Chapter 270: Becoming a Champion
Chapter 270: Becoming a Champion
The feast at Halloween was naturally very abundant, but with two banquets in quick succession and everyone focused on who the Champions would be, most people paid little attention to the exquisite dishes. This caused the food carefully prepared by the Hogwarts House-Elves for the holiday to lose its usual allure.
Out of curiosity, Liam began eavesdropping on the conversations around him. To his surprise, he found himself among the top three most favored candidates for the Hogwarts Champion, alongside Cedric from Hufflepuff and Warrins from Slytherin.
Finally, the Golden Plate returned to its spotless state, and the hall erupted into a cacophony of discussion. With no food to distract them, talk of the Goblet of Fire and the Triwizard Tournament dominated the Great Hall, and naturally, the word "Champion" was the most frequently mentioned.
When Dumbledore stood up, the hall instantly fell silent. Everyone, from the Headmasters of the other two schools and the Ministry of Magic officials on the stage to the students below, turned their attention to him, their faces reflecting a shared sense of anticipation.
"Well, the Goblet of Fire is about to make its decision", Dumbledore announced, "and I expect it will take about a minute. Listen, once the Champions' names are called, I hope they will walk to the top of the Great Hall, then follow the staff table, and enter the room next door—" he pointed to the door behind the staff table, "—where they will receive their initial instructions."
He took out his wand and waved it dramatically. Immediately, all the candles except those in the pumpkin lanterns went out. The scene was quite striking, especially in the dim light, as the Goblet of Fire, with its blue-white flames, drew everyone's attention.
Despite the intensity of the blue-white flames, no one was willing to look away. They all watched, waiting—Liam even noticed a few people checking their watches.
The minute seemed to drag on, but finally, the flames in the Goblet of Fire turned red, and sparks flew out. With a soft sound, a tongue of fire shot into the air, and a piece of parchment with charred edges, accompanied by a large burst of flame, was ejected and caught effortlessly by Dumbledore.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Dumbledore's hand. After a quick glance at the parchment in the flame, he declared, "The Champion for Durmstrang is Victor Krum."
It was clear that Krum was the popular choice, and the Great Hall erupted in applause and cheers.
When the noise subsided a bit, a second piece of parchment was ejected.
"The Champion for Beauxbatons", Dumbledore announced, "is Fleur Delacour!"
Liam thought everything was proceeding as expected. He watched as Fleur rose gracefully and walked toward the staff table.
After Fleur Delacour entered the adjacent room, the Great Hall fell silent again, this time with a palpable excitement, as it was now time to choose the Hogwarts Champion.
Liam could feel the gazes of many people shifting between Cedric, Warrins, and himself. He felt a bit nervous, as this was the first time he was preparing to break his usual laid-back attitude and do something.
The Goblet of Fire turned red again, and sparks flew as the familiar sequence unfolded. Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment from the tip of the flame.
"Hogwarts' Champion", he announced loudly, "is Liam Liang!"
Immediately, applause and cheers flooded the Great Hall, especially from every Gryffindor student, who were jumping up and down, screaming, stomping their feet, and cheering that a Gryffindor had become the School Champion. It was no wonder; after all, Gryffindor was known for its bravery, and if the Champion were not from Gryffindor, everyone in the house would have felt a bit disappointed.
Liam smiled and waved at the crowd before making his way to the preparation room. As he passed the staff table, he noticed the other two Headmasters also seemed pleased, perhaps because they thought a younger Champion from Hogwarts might make it easier to win.
The small room had Wizard Portraits hanging on both walls. The fireplace opposite the door was burning brightly. Victor Krum and Fleur Delacour were both standing by the fire, but they were keeping a considerable distance from each other.
When they heard someone approaching, both turned to look at Liam. Then, without a word, they turned back to the fire. Sensing their coldness, Liam leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes to rest.
After a long, silent five minutes, footsteps were heard at the door again. Liam opened his eyes to see Harry standing at the entrance, looking unsure of what to do.
Who is it? Liam's first thought was to identify the person. During his conversation with Mad-Eye Moody, which lasted over an hour, Liam had largely ruled out the possibility that Moody had been replaced as in the original story. However, Harry's appearance here now confirmed that someone had managed to infiltrate Hogwarts and put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire.
As Liam quickly recalled who might have suspicious behavior, Fleur turned her head and flicked her waterfall of silver hair.
"What is it?" she asked, "Are they calling us back to the Great Hall?" Fleur assumed Harry had been sent to relay a message.
Liam smiled at Harry and nodded, his eyes meeting Harry's.
Seeing this friendly expression, Harry seemed to relax a bit and returned Liam's smile.
Footsteps sounded again from behind, and Ludo Bagman entered the room. He grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him forward.
"Unbelievable!" he muttered, squeezing Harry's arm, "Absolutely unbelievable! Gentlemen... and lady", he said, approaching the fire and addressing the other three, "Allow me to introduce—though it seems incredible—the fourth Champion of the Triwizard Tournament!"
Silence immediately fell over the room. Finally, the only female Champion, Fleur Delacour, broke the silence: "Oh, this joke is very amusing, Mr. Bagman."
"Joke?" Bagman repeated, confused, "No, no, absolutely not! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"
"But he's not old enough, and he hasn't shown the necessary skills. How did he pass the Goblet of Fire's selection?"
"Well... indeed, it is surprising", Bagman said, rubbing his chin and looking down at Harry with a smile, "But you know, the age restriction was an additional safety measure implemented only this year. Since his name has come out of the Goblet of Fire, it can't be changed—my point is, once the selection has reached this stage, there can be no backing out. Harry is destined to be a Champion. The rules are clear, and you must follow them, so Harry will have to do his best—"
At this moment, Liam felt a chaotic turmoil in his mind. The feeling of knowing there was a conspiracy but being unable to identify the mastermind was truly terrible.
(End of Chapter)
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