First Trial – Part 1

  “Begin!” Ludo shouted.

  Harry first glanced around quickly, trying to get a clear sense of where he was. But all he could see around him were trees, so many of them that they blocked most of the light. Above, the only things visible were the floating stands and the magical screens showing each champion.

  He took it fairly calmly. He even glanced at the other screens for a moment, watching what the others were doing. Not out of curiosity, but out of habit. Measuring others before making a move had always been one of his quirks.

  The first to act was Luciel. He lowered himself slightly as he drew his sword… or wand. Well, sword, because that was what it really was. After casting a spell on it, he suddenly leapt high into the air. From there, he scanned the area quickly, trying to find the right direction, before coming back down, using the branches of nearby trees to cushion his landing with ease.

  Once his feet touched the ground, he started walking in a specific direction.

  Next was Fleur. She looked around and then began running in a random direction, her wand held firmly in her hand.

  Viktor crouched low to the ground and seemed to be searching for some kind of trail. The other champion, whose name Harry had learned only that same day was Marton, did the same. At least, at first glance. It looked more like he was copying Viktor, since he kept glancing at his screen every so often.

  It seemed the screens could also work as a distraction. Or even as an indirect form of competition between the champions, pushing them to rush or change strategies based on what they saw.

  Draco, for his part, crossed his arms and watched the others’ screens, just like Harry. A faint smile appeared on his face for a brief moment before he started walking as if he already knew the way.

  To be fair, Harry knew it quite well too. After all, the Forbidden Forest was one of the places they visited most often, thanks to Red and everything else.

  Harry took his first step forward with confidence.

  Then he suddenly heard the sound of something opening.

  He turned his head and saw what looked like a chest behind a tree. From it, metallic arms emerged first, forcing it open and revealing a golem. One he immediately recognized. After all, it was the same type as his own creations, though with Nicolas Flamel’s unmistakable touches.

  A couple more came out almost immediately after.

  “So that is what he needed the machines for,” Harry said calmly, looking at the golems. “Well, this is a bit of cheating if…”

  He did not get to finish the sentence.

  One of the golems moved so fast it almost appeared right in front of him, throwing a punch straight at his face.

  Harry dodged instantly, ducking down, while another golem appeared behind him, slashing downward with a sword.

  Harry dodged again, jumping and rolling across the ground, a faint look of surprise on his face.

  “They were not supposed to be this dangerous,” he muttered, his expression turning slightly annoyed.

  Seeing that more golems kept emerging from the chest, he frowned.

  “Ohhh. And what do we have here? The first champion to encounter enemies is none other than Harry Potter. That was close. Good thing he has excellent reflexes,” Ludo said, as the crowd grew excited watching the golems move at such speed. “These golems were provided by Mister Nicolas Flamel, a great sponsor of this tournament, and we are very grateful for his support,” he added quickly. “And as you all know, the champions were only allowed to enter with their wands and nothing else, so…”

  Before he could continue, something happened.

  Suddenly, a massive surge of ice rose from what appeared to be the champions’ resting tent. The structure was violently torn open, pierced by frozen spikes, instantly startling everyone.

  “Huh? What is that?” Ludo said, clearly confused.

  Sirius glanced in that direction for a moment before whispering something to him.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Ah… yes,” Ludo said, still holding the microphone. “Ahem. Pay no attention to that and let us continue with the show.”

  Even he was finding it difficult to ignore something like that, but Sirius had told him exactly that.

  “Now, where were we? Ah, yes. The items. The champions are only allowed to use their wands to…”

  Ludo suddenly looked at Harry’s screen and fell silent.

  Because now, just moments later, Harry was standing in the middle of a pile of golem scrap. He seemed to be calmly selecting pieces, fitting them together with ease. Then he picked several plants from the nearby ground, crushed them into powder, and separated it into small pouches made from plant fibers.

  “Huh? I… I am genuinely very confused right now,” Ludo said, clearly unsure how to comment on that, while Harry continued crafting with complete calm.

  “Oh, and we have another competitor who has encountered the first golems,” Ludo announced, shifting his focus to Luciel’s screen and watching with interest as enemies began emerging from a chest.

  Luciel smiled faintly. He raised his sword and severed the first one’s head in a single motion. It rolled away immediately, rendering it useless. Well, it was a golem, so it did not really have a life to begin with.

  Another pushed the body blocking the opening, and Luciel cut again. Then the next. And the next.

  Until no more came out.

  Only then did he start collecting some of their parts, examining them carefully. He struck a couple of pieces, checked whether they were hollow, nodded in satisfaction, and began assembling pieces of armor using the remains.

  “I really do not understand kids these days,” Ludo said, not quite sure what to make of it.

  Even so, several people in the stands smiled and showed their approval toward both Harry and Luciel. They did not fully understand what they were doing or why, but it was clear that both of them were preparing in the right way.

  “Oh. It is Viktor. At last, we have a proper mage fight,” Ludo said with excitement, pointing at Viktor’s screen.

  The Bulgarian stood there, wand in hand, facing five golems.

  With a serious expression, he raised his wand and flicked it smoothly.

  “Reducto!” he shouted.

  One of the golems raised a shield to protect itself. The spell struck, and the shield shattered into pieces, but another golem was already charging toward Viktor. He rolled across the ground and cast a repulso, sending the closest enemy flying. Then he followed up with an explosive spell that hit the next one head-on.

  “Wow, wow. Viktor is really proving that he is not only good at flying, but also excellent when it comes to using his magic,” Ludo commented, finally thrilled to narrate a direct battle.

  Karkaroff looked visibly proud of his student. Sirius, on the other hand, glanced at him with mild amusement before turning his attention back to Harry’s screen, where Harry already seemed to be done with his work and was continuing onward.

  Draco, for his part, was avoiding direct confrontations. He could be seen watching chests from a distance and changing his route every time he spotted one.

  Fleur hid whenever she ran into golems, avoiding combat whenever she could.

  Only Viktor and Marton seemed to be actively seeking fights. Luciel, meanwhile, only stopped when enemies appeared directly in front of him, eliminated them, took the parts he needed, and then moved on.

  The tournament field had been designed to be large and circular, but even so, it felt enormous. And as the champions moved closer to the center, the number of golems increased. That was to be expected.

  In that situation, the best way to advance was to avoid wasting too much energy. And it seemed many of them had understood that, proving they had not been chosen by the Goblet by chance.

  …

  “Why do I feel like this place is bigger than it looks?” Harry muttered after walking for several minutes and realizing that he did not seem any closer to the center at all.

  He could even see a stand near the area where he had entered, as if he had barely moved.

  Then he seemed to think of something obvious.

  “Mom,” he said with a sigh. “How did Sirius manage to convince everyone to help him with this nonsense?” he added with a faint smile.

  As he continued forward, he heard a chest opening suddenly. Then another. And then several more.

  At least three.

  From them emerged a large number of golems almost at the same time.

  Among them were animal-shaped golems, like tigers and lions, completely metallic, charging straight toward him.

  “The master is already using them. It really is no coincidence that he is the best alchemist,” Harry said, smiling slightly.

  He then pulled out what looked like a metallic sphere, made from parts he had gathered from defeated golems. He turned it lightly in his hand and threw it toward where most of the enemies were clustered.

  The moment it touched the ground, it exploded.

  A deafening blast shook the area, destroying everything in its path and scattering scrap across the ground.

  However, one of the lions managed to evade the explosion and leapt toward Harry, attacking with its claws.

  Harry pulled out a small pouch made of plant fibers and threw it straight at its face. The pouch burst into a cloud of black powder.

  The moment the powder seeped into the golem’s joints, sparks began to fly. A second later, the lion collapsed completely, motionless at Harry’s feet.

  For a moment, Harry could hear the screams from the stands. He did not know whether they were for him or for what the other champions were doing, so he ignored them.

  He crouched beside the golem and began dismantling it with ease, using only his hands.

  …

  From the stands.

  “Oh, what is this? That was quite a powerful explosion. Did he really make that using only the materials he gathered himself?” Ludo shouted excitedly, staring at Harry’s screen. “He truly is a little alchemical genius, is he not? Now that I think about it, he and his friends created something we have heard quite a bit about. Combat golems. And before long, they will be launching their new line of magical armor.”

  He grinned widely.

  “And since they are one of our sponsors, remember to go and buy them.”

  Then his eyes suddenly widened as he turned toward Draco’s screen.

  “What… what is that?” he said, a trace of excitement slipping into his voice. “That magic.”

  Draco stood there, surrounded by the remains of fallen golems. Around him, golden weapons rose from the ground, shining with a brilliance as intense as his hair. His straight posture and serious expression, marked by a faint look of disdain, seemed to draw everyone’s attention.