Chapter 872: The Missing Champion
Chapter 872: The Missing Champion
Fred and George emerged from Professor McGonagall's office with gloomy expressions. While they could understand her decision, her inflexibility was frustrating.
No one wanted to see Albert come to harm more than they did, as he was the only one willing to help them realize their dream of opening a joke shop.
However, Fred and George were also keenly aware that Albert would not want to miss out on the Triwizard Tournament due to someone's scheming.
"What now?" Fred asked.
"We can only hope Lee Jordan can convince Angelina to vote for Albert," George said, equally bereft of ideas.
"I doubt it will work," a voice suddenly said from behind them.
The twins turned curiously to face Professor Moody, who had just exited Professor McGonagall's office.
"It's no use," Moody said, leaning on his staff. "If it were that simple, I would have done it myself. Having someone else vote on his behalf might render the magical contract with the Goblet of Fire meaningless, as the voting wizard doesn't match the name in the contract. Only Dumbledore likely knows the specifics, and only he could easily deceive the Goblet to make Albert the Hogwarts champion." Moody's tone was irritated. "But obviously, Dumbledore doesn't intend to do that. He's too noble to resort to cheating. Also, are you sure Albert is truly missing? Have you searched elsewhere?"
"We've looked all over the castle, but he's nowhere to be found," George replied hastily.
"This is a problem," Moody muttered as he walked away, stroking his beard. "Let me think. There must be another way."
"He didn't seem to be pretending earlier," Fred frowned after Moody had left.
"I don't know," George said, unable to tell either. "But if Albert thinks he's an imposter, we should be cautious. Albert's guesses are often accurate."
"So, you lied earlier?" Fred raised an eyebrow at his brother.
"I just wanted to see Moody's reaction," George lowered his voice. "Something about this whole situation feels odd."
"Odd, you mean about Albert's disappearance?" Fred agreed that there was something peculiar about the whole affair.
"Yeah," George nodded. "Given Albert's abilities and our recent training, the likelihood of him being ambushed and knocked out is slim."
"You think Albert is hiding himself?" Fred asked in return.
"It's hard to say right now. We can only trust Albert," George said, equally perplexed. "But we should still have Angelina vote for Albert, regardless of whether it will work or not. It's worth a try."
"That's all we can do."
At that moment, Albert, the object of the Weasley twins' concern, was sitting on a sofa in the Room of Requirement, sipping afternoon tea while teaching Katrina the Mind-Blocking Charm.
"Don't worry, I don't expect you to master the Mind-Blocking Charm in a day. That's unrealistic," Albert said gently. "It took me quite some time to perfect it myself."
"Isn't Isabelle adept at Legilimency? Many times, I feel like she can easily see through people's thoughts," Katrina said, trying to keep her tone calm.
"Don't worry, Isabelle won't pry into others' minds without good reason," Albert said, sensing the girl's unease and offering reassurance. "And she genuinely cares about you."
Katrina didn't respond to that but asked instead, "How long do you plan to stay here?"
"Until the end of the Halloween feast," Albert took a sip of his milk tea. "So, we'll have to dine here tonight as well."
"Don't you want to participate in the Triwizard Tournament?" Katrina couldn't understand Albert's mindset. "Or do you already know the outcome of the champion selection, and you secretly entered yourself?"
Albert smiled but remained silent.
"Never mind, forget I asked," Katrina said, propping her chin on her palm and gazing out the window at the falling rain. She turned to Albert suddenly. "Let's continue practicing. I want to master the Mind-Blocking Charm as soon as possible."
Katrina disliked the feeling of being seen through, and Isabelle had already guessed as much, making their current situation awkward.
Fortunately, they didn't have to face each other for the time being.
"Don't rush it. You need to be prepared for it to be truly effective," Albert advised.
Outside the window, the rain continued to fall, and inside the room, the pair continued their conversation.
Katrina didn't mind the current situation; in a way, the love potion was working as intended, allowing them to spend a long, happy time together.
Due to the rain, dusk fell earlier than usual. The delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons arrived before nightfall, just as the Goblet of Fire was being moved aside. The three champions-to-be wore grim expressions, as Albert had still not appeared. This turn of events undoubtedly alarmed the Gryffindor students, many of whom believed that someone was trying to prevent Albert from participating in the Tournament, hence his disappearance during the selection process.
As for Albert being afraid to participate in the Triwizard Tournament? That was obviously impossible. Anyone who dared to speak in such a sarcastic and callous manner would surely face the wrath of the ladies.
After all, even Professor Moody acknowledged Albert's abilities and believed he could bring victory to Hogwarts in the Tournament. How could someone like that be afraid? Conspiracy theories abounded, with some blaming students from Slytherin, as a large portion of them disliked Albert, and others suspecting Durmstrang, reasoning that their own champion would never have a chance if Albert competed.
The Halloween feast commenced amidst these discussions.
Perhaps due to the occasion, the spread was even more sumptuous than the previous night's, but Fred, George, and Lee Jordan had little appetite, their minds occupied with thoughts of Albert's continued absence.
"Don't worry," George tried to reassure himself, "Angelina has already cast Albert's name for him." Yet they couldn't help but glance repeatedly at the entrance, hoping to see it flung open at any moment, revealing Albert standing there. They had even chosen a seat close to the entrance, leaving an empty spot for him.
Their anxiety was shared by many other students, who wished for the feast to end swiftly.
As the food on their golden plates vanished, the din in the Great Hall rose, everyone eagerly awaiting the announcement of the champions.
Finally, Dumbledore stood up, capturing the attention of the expectant crowd.
"Listen carefully," he said. "Once the champions' names have been called, I would like them to proceed to the room next door, where they will receive initial instructions." He gestured to the door behind the staff table with his wand.
With a wave of his wand, the candles floating above their heads extinguished, plunging the Great Hall into darkness, save for the dazzling blue-white flames of the Goblet of Fire.
All eyes were fixed on the Goblet, patiently awaiting the selection of the champions.
They didn't have to wait long. The blue-white flames in the Goblet suddenly transformed into a dazzling red, shooting high into the air with sparks flying in all directions.
From within the flames, a charred piece of parchment was ejected, grasped by a hand.
The entire Hall held its breath, their eyes glued to the owner of that hand.
"The Durmstrang champion," Dumbledore announced, holding the parchment aloft and using the nearby light to read the name, "is Viktor Krum."
A thunderous applause and cheer filled the Great Hall as everyone celebrated Viktor Krum's selection as Durmstrang's champion.
Viktor Krum himself seemed unsurprised, rising from his seat with a lackluster expression and making his way forward along the staff table to the adjacent room to rest.
As the applause and chatter gradually subsided, all eyes once again turned to the Goblet of Fire, anticipating the selection of the next champion. They didn't have to wait long, as the Goblet soon spat out a second piece of parchment.
"The Beauxbatons champion," Dumbledore proclaimed loudly, "is Fleur Delacour!"
Now, only the Hogwarts champion remained.
"It's finally coming to an end," Professor Moody muttered, his eyes fixed on the flames before him, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Once Dumbledore announced the Hogwarts champion, that troublesome fellow would be out of the picture. Then, they could focus solely on helping Harry win the Tournament.
"The Hogwarts champion," Dumbledore declared, having grasped the third piece of parchment, "is Albert Anderson."
A deafening cheer erupted in the Great Hall, with a large number of students celebrating Albert's selection as their champion.
In the eyes of most Hogwarts students, only Albert was worthy of representing their school.
However, at that very moment, Professor Moody froze, unable to believe his ears.
What was going on?
How could Albert Anderson become the Hogwarts champion?
Hadn't he refused to enter his name personally? In that instant, Moody considered rushing forward, snatching the parchment from Dumbledore's hand, and examining it himself to ensure the name had been read correctly.
"Mr. Albert Anderson!" Dumbledore frowned, scanning the Great Hall. "Albert, come forward!"
Yet, there was no response. It was as if the champion, Albert Anderson, wasn't present in the Great Hall.
In fact, Albert was indeed absent.
Professor McGonagall seemed to realize something, shooting a harsh glare at Moody. She suspected that the old Auror beside her had secretly entered Albert's name.
But now was not the time for such speculations. Professor McGonagall stood up from the staff table and whispered urgently into Dumbledore's ear. Dumbledore listened intently, his brow furrowing slightly.
Albert was missing?
Dumbledore was already aware of this, as Moody had approached him about it. However, the immediate concern was not who had put Albert's name in the Goblet, but rather how to handle the situation at hand.
The buzzing whispers grew louder, the Great Hall erupting into chaos as everyone realized their champion was nowhere to be found.
(End of Chapter)
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