Chapter 549 The Goblet Of Fire
Crouch was truly peculiar, but that might not have been unusual.
He was unlike a typical wizard, and had always been so.
Reflecting on his impeccable attire at the Quidditch World Cup, Evan thought he looked peculiar in wizarding robes. His toothbrush mustache and severe parting seemed quite odd next to Dumbledore's long white hair and beard.
If he turned out to be a fake Barty Crouch, that would be truly astonishing.
Of course, that was just speculation on Evan's part. Barty Crouch Jr. could also be a false student from Beauxbatons or Durmstrang.
Just in case, he would return to the Common Room and use the Marauder's Map to confirm it.
"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have tirelessly worked in recent months on the preparations for the Triwizard Tournament," continued Dumbledore, "and will join me, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."
It was confirmed that the five of them would be jury members.
Upon mentioning the word "champions," the attention of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore noticed their sudden stillness, as he smiled and said, "The box, please, Mr. Filch."
Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a distant corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a large jewel-encrusted wooden chest. It appeared extremely ancient.
A murmur of excited interest rose among the observing students.
To see more clearly, Colin stood on his chair. His brother Dennis Creevey also stood on his chair to see properly, but being so small, only his head barely protruded above the others.
"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch carefully placed the chest on the table in front of him, "and they have made necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spread throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways: their magical skill... their courage... their deductive abilities... and, of course, their ability to face danger."
As he uttered this last word, the Hall filled with such absolute silence that it seemed no one was breathing.
"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore continued calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be judged based on their performance in each of the Tournament tasks, and the champion with the highest total after the third task will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."
Dumbledore drew his wand and struck thrice on the top of the chest. The lid opened slowly. Dumbledore reached into it and pulled out a large goblet of rough wood. It would have been entirely common if it weren't filled to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.
Evan could sense it was a magical object with great magical power, but it wasn't a legendary magical object.
Its function was to select the respective champions from the students of the three magical schools and allow them to enter into contracts with the Triwizard Tournament.
If one were strong enough, they could confuse the Goblet of Fire, thus affecting the selection of the champions.
With the power of Barty Crouch and Caresius, this could be done very easily.
Perhaps they had already put Harry's name in it. The Goblet of Fire had been guarded by the Ministry of Magic. As one of the organizers and jury members of the Triwizard Tournament, Crouch could easily touch it without raising suspicions.
Dumbledore closed the chest and carefully placed the cup on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.
"Anyone wishing to enter as a champion must write their name and school clearly on a piece of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours to submit their names. Tomorrow night, on Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it judges as most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete."
"As I have mentioned before, to ensure that no underage student succumbs to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will draw an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. No one under seventeen will be able to cross this line."
"Lastly, I wish to emphasize to those of you who wish to compete that this tournament must not be taken lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, they are bound to complete the tournament to the end. The act of placing your name in the goblet constitutes a binding magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please make sure that you are fully prepared to participate before placing your name in the goblet. Now, I believe it is time to retire for the night. Goodnight, everyone."
"A line of age!" exclaimed Fred Weasley, his eyes sparkling. "Well, that's easy to get around. Shouldn't be fooled by an Aging Potion, right? And once your name is in that goblet, you're in luck... it can't tell if you're seventeen or not!"
At that moment, the students made their way towards the entrance hall doors.
"But I don't think anyone under seventeen stands a chance," remarked Hermione, "we simply haven't learned enough..."
"Speak for yourself," George retorted sharply. "Think of Evan. He's only thirteen. How many people in school can be stronger than him?!"
"Evan is different, he's not going to participate. He promised Dumbledore!" Hermione quickly added.
But George ignored her and turned to the others, saying, "Harry, Ron, Colin, will you give it a try, then?"
The three hesitated, then nodded in agreement.
"If you can surpass the age limit set by Dumbledore, there's no harm in trying," Harry recalled Dumbledore's insistence that nobody under seventeen should put their name in, but then the wonderful image of himself winning the Triwizard Tournament filled his mind.
"By the way, where is he?" Ron said. "Dumbledore didn't mention where the Durmstrang students sleep, did he?" He suddenly remembered this and hurriedly scanned the crowd for Krum.
Looking at Ron, he eagerly wished to invite Krum to stay in his room.
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