Chapter 553: Chapter 553: This Bad Mood Should Be Real (Edited)
"Peeves, I warn you..." Professor McGonagall arrived late as if she were a SWAT team in an action movie, but she halted her speech halfway because she witnessed the entire process in which Peeves was hit by a colorful large balloon and went flying upside down.
He really flew backward.
The sound of the impact between the heavy object and his body resonated in the Hogwarts entrance hall, sounding painful.
Professor McGonagall fell silent. This wasn't what she expected. She thought the students were being harassed by Peeves, but it turned out that the students seemed to be fighting back.
Peeves somersaulted in the air several times before stabilizing. He held an iceball, with his broad face sunk into it and his eyes gleaming with revengeful fire.
But Tom, Hermione, and Cedric raised their wands simultaneously and pointed them at him, making Peeves dare not move hastily. Furthermore, Professor McGonagall had already arrived, so Peeves could only grumble while holding the iceball and flying away.
"Twenty points for Ravenclaw and ten points for Hufflepuff," Professor McGonagall immediately rewarded the three who managed to stop Peeves.
"Alright, quickly enter the Great Hall," she ordered the students blocking the entrance. When Tom and the others passed by her, she finally let a smile slip on her serious face. "Excellent combination of spells."
"Thank you for the praise," Tom was very satisfied with his earlier performance and then followed his peers into the Great Hall.
Hogwarts' Great Hall remained as magnificent as ever and had been specially decorated for the start of the new school year; everything looked refreshed.
After entering the Great Hall, the three of them separated. Cedric headed toward the Hufflepuff table, while Tom and Hermione found two seats next to the Ravenclaw table. Cho Chang sat down next to them.
Once seated, Tom looked toward the professors' table and noticed that there were only two empty seats. One belonged to Hagrid, who was currently crossing the lake with the first-year students, and the other was Professor McGonagall's seat, who was busy cleaning up Peeves' mess.
Most of the faces at the professors' table were familiar: Professor Flitwick sitting on a soft cushion, next to him was Professor Sprout, both were chatting with Professor Sinistra, who taught astronomy. Next to Sinistra was Snape, and next to Snape was Professor McGonagall's empty seat, and McGonagall's seat was next to Dumbledore. Tom noticed that Dumbledore was staring at the ceiling motionlessly, as if lost in thought.
The only new face at the professors' table was the man seated to Dumbledore's right. This man also drew the attention of most students in the Great Hall. His face was covered in scars, with a twisted mouth and lacking the tip of his nose, and he had a magical eye.
Just by looking at that face, Tom knew this man was the famous Alastor Moody. At that moment, Moody was constantly scanning every corner of the Great Hall with his magical eye, while examining each student who entered. Students in the audience were also murmuring without ceremony, exchanging rumors about this new professor.
Is this Moody real? Suddenly, Tom had that thought. There was only one person in Voldemort's inner circle who could withstand the role of a spy: Barty Crouch Jr. If Moody had been replaced, they couldn't have done it without them knowing, unless Dumbledore was fishing, that was also possible.
Since Voldemort's resurrection, there haven't been any major attention-grabbing moves, making one have to stay vigilant.
Finally, the doors of the Great Hall opened once again, and Hagrid entered with the newly soaked students. Professor McGonagall carried a stool and the Sorting Hat in front of the professors' table, ready for the Sorting Hat ceremony.
After hearing a new song from the Sorting Hat, the sorting ceremony began. Tom, like all the Ravenclaw students, applauded loudly to welcome the new students joining Ravenclaw.
Finally, with Kevin Whitby assigned to Hufflepuff, the sorting ceremony came to an end. At this point, Tom's stomach was growling with hunger.
"Fortunately, there aren't that many students in the magical world. If we had to sort hundreds of people at once, I think I'd starve," he whispered to Hermione.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't starve if you waited an hour or two to eat!"
After the sorting ceremony, Dumbledore stood up. Like all the headmasters, Dumbledore was going to give a speech at the opening ceremony. However, those who knew him didn't show impatience because they knew Dumbledore wouldn't keep anyone waiting with an empty stomach.
And as expected, Dumbledore uttered a single word: "Feast!"
Suddenly, the empty plates in front of them were filled with food. Tom was delighted and began piling all sorts of delicious-looking dishes onto his plate. Although there was currently only British cuisine to choose from, he knew that this year students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be coming to Hogwarts, so the elaborate potato dishes in front of him didn't dampen his mood.
Not to mention northern schools like Durmstrang, Beauxbatons is located in southern France, so Hogwarts' cuisine would surely provide plenty of French food.
In the professors' seats, Mad-Eye Moody was eating the food in front of him very cautiously. He examined almost every dish before bringing it to his mouth and refused to use the utensils and glasses provided by Hogwarts.
His strange behavior drew the attention of most students.
"It's really odd," Cho Chang, sitting next to Hermione, watched as Moody pushed aside the pumpkin juice in front of him and pulled a bow-shaped bottle of wine from inside his cloak, taking a big swig before he couldn't help but make negative comments in her heart, and started complaining to Hermione.
"There's no other option; he's experienced too much," Tom still wanted to say some kind words in defense of Moody. "He's always been on the front lines against dark wizards, only retired a few years ago, and he's fully experienced the Wizarding Wars. They say he caught half of the Death Eaters sent to Azkaban."
Listening to Tom's introduction of Moody, the attitudes of the people around him changed immediately.
"All those scars on his body were left by dark wizards; it's understandable that he's become a bit sensitive, and they're focusing their attention on the wrong thing. As a former auror, Moody should have come here as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. This year, our Defense Against the Dark Arts class will surely be very exciting."
Hearing Tom's words, everyone got excited.
After the desserts also disappeared from the plates, Professor Dumbledore stood up again. He first announced some news and then introduced everyone to Mad-Eye Moody.
Finally, with a tone of regret, he said, "Unfortunately, I must inform you all that this year's House Cup Quidditch tournament has been canceled."
The Great Hall erupted into an uproar.
Chapter 554: Chapter 554: Innocent Fred and George (Edited)
"No!" The Great Hall echoed with lamentations, countless young wizards couldn't accept this fact. Tom noticed that even Cho Chang, usually calm, was open-mouthed in surprise. For young wizards, this was too shocking.
No Quidditch tournament this year? Was the magical world on the verge of destruction?
Anger, shock, confusion, and other emotions were brewing in the Great Hall, but Dumbledore wasn't concerned in the slightest because he knew that the following news would completely divert attention from the cancellation of the Quidditch tournament.
"Because starting in October of this year, Hogwarts will hold a large-scale event that will last the entire school year. This event has taken a lot of time and effort from both the teachers and the officials from the Ministry of Magic, but I believe it's all worth it. Everyone will be able to participate and enjoy unforgettable moments. I am pleased to announce that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year."
"Oh my!" Fred jumped up from his seat in surprise. "Are you kidding?"
The Great Hall filled with non-malicious laughter, and the gloomy atmosphere caused by the cancellation of the Quidditch tournament disappeared completely. Almost everyone began to laugh, even Dumbledore.
"Of course, I'm not kidding, Mr. Weasley. But since you mentioned a joke, I have a rather good one. Once upon a time, there was a giant, a banshee, and a goblin who walked into a bar together..."
Tom burst into laughter, attracting a lot of attention.
"Oh, Yodel, have you also heard that joke?" Dumbledore cheerfully asked from the stage.
Tom struggled to contain his laughter and activated his Occlumency with all his might. It would be a disaster if someone found out what he had in mind! School transfer and such things could already be scheduled in his agenda...
Fortunately, at that moment, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat energetically, allowing Dumbledore to quickly change the subject.
"Well, telling jokes here isn't very appropriate... Where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament. Let me introduce what the tournament entails..."
The Triwizard Tournament was a friendly competition between the three main wizarding schools in Europe, held every five years with the organizing schools taking turns. The Triwizard Tournament had been around for about seven hundred years but had been suspended due to the high number of fatalities.
"...the champions will compete in three magical challenges, and we all believe this is an excellent way for young wizards from different countries to forge friendships..."
Tom raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore might have a point to some extent, but the true purpose of the Triwizard Tournament wasn't simply to provide a platform for young wizards to make friends. The key was in the "Three Wizards"; it was an excellent way for Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons to expand their influence.
The competition's description was clear: a "friendly competition between the three main wizarding schools in Europe," so only the three largest wizarding schools in Europe could participate. This title wasn't a big deal for Hogwarts, but for a wizarding school like Durmstrang facing competition from Koldovstoretz, it was quite valuable. Furthermore, this was an excellent opportunity for the "Big Three" to stand out and demonstrate their superiority. Ranking wizarding schools was extremely difficult to determine, and the Triwizard Tournament gave them a direct way to communicate. Which school had the most outstanding students? You only had to look at the Triwizard Tournament results.
"In summary, the time has come. In October, the heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will come with their carefully selected competitors, and on Halloween night, an impartial judge will select the representatives from each school... The champion of the Triwizard Tournament will receive a prize of one thousand Galleons."
The Great Hall was filled with an exciting atmosphere; each house table had people looking eagerly at Dumbledore or talking animatedly with their peers. Only Hermione was focused on the number of deaths.
Of course, young wizards were excited and hadn't yet realized a problem: what kind of person could represent Hogwarts? Everyone was captivated by the high prize and ultimate honor.
Dumbledore's next words shattered the dreams of countless young wizards.
"The Ministry of Magic and the participating schools agree that only students aged seventeen or older can enter the competition."
These words fell like a piece of bloody meat into a hot frying pan. Many young wizards remained motionless in their seats, displaying expressions of pain and anger. Their fantasies were shattered by the chains of age. Third, fourth, and fifth-year students were undoubtedly the most unfortunate group in all of Hogwarts. Not only would they miss this year's Triwizard Tournament but also the next one. In comparison, first and second-year students were the luckiest. They could be spectators in this competition and participants in the next.
The opening ceremony concluded with a mix of excitement and disappointment. Students left their seats and headed to their respective house common rooms.
"So, what was the second half of Dumbledore's joke?" On the way back, Hermione recalled the half of the joke told by Dumbledore. Her curiosity was piqued, and she longed to know more.
"I don't know, but look at the teachers' platform, don't you see a 'giant,' a 'banshee,' and a 'goblin' right there?" Tom nodded toward the teachers' platform.
Hermione looked toward the end of the Great Hall and saw Hagrid, McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick sitting at the teachers' table, laughing and chatting.
Hermione suddenly understood the essence of Dumbledore's joke. She suppressed her laughter and playfully hit Tom. "You're crazy. If they find out, you won't have any free time before Christmas."
"But seriously, I have a joke that starts in a tavern."
Hermione: ???
"Can you tell me?"
"Of course not." Tom firmly rejected Hermione's request. Most of those tavern jokes were vulgar and not suitable for an obedient girl like Hermione. They could negatively influence her.
"Piu! piu!" Tom heard two strange exclamations, and he turned his head to see Fred and George scowling at him.
"What's going on?" Tom approached the two pranksters.
"We're thinking about how to fool the so-called 'impartial judge' Dumbledore mentioned and successfully enroll in the Triwizard Tournament. Fred and I will turn seventeen next April! I think we should give it a try."
Tom looked at Fred and sighed, "Fred, George, it's the first time I've realized that you two are so naive."
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