouble—”
"What did you say?" Suddenly, Harry was no longer deaf, and Ron was no longer hungry.
“Cedric drove Lyra back to the Gryffindor Tower last night,” Hermione said. “They even kissed goodbye at the door.”
"What? What are Fred and George doing?" Ron exclaimed in disbelief.
Harry felt that Ron had perfectly expressed his own thoughts: What happened to Fred and George at the crucial moment? What use were they?!
*
Fred and George, whom Harry and Ron considered useless, were actually quite unhappy about it.
They stood in the corridor with sour faces, watching Cedric and Lyra chat and laugh on the bench in the courtyard. Unfortunately, Lyra had no idea why they were unhappy.
“Weasley doesn’t seem too happy,” Cedric asked hesitantly. “Do they not like me talking to you?”
“Oh, don’t worry, they’re having an affair,” Lyra said, completely unconcerned about the two redheads’ expressions. “Someone owes them Galleons.”
Although Cedric sensed that the real reason the Weasley brothers were frowning might not be what Lyra had suggested, he readily changed the subject.
“Speaking of which,” Cedric pulled a necklace from his collar, which he had clearly been keeping close to his body, “I haven’t thanked you yet for such a wonderful Christmas present.”
This is a mithril chain with a pendant that is a transparent oval crystal containing a small twig, enveloped in a faint blue potion.
It was Lyra who dismantled the valuable alchemical product given to her by her dog friend and used it to create the alchemical amulet herself.
After Lyra's dedicated research and consultation with many professors, she simplified the complex process and summarized the essence of alchemy—which is essentially equivalent exchange.
If you want to create a powerful amulet, you must exchange it for a powerful life force of equal value.
Lyra couldn't possibly take an innocent life to create an alchemical amulet like a dark wizard. Using a magical creature instead would be possible, but the most she could possibly encounter were the toads and rats used in Potions class.
This amount of vitality is at most enough to prevent the amulet's owner from sneezing one less time.
There are more suitable options in the Forbidden Forest, such as the fire dragons used in the Triwizard Tournament, but Lyra automatically crossed that out—Charlie and his Romanian dragon trainer colleagues are on duty 24/7 guarding those precious fire dragons, and besides, Lyra doesn't have the strength to defeat a dragon.
The remaining magical creatures that could be used didn't seem to be a good fit either; unicorns were too sacred, and Lyra couldn't bring herself to do it.
Centaurs are intelligent beings who can speak human language, so Lyra still couldn't bring herself to do it;
The eight-eyed giant spiders are social creatures, and Lyra wanted to attack but was outnumbered...
After much thought, she couldn't find a suitable one, until Lyra accidentally saw the Whomping Willow ornament on her bedside table—
When it comes to sheer vitality, who can compare to the Willow Tree that beats people with its twigs!
That force could easily crack the ground; just ask Fred, who fought Willow.
Moreover, they still had branches they had taken from the willow tree last year, so they had plenty of experimental materials—and that's how Lyra successfully completed her first project.
She made three identical amulet necklaces and gave them as Christmas gifts to Cedric, Harry, and Fleur, all her warrior friends, without discrimination.
After all, as Hermione said, the death rate in the Triwizard Tournament was just too high.
“I’m glad you like it,” Leila said with a smile, “but be sure to wear it during the game!”
Cedric gazed intently at the radiant smile of the dark-haired girl before him, his heart churning with love like a volcano about to erupt. Even a Hufflepuff could feel intense love and boundless courage when facing the one he loved.
After kissing under the mistletoe that night, he walked her back to the Gryffindor Tower, feeling anxious and wanting to ask if they were dating, but in the end, Cedric held back.
He knew Leila liked him, but not enough. But he didn't mind; he would wait patiently like a badger and pursue her bravely like a lion.
Cedric solemnly agreed to Lyra's request.
Although he was unaware that half of his competitors possessed the same amulet, this did not diminish his deep affection for the gift or his intense desire to compete for the championship in the Triwizard Tournament.
He wanted to give the trophy to Leila after winning it, and then formally confess his feelings to her.