Chapter 268: Registration
Chapter 268: Registration
"Every student who wishes to compete as a Champion must write their name and School name on a piece of parchment and throw it into this Goblet of Fire", Dumbledore said. "Those aspiring to be Champions have twenty-four hours to register. Tomorrow evening, on Halloween, the Goblet of Fire will select the names of the three students it deems most worthy to represent the three Schools. Tonight, the Goblet of Fire will be placed in the Entrance Hall, where all those who wish to participate can access it."
Dumbledore's voice echoed above, but Liam was not paying much attention at the moment. He was mentally reviewing the various plans he had prepared to cross the Age Line.
"To prevent younger students from succumbing to temptation", Dumbledore continued, "I will draw an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire after it is placed in the Entrance Hall. No one under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line."
"Lastly, I want to remind every student who wishes to compete that this Tournament is not a game. Do not enter lightly. Once a Champion is chosen by the Goblet of Fire, they must see the competition through to the end. By placing their name in the Goblet, they are entering into a binding, magical contract. Once chosen as a Champion, there is no turning back. Therefore, please think carefully and ensure you are truly committed before you submit your name. Now, I believe it is time for everyone to retire. Good night."
As Liam anxiously waited, Dumbledore finally concluded his speech—this meant that the students in the Great Hall were free to leave their seats and move about. Dumbledore had already drawn the golden Age Line with his wand, and Liam took this opportunity to join a group of students to observe it closely.
"Indeed, it's an Alchemy technique", Liam confirmed after using his Magic Eagle Vision to examine it. Although he wasn't entirely sure how the Age Line worked, knowing the general direction would help him prepare.
Of course, it was no surprise that Professor Dumbledore used Alchemy on the Age Line. After all, a man who discovered twelve uses for Dragon Blood and had a close relationship with Nicolas Flamel could not be ignorant of Alchemy.
"Have you figured out a way to cross the Age Line?" Hermione asked Liam quietly as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.
"I have an idea", Liam replied in a low voice. "But it remains to be seen if it will work. Even if it doesn't, it's safer than being chased by a horde of Mummies."
Back in the Common Room, Liam found the Weasley Twins selling their Ageing Potion.
"Hey, Liam, want to try some?" Fred called out to Liam.
"No, I have other plans", Liam said with a mysterious smile before heading straight to his dormitory.
"Really cryptic, couldn't he just say it?" George grumbled and resumed selling their Ageing Potion.
Liam felt a bit exhausted the next morning. He had spent over an hour at the Multiverse General Store with Rose Crystal, preparing everything while everyone else was asleep. Dumbledore's Alchemy skills were indeed impressive, and Liam had to put in a lot of effort to create a product he was satisfied with to bypass the Age Line.
Yawning, Liam slowly made his way to the Great Hall, deciding to finish breakfast before dealing with the registration.
When he entered the Entrance Hall, he saw over twenty people gathered around, with only a few still hastily eating at the tables—clearly eager to finish and join the crowd.
Everyone was carefully examining the Goblet of Fire. The goblet was placed in the center of the Entrance Hall on the stool that usually held the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line was drawn on the floor, ten feet long on each side, encircling the goblet.
Ten feet is about three meters, and Liam felt that this distance should be easy for a normal person to toss a paper ball into a cup. However, strangely, although the people around him were eager to try, no one actually did.
Liam curiously asked the onlooker next to him, and Hannah Abbott replied with a smile, "Justin just tried that, and his paper ball bounced right back and turned his hair pink. Your housemate Colin tried to use a stick to push the paper ball into the Goblet of Fire, but the stick and his whole arm turned green. The worst was a Slytherin who asked an upper-year student to carry it over for him. The paper ball burned to ashes as soon as it crossed the Age Line, and it even burned a big hole in the upper-year student's pocket—"
After hearing about these initial failures, Liam was once again convinced that some of his former acquaintances were indeed up to no good. As the greatest White Wizard in Europe and a seasoned centenarian, Dumbledore's Age Line wouldn't be so easily bypassed by simple Muggle tricks.
However, Liam decided to finish his meal first. Just as he was about to finish, he saw the famous scene: the Weasley Twins, after drinking an Ageing Potion, tried to cross the Age Line but were bounced back and grew long white beards.
"Hey, I told you the Ageing Potion wouldn't work", Liam called out to the Weasley Twins, who immediately walked over to him.
"You said you had a way. Why don't you give it a try?" The two stood on either side of Liam, grinning and gesturing for him to step up. It seemed they believed that if they were going to fail, they might as well fail together. Dumbledore, having just finished his meal, was about to leave the Great Hall when he saw the three of them. Instead of stopping them, he watched with interest, stroking his beard.
"Alright, here I go", Liam said, finishing the last sip of milk from his bowl. He then marched confidently to the Age Line, escorted by the Weasley Twins. The crowd, including the Durmstrang students who had just submitted their names, gathered around. After all, Liam, as one of the top three students in his year and a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Second Class, was quite well-known in the school, and many were curious to see what he would do.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Liam pulled out a beautiful purple crystal ball from his dimensional bag. The Weasley Twins teased, "Are you going to open your Third Eye and perform some Divination to figure out how to cross it?"
"Of course not, watch closely", Liam replied, placing the purple crystal ball on the golden Age Line. He then drew runes in the air with his wand.
Silver runes slowly drifted from the tip of his wand and merged into the crystal ball. When the runes covered the surface, Liam stopped and tapped the ball lightly with his wand.
Instantly, the crystal ball emitted a soft purple glow and rolled quickly along the Age Line. When it returned to its starting point, the runes on its surface vanished completely.
"Look, the Age Line's glow has changed", a sharp-eyed Ravenclaw upper-year girl exclaimed. Indeed, the golden light of the Age Line now had a faint purple hue.
At this moment, Liam stepped across the Age Line, and everyone watched him. Unlike what most people expected, he wasn't bounced back but instead successfully placed his paper into the Goblet of Fire and walked out.
"Boom—" The crowd erupted into a frenzy, complete with applause and whistles. The loudest cheers came from the Weasley Twins: "He did it, oh my God! Liam put his name into the Goblet of Fire."
(End of Chapter)
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