Chapter 1828: Cheating
Chapter 1828: Cheating
When Professor Mcgonagall came to see her and explained the situation, Alice realized she probably couldn't refuse to participate in the Triwizard Tournament.
It wasn't that she couldn't refuse outright.
No one would force her to do it for Albert's sake, or else the Ministry of Magic wouldn't have offered what they considered an "enticing" reward.
But Alice knew she wasn't like her father, who could do whatever he wanted. She lacked the confidence to face certain situations head-on.
Life is like that; nine out of ten things don't go as planned.
Not immediately agreeing to Professor Mcgonagall was more about Alice wanting to discuss it with Albert first.
Whenever something involving the Ministry of Magic's significant interests came up, it was never simple.
She needed to find a solid backing first. Otherwise, once she agreed, she might become a political pawn, and a series of unpleasant events could follow.
Even if she did end up participating in the Triwizard Tournament, she needed to have some control over the situation.
So, this was bound to be a long and complicated process.
Even Kingsley couldn't come up with a good solution.
From Hermione's letter, Alice learned that some Ministry officials had suggested replacing her with someone else, but Kingsley had outright rejected the idea.
While not everyone had the ability to win the Triwizard Tournament, Alice sensed a hint of conspiracy in this matter.
With no one having a better solution, Kingsley turned to Hermione, who knew Alice well, to discuss the matter.
According to Hermione, Alice was like a mini version of Albert. As his heir, she not only inherited his talents and abilities but also some of his personality and temper.
Alice had never lacked anything growing up and had no intention of working for the Ministry of Magic after graduation. Naturally, she didn't want to get involved in such a troublesome situation.
Moreover, Alice wasn't particularly enthusiastic about participating in competitions. Otherwise, with her remarkable talent, she would have won numerous trophies by now.
Hermione didn't say it outright, but everyone understood: the Ministry's additional reward was insignificant to Alice, and relying on her help was unrealistic.
So, the matter was at a standstill.
Professor Mcgonagall, who didn't support using students as bargaining chips, refused to get involved.
In the end, it fell to Hermione to appeal to Alice's emotions.
On a sunny day, the two of them strolled along the shimmering Black Lake, discussing their post-graduation plans.
Alice suddenly asked, "When does Kingsley plan to retire?"
"He intends to step down as Minister in the next few years", Hermione replied, a bit surprised by Alice's perceptiveness but quickly understanding that some things can't be hidden from smart people.
Alice had guessed correctly. Kingsley was indeed paving the way for Hermione.
Even though the British magical world had become more open to witches from Muggle families, it wasn't easy for Hermione to become the next Minister of Magic.
Hermione stopped walking and smiled. "When did you figure it out?"
"When you wrote me the letter", Alice said with a slight frown, as if to say that politics were truly dirty.
"Tell me what's really going on. I'm still in the dark."
"Albert didn't tell you?" Hermione was a bit surprised.
"No, he said you would explain it to me", Alice agreed.
"Figures, that sounds like something he would do."
Hermione briefly explained the origins of the entire situation:
Over the past decade, Albert had released various innovations that brought about revolutionary changes in the magical world, but also involved significant interests. However, due to Albert's hands-off approach, these innovations hadn't been properly integrated or utilized.
In recent years, Kingsley has been advocating for reasonable integration at the International Witch Union to maximize its effectiveness.
However, since this involves the entire European Magical World, the question of who would lead the effort became a significant issue, leading to the current Triwizard Tournament.
"Indeed, it sounds like something he would do", Alice said with a complex expression, suddenly understanding.
While Albert might not care too much about others profiting from his things, if they went too far, he wouldn't just sit back and do nothing.
Silently eliminating you would be a high probability event.
The massive casualties among Britain's Pure-Bloods in the past were not solely attributed to Nelson and Male.
Therefore, this matter would inevitably require someone to communicate with him. Only a few people still maintained contact with Albert.
Hermione was one of them.
If Hermione were to lead this, most of the opposition would gradually fade away, making the task much easier.
Afterward, everyone knew that Hermione had somehow managed to persuade Alice to agree to participate in this year's Triwizard Tournament.
"I thought you would refuse outright!"
Daphne flipped through the Triwizard Tournament information that Professor Mcgonagall had prepared for Alice, barely managing to keep from laughing.
She knew all too well that her best friend wasn't particularly interested in most things—she had little desire.
Frankly, the last time Daphne saw Alice's Gringotts Vault, she was a bit shocked.
While her family was also wealthy, she had never seen such a pile of gold.
Moreover, Alice had always excelled in everything, making it hard for anything to challenge her. Participating in the tournament would likely be a one-sided affair, which was rather boring.
The only thing that disappointed Daphne was not seeing the expressions on certain faces when Alice refused.
After Alice agreed, Professor Mcgonagall arranged for the professors to give Alice special tutoring to ensure she had the ability to defend (and win) herself.
She was not Albert, though she was excellent in many fields, combat required more than just talent.
Under the careful guidance of the professors, Alice grew at an astonishing speed.
To this end, the Ministry of Magic sent their most elite Aurors to provide Alice with summer training (Mr. Potter), to help her quickly adapt to various combat styles.
"They are just overreacting!"
Harry, after spending a few days with Alice, couldn't help but marvel at the caliber of Albert's successor.
Apart from having more experience, Alice was already far beyond his match.
"The Triwizard Tournament isn't as difficult as you think. Otherwise, most champions would fail."
"No way!"
"What?" Harry was taken aback.
"The Triwizard Tournament is famous for cheating. If you know the tasks, coming up with a strategy shouldn't be too difficult."
"You're right, cheating is a long-standing tradition in the Triwizard Tournament", Harry said, shaking his head at the memory of his own year, but he still warned, "However, this year is special. If you cheat, you might lose your eligibility."
"What do you mean?"
"The stakes are too high", Harry said softly. "To avoid any issues, the tournament must be as fair and just as possible."
"Isn't what we're doing now considered cheating?" Alice raised an eyebrow.
"Not really. It's not considered cheating until the champions are chosen and the contract is signed." Harry actually didn't like this arrangement; if it weren't for Alice's safety, he wouldn't have gotten involved at all.
(End of Chapter)
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