With the sound of metal colliding with the cup, the hall fell silent, and all eyes focused on the old man in a blue robe with a long white beard.
Albus Dumbledore stood from his seat and smiled gently.
"To the participants from the twelve schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Welcome to Hogwarts!" He began his speech, his voice resonating between the walls of the hall.
"Dear Ministers of Magic, Presidents, and Senators." Dumbledore greeted all the esteemed figures in the hall with great good humor. Everyone mentioned raised their goblets in response to his words.
Turning to look at the students, he continued in a loud voice. "Today, I announce the beginning of the First International Tournament of Magic and Witchcraft!"
A sea of applause filled the hall in an instant, with excited and enthusiastic shouts from the teenagers echoing through the crowd of young people.
Dumbledore also clapped and laughed. Then, as the excitement gradually subsided, Hagrid appeared, holding a beautiful glass goblet in his arms, which he placed on a wooden pedestal.
"Thank you, Hagrid." Dumbledore thanked Hagrid as his eyes fell upon the Goblet of Fire. Frowning for a moment, he blinked a few times and showed a mysterious smile, quickly covering it and turning back to the students.
"It was an honor, Professor Dumbledore." With a loud and contagious laugh, Hagrid scratched his disheveled hair and spoke, but his eyes were not on Dumbledore but on an incredibly tall and beautiful woman at the teachers' table.
Olympe Maxime – Headmistress of Beauxbatons.
Noticing this, Dumbledore showed a mischievous look and said, "You may return to your seat, Hagrid; there is a vacant seat next to the Headmistress of Beauxbatons."
"Um..." Hagrid nodded gratefully and walked to the teachers' table, where he sat beside Maxime, to her obvious annoyance.
Clearing his throat, Dumbledore addressed the students once more. "This is the Goblet of Fire, a powerful ancient magical artifact used in the early days of magic in Greece. It will choose the four most suitable representatives of Hogwarts to participate in the Tournament."
As Dumbledore spoke, the Greek Minister of Magic – Nikolas Papadopoulos – looked slightly somber. The ministers from other countries did not blame Nikolas for showing such a reaction, not when a historical treasure from his country was being used so blatantly in front of him, the Greek Minister of Magic.
It is worth noting that it was not once or twice that the Greek Government requested possession of the Goblet of Fire. Nonetheless, France, Russia, and England never returned the object to its homeland.
(Note: The Goblet of Fire remains in the school that wins the Triwizard Tournament, that is, France, Russia, and England.)
Ignoring the cold look that the Greek Minister of Magic was giving him, Dumbledore continued speaking. "All students from the four houses must choose their representatives, and the goblet will choose the most suitable to represent them. I must add that for those chosen, the Goblet will create a binding vow, and if the chosen one does not wish to participate, they will lose their magical energy forever."
With that said, he waved his wand, and several pieces of paper flew through the air, landing in front of all the Hogwarts students. The students wasted no time and began writing with their own wands whom they wanted to represent them.
At the Slytherin table.
"Daphne, don't put my name in." Asterion said to his fiancée. He definitely didn't want to get involved in a stupid competition that he would obviously win.
Even if his name were put into the Goblet of Fire, it wouldn't work; the object was enchanted to refuse certain names, and his was among those names. Not that he thought anyone would actually choose him; even a blind man could see that a special grade wizard wasn't exactly fair to the other participants in the Tournament, which was prohibited before the Tournament began.
Although she wanted to vote for Asterion, as he was the only one she trusted to bring the goblet to Hogwarts, Daphne showed a look of understanding and reluctantly wrote her friend Tracey's name instead, to Tracey's delight.
"You're the best friend ever," Tracey said, hugging her with a big smile.
"Opportunist," Daphne huffed coldly, but a smile played on her lips.
At the Gryffindor table.
"Rose, you can't vote for yourself. Besides, your name is obviously blocked," Hermione said, watching the white-haired girl write her own name on the paper.
"Don't be a spoilsport, Mione. The most fun thing in the world is surprises!" Smiling arrogantly, Rose twirled her wand between her fingers and spoke with an excited look.
She wanted to participate in the Tournament, even though her chances were minimal. After all, it was unrealistic for someone of her caliber to participate in something meant for young people with talent but not a monstrous level of talent. At most, the participants would be Grade 1 or Grade 2.
So, Rose – a Special Grade Witch – couldn't be chosen as the representative of Gryffindor. It would be like using a nuclear weapon against a country that didn't possess one.
Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend's words. There was no surprise. In the eyes of the brown-haired girl, the hope of Rose participating in the Tournament was minimal, if not impossible. No one would let a Special Grade Witch participate in the Tournament.
"Hope is the last thing to die!" Rose commented, quickly twirling her wand between her fingers.
"Yes, yes, yes." Huffing, Hermione rolled her eyes and focused on the Goblet of Fire. It looked like a precious jewel, so beautiful it was, with bluish flames burning silently inside, as expected of the Goblet that was created in Delphi, a sacred place.
As Hermione watched, all the students began to form a line and threw their own tickets into the bluish flames. With each ticket thrown, the flames grew slightly, almost as if everyone's hopes were feeding the fire, making it stronger and more sacred.
Watching student after student placing their tickets in the Goblet, Dumbledore smiled gently. He could see the children placing their hopes and desires in the people they believed in. It was a beautiful thing, but the world had tainted this pure feeling by putting interests and greed above all.
Suddenly, Rose casually appeared, throwing her ticket containing her vote into the bluish flames.
"Old man, rest assured, this goblet will stay at Hogwarts again." As she spoke, the fire grew almost thirty centimeters in an instant, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise.
Looking at the fire burning as strongly as never before, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and thought silently.
This flame can bind a Special Grade Wizard!
Fortunately, Rose Potter's name was prohibited from being accepted by the Goblet of Fire; otherwise, she would have been chosen to represent Gryffindor.
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Author's thoughts: I will skip the introductions of the other schools to avoid unnecessary filler chapters. I have decided on two of the three tasks the participants of the International Tournament of Magic and Witchcraft will have to perform, with only the last one left to decide.
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New Novel: (I Am The Prince of Hell) ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜)
Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 129 - The Four Representatives of Hogwarts (2), Chapter 130 - The Four Hogwarts Representatives (3), Chapter 131 - The First Trial (1), Chapter 132 - The First Trial (2), Chapter 133 - King's Game (1), Chapter 134 - King's Game (2), Chapter 135 - King's Game (3), Chapter 136 - King's Game (4), Chapter 137 - King's Game (5), Chapter 138 - King's Game (6), 139 - King's Game (7), 140 - King's Game (8), 141 - King's Game (9), 142 - King's Game (10), 143 - King's Game (11), 144 - King's Game (12), 145 - King's Game (13), Chapter 146 - Second Phase of the King's Game (1).