Infinite Horror: The Strongest Zhongzhou Team

A huge, exquisitely crafted, even seemingly perfect wooden goblet appeared before everyone's eyes.

The cup is engraved with vivid images, which are full of traces of time and are too beautiful to look at directly.

However, what is most captivating is the strange, blue-white flame dancing inside the enormous cup.

The flame was not scorching hot; instead, it emitted a cold and mysterious light.

"The Goblet of Fire!"

Dumbledore's voice carried a sense of declaration.

"The contestants for the semifinals!"

At this moment, everyone's attention was drawn to the flickering blue and white flames.

Dumbledore was very pleased with the atmosphere at that moment.

"I have a few words to say here!"

Eternal glory.

It will belong to the student who wins the semi-final cup.

However, to gain this honor, three tasks must be completed.

All three tasks will be extremely difficult.

So, students who want to become warriors.

If you think you are ready, then drop the parchment with your name and school on it into the cup.

The Goblet of Fire will select the warrior it believes best represents each school at tomorrow's Halloween dinner!

But I must emphasize this again.

Remember all the students.

The moment the parchment bearing your name and the House is tossed into the Goblet of Fire, you signify that you have accepted the Goblet of Fire's magical contract.

Your courage, your ability, your knowledge, and your wisdom will all be known to this Goblet of Fire.

Dumbledore's tone turned serious.

"Once selected for the Goblet of Fire, you must participate."

This is not just about honor; it also means that you have signed a magical contract and must complete all the competition events.

At the same time, the competition is bound to be full of unknown dangers, and may even endanger lives!

Therefore, please consider this carefully.

After saying this, Dumbledore's heavy and serious gaze fell on each of them.

"Therefore, the Ministry of Magic decided to introduce new rules."

The specific requirements for the Goblet of Fire tournament will be announced personally by the Director of the International Ministry of Magic.

After Dumbledore finished speaking, everyone's eyes shifted to Barty Crouch.

This person didn't launch into a long explanation, but instead stated directly:

"For safety reasons, those under the age of seventeen are prohibited from registering for the four finalists of the Fire Cup this time!"

As soon as those words were spoken, a chorus of groans erupted throughout the hall.

As for the other three, to be sure, two of them have not made any moves.

Just by looking at them, you can tell that the students they sent to Hogwarts are all seventh-year students.

That is to say, each of them is at least eighteen years old.

The loudest wailing and protests in the entire auditorium came from the fifth and fourth graders.

Because they are also the closest to meeting this condition.

Some are only six months or even a few months apart.

Looking at the noisy Great Hall, Dumbledore took over the seat.

The dean's sharp gaze swept across the room, lingering particularly on the younger students for a moment.

"Tomorrow night, the Goblet of Fire will make its choice! Now—"

Dumbledore opened his arms, and a highly infectious smile returned to his face:
Let's enjoy this welcome dinner to the fullest!

After saying that, a spell flashed across Dumbledore's hands.

As soon as he finished speaking, the previously empty golden plate was instantly filled with a sumptuous spread of food.

A rich aroma wafted to the noses of every student.

Looking around, almost everyone swallowed hard.

Roast chicken, steak, pork chops, sausages, various vegetables, pies, mashed potatoes... and a mountain of Yorkshire pudding.

The abundant food also appeased most of the protesting students.

The beverage cup was automatically filled with pumpkin juice and butter beer.

The atmosphere in the auditorium instantly shifted from solemn to jubilant.

This method of countering protests has indeed been effective.

Soon the entire auditorium became lively.

Cheng Xiao, who was alone at the table, immediately reverted to his baby form, jumped to the middle of the table, and began to eat voraciously.

After all, the meals we've had recently haven't been as plentiful as tonight's.

The Hogwarts students enthusiastically introduced the food to the guests at the next table, while the Beauxbatons girls sipped it gracefully.

The boys at Durmstrang, on the other hand, were keen on high-calorie meat dishes.

As Harry, Ron, and Hermione ate, they couldn't help but glance frequently at the metal cup with its blue and white flames dancing beside the teachers' table, as well as the representatives of the other two very different magic schools.

The prelude to the semi-finals officially began amidst the aroma of food and the lively chatter of the crowd.
-
Amidst the cacophony of sounds in the auditorium, a soft, almost inconspicuous sound broke the silence.

If Cheng Xiao hadn't been paying close attention to this corner, he probably wouldn't have noticed it.

His gaze turned toward the side door of the auditorium.

A limping figure slowly walked in.

Cheng Xiao narrowed his eyes, and couldn't help but marvel at the power of plot inertia.

Even with Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, present, they still sent this person over.

"Wait, that's Mad-Eye Moody!"

Even though most students were focused on the food in front of them, some of them still noticed this person's presence.

Neville, who was eating, heard the sound and looked over excitedly:

"Alastor Moody? That Auror?"

He is my idol!

"Walter?"

Ron and Hermione both looked at the person who spoke in surprise.

Ron is serious:

"Navie, you're not mistaken?"

"Is this your idol?"

Neville nodded.

"Because I know he captured many Death Eaters."

Ron nodded in agreement.

Those around who heard Neville's voice instinctively looked towards the side entrance of the auditorium.

Harry was no exception.

Because this guy named Moody is a peculiar person.

His face was covered with scars of varying depths, and he even had a large piece of his nose missing.

His facial features and skin were in extremely poor condition.

He also has sparse, grayish-white hair.

However, his most distinctive features are a normal, small, black eye and a large, round, bright blue demon eye.

Moreover, this larger eyeball was secured with a wooden frame and a leather strap.

It is clearly a prosthetic eye.

Across the table, Ginny asked, "So, what is an Auror?"

Ron's expressive explanation:
"He's specifically tasked with capturing dark wizards and Death Eaters, and I've heard that he's responsible for capturing half of Azkaban!"

"However, the newspapers said he was crazy, and some people said he had mental problems because he captured too many Death Eaters."

Ginny pressed on, "Then why do you call him Mad Eyes?"

Hermione looked up and explained, "I know that."

It's said that many years ago, during a capture, his left eye was gouged out by a Death Eater's pet. "After the battle, he used some kind of magical alchemy to forge his eyeball into a prosthetic eye, which is the one he wears now."

"And what about his feet?"

Ron: "Naturally, it was the attack that occurred while capturing other dark mages."

“I heard from my father that Moody may not be the strongest, but his combat ability is definitely among the best in the entire British Ministry of Magic.”

This person possesses extensive practical experience and superb combat skills.

"And I also know that this Mad-Eye Moody is a friend of Dean Dumbledore."

Now that he's here again, I'm guessing he might become our teacher.

Ron: "Oh, he's watching us."

Hermione: "No, he's looking at Harry."

Dumbledore, who was in the front row and also saw Moody arrive, got up and went over to greet him.

Moody looked at himself, soaked to the bone, and said, "This weather is absolutely terrible."

Dumbledore smiled and said, "In any case, I welcome my friends."

Cheng Xiao looked at the two reminiscing with a strange expression.

Did he genuinely not know that Dumbledore was feigning ignorance, or did he genuinely fail to recognize that this was an imposter posing as Moody using Polyjuice Potion?

Or perhaps Dumbledore knew from the beginning?

Unfortunately, this point wasn't mentioned in the horror movie.

The two men were putting on a show of politeness, acting like old friends meeting again.

Cheng Xiao just wants to say that a spy who isn't a good actor isn't a good Death Eater.

However, he quickly realized a problem.

So when exactly was this person replaced by Batistuta?

Is it not now, so this is still the real deal?
Has Barty Jr. not made a move yet?

When Dumbledore sat down again, Moody did not return to his seat.

Instead, he leaned against the wall, took out a cup from his pocket, and took a sip, but his gaze remained fixed on Harry's direction the entire time.

Ron, head bowed, asked, "Why do you think Moody is looking at Harry?"

Harry smiled wryly: "It's definitely not because I'm handsome."

Hermione turned to the side: "I think it's because Harry fought with that guy before."

"After all, didn't Ron just say that this guy is extremely keen on capturing Death Eaters?"

Harry didn't join the discussion; instead, he looked across at the other person and asked:

"Ginny, do you still need pumpkin porridge?"

Seeing that the other person nodded, Harry handed another bowl to Ginny across from him.

It was during this discussion among the students that...

The people at the very front, that is, the top row, also had a new topic to discuss.

Of course, these were all trivial topics.

After all, it's not appropriate to discuss those kinds of things in this kind of setting.

“Dean Dumbledore, my horse has had a long journey and needs careful care.”

“Mrs. Maxim, our Forbidden Forest Guardian, Hagrid…”

As Dumbledore spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to a huge figure in the corner.

"Hagrid will definitely be able to take good care of those horses."

Hagrid, holding a knife and fork, nodded vigorously in the direction of the two principals.

Even sitting down, Mrs. Maxim was now much taller than the other Hogwarts professors around her.

Therefore, there was no blind spot, and he had already seen Hagrid, who also had the blood of giants.

“Mr. Hagrid, you should know that they only drink single malt whisky.”

"Oh, beautiful lady, believe me, I'm a professional at taking care of animals, and they will all be my children."

Mrs. Maxim nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.

This led to Hagrid getting drunk that night while embracing the winged pegasi.

Hagrid, sleeping in the stable, was unaware that several uninvited guests had turned his hut into a meeting point.

This area is not within the barrier but rather within the forbidden forest.

In other words, the Displacement spell can be used here.

Almost at the same time the clock struck midnight.

The air suddenly distorted, and then a dark shadow materialized.

In an instant, Dobby appeared in the stone house with Harry and Ron.

A hand suddenly reached out from the space in front of the three of them, and after unfolding the invisibility cloak, Hermione and Cheng Xiao were revealed inside.

After meeting up as planned, Cheng Xiao hadn't even had a chance to speak yet.

Kreacher appeared out of nowhere in the corner with another figure.

But at the very moment this person appeared.

"All petrified!"

A sharp shout accompanied by a white light rushed towards Cheng Xiao on Hermione's shoulder.

The magical abilities in the Harry Potter world have many drawbacks, but also quite a few advantages.

For example, in a situation like this, if a spell is cast first, there is basically no chance of it being dodged.

The person who used this magic thought the same thing.

But it's the next moment.

A pale white protective shield appeared from the end of the magical light, then took the shape of an oval and enveloped Cheng Xiao and Hermione.

"godfather?"

"Blake?"

"what are you doing?"

"No, wait for Cheng Xiao!"

Ahead came the gasps of surprise from Harry and his friends.

The last sentence is Hermione's attempt to stop it after seeing a huge metal construct appear in front of her.

Opposite the six gun barrels gleaming coldly was Blake, wand in hand, his eyes sharp.

However, at this moment, with the appearance of the Gatling gun in Cheng Xiao's hand, he melted again and transformed into a black giant dog more than two meters tall in the blink of an eye.

He was baring his teeth and staring directly at Cheng Xiao.

Because under that silver gun barrel, Blake felt a deadly threat.

five minutes later.

Hermione drew her wand: "Fluorescence!"

Soft white light illuminated the room.

Cheng Xiao had returned to his normal appearance, but the baby's expression was extremely strange.

Because he had just been identified by Sirius Black as one of Voldemort's henchmen.

He is a traitor and spy lurking among Harry Potter's side.

Fortunately, thanks to the persuasive skills of the main trio and the protagonist's halo, Blake was able to change his mistaken viewpoint.

As the soft light illuminated the room, Black opened his arms and embraced Harry.

Cheng Xiao continued with one of the topics they had just discussed:

"Just like I said, as long as you do as I say, you will definitely be able to find Peter Pettigrew, and then you can show up openly, Black."

Black patted the excited Harry on the shoulder.

After parting ways, he nodded to Cheng Xiao and said, "Sorry, Cheng Xiao."

"I acted impulsively at first."

"By the way, I brought Kreacher with me this time. You've probably already met him. What's next?"

"And Harry's nightmare..."

Cheng Xiao nodded in interruption:

"I've resolved the nightmare. If nothing unexpected happens, Harry shouldn't be able to be mentally invaded by Voldemort again."

"But just in case, I hope you'll teach the Occupation Charm to those three as soon as possible." (End of Chapter)