"According to proper Ministry procedure," Percy continued in his most official voice remembering the 'Treants', "I need to formally confirm their specific species classification, exact quantity, a complete danger level assessment report for the official records, their expected behavior patterns, and any known weaknesses in case of emergency. Where are they currently located?"
He looked up expectantly.
Adrian watched Percy's businesslike manner—so earnest trying to appear professional and in control and fell silent for a long moment. He felt a bit of sympathy for the young man.
"Percy," He finally asked calmly, "didn't Mr. Bagman... or anyone else from the Ministry properly brief you about the existing arrangements? Give you any background information at all about what's been planned for months?"
Percy was taken aback, and a flash of embarrassment and discomfort appeared across his pale face. His ears reddened, almost matching his hair color.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I... that is to say..."
Truthfully, he had been thoroughly confused when he first received this sudden assignment from Minister Fudge just three days ago, completely unclear about any of the relevant details or what had already been arranged over months of planning. They'd essentially thrown him into the deep end without any preparation, any proper handover.
He'd spent the last seventy-two hours frantically reading through old mail and trying to piece together what was happening. It was rather embarrassing, actually.
But since it would add something impressive to his resume and potentially advance his career at the Ministry significantly, he was willing to endure the confusion and considerable stress.
Opportunities like this didn't come often for someone his age.
"I was given to understand," Percy said carefully, trying to maintain his dignity, "that Mr. Bagman's departure was rather... sudden. Some documents may have been misplaced during the transition."
"I see," Adrian said, his expression sympathetic. He had no intention of making things difficult for Percy and continued kindly, "They'll be arriving here this afternoon around two o'clock. You'll see them then, and you can make your own assessment. I think you'll find them quite impressive."
Percy nodded quickly, looking quite grateful for Adrian's understanding. "Alright, alright, Professor! I'll be ready with my forms. Thank you very much for the information and your patience."
He made several more notes on his parchment, muttering to himself about scheduling and creature placement protocols.
Around two o'clock in the afternoon, as promised, the Treants led by Bart emerged one by one from deep within the Forbidden Forest in an impressive parade. Birds scattered from nearby trees at their approach. They arrived at the edge of the maze, still within their natural range of activity and territory.
Percy, who had been pacing nervously near the entrance for the past half hour, checking his pocket watch every few minutes, suddenly froze. He watched the mighty parade of Treants approaching from the depths of the dark Forbidden Forest, and his jaw nearly dropped to the ground in pure shock.
"Merlin's beard," He breathed.
They were enormous—far larger than he'd imagined from the brief creature description he'd found in one of Bagman's scattered files. Some stood fifteen feet tall, others even more, perhaps twenty feet.
"Are they... are they actually safe?" Percy instinctively asked Adrian beside him, his voice slightly higher than normal and a bit stifled.
"You don't need to worry about that, Percy," Adrian said calmly, watching the Treants gradually approach with obvious satisfaction at how well they'd grown over the months.
"For the champions, they'll make excellent obstacles and challenging puzzles that will truly test their creativity and magical knowledge, and they'll be quite content to stay in their assigned positions in the maze. They're very obedient creatures. Of course,"
He added with a slight warning tone, his expression becoming more serious, "if anyone deliberately angers them or attacks them aggressively without provocation, some injury will be unavoidable."
"What's their official danger level rating?" Percy asked nervously, his quill now over his parchment, hand trembling slightly. "I need to record it properly in the official documentation for the Ministry archives. There are regulations about this sort of thing."
'Danger level?' Adrian pondered for a moment, watching Bart wave at him with a branch, considering the question carefully.
The Treants currently had no official Ministry rating whatsoever, as they could be considered an entirely new species that the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures hadn't encountered yet. They'd probably need to form a special committee just to classify them.
But he thought they should realistically be on the same level as dragons and Acromantulas—five X's, the highest danger classification in the system.
After all, to the Treants, Acromantulas were merely a matter of one casual stomp. He'd personally direct them exterminate entire colonies without breaking a sweat, if they could sweat.
However, telling Percy that might cause the young man to panic and potentially try to remove them from the maze, creating all sorts of complications.
"Don't worry too much about those small details right now," Adrian waved his hand dismissively. "You need to learn to be flexible sometimes, Percy. Not everything fits neatly into Ministry categories and regulation boxes. Some situations require... discretion."
Percy said nothing more, though he looked deeply troubled as he made a vague, noncommittal note on his parchment. He underlined it twice, as if that would help later.
Over the next period, as the sun climbed higher and the day grew warmer, Adrian had the Treants spread out throughout the maze's various sections, positioning them at strategic points he'd marked earlier.
Some went to dead ends, others to crossroads, still others to open spaces where they could serve as mobile obstacles. He gave each one specific instructions about how to challenge anyone who approached.
Then he brought Bart specifically to the very center of the maze, where all paths ultimately led.
There, in a small circular clearing, stood a simple stone pedestal. The Triwizard Cup was placed upon it, gleaming even in the dim light—the first champion to touch it would achieve ultimate victory.
Both Dumbledore and he had already thoroughly checked the cup multiple times over the past week; it definitely hadn't been tampered with or enchanted with anything suspicious or dangerous.
Unless someone could somehow deceive both of them simultaneously, which would be extremely difficult—even Voldemort at full power couldn't manage such a feat of deception and misdirection.
Adrian stood before the pedestal, running his wand over the cup once more in a final, meticulous check, murmuring detection spells under his breath. Satisfied, he shifted his gaze to the tall Bart standing patiently beside him, waiting for instructions.
"Bart," He said clearly, making sure every word was understood, "when someone approaches this pedestal,"
He pointed at the glowing cup, "stop them. Block their path. Make them work for it. But remember, don't endanger their life under any circumstances."
"Bart obeys Master," Bart rumbled and swayed its body, indicating it had received the instruction.
Adrian nodded in satisfaction. Then he allowed some of the Devil's Snare to detach itself from him. The vines slithered down his body and across the ground climbing up the nearby maze walls and spreading across the hedges, creating an additional layer of security.
This was purely to prevent unexpected dangerous situations, not to obstruct the champions' progress.
He remained concerned that Death Eaters or even Voldemort himself might suddenly appear during the competition to cause trouble.
Once everything was prepared to his satisfaction, Adrian returned to the maze entrance. He checked his pocket watch as he emerged into the sunlight.
There were approximately two more hours before the competition would officially begin.
Now all that remained was to wait, and watch.
At that moment, two figures slowly approached from the distance, walking across the grounds in the fading afternoon light.
One was unmistakably Dumbledore; his silver beard and robes were distinctive even from far away. The person walking beside him made Adrian narrow his eyes slightly in surprise and genuine confusion—it was Ludo Bagman, of all people.
Hadn't he been dismissed from the Ministry of Magic in disgrace just days ago?
Why would he appear here now, of all times, when Percy had supposedly taken over?
As the two drew near, Adrian quickly went to meet them.
Ludo looked far less spirited than usual, his usually jovial demeanor was completely absent. His face had lost its characteristic ruddy glow, appearing pale and strained with dark circles under his eyes.
His robes were wrinkled, as if he'd slept in them. His steps were somewhat dragging, as if he hadn't slept properly in days or was carrying a heavy weight.
Clearly, he hadn't been doing well lately.
"Good afternoon, Adrian," Dumbledore greeted warmly.
His gaze swept over the already-prepared maze entrance, taking in every detail with interest. "Did the preparations go smoothly? Have our Treant friends been properly settled into their positions? No difficulties?"
"Everything is ready, Headmaster," Adrian answered, nodding with satisfaction. But his eyes remained on Ludo with curiosity.
"Mr. Bagman," He said lightly, "it's quite surprising to see you here. Unexpected, one might say. I thought you had left your position at the Ministry."
Ludo instinctively wiped at nonexistent sweat on his forehead with his sleeve. "Oh, that... well... it was all a bit of a misunderstanding, really! Just a small misunderstanding that got blown completely out of proportion by certain parties!"
His smile was forced, and unconvincing.
"The Ministry has temporarily reinstated Mr. Bagman," Dumbledore explained mildly. "So, he rushed here urgently to oversee the Triwizard Tournament's conclusion."
"Ah, yes, yes, the problems have all been completely resolved!" Ludo immediately seized on this explanation eagerly, his face breaking into an overly enthusiastic smile, clearly trying to mask his lingering unease.
"Just some paperwork issues! Accounting discrepancies! Bureaucratic nonsense that got sorted out! It's all cleared up now!"
Dumbledore nodded slightly, a knowing look in his eyes. "I certainly hope no more debt-collecting goblins will come to disturb Hogwarts in the future. They were quite persistent last time. And rather loud."
Faced with Dumbledore's gentle teasing, Ludo seemed to choke on air, and coughed several times and went red in the face. He looked like he might be sick.
"Yes, well, that's all been handled," He managed to gasp out.
"I see," Adrian said slowly, processing this information.
Though Adrian felt something was odd about this situation, he still nodded slowly. "As long as the matter is resolved satisfactorily, that's good. We need stability for the task. The champions have been through enough uncertainty."
"Actually, Ludo," Dumbledore spoke up, stroking his beard, "I was quite startled when I saw you suddenly appear in the courtyard earlier this afternoon. You gave me quite a fright, appearing out of nowhere like that. Fortunately, I hadn't yet recalled that emergency Portkey I'd given you months ago. I'd quite forgotten about it."
"Oh, yes," Ludo's mood settled somewhat at this change of topic, seeming grateful. "That really did me a great favor, allowing me to return in time for this. Otherwise, I'd have missed the entire thing!"
Just then, a slightly surprised and confused voice interrupted from the side: "Mr. Bagman? You've returned?!"
Percy had walked over at some point, appearing from behind one of the supply tents, still with drops of sweat on his flushed face. He looked confused and somewhat relieved but also worried about what this meant for his own position.
"Ah, it's you, Weatherby!" Ludo's face broke into that habitual, somewhat exaggerated enthusiastic smile that seemed automatic.
"It was just a small misunderstanding at the Ministry; it's already completely cleared up! The Ministry simply can't do without me, and neither can the Triwizard Tournament, right? So, I rushed back immediately!"
"It's Weasley, sir," Percy corrected helplessly.
Ever since Barty Crouch had kept calling him by the wrong name for months continuously, almost everyone at the Ministry who knew him had started calling him Weatherby as well, whether deliberately or through genuine confusion.
Though most people were just joking or genuinely mixed up, it still made him deeply uncomfortable. He'd corrected people dozens of times to no avail.
Ludo didn't seem to notice or care about the correction, and was already turning to talk to Dumbledore.
Percy stood there looking deflated.
As soon as the sky began to darken properly, everyone gradually arrived at the competition grounds in groups.
The area near Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest had never been so lively or crowded with people.
The torches around the massive maze were lit one by one. The light added even more tension and drama to the already deep and mysterious atmosphere.
At the maze entrance, Professor McGonagall approached Adrian, holding a hat decorated with stars that glittered in the torchlight. "Put it on, Professor Westeros,"
She said, handing it to him. "We'll be patrolling outside the maze throughout the task to ensure safety and respond to any emergencies immediately."
Adrian accepted the hat and placed it on his head. It was slightly too large and slipped down over his eyebrows. He adjusted it.
"Do I look ridiculous?" he asked.
McGonagall's lips twitched slightly. "No more than the rest of us."
The patrol personnel for the evening included Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid and Adrian himself.
It was, without a doubt, a reassuring and powerful lineup.
After a short time, the four champions also arrived at the scene together.
Professor McGonagall approached them, her face was grave and serious. She said to them sternly in a voice, "If you need rescue at any point, shoot red sparks into the sky with your wands, and someone will come to help you immediately. Don't try to be heroes if you're truly in danger. There's no shame in asking for help. Do you all understand?"
All of them nodded solemnly.
"Good luck," she added, her voice softening slightly. "All of you. Make your schools proud."
________________
You can read more chapters of this novel on:
patreon.com/IamLuis
You can check out my new novel: Harry Potter: Black's Mage Book on my profile