Chapter 238 News of the Triwizard Tournament
The Quidditch World Cup ended prematurely in a chaotic situation.
Interviews with reporters from various newspapers, interactions between players and spectators, nightly exhibitions... all these post-match activities could not be carried out. The spectators were all gone, and the camp was almost burned down.
The participating teams left the fastest while protecting their own members. As they ran, they angrily cursed at the poor management of the British Ministry of Magic.
Poor Fudge, he originally wanted to hold a big Quidditch World Cup and use the success of this game to increase his reputation and reputation, so as to maintain his political status during the next change of office.
However, the actions carried out by the Death Eaters completely frustrated Fudge's plans. Instead of improving his reputation, he was directly scolded by the international community.
Now the whole of Europe knows that Cornelius Fudge, the British Minister of Magic, is an incompetent idiot who can't even run a Quidditch match!
"The Ministry of Magic is panicking...the criminals have not been caught...security is lax...dark wizards are on the loose...bringing shame to the country...Who wrote this, huh?"
Fudge stood behind his desk, angrily tapping today's copy of the Daily Prophet on the table.
"Listen to this: Those wizards panicked and waited with bated breath for news by the woods, hoping for comfort from the Ministry of Magic. Sadly, they were disappointed. Shortly after the Dark Mark appeared, a Ministry of Magic official showed up "It remains to be seen whether his words will be enough to quell rumors that several bodies were lifted from the woods an hour later."
"This is completely putting the Ministry of Magic on the fire. Those idiot-like civilian wizards will definitely think that there will be deaths in this World Cup final... But it was clear that no one died last night, and most of the injured were trampled Caused by this!”
Fudge slammed the newspaper to the ground and gasped for air.
The rough breath was accompanied by angry, deafening roars that came from outside the office door from time to time, and there was no sign of weakening even across the wall and the office door——
It was one roaring letter after another, all sent from various magic families or magic shops, most of them complaining about World Cup security issues and demanding compensation.
Ordinary wizards hope that the Ministry of Magic will compensate them for their damaged properties such as tents and camping supplies. Magic shops hope that the Ministry of Magic will compensate them for the advertising fees they paid. The participating teams hope that the Ministry of Magic will compensate their team members for their mental losses and medical expenses... …
Throughout the morning, the staff of the Ministry of Magic seemed to be putting out a fire, hurriedly dealing with all kinds of shouting letters.
If they don't open the howling letters immediately, these dangerous letters will explode and destroy the property of the Ministry of Magic; and if they open the howling letters, the deafening sound will continue, covering the entire floor in noise.
Fudge's expression became even uglier when he heard the noisy sounds.
"Mr. Minister, these reports are obviously written by the woman named Rita Skeeter." Umbridge, the pink toad, stood in front of Fudge and said coquettishly, "That woman has always known how to write some sensational things and Against the Ministry of Magic.”
She cleared her throat and expressed her opinion, "If you ask me, the Ministry of Magic should establish a Public Opinion Supervision Department. Those newspapers and journals must be reviewed by the Ministry of Magic before publication..."
"Dolores, how many times have I told you that we don't have the extra staff to deal with those trivial matters anymore!" Fudge said angrily, "We must now concentrate all our efforts on doing another big thing. If Once that is done, my reputation will still have a chance to turn around."
Yes, Fudge has prepared two big moves in order to regain his credibility and reputation.
One of them is the Quidditch World Cup Finals, which has completely failed; as for the other, it is also a major event that has been interrupted for two hundred years, and it is also closely related to them that Mr. Weasley once mentioned to the little wizards. grand event...
…
Harry, Ron, Hermione and the Weasley twins learned what Mr. Weasley was talking about at the opening dinner.
After the meal time, the young wizards sat at the long tables in their respective houses and watched Principal Dumbledore, who was sitting in the middle of the professor's seat, stand up.
"Okay!" Dumbledore looked at everyone with a smile and said, "Now that we have eaten and drank enough, I must ask everyone's attention again. I want to announce a few announcements-"
"Mr. Filch, the administrator, would like me to tell you that this year, several more items are prohibited in the castle. They are the Screaming Ball, the Wolf Fang Flying Saucer and the Combo Boomerang. The entire list includes approximately four hundred and three Seventeen items can be seen in Mr. Filch’s office, and those who are interested can check them out.”
The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched a few times.
Harry glanced towards the castle gate, and sure enough he saw Filch holding a mop on the ground, standing there triumphantly looking at the little wizard in the auditorium.
In fact, the little wizards have long been accustomed to the list of prohibited items that increases every year, and no one ever cares about these things.
Fred and George looked at each other funny, obviously becoming interested in the new prohibited items added to the list, and wanted to buy a few from Hogsmeade to play with.
"As before, I would like to remind everyone that students are not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest on the other side of the venue," Dumbledore ignored the students' mild reactions and continued, "As for Hogsmeade Village, all three Students below grade level are not allowed to visit.”
After saying these precautions, he raised his eyes and looked at the little wizards present with a smile.
"In addition, I would like to tell everyone with great regret that the College Cup Quidditch Tournament will not be held this year!"
His expression didn't look regretful at all.
"What?" Harry gasped in shock and turned to look at his Quidditch teammates Fred and George, "How could this be possible?"
Gryffindor just won the Quidditch Cup last school year. Although the captain Wood, who was the goalkeeper, has graduated and left, the composition of the other team members has not changed much. They can play the game without much running-in. It can be said that Things are looking great.
Sure enough, Fred and George also stared at Dumbledore silently with their mouths wide open, speechless in shock.
"Be patient, don't protest in a hurry." Dumbledore pressed his palm down and continued, "This is because a large-scale event will start in October and last for the entire school year, which will occupy the teachers' time. A lot of time and effort…”
“But I’m sure you’ll all have a lot of fun doing it. I’m really pleased to announce that over the next few months we’ll be hosting a fantastic event that’s already It hasn’t been held in more than a century—”
Dumbledore deliberately paused for a few seconds, raising the anticipation in the auditorium to the highest level.
"I am very happy to tell you that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year!"
"Triwizard Tournament?" Fred stood up abruptly and shouted, "Are you kidding me?"
The uproar was suddenly broken by Fred.
Almost everyone laughed at this, and Dumbledore chuckled softly.
"I'm not joking, Mr. Weasley," he laughed, "but since you mentioned joking, I heard a very interesting joke about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun. They They all entered the same pub..."
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly, and it could be seen that her face looked a little dark.
"Oh - it's probably not appropriate to say this now... Well, it's not appropriate..." Dumbledore waved his hand as if he suddenly understood, "Where did I just say? Ah, by the way, the Triwizard Tournament …”
"Some of you still don't know what this competition is all about, so I hope those who know the situation will forgive me for explaining a little here, and I allow their minds to wander for a while."
"The Triwizard Tournament was founded about seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest wizarding schools in Europe. The three schools are: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmster Lang. Each school selects a warrior, and then the three warriors compete in three magic projects. The Triwizard Tournament is held every five years, and the three schools take turns hosting it. Everyone agrees that this is a great event between young wizards from different countries. A great way to build friendships - but later, too many participating students died, and the Triwizard Tournament was discontinued."
"Death count?" Hermione caught the point keenly and whispered, looking around in shock.
But most of the students in the auditorium were not as nervous as she was, and many of them whispered excitedly. Harry was also eager to hear the specific details of the Triwizard Tournament, and neither of them was interested in those who died hundreds of years ago.
"There have been several attempts to revive the Tournament over the centuries," Dumbledore continued, "but none of them have been successful."
"However, our Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation and Department of Magical Sports at the Ministry of Magic believe that the time is ripe to try again. We have done a lot of work this summer to ensure that every warrior will not encounter life-threatening danger."
"Not only that, this year's Triwizard Tournament will add a new magic school - the Yinfamouni Magic School from the United States! From now on, the Triwizard Tournament will become the Four Wizard Tournament. The competition will be even fiercer!”
Rolf Scamander, who was sitting on the long Hufflepuff table, was still in a state of doing nothing, but his eyes suddenly widened when he heard these words.
He had a bad feeling that there would be some of his acquaintances among the people coming from Yin magician, and it would be a bit embarrassing to meet them at Hogwarts...
Dumbledore obviously didn't notice Rolf's instantly panicked expression, and continued to explain:
"In October, the principals of Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Invermorny will lead their carefully selected competitors, and the ceremony to select the warriors will be held on Halloween."
"A referee who is extremely fair will decide which students are most qualified to compete for the Triwizard Cup and win honor for their school. In addition, the winning individual will also receive a bonus of one thousand galleons."
"I want to participate!" Fred said to George in a low voice across the table.
His face lit up with excitement at the thought of the possibility of obtaining such honor and wealth.
And there's not just one person like Fred who fantasizes about becoming a Hogwarts warrior. In front of every house table, someone could be seen looking at Dumbledore either enthusiastically or expectantly.
The whole auditorium became noisy, everyone whispered excitedly to their neighbors, guessing who would become the Hogwarts Champion.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke again, and the auditorium slowly fell silent.
"I know you are all eager to win the Triwizard Trophy for Hogwarts," he said, "but the participating schools and the Ministry of Magic have agreed that there must be an age limit for this year's contenders!"
"Only students who are over seventeen years old - that is to say, students over seventeen years old are allowed to register to ensure your safety."
Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, because some people protested angrily after hearing his words. The Wesley twins were among them. The news that they could not compete made them angry.
"This measure is necessary because the events of the competition are still very difficult and dangerous. No matter how many precautions we take, it is simply impossible for students below sixth and seventh grade to handle it."
"Here, I will personally ensure that no student underage can deceive our most impartial referee and become a champion of Hogwarts!"
His blue eyes flashed meaningfully as he glanced over the rebellious faces of Fred and George, "So, if you're under seventeen, I hope you won't waste your time applying."
Fred and George were glanced at by the principal, their eyes flinched, and then they looked over with wide eyes unconvinced.
Dumbledore ignored the twins' actions and continued:
"Delegations from Beauxbatons, Infermorny and Durmstrang will arrive in October and will spend most of the school year with us. We hope that everyone will be warm and friendly and promote Hogwart." Ci’s style.”
"In addition, once the Hogwarts Warrior is finally chosen, you must support him or her wholeheartedly. The best result, of course, is for the Hogwarts Warrior to win the final championship."
Dumbledore winked at the young wizards and returned to his smiling expression.
"Okay, it's getting late now. In order for you to be able to walk into class with a clear mind and energy tomorrow morning. Go back to the common rooms and sleep!" He smiled and waved to the audience.
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