Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 105 Hogwarts Doesn't Need the Goblet of Fire

The agitated atmosphere in the Great Hall didn't cause Mo Ran to lose his composure. From the moment he reminded Harry to use the Marauder's Map to confirm Moody's identity, he had been relentlessly conducting maximum magical detection. Strangely, however, there wasn't a single person or event deliberately disruptive in the entire Hogwarts Great Hall.

Gradually, the rain finally subsided. As Filch tried to open the door for the third time, Dumbledore pulled his wand from his sleeve.

call out!

The powerful magic swept gently and precisely across the ceiling of the Hogwarts Great Hall, cleverly hanging the Gryffindor banners with red backgrounds and gold lions, the Ravenclaw banners with blue backgrounds and bronze eagles, the Hufflepuff banners with yellow backgrounds and black badgers, and the Slytherin banners with green backgrounds and silver snakes in the gaps between the beams.

They extend from the main entrance to the wall behind the faculty seating area, and eventually converge in the central area behind the principal's seat, surrounding a large letter "H".

The young wizards were all stunned; it was easy for anyone to see how remarkable Dumbledore's Transfiguration magic was. But among all the students, only Harry and Moran truly understood the intricate magical manipulation their headmaster had made during the spell.

"Now, please join me in welcoming the students from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and their headmistress—Mrs. Maxim!"

As Dumbledore spoke, he gestured to Filch at the door. The next second, a group of men and women dressed in exquisite silk attire, led by a giant school badge, entered the banquet hall.

"Huh? Isn't Beauxbatons an all-girls school?"

Mo Ran, who had only seen the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movies, almost couldn't help but complain. Clearly, he didn't quite understand the Goblet of Fire director's decision to adapt Beauxbatons into an all-girls school.

As for Harry, he was completely shocked by Maxim's size.

Compared to her appearance in the movie, Maxim looks younger and more handsome. Her large, watery black eyes and pointed, upturned nose complement the exquisite jewels adorning her neck and fingers perfectly.

Harry had only ever seen one person of similar height to Maxim in his entire life, but because Hagrid was so wide, Maxim actually seemed much taller.

"Dear Madam Maxim, welcome to Hogwarts."

Amidst applause, Maxim returned Dumbledore's elegant smile and said:

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I hope you are well."

“Very good, madam.”

As Dumbledore spoke, he kissed Maxim's outstretched hand. He was very tall, but standing next to Maxim, he didn't even need to bend down to perform the hand-kiss.

"These are my students."

After greeting Dumbledore, Maxim waved her hand, retrieving the wand badge that had been spewing out three glittering golden stars. Then, at her introduction, the Beauxbatons students, led by Fleur, came before Dumbledore and bowed in unison.

The entrance of Beauxbatons and their students lasted about three minutes. Soon after, the Durmstrang delegation also entered the banquet hall as Dumbledore introduced them.

"Next, let's welcome the students of Durmstrang and their principal, Igor Karkarov!"

There was no Shaolin monk-like staff-wielding performance, nor any street performer-like fire-breathing skills. A group of students wearing fluffy fur cloaks made their appearance in a perfectly normal manner under the guidance of Karkarov.

Igor Karkaroff was much more enthusiastic than Mrs. Maxim; before he had even crossed the aisle between the long tables at Hogwarts, he opened his arms wide and said:

"Dumbledore! My dear old friend! How have you been lately?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Professor Karkaroff."

Compared to Karkaroff's mellow and sweet voice, Dumbledore remained remarkably calm, politely replying:

"Mrs. Maxim and the others are already seated. You must be tired from your journey, so why don't you join us for the opening banquet?"

Seemingly oblivious to the distance in Dumbledore's words, Karkaroff brought a boy with a hooked nose and thick eyebrows directly in front of him, much to Professor McGonagall's chagrin.

"It's great to be here. Let me introduce you. This is Viktor Krum, a once-in-a-decade talent from our school. You may have heard of him."

Karkaroff said, flashing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Of course, he is an outstanding child, and we hope that our three schools can learn from each other and make progress together in the coming year."

Dumbledore offered another polite, distant remark, and then, without waiting to see what Karkaroff might do next, he announced directly to the entire school:

"Alright, now that all the guests are seated, please allow me, with great joy, to welcome you once again to Hogwarts. I sincerely hope and believe that you will feel comfortable and happy here. The tournament will officially begin at the end of the banquet, so now, please make yourselves at home and enjoy yourselves!"

Snapped!Snapped!

The crisp applause brought forth the delicious food on the exquisite plates. Looking at the more abundant dishes than usual, with several more foreign additions, Harry could easily imagine that the house-elves in the kitchen must have used every trick in the book.

The Great Hall was more crowded and noisier than usual. Harry and his friends even had to shout to communicate in such a noisy environment.

"What kind of dish is this?"

"French-style mixed fish soup!"

What kind of soup?

"French-style mixed fish soup!"

Hermione was practically hoarse from shouting, but after she explained that she had eaten the dish during the summer holidays and found it delicious, Ron still served himself a plate of sausages and roasted chicken legs.

"You look a little... oh..."

Harry, noticing that something was wrong with Ron, turned around and looked in the direction of Krum. When he saw Durmstrang students sitting at the Slytherin table, he immediately understood.

"So that's why you suddenly became less excited."

"Ah!"

Ron gave a cold laugh.

“I bet Krum can see right through Malfoy! With his fame, he’s surrounded by people fawning over him wherever he goes. He’s seen plenty of Malfoy types!”

"Why don't you go over and invite him to sleep in our dorm room?"

Harry's suggestion instantly lifted Ron's spirits, and he excitedly exclaimed:

"Oh! Is that alright, Harry? I mean, if you invite him, he should agree, right? I can give him my bed; I can just put my bedding on the floor!"

Amused by Ron's reaction, Harry and Hermione bumped knees a few times under the long table, but just then, a strange, exotic voice suddenly spoke:

"Sorry to bother you, would you like some of this mixed fish soup?"

Her silver hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, she had a pair of beautiful, deep blue eyes, and a beautiful face with a hazy, dreamlike quality.

The newcomer was none other than Fleur Delacour, the leading figure at Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"I'd like to serve myself a bowl to try, but my friends don't seem very curious about the unknown flavor. Here, let me bring it over for you."

Harry's expression was completely natural, and even the silent, wandless spellcasting did not disrupt the elegant and relaxed atmosphere surrounding him.

This immediately startled Furong, who let out a soft gasp.

"Oh! Okay, thank you so much! I'll take it myself."

She tapped the handkerchief with her wand, transforming it into a baking glove embroidered with ornate patterns. As Beauxbatons' almost-chosen champion, Fleur couldn't afford to lose face in front of students from other schools.

"If you'd like another bowl later, I'm at the long table in Ravenclaw."

"Okay, I've got it."

Harry, chatting and laughing with a beautiful girl from another school, attracted many envious glances, among which his good friend Ron's gaze was the most intense.

"She's a Veela!"

After Fleur walked away, Ron couldn't wait to say it to Harry.

"Hmm, that's possible, but I guess she probably has Veela blood, but not a real Veela."

Harry corrected him earnestly, but soon he felt something punch him in the thigh.

......

As the main course of the dinner was replaced by a dazzling array of desserts, the two new seats in the classroom finally welcomed their owners: Ludo Bagman, Director of Physical Education at the Ministry of Magic, and Barty Crouch, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic.

Dumbledore, of course, did not interrupt the students' mealtime just because the Ministry of Magic officials had arrived. Instead, he waited until the students had finished eating and drinking before slowly introducing the two men.

Clang, clang, clang!

After a few crisp clinks of knives against wine glasses, Dumbledore slowly stood up and said:

"The tense and important moment has finally arrived, children. Before you get too caught up in the delicious food, I'd like to say a few more words before the event officially begins. Over the past few months, Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch from the Ministry of Magic have worked tirelessly to prepare for the Triwizard Tournament challenge. Please give them your respect."

Splash splash splash splash...

Scattered applause rang out from the auditorium. Many students who had participated in the Quidditch World Cup seemed to recognize Bagman, who had served as the commentator for the final, which made his cheers a few degrees louder than Crouch's.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch will form a judging panel with the principals of our three schools to jointly evaluate the warriors' performance in the challenge; the three events of the competition will be held on November 24, February 24, and June 24 respectively; now, please let Mr. Barty Crouch, Director of the International Cooperation Division, explain the specific procedures for warrior registration and selection."

"Thank you, Albus."

Crouch nodded to Dumbledore, then walked briskly to the spot where a wooden box was placed on the teachers' table.

“As Headmaster Dumbledore has already explained to you, each school can only select one champion to participate in the competition. To ensure the fairness and impartiality of the champion selection, we have specially brought the Goblet of Fire, which has been sealed since the 18th century, to Hogwarts. Every student who wants to run for champion only needs to write his name and school on a piece of parchment and drop it into the Goblet of Fire.”

Da, da, da.

As Mr. Crouch introduced the contents, Dumbledore tapped the wooden box with his wand to unlock the mechanism, and an ordinary-looking goblet was revealed to the students of the three schools.

"What kind of junk is this?"

"That thing is the Goblet of Fire? Where's the fire?"

A few Slytherin students, led by Malfoy, muttered a few complaints in hushed tones, and the next second, a blue-white flame, slightly lighter in color than Harry's Goblinsfire, suddenly erupted.

call!

The raging flames rose like a giant dragon, reaching the ceiling of Hogwarts Great Hall. The scene seemed to be the Goblet of Fire silently telling of the regret and loneliness of not being able to select a champion for the legendary tournament for nearly two hundred years.

Seeing the astonishing scene before him, even the usually stern-faced Barty Crouch finally showed a hint of excitement. He straightened his clothes and announced loudly:

"Now, the three-way battle for supremacy officially begins!"