The banquet continued.
After a while, the golden plates filled with food scraps were magically cleared away, and Dumbledore stood up once more, stepping to the front of the room.
"The moment has finally arrived," he said excitedly, then introduced Babajide Akingbade and the other wizards who would serve as judges for the tournament to all the students.
The British Ministry of Magic had also sent representatives, with Ludo Bagman from the Department of Magical Games and Sports continuing as one of the judges. As the host nation, it was impossible to leave all the responsibilities to the International Confederation of Wizards.
"In the past few months, Mr. Bagman has worked tirelessly to arrange the Triwizard Tournament, alongside our friends from the Magical Congress of the United States. Without them, this event wouldn't be as grand as it is today," Dumbledore said. "They will join me, Professor Cyrus, Professor Rosier, and Madame Maxime to form the panel of judges who will assess the efforts of the champions."
Officially, the headmaster of Durmstrang at this moment was still Vinda Rosier.
"Filch, bring up the box."
With some difficulty, the limping Filch pushed a wooden chest to the center of the Great Hall.
A thousand pairs of curious eyes were fixed on the box, with Barty Crouch Jr.'s gaze being unusually greedy.
Dumbledore didn't open the chest immediately.
"This year's tournament consists of three tasks, each held at different times throughout the school year. These tasks will test the champions in various ways... And I'm pleased to announce a change in the rules. Traditionally, only three wizards could compete, but now, each school will have three champions."
He raised his fingers, and the students' eager gazes toward him became even more expectant.
"The champions may need to unite at times, or they may be forced to compete individually. We will score them based on the quality of their performance in each task, and after the three tasks are completed, the champion with the highest score will win the Triwizard Cup."
"And to select the champions, we have the most impartial judge," Dumbledore continued as he approached the chest.
He placed his hand on the worn wood and, with a wave, the sides of the box fell away, revealing its contents.
Inside was a large, roughly carved wooden goblet.
It was rather unimpressive in appearance—one might even say ugly—but the bright blue-white flames flickering within it captured everyone's attention.
"Any student wishing to compete as a champion must write their name and the name of their school on a piece of parchment and drop it into this Goblet of Fire," Dumbledore explained.
"You have twenty-four hours to enter. Tomorrow night, on Halloween, the Goblet will select the names of those it deems most worthy to represent the four schools."
As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, Cyrus noticed Barty Jr. licking his lips excitedly, clearly itching to act.
It wasn't just him. Every person with secret ambitions seemed to be plotting their schemes under the glow of that magical flame.
...
The feast had ended, but the young wizards did not leave immediately.
Most of them sat in groups, their eyes filled with longing as they stared at the Goblet of Fire.
However, at this stage, very few dared to approach the Goblet and submit their names.
Most students didn't want to face the embarrassment of publicly tossing their names into the Goblet only to not be selected.
They preferred to wait for a moment when no one was watching, sneaking over to submit their names privately. That way, if they weren't chosen by the Goblet, no one would know whether or not they had even entered.
But Cyrus knew all too well that those who acted in such a sneaky manner would never be chosen by the Goblet of Fire. Unless, of course, there was no one else left in their school.
There were, of course, also those with great pride.
Cassandra was one of the first to step forward as soon as Dumbledore drew the age line, causing a great deal of dissatisfaction among the younger students who were just shy of being old enough to compete.
With her chest held high, her gaze full of contempt and arrogance, Cassandra walked elegantly towards the Goblet. Her slightly curled golden hair swayed gently with each step, like lively little snakes.
Her beauty was as captivating as Medusa's, drawing many admiring glances from the younger students.
"Tsk."
Ginny, her fiery red hair glowing like flames, turned her head away in displeasure. Like Hermione, she found Cassandra far too arrogant.
Cassandra was just the beginning. After her, all the students from Ilvermorny, except Draco Malfoy, who was too young to qualify, stepped forward to the Goblet of Fire and submitted their names.
After that, it was Durmstrang's turn. They had come specifically for the competition, so naturally, there was no hesitation.
However, Cyrus noticed that Grindelwald made no move. Perhaps he planned to have someone else help him, or maybe he was waiting for a moment when no one was paying attention before taking action.
Of course, Cyrus had the same idea.
"Alright, you can take a walk around Hogwarts or head back to the carriage to rest since it's getting late," Cyrus suggested.
He highly recommended that the Ilvermorny students take the opportunity to explore Hogwarts, especially the library, though there was no rush. After all, they would be attending classes with the Hogwarts students for the entire year.
"Professor, what about you?" Cassandra asked.
"I have some friends to meet," Cyrus replied with a smile. "Anyone who wishes to return to the carriage can go with Bella, or you can take the time to make some new friends."
With that, Cyrus walked through the crowd and headed toward the doors of the Great Hall.
In fact, most of the students in the Great Hall were also getting ready to leave, and a thick crowd was gathering at the doors.
Cassandra's emerald green eyes glanced through the crowd, watching Cyrus's retreating figure, noticing a few small shadows following closely behind him.
She let out a soft, contemptuous laugh directed at the little figures before turning to follow Bella.
Outside the hall, Cyrus made his way toward the castle's courtyard, stopping under a central statue.
"Cyrus!" Ginny called from afar, and a group of people came running over.
"I never imagined you'd become the headmaster of another magic school!" Hermione said excitedly, almost giddily. "So, how is it? Does Ilvermorny's library have a lot of books?"
"Fewer than Hogwarts, but they have a lot of innovative magic," Cyrus replied. "I suppose you've already gone through the book I sent you, On the Differences in Animal Transfiguration."
That was the book Cyrus had given Hermione as a birthday present this year.
Harry and Ron, as usual, were baffled by Hermione and Cyrus's discussion about books, though they had grown accustomed to it.
They knew they had to interrupt her, or else the conversation would never end.
They were about to say something when Ginny beat them to it.
"I heard from Dad that you've been in North America recently. The Ministry of Magic has lifted your wanted status, but I had no idea you'd become the headmaster of Ilvermorny."
"How many things have happened?"
Ginny's eyes were fixed on Cyrus, and she bombarded him with questions, eager to uncover every detail, right down to what he had been eating every day.
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12 Advance Chapters—Patreon.com/HornyFBI