After the second task officially came to an end, Durmstrang once again returned to its usual rhythm of normal school life. But for the three champions—especially Avada—the number of things demanding their attention actually increased rather than decreased.
This was not to say that he had truly discovered any trap in Krum and Fleur's golden eggs. Those two eggs were identical to the one in his hands in both structure and function. And after the two of them exchanged some information with Avada, received his warning, and shared a bit of the latest intelligence with each other, they had hardly remained in contact at all, outwardly maintaining the proper attitude expected between rivals.
His real trouble came mainly from Durmstrang itself.
Because the three of them had performed so absurdly well in the first task that the organizers had directly moved the second task up to before Christmas, there had actually only been about a week between the two tasks. The shock brought by the "Bagman murder case" had not yet fully faded from most people's minds, and on top of that came the visually spectacular battles between the champions and the fire dragons yesterday. As a result, their popularity had now reached an unprecedented height…
Who knew what it was like on Fleur and Krum's side, but as far as Avada was concerned, almost every professor in every class frequently called on him to answer questions or demonstrate something. And after class, he would often be surrounded by a large crowd of locals staring at him.
Probably because of Durmstrang's educational style, most of its students held an especially strong reverence for the powerful. Even knowing perfectly well that the champion before them represented a rival school did not dampen their enthusiasm in the slightest when it came to gawking at Avada…
He barely even dared go to the Durmstrang dining hall to eat anymore.
And as another piece of news spread through the castle, the trivial matters he had to deal with increased exponentially all at once—
"Everyone, I have some good news to tell you."
In the first compartment of the Hogwarts Express—the one that had already been remodeled into a meeting room—Dumbledore sat at the head of the long table, looking at the twenty-odd students arranged in two rows, his face carrying that reassuring smile as always.
"The evening after tomorrow—that is, Christmas night—we will be holding a Christmas Ball, in accordance with Triwizard Tournament tradition. I imagine most of you have heard something about it already, haven't you?"
"That's right."
"Yes, Professor."
The students below all nodded to show they knew.
On the one hand, when they had first arrived at Durmstrang, Karkaroff had already mentioned the Christmas Ball in passing. Since Hogwarts students did not really have much of a tradition of holding balls, the idea had struck most of them as rather novel, so they remembered it fairly clearly.
On the other hand, during classes that very morning, the Durmstrang professors had also announced the news to the students.
"The ball will be held in Durmstrang's Great Hall at eight o'clock on Christmas evening and will end at midnight. Besides being part of Triwizard Tournament tradition, it is also an excellent opportunity for us to interact with our foreign hosts. This ball will only be open to students in the fourth year and above, but if you wish, you may also invite students from lower years…"
"Ugh, no thanks."
The Hogwarts students all shook their heads and curled their lips.
Below fourth year meant first-, second-, and third-years, didn't it?
Setting aside the fact that the younger Durmstrang students probably could not even speak decent English, that age also happened to be exactly when children were at their most troublesome and headache-inducing. And ballroom dancing was a technical skill—no one had any idea how many times those energetic little brats might stomp on their feet because of poor dancing…
Besides, as the elite students selected through multiple rounds at Hogwarts, their coming to Durmstrang had always carried the implicit meaning of showing off Hogwarts's strength and building up its reputation. Naturally, the people they were meant to face were Durmstrang's top academic talents.
If a group like that specifically chose younger students as dance partners instead, the locals would inevitably have a few things to say about it.
"And since the Christmas Ball more or less counts as a formal occasion,"
Dumbledore continued speaking as though he had not noticed the students' reactions at all, going right on with the precautions and reminders regarding the ball, "if you plan to attend, I do hope you'll wear formal dress and make yourselves look a little more presentable than usual. At the very least, leave your partner with a somewhat better impression…"
A wave of suppressed laughter immediately spread below.
The people from Hogwarts basically all knew that the most casually dressed and least well-groomed person in the entire school was the headmaster sitting right in front of them…
"Ahem, of course, there's no need to be too rigid or overly formal. After all, a ball is still meant to help people relax."
Seeing the rows of teasing looks directed at him in perfect unison, Dumbledore stroked his beard and gave an awkward cough, pretending embarrassment as he patched up his own words, which only triggered another burst of laughter.
"All right, all right, that's enough for now. You may all go back and rest—oh, and Mr. Ken, please come to my office afterward. I have something to discuss with you…"
"Is it about the champions leading the opening dance, Professor?"
Before Avada could respond, someone nearby had already asked, "I looked through some materials, and that seems to be part of Triwizard tradition too…"
"That's right."
Dumbledore looked at that Gryffindor seventh-year senior with a smile. "The others may enjoy themselves at the ball as they please—chatting, eating, drinking—but according to tradition, the three champions must lead the dance together with their partners. Personally, I do think this tradition is a bit too rigid, since champions aren't selected based on their dancing ability, but most people still consider it a symbol that cannot be ignored…"
As he spoke, he stood up first and began walking toward his office, while the other students also filed out, intending either to return directly to their rooms or make a detour to the dining hall for a little extra food.
After greeting Baron beside him, Avada also rose and followed after Dumbledore.
He did not know whether it was only his imagination, but ever since arriving at Durmstrang, he had always felt that Baron seemed to be deliberately hiding something from him.
Though considering his father's identity—and this year's plans involving Leach University—he did not find that surprising in the slightest.
If the university really intended to make some major move during the Triwizard Tournament, then Mr. Shafiq would definitely have tipped Baron off in advance and told him to pay attention. But at least judging from Baron's state of mind, he still had no idea that Avada was teaching at a magical university even more advanced than Hogwarts—and had even become colleagues with his father.