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Chapter 500: Aging Potion
Chapter 500: Aging Potion
When Fred and George returned to the Great Hall with the others, they became noticeably more cautious, and the peculiar attraction they initially felt towards Furong seemed to have lessened upon realizing her Veela heritage.
Nonetheless, they still refrained from lingering too long by her side. After a brief exchange, they quickly excused themselves and made their way over to Lee Jordan.
"Has anyone put their name in yet?" Fred asked.
"Not yet..." Lee Jordan trailed off as he suddenly pointed towards the entrance. "Krum's here."
The Durmstrang students had just entered the hall, led by their headmaster, with Krum by his side.
The Hogwarts students gathered around the Goblet of Fire stepped aside to let them pass, their eyes filled with eager anticipation.
A line of over a dozen Durmstrang students stepped forward one by one, crossing the Age Line and dropping their parchment bearing their names into the Goblet. Each time, the blue-white flames would turn red and sparks would fly.
"What if..." George whispered to Kyle as he sidled up to him, "the Goblet decides that someone is so unsuitable that it spits out their name all crumpled up?"
Kyle pictured the scene and couldn't help but laugh. "I reckon the entire school would be entertained for a year."
They glanced instinctively at the Goblet.
But even as the last Durmstrang student dropped in his parchment, the anticipated scene did not unfold.
Fred seemed a bit disappointed.
"Maybe it's because they're all old enough," George mused after a moment.
The twins then hurried off to a corner, whispering to each other about something unknown.
"Never mind them," Connor said to Furong. "Do you have your parchment?"
"Yes," Furong replied, nodding as she withdrew her gaze from the twins. "But I need to wait for Professor Maxime... Oh, here she comes."
As she spoke, the students from Beauxbatons entered the Great Hall.
Furong quickly ran over and, under Professor Maxime's direction, joined the others in placing their parchments with their names into the Goblet.
Furong had wanted to stay, but as Professor Maxime seemed to have something to say, she had no choice but to leave with her.
Now, only the students of Hogwarts remained in the Great Hall.
"Am I too late?" Cedric's voice sounded from behind them.
"As long as it's before evening, it's not too late," Kyle replied, turning around. "Have you got your name ready?"
"In fact, I wrote it last night," Cedric said, pulling out a neatly trimmed piece of parchment that read, "Cedric Diggory—Hogwarts."
The paper template had been posted on the common room door, making it easy to copy.
"Are you lot ready, then?" Cedric asked. "We can go together."
"Bang!"
Just then, a loud bursting sound echoed from beside the Goblet of Fire.
A figure seemed to be playing Bludger-Dodging, as they flew through the air in a graceful arc before landing with a heavy thud ten feet away.
"Ouch!"
Ron rolled on the ground, clutching his arm. Another burst, and this time, a tangled mass of white hair sprouted from his chin.
The surrounding students burst into laughter, including Harry, who had gone over to help Ron up but couldn't contain his mirth.
"I told you..." Hermione said, looking at Ron, who was covering his face and refusing to get up. "I knew Professor Dumbledore would think of something like an Aging Potion, but you just wouldn't believe me."
Harry's face held a mixture of relief and amusement as he discreetly slipped the bottle back into his pocket.
Thankfully, he had hesitated earlier, or he might have been the one rolling on the floor now.
"I knew he would try to put his name in, but I didn't expect him to be so eager..." George said.
"Even though we didn't get to see the Goblet of Fire spit out Ron's name..."
"...Bearded Ron would've been a sight," the twins finished together, laughing so hard they had to bend over.
As Autumn walked into the Great Hall, Cedric couldn't contain his impatience any longer. "Let's go, too!"
"I've been wanting to," Fred said with a laugh, and he was the first to walk over.
Upon seeing them, the people around them immediately made way, just as they had for the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
Fred went first, crossing the Age Line, followed by George, then Cedric, Autumn, Connor...
Kyle was the last one, and as he stepped across the line and dropped his parchment into the Goblet of Fire, excited cheers erupted from the surrounding students.
The Hufflepuffs were especially enthusiastic, loudly cheering for both Kyle and Cedric.
"Why isn't anyone shouting our names!" George complained. "Are all the Gryffindors still in bed?"
The Gryffindors in the Great Hall collectively turned away, pretending they hadn't heard.
Their top choice was Angelina Johnson, who hadn't arrived yet.
Only Lee Jordan showed some support by shouting a couple of times, but that was it. When Angelina finally walked into the Great Hall, his cheers were noticeably louder.
This left Fred and George fuming, and they chased after him, ready to beat him up.
Ron, who had been pretending to be an ostrich on the ground, was pulled up, and Harry prepared to take him to the hospital wing to see if there was a way to get rid of the beard.
Hermione, who was at the back of the group, hesitated and then suddenly turned towards the Goblet of Fire.
Harry noticed her movement and quickly reminded her, "Wait, Hermione, you don't want a beard, do you? This isn't a joke..."
Before he could finish his sentence, his mouth hung open in surprise.
Hermione had crossed the Age Line and successfully dropped her parchment into the Goblet of Fire.
"You found a way to trick the Age Line and didn't tell us!" Ron said angrily. "You must've found it amusing to see me make a fool of myself."
"I don't think breaking the rules is amusing at all!" Hermione said with a straight face. "I just turned fifteen last month."
"What?" Ron was stunned. He remembered Hermione's birthday was on September 19th, but his birthday was in March. Even he wasn't eligible, so why was Hermione...
"Actually, I'm a year older than all of you," Hermione continued. "If I had been born twenty days earlier, I would be in the fifth year now."
This...
Harry and Ron looked at each other, as they had always thought Hermione was younger than them.
A hint of envy flashed in Ron's eyes. "It's so cool that you get to participate in the Tournament..."
"Don't be silly, I don't think I'll be chosen anyway," Hermione said. "I just didn't want to miss out on such a grand event. Putting my name in is a way of taking part, isn't it?"
"Let's go. I hope Madam Pomfrey can get rid of your beard before the Halloween feast... unless you want to attend the feast with it," she added, looking at Ron.
Most students shared the same sentiment as Hermione.
On Saturday, almost all the students from the fifth year and above at Hogwarts, including a small number from the fourth year, put their names into the Goblet of Fire.
...
(End of Chapter)
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