When Headmaster Dumbledore stood up, the Great Hall filled with tension. The Weasley twins leaned forward, and it was clear that everyone was buzzing with excitement, wondering what would happen next.
"This moment has arrived! The Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!"
Headmaster Dumbledore proclaimed loudly.
"However, before that, there are two individuals I would like to introduce. First, this gentleman is Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
A scattering of polite applause followed. Mr. Crouch himself did not even crack a smile.
"Next, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Mr. Ludo Bagman!"
Perhaps because of his past fame as a Beater, the applause this time was far louder than it had been for Mr. Crouch.
"Finally, as we are short on teaching staff with the arrival of students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, we have invited Professor Fran Viera from Ilvermorny in America as support."
Responding to Headmaster Dumbledore's beckoning gesture, the person who appeared was Professor Fran, whom we had seen at the World Cup venue.
Likely because of his good looks, he also received a fairly enthusiastic round of applause. Smiling brightly and waving, Professor Fran said, "Please feel free to just call me Professor Fran."
"Now then, Mr. Filch. Please bring the box here."
At Headmaster Dumbledore's signal, the caretaker, Argus Filch, carried over a large wooden chest studded with jewels and respectfully placed it in front of the staff table.
"As you all know, the tournament will be contested by one champion from each participating school, for a total of three champions. The champions will face three tasks, and the one with the highest combined score will claim the Triwizard Cup. The one who chooses the champions is the impartial selector, the Goblet of Fire."
With deliberate flair, Headmaster Dumbledore reached into the chest and withdrew a large goblet carved from rough wood.
When he placed it atop the chest's lid, bluish-white flames surged up from its rim, threatening to spill over.
"Anyone wishing to put themselves forward as a champion must write their name and school on a piece of parchment and submit it into the Goblet within twenty-four hours. Tomorrow night, on Halloween, the Goblet will select the three champions. Those who believe themselves worthy may step forward freely."
"However," Headmaster Dumbledore continued.
"Students who have not reached the required age must not be tempted. Once the Goblet of Fire is placed in the Entrance Hall, I shall draw an Age Line around it. No one under the age of seventeen will be able to cross that line."
Amid groans and complaints like "No fair!" and "Come on…" from the younger students, Headmaster Dumbledore surveyed the hall with a serious expression.
"Let me be perfectly clear. Do not put your name forward lightly. Once your name is entered into the Goblet of Fire and you are chosen as a champion, there will be no backing out for any reason. Think carefully before you decide to enter."
And so, the fateful twenty-four hours began.
The next day, still riding the wave of excitement, we students gathered around the Goblet of Fire.
Although students under seventeen could not enter, they watched with keen interest to see which of the older students would submit their names.
"Hey, Elena!"
As I crossed the Entrance Hall, Fred approached me at once, his eyes sparkling.
"You're definitely entering, right, Elena?"
"Of course."
After all, the winner would receive not only the Triwizard Cup, but also the enormous sum of one thousand Galleons, and the title of "eternal glory," a distinction that would be incredibly useful in the wizarding world down the line. That honor would never fade with time, and the power carried by such overwhelming prestige and glory was immeasurable.
(Professor Moody did warn me the other day not to get carried away, but he also told me not to sell myself short.)
Believe it or not, I am still a Slytherin at heart, so it is not as though I lack ambition or the desire to test my own abilities.
"That's more like it."
George grinned and pulled a test tube from his robe.
"What's that?"
"I'm glad you asked. This is our secret weapon, Aging Potion."
"We just need to age ourselves a few months, that's all."
Boasting proudly, the twins linked arms and drained the contents of their test tubes at the same time.
"Do you really think it'll work that easily?" Hermione warned, but the twins ignored her and walked up to the line. Rocking back and forth on their toes like divers about to leap, they took a deep breath under the watchful eyes of the crowd and jumped.
"We did it!"
Fred struck a triumphant pose, and when the two of them dropped their parchments into the Goblet, cheers erupted around them.
"To think something that simple would get past it. Maybe Dumbledore isn't all that impressive after all," Pansy said sourly.
Just as I was about to respond, the Goblet of Fire suddenly flared violently. Something like a fireball shot out, forcing the twins back beyond the Age Line. They were blasted about three meters away and slammed onto the stone floor. As if that were not enough, there was a loud pop, and long, white beards began sprouting from both their faces, sending the Entrance Hall into peals of laughter.
"Classic Dumbledore. Those are some impressive beards," Lee Jordan laughed, asking me as he did, "So, Elena, what are you going to do?"
"I'll take an even simpler approach."
I recalled the headmaster's words.
"All Headmaster Dumbledore said was that 'anyone under seventeen cannot cross the Age Line.'"
In other words,
"There's no rule saying I have to cross it myself."
With that, I took the parchment with my name and school written on it and began to chant a spell.
"Wingardium Leviosa, rise!"
If I used the levitation charm to float the parchment, there would be no need for me to cross the Age Line. The other students watched the hovering parchment with expressions that clearly said, "Why didn't we think of that?"
"Ah!"
The moment it crossed the Age Line, the spell's effect vanished, and the parchment fluttered helplessly to the ground.
It seemed the Age Line was equipped with defensive measures that nullified magic attempting to cross it.
"Hm, in that case…"
I had anticipated this possibility.
My next move relied on a purely physical method of long-range delivery, without using magic directly. Specifically, I summoned a crossbow that had been displayed in Hogwarts Castle using the Summoning Charm, tied the parchment to the tip of a bolt, and took aim at the Goblet of Fire.
"A message arrow…"
"I've never seen a witch fire a message arrow before…"
As the crowd murmured, I stepped right up to the very edge of the Age Line and pulled the trigger with a sharp "Hyah!" The bolt shot forward with force and was drawn straight into the Goblet.
"That won't do, Elena."
A voice suddenly spoke from beside me, and at the same time, my message arrow was knocked aside by a spell cast by the passing Professor Fran.
"Honestly, you really don't leave any openings," he said, though he looked more amused than annoyed.
"Oh? Is there a problem?"
"There is, which is why I stopped you."
"I don't believe I broke the rules of the Age Line."
"Perhaps not. However, the judges also have a duty to prevent underage students from exploiting loopholes."
Professor Fran drew his wand and muttered an incantation at the Goblet of Fire.
"The spell I just cast invalidates any parchment placed into the Goblet without a living being crossing the Age Line. That includes message arrows and even paper airplanes, so make sure you actually step over the line when entering."
With that, Professor Fran walked away.
"Hm. Then we'll go with Plan C-3."
"How much planning did you even do, Elena?" Pansy said, exasperated.
"Daphne, want to place a bet?"
"Sure. Two Galleons."
As Pansy looked on in disbelief, Millicent and Daphne started gambling on me. The rest of the Hogwarts students also watched with expressions that seemed to say, "What's she going to try next?" Meanwhile, I approached one of the older students observing from afar, Graham Montague, a Slytherin senior and a member of the Quidditch team.
"Senior Montague, have you put your name forward as a champion?"
"No. Warrington did, but I haven't yet."
"Then would you be interested in taking on a little job?"
As I said this, I pressed a single Galleon into Senior Montague's hand along with a piece of parchment. When he stared at me wide-eyed and blurted out, "Elena, you…," I gave him a wicked grin and explained.
"If you cross the Age Line in my place, Senior Montague, we can exploit a loophole in the additional spell Professor Fran cast. Besides, Headmaster Dumbledore never once said that 'anyone over seventeen must put in their own name.'"
"T-that's true…!"
"In other words, all you have to do is walk across the Age Line and drop the parchment into the Goblet, and you earn one Galleon. There's no better easy money than that, is there?"
Yes, it should have been a perfect plan.
Until an absolutely furious Mad-Eye Moody appeared.
"Girl, don't you dare do that!"
The instant that ominous voice rang out, there was a loud bang. The parchment burst into flames in a flash, and Senior Montague yelped and dropped it.
Startled, I spun around to see Professor Moody's rage-filled magical eye glaring straight at me.
"Shameless, crafty little schemer, full of nothing but dirty tricks…"
As he glared at me with an intimidating expression, the recent incident where Draco Malfoy had been turned into a white ferret flashed through my mind. Professor Moody was looking at me with the same disgusted expression he had worn then, and his entire posture screamed that if I talked back even a little, he would not hesitate to punish me.
"Girl, get out of here right now before I change my mind! Show your face here again, and I'll throw you out of this castle!"
Professor Moody was not someone you could reason with. Having effectively been banned, I hurriedly spun on my heel and scurried out of the Entrance Hall.
In the end, without achieving anything at all, I found myself attending the Halloween feast.
The Great Hall, illuminated by candlelight, was packed to capacity. As everyone excitedly debated with their neighbors about who would be chosen, the golden plates were eventually wiped completely clean. Only then did Headmaster Dumbledore finally rise.
"Well then, it seems the Goblet has finished choosing. When your name is called, the selected champions are to enter the adjoining room."
With that, Headmaster Dumbledore flicked his wand, and every candle in the Great Hall went out, plunging the room into darkness.
The students fell silent, all eyes fixed on the sole source of light, the bluish-white flames of the Goblet of Fire.
"It's coming," Draco Malfoy muttered from two seats away.
The Goblet's flames shifted from blue to red, sparks scattering into the air. The next moment, the fire roared higher, and from the tip of its fiery tongue, a charred piece of parchment fluttered down.
As everyone watched with bated breath, Headmaster Dumbledore read out the name of the first champion.
"The champion of Durmstrang is Viktor Krum!"
With the appearance of the clear favorite, the Great Hall erupted into cheers and thunderous applause. Mr. Krum rose from the Slytherin table and, with a dignified stride, crossed the hall and disappeared through the door behind the staff table.
A few seconds later, the Goblet of Fire flared up again, and a second piece of parchment was swept out by the flames.
"The champion of Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"
A beautiful girl who rivaled even me in looks rose gracefully, swept her abundant silver-blonde hair back, and glided between the tables.
At last, it was time to announce our own Hogwarts champion. Sparks overflowed from the Goblet of Fire as Headmaster Dumbledore took out the third piece of parchment, and then—
"The champion of Hogwarts is Cedric Diggory!"
Before Headmaster Dumbledore could even finish speaking the name, the Hufflepuff students leapt to their feet, shouting and stamping their feet. Hannah and Senior Estelle applauded enthusiastically with bright smiles, while Ernie and Justin even broke into a little celebratory dance.
Cedric flashed a perfect smile and breezed through the Great Hall into the adjoining room.
Even after Cedric had left, the Hufflepuff students continued their applause for a long while, their excitement refusing to fade.
Compared to Gryffindor, with its many heroic legends, Slytherin, known for its famous families, and Ravenclaw, home to top academic achievers, Hufflepuff, with its earnest and modest students, tended to be overlooked. That was precisely why being at the center of such a major event brought them all the more joy.
"Excellent, excellent!"
At last, when the applause finally subsided, Headmaster Dumbledore, who had been smiling contentedly, spoke again.
"And now, the three champions have been chosen. I trust that even those who were not selected will lend all their strength to supporting the champions. By cheering them on, you can all contribute in the truest sense—"
Suddenly, Headmaster Dumbledore broke off mid-sentence.
"E-Elena! The Goblet…!"
Daphne's eyes went wide as she pointed at a single spot. Not just her, but everyone, including Draco, Pansy, and Harry, turned their gaze to the cause of the interruption.
Unbelievable.
Against all expectations, the Goblet of Fire had begun to burn once more.
A fourth burst of sparks shot out, and from the tip of the blazing flames, yet another piece of parchment drifted down. Headmaster Dumbledore reflexively caught it and stared intently at the name written there.
Oh my…?
"Hm. This might just be my turn," I said.
"And why do you look so pleased?" Pansy muttered in disbelief.
Ignoring her, I gazed at Headmaster Dumbledore with eager anticipation. However—
"Mahoutokoro… Harry Potter."
Unfortunately, the name Headmaster Dumbledore read aloud was not mine. Truly unfortunate.
That aside—
"Mahoutokoro?"
"Did he just say Mahoutokoro?"
"That's what it sounded like…"
No applause followed. Harry himself stood frozen in shock, while at the staff table, Professor McGonagall leaned in close to whisper something urgently into Headmaster Dumbledore's ear.
Then, as countless eyes remained fixed on Harry, another incident occurred.
Incredibly, the Goblet of Fire flared up yet again.
As confusion spread through the hall, the final piece of parchment was spat out. Written on it was a name both beautiful and dignified. Whose could it be?
"Ilvermorny… Elena Celestelia."
Yes.
That would be me.
(End of chapter)
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