Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Headmaster Competition Starts!
"It's a long story."
"To put it simply, I got the Serpentwood Wand left behind by Salazar Slytherin, and then the Ilvermorny school itself acknowledged me. The old headmaster voluntarily stepped down and handed the position to me," Cyrus briefly explained.
"The school's acknowledgment?" Harry and Ron repeated, looking puzzled.
"The school itself has consciousness, just like Hogwarts. If you don't have the recognition of the castle, even if you're appointed headmaster by the Ministry of Magic or the school governors, you won't be able to access the castle's secrets," Cyrus clarified.
He didn't really want to dwell on his own matters, so he shifted the topic.
"Why don't you tell me about yourselves? Has anything special happened recently?"
"Of course!" Ginny nodded vigorously, with a hint of jealousy in her tone.
She roughly pulled Harry over from Ron's side and lifted his sleeve. "What's with this mark?"
"When did that appear?"
"On the night you defeated Voldemort," Harry said, pressing his lips together.
Cyrus looked at Harry's arm in surprise. He hadn't expected that the magical mark he had created to bind the Death Eaters who had defected to him had also left an imprint on Harry.
Immediately, he felt a sense of joy.
"Harry, only those truly loyal to me can bear this mark without being harmed by the flames," he said seriously, meeting Harry's gaze. "If you're willing, you can follow in my footsteps."
In terms of magical talent, Harry Potter was already quite good, but he still couldn't compare to true geniuses. Snape, with his biased perspective, often regarded Harry as mediocre.
However, Harry had an advantage that others did not—his influence.
Especially in Britain, there wasn't a wizard who didn't know the name Harry Potter. Every Muggle-born or half-blood wizard who had suffered under Voldemort's reign was deeply grateful to him. There was a lot Cyrus could do with his by a little PR.
"Of course I'm willing!" Harry said quickly, a shy smile spreading across his face, and at this moment, he seemed even more excited than Cyrus.
For a long time, Harry had yearned for recognition, especially in front of Cyrus—the man who had saved him multiple times and had truly defeated Voldemort with sheer power.
But just as his heart was surging with joy, Ginny roughly pushed him aside. The fiery girl extended her smooth, jade-like elbow toward Cyrus, her tone firm and unwavering.
"Ouch!"
"I want it too!"
"And don't forget me," Hermione quickly added, also reaching out her hand.
The two girls stood their ground, locking eyes with Cyrus, making it clear that they wouldn't back down unless he agreed.
This made Ron feel a bit awkward. He glanced at his best friend Harry, then at the formidable "mother" figure—Hermione—and finally at his own sister:
"Ehm.. If I don't reach out, will I be considered antisocial?"
Cyrus rubbed his forehead, looking both resigned and serious as he said, "I don't mind having more followers, but I need to remind you all—this isn't a game. Do you truly understand who my enemy is?"
His amber-golden eyes stared directly into the young, untested souls before him.
"It's not Dumbledore, right?" Ron joked awkwardly, attempting to lighten the mood. But he quickly realized that Cyrus wasn't laughing at all.
He froze.
"Is it really?"
It wasn't just Ron; even Ginny and Hermione were stunned, and Harry looked completely in disbelief.
On one side stood Cyrus, the person they admired and looked up to, and on the other was Dumbledore, revered as the greatest wizard of all time.
Harry suddenly found himself conflicted, not even understanding why there was any conflict between Cyrus and Dumbledore.
"But you two worked together against Voldemort…"
"That was before, Harry." Cyrus smiled gently, softening the atmosphere a bit.
"But don't worry, we won't kill each other. This isn't about hatred—it's about what we each need to do and what we stand for."
Just as Harry and the others were grappling with their shock, a cold voice suddenly cut into the conversation.
"I don't care about Dumbledore, but why did you refuse me before?"
Ginny and Hermione's hearts tightened as they quickly turned to look in the direction of the voice.
In the shadows stood a tall, blonde girl with her arms crossed and a cold, smug smile on her face.
Both Harry and Ron were intimidated by Cassandra's presence, instinctively taking a half-step back.
Ginny and Hermione, recognizing the girl as the same witch from Ilvermorny who had drawn attention earlier, stepped forward defiantly.
But Cassandra paid them no mind. She walked with the grace of a snake, her movements forming elegant curves as she approached.
She stopped momentarily by Harry, her sharp green eyes piercing him, making him forget how to breathe for a moment.
Mechanically, Harry turned his head and whispered to Ron, "Is this... a showdown?"
Ron just shook his head dumbly.
"Miss Vole, I thought you had returned to the carriage with Bella," Cyrus said, not in the least uncomfortable, maintaining his composure as always, as if this small scene posed no challenge to him.
"I changed my mind and decided to take a stroll. And, Professor, I told you to just call me Cassandra," she replied, her gaze locking onto Harry—or more precisely, the mark on his arm. "You rejected me from becoming your follower like my father, saying I hadn't graduated yet. But... how do you explain him?"
Before Cyrus could respond, Cassandra lifted her sleeve and continued, "I don't care who you're against, and I'm prepared for any sacrifice for you."
"We are too!" Ginny glared at Cassandra as she and Hermione stepped forward, full of hostility.
Cassandra gave Ginny and Hermione a serious look, her golden eyebrows furrowing slightly. The two girls' appearances did make her feel a bit threatened.
However, as her gaze lowered, her eyebrows relaxed immediately, and she let out a dismissive chuckle, as if she had just seen a joke.
'Seriously, they think they can compare with me?'
She proudly puffed out her chest and gave her shoulders a slight shake, which only fueled Ginny's anger. Her fiery red hair nearly stood on end from her frustration.
Luckily, at that moment, someone stepped in to diffuse the tension.
"Aye! Good evening, Harry!" Hagrid's booming voice broke the silence. His massive frame parted the crowd of young witches and wizards as he walked over. When he spotted Cyrus, his expression grew complicated.
"Seeing your face stirs up a lot of mixed feelings, Mr. Cyrus," he said bluntly, though he still extended his large hand toward Cyrus. "But I know you're not Tom Riddle. You are taller and Handsome if I may say." He winked.
"And for that, I owe you thanks!"
"Thank me? For being Handsome?" Cyrus was momentarily confused. He couldn't recall doing anything that would warrant Hagrid's gratitude.
"Ahaha. You saved Harry more than once, didn't you?" Hagrid replied. "And there's also what you did for Mr. Scamander. During the summer, he invited me into his suitcase. He told me it was you who introduced me to him."
When Hagrid mentioned that, Cyrus remembered. He had indeed spoken to uncle Newt Scamander about Hagrid's impressive skills with magical creatures during one of their meetings.
"Thanks to you, I saw loads of fantastic creatures—ones you don't find in the Forbidden Forest!" Hagrid said, nearly tearing up with emotion. Then, he gave Cyrus a hearty slap on the shoulder. "Come by my hut for tea sometime, will you? And don't worry about your two Fire-Dragons, I'll take good care of them!"
Hagrid left just as suddenly as he had arrived.
In the end, Cyrus left a mark on everyone's arms.
Cassandra, knowing when to step back, didn't linger once she had achieved her goal. She tactfully left without further interrupting Cyrus, Ginny, Hermione, and the others from reminiscing.
...
Cyrus didn't chat with Harry and his friends for long, as Hogwarts had a curfew.
At midnight, he sat outside the carriage, gazing at the dark silhouette of the castle. With a flick of his fingers, the Snakewood wand came to life. It slithered into the ground, carrying a message in its mouth, and began to snake its way toward the castle.
The night passed quickly.
By the next evening, after yet another grand Halloween feast, the long-awaited moment had arrived. It was time to reveal the champions.
Dumbledore, in good spirits, picked up his spoon and tapped it against the goblet in front of him. The hall fell silent, and over a thousand eyes turned to watch—
In fact, far more than just those present were watching!
Cyrus had made sure the entire world could witness the tournament by setting up magical drones that recorded everything. At this moment, thanks to the International Confederation of Wizards, every detail of the tournament was being observed by various Ministries of Magic and the other six magical schools.
"The Goblet of Fire is about to make its decision. Today is Halloween, so let's hope there are no surprises," Dumbledore said, turning to Cyrus with a small, lighthearted joke. But even he didn't dwell on it much.
He approached the Goblet of Fire, drew out his wand, and made a sweeping motion.
Instantly, all the candles in the hall went out, except for those inside the pumpkin lanterns, plunging the Great Hall into a half-lit, shadowy state.
The Goblet of Fire now radiated a brilliant light, far brighter than anything else in the hall.
The blue-white flames, spitting sparks, were almost blinding. Everyone's attention was focused on it, waiting… some kept glancing at their pocket watches…
"Let us witness the birth of the champions!" Dumbledore declared loudly.
Suddenly, the flames in the goblet turned red, crackling fiercely. A tongue of fire shot into the air, and from it flew a charred piece of parchment—everyone in the hall held their breath.
Dumbledore caught the parchment and held it up high: "Hogwarts' first champion is Cedric Diggory!"
The hall erupted into applause and cheers.
Cedric, bathed in glory, was pushed forward by his fellow Hufflepuffs.
Tall and modest, he strode confidently to Dumbledore's side.
Dumbledore was about to offer him some encouraging words, but just then, the Goblet of Fire flared up again!
This time, the eruption was even more violent.
The Goblet seemed to transform into a massive volcano, spewing out scorching lava and fiery sparks!
The flames danced wildly in the air, scattering like fireworks and eventually forming many bright letters.
However, the most dazzling and shocking names that appeared left everyone speechless.
Dumbledore was stunned, as if he had lost the ability to speak.
Everyone instinctively stood up from their chairs.
At that moment, only Babajide Akingbade remembered the tournament's process.
The old wizard, frowning deeply, loudly announced:
"Hogwarts' champion, Albus Dumbledore!"
"Durmstrang's champion, Gellert Grindelwald!"
"And Ilvermorny's champion—" he paused slightly, looking toward Cyrus, who was smiling,
"Cyrus!"
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