Chapter 541: The Magical School League
Chapter 541: The Magical School League
George explained, "That night, there were actually some masked figures planning to cause trouble, but Dumbledore caught wind of their plan in advance. They didn't manage to do much before being caught. However, when the mascot started attacking people, those guys took the opportunity to escape."
Fred continued, "So, if Malfoy's father was one of those masked figures... and during the escape, he accidentally ran into the Magi Puritan Party, who were doing something nearby..."
"To avoid leaking any secrets, they captured Lucius Malfoy." George blinked. "That's why he suddenly disappeared, and the Malfoy family didn't dare to make it public."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Liam spoke softly, "Does that mean... it's possible... that Malfoy's father was killed on the spot? Maybe they destroyed the evidence... which is why he can't be found..."
His tone was laced with sympathy and concern.
Michael raised an eyebrow.
"There's a possibility, but it's unlikely", Michael said. "This is Lucius Malfoy we're talking about. Even for the sake of his family's wealth, those people would keep him alive, at most making him suffer a bit."
Liam sighed in relief. "That's a relief..."
"Why feel sorry for Malfoy's father?" Ron said dismissively. "Do you know how much evil he's done? That guy was one of the Dark Lord's top lieutenants!"
Wayde: "..."
If it weren't for his ongoing communication with Drean and others, Wayde might have believed that Lucius Malfoy was indeed captured by the Magi Puritan Party.
But Wayde knew that after dealing with the Forbidden Forest, the members of the Magi Puritan Party had already returned to Gray Castle. The vampire's situation, however, was indeed as everyone had discussed.
Gale Troca hadn't done much wrong before he went to prison, just smuggling some goods that the Ministry of Magic didn't allow to enter the country and stealing a few things. These actions were illegal according to the Ministry's laws, but to the Magi Puritan Party, he was just a low-level thief.
Gale was cursed by Voldemort and had to do his bidding. When he fell into Grindelwald's hands, the old man, for some reason, helped remove the curse, but at a cost that nearly killed Gale.
In fact, if he weren't a vampire, he would have died.
After the curse was lifted, Gale cleverly attached himself to the Magi Puritan Party, tearfully applying to join. However, he couldn't do much yet; his condition still needed to improve.
On the other hand, Sirius's wand was returned by owl, not through Wayde, but directly to the Black family, causing Sirius and Lupin to worry and discuss it for days.
But Lucius Malfoy's disappearance seemed very strange to Wayde.
He wasn't captured by the Magi Puritan Party, nor was he with Barty or Voldemort—Wayde didn't see the person clearly, but the figure wasn't the elder Malfoy.
So... that person... could he be hiding on his own?
Wayde stroked his chin, unsure.
The butterfly effect was causing more and more chain reactions, with small disturbances being amplified continuously. The original plot was becoming less and less reliable as a reference.
For example, Barty Crouch Jr. Wayde still didn't understand why he managed to break free from his father's control so early.
The trolley witch passed by, and everyone bought a pile of snacks to have for lunch.
"My dad says to be wary of the Magi Puritan Party", Ginny said softly, holding a pumpkin pie. "He says they definitely have ulterior motives."
Harry nodded. "Sirius said the same thing."
"Anyway, it doesn’t concern us much. I don’t really care what’s happening with Malfoy’s dad."
Ron tore open the Chocolate Frog wrapper and grabbed the frog that was trying to escape, saying, "Right now, I just want to know what’s going to happen at the school this year."
Everyone looked at Wayde.
Wayde put down his carrot juice and said, "I’ve heard some news, but Dumbledore will definitely announce it at tonight’s feast."
"We want to know now!" the Weasley twins said in unison.
"Alright." Wayde didn’t care much about the Ministry’s confidentiality rules and asked, "Have you heard of the Triwizard Tournament?"
"I know about it", Hermione said eagerly. "I read about it in Hogwarts: A History. It’s a competition that was established over seven hundred years ago. Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, the three largest magical schools in Europe, hold a friendly competition every five years. Each school selects one champion, and the three champions compete in three magical tasks!"
"Every five years? I’ve never heard of it!" Harry asked curiously.
Wayde explained, "The competition was discontinued because of the high death toll."
"Death toll?"
Hermione repeated, shocked, as the book had not explained the reason for the tournament’s suspension.
She looked around and saw that the others seemed more excited than alarmed, even the usually shy Ginny looked eager to participate.
"Is the Triwizard Tournament making a comeback?" Fred leaned forward, eager to ask, "I have to participate, I want to be Hogwarts’ champion!"
"Hey, we’ll be competitors this time!" George grinned and nudged his shoulder.
"It’s not exactly the return of the Triwizard Tournament—because the name has been changed to the Magical Schools League."
Wayde looked at them and said, "Transport and communication in the past were nothing like they are now. The Triwizard Tournament was just a friendly competition among the three European schools, but this time, more schools will be involved."
"More?" Harry’s eyes widened. "There are many magical schools?"
"Excluding small local academies or family-run magical schools, there are eleven famous magical schools in total."
Wayde continued, "It’s said that the Ministry has been busy organizing this tournament for over a year. Just two months ago, the last magical school decided to join."
"Merlin’s beard! We’ll be facing opponents from magical schools around the world?" The twins exchanged a glance, their expressions a mix of excitement and fervor.
"How will the tournament be conducted?" Hermione asked nervously. "What tasks will there be? It must be very dangerous, right? I mean, a lot of people died in the past, didn’t they?"
Wayde shook his head. "That’s the truly confidential part. We might not know the specific tasks until just before the tournament begins."
"I wonder how they’ll select the champions", Fred said. "But I’m definitely going to try out!"
"I’m not sure if what we’ve learned is enough", Ron looked at Harry. "What do you think? It would be amazing to participate, wouldn’t it?"
Harry smiled, a bit embarrassed to express his desire, but he also wanted to be a champion and win the trophy for Hogwarts.
Wayde turned his gaze to the window, where raindrops slanted against the glass, and occasional lightning flashes illuminated the distant, rolling hills.
There was one thing he hadn’t mentioned—
Considering the dangers of the tasks, the participating schools and the Ministry had initially wanted to set an age limit, allowing only students who were at least seventeen to enter.
However, due to the influence of certain individuals, this rule was ultimately not implemented, and the tournament’s regulations and number of participants were significantly altered.
—No age limit, no school limit, as long as you meet the qualifications, anyone has a chance to participate in the Magical Schools League of the eleven magical schools!
(End of Chapter)
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