Chapter 1829: The Champion
Chapter 1829: The Champion
"… This year, the Triwizard Tournament will be held at the Durmstrang Institute. Before the champion selection ceremony at the Halloween Feast, I will take a group of competitors to the Durmstrang Institute to participate in the tournament…"
However, before Professor Mcgonagall could finish her sentence, most of the students had already turned their heads to look at the Ravenclaw table, trying to spot Alice in the crowd.
Rumors about this had been circulating since the previous semester.
"Anderson! Anderson! Anderson!"
Someone suddenly started chanting Alice's last name, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Anderson, our champion!"
Well!
These days, there were hardly any students at Hogwarts who didn't respect Alice as their big sister. Even those who disliked her couldn't deny her talent and abilities.
Everyone knew the Triwizard Tournament was extremely challenging, with a real risk of death. A prime example was the first task from a decade ago, where the champions had to face a fire dragon.
Without real skill, it wasn't just about failing to snatch the golden egg from under a dragon's nose; it was about not even having the courage to face the dragon.
The students' rowdy cheers left the professors looking at each other in confusion, suspecting someone was deliberately stirring things up.
"Miss Anderson will represent Hogwarts at the Durmstrang Institute for this year's Triwizard Tournament!"
Whether it was to appease the students or simply to avoid the pretense of a selection process, Professor Mcgonagall announced that Alice would be Hogwarts' champion for the Triwizard Tournament once the Great Hall had quieted down.
This decision was met with thunderous applause.
No matter what, everyone hoped their school could win the tournament this year.
The only regret was that they wouldn't be able to watch the exciting events like the lucky audience of the previous tournament during their school days.
Daphne had racked her brain, and after the welcome feast, she had no idea where she had run off to.
When Alice saw Daphne again, her friend's face was beaming with an unhidden smile.
"I just went to see Professor Mcgonagall."
Daphne winked at Alice, about to reveal the secret like Santa Claus, when Alice suddenly asked:
"Did she agree?"
"How did you know?"
Daphne was taken aback, swallowing her words.
"Guess."
Alice wasn't surprised at all.
A nearby boy couldn't help but ask, "How did you convince Professor Mcgonagall to let you go to the Durmstrang Institute?"
"Professor Mcgonagall can't just take Alice to the Durmstrang Institute without some support", Daphne said, hugging Alice from behind and resting her head on her shoulder. "I told her that if I went, I could talk to Alice and help her stay calm, and she agreed."
"Really, that's all?"
Everyone was stunned.
"Or what?" Daphne tilted her head and countered. "The champion has already been chosen, and the rest of us are just Alice's cheering squad."
To be honest, Daphne had no real interest in the freezing cold place that was the Durmstrang Institute. She mainly wanted to go to avoid being separated from Alice, especially since they were graduating this year.
Even though their relationship was very stable, Daphne had no interest in enduring the test of time. In her view, some shared experiences would make their relationship even stronger.
As Daphne had mentioned, Professor Mcgonagall couldn't just take Alice alone to the competition. There still needed to be a group of students to represent Hogwarts, so she allowed sixth and seventh-year students to volunteer, from which she selected a team of about a dozen "cheerleaders."
Most of the "cheerleaders" were sixth-year students, as seventh-year students needed to prepare for their final Witch exams.
The champions could skip the exams and directly receive their N.E.w.T. certificates, but the "cheerleaders" weren't exempt.
Apart from Daphne, who didn't care about her final Witch exam results, any rational adult student had to choose between attending the Triwizard Tournament and jeopardizing their "future."
Although they could retake the exams if they failed, no one wanted to repeat a year.
Thus, the final cheerleading team consisted of either slackers or geniuses who weren't afraid of exams.
James Potter was also in Alice's "cheerleading team", mainly because Hogwarts wasn't hosting the Quidditch House Cup this year. James wanted to see the Triwizard Tournament his father had once participated in and cheer for his big sister.
Of course, he had a bold idea—to be Alice's dance partner at the Yule Ball.
Every Triwizard Tournament included a Christmas dance, and who else was more qualified to be Alice's partner?
James hadn't given up on his pursuit of Alice, despite his lack of success so far. He felt this might be a good opportunity.
From what he knew, his Uncle Fred had started dating Aunt Angelina at the Yule Ball, and his parents' relationship had also been rocky. So, he wasn't about to give up easily.
Alice was oblivious to James's little schemes, and even if she knew, she probably wouldn't care about a kid's thoughts.
Before the Halloween Feast in early October, Alice still had plenty of free time. Apart from her regular classes, she focused on the extra tutoring provided by the professors for the "champions and contenders."
This was also a small perk for the cheerleading team.
Well, not everyone wanted such a perk.
But because of this, the cheerleaders gained a deeper understanding of Alice's "genius reputation."
Although they thought Alice didn't need the extra tutoring, her smooth and fluid magic left everyone in awe, and even the professors might not have been able to do better.
However, Alice tirelessly accepted the professors' experience and knowledge.
Whenever she had free time, she would study various scenarios from past Triwizard Tournaments and develop strategies to ensure she could handle any challenge.
Such thorough preparation made everyone secretly mourn for the champions from other schools.
Genius isn't scary; what's scary is when a genius works harder than you.
What's the point of competing then?
Was this what it meant to be born at the wrong time?
However, the previous Triwizard Tournament had also been dominated by Mr. Anderson.
For a moment, everyone looked at Alice with a mix of awe, realizing that she was also an Anderson!
(End of Chapter)
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