Chapter 272: Research
Chapter 272: Research
After dealing with the procedures, Dumbledore began inviting others for a drink. Liam took this opportunity to observe all the champions in the room and noticed that Krum looked the most troubled.
This was understandable. Having two champions from one school posed a significant problem: cheating was a tradition in the Triwizard Tournament, meaning that participants often received assistance from their school. However, when a school had two champions, it not only diluted the resources but could also lead to internal competition.
No wonder Krum looked so grim; the two Hogwarts champions were mismatched in strength, and the Beauxbatons Headmistress had a tight grip on her school, suggesting that he might receive the least help.
Clearly, the overstaffing of champions required each school to address internal issues. While Dumbledore, who generally let students handle things on their own, didn't mind, the other two headmasters politely declined his invitation and returned to their respective champions to make arrangements. In the end, only two Ministry of Magic officials chose to stay and have a drink with Dumbledore, spending the night at Hogwarts.
"Harry, Liam, I suggest you go back to sleep", Dumbledore said with a warm smile. "I believe your Gryffindor classmates are waiting to celebrate with you. They finally have a good excuse to make a lot of noise, and it wouldn't be right to take that away from them."
Liam walked out somewhat distractedly, thinking about the 12 Deviation Points he received for becoming a champion. "Are these points given in stages? It seems this year will be very different from the original story. Otherwise, such a radical change wouldn't result in just a few Deviation Points."
"Why did the headmasters leave so quickly?" Harry asked, puzzled. After all, he was only 15 and hadn't considered the darker aspects of the situation.
"Indeed, resources that could have been focused on one champion now have to be split between two. They certainly have a lot to think about in terms of resource allocation", Liam said, his mind elsewhere.
The corridor was empty, and the candle flames were flickering weakly, casting eerie shadows on the jack-o'-lanterns, making their sinister smiles appear even more unsettling. It was Halloween, and the atmosphere was perfect for a haunted night.
However, this Halloween was different from previous years because Peeves, the most mischievous poltergeist, was being watched by Nearly Headless Nick due to the presence of guests from other schools. As a result, this Halloween felt like something was missing.
After hearing Liam's words, Harry's face showed signs of discomfort. "Liam, believe me, I didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire."
"I do believe you. After all, I tutored you for so long last year; I know your level. There's no way you would have done that on your own", Liam said, shrugging casually. Seeing Harry's relief, he continued, "But the most important thing now is to prepare for the tournament. The first task is on the 24th, and you haven't done any preparation. Shouldn't you be thinking about how to get through it?"
Harry's face fell. The issue of his participation had been resolved by the two-champion rule, but he had done nothing to prepare for the upcoming tasks.
"By the way, can I borrow the Marauder's Map now?" Liam asked. "The Weasley Twins told me they gave it to you."
"Here." After Liam repeated himself twice, Harry finally realized and pulled out the Marauder's Map from his pocket. "What do you need this for?"
"I think someone from outside might have put your name into the Goblet of Fire, so I want to check if they're still in the castle", Liam explained straightforwardly.
After opening the map, the two of them carefully examined it, especially the professors' offices. Unfortunately, they found no suspicious activity. It seemed the person was hiding deeper than they had imagined.
Well, since the plot had already changed, it was inevitable that the "waiting for the rabbit" approach wouldn't work. Given that, Liam decided he would have to gradually uncover the suspect. However, it didn't matter much. The person who put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire was likely planning to interfere during the tournament. As a fellow champion, Liam would have plenty of opportunities to catch them.
At the second-floor staircase, Liam bid Harry farewell and headed straight to the Library. Sure enough, Hermione was already waiting for him there.
"Congratulations on becoming a Champion", Hermione said as Liam sat down across from her. She then pointed to the books on the table. "Since you're a Champion, some of the Restricted Section's books are now accessible to you. I picked out a few that might be useful for you to look at first."
"Thanks." Liam naturally took the books and began to flip through them.
"Blinding Spell, Magic Needle, Strong Stupefy, Elemental Magic Theory—" It seemed the Restricted Section had quite a few gems. Unfortunately, under normal circumstances, only Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. students with a professor's signature could access these. No wonder some people in the Ministry of Magic had questionable combat skills; without access to this kind of knowledge, where could they improve?
Hermione was genuinely happy about Liam becoming a Champion, especially since it gave her the chance to explore the Restricted Section, which she had previously been unable to access. Madam Pince noticed this but turned a blind eye, understanding Hermione's love for books.
Since Wolf had mentioned that only a few previous Triwizard Tournaments had lacked Beast Combat, Hermione had focused on finding books about magic useful for facing Colossal Beasts. Some of these were status-altering spells that could buff herself while debuffing the opponent, while others were specialized methods to harm Colossal Beasts.
"Blinding Spell? It seems to be a spell specifically for large targets. I definitely need to learn it; it might come in handy against giants."
"Hey, there's a spell to boost speed. Why is this in the Restricted Section?" Liam muttered to himself, curious. After flipping a couple of pages, he found the reason. "Ah, I see. It requires the user to have strong physical attributes."
In front of him, an open book page showed a dynamic illustration of a person with poor coordination attempting the spell and ending up in a split. The image made Liam feel a twinge of pain in a certain area.
Time passed as he studied, and before he knew it, the Curfew bell rang. Reluctantly, Liam left the Library. However, the next day was Sunday, so he could return to continue his studies.
(End of Chapter)
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