The warriors stood up one after another and left the venue amid warm applause and blessings from their loved ones. Mrs. Granger held Hermione's hand tightly, tears flashing in her eyes. "Dear, she will be fine." Mr. Granger hugged his wife and said.

"I know, I just..." Mrs. Granger was speechless.

Mr. Granger's eyes were red, and he said to Hermione very emotionally: "Your mother is a little excited... because of the video recording of the second project... I waited at the door of the Leaky Cauldron for an afternoon, and then I found a wizard in strange costumes, who took me in... Anyway, we want you to know, Hermione, we are proud of you."

Hermione's eyes were also wet. Harry and Ron stood aside at a loss, Sirius and Bill put their shoulders on their left and right. Sirius patted Harry's back hard, almost pushing him to stumble, and said to the Grangers: "There are two men in the team!"

"Yes, that's right, we will take care of her." Harry and Ron said hurriedly.

When they walked through the hall and down the stairs, Hermione was still in a low mood. Harry and Ron looked at each other, and Ron complained: "Hermione, you should tell your parents some common sense about the wizarding world. Don't they know that you are the strongest among the three?"

"Oh," Hermione burst into laughter, "In their impression, I just went to school in a different place, like... well, how to say? A scholar studying the occult? After all, I can't use magic outside of school... Maybe the books I bring back every summer vacation also deepened this impression."

They walked carefully in the dim field. A dozen warriors formed a long team, and some people followed on both sides.

"Who are they?" Harry looked to the side.

"The Ministry of Magic people, mostly Aurors," Ron said. Seeing Harry's puzzled look, he shrugged. "There must be someone watching every level of the maze, just in case. Professor Happ can't handle it alone... Percy told me, I have to admit, he's been doing very well recently."

Everyone walked through the venue and passed the Quidditch field. Several goblins with short bows waved at the warriors of Ilvermorny.

Hermione became nervous: "We didn't consider dealing with goblins. They won't appear in the maze, right?"

Harry didn't say anything, just staring at the outline of the goblins. He was not sure. These little things used to live in the forest, so they must be able to do well in the maze? He vaguely remembered that the goblins' bows and arrows were poisoned...

"Did you bring the antidote, Hermione?" he asked.

"Yes, I prepared a lot of things... But to be honest, if we are really attacked, we may not be able to use them." Hermione touched her beaded bag and said.

They kept silent for the rest of the time, walking along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The road was becoming more and more familiar. Before turning a corner, Harry took a last look behind him. The steps they had walked on before were filled with dense spots of light. They were the lights of wands. People in the Great Hall were coming out, but he couldn't hear any sound because they were too far away.

But Harry could imagine how excited they were. Seamus and Dean might be discussing what would be in the maze with great interest. They had been doing this for several months. Ginny might be with Luna, but he really couldn't guess what they would talk about. Maybe some magical creatures that were "not yet discovered"? As for Neville, he asked Hermione for a list of spells some time ago, and he would definitely shine in the duel class next year... And Malfoy, he might be gritting his teeth!

The last thought made Harry feel a little excited. "Oh, my God!" Hermione moaned in his ear.

Harry followed her gaze and was shocked. In front of him was a square tower-shaped building that was not much smaller than the Hogwarts Castle. He could only see three solid corners, which were made of black stones piled up into straight prisms. The gaps between them were filled with dense thorns and hedges. The building was at least a hundred feet high. Harry secretly estimated how many floors the maze would have.

They stopped in front. Bagman waited for everyone to gather and led them to the side of the huge building. They passed through the sparse woods and came to an open space where a huge silver tent stood, glowing faintly in the dark.

Harry was a little dazed for a moment. He seemed to have returned to the first project, when they had to work together to deal with a dragon... but that seemed to be a thing of the last life.

"Okay," Bagman said happily, "You should be familiar with this place. We built a maze castle for the competition on the original site. The school has prepared two places, but I think the familiar environment will make you feel like home..."

Everyone stared at him.

Bagman looked at everyone with joy, as if he wanted to get a compliment or two. In the awkward silence, he had to give up the idea. "Well, uh, let me read out the rules. You need to get through the maze. There are seven levels in total. The area gets smaller as you go up. There are no traps on the top level, only a trophy."

"It is forbidden to use dark magic, and it is forbidden to use powerful spells on people..."

He talked for more than ten minutes in a row. Harry felt a little annoyed. They had analyzed these things many times. Finally, Bagman got to the point.

"Next, let's introduce the order of entering the maze. According to the rules," Bagman glanced at Harry, "the two teams from Hogwarts will take the average score, but since they are ranked first and second, there is no need for this. Just enter in order of score."

At this time, the curtain of the tent was lifted from the outside.

"Bagman, the trophy has been put away."

"Thank you, Yaxley. This should be my job, but as you can see, I am too busy..."

Yaxley showed his teeth and squeezed out a stiff smile from between his teeth, "You're welcome." The man disappeared into the tent.

"Okay, the trophy has been put away. Next, let me introduce the guards in the maze. They are all from the Ministry of Magic. Well, except for Felix, the guards will not show up easily, even if you faint."

The warriors looked at each other. "What if the unconscious warrior is discovered by the wandering monsters?" One of the warriors of Beauxbatons, the girl named Jacqueline Bourgeois, asked. Several warriors nodded. They had the same question.

"Ah, this is the role of the guards," Bagman smiled, "They will watch from the side. Unless you are really in danger of life, they will not take action. If the unconscious person is lucky enough to meet a companion, then he can continue the game..."

The curtain of the tent was lifted again. Kingsley and Felix walked in together.

"The audience is already seated, Ludo. In five minutes, the warriors will be arranged to enter, and the staff will take them in from different entrances." Kingsley said calmly.

"Great," Bagman said happily, "I can't wait to host the game."

"Wait, different entrances?" Byers from the Ilvermorny team asked.

"There are four entrances in total. Which one you enter is random. The only restriction is that the same team must be separated." Felix took over and said gently.

"Yes, that's it." Bagman agreed, "So..." He looked around.

"Can I say a few words?" Felix asked softly.

"Oh, of course." Bagman said.

Felix stood in front of the warriors, his eyes sweeping over each of them, "You have all made unimaginable efforts this year, and at the same time you have gained tremendous rewards, strength, friendship, courage, cooperation, trust... Although the third project is extremely difficult, I believe you can successfully overcome the difficulties. You just need to mobilize your wisdom, trust your companions, and most importantly, don't give up hope even in the worst situation."

"Today is just an important node in your life, not the end time on your side."