Chapter 190

Finally, the golden platters returned to their pristine state, and the hall's noise suddenly surged—Madame Maxime rose at once, and silence fell instantly.

"Alright, in about a minute, the Goblet will select the Champions," Madame Maxime said. "Once their names are announced, I expect them to walk to the far end of the hall, proceed along the staff table, and enter the adjacent room, where they will receive preliminary instructions."

Suddenly, blue-white sparks erupted from the Goblet; Madame Maxime swiftly waved her wand, plunging the entire room into dimness. Then the flames turned red and spat out a charred scroll.

"The Champion from Durmstrang," Madame Maxime read, "is Viktor Krum."

"That's no surprise," Ron exclaimed, while Harry merely shrugged. Krum looked calm and composed, even slightly lethargic, as he walked methodically to the front of the hall, turned, and followed the staff table into the door.

A few seconds later, the flames turned red again, and a second scroll shot out.

"The Champion from Beauxbatons," she declared clearly and powerfully, "is Fleur Delacour!"

An exceptionally beautiful girl, strikingly similar to a Veela, rose gracefully and glided toward the far end of the hall.

"Do you know her?" Harry asked Donna for information.

"Oh, who doesn't know the beautiful, sweet-voiced Sister Fleur?" Donna said with indifference. "But strip away the Veela blood's beauty, and she's just an ordinary good student."

Harry scratched his head and said nothing; he felt his new friend's tongue was too sharp.

"The Champion from Hogwarts," as the flames turned red for the third time, Madame Maxime's voice rang out again, "is Cedric Diggory."

Hogwarts students clapped, yet inevitably felt disappointed—learning the Champion wasn't themselves was no cause for joy.

Ron stared at Harry in astonishment. "This isn't right. Shouldn't it be you?"

Zhang Qiu marked a check on her notebook with satisfaction. "The only thing this month that aligns with fate," she said.

Before Ron could speak further, the flickering flames spat out a fourth name. Madame Maxime took the scroll and continued, "The Champion from Ilvermorny is Elina Kaslana!"

A girl as beautiful as Fleur rose. Though Harry had seen her twice before, he still found himself mesmerized by her silver-white hair.

"Oh, another half-Veela," Donna muttered. "Is the first task to see who looks least human? Then Krum wins—he's probably ninety-nine percent mandrake baboon."

As the flames crackled for the fifth time, Madame Maxime continued, "The Champion from Kordofstritz is Renata Yevgenyevna Chichirina."

A slender, small girl rose. Harry would swear she was under seventeen. Yet despite her age, which should have been spent in innocent play, her face—smaller than Eve's—bore a gravity deeper than Dumbledore's, an aura that made Harry suspect she might have half-ice blood.

"No wonder Kaslana is so beautiful," Zhang Qiu murmured. "It's to match her."

"What kind of human would force Ilvermorny to send a half-Veela to counter them?" Ron marveled.

As Renata entered the side door, the flames erupted with louder crackling than ever, nearly turning entirely red, forming the shape of an Eastern dragon. With its whiskers, it gently delivered a scroll to Madame Maxime.

"The Xuan Jun has chosen the Champion he deems most worthy," Madame Maxime paused deliberately, "and he left this name before selecting any others. Harry Potter!"

Ron clapped excitedly. Harry took a deep breath and walked slowly to the far end of the hall amid applause. Dumbledore gave him a firm nod.

As Harry headed for the side door, the staff table was filled with professors he didn't know—except Donald, who gave him a subtle wave.

Inside, the other Champions sat around the fireplace. Renata and Elina sat facing each other in single armchairs, Cedric stared fixedly into the flames, trying to avoid the tension. Fleur and Krum sat comfortably on the central sofa, each occupying one end.

"We have selected six Champions," Madame Maxime said, "but the Triwizard Tournament, as its name implies, can only have three competing parties. Now you must form teams—and if you wish, give your team a grand name."

"I have a suggestion," said Prince Montbatten, seated in a high-backed chair nearby. As head judge, everyone had to take his suggestion seriously.

"The traditional Triwizard Tournament includes Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. So first, let us assign the three Champions from these schools as opponents," Prince Montbatten said. "Then, you may discuss among yourselves which of the other three Champions you wish to team up with."

"A good idea," the headmasters murmured among themselves upon entering, then agreed to the proposal.

"I'll team up with Fleur," Elina suddenly said. "We both have Veela blood."

"I have no objection," Fleur said.

"Then I'll team up with Krum," Renata stood. "We both belong to the socialist camp."

Krum didn't quite understand, but that didn't stop him from cheerfully agreeing.

"Great," Cedric sighed in relief. "Will you team up with me, Harry?"

"Of course. I've already decided," Harry said seriously, watching the utterly predictable teaming. "I never intended to team up with anyone else."

"Excellent," Prince Montbatten said. "Now, I will announce the first task. It tests your courage, so I will not tell you what it is. A vital quality of a wizard is the willingness to face the unknown."

"The first task will be held on November 24th. All students and the judging panel will attend. It will be dangerous, so you may bring any weapon or magical artifact—but you must use it yourself. However, note that the more you rely on tools, the lower your score will be."

"But don't neglect preparation. I repeat: the first task is extremely, extremely dangerous. Only if you survive it will you be eligible to learn about the second task." After speaking, Prince Montbatten turned to the headmasters. "Given such high demands, should the Champions be exempt from the year-end exams?"

"No problem," Madame Maxime agreed first; others followed suit.

"That's all I have to say. Now, Champions, you may return to rest," Prince Montbatten paused. "Oh, and you must agree on your team names within a week. We will determine the order of appearance by the first letter of your team name."

"Shouldn't we discuss now," Elina said, "who wants to go first?"

"Oh, dear little Miss Kaslana," Madame Maxime said fondly, "understand that Beauxbatons students are waiting to celebrate Miss Delacour."

"Indeed," Dumbledore added. "Hogwarts has finally found an excuse to make a ruckus. To deprive them of it would be unjust."

Harry glanced at Cedric; Cedric nodded. Together, they left the room.

The hall was now empty, but the candles still burned brightly, gleaming on silver candlesticks and golden empty platters.

"Well, we're teammates now," Cedric smiled.

"We'll work well together," Harry said, still weighing the relationships among the Champions, assessing Elina's demeanor. "I mean, we've been rivals for so long—we know each other well."

Ron and Zhang Qiu, who had been sitting at the table's edge, approached. "Head back to the train—they're throwing a celebration in the dining car."

"Alright," Harry gestured for Cedric to go ahead. "We can discuss our team name on the way."

They hadn't taken more than a few steps when a Beauxbatons girl ran up after them. Harry turned—Hermione.

"After dinner tomorrow at six, can all the Champions meet privately?" she panted. "Meet by the forest, beside Miss Sarah's cottage."

Harry instinctively gazed toward the forest. He could indeed see a small, elegant wooden cabin in the distance.

"Hermione? Why?" Cedric still didn't understand.

"I'm now Elina's personal assistant. Donald gave me a valuable internship," she said with a hint of pride, then quickly returned to the matter. "Can you see it? The gamekeeper's cottage—it's like Hagrid's. You can ask other students for directions later."

"No problem," Harry nodded.

"Alright, we'll talk later—I need to find Krum," Hermione said. "We must discuss a strategy calmly, no tricks, no hostility."

As she spoke, she hurried off toward the river, her Beauxbatons heels thudding softly on the grass. Ron stared after her for a long while.

As laughter erupted in the dining car and children cheered, "Hogwarts outshines them all," Harry and Ron's spirits visibly dimmed—perhaps because they knew one Hogwarts student was not sharing in the celebration.