The Great Hall was decorated in a somewhat eerie fashion for Halloween.
A swarm of black bats with jack-o'-lanterns in their mouths were roaming the sky, and the candle's light had dimmed considerably. The ghosts, which were usually hard to come by, emerged to greet the passing wizards.
The tables of the four academies were already filled with people, and the Goblet of Fire, which had been placed in the middle of the platform, had been moved to a spot not far from the teachers' seats.
The young wizards in the audience were fidgeting and whispering to each other, turning their attention to Dumbledore, who was sitting at the teachers' table, anxiously waiting for the moment to announce the champions.
When Ivan sat down, Hermione asked him curiously.
"Ivan, what did Professor McGonagall want with you?"
"Just asking me to help decorate the castle!" Ivan replied casually.
Harry and Ron joined them, curious as to whether any of the students had passed the age limit set by Professor Dumbledore.
"How should I put it? I signed up last night!" Ivan said truthfully, considering the results were about to be announced.
"You were sleeping so soundly in the middle of the night that I couldn't wake you up. The Goblet of Fire requires me to vote for you personally. I couldn't help you even if I wanted to…"
Ivan's explanation succeeded in silencing Ron, but he continued to complain about Ivan's lack of friendship, and insisted that he had to get them to do something as important as this.
Harry was also somewhat disappointed, but quickly composed himself.
These days, he often fantasised about becoming a Champion, but knew that he would only bring disgrace to Hogwarts.
As they talked, the noisy hall suddenly fell silent, and Ivan looked up at the stage to see Dumbledore standing up from his seat at the teachers' table.
This meant that it was time to announce the results!
The young wizards in the audience craned their necks to look, and even Ivan couldn't help feeling nervous.
Dumbledore approached the table where the Goblet of Fire was placed, looked at the clock on the wall, and spoke to the crowd.
"There's still a little while to go! Before we officially announce the results, I'd like to add — when the names of the champions are announced, I want them to go to the top of the Great Hall, then along the staff table and into the room next door … where they will receive their initial instruction!"
Dumbledore pointed to the door behind the staff table and gestured, and when he saw that everyone was listening, he nodded in satisfaction, took out his wand, and waved it vigorously.
In an instant, the Great Hall was plunged into semi-darkness, with the exception of the candles in the jack-o'-lanterns.
The Goblet of Fire, in contrast, rapidly lit up with a brilliant scarlet flame, and sparks flew from it as it spat out a piece of scorched parchment.
Dumbledore took it from her and read the contents aloud.
"The champion of Durmstrang—Viktor Krum!"
There were loud cheers from the Slytherin table, as well as applause from the other Houses, all of them loyal fans of Krum.
Ron, for example, was extremely excited when Dumbledore mentioned Krum, as if he had just said his name.
Dumbledore raised his hand and pushed it down, and when the applause and chatter died down, another piece of parchment flew out and landed in Dumbledore's hand.
"The champion of Beauxbatons—Fleur Delacour!" cried Dumbledore.
Fleur beamed as she gracefully rose from her place at the Ravenclaw table, and the boys in the Great Hall applauded her.
A few seconds later, the Goblet of Fire turned red again and sparks flew.
The young wizards in the audience looked nervously and excitedly at the goblet, knowing full well that it was the turn of Hogwarts' champions!
The third piece of parchment soon flew out.
"Warriors of Hogwarts—" Dumbledore began loudly, his face lighting up with just the right amount of surprise.
"Ivan Hals!"
Ivan rose to his feet under the watchful eyes of the crowd and nodded to everyone around him.
The noisy Great Hall fell silent as the young wizards stared at Ivan with amazement, suspicion, and admiration.
Fleur and Krum, who were still in the Great Hall, stopped and looked back.
"Wait…" Karkaroff slammed his hand down on the table and rose from his seat, glaring at Ivan before turning to glare at Dumbledore. "Albus, if I remember correctly, the champion is supposed to be a grown wizard over seventeen, not a fourteen-year-old brat!"
"Hold your horses, Karkaroff, you remember correctly… as for why this should be the case, you will have to ask Mr. Harls!" Dumbledore said with interest.
Although he knew that McGonagall had spoken to Ivan and should have known how he crossed the age line, Dumbledore did not ask.
The unknown is sometimes a joy.
Ivan's face showed no sign of panic, and he replied with perfect composure.
"That's because I wrote my name and the school I represented on a piece of parchment and threw it into the Goblet of Fire within the allotted time.
It is clear that the Goblet of Fire recognizes me as the best student of all the candidates and deserves to be the champion of Hogwarts!"
Ivan's words were undoubtedly arrogant, causing many of the senior students to glare at him, but they could not refute him.
"That's not what we're asking, Mr. Harls, and you still haven't answered how you crossed that age line!" Karkaroff pressed, frowning, suspecting that Dumbledore had been the one to sneak Ivan a backdoor.
The young wizards in the Great Hall were equally curious, and all of them stared at Ivan, waiting for his answer.
Ivan shook his head and replied truthfully, "No, you misunderstand me. I cannot break Professor Dumbledore's spell!"
There was an uproar, and this time it was not only Karkaroff, but even Maxim, who stood up and questioned Ivan's ability to cheat his way into the Warrior position.
Ivan remained calm in the face of the crowd's questioning. He pointed to the Goblet of Fire on the platform and spoke.
"Who says you have to break the age limit to put your name in? Can't you just get a student who meets the requirements to take out the Goblet of Fire?"