Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

"The head boy and girl students and the prefects must take responsibility and keep everyone quiet. Hufflepuff should take the lead!" Professor Sprout said loudly from the position that originally belonged to Dumbledore. With a wave of his hand, the lights in the auditorium were as bright as before.

Flitwick walked to the Ravenclaw table and directed Pavla and several other prefects.

Doris stood in front of the Slytherin table without saying a word, and the little snakes who knew her temper calmed down, including the young people who were very dissatisfied with Harry.

The teachers from each school also gathered their students and gradually quieted down.

In addition to the leaderless Durmstrang, there is also Gryffindor who is happy and proud for Harry.

Karkaroff is not here, and even if he was here it would be useless. His reputation and popularity are so bad that he doesn't even have a team leader.

Amid the noise, Lynn walked forward and quietly looked at the extinguished Goblet of Fire. Kingsley also came over.

"What's going on?" he asked quietly.

"Confusion spell." Lynn said slowly, "Someone used magic to interfere with the judgment of the Goblet of Fire. It was advanced black magic. It should have happened early this morning."

"This is a conspiracy. Do we need to check our wands?" Kingsley's eyes flashed fiercely. He didn't get to where he is today just by relying on his good reputation.

Suspicious eyes scanned the auditorium, including the tightly closed wooden door.

In just a moment, he thought of many possible deeper conspiracies surrounding Harry.

"We'll talk about this later," Lynn said softly, continuing to stare at the Goblet of Fire.

"What should we do now? Should we really let the child participate?" Kingsley looked embarrassed. He knew Harry's level well.

His practical ability and talent are definitely excellent among his peers, but it is still far from enough to compete with geniuses who are a few years older than him.

"That's the rule. The magic contract has been concluded. Perhaps you should work harder to tutor him, Kingsley. Dumbledore made the right choice to ask you to teach him."

"No, I...why aren't you in a hurry at all?"

"Because there is no need to wait for them to have a fight and come to an end before other things will make sense."

Lin En put a finger to his mouth and pointed at the tightly closed, soundproof door.

Kingsley then noticed that Euphemia, Ines, and Regulus, who obviously had a good relationship with Lynn, were very calm, as if they had expected it.

"...It seems you already knew it." After a moment's silence, he lowered his voice and said, "What's going on?"

The same question has different meanings.

Lin En didn't say anything, but scanned the auditorium with his eyes.

Kingsley immediately understood what he meant and turned his back to shield himself and Lynn.

"Dumbledore and I have discovered some clues and are planning to lure him out. Rather than guarding against thieves for a thousand days, it is better to let them act according to the trajectory we have designed."

Lynn's voice rang out in Kingsley's mind.

"You can ask Dumbledore afterwards and he will tell you in detail. Now there is a task for you."

"What mission?" Kingsley nodded subconsciously.

"Take the Goblet of Fire in, tell them about the Confounding Charm, and then watch Dumbledore make his own arrangements."

"how about you?"

"If I go in, how can Karkaroff perform to his heart's content?" Lynn asked with a smile.

"Indeed, he probably wouldn't dare to speak in front of you. But is he related to this matter? That's really..."

Kingsley grinned as he recalled the series of bloody historical memories that Lynn had left behind.

Igor Karkaroff almost joined in, if Moody hadn't taken over, he would have really betrayed a group of people.

He wanted to speak, but Lin En walked past him and said loudly to the audience:

"Hogwarts will get to the bottom of today's incident. I hope everyone will be patient and go back to rest first."

All eyes converged, with various emotions and meanings intertwined.

He looked at everyone calmly, his amber eyes were calm and deep, sending a reassuring signal.

First came the Hufflepuffs, led by Sprout and Boyce, who filed out of the Great Hall.

Then the other three houses, Beauxbatons, Ilvermorny and Castellobushe, returned to their respective camps.

Although many people were still dissatisfied, they still obediently accepted the arrangement in the face of the professors' accumulated authority.

As the students and professors left, Kingsley picked up the wooden wine glass and walked into the small room behind the faculty table.

As soon as the door opened, Karkaroff's voice, sharp with anger, reached his ears.

"—This is cheating at Hogwarts! My students must re-register until a second person is selected, or Durmstrang will never participate in this competition again!"

"I'm afraid that won't work, Karkaroff." Ms. Blount wiped her sweat with her handkerchief. "According to the ancient covenant..."

"You, the British Ministry of Magic, still have the nerve to mention a contract?! I will sue you to the International Confederation of Wizards! All the meetings you held before were complete deceptions!"

In this private space, Karkaroff was at full power, his voice louder than the other three headmasters combined.

The face that always had a fake smile on it was now filled with anger, as if he had lost his mind for his students.

Sure enough...he was right again.

Kingsley smiled bitterly, holding the Goblet of Fire and walked to Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape, who had been staring at Karkaroff without saying a word from the beginning.

Chapter 471 Fairness

"Everyone, please allow me to interrupt for a moment." Kingsley's voice was not loud, but it was drowned out by Karkaroff under the effect of magic. "According to preliminary inspection, the Goblet of Fire was cast with a Confusion Spell and there are traces of dark magic. The caster has no intention of concealing it."

As he spoke, he placed the Goblet of Fire in a prominent position in the room so that everyone could see the black lines.

That was the mark of black magic, restored by the backtracking spell and clearly visible.

Several headmasters' faces changed and they all turned to look at Karkaroff, making him look embarrassed.

This is not difficult to understand. After all, Durmstrang has a bad reputation in the wizarding community outside the conservative faction, mainly because they condone and even encourage dark magic.

"We, the teachers and students of Durmstrang, would never do such a thing, and there is no reason for it!" Karkaroff said angrily, "What good would it do us? You know, the beneficiary of adding a warrior is Hogwarts."

What he said made sense, and it was exactly what made several principals and warriors from various schools unhappy.

Every school and every student who came across the sea to participate in the competition has been waiting for a long time. Among them are many excellent students whose level is almost the same as that of the Warriors, but who just lack a little luck. However, none of them got the opportunity to show themselves on this stage.

The invisible pressure slowly accumulated and finally fell on Dumbledore and McGonagall.

They could of course do nothing, accept the current situation, and let Hogwarts send two warriors to participate. Due to the restrictions of the contract and rules, no one could change anything - but Hogwarts' reputation would definitely suffer considerable damage as a result.

Harry knew this as well and was fidgeting in the corner.

This silence made Karkarov think he had found a breakthrough, and his eyes were as fierce as a hungry wolf with bared fangs.

He stared at Harry and asked, "You'd better tell me clearly what you did and what your motives are. I know young people of your age too well. They always think about how to show off!" He snorted contemptuously.

"Igor, we all know that magic that can fool the Goblet of Fire is definitely not something a child can do. It would take at least your level of magical attainments." Dumbledore said calmly, "And the child said that he didn't do it, and no senior did it for him. I believe he wouldn't lie."

"This is just his own opinion. How can we just -"

"And how would you like to investigate, Karkaroff? Tell me what you want to do."

A lukewarm voice came from the door, and the arrogant Karkaroff suddenly fell silent. He stopped talking just as he began to say something, and his face turned red with holding back.

Lynn walked in slowly, and every step seemed to be stepping on Karkaroff's heart.

Harry could see clearly that this unctuous and pedantic wizard was trying hard to remain tough and calm, but his hands and legs were trembling slightly unconsciously, and his whole body seemed to have become a little softer.

Karkaroff didn't say how he wanted to investigate in the end, and Lynn had ignored him from the beginning. He walked to stand beside Dumbledore, greeted the other three headmasters, and said softly:

"The students have been settled in, and I think Kingsley has told everyone the results of the examination."

"I wonder, Lynn, what kind of spell this is?" Madame Maxime asked softly.

Furong also calmed down and stared at Lin En with her big, expressive eyes.

"It's a powerful Confusion Spell, and the effect is very strong. But I'm not sure about its magical mechanism, and there are still doubts." Lynn bowed his head slightly politely, "But this is indeed not an excuse, we will find out the truth."

"I definitely wouldn't believe what others said, but I believe you." Fontena said with a smile, "Magic that even you are unsure of is definitely not something a student can perform."

The short witch beside him, Kalaya, pursed her lips and couldn't help asking, "So Hogwarts will have two warriors, Professor Eric?"

"Judging from the results, unfortunately, this is the case, because the Goblet of Fire represents a magical contract that cannot be violated."

Lynn looked at her seriously, "And the biggest victim in this matter is probably Harry."

"Why? What an honor!"

"It is also a huge danger, because Harry has not yet received a complete and systematic education. Similar situations happened hundreds of years ago, and many outstanding wizards with great prospects died because of this."

"I... okay." Kaleya lowered her head.

"In fact, this is a result that all parties organizing this competition hope to avoid." Lin En looked around and fixed his eyes on Bagman. "None of us can accept such a tragic result."

Bagman felt uncomfortable when he was looked at by him, as if there were many needles pricking him back and forth, neither light nor heavy.

But he still didn't express his opinion and continued to sit upright in his seat, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.

"I agree." After a tense silence, Principal Pollach said, "Honor is precious, but student safety is always the most important thing. We need to think of a way. Albus, do you have any suggestions?"

"I think..." Dumbledore said slowly, his eyes full of apology, "Hogwarts and I are both responsible for this. We will continue to investigate and find the person who did this. But for now, we have no choice but to accept it."

"We are not unreasonable people," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice, "but I want to ensure the fairness of the competition - and safety. The child is also a victim himself."

"I agree with what Olim said." Fontena was still smiling as he stroked his white beard. "I think Liposo and I have similar opinions. After all, we are both newcomers who have just arrived. We still have to cooperate with the host."

As he spoke, he did not forget to wink at Lin En. He did not look like the old man who was haggling with Dumbledore last year.

Lin En understood the implicit meaning of his words and nodded helplessly.

Pollach smiled without saying anything. Among the headmasters, he had the best relationship with Dumbledore, and the relationship between the two schools was the closest.

In a blink of an eye, the tense atmosphere was mostly resolved, leaving only Karkaroff alone.

Seeing everyone looking at him, he said dryly, "Durmstrang reserves the right to appeal to the International Confederation of Wizards."

"Of course, this is your sacred and inviolable right." Dumbledore said softly, "We will also complete the investigation of this incident with the British Ministry of Magic and provide them with a detailed report."

The meaning of these words was very clear. Karkaroff was not willing to give in, and gritted his teeth and said, "In addition, since you have one more warrior in Hogwarts, we must get corresponding compensation. In terms of the competition - I demand the restoration of the referee scoring system."

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking, Karkaroff." Lynn looked at him with contempt. "The reason why I'm canceling the rating is to prevent a spineless villain like you."

"you--"

"My suggestion is," Lin En turned his gaze to the crowd, "for events that are performed separately, it will be fair competition, but for events that are performed simultaneously, the worse score of the two Hogwarts contestants will be used for calculation. This way, the advantage is no longer a simple advantage."

Chapter 472 "Everyone is happy"

Lin En is well aware of what these principals are thinking and what they are demanding.

As educators, they care about the safety of their students, so they will not oppose Dumbledore's proposal, nor will they continue to pursue the Goblet of Fire that has been found to be problematic.

But as representatives of their respective schools, they will put the interests of their own schools first and do everything possible to weaken their opponents and win.

Hogwarts is the host and the magic school with the deepest heritage. It is the target of public criticism even when nothing happens. It goes without saying that it is the target of public criticism after such an incident - the fairness of the competition is a point that they will focus on exploiting.

Even if it wasn't mentioned today, there would be a wave of public opinion related to this in a very short period of time, and everyone knew this, so Lin En took the initiative to open this window paper.

Since they targeted the fact that Hogwarts had two warriors, the possible advantage would be completely transformed into a disadvantage.

Several headmasters expressed surprise and delight, including Karkaroff, who had just been beaten to a pulp by Lynn's direct attack - he even breathed a sigh of relief and stroked his chest.

In contrast, McGonagall and Snape's faces turned unhappy, and so did Kingsley.

After all, no one would really think that a fourth-grade wizard could perform at a level comparable to the warriors from other schools. Even if he was the boy-who-lived who "defeated" You-Know-Who, he would inevitably become a breakthrough for everyone if they really got to the stage where they could compete on the same field.

Bagman put away his sweat-soaked handkerchief with a thoughtful look on his chubby face. "Is this too harsh for Hogwarts?"

"I think this proposal is just right." Dumbledore said seriously, "We will defend the honor of the school, individuals and this event. At the same time," he emphasized, "we believe in our warriors, both of them."

He looked at Harry, who was extremely nervous, and Cedric, who was trying to remain calm but still frowned.

"This is a rare opportunity. Striving for victory and honor are important, but what is more important is the process and what you gain here." He said this not only to his students, but also to the warriors from four schools.

But Harry still felt as if his heart was tied up by an invisible rope, which was getting tighter and tighter until he was almost suffocating.

There was a long silence. The most difficult Karkaroff did not raise any unrealistic opinions or demands. The other three principals had basically confirmed that there was another culprit behind this incident.

Given Dumbledore's identity and status, there was no reason for him to do such a small thing, not to mention that Lin En was there to testify.