Chapter 347 Is there no one left in Hogwarts?
Halloween night arrived as expected.
The Great Hall of Hogwarts was decorated like a carnival exclusively for wizards.
The black ribbons hanging from the ceiling swayed gently under the candlelight, and the pumpkin lanterns floated in the air, engraved with various hideous or funny smiles; the dining table was filled with various Halloween desserts - pumpkin tarts, candied bat wings, dark chocolate magic cakes, cream cookies with ghost faces...
But no one was in the mood to really savor these delicacies.
All the students in the audience were on edge.
"Who do you think it is?" A group of students gathered around the Gryffindor table and whispered.
"Krum, right? Isn't Durmstrang here just for him?"
"I heard that Delacour from Beauxbatons is also a top witch. She has a quarter of Veela bloodline..."
"Is Cedric probably the only one who can be chosen from Hufflepuff? He has always been very popular."
"No one in Gryffindor can win?"
"I wish it was me—" George Weasley said, peeking at the Goblet of Fire, "It's a pity that the Goblet of Fire doesn't know what it's talking about."
Amanta listened to the sounds quietly, holding a glass of warm pumpkin juice.
She sat at the side of the Slytherin table, next to Draco and opposite Harry.
No one spoke between them, but when their eyes met, the atmosphere was inexplicably tense.
Draco lowered his head and cut the blackberry pie in front of him, as if he was not paying attention: "If Krum is not chosen, I hope you won't cry secretly under the quilt in the middle of the night."
Harry paused holding the dark chocolate cake, raised his head and rolled his eyes at him: "You'd better worry about yourself, Draco."
Amanta ignored their bickering and quietly turned her head to look ahead.
Julius was sitting not far away. He sat upright as always, with a faint smile on his face.
When he saw her gaze, he raised his eyes slightly without making a sound, and the corners of his lips moved slightly. It seemed as if he was saying:
——"It's time to go on stage."
Amanta looked away.
Her back was tense and stiff. No one knew that every breath she took was accompanied by a disordered heartbeat.
What if their trick was revealed? What if the Goblet of Fire didn't choose them?
Or... Harry and Draco?
The dinner was eaten very slowly.
The students had no appetite at all. The desserts on the table kept piling up, but few people touched them.
Until Dumbledore finally put down the golden cup of wine in his hand and walked to the Goblet of Fire.
He raised his hand and the auditorium suddenly became quiet.
"Dear students, ladies and gentlemen," he said with a smile, "the selection of the champions for the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin."
Suddenly, many students who could no longer hold back their excitement stood up and gathered around the Goblet of Fire.
Amanta's heart almost rose to her throat.
Harry walked to her right, clenched his fingers around the edge of her clothes, and whispered, "Do you think we will be chosen?"
"Don't ask me," she whispered, "I'm not so eager for us to be chosen now."
The flame in the Goblet of Fire jumped violently.
The blue-white flame suddenly turned into scarlet, a thick tongue of fire rose up, and with a "pop", a piece of parchment was sprayed out.
Dumbledore's eyes lit up, he reached out to take it, and announced loudly -
"The champion from Durmstrang is—Victor Krum!"
The whole auditorium erupted in warm cheers!
The students from Durmstrang, in particular, clapped and whistled, and even the Slytherins joined in the applause.
Krum stood up and walked towards Dumbledore expressionlessly, his grey cloak blowing around his feet.
He took Dumbledore's handshake, nodded politely, and stood aside.
Then, the flame turned red for the second time.
Another spark exploded.
Dumbledore reached out and took the second piece of parchment, and said with a smile: "The champion from Beauxbatons is - Fleur Delacour!"
The students of Beauxbatons clapped almost in unison.
Fleur raised her head slightly, as if she had known that she would be chosen. She stood up from her seat lightly, walked around the long table gracefully, and walked towards Dumbledore.
As he walked, he took off his scarf.
Her hair shone with a silvery luster under the candlelight, so beautiful that it seemed beyond mortal, and almost made the entire hall silent for a moment.
Ron Weasley looked stunned, his mouth open, as if he were in a dream.
"He should shut up." Draco sneered.
Fleur stood beside Krum, properly behaved but proud.
The light of the Goblet of Fire dimmed again.
Next up, it’s the Hogwarts warriors.
Amanta's fingers trembled slightly, and she looked towards the Goblet of Fire with bated breath.
The flames surged again.
The dark blue flame suddenly turned red, and the heat was mixed with a suffocating solemnity.
The whole auditorium was in deathly silence.
Everyone held their breath.
"Who could it be?" someone asked softly.
"Cedric, huh? I heard he got close to perfect scores in all his classes."
"Maybe Angelina, too?"
"Don't say anything...look at Dumbledore's expression."
A piece of parchment leaped out of the flames and was caught steadily by Dumbledore.
He lowered his eyes and glanced around.
His originally gentle brows suddenly darkened.
He frowned slightly, and his fingertips silently brushed across the edge of the paper, then he looked up and looked at the crowd.
"The Champion of Hogwarts is—" He paused for half a second, as if to confirm, "…Julius Hoffmann."
The auditorium was silent for two seconds.
then.
"Who?"
"……What?"
"Wait - Hoffman? Which Hoffman?"
"The transfer student from Slytherin?"
"Isn't he a fourth grader!?"
"I remember he was in the same grade as Merlin and the others?"
The entire Durmstrang delegation was laughing like crazy.
"…Has Hogwarts gone mad? Choosing a transfer from Durmstrang?"
"No, is he from our school or theirs?"
"Ha! Isn't this too embarrassing for Hogwarts? I wasn't chosen, and a transfer student chose me instead?"
"Ha...hahahaha...there's no one left in Hogwarts? Even the age is wrong!"
Several blond, high-nosed boys couldn't help but slap their hands on the table while laughing. A girl even chuckled softly, "How embarrassing."
Although Beauxbatons didn't say anything, his expression was just as strange.
Olym Maxim lowered his voice and said in an unhappy tone: "Albus, are you kidding?"
Seeing this, Igor Karkarov also snorted coldly.
"The Goblet of Fire can also choose the wrong person? Why don't we let the fourth school get involved?"
Dumbledore's eyes were fixed on the figure in front of him.
Julius stood up.
Everyone's eyes fell on him.
He walked forward step by step, his expression calm and his posture elegant, as if he had expected this, or as if he was enjoying the spotlight.
He walked over to the Goblet of Fire and stood beside Dumbledore.
Dumbledore did not speak immediately, but moved a little closer and whispered: "No matter how you passed that age line...Julius, I hope you understand that the Goblet of Fire is a magical contract."
He paused, a hint of hidden warning in his tone.
"Being chosen means that there is no going back on your word."
Julius smiled.
"Of course I understand, Professor."
But the next moment——
"Ahhhh!! The Goblet of Fire is red again!"
A scream cut through the night sky.
The whole auditorium was suddenly in an uproar.
In the center of the Goblet of Fire, the blue-white flames once again burst into a scarlet flame.
"What?! Again?"
"Did you make a mistake? Didn't you already choose three?"
"...Ah? Did you choose the wrong person??"
Everyone looked towards the jumping flames, and the parchment in the flames was slowly rising.
The expressions on everyone's faces were filled with disbelief.
Amanta was also stunned, her heartbeat seemed to rise and fall with the flames. Could it be that after them, someone else threw Harry's name in?
Or was there something wrong with their Confusion Spell?