Bab 299: Chapter 299: Unauthorized Assembly?
After the start of the First Wizarding Card Tournament, Albert dutifully fulfilled his role as a referee.
There was no other way. Without someone overseeing it, the tournament would likely become chaotic.
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were all roped into doing manual labor. If he didn't take on the role of a referee, it might seem a bit unfair.
The low level of the first elimination match was quite painful to watch.
The participants were from both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Houses, and neither side was very familiar with the rules of Wizarding Cards. It could be best described as a clash of novices. Due to their lack of familiarity with the rules, they frequently made basic mistakes.
Albert found it rather awkward to watch, almost wanting to cover his face.
The onlookers around, however, were thoroughly enjoying themselves. They whispered about who had made mistakes, and some even whispered that if all the participants were at this level, they might be able to win the championship themselves.
Some of the more outspoken spectators even pointed out the mistakes the participants were making, mocking them for not even understanding the rules of the game they had signed up to play.
The Hufflepuff student who made repeated mistakes blushed deeply and eventually gave up on continuing the match. He quickly disappeared into the crowd amidst the whispers of the others.
"What's all this about?"
Albert watched the departing figure with a shake of his head. The Hufflepuff student was probably just trying his luck. He rarely played Wizarding Cards with others and had poor skills, not to mention he hadn't even understood the rules of the game. It was unclear why he had joined the Wizarding Card Tournament with such a mindset.
Another Gryffindor student, who had just won by default due to his opponent's withdrawal, looked at his opponent's departing figure and turned to Albert. "Did I win?"
"Yes, your opponent forfeited, so you win."
Albert made a tick on the parchment and then called up the next pair of participants, rearranging the cards in the decks.
The elimination matches progressed much faster than Albert had expected. Participants who didn't understand the rules of Wizarding Cards were not limited to just the Hufflepuff student.
Sometimes, even some unintentional funny incidents occurred.
"You should have used the other spell card, then he would have lost for sure."
It wasn't just one person who couldn't help but interject, and as a result, one side lost the match.
Most of the audience present turned their heads towards the owner of the voice.
"Please maintain silence and do not disrupt others' matches. This is basic courtesy for spectators," Albert sternly looked at the senior student who had spoken.
The young man was instantly taken aback, his face turning red as he tried to hold back. He didn't argue, as doing so would essentially be admitting that he lacked manners.
"Please refrain from disturbing the matches," Albert addressed the surrounding audience, "Also, for the previous match, rewind three rounds and restart."
Midway through the elimination matches, Albert also noticed that most students didn't really know how to play Wizarding Cards. Each match lasted at most a few minutes, and the more skilled participants were able to win two rounds in a row, defeating their opponents.
The contestants who eventually stood out were mostly familiar faces to Albert. Only those who often gathered for card games and had more experience were able to have an advantage in the tournament.
If there was one particularly exciting match of the Wizarding Card Tournament, it would be the duel between Shanna and Katrina. Many people went over to watch this evenly matched duel.
Albert didn't hesitate to drop his role as a referee and went over to watch the match.
In the end, Katrina lost.
"An exciting match." Albert began applauding, and others followed suit, clapping as well.
Katrina was quite frustrated. She had thought that winning the championship wouldn't be too difficult, but she ended up losing due to running out of cards in her deck.
As long as she could hold on for one more round, she would definitely be able to defeat Shanna.
Unfortunately, she had already lost, being eliminated in the first round.
"Albert has an opponent now, and I'm really looking forward to you defeating him," George said with a smile to Shanna. "Currently, you're the most promising seeded player to win the championship."
Albert was left speechless. The tournament had just begun, and they were already placing high hopes on Shanna. Weren't they worried that this might backfire?
"What are you all doing here? Disperse, don't crowd around."
An untimely voice sounded from outside the crowd of onlookers. Filch pushed through the crowd and walked over, wanting to see what was going on.
"Is there something you need, sir?" Albert asked with a frown.
"I've received information that there's an unauthorized assembly going on here."
Filch pushed his way through the crowd and headed over. His gaze immediately fell on Fred and George. His saggy cheeks trembled with excitement.
"And you two, disperse as well, don't crowd around here," he said to the surrounding people.
"What's going on?"
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan also came closer. Seeing Filch, they all frowned. It was clear that this guy showing up here was not a good sign.
And if Filch insisted on calling this an unauthorized assembly, they wouldn't have a good way to handle it. The tournament would turn into a farce, and that was definitely not the outcome the three of them wanted to see.
"No worries."
Albert reassured the three and turned to Filch, calmly asking, "Unauthorized assembly? Are you sure your information is accurate and you're not being misled?"
"What do you mean by that?" Filch's tone was unfriendly, his eyes locked onto Albert.
"The Wizarding Card Club meetings have been approved by Headmaster Dumbledore from the very beginning," Albert explained with a smile. "Our gatherings are legal, and they have been from the start. If you don't believe me, I have the Headmaster's signature right here."
Albert reached into his pocket and took out a piece of parchment, handing it over to Filch.
Filch accepted the parchment, quickly scanned its contents, and his face immediately darkened. He looked as if he had just been told that Halloween was canceled.
"The Wizarding Card Club was established with the approval of the Headmaster. I suspect the person who provided you with this information is deliberately causing trouble."
Albert stared straight into Filch's eyes, trying to find out the name of the person behind this.
Filch stormed off in frustration.
This dramatic scene became the talk of the town, and it had been a while since they had seen Filch taken down a peg.
"When did you prepare the parchment?" Fred asked in a low voice.
"This document is genuine, and so are my words," Albert glanced at Fred and calmly said, "The Wizarding Card Club was approved by the Headmaster, and the signature on the parchment is real. This activity promotes unity and friendship among students. Why wouldn't the Headmaster approve?"
In reality, the parchment was prepared to prevent a certain professor from causing trouble. While the likelihood was small, Albert was taking precautions.
After all, some people had questionable morals.
"Who provided information to Filch?" Lee Jordan asked with a stern face, ready to hold that person accountable.
The First Wizarding Card Tournament held great significance for the four of them. They would definitely not tolerate anyone disrupting it, and they certainly wouldn't allow it to become a joke.
"I don't know, let's not worry about that for now," Albert patted Lee Jordan's shoulder, "Go back and continue your role as a referee. The first round of eliminations isn't over yet."
"If I find out who's responsible for this, I'll make sure to give them a memorable lesson," Fred gritted his teeth.
If Albert hadn't been prepared, they might have been really messed with.
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(End of this chapter)
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