Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 280, Section 279: Percy's Graduation Plan and Hibiscus
The total score of each school's warriors will determine whether they can win the Triwizard Cup. However, if their teammates perform poorly, they don't need to be discouraged and give up, because there are also individual awards. This ensures the basic entertainment value of the competition and prevents it from becoming a flop due to the poor performance of the losing warriors.

"But Professor, you haven't said whether you'll participate in the competition!" a student suddenly shouted. "It's the professors' group competition!"

“Of course not,” Harry said confidently. “We’ll be responsible for scoring the champions, so you don’t need to worry about Madam Maxim, Professor Karkaroff, and I making the competition even fiercer.”

A burst of laughter erupted.

"By the way, although the three of us won't be directly involved in the competition, as the principals of each school, the three of us will have an exhibition match—you can look forward to it."

The students immediately became excited. After all, fighting beasts has been a hobby that has remained unchanged since ancient times, and which of the three magic schools is the most powerful has always been a topic of discussion. Now, this topic is finally going to have a public result.

"In short, according to Dumbledore, the one responsible for selecting the warriors is an absolutely impartial selector, and that is the Goblet of Fire."

As he said this, Harry opened the wooden box and took out a wooden goblet that was burning with blue and white flames.

It's not exquisite at all; on the contrary, the carving is quite rough. Without the blue flame, it would be completely unremarkable.

“Write your name and school name on a piece of parchment and drop it into this goblet,” Harry said, patting the goblet. “Just a reminder, only those who meet the requirements can sign up. You have 24 hours. Tomorrow night, Halloween night, the goblet will choose the names of the eighteen champions it thinks best represent the three schools. From now on, the goblet will be placed in the foyer.”

“As your headmaster, I must solemnly remind you that you must be responsible for your own lives,” Harry emphasized tirelessly. “Never participate rashly because of a momentary impulse or being blinded by honor and money. Once you are chosen for the Goblet of Fire, no matter how difficult the competition is or how many people die, the champion must finish the competition, or he will pay the price with his life.”

"Putting in a piece of paper is equivalent to signing a magical contract that must be obeyed. Even Dumbledore cannot break such a contract, so don't take any chances."

“I have nothing else to say,” Harry said after thinking for a moment and making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. “Now, let’s eat.”

The news of the three-way battle for supremacy captivated many, causing them to forget about hunger. But now, it's time to bring it back.

The men of Beauxbatons rested in their carriages, while the men of Durmstrang returned to their ships.

The next day, Halloween, happened to be a Saturday. Usually, many students would eat breakfast very late on this day, but today, people were already waiting in the lobby before it was even fully light.

It was almost like some kind of mysterious ritual. Even though many people couldn't get their names into the Goblet of Fire, they just loved waiting there to watch others do it.

By the time Harry arrived for breakfast, Durmstrang students had already registered, since those selected by both schools were their respective elites.

"Have you signed up, Percy?" Harry asked the red-haired boy, standing beside the Goblet of Fire.

“Yes, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick gave me permission,” Percy said with a smile. “They said I have a good chance.”

"I also think you're great, keep it up!" Harry encouraged. "By the way, what about you and Penelope?"

“Cough cough cough cough!!” Percy, who had been calm just moments before, started coughing the moment the topic came up. He leaned closer and whispered, “Don’t talk about this outside, Harry. I still have to maintain my dignity in front of the younger students—Penelope and I are doing well, it’s just that she doesn’t really want to go to the Ministry of Magic right after graduation.”

Percy and Penelope are already in seventh grade, which means that some of Harry's first batch of apprentices are about to graduate.

“And you want to get into the Ministry of Magic?” Harry asked. “What does Penelope want to do?”

“Yes, I want to become Minister of Magic,” Percy sighed and said. “As for Penelope, she wants to officially become a member of the Earth Ring after graduation and then spread the shamanic way… I’ve wanted to too, but after trying so many times, I’ve realized that I may not really have the talent for it, and the elements don’t like me.”

“Everyone has their own strengths, Percy, there’s no need to be discouraged by this,” Harry comforted him. “We’re wizards, aren’t we? Even if Penelope doesn’t join the Ministry of Magic, it won’t be difficult for you to meet. Well, it’s a good thing that you’re striving for your ideals.”

“I think it’s great too, it’s just that Fred and George keep saying weird things,” Percy shrugged. “Why can’t the Weasley kids be ministers? I originally wanted to go to Mr. Crouch’s, because he’s fair, selfless, and even Dad praises him for being very capable and admirable, but Mr. Crouch…”

Sirius's case did have some impact on Percy.

“Crouch… I don’t really have any issues with Crouch, and I admire what he did, for being able to treat himself as the son of a Death Eater with impartiality,” Harry thought for a moment and said, “But Percy, I don’t really recommend you go work for Crouch.”

"Why?" Percy's eyes widened. "Because of Sirius?"

“Not Sirius, but because he’s actually a bit…too rigid? Or rather, too arrogant?” Harry thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know if you remember, but last night when I was introducing him and Bagman to you, Bagman greeted you normally, but Crouch seemed not to hear me, he just sat there without smiling.”

“...It seems so,” Percy scratched his head, “that’s true.”

“I don’t really like people like that,” Harry said frankly. “And you, your problem is that you read too many books, Percy, and you lack experience in dealing with different situations.”

“You and Hermione are actually the same kind of people, and you are even better than Hermione,” Harry said seriously. “You learn about the world through books, but the knowledge in books, well, I’m not saying they’re wrong, but they are often embellished or beautified—when you actually graduate and enter society, you will find that many of the situations described in books will not actually happen.”

"Your honesty, diligence, and hard work are, in some people's eyes, synonyms for being easy to bully and take advantage of. But the position of Minister of Magic, Percy, I can tell you clearly, is not a position that you can achieve simply by being diligent, down-to-earth, and hardworking."

"Those who can become Minister of Magic either possess magical power far exceeding that of ordinary wizards, so that even if you yourself are unwilling, someone will suggest that you become the minister, or you need to coordinate the interests of all parties, pure-blood nobles, Muggle-born wizards, and win supporters for yourself. Only in this way can you become the minister through compromise."

As advice from the headmaster to an outstanding student, Harry explained things very clearly. Percy, the "pure-blood nobleman," looked grim. "They've always looked down on my family. I can't choose them."

“Yeah, so you can only choose Muggle-born wizards and non-pure-blood wizards,” Harry said, patting Percy’s arm.

"If I don't go to the Ministry of Magic, where would you suggest I go, Harry?" Percy asked, somewhat bewildered.

“I recommend that you go out and explore after you graduate,” Harry shrugged. “You could become an adventurer, like in Lockhart’s books, but of course, don’t do what Lockhart did.”

“Of course not,” Percy said immediately.

“In the process, you will meet all kinds of people, good people, bad people, ordinary people, disgusting people... When you roughly understand how to deal with different people, you will be ready to go to the Ministry of Magic,” Harry said seriously. “And this time will not take too long. With your intelligence, you should be able to go on adventures outside for a year or two at most.”

“An adventurer…” Percy murmured to himself, “Mom will probably be unhappy. She was against Bill going to Gringotts back then.”

“Mrs. Weasley just loves you too much. She wants to see her children every day, but we all know that’s impossible. You will eventually have your own lives,” Harry said calmly. “Don’t hurt your family, but don’t blindly obey them either. Chicks can only grow up when they leave the nest.”

“…I understand.” Taking a deep breath, Percy seemed to have made up his mind. He suddenly said, “So, it seems like I can be with Penelope again? She’s joined the Earth Ring, right?”

"Not yet, but she'll join after she graduates this year. I need her to represent the shamans in traveling to the Ministries of Magic around the world to help them quell the elemental disasters—and what does it mean to be able to be with her again?"

“If you’re thinking of breaking up with me because Penelope won’t go to the Ministry of Magic with you, then I’ll show you how tough my fists are.” Harry clenched his right fist and said with a forced smile, “I still remember how you and Penelope got together. I could accept it if you broke up for other reasons, but this reason…”

"Of course not!" Percy's face flushed red as he stammered, "What I mean is, I can go with her all over the world! That's an adventure, isn't it? That way, she won't have to go through the trouble of coming back to England to see me, and we can see each other every day!"

“Well, you better be,” Harry snorted.

As a mentor, he felt it was necessary to protect his apprentice's love. Penelope was truly head over heels for Percy, and it was best for two people in love to have a happy ending. Harry loved seeing this kind of thing.

Good morning, Principal Potter.

Just as Harry was giving Percy pointers, a group of Beauxbatons pushed open the door and walked in. The girl named Fleur came over and greeted Harry.

"Good morning, Fleur," Harry said politely. "I wonder if the food at Hogwarts suits your taste?"

“Quite good,” Hibiscus said with a smile. “I especially liked the French-style mixed fish soup.”

“This is great news for our house-elves,” Harry laughed. “They’ve learned a lot of new recipes in advance to welcome our guests from afar.”

“They are really diligent, unlike the house-elves of Beauxbatons, who always have the same dishes,” Fleur said, feigning a complaint.

“Actually, Hogwarts is the same,” Percy suddenly said. “If it weren’t for the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts’ menu wouldn’t have changed much in seven years.”

As a member of Gryffindor, and especially as the older brother of the troublesome twins Fred and George, Percy always maintained a high degree of vigilance towards his younger brothers, and thus learned of Fred and George's new plans made the previous night.

So, as a member of Hogwarts, and as Hermione's friend and senior, he felt he couldn't let Harry continue talking to this French woman—she was really beautiful. To be honest, Percy had wanted to stop her from the moment Fleur came over, but he was stunned the moment he saw the girl's face.

It was a little too late by the time I realized what was happening.

“Then I won’t bother you any longer. Could you wish me to become a warrior of Beauxbatons, Principal Potter?” Fleur smiled. “I am a big admirer of yours, and I believe your blessing will be of great use.”

“You will be a hero of Beauxbatons,” Harry said sincerely. “Mrs. Maxim told me how good and smart you are.”

"How much more beautiful is she?" Furong reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. This action made many students who were constantly glancing at her from the corner of their eyes gasp.

She possesses a captivating charm; this pose truly suits her.

“…Yes,” Harry was momentarily stunned by the beautiful scenery, “It is indeed very beautiful, but—”

“I inherited my grandmother’s Veela bloodline, and I never shy away from that,” Fleur said with a flourish, tossing her hair. “I hope you don’t discriminate against people with magical creature bloodlines.”

“Of course not,” Harry shook his head and said, “Only livestock and pets are distinguished by bloodline; humans don’t need such distinctions.”

"Thank you," Hibiscus blinked and said, "I knew you were different from ordinary people."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Percy started coughing loudly, and he felt he had to do something.

For my friends! For Hogwarts!!

(End of this chapter)