Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

"for example?"

"For example, he ignored the differences and limits of magic, and underestimated the cost of dark magic." Grindelwald said mockingly, "So he lost his nose due to a transfiguration spell, and will lose his life in the future. This is the crooked path he and the group of dark wizards he came into contact with chose."

Lin En didn't comment, thought for a moment and asked, "What's the difference between you and him?"

"I'm not a gambler like him. My magic must be thoroughly studied, although some costs cannot be avoided no matter what. This is the nature of black magic." Grindelwald looked into Lynn's eyes seriously. "This is why Albus and I got together back then, and why I agree with your views on magic and knowledge, because we are ultimately the same kind of people, explorers."

The last wisp of black magic also faded from Bella's body and merged back into Grindelwald's body, like a tired bird returning to its nest.

"By the way, I found his flaw."

Chapter 465 Welcome Dinner

7pm, Hogwarts Great Hall.

The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have already arrived here, and just like the other two schools two weeks earlier, they are seated at the long tables of various colleges, waiting for the host Dumbledore to give today's speech.

Several chairs were temporarily added to the center of the staff table, seating not only the four headmasters but also officials from the British Ministry of Magic.

They were Bagman, the Director of the Department of Sports and Physical Education, and a lady named Axelin Blunt, who took over as the former Director of the Department of International Magical Exchange, Crouch, who had been missing for a long time and was rescued last night. She looked young, about the same age as Bagman.

But these people are not the protagonists today, at least not in the eyes of the Hogwarts students - they are still savoring the welcome gift brought by Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or a concentrated display of magic.

Fleur Delacour, the half-Veela standing in the middle of all the students, used rune magic that was absolutely no less powerful than Doris and Cedric's to remind everyone that Beauxbatons was the first school to offer this subject and divide it into separate courses.

Of course, also attracting attention is the school's principal, Madame Maxime, who is much taller than Hagrid.

In comparison, even with Quidditch star Krum, Durmstrang still looked much dimmer, including their greasy-looking headmaster Karkaroff, although he seemed particularly low-key today and sat inconspicuously among the headmasters.

Even after Dumbledore finished his three-sentence opening speech, Karkaroff seemed nonchalant.

"That sissy looks really weird." Ron poked Hermione, who looked visibly unhappy.

Hermione ignored him and he turned back to look at Harry.

"Indeed," said Harry absently, still looking at the staff table. "I don't like him."

He saw the professors wearing formal attire for the first time in a long time, and a very familiar figure.

"Isn't that Andrew Travers?" he asked softly.

Hermione didn't remain silent this time, "Yes, it looks like he came with Ms. Blunt, I don't know what the situation is. Why hasn't Professor Eric come yet? I didn't see him today."

"He's been acting mysterious lately. I wonder where he's going..." Ron said carelessly, and suddenly his eyes lit up. "Isn't he here?"

Following the direction of his finger, Harry and Hermione turned their heads at the same time and saw Lynn striding in from outside the hall - he was still wearing the robe with dark gold and violet patterns, which did not look strange at all, and he returned to his seat quietly.

As he passed by the seats of the three people, Harry, who had keen senses, vaguely sensed something strange.

"Why is it so cold..." He subconsciously tightened his robe, with a look of doubt on his face.

Just as he was thinking about seeing what was going on, there was a sudden commotion around him - not only Ron next to him and the entire Gryffindor table, but at least half of the boys in every college exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, Ron, you--" Harry was about to pull Ron who was standing up when he saw Fleur walking to the staff table.

The young witch, who had just become famous, took off her scarf, showing off her cascading silver hair. She walked in front of Lynn and Euphemia, tapped her wand, and conjured up two violets with a fresh fragrance.

All eyes are focused here.

"Good evening, Professor Eric, Professor Fox, please accept my gift."

She presented the flowers with a joyful and reserved smile, her voice was crisp and pleasant, and although the volume was not loud, many people could hear it clearly.

"After I win the championship on behalf of Beauxbatons, I hope you can give me the same gift in return."

Before he finished speaking, a noisy discussion broke out.

This was a straightforward declaration of victory, which not only startled the students sitting nearby, but also attracted the attention of the principals who were chatting and laughing in a friendly manner on the surface.

Dumbledore smiled with interest and turned his head to look at the young man whom he had met once before.

He has a very good memory and can still recall the situation at that time.

"Olim, your students are really..."

"I don't think you'll get a return gift from the professor. This year's championship trophy will of course stay in Hogwarts."

Doris's cold words drowned out the sound of his conversation with Madame Maxime.

Sitting not far from Lin En, she had already recognized this newcomer whom she had seen at the Stargazers' Annual Meeting, and she had heard exactly what she had just said, in a very unceremonious tone.

"If you could still compete, this statement might be a little more convincing, but unfortunately you are one grade older."

Fleur showed no sign of weakness, with two violets still hovering in front of Lynn and Euphemia.

"Even if I don't participate, there will be someone who can beat you. Just wait and see if you don't believe me."

In the tit-for-tat confrontation, the two equally proud witches refused to give an inch, and their eyes full of gunpowder met in the air.

You can almost hear a slight "crackling" sound.

In just a few seconds, not only the wizards nearby, but almost all the wizards in the entire auditorium noticed the sudden outbreak of "conflict", even though they had no idea what caused it.

This was an unexpected event that would make Professor McGonagall hold her forehead in her hands, and it was also an unexpected event that would shock her as she attached great importance to the honor of the school.

Euphemia had a mischievous smile in her eyes. She took the flower with her tender little hand as white as a lotus root and sniffed it gently.

As both a Hogwarts graduate and a current professor at Beauxbatons, she was happy to see this scene.

"Doris, this is not a good way to entertain guests." Lynn knew exactly what his girlfriend was thinking and said loudly, "I like this gift very much. It's a wonderful transformation."

He also took the flower branch and said, "If you can really do as you said today, I will definitely give you a satisfactory gift in return."

"professor……"

"Then I will look forward to that day. Please believe that I will not let you and Professor Fox down."

Doris was obviously still a little unconvinced, but Furong smiled a victorious smile, bowed respectfully, and walked back to her companions without paying attention to the various looks from the people around her.

The little episode came to an end here - or perhaps it was just a comma or even a semicolon.

At least for Doris, the story isn't over yet.

In the face of provocation, she stared at Cedric, who was sitting in the front row of Hufflepuff with Boyce, with the most ferocious eyes, and her lips moved slightly, conveying silent commands and intimidation.

This made Cedric, who had always been a peaceful person, feel invisible but tremendous pressure - he was talking to a witch in Castrobus and didn't even understand what was going on.

It was probably not a good thing that could make Doris so angry, he thought, and then he felt the surroundings become quiet.

Dumbledore slowly stood up from his seat, followed by four headmasters of magic schools and two officials from the British Ministry of Magic.

A mysterious creature covered with black cloth flew slowly in from the door of the auditorium, followed by several wizards, all dressed in neat black robes and with meticulous expressions.

This scene made many people subconsciously hold their breath and concentrate, and some people even bent down without caring about their appearance, trying to look up to see what was inside the black cloth.

But in the end they got nothing and could only watch the other party float to the open space in front of the faculty and staff dining table and land steadily.

The accompanying wizards were divided into two rows, guarding both sides of the auditorium.

Someone recognized them, they were the Ministry of Magic's beaters.

"Thank you! Thank you to the Ministry of Magic for the security support provided for this Champion Selection." Dumbledore's loud voice was heard clearly by everyone, and doubts arose.

Dumbledore was not the kind of person who kept people in suspense, so he left his seat and walked over to the black cloth without waiting for any questions.

"Please allow me the honor of announcing to you the selection method for this inter-continental magic school tournament."

The old and powerful hand pulled hard, and the black cloth flew into the air with a "swish", revealing a large wooden box inlaid with countless jewels.

It rests on a wooden platform decorated with exquisite patterns.

Chapter 466 Goblet of Fire

Most people's eyes were focused on the wooden box, whether they were warrior candidates or young newcomers, including some new professors with little experience.

An emotion of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation permeated the auditorium, and even those who knew they had no chance of attending could not help but feel excited.

But this time, Dumbledore was not as considerate as before. Instead, he smiled deliberately and said, "But - please allow me to introduce two important guests to you first."

There were sighs of disappointment and even faint boos coming from the Gryffindor table. Not only from Hogwarts students, but also from the Thunderbirds from Ilvermorny, who quickly became good friends with the little lion.

"This is very necessary, children." Dumbledore's tone became more serious. "You may not know that Mr. Barty Crouch, who has devoted a lot of effort and hard work to our event, disappeared some time ago due to the ugly behavior of some criminals. He was rescued yesterday."

The audience immediately fell silent, and even a pin drop could be heard clearly.

Young people who have not yet left school still know little about crimes such as kidnapping and murder.

Dumbledore said: "Mr. Crouch is now receiving treatment at St. Mungo's. It may take a long time, but I hope that everyone will remember his contribution and extend the warmest welcome to Ms. Axelin Blunt who will succeed him."

There was chaotic but warm applause in the auditorium, and Ms. Blunt politely bowed to the four long tables.

Her personality is completely different from Crouch's. She is one of the few people in the Ministry of Magic with a good temper - otherwise it would be difficult for her to get along with a workaholic and control freak like Crouch.

"Thank you all," said Dumbledore. "Next up is Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Sports and Sport at the Ministry of Magic." The applause got louder, and Bagman waved happily to express his gratitude.

"In the coming months, Ms. Blunt and Mr. Bagman will also serve as members of the referee panel, adjudicating the warriors' matches and upholding the rules of our competition," Dumbledore continued.

When they heard the word "Warriors", the young people in the audience immediately became excited, especially Fred and George, and the sixth graders who protested against the selection rules with them.

But Dumbledore seemed to deliberately whet their appetite. He slowed down his speech again, put his hand on the lid of the wooden box, and said softly:

"The tournament is different from the Triwizard Tournament. Although both are three competitions, the difficulty is increased. The competitions are held at different times of the school year, and the warriors are tested on their comprehensive abilities in different areas rather than just one single ability."

It was visible to the naked eye that several young people had an expression of "no one else can do it but them" on their faces.

"We all know that each school will be represented by a warrior." Dumbledore remained calm. "Each competition will have a separate score. The scores of the first two games will determine the outcome of the third game. This time, we will abandon the referee scoring system that has lasted for hundreds of years and adopt a more fair and objective judging standard. The person responsible for selecting the warriors is an impartial selector, and it is the Goblet of Fire."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Elder Wand knocked on the lid of the box three times. Every jewel began to sparkle, and the wooden box creaked open slowly. Dumbledore reached in and took out a large but roughly carved wooden goblet.

Beautiful blue-white flames danced happily inside.

"The Goblet of Fire..."

Hearing the familiar name and seeing the familiar picture, the knowledgeable Hermione immediately remembered what happened two years ago when she was receiving tutoring with Percy and Doris.

She had seen the replica Lynn had made using Transfiguration.

"Goblet of Fire?" Harry and Ron asked in confusion.

"This is the ancient magical contract of the Triwizard Tournament," Hermione said patiently, in a low voice so that only the three of them could hear. "They use this Gulliver Fire to choose the champions."

Before she could finish her words, Dumbledore's voice became louder again.

"Every student who wants to run for the Champion must write his name and school name on a piece of parchment and throw it into the flame of this goblet." Dumbledore's face was dyed light blue by the flame. "After the Halloween dinner tomorrow, the goblet will select the student it thinks best represents each school. During this period, it will remain in the open space outside the hall door."

"We had agreed on a restriction earlier, that is, only adult wizards can sign up." Dumbledore looked at Fred, George and others in the audience, "But considering the underage wizards in the sixth grade, after discussion, we decided to relax the registration restrictions - wizards who turned 1995 before August 8, 31 can also sign up, but they need to sign a special agreement and obtain the consent of their respective schools."

No one could hear the second half of his sentence because the cheers from the sixth years of Hogwarts drowned out everything and took several minutes to fade away - in contrast to them was the loss of the other years.

Dumbledore waited patiently until the last person returned to his seat before speaking again: "I know many students are happy about this, but I want to remind you that this competition is not a joke. Do not participate rashly. Because once you are selected by the Goblet of Fire, you must abide by the contract and play the game to the end. There is no room for regret or withdrawal."

Such words might not have much effect on young people who are in adolescence, but at least from their sparkling eyes, Lynn could not see any retreat or hesitation.

Regardless of country or ethnicity, young people from all over the world are equally persistent in their pursuit of honor.

Euphemia smiled and tugged at Lynn's sleeve, gently pointing in the direction of Hufflepuff.

There was Cedric Diggory, who was also suppressing his excitement, but could not hide it from Lynn's eyes at all.

His eyes met Lynn's, then Doris and Andrew who were sitting at the staff table.

-----------------

Since the official registration would begin on Saturday, the banquet had just ended when students from the four schools returned to their residences under the guidance of their respective principals and professors. The students from Hogwarts also hurried back to their dormitories, as did the professors.

There are only a few days left until Halloween, and many of them have been very busy recently, so it’s not an easy day for them.

While Dumbledore and McGonagall were still saying goodbye to the two Ministry of Magic officials, Lynn and Euphemia found Andrew who was waiting for Blunt outside the hall and patted him on the shoulder as he seemed to be distracted.

"Professor? Great! I was wondering why I didn't see you when I came here! Good evening, Ms. Fox!"

He was startled at first, then he smiled. When Andrew saw Lynn, he seemed less gloomy than at school, more cheerful and enthusiastic, and not as restrained as at the stargazers' annual meeting.

"Something happened before, so I was delayed for a while. Why did you come here today? Aren't you still in training?" Lin En nodded and asked gently, and Euphemia also smiled and nodded at him.

"I asked Brian to keep it a secret for me. I wanted to tell you in person that I passed the assessment three days ago." Andrew said proudly, "This is my first mission. Together with the strikers outside, I will protect the two directors."