A fourth champion?
Fleur and Krum had clearly not expected this turn of events.
"What does this mean, Mr. Bagman?" Fleur asked, visibly confused. "Is Hogwarts going to have two students competing in the tournament?"
Ludo rubbed his hands together, his voice booming. "That seems to be the case, Miss Delacour! The Goblet of Fire spat out all four of your names!"
Maurise crossed his arms, maintaining his calm demeanor.
Truth be told, while this was outside his expectations, he found it entirely understandable. In his eyes, Harry Potter was practically synonymous with the word "accident." If Harry was involved, it would actually be unreasonable for the Triwizard Tournament to proceed smoothly from beginning to end.
How exactly was this going to play out?
"Madame Maxime and I demand an explanation, Dumbledore," Karkaroff's voice interjected. His expression was darkly furious. "Hogwarts gets two champions. Do you consider this fair?"
Madame Maxime was also frowning deeply, her displeasure evident. Her stance was clear.
Dumbledore cast a steady glance at Harry before speaking slowly. "I am afraid the Goblet of Fire may have been tampered with. It is highly unlikely it would make such a glaring error otherwise."
"Tampered with?" Karkaroff took a step forward, his tone aggressive. "Dumbledore, and who exactly do you think would do such a thing? Hmm? Who stands to benefit from this? Hogwarts? Or perhaps the other two schools?"
'This man really doesn't get along with Dumbledore,' Maurise thought to himself.
Dumbledore's expression remained serene. "Then, Karkaroff, how do you propose we resolve this issue?"
Karkaroff did not even hesitate. "It is simple. Ensure that all three schools have an equal number of participants."
"Allow Durmstrang and Beauxbatons to add one more champion each, so that every school has two competitors. What do you think, Madame Maxime?"
Madame Maxime nodded reservedly. "I find that acceptable."
"In truth," Dumbledore said after a moment of silence, "I have no objections. However..."
Before he could finish, Ludo Bagman cut in urgently. "The Goblet of Fire has already gone out, Karkaroff! You know full well that the Goblet only reignites at the start of each Triwizard Tournament. You want it to spit out two more names now? That is simply impossible."
"Furthermore," Ludo's tone grew uncharacteristically serious, "the tournament contract has already been formed. The moment these four names were expelled from the Goblet, the magical contract automatically took effect. They 'must' compete, or there will be terrifying consequences..."
The room instantly erupted into a chaotic argument.
"How can this be?"
"Dumbledore, do you have a way to alter the contract?"
"I refuse to accept this!"
Even Moody eventually joined the fray. He argued that someone was actively trying to harm Harry, plotting to get him killed in the tournament by orchestrating his selection as the fourth champion.
In short, the scene was an absolute mess.
But ultimately, everyone was forced to agree on one thing: the tournament would proceed as it was.
Maurise naturally had no objections to this.
Harry, on the other hand, looked utterly miserable. He believed Moody was right. After all, he hadn't possessed the means to bypass the Age Line, and therefore, he had never even submitted his name.
---
Because the argument consumed too much time, the preliminary instructions for the champions were postponed until the following morning.
While the rest of the school was attending classes, Maurise made his way to the instruction room.
To his surprise, he was the first to arrive.
The room's layout was slightly different from last night. Seven or eight plush blue-and-white armchairs had been arranged near the fireplace, and a small table against the wall was set with a teapot and an assortment of pastries.
Maurise grabbed two candies, chose the seat closest to the edge, and pulled a book from his pocket to read while he waited.
He had barely turned two pages when the door was pushed open.
Fleur Delacour walked in. She paused slightly upon seeing Maurise, then walked over gracefully and took the armchair right next to his.
While she still harbored resentment over Hogwarts having two champions, she understood it was a malfunction of the Goblet of Fire and had nothing to do with the competitors themselves.
Maurise didn't even look up; he remained entirely focused on his book.
Fleur's curiosity got the better of her. She leaned over and asked, "What are you reading?"
Maurise didn't answer. He simply closed the book and turned the cover so she could see it.
The title read: One Hundred Tips for Witches to Become Beautiful and Elegant.
Fleur's expression instantly turned rigid. 'What on earth...?'
"...You must be joking," she said, her voice dry.
"Not at all," Maurise said with utmost seriousness. "Sometimes, the most truly useful spells are hidden within these obscure little books."
Fleur stared at his face for several seconds.
"It seems what others have said about you is entirely accurate," she remarked, leaning back into her chair.
Maurise paused his page-turning and looked up. "What others?"
Fleur offered a small smile. "I gathered some information about you from a few of your fellow students."
Maurise was intrigued. He closed his book, turned to face her, and asked, "Oh? And what did you find out?" He certainly hadn't expected this.
However, upon hearing his question, Fleur simply blinked at him and said, "Take a guess."
Maurise was momentarily speechless. He recalled saying those exact words to her just yesterday. 'She really knows how to hold a grudge.'
The smile on Fleur's face widened. She adjusted her long hair, clearly in an excellent mood.
In truth, she had just happened to run into a few Ravenclaw students earlier. Their assessment of Maurise had been remarkably consistent: 'A bit strange, a bit scary, but ultimately a good person.'
It was a highly useful piece of intelligence.
"What is Harry Potter's magical proficiency like?" Fleur asked suddenly, her tone casual. "I heard he is only a fourth-year. This tournament might be incredibly dangerous for him."
Maurise assumed she was just fishing for information on her Triwizard opponents. He didn't offer any real details, merely stating, "Harry and I are the same age."
"Really?" Fleur paused for a moment. Her gaze swept over Maurise's face before she added with a subtle expression, "I thought you were older than him."
Maurise smiled faintly. "It seems the information you gathered was not entirely comprehensive."
Fleur was momentarily choked by his retort.
After that, the two ceased their conversation and waited in silence for the others to arrive.
Maurise picked another pear drop from the pastry tray, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. As the sweet, fruity flavor spread across his tongue, he leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting aimlessly toward the flames in the fireplace.
The orange-red flames flickered, gradually growing weaker.
Just then, Fleur moved. She extended a hand and gave a perfectly natural wave toward the fireplace.
In the next second, as if a bundle of dry straw had been tossed in, the flames roared to life, surging higher and instantly raising the room's temperature by several degrees.