A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

"Krum's transformation into a shark, and his proposal for collaboration with other schools—" Karkaroff eagerly spoke up.

"I must remind you, Karkaroff," Bagman sharply interjected, "the proposals for cooperation come from two people. Krum from Durmstrang sought out the Uagadou team, while Hogwarts' Diggory contacted Beauxbatons and Uagadou."

"But Krum was the first to consider it, wasn't he?" Karkaroff smoothly replied.

"That's true, but with both his teammates captured by the merfolk, he was left alone. How could he not cooperate..." Bagman's voice trailed off.

Dumbledore nodded slightly, calmly stating, "At least we can confirm both champions proposed cooperation, which aligns with our principles. They deserve points for that."

"Potter's taming of the Snitchfish was quite ingenious..."

"Indeed, it was spectacular, but it might not qualify as point-worthy."

"Why not?"

"Gentlemen, our competition isn't about aesthetics but the valuable qualities showcased during the process."

As it threatened to escalate again, the judges momentarily set the issue aside. Felix inquired, "Who was the first to collect the golden gems? I was underwater and missed that."

Bagman promptly responded, "It was Potter. He had a significant lead early on. While others had only gathered two or three, he found five. Both he and Krum are excellent seekers, with exceptional dynamic vision. Krum lagged only in his slower movement, relying solely on swimming."

"Granger ranked second, nearly on par with Potter's timing. Miss Granger's efficiency was due to her discovery of the secret layout."

"That's subject to doubt; someone might be cheating," Karkaroff interjected.

"Come off it," Bagman retorted, irritated. "She decoded the blue-level challenge faster than anyone else. It's her forte. You can't deny that!"

"We'll continue," Dumbledore pleasantly reminded. "By the way, Miss Granger is exceptionally bright and excels in some subjects compared to graduates."

The judges continued discussing—

"Igboanian gathered the most alchemical items and used the Water Whirl spell collectively, buying enough time—"

"Potter's Patronus was crucial."

"Uagadou's distinctive gesture casting was noteworthy. The final transformation broke the Merpeople's camp."

"Yes, it even broke two pillars, sending the Merpeople into a frenzy."

"But the effect was remarkably clear..."

"Everyone, you've overlooked something," Madame Maxime pursed her lips. "Only two teams' champions weren't captured by the Merpeople throughout. One was Beauxbatons, and their captain, Fleur, decisively accepted the invitation to rescue others. Her spirit is commendable."

"Madame Maxime," Karkaroff sternly said, "Miss Delacour's spirit is commendable, but the other two champions were simply too slow to progress... barely faster than the last one, precisely, just enough to evade the Merpeople's pursuit."

"What do you mean?" Madame Maxime's face turned cold. "At least Jacqueline and Francois collected seven gems each, and Diggory didn't even make it out with a protective shield."

"Buweck doesn't even qualify as a champion. I wish he could be replaced." Karkaroff said, disgusted, shocking the headmasters. He then said with a straight face, "I'm only joking. Can we actually change participants?"

"That's hard to say."

Felix glanced at the sky, murmuring, "Anything could happen." The sky today was exceptionally blue, as if washed with water. Karkaroff glared fiercely at him, making the atmosphere momentarily awkward.

Perhaps even Karkaroff himself thought, if the rules allowed, he wouldn't mind a substitution.

Felix began to contemplate his Book of Magic. With continuous filling and expansion, it had become more refined, undergoing a marvelous transformation, as if developing its own will.

It stored an abundance of magical texts and power, akin to a genuine magical world, evolving hundreds of changes every minute. These alterations steered the Book towards stability, constantly improving itself.

He had to slow down; now he dared not keep the book directly in his mental cabin anymore. If it exploded, the stored magic would not be a trivial matter.

Moreover, he gained a lot of inspiration from it. New magical texts would spontaneously appear from time to time.

"Felix?" Dumbledore softly asked, standing beside him, watching the clear sky.

"Don't you need to join the discussion?"

Dumbledore smiled faintly, "Bagman seems more active than me, and besides, I must say, Hogwarts' champions' performance was commendable enough not to be overlooked..."

It took considerable time; the judges only reached limited consensus. Fudge checked the time and spoke, "Continuing the argument further is futile; let's start scoring."

There were no objections. Bagman added, "Based on the last scoring process, we've added a new rule: if a judge's score significantly differs and fails to convince others, we will consider canceling the contentious score."

Karkaroff gave him a cold glance, but he didn't voice any opposition. Some advantages could only be exploited once.

After a while, Ludo Bagman's amplified voice resounded again, and the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, considering multiple factors, we've decided to base our evaluation on—number of people exiting the protective shield, quantity of collected golden gems, and whether they were taken hostage—while adding points for exceptional displays. We'll score the champions out of a base of seventy."

"The first team, champions: Cedric Diggory, Collins Flee, Roger Davies. Three individuals exited the shield, with two collecting seven golden gems, and one captured by the Merpeople after gathering five gems. Remarkable displays include: efficient use of ice bombs, and initiating cooperation with other schools. After the comprehensive assessment, we award them 59 points."

Applause erupted from the stands; Collins stood in silence, Cedric and Roger trying to console her.

"I should've been more careful," she lamented.

"The second team, champions: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley. Three individuals exited the shield, all collecting seven golden gems and none taken hostage, finishing the challenge first. Impressive performances include: taming the Snitchfish; discerning the layout and structure of the challenge, aiding other teams without anyone taken hostage. We give them 67 points."

"Fantastic!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione exclaimed. Hermione was still draped in her blanket, surrounded by thunderous applause and whistles. She nudged Harry and Ron, gesturing towards Collins.

"It's not that big of a deal," Ron grumbled, "I mean, if you're unlucky enough to encounter a whole Merfolk brigade right out the gate, you're toast..."

"But I was speaking up for her..." Ron said, feeling utterly unjustified.

"But I bet Bagman got a hefty advertising fee from Professor Hype!" Ron yelled into the warm breeze, amidst the thunderous applause, adding, "I bet Bagman got paid by Professor Hype!"

Harry couldn't help but agree, clapping vigorously along with the crowd. This was it... three months of long preparation, the third project in four months, and

the first result that actually mattered!

But the greatest difference wasn't the points; it was that grin on Hermione's face!

>

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