"Didn't you notice?" Padma gave him a sidelong glance and said irritably, "Mando didn't bring any girls at all."
They looked around and found that it was indeed the case, which was the only example among the several schools.
"Mando didn't recruit any girls?" Michael asked.
"How could that be? Magic ability doesn't distinguish between genders," Padma said angrily. "Only idiots do that! Because some people can't get a fair chance just because of their gender!"
"How can it be like this?" Michael frowned. "Everyone should be free to grow and have equal opportunities to showcase their talents instead of being pre-defined by their gender about what they can or cannot do."
"Yeah, exactly." Padma's eyes lit up, she glanced at Michael, then looked down to hide her expression, and said in a low voice, "I'm glad I came to Hogwarts."
"Akadim School—"
While the two were talking, Dumbledore had already received the new names.
"Zahid Al-Faris!"
A boy with dark curly hair walked straight towards the small hut.
"Laira Ben Rashid!"
A girl with long dark brown hair stood up, her amber eyes sweeping around before she walked forward.
"Rahma Abu Ali!"
This was a boy with particularly prominent cheekbones, who walked silently across the aisle.
"There's only one school left!" Anthony subconsciously clenched his fist, stating the obvious.
Michael started tapping the table again, shook his leg incessantly, muttering to himself.
The hall suddenly fell silent, people almost forgot to applaud for Rahma, their eyes were tightly fixed on the Goblet of Fire as it turned back to blue and white.
Then, the flame turned red, soaring into the sky, and a piece of parchment was ejected.
Dumbledore reached out to catch it, glanced at it, and a subtle smile appeared on his face.
He raised his eyes and announced, "Hogwarts' champion—Vid Gray!"
"Vid, it's you! It's you! I knew it would be you!"
The cheers from Ravenclaw were thunderous, Michael slammed the table hard, and Anthony was the first to stand up, pulling Vid to his feet and giving him a strong hug, exclaiming, "That's great!"
Even students from other houses were cheering, and Dumbledore had to shout "Quiet" twice loudly before everyone slightly quieted down, allowing him to announce the second champion's name.
"Cedric Diggory!"
"Boom—"
Hufflepuff erupted with even louder screams and applause, just like during the previous competitions, many Hufflepuffs were jumping up and down, screaming, stamping their feet, wishing they could jump onto the tables.
Cedric stood up with a bright smile, hugging and high-fiving everyone around him.
At this point, Dumbledore also received the third name, his smile slightly paused, then he cleared his throat and loudly announced, "Harry Potter!"
Harry, full of surprise, was almost buried by the crowd, and Gryffindor was overjoyed, their cheers cresting over and over, and the thunderous applause made the hall seem like it might explode.
The only house without a single champion, Slytherin, remained particularly silent, those who were clapping hesitated under the gaze of others and put their hands down.
After the noise completely subsided, Dumbledore stretched out his palm, making a pressing gesture, and the hall gradually quieted down.
"Alright, I understand your excitement. But now, please return some freedom to our champions—Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch want to talk to them about the competition."
Laughter rose in waves from the hall, and the three of them finally broke free from those enthusiastic hugs and handshakes, straightening their skewed robes as they quickly headed towards the hut.
Vid felt as if all eyes were on them, and even without malicious intent in most of those gazes, being the center of attention felt like being on pins and needles.
They passed through the door to a smaller room where wizard portraits hung on either side of the walls. Some of the previously selected champions sat by the fire, some stood leaning against the wall, while others quietly talked with their companions.
As the three of them entered, everyone turned to look at them, and Fleur Delacour raised her eyebrows, glanced at the thirteen-year-old girl from the Magic Institute, Asada Chinatsu, and said:
"Oh~ here come two more kids."
She meant no harm, but her tone made her sound especially arrogant and somewhat frivolous.
Vid/Harry: "..."
What a pity for such a beautiful face!
A moment later, the hall behind them suddenly became noisy again, sounding as if the feast was over and students were leaving.
Soon after, the door was pushed open once again, and the two Ministry of Magic officials walked in.
Bagman walked as if there were springs under his feet, a smile plastered on his face, while Crouch seemed a bit weary, as if he didn't want to be there at all.
"Very good, very good, all the champions have been selected," Bagman said loudly, "This means that at least among those who signed up at each school, the three of you are the best!"
"I… I am, too..."
Harry murmured silently, with a dreamlike expression on his face, as if he hadn't fully accepted that he had also become a champion.
Of course, he had fantasized about this moment, but he knew he wasn't Vid. There were so many outstanding people at school...especially the sixth and seventh-year students, who mastered so many powerful spells...
Not to mention Fred and George, Harry didn't dare to say he was certainly better than them…when he dueled with Malfoy, it often ended in a draw...
Harry's mind was a jumble of thoughts when he was pulled back by Bagman's next words—
"You are bound by a magic contract. Anyone chosen by the Goblet of Fire must participate in this tournament, though not everyone will make it to the end..."
"What does that mean?" Victor Krum frowned slightly, "Someone will be leaving the competition?"
"Yes, new participating schools, new champions, new rules," Bagman said, stroking his chin with a smile. "This time we're using an elimination system, only sixteen people can enter the second round."
Everyone's expressions suddenly became tense.
In past Triwizard Tournaments, regardless of the scores, all three champions competed to the end, each with the chance for a comeback.
But this tournament clearly… everyone had only one chance at failure, and after the first event, some of the schools' champions might all be eliminated.
They couldn't imagine, if that situation occurred, what kind of blame they would face upon returning.
Air seemed to freeze in an instant, the previously subtly bustling room fell silent, everyone felt an immense pressure.