Chapter 260: All Schemes
"They've moved! The three Champions are ready to act!"
Ludo, on the high platform, watched as the three finished their discussion and separated, immediately shouting loudly.
The previous scene was indeed difficult to commentate on; there was simply nothing to see. He just didn't know how prepared the three of them were now.
Krum ignored Ludo's commentary. While focusing on the Fireball Dragon, he occasionally glanced at Ron and Hesel Godwin.
When he saw that none of them showed any inclination to act, he immediately became furious.
Clearly, no one wanted to make the first move!
Hearing Ludo's commentary from the stage again, Krumfound it extremely irritating.
Unlike the other two, he was a public figure and cared a great deal about his external image, as this was directly linked to his interests.
Participating in this Triwizard Tournament was also to add to his resume and achieve a good result.
In the short term, various endorsements would be plentiful, and his net worth would increase.
In the long term, whether he went to work at the Ministry of Magic or the International Quidditch Association, it would be much easier to climb the ranks.
He glanced again at the two who showed no intention of acting, then Krum gritted his teeth, raised his wand, and aimed it at his target.
Being pointed at by a wand, the Fireball Dragon, already in a state of shock and anger, began to struggle violently.
As a Dragon that frequently faced Wizards in the Dragonsanctuary, it recognized wands and clearly remembered the consequences of being pointed at by one.
Just as the Fireball Dragon roared incessantly at Krumand attempted to conjure a fireball to attack,
a small piece of gravel on the ground about seven or eight meters from the Fireball Dragon suddenly floated into the air and, with a twist, transformed into a moose over one and a half meters tall at the shoulder.
The moment the moose formed, its eyes fixed on the Fireball Dragon, lowering its head and pointing its two large, sharp antlers at the Fireball Dragon's soft underbelly, then it galloped rapidly towards its target.
The Fireball Dragon, having just finished spewing a fireball, discovered this massive creature charging towards it.
Instinctively, it flapped its wings, preparing to ascend and dodge, but the flapping wings only caused the chains to rattle loudly.
Restrained by the chains, the Fireball Dragon, flapping its wings strenuously, stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
As a result, its soft underbelly was directly gored by the moose's two large antlers.
Roar!
Clank!
The Dragon's roar and the sound of the chains being pulled echoed throughout the entire arena.
Even for Animals of the Dragon's level, the soft underbelly was considered a weakness and was absolutely not allowed to be touched under normal circumstances.
Moreover, it was directly attacked at this moment.
Although its belly wasn't pierced, it still felt pain, and combined with the current environment and its recent egg-laying state, the Dragon became even more furious.
Krum's hand, holding his wand, was sweating non-stop; he was nervous too!
However, seeing the chains restraining the Dragonrattling loudly, giving the impression that it could break free at any moment, yet they held.
Krum breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the chains were quite sturdy, which was the greatest guarantee of safety.
At the same time, he was thinking about how to proceed with the next step.
The knowledge about Dragons he had urgently crammed during this period told Krum that.
Female Dragons do exhibit egg-guarding behavior after laying eggs.
However, Dragons are also creatures that can easily lose their minds, whether they are naturally aggressive and irritable Dragons or the more docile ones, it's the same.
Once truly enraged, with their eyes turning blood red in a state of fury, they no longer have any thoughts of guarding their eggs; they will only display extreme aggression, attacking all intruders. There are many examples of red-eyed female Dragons returning to their nests and eating their young.
In the wild, poachers also like to use this method to lure Dragons out of their nests and then steal their eggs.
Now, the Fireball Dragon he was facing was already in an enraged state.
Bang!
With a muffled thud, the wild boar, transformed from gravel, was directly blown apart by the Dragon's tail, reverting to its original form.
As a Dragon with good intelligence, it knew exactly where this wild boar came from.
So the shattered stones shot towards Krum like bullets.
Facing these stones whistling through the air, Krum, who was fully focused on the Dragon, was not unprepared.
"Protego!"
A blue barrier unfolded directly in front of him, centered on Krum's wand.
The high-speed flying gravel impacted it, only causing ripples.
"Stupefy!"
Krum, having dispelled the barrier, immediately counterattacked, and a series of explosions occurred directly on the Fireball Dragon's head.
The Fireball Dragon, with bloodshot eyes, pulled its chains with a "clatter," and due to the smoke from the explosion, the accuracy of its fireballs was no longer good.
"Flintstone!"
Krum, who had intended to enrage the Dragon, naturally didn't stop. The pebbles on the ground, under the spell's effect, directly transformed into sharp blades and flew towards the Dragon's head.
Due to the excessive number, several stone blades even struck the Fireball Dragon's open, roaring mouth.
Woooo!
With a whimper, a huge fireball exploded directly on the ground, sending shattered sparks everywhere.
When the Fireball Dragon raised its head, dozens of dark little birds swooped down towards it from the sky.
Seeing that the Fireball Dragon he was facing was already contained, Krum finally dared to divert his attention to check on the other two.
After all, the three Dragons were arranged in a triangular formation.
Although there was a certain distance between each Dragon, everyone could see that the Dragon fire from the other Dragons could reach them.
If they weren't careful, they would face the combined firepower of all three Dragons.
Fortunately, the remaining two had also begun to act, otherwise Krum would really start cursing.
After a brief moment of thought, Krum cast another Transfiguration spell.
A person who looked eighty percent like Krum appeared before him, but this person was merely an empty shell.
Krum had not expected this dummy to be of much use; he just needed it to distract the Fireball Dragon for a moment and give him a little room for error.
While the Fireball Dragon was distracted by the birds, Krum stealthily made his way to the nest.
By this point, the Dragon still hadn't turned its head to look, though logically, it should have discovered the intruder by scent.
However, due to its enraged state, the Dragon had completely lost its senses and simply couldn't be bothered with these small mice, only wanting to eliminate its target.
Krum, for his part, was not polite either; he raised his wand and aimed it at the golden egg at his feet. There were five of them in total, each several sizes larger than an ostrich egg, so it was naturally unrealistic to carry them all by hand.
But no matter how Krum waved his wand, these golden eggs remained motionless.
Krum immediately realized that even if these golden eggs were fake, they had been enchanted, and their resistance was probably no less than that of real Dragon eggs.
Having no choice, Krum could only bend down while watching the Dragon, holding one Dragon egg in each hand, and slowly retreating backward.
Once the Dragon spotted him, Krum was prepared to drop the golden egg and save his life.
Krum's Wizard robe was soaked with sweat after his arduous retreat.
During that short distance, he not only had to pay attention to the Fireball Dragon but also had to keep an eye on the remaining two Dragons.
"Contestant Krum has already obtained two golden eggs! Let's give him a round of applause!"
When Krum was acting, not only did the audience hold their breath, fearing they would disturb Krum, but Ludoalso paused his commentary.
This was also out of fear that if Krum made a mistake, he might blame the host.
Having hosted many Quidditch matches and other events, Ludo had extensive experience in this regard.
Listening to the long cheers, Krum was uncharacteristically in a good mood; it wasn't as difficult as he had imagined!
He couldn't let go of the remaining three golden eggs; moreover, if those two guys failed, he wouldn't hesitate to take their golden eggs.
Full of confidence, Krum immediately placed the golden egg aside, protected it with a spell, and then prepared to repeat the trick and go for more eggs.
A massive fireball flew directly towards Krum's face, but fortunately, Krum's attention was on the Dragon.
He immediately rolled to the right, and the massive fireball exploded not far from Krum, with a few sparks igniting his cloak.
Without any hesitation, Krum immediately took off his cloak and flung it away.
Although Dragon fire doesn't have the high temperature of Fiendfyre, nor its explosive characteristics, getting contaminated by it is quite troublesome.
A Wizard would turn to ash in the Dragon fire within three to five seconds.
After narrowly escaping the danger, Krum looked at the Fireball Dragon again and found that the birds he used to attract its attention were still there. How did it notice him?
These birds were flocks of birds, and they were also some distance from the Fireball Dragon, which could only attack them using its Dragon fire.
And to keep the aggro, seven or eight birds would rush down to peck at the Dragon's face each time, ensuring the aggro remained on these birds.
Krum would also replenish the number of birds every so often.
While Krum and the Fireball Dragon were in a stalemate, the other two also began their actions.
Hesel Godwin, the seventh-year student from Beauxbatons, was quite good at Transfiguration and some basic spells.
She roughly copied Krum's actions and also successfully brought back the golden egg.
Unlike Krum, she brought back three.
Because in the Dragon's nest, Hesel Godwin used Transfiguration to conjure a handbag.
It was large enough to hold five Dragon eggs, but if she took them all, the weight would be a bit much, which would greatly affect her escape later.
After all, compared to ordinary people, Wizards only have more magic; their physical fitness, if not specifically trained, is similar to ordinary people.
It was Ron who encountered some trouble.
When Krum acted first, he naturally attracted Ron's attention. Ron had long been planning to copy other champions to clear the task.
Unfortunately, he knew Transfiguration, but not much. Even if he wanted to transform a wild boar, the final result would probably be a stone with a wild boar's leg, which would be useless.
magic like flocks of birds had only been briefly practiced in class; he could cast it, but controlling it freely was unrealistic.
The only effective spell was the Blinding Charm that Harry told him about.
Although he had practiced for a few days and improved his proficiency with the Blinding Charm, he didn't have Seamus Finnigan's explosive talent, so the power was not on the same level at all.
This led to it being effective, but not much; at most, it would momentarily blind the Ukrainian Ironbelly.
He tried to approach several times, but all ended in failure. Seeing Krum and Hesel Godwin obtain the golden eggs made him even more anxious.
"I choose to withdraw from the competition!"
Just as Ron was forced back again and Krum was attempting to distract the Fireball Dragon once more, Hesel Godwin raised her wand-holding hand, with three golden eggs at her feet.
Now, attracting the Dragon's attention was even more difficult. Although Dragons are prone to rage, they are not fools; it's unlikely for the same trick to work multiple times.
Moreover, she had already obtained three golden eggs, which was the most among everyone present.
If she ended the competition, the remaining two would find it even more difficult to succeed, with the difficulty increasing by another level.
"Miss Godwin, are you sure you want to withdraw from the competition?"
Ludo, who was hosting, was also somewhat surprised by her choice.
"I am sure!"
Hesel Godwin brushed back her golden hair and replied loudly and calmly.
This was something she had carefully considered.
Although withdrawing midway now would earn her disdain from many, she wasn't a public figure like Krum, so why bother with such a good public image?
Afterward, when her calculations were revealed, and everything was within her grasp, it might even lead to a reversal, making others call her clever.
Not long after Hesel Godwin's words fell, two personnel from the Romania Dragon Reserve entered through the fence at the gap, taking Hesel Godwin and the golden eggs out of the arena.
Seeing one person less and the Romania Horned Dragonunrestrained, Krum's face turned green.
He had naturally noticed the three golden eggs at Hesel Godwin's feet.
A little thought revealed her plan.
She was truly a nasty witch; she had used him.
Then he looked at the Fireball Dragon in front of him, still focusing its attention on him, seething with uncontrollable rage.
Krum savagely waved his wand, and a series of spells exploded on the Dragon's body.
Hearing a "clank," Krum realized something and swallowed hard.
Chains could restrain a Dragon, but spells could also break the chains. Previously, he had been careful to avoid these chains, but now, if even a little bit broke, it might not be able to restrain the Dragon.
A Dragon locked in place wasn't that terrifying, but if it broke free, even he, a standard Quidditch team, couldn't defeat it!
Krum didn't dare to look closely at the state of the chains. He immediately jumped up and shouted loudly:
"I withdraw too!"
Chapter 261: Dumbledore, Save Me!
"Clank!"
The crisp sound of breaking chains echoed in the arena.
The audience in the outer stands, with their loud clamor, naturally couldn't hear clearly, but Ron was in the arena and was intently watching the Dragon, so he naturally heard the sound.
With Hesel Godwin and Krum leaving one after another, Ron also wanted to leave.
They had agreed to cooperate, but after they got the golden eggs, they didn't care about his life or death, and Ron was angry.
But what good was anger?
Could he chase them out and fight them now?
Moreover, with them gone, he had no hope of getting the golden egg.
If not for the cheers filling the arena outside, Ron would have raised his hand to leave as well.
But the current state of his Hogwarts classmates wouldn't allow Ron to withdraw empty-handed.
Otherwise, what awaited him would be the contempt of all Hogwarts teachers and students, and he would never have a chance to recover.
However, Ron couldn't care about that much now.
"Dumbledore, save me!"
The entire venue fell silent in an instant. The audience on the high platform looked at Ron in disbelief, one by one.
He must have said the wrong name, right?
Even Dumbledore and the other judges looked at Ron in disbelief, then turned to Dumbledore.
Their eyes seemed to be saying, "This is your Hogwartschampion."
Dumbledore's old face rarely flushed.
Before he could say anything, the Fireball Dragon in the arena had already broken free from the chains.
A gigantic crimson shadow, immediately after breaking free, fiercely flapped its wings and pounced towards Ron.
It was enraged, not stupid. Although it wanted to tear all Wizards to shreds,
there was only one in the arena, while there were countless Wizards above. Even a stupid Dragon knew who to choose as its target.
"Ah!"
Ron screamed and fell to the ground, looking at the Dragon with a lion-like nose, a circle of golden, tassel-like spikes around its face, and bulging crimson eyes. His legs were somewhat out of control.
This was much more terrifying than spiders.
The hot, foul-smelling breath hit Ron's face, and he could even feel the wet, sharp fangs in its mouth. Just as Ronclosed his eyes,
the previously broken chains suddenly floated into the air and writhed wildly, like a maddened giant python, directly extending to coil around the entire Dragon, even sealing its mouth.
"Weasley, withdraw!"
Dumbledore stood up, put away his wand, and said to Karkaroff and Madam Maxime beside him.
According to the rules, if any champion faced a life-threatening danger, the judges were required to intervene and rescue them.
Of course, the champion who was rescued would also be out of that round.
Karkaroff and Madam Maxime nodded in agreement with Dumbledore's statement.
Or rather, they were somewhat relieved that Dumbledorecould resolve the Dragon so quickly; they certainly couldn't have done it.
If there were casualties among the champions of the Triwizard Tournament, although they wouldn't be held responsible, there would still be some trouble afterward, which would be a minor black mark.
If that Dragon had released the other two as well, then the trouble would have been truly immense.
One Dragon didn't have the guts to cause too much trouble, but if three Dragons broke free together, given their current state, if they couldn't be subdued immediately, the number of casualties would be incalculable, just like the Basilisk that caused havoc two hundred years ago.
That's when the real trouble would begin.
The judges had already declared Ron out, and Ludonaturally announced it immediately.
Suddenly, the audience erupted.
Although many Wizards from various European countries came to watch, the majority were certainly from the host country.
Charlie, Molly, Arthur, and others sitting in the family section immediately lowered their heads, wishing they could leave the arena directly.
Arthur had taken leave to watch this competition, and Charlie had entrusted his work to his colleagues and came to the stands to accompany his parents. Just now, Arthur had told his Ministry of Magic colleague that his son was competing, and now he was getting slapped in the face so quickly.
In their hearts, they didn't have much blame for Ron; compared to losing face, they valued their family more. But if you don't have the ability, then don't participate!
Two weeks ago, they had received letters from Fred and George, so they naturally knew the whole process of Ron's participation.
He really needed to change his personality, or he would suffer a great loss sooner or later!
And now, it really made them feel a bit embarrassed.
The moment Ludo's words fell, the three of them quickly left with their heads lowered, truly too ashamed to stay there.
And they wouldn't come to the next two matches either, just in case they heard someone say, "Arthur, is that your son?"
How would he answer that?
Professor McGonagall's expression was also quite complicated. It was good that Ron wasn't harmed, but he couldn't leave empty-handed!
Where would that leave Hogwarts's reputation?
How are people supposed to view Gryffindor?
The first thing they do when danger strikes is yell for Dumbledore to save them. Is this Gryffindor's courage?
If I had known earlier, I would have chosen Ravenclawduring the Sorting Ceremony. Who wants to stay in this broken Gryffindor?
House Cup? No House Cup!
Quidditch champion? It's been years since they last won.
Every time someone gets famous for getting scolded, Gryffindor is always involved.
If I hadn't entered Gryffindor, I wouldn't be the Dean of Gryffindor. If I weren't the Dean of Gryffindor…
The faces of the other Gryffindor students also looked displeased. They had embarrassed themselves internationally.
Regardless of what was happening outside, the competition had to continue.
A large group of Dragon Reserve staff from Romaniaentered the arena through the tunnel. Two went towards Ron, while the rest went to handle the Dragons.
Time was short, and the task was urgent. They had to quickly take the Dragons away, then bring in the next batch of Dragons, and also set up the venue.
The two Dragon Reserve staff who came to Ron's side looked at Ron, who was still slumped on the ground with a damp patch beneath him, and curled their lips in disdain.
They had just been observing the situation in the arena, so they naturally knew Ron's performance.
Seriously, is this really Charlie's brother?
If it weren't for the identical red hair, they would have thought he was adopted.
Charlie, who had just graduated, passed the rigorous examination and successfully entered the DragonReserve, performing exceptionally well.
After all these years, he had already surpassed many of their veteran employees. They hadn't expected his brother to be so incompetent.
Just as Ron was being led out of the arena, Ludo loudly announced:
"Alright, the first match has successfully concluded. Our judging panel will now score the first group of champions."
"Let's wait and see what scores they will receive!"
"First up is Ron Weasley from Hogwarts!"
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Ludo spoke while looking at the other judges.
As a shrewd man, he didn't want to be the first to stick his neck out.
However, the other judges present also turned their gaze towards Dumbledore.
Even though he was already an old fox, with a face thicker than a city wall, Dumbledore still felt a bit uncomfortable at this moment.
With Ron's performance, it was hard to give a score!
Each judge had the right to score, with a maximum of ten points. This meant a maximum of fifty points per round, and normally, a house could get a maximum of one hundred and fifty points in a competition.
Five of these points were based on the number of golden eggs, which the judges had already decided upon. The remaining five points were for performance, which depended on each judge's standard.
Ron certainly wouldn't get any points for the golden egg, and as for performance points...
Dumbledore fell silent.
After a while, he raised his wand towards the sky.
A puff of smoke erupted from the tip of his wand, twisting into a large '0'.
Dumbledore still had some dignity. If other judges started scoring first, and someone gave a friendship score, Dumbledore wouldn't mind giving two or three points.
But if he started it and gave two or three points, he would inevitably be accused of favoritism towards his own house's Wizards. Furthermore, with his home-field advantage, there would undoubtedly be some gossip.
With Dumbledore's lead, the rest was easy.
Karkaroff immediately followed suit with a zero.
Ludo and Crouch were not to be outdone, both starting with zeros.
The entire arena fell silent. No one had expected such a scene to unfold. Getting a zero in front of so many Wizards from other countries was quite a notorious achievement!
Fred and George painfully lowered their heads. They were Hogwarts students and couldn't just leave early.
If a Slytherin were to come over and mock them a few times at this moment, the scene would be unimaginable.
0 for fresh flowers
However, fortunately, the Slytherins also remained silent. Although Ron was a Gryffindor Wizard, and the two houses were quite at odds, to outsiders, they were all Hogwarts students. Losing face meant losing face together, so naturally, they dared not provoke them at this moment.
If this were an internal Hogwarts competition, they would have already gone over.
"The Hogwarts champion, Ron Weasley, receives zero points!"
Though it was difficult to say, Ludo had no choice but to announce it.
Outside the arena, Ron, who was walking towards the Gryffindor dormitory, stiffened when he heard the announcement.
His face then turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Zero points. He hadn't expected it to be zero points.
He should have known not to cooperate…
"Next up is the Beauxbatons champion, Hesel Godwin. Let's look forward to her score."
Dumbledore still scored first. He waved his wand, and a puff of smoke erupted from the tip, twisting into a large '7'.
Madam Maxime raised her wand into the air, and a long, silvery ribbon-like stream shot out from it, twisting into a large '8'.
Karkaroff followed closely, a '8' made of flames floating in mid-air.
They had already agreed to eliminate Hogwarts first.
Regardless of the base score, as judges, they would give full performance points to the other champions.
Barty Crouch gave a six with a cold face.
Ludo immediately followed, giving a single six.
In Ludo's opinion, based on the situation in the arena, two or three points for performance would have been about right, even though there was some gain.
But they all left the arena voluntarily, which didn't quite fit the theme of a champion. Giving five points would be pure favoritism to the extreme.
Even Dumbledore's four points were a bit crazy.
"Let's congratulate the Beauxbatons champion, Hesel Godwin, for receiving thirty-five points."
Scattered applause immediately broke out outside the arena.
The Hogwarts Wizards' faces grew even more grim. They had just started and were already thirty-five points behind. Even if Ethan got a perfect score later, he wouldn't be able to catch up!
Compared to Ron, Harry wasn't doing much better.
"Let's anticipate how many points Durmstrang's champion, Viktor Krum, will receive!"
The final result was thirty points.
Just like before, aside from a slightly lower fixed golden egg score, everything else was identical.
This made many of the Hogwarts Wizards displeased with Dumbledore.
Why was he giving such high scores to Wizards from other schools?
Although they didn't know the scoring criteria, they had Ludo and Barty Crouch's comparative standards.
They didn't ask their Principal to give a very low score, or even zero, but at least be consistent with the other two Ministry of Magic department heads!
After the Dragon Reserve staff from Romania finished clearing the arena and brought in three new Dragons,
Ludo then blew his whistle, signaling the next group of champions that they could enter.
"Go for it!"
Ethan made a cheering gesture to Fleur, who stood up, ready to enter.
"Don't worry!"
Fleur patted her chest, adopting a confident posture.
Harry looked at Ethan in disbelief. What about me?
He was prioritizing women over friends!
Ron's zero score had also put a lot of pressure on Harry.
The sound of the whistle could penetrate, and Ludo's voice, amplified by Sonorus, could naturally also be heard.
The moment Harry learned Ron had received zero points, he felt utterly incredulous. What exactly had he done in the arena?
This also made Harry feel quite uncertain.
"Stick to the plan. I can't say how many points you'll get, but it definitely won't be zero."
As Harry was about to leave the tent, Ethan reminded him from behind.
Harry was quite skilled with the rocket. It wouldn't be a problem to snatch the golden egg from Fleur. As for the other Durmstrang champion, Ethan could only wish him good luck.
He hoped he wouldn't follow in Ron's footsteps.
"Hmm!"
Thinking of the rocket, Harry also gained a bit more confidence.
This morning, he had specifically asked Neville to bring his rocket to the arena, but he hadn't actually practiced with it in the arena.
Harry didn't know how far he would be from the rocket at that time, or if he would be able to use Accio to retrieve the rocket.
Chapter 262: Karkaroff: Cheating without me?
Just like Ron's group, Fleur and the others, after entering the arena through the tunnel, did not act rashly.
Each of them was carefully observing the opponents they were about to face.
Three Dragons: a Welsh Green, a Hungarian Horntail, and a Norwegian Ridgeback.
Among them, the Welsh Green was generally the most harmless. Compared to other Dragons, it didn't have any particular advantage in terms of fire-breathing and was quite mediocre. It could definitely be said to be the least threatening Dragon.
The Norwegian Ridgeback was average in terms of size, speed, and strength. It was just a bit more aggressive, and its teeth were venomous.
The most noteworthy was the Hungarian Horntail, one of the Dragons with the longest fire-breathing range, fifty feet, and also the biggest danger factor in this competition.
After evaluating the three Dragons, the trio was ready to act.
However, the situation was slightly different from the first match. Two of the three creatures that entered this time were extremely aggressive, but after entering, they didn't show any aggression.
It should be known that in the previous match, Ron and the others had just entered when they received a welcoming gift from the Fireball Dragon: a mushroom-shaped fireball.
Having decided to start with the Welsh Green, Harryimmediately turned his gaze to the spectator stands.
He was looking for the Gryffindor seating area. Fortunately, the Hogwarts students' seats were already assigned, and he could see some banners there.
His target, Neville, was right at the front, waving a broom at him.
Seeing Neville and the rocket, Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
Neville finally hadn't messed up today, otherwise, he really wouldn't know what to do.
It wasn't that Harry didn't want to ask others for help, but within Gryffindor, there weren't many people who would offer assistance and could be trusted not to intentionally cause trouble.
But with this distance, could he really successfully use Accio to summon the broom?
Neville had already done his best to bring the broom close enough.
If it didn't work, he would move to the other side later.
Having made up his mind, Harry cleared his thoughts and focused his mind completely and absolutely on his broom, which was his only hope.
The moment the image of the broom became clearer in his mind, Harry immediately raised his wand.
"Firebolt, Accio!"
Harry shouted loudly, as if his rocket would hear him and respond.
Many of the surrounding spectators also heard him. Most of their attention had been on Fleur, but they all turned their gaze to Harry.
Each Hogwarts champion managed to bring something different to the audience in every match.
Harry completely disregarded the spectators outside, fully immersed in his desire for the rocket.
Suddenly, Harry heard something whizzing through the air. Turning around, Harry saw his Firebolt flying rapidly towards him, circling the edge of the arena.
In just a moment, it suddenly stopped in mid-air beside him.
Harry didn't hesitate and straddled it.
The sounds from the stands grew louder, and even Ludo, the host, was shouting something.
Unfortunately, Harry filtered all of it out.
He straddled the broom, pushed off the ground, and soared into the air.
The young Wizards of Hogwarts cheered and celebrated, while Ludo looked at Dumbledore and the other three.
Originally, as the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and also the referee and host of this match, he could have directly made a final decision on whether Harry's action was legal, but he did not, instead giving the choice to the other four.
The fact that he could hold his position as Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports despite a history of scandals and various shortcomings, was not only due to the support of his fans, but also his ability to avoid responsibility.
"I think he violated the rules and should be disqualified immediately."
Karkaroff spoke first, determined to eliminate Hogwartswithout leaving any room for doubt.
According to the rules, no Alchemy tools could be used in the Triwizard Tournament, and a broomstick certainly counted as one.
Of course, Karkaroff also regretted it, if he had thought of this trick earlier, he would have prepared Krum in advance.
With his skill, wouldn't he be able to walk these bound Dragons on the field like dogs?
"I agree with Karkaroff."
Madam Maxime also quickly expressed her stance.
Now their two schools were united, there was no reason to let Karkaroff fight alone.
"I have a different view. Harry Potter was inspected when he entered the arena, and he wasn't carrying any Alchemy tools. This rocket was summoned from outside the arena using Accio, which means he obtained this assistance through his own ability."
Dumbledore, who had previously seemed indifferent, now appeared quite serious.
He still wanted Harry to gain experience in the competition, so how could he let Harry be disqualified so easily and undermine his confidence for the future?
"I also believe this is reasonable and legal."
Barty Crouch also said with a stern face.
Immediately, four pairs of eyes looked at Ludo, the fifth referee.
Ludo, of course, knew how to choose.
"I believe that since this broomstick was summoned from outside the arena, it naturally complies with the rules. After all, the rules do not prohibit using Accio to summon Alchemy tools from outside the arena, am I right?!"
Since two of the country's bigwigs supported Harry, if he sang a different tune, he wouldn't be able to get by.
As for offending Karkaroff and Madam Maxime, although it didn't quite meet his expectations, they couldn't affect him, so it didn't matter.
Karkaroff and Madam Maxime, seeing that Ludo had said so, had no choice, no matter how unwilling they were.
Moreover, Dumbledore's attitude towards this so-called Great Britain Savior was completely different from that towards the red-haired kid just now!
Harry was unaware of everything happening at the referee's table; he was rapidly spiraling upwards.
As the wind whistled through his hair, and the faces of the spectators below became small, flesh-colored pinpricks, and the Hungarian Horntail shrunk to the size of a dog, he had already cast off his fear.
This was just a more special Quidditch match, nothing more.
These Dragons were merely opponents far more troublesome than Malfoy.
He quickly found his target, a Welsh Green.
That nest of golden eggs was now sparkling between the Welsh Green's legs.
Harry directly swooped down, and the Welsh Green's head followed Harry's movement.
At first, it appeared somewhat timid, but soon it seemed to have discovered something.
A burst of fire directly spewed out; if Harry hadn't dodged in time, he would have been hit head-on and then turned to ashes in the Dragon's fire.
But Harry, at this moment, continued to swoop down, as if his eyes only saw the golden eggs.
Just like dodging a Bludger, Harry swayed slightly and avoided the attacking Dragon fire, but the Welsh Green's tail swung towards him.
In response, Harry made an emergency turn to the left, narrowly avoiding the Dragon's tail, and then bent down to pick up a Dragon egg, before quickly ascending with one hand controlling the rocket.
Thunderous applause immediately erupted from outside the arena, and Ludo also praised Harry.
Harry himself felt a great surge of confidence, realizing it wasn't that difficult.
Since he had obtained a golden egg, he wouldn't get a zero score like Ron.
Fleur and Field Durr in the arena also felt increased pressure when they saw Harry get a golden egg.
Before the competition began, their respective Principals had told them that if they didn't encounter Ethan, they should try their best to suppress the opponent, and getting them a zero score was the best option.
As a result, Harry now took the lead in front of them.
Fleur touched her chest and directly pulled out a dark scale strung together with golden thread from her Wizard's robe. Originally, Fleur was prepared to rely on her own methods.
But now, if she didn't cheat, this Dragon egg might even be stolen by Harry.
Hanging the dark scale on her chest, Fleur carefully held her wand and approached the nearest Norwegian Ridgeback.
Fleur still trusted Ethan's words very much; this thing could make these few Dragons quite afraid.
When entering the arena, Fleur had also handed in this scale, saying it was just a protective amulet. Only after confirming that it contained no magical power was it returned to Fleur.
This was a scale shed by Onyxia before, but it had always been kept in the nest as a cushion, so it was permeated with a relatively strong scent. Since it hadn't undergone any special treatment, it naturally wasn't considered an Alchemy tool.
As Fleur approached, a hint of fear actually flashed in the Norwegian Ridgeback's eyes, and its body involuntarily retreated, making the iron chains clatter.
It directly exposed the golden eggs beneath it....
Whose strange scent is this? There's no mistake.
Under Ethan's instructions, Onyxia had frequently visited the Dragon camp these past few days.
Ever since it reached adulthood, Ethan hadn't really cared whether it would be exposed. Under normal circumstances, it would take twenty experienced Wizards working together to subdue a Dragon, but for Onyxia, that number would at least have to be multiplied several times.
This basically meant it was highly unlikely for poachers to succeed, unless someone of Dumbledore's level personally intervened.
Because of this, Onyxia had also made frequent appearances. Many people knew that there was a strangely shaped and enormous Dragon in Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest.
With Hogwarts' endorsement, and since it hadn't done anything out of line, the Ministry of Magic had now tacitly approved Onyxia's presence in the Forbidden Forest. After all, there was no shortage of XXXXX-rated Animalsthere.
So, under Ethan's instructions, Onyxia had openly gone to the Dragon camp, and each time she went, she would also get a good meal and scare the Dragons in the camp.
Originally, Onyxia didn't have this ability either.
However, after Ethan's bloodline was enhanced, he gained the abilities of Dragonization and intimidation, which he frequently practiced on Onyxia and Norbert.
Norbert didn't learn it, but Onyxia did after she matured. It was very useful for Animals, especially the Dragonlineage, as if there was a bloodline suppression.
These past few days, Onyxia had frequently visited the camp, releasing her intimidation every time, causing these Dragons to become neurotic.
Now, encountering Fleur, who carried Onyxia's scent, it would be strange if they weren't afraid.
Although Dragons also exhibit egg-guarding behavior, they are not truly that concerned about their young. When faced with danger, they will not hesitate to abandon their offspring.
According to their habits, every time Dragon hatchlings learn to fly, they are driven out of the camp. They are truly a species with some familial affection, but not much.
As a result, at this moment, these Dragons did not hesitate to expose the golden eggs beneath them.
Fleur, who had already walked up to the golden eggs, watched the Norwegian Ridgeback, which showed no signs of aggression, and finally felt relieved.
Although she trusted Ethan's words completely, how could she not be worried when facing a Dragon?
Patting her trembling heart, Fleur began to deal with the golden eggs.
Now it was Field Durr's turn to be stunned.
Why?
The Dragon isn't attacking her?
But he didn't dare to try rashly; Harry had been attacked when he approached on the rocket earlier.
"What's going on?"
Karkaroff, seeing this scene from the referee's table, was so angry that a vein throbbed on his forehead.
Although he didn't know what was happening, the girl from Beauxbatons must have cheated.
5.7 Although cheating by champions has been rampant throughout the history of the Triwizard Tournament.
But now, you can't abandon me and play like this yourselves!
And we agreed to advance together, Madam Maxime, what are you doing, colluding with Dumbledore?
"I don't know either?"
Madam Maxime was also bewildered; Fleur had truly not told her about this.
"It should be the scale she's wearing on her chest."
Although the distance was quite far, Dumbledore saw it at a glance, as that thing was still reflecting light at the moment.
Dumbledore even knew where it came from.
When Onyxia settled in the Forbidden Forest, although Hagrid didn't say anything, Dumbledore later went to talk to Hagrid after it was discovered, and he observed it up close until he confirmed it wouldn't threaten Hogwartsstudents.
This was definitely given by that little brat, Ethan.
It's just, is this considered aiding the enemy?
After a brief discussion, the referees also ruled this behavior legal.
After all, Fleur had also been inspected and wasn't carrying anything illicit.
Being able to produce something compliant and capable of frightening the target was also a form of wisdom.
Such a competition shouldn't be taken too seriously; who doesn't have a little trick up their sleeve?
And Fleur, at this moment, had already packed up all five golden eggs from the Norwegian Ridgeback. She directly used Transfiguration to conjure a large bag and dragged these golden eggs along.
She was heading towards the Hungarian Horntail, preparing to take all the remaining golden eggs.
Harry, at this moment, had also placed the golden egg he had previously obtained on the high platform on the other side, and then repeated the trick to obtain the second golden egg.
Chapter 263: Dumbledore's Solemnity
"Hogwarts Champion, Harry Potter, thirty-one points!"
"Beauxbatons Champion, Fleur De la Cour, forty-seven points!"
"Durmstrang Champion, Field Durr, thirteen points!"
Inside the tent, Ethan heard the scores announced by Ludo outside the arena and roughly understood the situation in the competition.
Fleur, as expected, took the lead by relying on Onyxia's scales. Harry also used the rocket to snatch a golden eggfrom Fleur's grasp. As for the exact number, that was unknown.
Anyway, as long as Harry had a harvest, Dumbledorewouldn't give Harry a low score, and Ludo and Crouchwere the same.
As for Field Durr from Durmstrang, he probably didn't get any harvest in this competition without some special skill.
It's strange that he didn't get a zero score!
If Ron were there to see this, he might cry himself unconscious in the restroom.
Both had zero harvest, but one got zero points, while the other got thirteen points.
Just as Ethan's thoughts wandered, a sharp whistle sounded in his ear.
Richardson Clarence, with an extremely grim expression, was the first to rush out of the tent. When he heard Field Durr had scored thirteen points, he couldn't hold back.
The Beauxbatons Witch and the Hogwarts kid, who were originally not taken seriously, actually managed to get high scores.
Field Durr, whose strength was definitely above the Triwizard Tournament's average, had such a low score.
Because of this, Richardson Clarence was desperate to know what on earth was going on.
In terms of strength, he and I are only evenly matched.
Doesn't this mean that he might only get this much score?
Hilda Donahue, the Beauxbatons Champion, followed unhurriedly, a hint of a smile on her face.
Although she couldn't stand Fleur, she had to admit that she was indeed better than herself. Now that she had achieved such a high score, coupled with Hesel Godwin's highest score in the first task, Beauxbatons had directly topped the first task!
Whether it was Durmstrang or Hogwarts, their scores were quite a distance from Beauxbatons.
As long as she didn't perform too badly, maintaining the lead in the first task was a sure thing.
We Beauxbatons are truly amazing.
He arrived directly at the competition venue along the path, not encountering anyone along the way, which was clearly a deliberate arrangement.
Contestants are forbidden from revealing any information about the competition.
Upon reaching the opening, he walked directly through the passage into the arena.
"Adrian!"
"Adrian!"
"Adrian!"
As Ethan appeared, the entire venue erupted in deafening cheers, and banners of support rose from all directions of the four houses, a treatment the previous two Hogwartschampions had not received.
In their hearts, Ethan, despite being underage, was undoubtedly the rightful Hogwarts champion.
His numerous displays of strength, coupled with his performance at the Quidditch World Cup, surely meant that victory in the Triwizard Tournament would be effortless?
It would have been even better if Ron and Harry hadn't been holding him back.
Only Dumbledore seemed lost in thought, listening to the cheers filling the arena, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
Gellert had been just as popular back then, always followed by large crowds wherever he went.
He himself had faced such scenes many times, with countless supporters.
It seemed Tom had also experienced something similar.
Now it was Ethan Adrian's turn, how far would he go?
But thinking of Ethan's personality, Dumbledore felt a headache; was this a good thing or a bad thing for the Wizarding World?
Dumbledore himself wasn't sure.
However, considering Gellert, himself, and Tom, it seemed that anyone with talent was rarely well-behaved, always having something special about them. Ethan's current situation was quite normal for a genius.
As for the future, he couldn't manage it.
Lord Voldemort alone consumed all his energy.
Although he had some guesses about Lord Voldemort's other Horcruxes, he had no idea where they were or what condition they were in.
These matters alone were enough to cause a headache; he simply didn't have the energy to deal with Ethan's affairs.
Meanwhile, Ethan, facing the cheers from the audience, naturally waved back enthusiastically.
After the countless flashes from the high platform subsided, Ethan finally focused his attention on the targets he was about to face.
There was a Peruvian Vipertooth, about fifteen feet long, with smooth, brass-colored scales and a black ridge down its back, considered the smallest type of Dragon.
There was a Hebridean Black, thirty feet long, with rough scales, purple eyes, a row of shallow but razor-sharp ridges down its back, a pointed, arrow-like tail, and bat-like wings.
Finally, there was the target Ethan had drawn: an Australian Opaleye, with shimmering, iridescent, pearl-like scales and pupil-less eyes, the most beautiful type of Dragon.
In this competition, he not only had to win but also had to win spectacularly.
The most direct method, of course, was to use coercion, which would directly secure the golden egg.
But this way, there would be no spectacle, and the audience outside wouldn't even know what happened.
As for Accio, probably only a small number of people would understand its true value, as casting Accio on a magical item is a confrontation of magical power, excluding certain specific Alchemy items, of course.
Ethan did not make the first move, and Richardson Clarence and Hilda Donahue naturally showed no intention of moving either.
They were all waiting for Ethan to act first, as they had received messages from their respective Principals before the competition, knowing that a direct confrontation with Ethan was basically impossible.
They could only hope to pick up some scraps during the competition.
However, since Ethan hadn't made a move, the Dragons couldn't hold back.
A vibrant red flame shot directly towards Ethan and the others.
Due to his magic resistance, Ethan felt nothing in particular, but the hair of the two champions beside him was already curling from the intense heat.
Ethan, meanwhile, was pondering a question: Was Animal Affinity no longer working?
Was it because they had just laid eggs?
Or was it due to environmental stress?
Or had they been too scared by Onyxia these past few days?
However, if that was the case, Ethan had no more reservations.
He had just been thinking that if, due to Animal Affinity, these Dragons had simply given up their eggs, he wouldn't have been able to act, and would have had to be careful with his power.
But now, it was time to fight!
A pillar of rock protruded directly from the side of the Australian Opaleye, striking its chin at a forty-five-degree angle.
The audience sitting closer clearly heard a "crack."
Accompanied by a tragic wail, a string of blood droplets and shattered rainbow-colored scales scattered in mid-air.
The bright red flame, which had been shooting straight towards Ethan and the others, also directly veered off course, spraying onto an empty spot nearby.
Of course, this spray did not last long before it abruptly stopped.
Looking at this Australian Opaleye, its entire Dragon face was distorted, especially its chin, where the pearl-like colored scales were shattered and covered in large patches of blood.
This caused great distress to the Dragon handlers from the Romania Dragon Reserve who were watching from the side; this single blow had directly disfigured the Australian Opaleye.
One must know that this Australian Opaleye was quite popular; not only did the staff at the Dragon Reserve deeply adore this little girl, but she was also very well-liked within the Dragon community.
Many other species of Dragons would court this Australian Opaleye during their breeding season.
It was uncertain whether she would still be as popular when she returned to the Dragon Reserve.
Moreover, just the first move had caused such damage to a Dragon.
They truly dared not imagine what the consequences would be once the battle truly began.
Originally, these staff members from the Dragon Reserve had thought that these three Dragons would also cause some trouble for Ethan, and perhaps he would have to resort to tricks to win this competition.
After all, Ethan's reputation was only hearsay; they hadn't actually seen that scene at the Quidditch World Cup, but they had lived with these Dragons day and night and knew how difficult they were to deal with.
Now, it seemed that the Dragons were the ones to worry about.
Just the brief display of skill showed Ethan's mastery of Transfiguration; it would be easy for him to take down these Dragons, especially since they couldn't fly.
Thinking of this, they felt a pang of worry.
Although any losses would be compensated by the Ministry of Magic, covering the rental fees for these Dragons, as well as medical and nutritional expenses, and so on.
But these funds wouldn't reach their hands, and besides, they had developed an emotional bond with these Dragons after spending so much time with them. They were a Dragon Reserve, not a place where Dragons were raised and slaughtered like pigs.
Most of those who chose to work at the Dragon Reserve were people who loved Dragons.
Therefore, they were quite worried about the Dragons in the arena, but they couldn't violate the rules and rush up to surrender on behalf of these Dragons.
As the Dragon handlers watched with worried eyes, Ethan raised his wand.
In the air, thick black mist churned and boiled, and a colossal red creature emerged from it.
Its unfurled wings eclipsed the sun, casting a shadow over a good portion of the arena and the audience stands.
Its estimated size exceeded two hundred feet, with thick, hard, fiery-red scales that shimmered with a metallic luster. Its neck frills and wing edges were purplish-gray, and its pupils glowed like molten spheres, exuding a terrifying aura of power.
Instantly, the entire competition venue fell silent, and even the Dragons fearfully folded their wings.
Countless spectators held their breath, their eyes filled with both terror and fervent awe as they gazed at the red Dragon in the sky.
At the press conference in early August, the Great BritainMinistry of Magic had announced this magic, but those who hadn't seen it with their own eyes had no concept of it.
Now, facing this magic directly, they realized that all the spells they had learned before were utter rubbish. The two simply couldn't be compared.
Richardson Clarence and Hilda Donahue, the two champions grouped with Ethan, also froze in place, their faces pale, as large beads of sweat streamed down their foreheads.
Why would such a monster participate in the Triwizard Tournament?
This round was fine; the opponents were Dragons, so they wouldn't have to face this monster.
But what about later?
If they directly confronted it, could they even fight?
Thinking that they might very well face Ethan directly later, both of them considered buying tickets to go back home that very night.
They couldn't participate in this Triwizard Tournament at all.
Even Karkaroff and Madam Maxime were breathing a little heavily.
Now it was truly certain that this young man possessed strength far beyond their own.
Letting him participate in this Triwizard Tournament was truly a sin!
Damn that red-haired brat!
"Dumbledore, do you know what spell he used?"
Any Wizard who witnessed this scene, few didn't want to learn it.
Karkaroff was no exception; if he could learn it, he wouldn't have to flee when facing the Death Eater purge in the future!
Although the Ministry of Magic had mentioned that Ethan had used this magic, it didn't even have a name, only saying that he had summoned a Dragon, and then nothing else.
"I don't know; this spell has never been recorded."
Dumbledore also looked at the Dragon with a grave expression.
He could tell that this was not a Dragon conjured by Transfiguration, but one truly composed of magic, somewhat like the shadow of a Patronus Charm, yet with significant differences.
Earlier, Ethan had mentioned that he had obtained Ravenclaw's treasure, and that these were spells from the time of the founders. But if that were the case, Hogwarts would surely have records of them.
Regarding this, Dumbledore only had one guess: that this was a spell invented by Ravenclaw in her later years, placed in her Chamber of Secrets after its invention, and never used outside, as Ravenclaw herself was known for her wisdom and was highly skilled in the creation and invention of spells.
As for the idea that Ethan himself invented and created this spell.
Dumbledore had not considered that point.
Firstly, creating such a spell requires a substantial accumulation of knowledge, and countless trials and errors in between. Ethan simply didn't have the time or energy to invent and perfect a spell of this magnitude.
Even he, with a clear idea, would need years to perfect such a spell.
Ethan, of course, was unaware of others' conjectures. After circling the arena once, the red Dragon above his head landed with a crash.
The impact was like a small earthquake, which only showed that the arena, temporarily constructed with magic, was quite sturdy.
Then, it directly extended its claws and swatted at the Dragon. Accompanied by the sound of shattering scales and the clatter of chains, the Dragon peacefully collapsed, even the chains restraining it snapping.
The last Australian Opaleye looked at its two companions, whose scales were shattered and who lay in pools of blood. It felt that its own twisted face was not unacceptable, and immediately, under the gaze of the red Dragon, it rolled onto its back, exposing its belly.
What kind of behavior was this?
Ethan couldn't even bear to look, and for a mother Dragonthat had just laid eggs to strike such a pose, wouldn't it be somewhat undignified?
With all three Dragons incapacitated, Ethan naturally collected all fifteen golden eggs.
As for Richardson Clarence and Hilda Donahue, who had originally intended to fish in troubled waters, they stood trembling like sieves in the arena, not daring to move at all.
Chapter 264: Regretful Ludo
The moment the competition ended, the staff from the Romania Dragon Reserve, who had been waiting outside for a long time, immediately rushed towards the Dragons in the arena.
This time, it was truly a huge loss; hopefully, it wouldn't leave any lasting effects on these Dragons.
Ethan, having successfully collected all the golden eggs, walked out of the arena to the cheers of the entire crowd.
Hilda Donahue and Richardson Clarence, who were in the same group as Ethan, also felt too ashamed to stay there and followed Ethan dispiritedly.
Hilda Donahue of Beauxbatons had originally planned to further extend Beauxbatons' lead and maintain their scoring advantage.
This way, even if there were any mistakes in the next competition, there would still be room for adjustment.
As a result, she had completely messed it up herself.
Although the current situation was that no matter which champion faced Ethan, they wouldn't get a good result, who knew if the responsibility would be pushed onto her?
After all, someone always had to be made the scapegoat in the end.
Hilda Donahue was quite familiar with that kind of upper-level maneuvering.
Richardson Clarence wasn't feeling any better; the previous Field Durr had only scored a meager amount, and he feared his own performance this time would be even worse.
Durmstrang's score was already so far behind after the first competition; how were they supposed to play in the future?
Following the passage out of the arena, Regis MacErken, who had been waiting there again, immediately jogged over to Ethan and the others.
Adrian, congratulations on getting a good score.
Ethan immediately replied, "Senior, thank you!"
Regis MacErken, the President of the Hogwarts Male Student Council, is a seventh-year Ravenclaw student.
He must have something to say by running over at this moment.
If it was just congratulations, he could have waited until they returned to the dormitory to celebrate in the Ravenclaw common room.
Sure enough, after a couple of sentences, they got straight to the point.
"Mr. Ludo asked me to inform you that he wants to speak in the tent after he finishes hosting, so you should all wait for him there."
During this competition, the male and female student council presidents were responsible for maintaining order and relaying messages; he had just received this task from Ludo.
"Alright, I understand."
Ethan had already guessed some of it; it was likely to announce the time of the next competition and some clues.
In the original work, the clues seemed to be hidden in the golden egg.
Ethan and the others headed towards the tent, but the competition was not yet over.
Because the scores for the last match had not yet been given.
Dumbledore was also in a difficult position at this moment; the two participating champions had no chance to make a move, and Ethan had taken all the golden eggs. How could he give them scores?
The golden egg scores were fine; zero if there were none, which was fixed. But they had no chance to perform, which logically also meant zero points.
"First, let's look forward to Ethan Adrien's score!"
As Ludo's words ended, the entire venue erupted, with discussions and cheers filling the whole place.
Dumbledore smiled slightly, and with a gentle flick of his wand in the air, a '10' formed from smoke appeared before everyone.
Karkaroff and Madam Maxime exchanged glances and also gave a perfect score.
Given the situation on site, not giving a perfect score would indeed be unreasonable.
Moreover, they did not want to offend Ethan.
Who knew if he was petty? If they gave a low score at this time and he remembered it, that would be big trouble.
Compared to this, even the Triwizard Tournamentchampionship was not that important.
Ludo and Barty Crouch naturally would not drop the ball.
Thus, the first perfect score of the entire competition was born.
Unlike the previous ones, this golden egg was truly obtained by his own strength, and it was the most convincing method for them.
As for Hilda Donahue and Richardson Clarence, their scores were the same, both eleven points.
That was two points less than Field Durr's thirteen points in the previous match.
Mainly, in the previous match, Ludo and Barty Crouch, as judges, gave some face, each giving one point.
But this face cannot always be given!
As a result, in this match, only Dumbledore still insisted on giving one point.
And Karkaroff and Madam Maxime shamelessly gave full marks for performance.
They were not afraid of any discussions outside; they were all old hands who had been through a lot in society for many years. As long as there were tangible benefits, face meant nothing.
Of course, if there were no benefits, then face would be more important than anything.
After all the scores for all the participating champions were displayed, Ludo directly raised his wand and pointed it at the three plaques standing on the podium.
The plaque on the left, with a shield-shaped emblem consisting of a lion, eagle, badger, and snake encircling the letter 'H', represented Hogwarts, with a final score of: 81 points.
Among them, Ethan received fifty points, Harry thirty-one points, and Ron zero points.
The plaque in the middle, with two golden crossed wands, each emitting three stars, represented Beauxbatons, with a final score of: 93 points.
Among them, Fleur Delacour received forty-seven points, Hesel Godwin received thirty-five points, and Hilda Donahue received eleven points.
The plaque on the far right, depicting a double-headed eagle and a deer head, with Cyrillic letters, represented Durmstrang, with a final score of: 54 points.
Among them, Viktor Krum received thirty points, Field Durr received thirteen points, and Richardson Clarencereceived eleven points.
Beauxbatons was far ahead, and Hogwarts was not far behind. As for Durmstrang, it was quite far behind; if there wasn't a major reversal, it would likely be difficult for him to catch up.
Karkaroff naturally knew this, and his face turned green when he saw the final score.
Moreover, this was the result after he had colluded with Madam Maxime, and Dumbledore couldn't bring himself to be completely ruthless.
Otherwise, Ron wouldn't have gotten zero points. Although he didn't get the golden egg, he did show some performance, and getting a few points wouldn't have been a problem.
The same was true for the Beauxbatons and Durmstrangchampions. It was ridiculous that their performance could earn them full marks!
Every champion should have had several points deducted; that would have been their true score.
If that were the case, Hogwarts would have been far ahead.
This also strengthened Karkaroff's resolve to collude with Madam Maxime, as even united they were like this; if they acted independently, what was the point of participating?
Madam Maxime's face, however, showed a hint of joy.
Cooperating with Karkaroff meant she had the advantage.
Madam Maxime was not sure which school's champions were more outstanding.
However, Ethan would definitely take care of Fleur. By playing both sides, she gained benefits from both, making her the biggest winner.
She had been observing Fleur's performance these past few days.
She had also confirmed this point by asking her junior schoolmate, Apolline, via wizard mailbox a few days ago.
If there was no relationship, would Fleur specifically come to Great Britain for the summer vacation?
Coupled with Fleur's charm, Madam Maxime did not believe that any young boy could resist her.
Although Ethan might not give up the championship, it was enough for him to take care of Fleur.
By benefiting from both sides, it was not impossible to win the Triwizard Tournament, just like in this match.
She had also just thought about the key to Fleur easily obtaining the Dragon egg. Beauxbatons could not provide it, and the De la Cour family was unlikely to, otherwise Fleur would not have hidden it from her.
Nine times out of ten, it was Ethan who provided it.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, felt exhausted. If he had known that the results of the next two matches would be like this, he wouldn't have given Ron zero points.
It wasn't that he was dissatisfied with Hogwarts' score, thinking that if they just got a few more points, they could surpass Beauxbatons and get first place.
Rather, as a Principal, even though Ron had disappointed him many times, Dumbledore had not given up on Ron. He only hoped that he would stay away from Harry, and in other aspects, he treated him the same as other young Wizards at Hogwarts.
Therefore, he naturally did not want to discourage Rontoo much, as this would have too great an impact on Ron's future.
After all, who would have thought that after Ron, there would be three more champions who were also indifferent, performing even worse than Ron?
Ron, at least, made a move and struggled with the trapped Ukrainian Ironbelly, while the other three did virtually nothing and still received more than ten points.
Additionally, Karkaroff and Madam Maxime were a bit too shameless; not to mention Krum and Fleur, even those who were purely slacking off received full marks for performance.
Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything; it was naturally impossible to add points to Ron now.
The Principals on the stage each had their own thoughts.
The audience below was also discussing this, and what they were talking about was nothing but what these Principals were thinking.
Mainly because even a child could see that Karkaroff and Madam Maxime were obviously biased towards the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions, without any attempt to hide it.
Moreover, their combined actions were too obvious; they not only gave full marks to their own school's champions but also to each other's, while being extremely harsh on Hogwarts.
Only Ethan's performance was flawless; otherwise, they suspected that even if Ethan had obtained fifteen golden eggs, he would not have received full marks.
Similarly, some people were criticizing Dumbledore. In the past, such people were a minority in Great Britain, but now, one by one, they were openly discussing it.
As the Principal of Hogwarts, he didn't even dare to favor his own school's students. What kind of Principal was he?
Especially the pure-bloods, their opinions were very strong.
At this moment, being suppressed by the French, they felt utterly disgraced.
If only he had learned a little from Karkaroff and Madam Maxime, wouldn't Hogwarts have topped the list?
It was only because Dumbledore's prestige had been so great for so many years, and his title as the number one person in the Wizarding World was so resounding, otherwise they would have protested below long ago, and how could they have been so aggrieved as to only whisper?
Ludo then hastily said a few words, ending the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Stepping off the stage, Ludo also felt quite regretful. The Principals of these schools were truly cunning.
Who would have guessed that with Ethan present, Hogwarts would still be suppressed by Beauxbatons in this competition?
If this match had been open for betting, this round might have brought in a huge profit.
It was a pity that such a good opportunity was missed.
With a feeling of regret, Ludo strode towards the location of the tent.
Earlier, he had already sent out a notice, telling the participating champions to wait for him in the tent.
"Mr. Bagman!"
Hearing someone call him from behind, Ludo stopped and turned around.
"MacErken, is something wrong?"
He had just instructed Regis MacErken to notify all the participating champions. Now that he was here, it could only mean there was a problem with that matter.
Logically, this shouldn't be the case!
It was just a notification; how could there be a problem?
"Everyone has been notified, except for Ron Weasley."
"I searched the entire venue, and no one saw him, including his brothers and sister, who don't know where he went."
After Regis MacErken couldn't find Ron, he gave up for a while, notified everyone else, and then went to the Gryffindor side to ask several people, but none of them had seen him.
Clearly, this was because he had received zero points, breaking the record of the Triwizard Tournament for all previous years, causing his shame to explode and making him hide.
Ludo paused for a moment, then immediately nodded and said:
"Alright, I understand. Thank you for your hard work."
Ludo naturally guessed the reason for not being able to find Ron: he was too ashamed to show his face and had hidden himself!
Although there would be one less champion later, it was not a big problem.
Anyway, he didn't get the golden egg, and as for the date of the next competition, it would spread throughout Hogwarts starting tomorrow. Unless he skipped classes, he couldn't possibly not know.
Arriving at the tent, after lifting the curtain, everyone was indeed there except for Ron.
Seeing the particularly somber atmosphere inside the tent, Ludo didn't want to say any pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"Alright, I only have a few words to say."
"The second task will begin next year on February 24th at 9:30 AM. Before then, you will have a long period of rest, but we will leave some questions for you to consider!"
"Look at the golden eggs you are holding; you will find that they can be opened. Do you see the seam there?"
"Within this time, you must solve the clue provided inside the egg, which will tell you what the second task is, so you can prepare!"
Harry, Krum, and those who had obtained golden eggs immediately picked them up and fiddled with them, wanting to see if it was as Ludo said.
As for those who didn't have golden eggs, they could only awkwardly look down at the ground, but they weren't too worried about not having a clue.
After all, other champions from their school had obtained clues, and it was impossible for them to keep it a secret.
"If there are no other questions, then you are dismissed!"
Ethan led Fleur out first, and Harry and the others also had no problems, one by one, they also directly left the tent.
Not far away, a sudden rustle came from the grass ahead, and a Witch suddenly jumped out from behind the bushes.
Ethan recognized her at a glance; it was Rita Skeeter. She was wearing a flamboyant green robe today, holding a Quick-Quotes Quill and parchment in her hand.
"Congratulations, Harry!"
"I wonder if you could say a word to me? How did you feel when you faced the Dragon? How do you feel now? Do you think the judges' scoring was fair? And how did you think of using a rocket?"
Rita Skeeter first approached Harry, blocking his way with a smile on her face.
Among everyone present, besides Boss Ethan, Harry was the most talked about.
Harry's face changed, and he immediately tried to run, but unfortunately, his Wizard robe was grabbed.
Oh, by the way, where did Ron, who got a zero, go? Do you know?"
"And you all, wait!"