Hogwarts: Starting as a Serpent Demon

He took a step back, opened his arms as if to embrace, but was still a body length away from Lucius.

It felt like they were waiting for Lucius to come and surrender on his own initiative.

They said nothing, yet it was as if they had said everything.

The French Ministry of Magic burst into laughter at the sight. Lucius's face turned ashen, and he didn't dare look back at Fudge's expression. He slunk back to the group.

Beside him, Witt shook his head slightly; Lucius's strength was still somewhat lacking.

All he does all day is scheme and plot, and he's unwilling to practice magic properly, which causes him to falter at crucial moments.

He probably doesn't understand that if your strength can't keep up, no matter how ingenious your calculations are, it's meaningless.

Lucius is not up to the task.

After Lucius slunk away, Grindelwald, accompanied by the French wizards, strode forward, bypassing Fudge, and opened his arms to Dumbledore.

Fudge's face turned green, and he glanced at Dumbledore with a veiled look.

Dumbledore: "..."

Even if he was unwilling, he couldn't neglect the proper etiquette when faced with this smiling French envoy.

We could only manage a brief, polite hug.

"welcome."

After everyone from the French Ministry of Magic was seated, Dumbledore stood on the podium and announced loudly, "Today, let us welcome the French wizards to Hogwarts for exchange and learning."

"Starting tomorrow, you may be rivals or friends, but you will never be enemies."

"We hope this exchange will leave both sides with wonderful and precious memories..."

After saying a few words, Dumbledore gave up his seat.

"Professor Flitwick."

Flitwick led his Ravenclaw students forward and began to sing the Hedway Variations, which they had already rehearsed.

As the music ended and the welcoming ceremony concluded, an official from the Ministry of Magic stepped onto the stage.

"Now, I will explain the rules of the competition."

"This competition is divided into three groups: Auror Group, Wizard Group, and Student Group."

“Each group will send three people to work together.”

"Among them, the Auror group will fully disclose their identities, while each member of the Wizard group will need to submit a clue, which will be reviewed by impartial personnel. Once the review is approved, it will be posted publicly and impartially in the Great Hall."

"The student group only needs to provide a name, which will be verified and filed by impartial personnel. All other information will be concealed. You need to identify and find the other party within Hogwarts, arrest and control them, and then hand them over to impartial personnel."

"If the verification is successful, the application will be eliminated."

“If the wrong person is arrested, the personnel responsible for the arrest will be eliminated.”

The country that eliminates all three groups of the opposing team first will be the final winner.

"Please note that if any non-participant obstructs the arrest, the eliminated participant will be given a chance to be revived after verification."

"This competition will test the participating wizards' all-round comprehensive abilities, including reconnaissance, tracking, counterattack, concealment, disguise, and protection."

"This is a fair and just competition, and there is no room for any sophistry or questioning."

"The competition will begin in three days. Now, both parties are requested to confirm the participants and submit them for review within three days."

After the Ministry of Magic officials stepped down, Witt finally understood why the French had brought so many people, including more than a hundred students.

It's obvious that this was done to conceal their identity.

Even a student could potentially defeat an Auror through a surprise attack.

To better help their personnel conceal their identities, the more people they bring, the better.

This competition is much more interesting than a simple wizard duel.

Chapter 103 Grindelwald's Recruitment

After the Ministry of Magic officials announced the rules, the students of Hogwarts immediately began a noisy argument.

The debate raged over which three students could represent Great Britain in the competition.

Among them, Witt is universally recognized as the number one.

There was no way around it; Snape's record of defeating him head-on was simply too impressive. No student at Hogwarts could compare to him.

Draco couldn't wait to praise Witte; he had now completely become a Witte fanboy.

"Come here."

Witt pulled Draco back and forcibly pressed him to his side.

Do you really think that revealing the quota is a good thing?

The Auror group goes without saying; they are the absolute powerhouses, consisting of three of the most outstanding Aurors selected from a single country.

If they attacked together, they could take down Snape in no time.

The wizard group is even more outrageous. The three wizards selected from across the country are probably even stronger than the Aurors. In addition, they are hiding their identities. Although there is a hint, it is impossible for you to guess them at the beginning.

In the event of a deliberate sneak attack, one person could cause Victor to lose his life.

The situation is slightly better for the student group, but the possibility of unexpected events cannot be ruled out.

After all, the unknown enemy is the most terrifying.

This competition is a complete dark forest game; the first person to be exposed will become the target of everyone else's attacks.

Being recognized as a participant is not a symbol of honor, but a symbol of being ganged up on.

Unfortunately, while Witt could control Draco, he couldn't control the other students.

Soon, French officials used magic to eavesdrop on the information they wanted.

Cheating is a traditional virtue among wizards when organizing international competitions. Whether it's the Triwizard Tournament or any other competition, in any international competition, everyone will tacitly cheat, and it just depends on whose methods are more sophisticated.

This England-France exchange match was no exception.

Besides, the affair between Witt and Snape was no secret at Hogwarts; there was no way to keep it a secret if they wanted to.

Grindelwald had been stealing glances at Dumbledore, but upon hearing his subordinate's report, he turned his gaze to Dumbledore in astonishment.

A second-year student, defeating the school professor in a head-on duel?

Such an outrageous thing almost made Grindelwald think his saints were lying.

Adding to Witt's feat of suppressing the gale just now, this is no ordinary genius; this is monstrous talent.

Thanks to ample nutrition and the fact that Witt was initially equipped with yak khaks for eleven years, he looked like a fourth or fifth grader.

So when Witte used magic to suppress the gale at the beginning, Grindelwald was somewhat surprised, but he didn't pay much attention to him.

A fourth or fifth-grade wizard with this level of skill can be called a genius, but who isn't a genius at some point?

Grindelwald can be arrogant too.

But now the situation has changed. Second grade, and only a month and a half into the new school year, this age has a very different meaning.

Looking back on his own school days, Grindelwald realized that as a second-year student, he would never have been able to withstand the storm, let alone defeat a professor in a head-on confrontation.

Dumbledore had this treasure, yet he didn't tell him at all; he was incredibly tight-lipped.

“Keep an eye on him,” Grindelwald whispered to the saint beside him. “Notify me when he is alone.”

"Yes."

The saint turned his gaze to Witt, while Grindelwald continued to stare at Dumbledore.

After the banquet in the Great Hall ended, Dumbledore, along with the four heads of the house, stayed behind to discuss the selection of participants with Fudge.

The three members of the Auror Group have been decided: Kingsley, Tonks, and Sevier.

Judging from the nature of the competition rules, Tonks, a natural-born Animagus with the ability to disguise himself, is clearly very suitable to participate in this competition.

Therefore, despite Tonks' lack of skill, Kingsley overruled objections and made Tonks a participant.

Fudge and Dumbledore were discussing the selection of members for the wizarding group.

"Dumbledore, I hope you understand the importance of this match."

Fudge said firmly, "The French do not have an age limit for participating wizards. As long as you are willing to participate, this exchange will become an honor for our entire British wizarding community."

“I’m over a hundred years old,” Dumbledore shook his head and refused Fudge.

“But you are still the chief wizard of Wizengamo. If you refuse to participate, I’m afraid I will have to reluctantly rescind your title as chief wizard of Wizengamo.”

"Go ahead," Dumbledore replied, completely unconcerned.

Fudge's face turned bright red instantly.

"You'll regret this, Dumbledore."

Bang!

Fudge stormed off and slammed the door shut.

“If we lose this match,” Lucius calmly pulled out a contract agreement and said in a low voice, “I’m afraid the Board of Governors will have to find a new headmaster for Hogwarts.”

In order to achieve his goal, Lucius devised a series of plans for Fudge.

Dumbledore agreed to participate in the competition, and Britain was certain to win. This would be a significant achievement for Fudge, and with the support of the people, Fudge's position as Minister of Magic would be even more secure.

If Dumbledore refuses to participate in the competition, Fudge can use this opportunity to disqualify Dumbledore from his position as Chief Wizard of Wizengamot, thus securing the first layer of protection.

If they lose the match, Lucius will join forces with the school board to strip Dumbledore of his position as headmaster of Hogwarts, and Dumbledore will become an ordinary citizen, no longer eligible to participate in the Ministry of Magic's ministerial election.

The entire plan can be described as flawless.

There was a slight mishap during the execution, and Lucius was subdued by Grindelwald with one hand, forced to kneel and submit in front of everyone, which made Fudge lose face.

The promotion that had already been scheduled will probably have to be postponed again and again.

Lucius's face turned purple at the mere thought of it.

After warning Dumbledore, Lucius opened the door and gracefully withdrew; he had no right to slam the door.

***