Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 279, Section 278: Hermione's Fighting Spirit and the New Rules of the Competition

Fighting spirit! Mobilize!!
“Well, even if you say that… the fact is you were very impatient and stuttering just now, which made you seem weak,” Fred said with a shrug. “Don’t look at me like that. If you want to defeat your enemy, you have to at least acknowledge her strengths.”

“Oh, Merlin’s underwear, George,” Ron muttered, taking a sip of soup. “You talk like Dumbledore.”

“Shut up, idiot, I’m Fred,” Fred said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, that girl definitely has an advantage. She’s beautiful, confident, and most importantly, she’s brave enough to make her stance clear to Harry. That’s much braver than you.”

"I...I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione stammered again, only then realizing belatedly that what she had been trying so hard to hide was so obvious—that the people around her had already seen through her.

This sudden exposure tonight caught her off guard.

“Oh, come on, Hermione,” Lavender said with a helpless expression, “Why can’t you face your own heart? Do you know how many girls in all of Hogwarts are jealous that you can come and go in the Headmaster’s office at will, and even have dinner with Harry in the Great Totem from time to time?”

"Don't be so ambiguous! It was just a barbecue party! It wasn't just me! Ron was there! Neville was there too!!" Hermione said, somewhat annoyed.

“Say what you will,” Lavender said bluntly, “but the fact is you’re the only girl there, well, and we all know you like Harry—you spend so much time in the library every day, Hermione, that you have no idea what other people are saying about you.”

“Ha! Why should I care what they think?” Hermione said, arms crossed and head held high.

“Yes, if that’s the case, why were you so nervous just now? If you don’t care what we think,” Lavender said, suppressing a laugh, “I don’t understand what you’re hiding. Why can’t you just say you love someone? Take me for example, I like Ron. I’ve liked him ever since he saved me last year, so I boldly told him—and it turns out I didn’t make the wrong choice, did I, darling?”

“Of course!” Ron nodded without hesitation. “I’m Ron Weasley! Choosing me is definitely the right choice!”

Hermione... she's given up hope.

She had completely given up hope on Ron, who was deeply in love.

This man's mind is completely filled with Lavender!

“Don’t worry about such trivial things, Hermione,” George comforted her. “Don’t forget where you are right now!”

"...The Great Hall?" Hermione asked, somewhat bewildered.

“Wrong! It’s Hogwarts!” Fred replied decisively. “At a time like this, you represent not just yourself, but the entire Hogwarts! And Fleur represents Beauxbatons! We won’t let a French woman steal our headmaster away!”

“That’s right!” Lee Jordan nodded repeatedly, “When it comes to matters of school honor, you’re not fighting alone. We’re all behind you!”

"School honor?" Hermione stammered, somewhat surprised that something like this could be elevated to such a level.

Isn't that a bit exaggerated?
“That’s it,” George said with a look of satisfaction. “Think about it, what if that woman wins Harry over and gets him to be the headmaster of Beauxbatons? What if she makes him settle in France? What if she gets Harry to move the Earth Ring to France?”

“Absolutely not! That would be a huge loss for Hogwarts!” Neville blurted out instinctively. “It would be a loss for England!”

The episode that best illustrates the friendship between Britain and France.

"But what can we do?" Hermione asked blankly, already having accepted this premise in her mind.

“We need to make you undergo a major change,” Lavender said, stroking his chin as he looked Hermione up and down. “At least make you, uh, become more like a woman? At least make Harry realize that you’re not just one of his good friends or a little girl, but a woman he can marry.”

"Get married?!" This shocking word made Hermione's head seem to steam for a moment. "So early? No, I mean—we're only in our third year!"

Is this something a third-grade student should be thinking about?!
Have you finished your papers on transfiguration?
"It's getting late," Lavender waved his hand and said, "Didn't you know that many students at Hogwarts get married right after graduation?"

Unlike Hermione, Lavender, who is completely normal, well, not very studious but focuses her energy on all sorts of gossip, actually knows more about these things.

"Think about it, we're already in our third year. If we start dating now, we only have four years left before graduation. What if your first relationship fails? Wouldn't you just try getting to know someone else? Four years isn't enough time, and you can only truly know what kind of person someone is by dating for several years, right?"

"Is that right? This doesn't make sense!" Hermione couldn't help but complain. "It's not like you have to get married right after graduation. Do you have to date in school?"

“It might not be necessary for others, but it’s not necessarily the same for you,” Lavender said, shaking her finger. “How can you guarantee that Harry won’t meet any girls who catch his eye during these four years? And how can you guarantee that Fleur won’t win Harry’s heart even if you do nothing?”

“Yes, most importantly, Harry is different from us. He’s the headmaster, which means he can access a lot of women outside that we can’t,” Fred said with a shrug. “You know how many admirers he has. Age is no limit for wizards.”

“…Harry only wants to revive the shamanic way, he said that,” Hermione muttered after a moment of silence.

But to be honest, even she herself didn't believe that statement.

Because she had read many books, and they all said that when love truly arrives, no one knows what they are capable of doing.

Harry will definitely be like that too!

Harry was naturally unaware of the conspiracy unfolding around the Gryffindor table. He was busy entertaining the guests who had come from afar at the head table, and even when he occasionally glanced at the students below, he only saw a few of his friends discussing something with serious expressions.

—They might be discussing what competition events might be included in the new Three Kingdoms Tournament?

That's Harry's guess.

“Welcome, but you’re a little too late,” Harry said, rising to greet the people who entered.

"Excuse me, Headmaster Potter," the leading man hadn't spoken yet, but the man behind him quickly explained, "As you know, undertaking so many dangerous projects and receiving so many tourists at once puts a lot of work on the Ministry of Magic." "I understand," Harry nodded slightly and said, "but I didn't expect that you, Mr. Crouch, would be reinstated. Scrimgeour is indeed a magnanimous man."

“I admit I have made mistakes, and I admit my son is indeed a heinous Death Eater—but that doesn’t mean I’m a bad person, and I’ve dedicated my life to fighting evil,” Crouch said in a hoarse voice. “I have a clear conscience, Principal Potter.”

“I agree,” Harry said, shaking hands with Crouch. “Please have a seat; your seats are over there.”

How should I put it? Although Crouch imprisoned Sirius in Azkaban without trial and made him suffer unjustly for so many years, Harry doesn't actually resent him.

He even admired Crouch quite a bit.

He was selfless and dedicated his life to fighting crime and evil. Even during Voldemort's most arrogant period more than a decade ago, he did not bow down. Despite his high position and power, he still personally led the Aurors to fight on the front lines.

It might seem unfair to Sirius, but when Voldemort fell, too many Death Eaters claimed they were merely under the influence of the Imperius Curse and were trying to escape trial. Therefore, Crouch's insistence that anyone with a criminal record or evidence of a crime should be tried was not necessarily a bad thing.

Only ruthless methods can contend with the inhuman Voldemort and Death Eaters... After all, Sirius himself didn't protest his innocence at the time.

Perhaps Barty Crouch's biggest stain is his Death Eater son, who caused him to lose his position as Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the possibility of becoming Minister of Magic, and instead he was transferred to the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation.

When the truth about Sirius Black's case came to light twelve years later, Crouch even lost his position as Minister of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation. Well, it seems that Scrimgeour has reinstated him.

"Before we begin to formally introduce some of the rules of the Triwizard Tournament, please allow me to introduce two additional guests, as you are unlikely to recognize them. This is Mr. Barty Crouch, Minister of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic."

After Harry finished speaking, a sparse clapping sounded in the Great Hall.

The students actually recognized Barty Crouch; after all, the old man's story had been frequently in the newspapers last year, and Rita had practically exposed everything about him.

It's worth mentioning that because of Sirius Black's case, most of the students harbored, well... hostility towards Crouch.

"And this gentleman next to me is Mr. Ludo Bagman, the Director of the Department of Physical Education and Sports at the Ministry of Magic."

The applause for Bagman was much louder than that for Crouch, because Bagman was a well-known batter before he officially became the director of the Department of Sport this year.

He smiled and waved as a greeting.

"Logically, there should be a Muggle representative at our long table right now, but since many things haven't been finalized yet, these are the only people here for now."

Harry continued.

"Over the past few months, Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch, along with their staff, have worked tirelessly to arrange the new Triwizard Tournament."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but a huge competition building is under construction in that area near the foot of the mountain, far from the castle. This is proof of their hard work."

"Therefore, I am honored to announce that Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman, together with me, Ms. Maxim, Professor Karkaroff, and the two Muggle prime ministers who are not present at the moment, will form a judging panel to evaluate the warriors' efforts."

Perhaps it was the word "warrior" that spurred the students below to listen with even greater focus.

“Filch? Please bring the box up.”

"Yes, mentor."

Filch, who had been prepared in advance, respectfully presented a large wooden box inlaid with jewels. Putting everything else aside, the box itself was already an antique.

"The specific competition events for the warriors this year have been carefully reviewed by the three principals, Mr. Crouch, and Mr. Bagman. Both student warriors and professor warriors will be given a challenge that matches their abilities. I must remind you again that this does not mean that the competition events are absolutely safe. You may still face death."

"If you really die, all we can do is close our eyes and mourn for you."

"Therefore, be serious and make a careful decision."

"There will be three programs in total, held at different times throughout the school year. Oh, Hogwarts students, remember that you need two signatures to register. This is not a joke. Anyone who violates this rule will be expelled from the school."

Harry's calm words silenced the crowd. This was the difference between him and Dumbledore; at least Dumbledore would never threaten students with expulsion.

But it must be said that this move was indeed quite effective, and it was extremely effective in calming down those audacious students who wanted to try some unorthodox methods.

"Let's continue explaining the competition rules. Both the student and professor groups will face three challenges, but the challenges for the two groups are completely different. The student group's competition will proceed first, followed by the professor group's."

"They will test warriors in different ways, from courage and intelligence, or rather, their ability to adapt to changing circumstances and overcome danger."

“Each school will have six warriors, three of whom will be selected from the students and the other three from the professors. The judging panel will score them based on the quality of their performance in each competition. After the three competitions are completed, the school with the highest overall score will win the Triwizard Cup.”

"Another thing I want to mention is that this competition is very different from previous ones. Although the school with the highest overall score will win the trophy in this Triwizard Tournament, the warrior with the highest individual score will still receive a trophy."

"So never give up, even if your teammates aren't playing well."

(End of this chapter)