A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 381: The Triwizard Tournament

The next day, Felix Harp opened his eyes in bed and let out a hearty yawn.

The air outside the window was damp, carrying the scent of earth. After finishing his morning routine, he estimated the time and prepared to head to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Valen, let's go, time for a meal," he called out.

From the cradle bed, a fluffy velvet blanket rustled a bit, then settled down quietly.

"Valen?"

A small hand poked out from the blanket, waved twice at him, and quickly retreated.

"Cheep cheep!" It seemed Valen was exhausted from watching movies last night and didn't want to get up at all.

"...Well, remember there are cookies and cakes in the office."

Felix left the room and arrived at the Great Hall. Surprisingly, he noticed an additional school emblem in the hall. He glanced around and saw the shield emblem of Hogwarts, the petal emblem of Beauxbatons, the crossed wands emblem of Durmstrang, the double eagle and deer head emblem of Dumstrang, and finally, one more—

A cone-shaped mountain peak shrouded in clouds, and upon closer inspection, a grand building stood halfway up the mountainside.

Moon Mountain, Vagadu.

"Has Vagadu also arrived? Was it last night or early this morning?" Felix surveyed the Great Hall, not spotting any new faces but recognizing Krum, the star student of Durmstrang.

He had only recently learned that Krum, who had twice played with the Irish National Team Seeker during the Quidditch World Cup final and eventually caught the Golden Snitch to end the match, was actually a student at Durmstrang.

One could say that Quidditch training in constant wind and rain was quite arduous, wasn't it?

At the Slytherin table, Krum was not with his teammates but dining alone. He was surrounded by numerous admiring eyes stealing glances at him, yet he seemed accustomed to it, quietly eating his breakfast.

After finishing, he got up and left. Unlike his posture on a flying broom, he was now quiet and reserved, his eyebrows habitually furrowed as if lost in thought at any moment.

During dinner, Felix finally met the students from Vagadu.

They all had dark skin, each with unique characteristics. Only one student had skin as black as the bottom of a pot, resembling a walking block of pure black. If it weren't for the brown animal-skin clothing he wore, it would have been hard to distinguish different parts of his body. The rest of the Vagadu students were more typical—though they also had dark skin, at least their eyes and noses were discernible.

As he passed the Ravenclaw table, he heard a little girl mutter softly, "Coffee-colored, brown, dark brown, chocolate-colored, pitch-black..."

He grinned, sitting next to Professor Marchbanks at the professor's table, with Headmistress Eupraxia Mole beside her, eyes closed in repose.

After a brief chat, Felix noticed a plaintive gaze and turned to find Hagrid in the corner. He was taken aback—Hagrid's appearance was markedly different from before. He had somehow unearthed a handmade suit, neatly trimmed his beard and hair. At least, Felix was finally able to distinguish between the two.

At this moment, Hagrid was staring at him, or more precisely, at Professor Marchbanks next to him.

"Is that the professor for the Care of Magical Creatures class Dumbledore mentioned?" Professor Marchbanks asked softly.

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, Care of Magical Creatures professor. Born in 1928, expelled from Hogwarts but later proven innocent of false accusations, known for his expertise in taming magical creatures. First to successfully tame a Hippogriff, with close ties to many magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest. Warm and sincere in character..."

Professor Marchbanks rolled her eyes, her large, fan-like hand playfully hitting Felix. He quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, "Bang!" his body wavered.

Hagrid, several seats away, was staring wide-eyed.

The Great Hall was especially crowded today, perhaps due to the students from the visiting schools mixing in.

In relatively formal settings, Hogwarts students were required to wear their uniforms.

Amidst the group of black robes, the colors of blue and cranberry from Beauxbatons, light blue from Durmstrang, and brown from Vagadu stood out.

On either side of Dumbledore sat the four headmasters. Felix's gaze circled around the diminutive witch for a moment, and she immediately turned her head to look at him. He gave a gentle smile, and she scrutinized him for a moment before turning her head to speak with Dumbledore.

She spoke in a peculiar language, her words rapid and urgent. Felix could only catch a few sounds, but Dumbledore was attentively listening and responded in the same tongue.

Beside the witch, Karkaroff seemed displeased, continually fiddling with a golden goblet, intentionally making loud noises.

The professor's table was nearly full, with just two vacant seats left. After another seven or eight minutes, a plump, red-faced wizard with a short stature entered through the Great Hall's main door. His face beamed with enthusiasm.

"Dumbledore, I apologize for being late. Barty had some last-minute matters to attend to, so I'm the only one..." Bagman quickly explained, glancing around. "Ah, you're all here, excellent. I've been worried that Vagadu's team might arrive late."

The diminutive witch with the raspy voice spoke up, "Mr. Bagman, we won't delay any important matters."

"Of course..." Bagman wiped his brow and then looked at the remaining two empty seats, finally seating himself next to Professor McGonagall.

Dumbledore stood up, and the Great Hall gradually fell silent as all eyes turned toward him.

"Welcome! Students from five magical schools gathered under one roof—a moment not seen in a thousand years." He spoke cheerfully, "At this solemn moment, I would like to express our gratitude to the house-elves in the kitchens. They've put in tremendous effort to cater to various tastes..."

"So, please enjoy the feast; this is the most important thing tonight."

As he sat down, the empty plates in front of them suddenly filled with a variety of foods. In addition to the French dishes from the previous night, there were more strange and diverse dishes today, laid out in front of them.

At the Gryffindor table, Ron's gaze swept over French bouillabaisse, yellow eggy cheese, and white milk jelly. He spotted a sticky lump and prodded it with his fork—

"Stop!" Hermione exclaimed.

"What's wrong?"

"You won't like that," Hermione said, holding her breath, her face an unusual shade of pale. "I can't believe they've included this dish on the menu."

"What is it?" Harry asked, not detecting any strange odor.

"Camel fat," Hermione said. She shuddered, immediately turning away. "Believe me, you definitely won't like it."

Ron pushed the plate away with his fork, and Seamus seized a piece, "Is this jam?" He popped it into his mouth as Harry and the others stared at him.

"Um, why are you all looking at me..." Visible to the naked eye, Seamus's face turned liver-colored. He swallowed it down and snatched Dean's pumpkin juice, gulping it down in one go.

His eyes turned green, and he looked around frantically. Neville tremblingly offered his own pumpkin juice to Seamus.

"What on earth is this?" Seamus, after drinking Neville's pumpkin juice as well, said in frustration, "It's even more nauseating than the slime of a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

Ron happily speared a greasy sausage and relished it.

As the golden plates were cleared away, Dumbledore stood up once more. An excited yet tense atmosphere pervaded the air in the hall.

"The moment has finally arrived," Dumbledore said, "the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. Mr. Diggory, please bring in the Goblet of Fire. In the meantime, allow me to explain a few things—"

"Firstly, I'd like to introduce today's important guests, starting with the headmasters."

"Madame Olympe Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons;"

"Professor Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of Durmstrang;"

"Professor Amrose Dumbledore, Headmistress of Ilvermorny;"

"Madam Harriet Miniot Nage, Headmistress of Castelobruxo;"

Dumbledore paused, blinked, and smiled, "And of course, there's me, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Everyone, including students from the other four schools, stared at him dumbfounded.

"Has no one noticed? This is actually a clever joke," Dumbledore said regretfully, "I arranged the names in order of their length..."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat with great force.

"Very well, apart from the five headmasters, there are two more individuals I must mention. Ludo Bagman and Bartemius Crouch. Over the past few months, these two gentlemen have tirelessly worked, and unfortunately, Mr. Crouch isn't with us today. However, we'll see him on Halloween—thank you, Mr. Diggory, just place it here."

Dumbledore smiled at Diggory. At that moment, Diggory was placing a large wooden box on the table in front of Dumbledore. With his wand, Diggory tapped the lid of the box three times, and it slowly creaked open.

Dumbledore reached inside and pulled out a large, roughly carved wooden goblet. The goblet itself was unassuming, but it contained pulsating blue and white flames.

Everyone gazed at the Flames of the Goblet, captivated.

"As you now know, over the next twenty-four hours, until the end of the Halloween feast, the Goblet of Fire will select the names of three students from each school whom it believes best represent their respective institutions."

"Tonight, the Goblet of Fire will be placed in the entrance hall, and any student willing to enter can submit their name."

He waited in silence for a moment until everyone understood his words. Then he continued, "There are two important things to note. First, for Hogwarts students, I will set an age line—"

A buzz of discussions erupted, forcing him to raise his voice.

"Secondly, this is a sincere warning," Dumbledore's expression grew particularly serious, "I must remind everyone present that the Triwizard Tournament is no child's play. It is a magical and binding contract that must not be violated. Once a champion is selected by the Goblet of Fire, they must carry through with the competition to the end. Therefore, please think carefully before acting."

"Wishing you all a good night."

As he sat down, the Great Hall erupted in chatter.

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