Dumbledore's office was crowded at that moment, a heavy atmosphere lingering in the air. All eyes were focused on a single man, the owner of the office himself.
"I believe we have a lot to discuss," Dumbledore said, indifferent to the unfriendly stares of the Ministers of Magic.
"Yes, Rose Potter and Asterion Black should not participate in the Tournament. If they remain, it will not be a tournament, but an amusement park for the both of them," Louis Delacour said, and his voice was met with agreement from all the other ministers.
"That's not possible. Rose and Asterion are bound by the Goblet of Fire; if they don't participate, they will lose their magical energies," Dumbledore replied, causing everyone to fall silent.
There was nothing more to say. Neither Rose nor Asterion would ever allow that to happen. Losing their magic was the same as killing them, especially Asterion. If something like that happened to him, all his cursed spirits would be unleashed.
Everyone frowned in thought, and then the President of MACUSA, Benjamin, proposed an idea. "Why don't we limit their powers so they can participate in the Tournament without it being unfair to the other participants?"
Everyone became contemplative. Although it was a good proposal, a special-grade wizard with limited power was still a special-grade wizard. In terms of magical energy control or spells, they would be far superior to the other participants.
"It's the only choice. What do you think?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Asterion and Rose, who had remained silent until that moment.
They looked at each other and saw what the other was thinking.
"It's fine," Rose agreed. She wasn't interested in crushing ants as soon as the tournament began. Besides, she had absolute confidence in fighting anyone below the special grade, even while limited.
Looking at Asterion's cold face beside her, a smile appeared on Rose's lips. Because of the tournament, she would have a lot of time alone with her cousin, and it was a great opportunity for her.
"It's decided. Both will fight with the power of Grade 2 at all times. If any increase in power parameters is detected, Hogwarts will be disqualified from competing in the International Magic and Wizardry Tournament." Seeing this, Dumbledore's lips curved into a satisfied smile. He looked at all the Ministers of Magic from other countries and spoke with a serious and committed tone.
They had no choice but to accept. Preventing Asterion and Rose from participating was the same as making enemies of three special-grade wizards, something no country in the world wanted. Especially during this period when a world magic war seemed like a probable event.
Asterion looked at Dumbledore in silence, the uncomfortable feeling of being manipulated resurfacing, but he wasn't sure if Dumbledore was involved or if it was someone else.
"We need to discuss what happened with the Goblet of Fire. My name and Rose's name were prohibited from being selected from the beginning of the Tournament. It's very suspicious that the Goblet accepted our names," Asterion said, drawing everyone's attention.
The shrewdest among them had already guessed that something suspicious was going on.
Yes, the entire situation was very suspicious. Unconsciously, some discreet glances were cast towards the most powerful man in the world.
"Who was in possession of the Goblet of Fire?" Rose asked beside Asterion, her eyes also narrowing. She did not doubt Dumbledore; it was too obvious to be him. Although she wanted to and was happy to participate in the tournament, she did not like being manipulated by someone with mysterious purposes.
Dumbledore remained silent for a brief moment before uttering a name.
"Robert Crouch, a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors."
He continued speaking calmly. "I will initiate an investigation immediately. I ask that you keep this a secret due to the delicate situation."
Asterion narrowed his eyes and remained silent; he would investigate on his own.
---
When the news of Asterion and Rose's participation in the Tournament spread, there were many rumors, especially among the students from other schools. Competing against two special-grade wizards was like placing two enormous mountains on their young shoulders.
Fortunately, both would be limited to using the power of a Grade 2 wizard; otherwise, they would simply give up and let Hogwarts win. It was impossible for them to fight against a special-grade wizard, let alone two.
At this moment, Asterion and Rose were meeting their teammates.
Asterion looked at the sparkling vampire with a strange gaze. Although he did not like the guy's performance in Twilight, he did an excellent job in The Batman.
"Cedric." Despite feeling Asterion's somewhat strange look, Cedric approached and extended his hand with a gentle and friendly smile on his lips.
"Asterion." Shaking his hand, Asterion introduced himself, though he found it a bit unnecessary.
Suddenly, both turned and saw Luna crouched down, looking at Asterion's shadow with a bright gaze.
"How cute~" A delicate and dreamy voice escaped her lips, making Asterion purse his lips.
Cedric merely showed a strange look but felt a shiver run down his spine, seeing the hundreds of eyes appearing in his teammate's shadow.
Cute? If that's cute, then I'm a dark wizard! Cedric thought skeptically, seeing her call that monster cute.
"What's his name, Chief?" Luna poked his shadow with her finger and asked curiously. Her blue, almost silver eyes were fixed on his red ones.
"Baskerville." In the face of those incomparably familiar eyes, Asterion responded calmly, his eyes attentively studying the delicate and beautiful face of the girl.
Although he knew that Luna had followed him at the beginning of his first year, he hadn't heard much about her since then, which was strange given how noticeable the girl was.
Still, the biggest surprise was Luna being chosen by the Goblet of Fire to represent Ravenclaw. This showed that the second-year girl was more suitable than the sixth and seventh-year students.
"Do you know what the first task of the Tournament will be?" Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, Rose asked with a curious look.
Cedric shook his head, knowing nothing.
"We'll find out tomorrow when they announce it." Asterion said, moving away from Luna, who wouldn't stop trying to play with Baskerville. He could feel the increasingly angry mood of the cursed spirit toward the girl.
Showing a cute and dissatisfied look, Luna pouted adorably and introduced herself.
"I'm Luna, a seer." She placed her hand over her lips and spoke gently.
A silence spread through the environment!
Everyone looked at Luna in shock. It was no wonder, as this was practically the rarest talent in the wizarding world and one of the most powerful. If a seer wants to escape, believe it, you will never find them if they don't want to be found.
So, the news of Luna Lovegood being a seer was shocking, but at the same time, very good news for Asterion's team.
---
**Author's Thoughts:** I know that, like me, many of you love this quirky girl. Luna will be important starting from this volume, and you will see more of her. Thank you for reading and have a good Friday.
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
New Novel: (I Am The Prince of Hell - Autor: Take The Sun (Eu mesmo) ☜(゚ヮ゚☜)
Next Chapter Second Volume: , , Chapter 130 - The Four Hogwarts Representatives (3), Chapter 131 - The First Trial (1), Chapter 132 - The First Trial (2), Chapter 133 - King's Game (1), Chapter 134 - King's Game (2), Chapter 135 - King's Game (3), Chapter 136 - King's Game (4), Chapter 137 - King's Game (5), Chapter 138 - King's Game (6), 139 - King's Game (7), 140 - King's Game (8), 141 - King's Game (9), 142 - King's Game (10), 143 - King's Game (11), 144 - King's Game (12), 145 - King's Game (13), Chapter 146 - Second Phase of the King's Game (1), Chapter 147 - Second Phase of the King's Game (2), Chapter 148 - Second Phase of the King's Game (3).
"Do you know what the first task will be?" Cedric asked quickly. If they really knew what the first task would be before everyone else, Hogwarts' chances of winning would increase significantly.
"I do." Blinking innocently, Luna looked at the shadow without hiding her nefarious intent towards Baskerville. "But I won't tell."
Asterion, Rose, and Cedric had already guessed Luna's purpose from the look she gave Asterion's shadow.
Looking at his own shadow, Asterion mentally apologized to his companion.
As if knowing what was about to happen, little Baskerville backed away, pleading with his eyes, but it was useless. He was a majestic special-grade cursed spirit; he refused to be petted by a young human!
"Sorry, but I'll have to sacrifice you for a while." Asterion murmured and didn't hesitate to force Baskerville out of his shadow and into Luna's arms.
"Hehehe~" Stroking the silky, soft fur, Luna laughed and showed an incomparably satisfied expression. "Who's the cutest boy in the world? It's you~"
Baskerville looked at his master, pleading to be taken out of the arms of this crazy woman, but Asterion turned his head and looked at the wall as if appreciating its beauty.
"I can't see exactly what's going to happen, but Professor McGonagall will create a vast space covered with forests, mountains, and lakes. All representatives from the thirteen schools will be thrown into this space to do something." Sitting on the floor with Baskerville in her lap, Luna spoke casually while stroking the belly of the hundred-eyed dog.
Compared to the Tournament, Luna was more interested in Baskerville. She had seen some very interesting scenes involving the demon dog and his master, Asterion Black.
Luna's words made Cedric reflect deeply. "Will we be forced to fight each other?"
If that were the case, Hogwarts would be at a great disadvantage. He could imagine that all the other schools would focus on them, not just because they were the strongest team with Asterion and Rose, but also because they were the most familiar with the terrain.
"It's possible, but I don't think it will be that simple." Rose nodded and continued. "Probably the team that wins will have to get something, a flag for example, located in a specific and difficult-to-access place."
Cedric and Asterion agreed with Rose's words. If the first task was like that, then they really had to worry about the other schools teaming up and focusing on their team.
"We need to strategize to divide the teams. If we leave things as they are, most will join forces and target us." Asterion said, stroking his beardless chin and thinking. Then his eyes lit up as if he had thought of something.
"We can use the animosity between countries to prevent the teams from uniting." Showing a malicious smile, Asterion finished his proposal.
Cedric thought for a moment and agreed. Although it wasn't in his nature to do something like this, he wasn't against it, not when something so important was at stake.
Rose naturally accepted. She showed an excited smile, thinking about the fight she would have in a few days. Only those at the top of the world know how lonely it is at the top. It had been years since she had participated in a decent fight. Although she wouldn't use all her power in the Tournament, a fight was still a fight.
"Japan and China won't ally under any circumstances, so we don't need to worry about them. Russia and the United States probably won't ally either, but those two might team up in a moment of need. That leaves eight, probably four of those eight will join one side in this first task. The other four might do the task solo or also join one of the powers, Russia or the United States." Asterion shared the information he knew with his future teammates.
Rose and Cedric also began to think about the information Asterion had provided.
"Asterion, can you observe the entire future battlefield?" Cedric asked with a serious expression. He didn't formally address the extremely powerful young man as other students did; they were companions, and in his eyes, they were united at this moment.
Having eyes on the battlefield would be extremely important, especially knowing where all the teams were located. They could even ambush some teams along the way, reducing the number of rivals.
Asterion didn't mind being called by his name and thought for a moment before giving his answer. "I can summon about 40 observers, cursed spirits that I created to watch. I can summon more, but with the amount of magical energy allowed for me, this quantity is the best in emergencies."
Cedric nodded and looked at Rose. "Rose, I presume you can observe over great distances as well."
"Yes, I can, but don't expect something too far away. Without my magic to help me handle the amount of useless information, I can't see that far," Rose said, waving her hand and explaining a bit about how her Six Eyes worked.
Honestly, her sight could cover hundreds of kilometers if necessary, but the amount of information was so overwhelming that even after reaching enlightenment, she would find it difficult to handle such a large amount of information for more than a few minutes.
Her brain simply couldn't process such a large amount of information, even with magical energy filtering out a good portion of it.
In the end, she was human, and being human meant having limitations. If she were made of pure magical energy like a cursed spirit, she presumed she might be able to handle it since she could regenerate her brain as quickly as it decayed.
"Since I don't have an innate technique, I'm a wizard specializing in spells. I know almost all the spells from first to seventh year. I can basically perform any role." Cedric looked at Rose with surprise and spoke about himself with a very confident smile.
Not being born with an innate technique, he always worked hard to learn spells. He didn't consider himself inferior to any wizard born with an innate technique.
"That's excellent," Asterion said. This was the only weak point for him and Rose. They hadn't had enough time to learn all the spells; they were only fourteen years old. This was a natural gap that time would fill, but for now, having a teammate specialized in spells was something valuable.
Then, Rose, Asterion, and Cedric all looked together at Luna, who was still playing with Baskerville, ignoring the discussion happening in front of her. The three exchanged glances and didn't ask anything about Luna; it was enough for the girl to see the future, which would help them enormously, as it had moments ago.
It could be said that Luna would be the core of the team, while Rose and Asterion would be the attackers and Cedric would act as support.
The only good thing was that no one besides them knew Luna was a seer. Otherwise, things would become complicated, and everyone would be even more determined to eliminate Hogwarts in the first phase.
---
**Author's Thoughts:** As some of you probably guessed, the first task was inspired by *The Hunger Games*. The other two tasks were also inspired by series and movies.
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
New Novel: (I Am The Prince of Hell - Autor: Take The Sun (Eu mesmo) ☜(゚ヮ゚☜)
Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 132 - The First Trial (2), Chapter 133 - King's Game (1), Chapter 134 - King's Game (2), Chapter 135 - King's Game (3), Chapter 136 - King's Game (4), Chapter 137 - King's Game (5), Chapter 138 - King's Game (6), 139 - King's Game (7), 140 - King's Game (8), 141 - King's Game (9), 142 - King's Game (10), 143 - King's Game (11), 144 - King's Game (12), 145 - King's Game (13), Chapter 146 - Second Phase of the King's Game (1), Chapter 147 - Second Phase of the King's Game (2), Chapter 148 - Second Phase of the King's Game (3).
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