My School Life At Hogwarts Chapter 951: Unreasonable - Novel Cool

Chapter 951: Unreasonable

Chapter 951: Unreasonable

"It's about time, let's head to the Quidditch stadium." Dumbledore closed his pocket watch and beckoned for Albert to follow him downstairs.

Along the way, they remained silent, and they didn't encounter Harry Potter.

The two made their way through the entrance hall and into the gloomy night, traversing the dark grass towards the Quidditch stadium. At the entrance of the stadium, they met up with Hermione and Ron, who had apparently accompanied Harry.

"Good evening," Albert greeted them with a smile.

"We came with Harry, it's not safe at night," Hermione said quickly, unsure if she was addressing Albert or explaining to Dumbledore.

"See you,"

As they entered the Quidditch stadium, Albert noticed that it had undergone a remarkable transformation. The once smooth and level playing field was now riddled with countless long, low walls built by Hagrid, forming a complex and winding maze that stretched in all directions.

Albert felt that he should have taken some photos in advance to study the layout of the maze.

"Good evening!"

A voice rang out across the stadium.

Amelia Bones, accompanied by Krum, Fleur, and Harry, was walking towards them.

"Good evening, Amelia," Dumbledore greeted her, and noticing Harry's hesitant expression, he smiled and explained, "Once the Triwizard Tournament is over, the Quidditch stadium will be restored to its original state! Now, I believe you all know what we're here for?"

For a moment, no one spoke, and everyone turned to look at Albert.

"The third task is a maze," Albert said.

"Indeed!" Dumbledore explained cheerfully, "The content of the third task is quite simple. We will place the Triwizard Tournament Cup in the center of the maze, and whichever champion touches it first will receive full marks."

"So, we just need to navigate the maze?" Fleur seemed unconvinced that the third task would be that straightforward.

"There will be numerous obstacles in the maze," Dumbledore said, "Hagrid has provided a large number of magical creatures, and there will also be curses that need to be broken. The third task will test your strength, wisdom, courage, and bravery. The champion with the highest score will enter the maze first."

"Does that mean that whoever touches the Triwizard Tournament Cup first will win the entire tournament?" Albert suddenly asked.

"Yes, that's correct," Dumbledore nodded, "Any other questions?"

"What advantage does the champion who enters the maze first have?" Albert had always found the rules of the Triwizard Tournament strange in his previous life, and now he finally had a chance to voice his complaints.

"Advantage?"

"Yes, an advantage. Surely it's not just a matter of entering the maze a few seconds before the others," Albert's expression turned even more peculiar, "Or will the champion with the highest score have a significant time advantage?"

"There is no time advantage," Dumbledore seemed to sense the issue as well, but he continued, "The gap between the champions entering the maze is not that significant."

"The rules of the Triwizard Tournament are truly awful!" Everyone turned to stare at Albert after hearing his blunt criticism.

"Do you have any other concerns, Mr. Anderson?" Amelia Bones raised an eyebrow at Albert.

"This means that the outcomes of the first two tasks are essentially meaningless," Albert pointed out the flaw in the tournament's rules.

"How can they be meaningless?"

"Is it really meaningful for the champion with the highest score to enter the maze first? Does it give them a substantial advantage?" Albert shook his head, "No, forget about a few seconds, even a one-minute head start doesn't make much difference. The third task completely negates the significance of the first two tasks and undermines the efforts of all the champions."

"What if someone fails in the first two tasks but wins the third task and claims the championship?"

Everyone was stunned, their expressions odd as they looked at Albert, who had scored full marks in the first two tasks. They didn't think he was complaining because the third task had diminished his lead.

"Don't look at me like that, even if I start ten minutes after you, I'm still confident I can win," Albert shrugged, "I've participated in many competitions, and the mechanism of the Triwizard Tournament is the worst. It fails to achieve even a relative level of fairness. I don't know if it's been this bad in previous generations or if it's just this particular tournament."

"You think there's a big problem?"

Harry truly hadn't noticed, and he didn't think Albert cared either. His tone sounded like he was merely pointing out a flaw.

"The champion who retrieves the cup in the third task gets full marks, while the others get none, right?" Albert asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, that's correct," Dumbledore nodded.

"Wouldn't it be embarrassing if one were to win the cup but still lose the overall championship due to a lower total score?" Albert's expression became even more peculiar, "So, the others don't receive any points for the third task to ensure that the champion who retrieves the cup wins the tournament. But this means that winning the cup is equivalent to winning the championship, rendering the first two tasks completely pointless."

"Do you have any suggestions, Mr. Anderson?" Amelia Bones also realized the issue at hand.

"It's not a suggestion per se, but I wanted to point out that the rules of the Triwizard Tournament need to be revised. Even the much-maligned Magic School Potions Championship doesn't have this problem. If we can't achieve complete fairness, we should at least maintain a relative level of fairness, and that's important," Albert advised, "And it's not difficult to do so."

Perhaps Albert's argument would have been more convincing if he hadn't scored full marks in the first two tasks.

Anyone with a brain could identify the problem. However, Albert's overwhelming display of strength had kept all the champions clear-headed, leaving no room for envy or jealousy.

Envy and jealousy arise when competitors are on a relatively equal footing.

By making the third task the deciding factor, the organizers had essentially trampled on the first two tasks and, in the process, trampled on the pride of all the champions.

However, since no one really cared about the outcome of the tournament, no one had paid attention to the glaring issues with the Triwizard Tournament.

"It's been a long time since we last held the Triwizard Tournament, and some oversights and problems are to be expected," Dumbledore smiled at Albert, "But I don't think it makes much difference to you."

"I don't mind, I just wanted to bring it up so that the next Triwizard Tournament, if there is one, won't be as flawed. Though I'm not sure there will be another one,"

Albert's gaze shifted to the task panel, and he noticed that the task related to the Triwizard Tournament's rules had already been completed.

For some reason, Dumbledore suddenly had a strange feeling.

This is a warning.

Yes, a warning.

Albert obviously wouldn't deliberately stir up trouble, even if he knew there were issues with the rules of the Triwizard Tournament. He would probably just privately remind Dumbledore.

However, Albert had just spoken up about it, and with their conversation in the office, Dumbledore felt that it was a warning of some sort.

If Albert knew what Dumbledore was thinking, he would have scoffed and said, "You're overthinking it."

He was just completing a task; the experience reward wasn't much, but he wasn't complaining either.

As for what the warning was about, Albert truly had no idea.

What he didn't know was that Dumbledore had a strange feeling, a sense that something terrible might happen if Albert were to meet his end in the third task.

In fact, Dumbledore's intuition was correct.

Albert had indeed made thorough preparations, even considering the possibility of his own unfortunate demise in the maze.

Should he meet his end, he would stop at nothing to turn the tables on everyone involved, exposing all their secrets and ensuring that no one would have a peaceful day afterward. He believed that the entire wizarding world would be in for a spectacular show.

After all, once he was gone, he wouldn't care what happened in the wizarding world anymore.

He had already made arrangements for his family, so they would be fine no matter how chaotic things became.

"If there are no other questions, then let's head back. It's getting late, and please be careful on your way back," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Everyone began to leave the Quidditch stadium. Amelia Bones quietly approached Albert and lowered her voice as she asked, "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure," Albert nodded.

"Someone suggested that I come to see you. They said you made a prophecy!" Amelia Bones didn't beat around the bush, addressing the purpose of her visit directly.

To be honest, Amelia Bones didn't really need to come. After all, she was only serving as a temporary judge, and if anyone should be here, it would be the new Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. But the newly appointed official was temporarily assigned to clean up the mess left by Ludo Bagman's abrupt departure.

Most of the Heads of the Department of Magical Games and Sports were former Quidditch players, and unless something unexpected happened, Ludo Bagman was expected to hold that position for many more years until his successor was ready. However, that man had ended up causing trouble for everyone.

So, Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had taken the time to come here to make the Triwizard Tournament appear more impartial.

"What do you want from me?" Albert asked.

"That prophecy... they say you're an extremely skilled seer," Amelia Bones said.

"Someone like you probably doesn't believe in such things." Albert knew that she didn't fully believe it and had probably come to test the waters.

After all, seeing is believing.

"No, I do believe it," Amelia Bones said seriously. "I want to know the truth."

"Alright, it doesn't matter to me. As you heard in the prophecy, the mysterious figure will soon return," Albert stopped walking and said to Bones, "Haven't you sought out other renowned diviners? Surely they would be more reliable than me, an unfinished wizard."

"If someone like you isn't reliable, then who is? Mr. Anderson, don't underestimate yourself." Amelia Bones spoke softly. "Many diviners are not trustworthy, and not many possess innate prophetic abilities."

"Cassandra Vablaski." Albert answered without hesitation. "The author of 'Seeing Through the Fog to the Future' should be able to give you the answers you seek. I believe she's still alive."

"She's very old and no longer performs divinations." Amelia Bones was considering the possibility of visiting Cassandra Vablaski. There was no personal connection between them, and Cassandra Vablaski no longer offered her services as a diviner."

"The centaurs believe that the wizarding community is merely experiencing a brief period of peace between two wars, and I saw the report of the Dark Lord's return in the Prophet in my crystal ball." Albert explained his divination abilities to Amelia Bones. "I can only predict the future through my crystal ball, and what I see may not necessarily come true, but at least I saw something."

As he spoke, Albert took out a bag from his pocket, retrieved a small crystal ball from within, and handed it to Bones. The crystal ball displayed a report about Voldemort.

"You won't suddenly arrest me, will you?" Albert suddenly said.

Amelia Bones glanced at the bag in Albert's hand, which had been enlarged by an Undetectable Extension Charm, but she didn't pay it any mind. She returned the crystal ball to Albert and said, "It seems you know why I came to find you."

"I know a few things." Albert suddenly said, "But..."

"But what?" Bones asked.

"You might die soon."

"Are you prophesying my death?" Amelia Bones' expression turned ugly for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal.

"You can take it that way."

"Who will kill me?" Bones inquired.

"The one who will take your life is most likely the mysterious figure. They won't allow you to succeed Fudge. I heard that you have a grudge against them," Albert reminded her.

It was more than just a grudge; the Bones family was one of the most powerful families.

Now, the entire family was declining, all thanks to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. This was also the reason why she had rushed to find Albert today.

"Thank you for the warning."

Bones didn't fully believe it, but she remained vigilant as she did have a deep-seated grudge against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

"Gambling is not a good habit. Usually, you'll end up losing badly." Albert reminded her, "In your case, with such deep-seated enmity, I suggest you lay low for a few years. Good luck to you!"

"You mean..."

Amelia Bones watched Albert's departing back, noticing that he had used the word "you."

She was alone; everyone else in her family had perished in the last Wizarding War. So, the use of "you" probably referred to her and her relatives.

Was it a prophecy about danger to her and her relatives? She would soon find out if the prophecy was accurate.

In truth, Albert didn't really care if Amelia Bones lived or died, or what happened to the Bones family. They were strangers to him, and he was just doing them a small favor, with nothing to lose.

Cast a wide net, and you'll catch more fish.

She was a formidable woman, and he doubted she would give up her career and go into hiding based on his warning. So, she would likely meet her end.

Even if Amelia Bones became the Minister of Magic, she would still face a high chance of perishing, given the depth of her grudge against Voldemort and his followers.

(End of Chapter)

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