In front of the two unknown names, the young wizards' reaction was acceptable, but when the name "Percy Weasley" echoed in the Great Hall, everyone was stunned.
No one expected Percy to be the representative of Hogwarts on the judging panel. Not even Percy himself expected it. Upon hearing the news, Percy's eyes widened, and he could have easily fit an egg in his mouth. At that moment, his mind went blank.
Envious, confused, and even jealous looks reflected in the eyes of the students watching from below. The reason was simple: why him?
To be objective, when Dumbledore mentioned that these three could join the judging panel, none of the students present had in mind to be selected. The reason was also simple: those who could represent the school had to be excellent, and outstanding individuals couldn't compete for a spot as contestants. How could they become judges if they were selected as champions? The idea of being both a judge and a contestant wouldn't work at all. Therefore, outstanding graduates should fill the role of judges.
As for the possibility of someone under the age of seventeen being selected, who could be that lucky? Well, there was actually one person with that possibility, but he had already been entrusted with a more important task by Dumbledore.
The point that left everyone astonished was: why could Percy become a judge? It was true that he was very talented, but there were many graduates more outstanding than him, so why was he selected precisely?
In the eyes of Percy's younger brothers, Fred and George, a dangerous glint could be seen, while one idea after another stirred in their minds...
Interestingly, not only the students of Hogwarts were surprised; the young wizards from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were also taken aback when they saw their respective representatives: Issa May and Barry Crowder, both outstanding individuals but not the best in their schools.
Dumbledore provided an explanation for this. He told everyone present that these three representatives were the most outstanding among the graduates of the past three years.
With this limiting condition, the acceptance of these three increased significantly.
The three chosen by Dumbledore had one common feature: they had all been Annual Award winners and had shown significant development after graduating. Needless to say about Percy Weasley, who had succeeded in the Ministry of Magic and had been entrusted by Barty Crouch Sr. Issa May had stayed at school after graduating and was now an assistant professor at Durmstrang. Barry Crowder had a slightly lower reputation, but he was said to be an excellent healer, highly skilled in healing magic. In other words, all three were young and talented.
After the introductions, Dumbledore began to talk about the arrangements for this year.
The Triwizard Tournament would be divided into three events, which would take place at different times during the school year. These three events would test the champions' skills from various perspectives. The panel of judges would rate the champions based on the quality of each event, and the champions could also earn additional points during the competitions. The group of three representatives would form one judge and, through internal discussions, award scores to the champions.
Everything had to be as fair as possible.
Young wizards who were not selected as champions should not be discouraged, as there would be ways for other students to participate in the three events; it was not an exclusive show for the champions.
That was Tom's idea.
From his point of view, the original three events were absurd. Aside from Cedric, Fleur, Krum, and Harry, what sense of participation did the rest of the students have? They couldn't even suggest some ideas.
Not only could they not participate, but the experience as spectators would also be poor. The first event might pass, at least in the Quidditch stadium, everyone could watch the champions' performances. But the second event would be underwater, and the third would be in the forest. If Dumbledore didn't find some way of "broadcasting," the spectators would simply be sitting in the stands doing nothing.
This was also ridiculous!
If it were up to Tom to choose, he would prefer to stay in the library reading instead of sitting in the stands staring at a senseless lake or forest.
So, Tom made some changes to the plan to allow other students to participate as well. He also did it to open a convenient door for himself. He didn't want to miss out on this big entertainment event.
"After the three events, the champion with the highest score will win the Triwizard Cup. And the referee in charge of selecting the champions completely fairly is... the Goblet of Fire." Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped the old wooden box three times. The lid of the box opened slowly, revealing a large, rough goblet standing with blue and white flames burning inside it.
The entire hall fell silent. Countless people swallowed their saliva, while some, like Fred and George, couldn't help but feel a bit ambitious when they saw that the "referee" was an object.
"Those who wish to compete as champions must write their name and the name of their school on a piece of parchment and throw it into this goblet," Dumbledore said seriously, looking at the students in the audience. "You have the whole day to sign up. By tomorrow night, the Goblet of Fire will select the names of the three students it deems most capable of representing the three schools. They will be the champions of the school. Tonight, the Goblet of Fire will stay here, and anyone who meets the age requirements can come to sign up."
Dumbledore's eyes swept over Fred, George, and Tom, and he continued, "I will set an age limit, no one under seventeen years old will be allowed to cross that line."
Upon hearing this news, everyone seemed quite calm. Most of the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were over seventeen, and the young wizards of Hogwarts had already known this in advance, so Dumbledore's words didn't cause any commotion, at least not on the surface.
Secretly, the desires of countless people grew like wild grass. Indeed, Dumbledore's monitoring measures were like an online exam without cameras or microphones, which made people fantasize.
Fred and George looked intensely, Lee Jordan's mouth was grinning from ear to ear, and at the tables of the other three houses, there were also many students with flickering looks. Tom also had a different thought in his mind.
But he didn't want to take advantage of the opportunity to sign up for the tournament. Instead, he wanted to use the opportunity to conduct a test, a test of someone's identity.
Alastor Moody!
This person had strange behavior and was worthy of caution. If he was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate someone else, he would surely throw Harry's name on the piece of parchment into the Goblet of Fire tonight.
That would be the moment when he would reveal his true intentions.
"Well, I think it's time to go to bed. Goodnight, everyone," Dumbledore concluded his speech, and the opening ceremony came to an end.
As the crowd dispersed and left the Great Hall, Tom called for Harry. He had something he wanted to tell him.