In the audience, a collective gasp echoed through the seats.
For some wizarding families, Muggles were as foreign and dangerous as creatures emitting poisonous gases. Such people had never interacted with Muggle society in their entire lives, let alone watched Muggle television.
At this moment, seeing the images of the maze displayed on a massive mirror-like screen, they were completely entranced.
Even young wizards from Muggle-born families were seeing such a large screen for the first time. Moreover, the image was as clear as looking into a mirror.
Some even thought that the wall had magically vanished, and they ran to the side of the screen to check if there was a hole behind it. Upon seeing the same dense hedges and leaves behind it, they displayed expressions of sheer amazement.
Although the competition hadn't officially begun, the enthusiasm of the audience was already thoroughly ignited.
Soon, other enlarged mirror screens began to show scenes from different parts of the maze. The images were almost life-sized, so vivid that people felt they could almost smell the fragrant greenery inside.
From the mirror in the center came a "hissing" sound.
A magnified ball python coiled itself into a spiral and resembled a giant seashell. Its black-and-white patterned scales shimmered, and its gourd-shaped head was tucked into the middle of its body.
Some audience members with a fear of snakes leapt up in fright and quickly took several steps back as goosebumps spread across their skin.
Meanwhile, at the maze's center, the python looked at the strange, bold puppet bird before it and flicked its tongue.
Having recently eaten its fill, the snake wasn't interested in bothering with the tiny creature, which wasn't even enough for a snack.
To the audience, however, the python's actions seemed like a threatening gesture aimed directly at them, leaving some so terrified their legs nearly gave out.
Then, other voices were heard—
"Is everyone ready? Let's move out!"
"Of course."
On the left-hand mirror, a group of young wizards appeared.
They seemed unaware of the audience watching them, and they never spared even a glance in their direction as they focused on their conversation.
"Alright then. Let's stick to the plan—I'll lead, Betty will keep watch, Brian and Chad prepare the spells, Carol memorizes the route, Avery will cover the rear, and Buck—"
The boy speaking was tall and handsome, exuding an air of authority that naturally made the others gather around him.
Amos Diggory, filled with excitement, turned to the people nearby and exclaimed:
"It's my son Cedric! Do you see him? That's my son! Go, Cedric!"
He shouted loudly at the image in the mirror, though, of course, he received no response.
Another boy said cheerfully:
"I've got dungbombs and bouncy eggs ready. If enemies show up, I'll throw them out first to distract them."
He mimicked a throwing motion, holding a dungbomb in one hand, with several green, sweet-potato-like objects hanging from his belt.
The audience burst into good-natured laughter.
"What are bouncy eggs?" someone asked.
"You don't know? They're a new invention from the Weasley brothers—a little thing that jumps around wildly and screams loudly."
Another student answered.
"Most of the competing teams have bought them," someone else added. "They say it can help save crucial time."
"…But aren't the Weasleys participating in the competition too?"
"That's why the Slytherin teams rarely buy them—they're worried the Weasleys might have tampered with them."
At that moment, Wade was talking to the "technicians" from Aslan Magic Workshop.
"It's better if only one mirror's sound is amplified at a time," he said. "Having three talking at once is too chaotic."
"That's easy."
Replied the bearded Colliver. He pulled out a short wand and pointed it at the mirrors, and that instantly cleared up the jumbled noise.
Colliver was the main overseer for this magic workshop event. He was even shorter than Professor Flitwick, with iron-brown facial hair that looked like a tangled mass.
Wade suspected he might have some goblin or dwarf heritage, but out of politeness, he didn't inquire.
For easier communication, they all sat cross-legged on the ground, with a clear view of the side of the audience seats above.
"And no need to keep the python on camera for now. Sweep the lens around here first…"
Wade outlined a range and continued:
"Let people see the kinds of challenges the contestants are facing, then focus back on a few specific teams."
"Got it," said Colliver. "That last team we watched was great. I think they might make it to the end."
"Don't just focus on the ones who'll succeed."
Wade said, "Leave two mirrors for the ones who fail—watching others mess up can be just as entertaining for the audience."
Although the audience could only see three mirrors, in reality, Marchionne had placed over a dozen master mirrors inside and outside the maze for capturing the scenes. Colliver was in charge of deciding which ones to display.
After hearing Wade's suggestion, he hesitated but adjusted one of the mirrors to focus on a group of nervous, timid young boys.
They were huddled together, nervously holding their wands as they moved forward, completely unaware that a giant lizard was stealthily following them.
Suddenly, the lizard shot out its tongue, latching onto the boy at the back and covering him in sticky mucus.
"Ah—!"
The boy let out a scream as he was yanked backward.
It was only then that the group realized they were under attack, and a chorus of screams erupted. After the lizard took another person, they finally remembered to run.
One boy ran headfirst into a tree trunk. Another, too chubby, got stuck between two large trees and couldn't move. Yet another blundered straight into a giant spider's web, startling the half-human-sized spider.
The audience burst into peals of laughter, one after another. The laughter hardly paused, leaving Cedric's team in the center screen momentarily neglected.
Colliver gave Wade a thumbs-up and, as if inspired, seemed to grasp the secret to generating popular appeal.
He kept the main screen focused on the strongest teams with a chance of winning, rotating between them. The side screens, however, were dedicated to showing teams on the verge of being eliminated.
Colliver had a "god's-eye view" and a sharp sense of timing. He always managed to capture the precise moments when participants were about to encounter trouble, making the "live broadcast" feel as if it had been meticulously edited.
He also assigned someone to handle the sound switching. Without accompanying audio, the audience's enjoyment would have been halved.
Magic made this especially convenient—no need for speakers or sound engineers. Spells allowed one person to do the work of ten.
Seeing the seamless, clear transitions between the scenes on the mirrors, along with the undistorted sound that even captured the ambient noise perfectly, Wade felt reassured and quietly stepped aside.
Colliver continued the broadcast for quite a while, and gradually became more adept. He was just about to share some of his insights with Wade when he realized the man who had been standing beside him had disappeared.
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