Chapter 593: You're Late, Professor Mcgonagall!
Chapter 593: You're Late, Professor McGonagall!
This came as a great surprise to Dumbledore. When he was in the Great Hall, he had examined the Age Line on the floor and found no signs of it being broken. He was curious about how Ivan had managed to successfully register for the tournament.
However, despite his curiosity, Dumbledore did not ask about it in front of everyone. After urging George and Fred to go to the Hospital Wing for treatment as soon as possible, he left the entrance hall straight away.
The Weasley Twins, having been warned, did not dare to delay. They grimaced and supported each other as they made their way to the Infirmary.
Ivan offered a few words of comfort to the twins before stepping over the threshold and entering the Great Hall.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already seated at the Gryffindor long table, enjoying their breakfast and chatting about the Triwizard Tournament.
When they saw Ivan walk in through the door, they quickly waved to get his attention.
"Ivan, over here!"
Ivan, who had been starving, hurried over and sat down in the empty seat Hermione had saved for him. He grabbed a pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, then casually asked about the morning's registration for the tournament.
"The students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons have already come, and I just saw Cedric from Hufflepuff put his name in!" Harry said.
Ron added, "We only had Angelina from Gryffindor sign up this morning. George and Fred tried to use an Ageing Potion to get around the Age Line, but it didn't work..."
Ivan nodded, relieved that his method of registering had not been exposed. The senior student he had encountered last night had kept his word.
"I told you, those little tricks can't affect the magic set up by Professor Dumbledore," Hermione lectured, trying to discourage them from becoming Champions.
Harry and Ron paid her no mind, nodding absently before steering the conversation back to Ivan.
They were curious about why Ivan had slept in so late this morning, as they couldn't wake him up no matter how hard they tried.
"Isn't today Saturday? You have to let me catch up on my sleep sometimes!" Ivan yawned, responding casually.
Hermione looked at Ivan suspiciously, sensing something was off. Suddenly, she asked, "You didn't sneak in last night to break Professor Dumbledore's Age Line, did you?"
Harry and Ron immediately realized the possibility and stared at Ivan in unison.
Ivan hesitated, thinking about lying, but then remembered that his name would be called out during the feast later. There was no way to hide it, so he reluctantly admitted, "You could say that."
"Blimey, you didn't tell us about something this important!" Ron exclaimed, leaning in excitedly. "So, did it work? Did you succeed?"
Ivan was unsure whether to answer. While Harry and Ron's participation in the tournament wouldn't affect him, many young wizards were closely watching the Triwizard Cup, making it almost impossible to avoid being seen.
Telling Ron and Harry would essentially mean the whole school would know...
Just as Ivan was feeling a headache coming on, Professor McGonagall entered from the other side of the entrance hall and beckoned to him.
"Hals! Come with me for a moment..."
"Sorry, Ron, I have to go. Professor McGonagall wants to see me. I'll tell you all about it when I get back," Ivan said, feeling like he had been saved. He hastily finished a couple of bites of his dessert and practically ran over to her.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, increasingly convinced that Ivan had found a way to bypass the Age Limit.
Hermione rolled her eyes at them. "That's impossible! Professor Dumbledore said no one could cross that Age Line!"
...
Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall led Ivan away from the bustling Great Hall, heading towards a quiet tower.
Along the way, McGonagall occasionally explained the principles of Restrictive Magic to Ivan.
"The Age Line Albus set up is a form of Restrictive Magic. Given your current level of Magic, it would be difficult to break it directly, but there are certainly ways to bypass it!
If you can find the Magic Node and disrupt it, the Age Line will temporarily become ineffective."
McGonagall spoke confidently, analyzing the situation for Ivan.
This Magic Node was intentionally left by Dumbledore to facilitate Ivan's attempt to break the Age Line!
However, McGonagall did not reveal the exact location of the node, intending it as a test for Ivan to find on his own.
At this point, McGonagall took out a pocket watch from her Wizard Robes, opened it, and glanced at the time. "It's 10:30 AM now. You have about eight hours until the feast begins to find it!"
"Hals, I've told you how to cross the Age Line. Whether you can do it is up to your own efforts!" McGonagall said with a smile.
"Professors, you should have told me earlier!" Ivan's expression was rather peculiar.
"I don't think it's too late, is it?" McGonagall, assuming Ivan was worried about the time, tried to reassure him. "You should have more confidence in yourself, Hals. With your abilities, eight hours is more than enough to find that Magic Node..."
"No, Professors! What I mean is... I put my name in the Triwizard Cup last night!" Ivan shrugged, his face innocent, but his words clearly conveyed one message: you're too late, Professors!
"What? You registered last night?" Professor McGonagall stopped in her tracks, staring at Ivan in shock.
Ivan didn't intend to hide anything and explained the method he used.
After listening, McGonagall's lips twitched. She hadn't expected Ivan to use such a "special" method to bypass Dumbledore's Age Line.
Recalling her earlier words, McGonagall felt even more embarrassed. After a moment, she shook her head with a bitter smile and sighed.
"It seems I was worrying for nothing, Hals!"
"Professors, I only thought of this method by chance. Otherwise, I would have had to ask for your help..."
Ivan wasn't about to gloat over having submitted his name early. He understood that McGonagall's earlier advice was meant to help him.
Although it came a bit late and didn't serve much purpose, Ivan appreciated the effort.
After clearing up this small misunderstanding, Ivan didn't plan to return to the Great Hall. He didn't want to be bombarded with questions from Ron and the others. Instead, he decided to help Professor McGonagall use Transfiguration Spells to decorate the castle for the Halloween Feast...
It wasn't until evening, as the feast was about to begin, that Ivan slowly made his way to the Great Hall.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
