Just as the atmosphere in the room grew somewhat awkward, the door behind the nine champions creaked open with a squeak, and a large group of people crowded in.
Dumbledore's tall figure appeared first, his gaze sharp yet calm behind his half-moon spectacles as it swept across the nine people in the room, taking in each person's reaction.
Following closely behind was Professor Karkaroff, whose face still bore traces of displeasure from his school's two unexpected champions. His gaze lingered briefly on Krum before sweeping over Toby and Polyakov with an appraising look.
Madame Maxime entered like a regal yet vigilant queen, her massive body was immediately making the room feel considerably smaller upon her entrance.
Her sharp gaze fell first upon Sherlock with suspicion, then turned to her three students, lingering especially on Fleur for a moment, as if confirming that her precious student had not been subjected to any further harassment.
Ludo Bagman, Director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry of Magic, strode in with light steps. His face still wore that characteristic, infectiously enthusiastic smile as he rubbed his palms together and broke the brief silence with an excited tone.
"Aha! Look at this—our champions! How splendid! What an exciting combination! Oh, the atmosphere is quite lively! But soon enough, you'll discover what real excitement awaits you! I dare say it will be far more thrilling than studying each other!"
The last to enter was Mad-Eye Moody. His heavy wooden leg thudded against the floor, while his magical eye spun wildly and irregularly, rotating over everyone present. It lingered an extra moment on Sherlock and Roy Lefebvre's faces, and even his normal eye seemed to convey a hint of scrutiny.
When he entered the room, the door closed behind him. Moody's gruff voice rang out with businesslike coldness. "All right, boys and girls, put away your idle thoughts. Time's up."
Roy Lefebvre, stared down by Moody's fake eye, felt as if his entire being had been seen through. He involuntarily took half a step back, revealing the two Beauxbatons girls he had been blocking.
At this moment, Dumbledore walked to the center of the room, his blue eyes particularly bright. "Champions, first, my congratulations to you all. I know that for many weeks now, you have all hoped fervently to be chosen, to bring glory to your schools! Now the nine of you present are precisely those champions chosen by the Goblet of Fire, that most impartial judge. Regardless of gender, regardless of age—"
As he spoke these words, his gaze paused briefly on Sherlock and Harry. This was because only Sherlock and Harry were under seventeen years old. The appearance of this situation could be described as unexpected yet reasonable.
For a wizard still attending magical school, in the vast majority of cases, the older one is, the stronger one's abilities. This is why both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had selected senior students. Young wizards like Sherlock and Harry, who could defeat their elders, were the exceptional cases.
Roy Lefebvre couldn't help but curl his lip disdainfully.
Karkaroff suddenly spoke up. "Dumbledore, are you certain you want to allow these two little boys to compete? As far as I know, they haven't even taken their O.W.L. examinations yet."
"Professor Karkaroff, as I just stated, everything is the Goblet of Fire's choice," Dumbledore said calmly. "We must abide by the regulations, which clearly stipulate that whoever's name emerges from the Goblet of Fire must compete in the Tournament."
Bagman rubbed his smooth chin, smiling as he looked at Karkaroff. "Of course, you could choose to file a complaint with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards. However, the Goblet of Fire has just been extinguished and will not burn again until the next Tournament."
"I will certainly do so, I—"
"Don't bluster!" Moody suddenly interrupted coldly. "As Dumbledore said, this is bound by a magical contract, and moreover... this works in your favor, doesn't it?"
"In my favor?" Karkaroff said. "I'm afraid I don't understand your meaning, Moody."
He tried hard to make his tone sound contemptuous, as if he completely dismissed Moody's words. Unfortunately, his hands betrayed his inner state—they involuntarily clenched into fists. Influenced by Sherlock, even Harry noticed this detail.
"Since you believe that adult wizards who have reached seventeen are more powerful than underage wizards, then having two underage wizards from Hogwarts compete should be good news for you, shouldn't it?"
Karkaroff suddenly froze, saying nothing more.
Madame Maxime's eyes also lit up.
Karkaroff spoke again. "Dumbledore, you're absolutely right, everything is the Goblet of Fire's choice."
Madame Maxime added, "The Goblet of Fire is the most impartial judge. The champions it selects must possess extraordinary qualities."
Seeing their expressions, Dumbledore shook his head inside.
On one hand, they believed the Goblet of Fire had selected Sherlock and Harry, two underage wizards, which was unfair. Their reasoning was that Hogwarts had so many adult wizards who had entered, who theoretically should be more suitable for competition than Sherlock and Harry.
On the other hand, when Moody pointed out this worked in their favor, they began claiming the Goblet of Fire was fair and just. He suppressed this helpless thought and continued speaking.
"Champions from three schools, you are about to embark on an extraordinary journey. Now, please allow Director Bagman to provide guidance to our champions."
"Well then, shall we proceed?" Bagman rubbed his hands together, smiling broadly at everyone in the room. "Time to provide guidance to our champions, isn't it? Alastor, would you like to explain?"
Moody shook his head.
Seeing this, Bagman puffed out his chest, his smile growing wider. "Then I shall take the liberty! Brave young ladies and gentlemen! Ready your wands and your courage! Yes, you heard correctly—the first task is designed to test your courage!"
He paused, then continued. "Therefore, we will not tell you what it is. Because facing the unknown is an important quality for wizards... extremely important.
The first task will take place on November twenty-fourth, when you will complete it before your fellow students and the panel of judges. Of course, while completing the competition tasks, champions may not request or receive any assistance from their teachers.
The only weapon champions will have when facing the first challenge is their own wand. After the first task is completed, they will learn about the second task. Due to the demanding and lengthy nature of the competition, all participating champions will be exempt from end-of-year examinations."
Testing courage! Unknown tasks! These words struck each person's heart like heavy hammers.
The most intense reaction came from Philly Ravenwood, who nearly jumped, letting out a short gasp.
The ease on Toby Torsen and Lucas Polyakov's faces instantly vanished, replaced by shock and a trace of fear. Cedric drew in a sharp breath, his expression grave.
Harry's green eyes widened instantly, reflecting the firelight as his fists quietly clenched. For the first time, some of the composure faded from Fleur's exquisite face, replaced by obvious shock. Even the perpetually listless Krum suddenly straightened his body, his brow furrowed tightly.
The only one who seemed not to have any severe reaction was apparently Sherlock. The instant Bagman spoke the word "courage," his eyelashes trembled ever so slightly, like ripples stirred on water's surface by a gentle breeze.
Then, in the depths of his gray eyes, some extremely complex glimmer seemed to flash briefly. But this trace of abnormality vanished too quickly for anyone to notice.
The room was left with only the crackling sound of the fire and the somewhat heavy breathing of the nine champions as their respiration quickened. The true Triwizard Tournament was now about to raise its dangerous and magnificent curtain.
Perhaps feeling the atmosphere was somewhat heavy, Mr. Bagman turned to look at Dumbledore and said with a smile, "I think that should suffice, Albus?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded, then asked, "You're not staying at Hogwarts tonight, Ludo?"
"I'd love to stay, Albus, but I must return to the Ministry," Mr. Bagman said. "These are very busy, very difficult times. Barty has left young Weasley temporarily in charge. He's quite enthusiastic... but frankly speaking, perhaps a bit too enthusiastic."
"Well then, at least come for a drink before you go?" Dumbledore said.
After a moment's consideration, Bagman agreed with considerable interest. "Very well, now that all this is finally happening at Hogwarts, it's far more exciting and interesting than the office!"
Having said this, he turned to Moody. "Alastor, if you have nothing pressing, simply stay here—the Ministry must have someone keeping watch, mustn't it?"
"Fine," Moody said tersely.
Dumbledore then turned to the other two headmasters. "Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime—a nightcap?"
Karkaroff and Madame Maxime exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
Dumbledore's gaze swept over the nine students participating in the Triwizard Tournament. "As for the nine champions, I suggest you return to bed."
Madame Maxime put her arm around Fleur's shoulders and spoke to her in French for a few moments. Karkaroff also gave Krum some instructions. Fleur and Krum, as the two team captains, then led their respective school groups away.
"Sherlock, Harry, Cedric—you three as well," Dumbledore said, smiling at his students. "I'm sure the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students are all waiting to celebrate with you. They've finally got an excuse to make a great deal of noise—it would be quite wrong to deny them this opportunity."
When the three left the room, they found the Great Hall was now completely empty.
"I never imagined that one day we'd be fighting side by side, Harry. This is an honor for me!" Cedric smiled at Harry, then turned to Sherlock. "The Lion King's reputation precedes him—actually, I think you would be the more suitable choice for team captain."
Sherlock smiled slightly and spoke the phrase that had been repeated several times by others tonight. "Everything is the Goblet of Fire's choice."
"So then... pleasant cooperation?"
"Pleasant cooperation."
Cedric shook hands with both Sherlock and Harry, then departed with light steps. He didn't ascend the marble staircase but instead walked toward a door to the right of the stairs.
"He's going back to the Hufflepuff common room. Should we head back too?" Harry withdrew his gaze from Cedric and asked Sherlock.
"Want to go see how Hufflepuff welcomes him?" Sherlock asked with a smile.
"Huh? That wouldn't be right..." Harry paused, then said, "Besides, we don't even know the Hufflepuff common room password."
"Who told you that entering other houses' common rooms requires a password?"
"Could it be like Ravenclaw, with riddles?"
"No, no, no." Sherlock shook his head. "Actually, truth be told, the Hufflepuff common room is the easiest to break into."
The Hufflepuff common room, like the Slytherin common room, was located in the underground of Hogwarts Castle. However, the Hufflepuff common room was right next to the kitchens, directly below the Great Hall.
The Slytherin common room was located even deeper in the dungeons, with its main structure beneath the Black Lake. Through the windows there, one could often see the Giant Squid, and sometimes even more interesting creatures. Falling asleep at night to the sound of lake water lapping against the walls could sometimes be considered a relaxing pleasure.
However, unlike the other houses, entering the Hufflepuff common room didn't require a password or riddles, yet its entrance was the only one with a defensive mechanism.
Those wishing to enter had to tap the bottom of the second barrel in the second row of a pile of large barrels, following the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff." The barrel lid would rotate open, revealing a passage one could crawl through.
After entering this passage, one reached the Hufflepuff common room. There were two round doors there, leading respectively to the boys' and girls' dormitories.
Hearing Sherlock explain all this, Harry was already stunned.
"Sherlock... how, how do you know all this in such detail?"
In Harry's view, with Sherlock's abilities, obtaining the Slytherin common room password or even the method to enter the Hufflepuff common room wouldn't be difficult. However, from the details Sherlock had just described, it seemed as if he had personally visited both places, and more than once at that.
"You already know, don't you?" Sherlock smiled slightly. "My dear Harry, congratulations—your deduction is absolutely correct. I have indeed been there, more than once."
Harry's expression was one of pure astonishment. Of course it would be you!
"But you just said the Hufflepuff common room has a defensive mechanism?"
"That's right. If someone trying to enter the Hufflepuff common room taps the wrong rhythm or taps the wrong barrel, they'll be punished."
"What punishment?" Harry asked curiously.
Sherlock smiled slightly. "Well, that's something I'll tell you tomorrow."
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