Harry nodded, then said awkwardly, "It's normal if I don't get picked, after all, my magic… it's nowhere near Wade's. But I still want to try…"
"Trying is good," Theo said. "And your practical skills are really strong, you might just get chosen!"
Wade felt the same way.
Harry's scores on written exams weren't the best, as he was always a bit lazy when it came to memorization.
But when it came to practical combat, he was far stronger than his original self who broke into the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries.
Time flew by, and night quickly fell. The group arrived at the Great Hall, then separated, heading to their respective House tables.
The ceiling of the Great Hall had transformed into a starry sky, with the Milky Way flowing and countless stars dotting the firmament, shimmering alongside the floating candles below.
Bats flew around, and pumpkin lanterns also floated above, but no one paid attention to these Halloween decorations. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the Triwizard Cup, placed on a chair in front of the teachers' table.
Michael walked into the Great Hall with Daphne, a wide smile on his face. Though it was only a few steps, he gallantly escorted the girl to the Slytherin table, and even greeted Astoria before returning to Ravenclaw.
"There are three spots in total," Michael said as he sat down. "Wade, you're definitely one of them. I wonder who the other two will be?"
"We'll find out soon enough anyway," Wade said, glancing at the students from the other Hogwarts Houses.
Cedric from Hufflepuff was a given; he would most likely be one of the Champions. As for the others… besides Harry, the prefects and student body presidents from several Houses were actually strong contenders.
"Look!"
Michael suddenly nudged Wade, motioning for him to look at the entrance.
Hagrid and Madame Maxime entered together, their massive figures almost completely blocking the doorway. It wasn't until they walked through the aisle toward the teachers' table that everyone saw the Beauxbatons students following behind them.
The focus was on Hagrid. He had slicked his hair into two greasy strands and was wearing an ugly brown suit. As he walked past, everyone smelled a strange mixture of strong perfume and lubricant.
"...Merlin!" After a long moment, Wade heard Lisa say in an incredulous tone, "I never thought… someone trying to look presentable could be worse than when they're a slob."
"Madame Maxime is really elegant, isn't she?" Padma said earnestly. "I thought all those French people were arrogant!"
"Professor Hagrid needs an image consultant," Michael said, adjusting his collar. "For the sake of my eyes, I need to make time to talk to him..."
Then he looked thoughtfully at Wade. "Wade, when do you have time?"
"Me?" Wade asked, surprised. "I'm not good at fashion or image design."
"I know," Michael said. "But I need your magical ability."
"Then… tomorrow?"
Wade said uncertainly, not understanding why they needed to discuss this at such a crucial moment, with the Triwizard Cup selection about to happen.
"Alright!" Michael nodded, then coughed into his hand, asking, "Then… what if I bring Daphne along?"
Wade glanced over there and said, "I think that's fine… Slytherin girls are indeed better at that sort of thing."
Even when wearing identical black robes, the girls from Slytherin would add unique embellishments to the edges; their robes were always perfectly tailored, and while they didn't wear too much jewelry, it was certainly worth a closer look.
Of course, most importantly — Michael seemed eager to bring his new girlfriend into his circle of friends, and helping Hagrid design a new image was probably his chosen way in.
...
The Halloween feast was as lavish as the night before, but hardly anyone paid attention to it. After dinner, everyone looked excitedly at the front.
Dumbledore stood up and said with a smile, "The Triwizard Cup is about to select the qualified Champions. Those whose names are called, please walk to the top of the Great Hall and enter the room next door. They will receive initial instructions there."
He pointed to the doorway diagonally behind the teachers' table.
Then, Dumbledore waved his wand, and the ceiling immediately darkened, with only a few scattered stars still twinkling; most of the candles in the Great Hall also extinguished, leaving only the flickering candlelight within the pumpkin lanterns.
The Triwizard Cup glowed brightly, sparks flying, casting an eerie play of light and shadow across the Great Hall. Everyone's expressions also seemed to become inscrutable.
Suddenly, the blue-white flames turned a brilliant red, and a serpent of fire shot into the air, from which a charred piece of parchment flew out.
Dumbledore caught the paper, read it carefully, and announced, "The Durmstrang Champion — Viktor Krum!"
The entire Great Hall erupted in enthusiastic cheers for the Quidditch star. Only Krum seemed unhappy, as he trudged listlessly towards the door.
"Excellent, Viktor!" Karkaroff shouted. "I knew it would be you!"
A few seconds later, the second name appeared—
"Natasha Volkova!"
A tall girl with short blonde hair stepped out from the Durmstrang contingent. Her expression was cold, and the applause in the Great Hall was much softer.
"Caspar Grove!"
This time it was a pale boy, with handsome features and short, smoothly falling chestnut hair. He fist-bumped the person next to him before happily walking towards the small room.
"The Beauxbatons Champion," Dumbledore said, catching a new piece of parchment, "Fleur Delacour!"
The silver-haired girl, who resembled a Veela, rose and glided gracefully down the aisle between the tables.
"Lucas Barrow!"
This was a boy with curly chestnut hair. His expression was one of extreme surprise, as if he hadn't expected it to be him at all.
He first glanced at Madame Maxime, then nervously hurried forward.
"Clementine Durand!"
A freckled girl shrieked, then immediately covered her mouth. She, too, quickly walked towards the small room, while a girl behind her who hadn't been chosen started crying sadly.
"Why isn't the first Champion from Hogwarts?" Michael said, tapping his fingers impatiently on the table.
"Look on the bright side," Anthony said. "The most important one always comes last."
Sparks flew as Dumbledore continued to announce:
"The Champion for Ilvermorny – Serafina Picquery!"
The girl who had greeted Wade immediately jumped up, hugged her friends, and walked forward with a beaming smile.
"Adam Cagney!"
A gentle-looking boy stood up, a snake-shaped bracelet still on his wrist.
"Ryan Smith!"
A boy who looked like a football captain rose to his feet, walking forward amidst congratulations from the crowd.
The flames in the Triwizard Cup shifted between blue-white and red. After a brief pause, they began to spew out new names.
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