On September 1, 1994, at King's Cross Station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the Hogwarts-bound steam engine waited as students boarded. Leo and Hermione were no different, saying goodbye to their parents. As the train departed, many parents couldn't help but sense a shared farewell, as if they too were on that journey.
"I hope nothing happens this year..."
Someone in the group of guardians muttered that. Those who heard the mutterings all shared similar thoughts.
Three years ago, there were rumors that one of the teachers was a Death Eater targeting something at Hogwarts. The credibility of the rumors was high, with actual troll invasions and the disappearance of that teacher. To top it off, there was even a case where the forest keeper illegally possessed a dragon egg.
The year before last, the Chamber of Secrets was opened and there were victims caused by the monster Basilisk. Fortunately, there were no deaths, but it must have been a close miracle.
And last year, it seemed that Sirius Black, who was thought to be a murderer, had infiltrated and Dementors were at Hogwarts as if they owned it. In the end, Sirius Black was innocent and there was no danger.
In recent years, too many things have been happening at Hogwarts.
As parents with children, everyone wished for a peaceful student life without any incidents.
They had a faint feeling that their wish would not come true.
From King's Cross Station to Hogsmeade Station, they arrived safely without any Dementors intruding like last year.
However, the weather is terrible. The rain and wind are fierce, and it's only natural to get soaked before arriving at Hogwarts. While looking around in such conditions, Leo, who is covering himself, Hermione, and Ku with a rain and wind barrier membrane, was thinking about whether it would be a good product if he added magic to an existing umbrella to perfectly prevent rain and make it unbreakable by wind.
While waiting for the new students, upperclassmen and teachers are using magic to dry the students' clothes. Before sorting, everyone was able to sit at the table without any problems.
The sorting also ended safely. The feast begins with Dumbledore's command.
As always, Hogwarts' cooking is top-notch in England where even its own citizens think it's tasteless. It's said that some students are enrolled at Hogwarts just to eat this food.
The enjoyable meal is over and Dumbledore begins to speak.
"Everyone has eaten well. Now there are a few things I need to announce."
Prohibited items to bring in, forbidden entry into the Forbidden Forest, these are annual things.
But the next words out of Dumbledore's mouth shocked most of the students.
"Now what I'm about to tell you may be hard for everyone. This year's Quidditch tournament has been cancelled."
There is an uproar in the Great Hall. Some students even stand up screaming. All Gryffindor students thought it was good that Oliver Wood from Gryffindor who graduated last year wasn't there.
After the students quiet down, Dumbledore begins to explain further.
"Why is Quidditch cancelled? Let me show you the answer. From October until the end of this semester there will be an event going on. I am confident that everyone will enjoy it as much as Quidditch."
Dumbledore paused for a moment.
"This year at Hogwarts we will host the Triwizard Tournament between three major magic schools!"
"You must be joking!"
The voice of Fred, one half of Gryffindor's twins resonates. The Great Hall is filled with laughter.
Dumbledore begins to explain in detail.
グリフィンドールの双子の片割れ,フレッドの声が響く.大広間は爆笑につつまれる.
ダンブルドアが詳しい説明を始める.
"In the old days, the Triwizard Tournament was co-hosted by Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts, rotating every five years. However, it was sadly discontinued due to the numerous fatalities. But this year, in cooperation with the headmasters of each school and the Department of Magical Games and Sports of the Ministry of Magic, it has been decided to resume for the first time in centuries."
"I'm going to run for it!"
Voices of candidacy for the representative rose from every dormitory. Even those who didn't speak up were imagining themselves becoming representatives and making a name for themselves. But Dumbledore's next words shocked them.
"From this tournament onwards, there will be an age limit for participants. Students who are not yet adults, that is, not yet 17 years old, cannot participate."
This declaration caused a huge uproar. Especially those who were just shy of adulthood seemed to be dissatisfied. Dumbledore ignored this and continued his explanation. It seems that this kind of restriction was imposed because there were many casualties in previous competitions and immature wizards who are not adults do not have the ability to handle the tasks. After Dumbledore's speech, the students returned to their dormitories. On the way back to their dormitories, the only topic of conversation was how underage students could participate in the Triwizard Tournament, who would represent each dormitory, what other schools were like, etc.
Leonard and Ku returned to their room-cum-laboratory. They were going to sleep already since classes would start again tomorrow.
"Are you not interested in the Triwizard Tournament, Leo? From what Headmaster Dumbledore said, it sounded like there would be no problem if you had the ability even if you were underage."
"Hmm... I'm a little interested at the moment. I think it would be okay to think about it after researching what it was like in the past. I'm more interested in interacting with students from other schools than in competing."
Leonard is not interested in honor or glory. He doesn't know how much prize money there is, but his personal assets have become considerable due to his research achievements. He felt that it would be better to use the competition for testing his self-made magical tools and spells.
On the first holiday since the start of the new semester, Leonard and Hermione were researching past information about the Triwizard Tournament in the library. They thought other students would also be researching, but most students were just talking about what it was like or making predictions about representatives. Only a very small number wanted to really participate.
Leonard left it to Hermione to find books because she knew more about the library than he did. After a few minutes, Hermione returned with several books.
"Let's see... 'Subjugation of ferocious magical creatures', 'Creating an antidote for super difficult magical potions and detoxifying your own poison', 'Running through a super long distance road full of traps'"
"And here... 'Dueling with other school headmasters at that time', 'Surviving for a week under harsh conditions', 'Brawl among participating players'... There are all sorts of terrible things."
The past task contents were all terrible things. As they read on, even more outrageous things came out. It was content that would kill participating players and they could only think that they were crazy. The cause seemed to be that each school decided on tasks that would give their own school's representative an advantage when hosting, and this escalated so that as hosting schools changed, they became more and more brutal and no one seemed to have any intention of letting anyone clear them properly.
"But it might be a little interesting. I want to try if I can get through such things with what I've made."
"Leo, are you going to participate? I think you're definitely capable."
"It depends on how representatives are selected. If I nominate myself as underage, there's a high chance I'll be rejected on the spot. But if they select by some magical means, then breaking through is possible. What about you Hermione? You have enough ability don't you?"
"I'll pass. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't interested in honor or prize money but betting my life is a bit too much. Especially after knowing such past tasks."
"I see. Well, I'll retire immediately if I think it's dangerous just for confirming my research results."
After that, they returned to their laboratory and spent time discussing magic and other things as usual.
～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～
Dumbledore was looking forward to hosting the Triwizard Tournament, a competition between three major magic schools. Unlike in the past, he was confident in the safety measures. However, there was still an element of concern: Leonard Taylor. Considering the method of selecting representative players this time, there was a high probability that if he ran for candidacy, he would be chosen.
Should he be stopped forcibly? No, from Trelawney's prophecy, antagonism might mean ruin. Before the Dark Lord resurrects, it is necessary to avoid displeasing Leonard Taylor. If he gives up on us and becomes hostile, it's over if he even teams up with Voldemort.
Thinking about a student in this way would be a failure as an educator. But when considering the wizarding world, one cannot afford even a little carelessness.
"For now, let's just prepare so that no matter how he moves when it's time to select the representative players..."
Since Leonard joined, problems occur every year. And most of those problems are somehow dealt with by him. This year, Dumbledore was praying that he would not be involved in the competition.