Chapter 575: Goblet of Fire (Third Update)
Chapter 575: Goblet of Fire (Third Update)
It turned out that when everyone was welcoming the two schools outside the castle, the two Ministry of Magic officials in charge of the Triwizard Tournament, Bagman and Crouch, had already arrived at the Great Hall through the open Hogwarts fireplace.
Waving to quiet the young wizards' applause, Dumbledore continued:
"Additionally, I have an important announcement to make."
Pausing for a moment, a smile appeared on his face:
"From today onward, I will officially retire, and Professor Snape will take over my position as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts."
As Dumbledore's words sank in, the Great Hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted into intense discussion.
The Slytherins, as expected, stood up en masse, giving their Head of House a warm round of applause and cheers as he took over the position of Headmaster.
In contrast, the faces of the Gryffindor young wizards fell, with Harry being the most affected.
When he heard that a Slytherin would become the new Headmaster, he felt as though the end of the world was upon him.
"Quiet, please. Our new Headmaster, Professor Snape, will now explain the procedures for the activities of the coming year!"
Dumbledore used the Sonorus Charm to quiet the chatter, smiling as he invited Snape to the stage, then stepped back, looking relieved.
From today onward, he would no longer be the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and all responsibilities would be handed over to Snape.
Dressed in a long black robe, Snape rose and slowly walked to the podium.
As soon as Snape appeared, all the chatter ceased. Compared to Dumbledore's Sonorus Charm, Snape's presence was far more intimidating.
While Dumbledore was the greatest and most powerful wizard in the world, he always had a kind and gentle demeanor, and a good temper. The young wizards were not afraid of him and even dared to joke with him.
However, Snape was a different story. The mere sight of him could make many of the younger students tremble.
Snape's gaze swept over the entire hall, ensuring that no one was talking, then had Filch bring up a wooden box. He began to explain the specific procedures of the Triwizard Tournament:
"There will be three events, primarily testing magical abilities, as well as courage, reasoning, and wisdom.
Three champions will participate, one from each school. After each event, the five judges will score the participants, and at the end of the three events, the champion with the highest score will win the Triwizard Cup.
The selection of the champions will not be done by a person but by a magical artifact used in every Triwizard Tournament—the Goblet of Fire!"
Snape tapped the wooden box three times with his wand, and the lid creaked open, revealing a large, roughly carved wooden goblet inside.
The goblet itself was unremarkable, but it was filled with dancing blue and white flames.
Placing the goblet where everyone could see it, Snape continued:
"Any student who wishes to compete must write their name and school on a piece of parchment and throw it into this goblet. Those who wish to become champions have 24 hours to enter their names.
Tomorrow evening, on Halloween, the Goblet of Fire will select the three witches or wizards it deems most worthy to represent the three schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, and all students who wish to compete can approach it."
Subsequently, Snape specifically addressed the age restriction and advised everyone to think calmly, as once chosen by the Goblet of Fire as a champion, there would be no turning back.
However, it was clear that most of the young wizards paid little attention to his final warning, instead fixating their eager gazes on the large wooden cup that was emitting flames.
After Snape's explanation, the welcoming feast officially began.
Out of caution, Jerry also enhanced the effects of the Witch Shielding Charm, ensuring that all witches except those of professor level would overlook his presence.
Thus, a rather amusing scene unfolded in the Great Hall.
Witches from Durmstrang, who were seated at the same long table as Slytherin, excitedly took out their pens and notebooks from their bags and started walking toward Jerry.
However, halfway through, their eyes suddenly took on a confused look, as if they had forgotten why they had risen from their seats in the first place.
They then returned to their places.
After eating for a while, they seemed to remember something again, and once more, they excitedly took out their pens and notebooks and started walking, only to repeat the same scenario.
If it had been just these few witches, it wouldn't have been so noticeable.
However, the witches from Beauxbatons, who were seated with Ravenclaw, behaved similarly. Notably, Fleur, who was constantly being watched by most of the men, repeatedly stood up with a drink, intending to walk over to the Slytherin table.
Each time, she would turn back halfway.
Fortunately, Jerry's Witch Shielding Charm was so powerful that, while everyone felt something was amiss, no one except Dumbledore realized it was due to Jerry.
Dumbledore, although aware that Jerry had cast some kind of spell, merely smiled and did not reveal the truth.
He found this new side of Jerry reassuring. Initially, Dumbledore had thought Jerry resembled Voldemort in many ways, as Jerry seemed to radiate a compelling presence, overshadowing everyone else.
If this trend continued, Jerry might have started gathering admirers and building his own power base, much like Voldemort had done in the past.
But now, Jerry was actively toning down his presence, becoming more laid-back. Apart from attending classes and discussing magic with his girlfriend, he had even invented a special spell to make others ignore him.
In Dumbledore's eyes, this lack of ambition was one of the reasons he felt comfortable retiring.
After the feast, Karkaroff led the Durmstrang students back to their ghost ship, and Maxime led the Beauxbatons students back to the carriage.
Clearly, they did not intend to stay in the Hogwarts castle overnight.
Although the feast appeared to be a harmonious gathering, the competition among the three schools was a harsh reality. The selection of champions required private discussions, and they might have been concerned about being monitored or overheard if they stayed in the castle.
Finally, the Hogwarts students returned to their respective dormitories, leaving the Goblet of Fire standing tall on the platform in the Great Hall, surrounded by the Age Line set up by the five referees.
(End of Chapter)
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