Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 303 Dumbledore's Stance

“Something was expected,” Dumbledore said. “Voldemort has made so many Horcruxes that his soul is likely shattered—I believe that on that night fourteen years ago, when he killed Lily and James, he inadvertently split his soul again, and that fragment took hold of the only living thing nearby… But to truly defeat Voldemort, we must destroy all the Horcruxes.”

“If I remove that spell, I can destroy Voldemort’s soul fragments,” Cohen said.

Dumbledore's blue eyes peered intently at Cohen through the top of his crescent-shaped spectacles.

“I believe you, Cohen, but unfortunately, there is no way to remove the protective spell on Harry—what protects Harry is his mother’s love, and love cannot be destroyed by a spell.”

“But we still have a chance. First, we need to figure out Voldemort’s purpose in wanting Harry to participate in the competition.” Dumbledore cleared his throat. “He has already obtained the body you gave him, but that body has no magical abilities, so he will inevitably look for other ways, such as… continuing his previous plans.”

"Following Voldemort's line of thinking, he would have believed that Harry's blood was an essential part of the new body. He wanted the same protection that Harry possessed to flow through his own body, so that he could bypass that protection and kill Harry directly—and thus, he would become the only one who could bypass the protection and destroy his own soul fragments."

"Are you so sure?" Cohen understood the subsequent facts, but he was puzzled by Dumbledore's confident statement.

“I believe in love,” Dumbledore said. “Not just Lily’s love for Harry, but Harry’s love for his parents, just as you love Rose and Edward. Voldemort spent his whole life trying to understand these feelings, which is why his pursuit of immortality was doomed to fail.”

“What if we fail?” Cohen asked Dumbledore.

"..." Dumbledore did not answer, but the look in his eyes as he looked at Cohen said it all.

"Is this love too?" Cohen asked.

"No." Dumbledore's eyes had become moist without him noticing, and something glistening had seeped into his white beard. "I am not a person suited to love, nor a person suited to be loved. All I can do is try my best to protect those who are capable of loving and being loved."

“My choice is to compete with Harry, so that Harry can come back alive after Voldemort gets his new body,” Cohen said. “You don’t object, do you?”

“As the headmaster, I didn’t hear anything.” Dumbledore blinked. “Ah, it’s almost lunchtime. I think we should go get lunch.”

Dumbledore stood up and led Cohen out of the office.

“Cohen, you are far more mature than children your age,” Dumbledore said. “But maturity often means a heavier burden and responsibilities that come too early.”

"But some burdens don't have to be borne. For a child, your health and happiness make your loved ones happier than career success. If you're tired, you can always go back to normal school life. I will—"

“No need,” Cohen said.

Just kidding, wouldn't it be a complete waste to not participate in the sin and goodwill points? There are also a bunch of mission rewards—I'm not that fragile.
-
Tonight is not only the day of the Warriors selection, but also the eve of Halloween, so the banquet is decorated with exceptional luxury.

In the evening, Cohen and his companions were heading back to the castle from Hagrid's cabin, as Hagrid was pressing Cohen about the farming of the blasting snails.

"It's doing quite well; feeding it some fire ash snake eggs is enough to keep it alive," Cohen said without batting an eye.

If Hagrid were to simply say that all those blasting snails were dead, he might be heartbroken for days.

"Ashfire snake eggs? I've never tried these before!" Hagrid's eyes lit up.

He was wearing a strange, furry suit, and his originally messy clumps of hair had been neatly combed, but the ends were wet and smelled of a suffocating perfume.

“Too much perfume,” Cohen said, pinching his nose. “Hagrid, if it’s a date, you can’t get close to anyone like this.”

"A date?!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

"With whom?!" Ron's eyes widened.

"It can't be..." Hermione took a deep breath.

"No way!" Hagrid said, his face flushed. "I'll go wash the perfume off..."

Half a minute after Hagrid went out, the sound of rushing water suddenly stopped. When they went outside, they could no longer see Hagrid near the cabin.

“There!” Hermione said, pointing to a spot not far away.

As Madam Maxim led her students from the carriage toward the castle, Hagrid had already run up to her side. While talking to Maxim, Hagrid's adoring gaze never left her.

"He's in love with her!" Ron exclaimed, his face filled with disbelief.

"Unsurprisingly, it's only natural that people want to marry someone of similar social standing," Cohen commented.

"Let's go quickly," Hermione sighed, urging, "Hopefully Hagrid can pull through."

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

“No matter how you look at it, Ms. Maxime will never be with Hagrid,” Hermione said pessimistically. “I mean, she’s the headmistress of Beauxbatons. If she were to marry Hagrid… well, the media frenzy would sweep across Europe.”

“She can’t just marry an ordinary person, can she?” Ron shook his head. “What kind of… I mean… that… sigh…”

When they returned to the auditorium, it was already packed with people, all eagerly awaiting the announcement of the chosen warrior.

"Angelina voted!" Fred and George said excitedly. "We really hope it was her."

"When did your beards stop falling out?" Hermione asked, because Fred and George had tried to cross the age line that morning, only to be stopped and given a huge white beard by magic. "Madam Pomfrey removed them in a second," Fred said nonchalantly. "Although we failed, Gryffindor still has a chance."

“Right now, we just want Angelina to be elected,” George said.

With this revelation segment, even the most lavish dinner didn't elicit much of a normal meal from anyone—except Cohen.

When Cohen finished peeling the last piece of steak, all the golden plates on the table suddenly became spotless.

Dumbledore began announcing where the chosen warriors would go after being selected—in a separate room on the side of the Great Hall.

Then, he took out his wand and waved it dramatically.

The entire auditorium darkened, leaving only the Goblet of Fire burning fiercely.

The first parchment that floated out was inscribed with Durmstrang's Krum.

“Not surprising at all!” Ron had to shout, as cheers and applause nearly drowned out the entire auditorium.

The second picture is of Fleur Delacour in Beauxbatons.

This time there wasn't as much applause and cheers, and the students at Beauxbatons seemed to want to be elected—two girls who weren't elected were sobbing on their desks.

The third picture is Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts, Hufflepuff House.

Unsurprisingly—because Cohen and Harry's names are attributed to a certain Russian magic school and Azkaban.

The cheers and applause at the Hufflepuff table were as deafening as when Krum was chosen as a champion, and this time they lasted even longer—until they quieted down just as Dumbledore was about to speak.

“Excellent,” Dumbledore announced. “Now, our three warriors—”

"puff--"

The Goblet of Fire produced another name.

Dumbledore acted as if he had no idea this was going to happen.

He instinctively reached out and grabbed the parchment, looking at the name on it.

after a long time.

"Harry Potter."

Harry froze, looked at Cohen, then at Ron and Hermione, and moved away from the Goblet of Fire.

“I didn’t…you know I didn’t…” Harry said blankly.

“But you have to go up,” Hermione whispered, giving Harry a gentle push.

“Harry Potter!” Dumbledore called again, “Harry, come here.”

Dumbledore didn't smile, but his expression wasn't stern either.

"Go through that door, Harry." Dumbledore pointed Harry in the right direction after he went up on stage.

A murmur rippled through the room—clearly, everyone thought Harry had secretly slipped his name into the Goblet of Fire, fooling Dumbledore's age limit.

Before everyone could even process these mind-numbing messages, another note floated out.

“This thing is broken!” a Durmstrang student yelled.

"Don't tell me it's Hogwarts again!" shouted a Beauxbatons student.

The students at Hogwarts were completely silent, waiting for Dumbledore to announce the next name.

Dumbledore's acting was also superb. He seemed to think that the Goblet of Fire was broken. After receiving the fifth parchment, he did not rush to announce it, but examined the Goblet of Fire with a researching look.

But a few seconds later, the Goblet of Fire went out.

Dumbledore then slowly opened the parchment.

"Ah——"

Dumbledore paused after the first syllable, his brow furrowing deeply.
"Cohen Norton."

"Huh?" Ron's voice drowned out all the discussions at Hogwarts.

His eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets.

(End of this chapter)