Chapter 348 Slytherin Competition
Harry tugged at the sleeve of her robes.
The force was not great, but it was extremely abrupt.
Amanta looked down at him.
Their eyes met, just like the sudden wild beating of her heart.
She understood the suspicion in Harry's eyes.
But I didn't feel much better in my heart.
It shouldn't be.
The Confusion Charm they cast was just to make the Goblet of Fire misjudge his age.
Logically, only one person would be chosen - even if it was cheating, the rule of "one warrior per school" would be followed.
So what now?
Her heart was pounding like a hammer hitting her bones.
The flame in the Goblet of Fire had not yet turned from its blazing red color back to blue.
Dumbledore stood in front of it, his face gloomy as if the weather was going to change at any moment. He reached out and steadily caught the fourth piece of parchment that fell.
There was silence in the auditorium.
Everyone stared at the piece of paper in his hand with bated breath.
"Amanta Merlin."
"..."
No one speaks.
The air seemed to be suddenly sucked out.
Even the pumpkin soup that was still steaming on the table became irrelevant.
Everyone looked like a frozen portrait.
Immediately afterwards——
"what?!"
"Why another one??"
"Isn't that...Merlin?! Also in the fourth grade?!!"
All kinds of sounds exploded.
"How did they get their names into the Goblet of Fire?!"
"Is Slytherin crazy?"
The crowd surged forward like a tide, and everyone wanted to get to the front to watch the excitement.
"Wait, didn't the Goblet of Fire say you can only choose three?!"
"Didn't they say that each school should only have one representative?!"
Some tried to stand up and step on the table, some came around from the other side to get a better look, and some leaned their heads out, jumped up and down, muttering Amanta's name.
"Why Slytherin again!?"
"Aren't Slytherins the most fond of the dark arts? Did this Merlin... use some kind of dark magic..."
"Isn't she the 'future Dark Lord' that was rumored?"
Harry's fingers tightened their grip on the sleeve of her robes.
His lips moved.
"You--" he wanted to ask, but his voice was swallowed by the noise around him.
Draco was also looking at her, and his expression suddenly became extremely complicated.
Amanta said nothing.
She stood up and walked steadily to the center of the auditorium, as if the name she had just heard was not her own.
But her earlobes were hot and her fingertips were almost sweating.
With every step he took, the discussions around him grew louder.
"Is it really her? What methods did she use?"
"Isn't she only fourteen?"
"What the hell is going on with the Goblet of Fire!"
"Maybe...she's in cahoots with that Julius?"
"…What on earth do these Slytherins want to do?"
Amanta suppressed all her expressions and stood beside Dumbledore.
Julius was already there, looking at her mysteriously, with a strange curve at the corner of his mouth.
Dumbledore looked down at her.
"Amanta." He lowered his voice so that only she could hear it. "Did you... submit your own name?"
Amanta neither nodded nor denied.
"I respect the decision of the Goblet of Fire," she said softly.
Dumbledore's eyes seemed to penetrate her entire body.
But in the end he said nothing, just let out a long breath.
"...Okay then." He turned around.
"The second champion of Hogwarts, Amanta Merlyn!"
The whole audience was in an uproar again.
It's about to blow the roof off.
There was a commotion over at Beauxbatons. Fleur frowned and looked up, looking at them coldly. She opened her mouth and said something that seemed to be "ridiculous".
Durmstrang was filled with laughter. Some people slammed their hands on the table and laughed so hard that they couldn't straighten their backs. "Sure enough! Sure enough! Hahahaha!"
Krum looked unhappy and turned back to say, "Shut up."
Igor Karkaroff was so angry that he laughed. He walked over a few steps and looked at Dumbledore with a red face: "Your rules are really interesting."
"Two champions? Does Hogwarts want two contestants, two chances to win?"
Maxim also spoke in a cold voice: "Can the rules of the game be changed at will? Do you want five warriors next time?"
"Quiet--"
Dumbledore raised his hands, and the noise around him suddenly became much quieter.
"I think this is all... unexpected," he said, "but the Goblet of Fire has set a magical contract, and the name taken out must be respected."
"The two of them -" Dumbledore's eyes fell on Julius and Amanta, "will jointly represent Hogwarts in this year's Triwizard Tournament."
The auditorium was silent.
Amanta stood in front of the Goblet of Fire, the blue light of the Goblet of Fire still dancing in her eyes.
She didn't look up at Harry, nor at Draco.
But she knew they were all looking at her.
And now from now on, she can't turn back.
However, Dumbledore's voice had not yet completely fallen -
The jumping blue fire suddenly changed color again.
In an instant, the fire turned scarlet, and the flames rolled up like a dragon spewing flames, rising suddenly, sparks flying everywhere.
"Aa ...
"Another one?!?"
Screams, shouts, roars, and gasps were so loud that the sound almost blew off the roof of the entire auditorium; even the hanging pumpkin began to shake.
"It's crazy! The Goblet of Fire is crazy! This is the fifth one!!!"
Countless people jumped up from their seats, squeezing the students in the front row to the ground.
"No... No again—"
Some people simply stepped onto the long table.
"Who is who?! Read it quickly!!!"
Some people were holding onto the shoulders of the people next to them and looking forward.
The Goblet of Fire spat out another piece of yellowed parchment, which fell lightly into Dumbledore's palm.
The expression on his face was completely frozen, as if he was looking at something that shouldn't exist.
Then he spoke, his tone calm but heavier than ever:
"Harry Potter."
The entire auditorium was silent for a full second.
Then--
Blasted.
"???"
"Harry Potter???"
"Aren't there four already??? Why is there another one?!"
“This is—the fifth one??”
"Goblet of Fire is crazy! Three from one school?!"
"Our savior, the boy-who-lived???"
Countless people turned their heads towards Slytherin, wishing they could glue their eyes to Harry's face.
Harry was completely stunned, his mouth opened so wide that a pumpkin pie could fit in it.
He turned his head slowly, looking at Amanta first.
She lowered her head, her brows almost twisted into a knot.
Then he looked at Julius again—the guy was still picking up his sleeves as if nothing had happened.
He finally looked back at Draco.
Draco's expression could no longer be described as "shocked".
"You guys..." His throat was hoarse, "Are you hiding something from me?"
Harry opened his mouth, feeling extremely guilty, and stammered, "Can we talk about it later when we get back..."
Amanta didn't say anything either, just looked at him from a distance and seemed to sigh softly.
Harry gritted his teeth.
He knew that he was now in a difficult situation.
He could only force out a smile and walked forward, barely maintaining the youthful demeanor of "facing the bombardment of the entire audience with a smile".
He and Amanta met in front of the Goblet of Fire.
Amanta glanced at him and whispered, "You can still laugh?"
"I'm nervous...I'll throw up if I don't laugh."
"..."
Julius glanced at the two men with a half-smile.
The auditorium was going crazy.
Krum's face changed again and again, and Delacour looked like he wanted to throw the Goblet of Fire out.
The students of Beauxbatons were in an uproar.
The Durmstrang delegation was so angry that they stood up, speaking frantically in an Eastern European accent and slamming the table.
Olimar Maxim looked as if he had just swallowed a stone.
Karkaroff cursed out loud: "Ridiculous--!"
Dumbledore looked around and was about to speak.
boom--
The Goblet of Fire burst into flames for the sixth time.
Someone screamed.
"Aaaaaaaaaa!!!"
"Oh my god - another one!?"
"The Goblet of Fire took the wrong potion—"
"How many names did Slytherin stuff in there?! And they're all underage fourth-year students?"
"Is this really the Triwizard Tournament? Not the Hogwarts Tournament?!!"
"I think it's the Slytherin Tournament?!"
In the red light of the Goblet of Fire, the sixth piece of parchment flew out.
The moment Dumbledore caught it, his expression was no longer solemn, but completely dark.
"Draco Malfoy."
Everyone: "..."
"???"
A total suffocation.
"Malfoy is also participating???"
"How did he do that?!"
"I understand. Could these four be——"
"I knew they were in cahoots! They were the ones in Diagon Alley!"
"Oh my god, how did they trick the Goblet of Fire???"
And on the Slytherin side.
Draco himself was petrified.
"I...I what?"
He looked at Harry in front of the Goblet of Fire, then at Amanta, then at Julius.
His face was alternating between pale and blue, and his brain felt like it was wrapped around a Muggle TV antenna.
He was stunned for three seconds before he heard Crabbe muttering quietly beside him:
"Draco, how on earth did you guys get in there?"
"…God knows what's going on?!"
Draco finally came to his senses.
He gritted his teeth, stood up, and glared at the people around him who were talking.
Then he walked over with his head lowered and a stern face, staring at Harry who was trying to hold back his laughter beside the Goblet of Fire.
On the way, he didn't forget to curse in a low voice: "What on earth did you do behind my back——"
"Why did I get in?"
This scene is destined to be recorded in the history of Hogwarts.
The Triwizard Tournament...
It's become like the Hogwarts, no, Slytherin Tournament.