Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 339 Enthusiasm Soars Again

Ever since the notice about the Triwizard Tournament appeared in the foyer, the atmosphere in the castle has changed dramatically.

Wherever Xiren goes, he only hears one topic – the Three Kingdoms Tournament.

People are curiously speculating about who the champion of Hogwarts will be, and everyone has their own choice. However, the most popular candidate right now is Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff, followed by Roger Davis of Ravenclaw.

If Percy were still in school, there might have been another one, but unfortunately he graduated last year.

Besides, people are also very interested in the other two magic schools, and many have discussed how the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differ from them.

“Siron, who do you think will become the champion of Hogwarts?” Ron asked casually after a Charms class.

"It's hard to say." Xilun narrowed his eyes. "It might be me, or us."

“Don’t joke around,” Hermione said. “You know that students under sixteen aren’t allowed to participate.”

“That’s true, but it’s just a suggestion,” Siren said. “Warriors are chosen by the Goblet of Fire, and the Goblet of Fire won’t know if you’re sixteen or not.”

"The Goblet of Fire?" Hermione paused, then asked, "What's that?"

“The symbol of the Triwizard Tournament,” Xiren explained. “Like… the Olympic flame. You should understand now.”

"Understood." Hermione nodded immediately.

“Oh, what?” Ron asked.

“The most popular sport among Muggles is the Triwizard Tournament,” Celen said casually.

"Oh!" Ron exclaimed in realization.

Harry, watching this scene, felt something was off. Siren seemed to have said something, yet also seemed to have said nothing at all.

But miraculously, Hermione and Ron's problems were both solved.

“However, the Goblet of Fire is relatively more important.” Sillen, unaware of Harry’s thoughts, continued, “Besides its symbolic significance, it also determines the champions. So the age requirement is essentially useless; even an eleven-year-old freshman can become a champion if chosen by the Goblet of Fire.”

“No, I still think it’s impossible.” Hermione’s expression was firm. “Since you know, Dumbledore must know too. He must have been prepared for this.”

“Of course, that’s for sure.” Xiren nodded. “But that depends on whether we can pass the test.”

"So, you're going to compete for the Champion title too?" Harry looked at Siron in surprise.

“Why not?” Siren shrugged. “This is a once-every-five-years event, and everyone only has one chance. It would be a shame to miss it. Besides, I’d like to use this Triwizard Tournament to advertise my wand.”

“But, but…” Hermione frowned and said, “The Triwizard Tournament is dangerous. Headmaster Dumbledore believes that students under the age of sixteen cannot handle it…”

"That's why we need to pass one more test to prove ourselves, isn't it?" Siren said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding students all stopped in their tracks.

For some reason, they felt that Xilun's words made a lot of sense... Since the Triwizard Tournament was dangerous, it was perfectly reasonable to set up an extra test for the lower-grade students to filter out those who were not strong enough.

Now, even the students who had previously given up were tempted again. No one wanted to admit they weren't good enough, and besides, it was just a try—what if they succeeded…they were warriors in the top three competition!
Even Harry and Ron were tempted.

“I’m going to find Fred and George; I remember they’ve already found a way to increase age,” Ron said before hurrying away.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then followed.

Hermione instinctively wanted to stop him, but didn't know what to say, because she herself was beginning to think that Siren's words made some sense.

After Harry and Ron left, the surrounding students quickly dispersed.

In the days that followed, Siren's words quickly spread throughout the castle. Some took it as a joke and paid no attention. Others took it to heart, heads bowed in thought, lost in their own thoughts.

Later, even the professor found out. During a Potions class, Snape would always glance at Cyren intentionally or unintentionally, and then take the opportunity to mock him for overestimating his abilities.

However, many people noticed that Snape was only mocking, and did not deny the feasibility of this move.

More importantly, there was the attitude of Headmaster Dumbledore... He knew all this, but he never stopped such remarks.

This means that students under the age of sixteen also have the opportunity to become warriors.

Now, the atmosphere inside the castle became even more lively.

During this period, Professor McGonagall visited Siron once.

Siron originally thought she wanted him to give up this unrealistic idea, but to his surprise, Professor McGonagall was just reminding him not to reveal the Goblet of Fire to too many people, without saying a word else.

Of course, this doesn't mean she supports Sheren's idea; she simply believes in Dumbledore and that he can keep all those underage out of the Goblet of Fire.

……

With the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang drawing ever closer, the castle underwent a thorough cleaning on Wednesday, with every speck of dust removed.

Even the portraits on the wall were carefully scrubbed by Filch with Mrs. Scowle's All-Purpose Stain Remover.

Those portraits, which were originally full of historical weight, have now all been given a fresh new look, as if they were just hung up last week.

The professors also seemed unusually tense.

Professor McGonagall had reminded Neville more than once to use magic as little as possible in the future, lest the Durmstrangers see that he could make a mistake even with a simple spell.

By the morning of October 30th, the entire castle had been completely transformed overnight.

The Great Hall was newly decorated, with huge silk banners hanging on the walls and the enchanted ceiling, each representing a different house. Behind the teachers' table was an even larger banner bearing the Hogwarts emblem: a lion, eagle, badger, and snake joined together, surrounding a large letter H.

Previously, these kinds of decorations only appeared at the end of the school year. And back then, the banners were only one color, corresponding to the college that won the College Cup. Unlike now, where all four colleges have them, neatly suspended above their respective long tables.

Helen looked up and saw a red banner above Gryffindor with a golden lion on it. If you looked closely, the golden lion could even move, striding powerfully across the banner, as if surveying its territory.

……

(End of this chapter)