New chapter! Thanks for all the support!
x
Hogwarts, the Quidditch pitch.
Far fewer students had come to watch today than usual. The stands were sparse, with hardly anyone in sight.
Normally, whenever any of the four houses held Quidditch practice, students would crowd around the pitch.
After all, Quidditch was the wizarding world's favorite sport.
"Hey, Wood, what day is it today? Did everyone go take their O.W.L.s or something? That can't be right."
George, one of the Beaters, nudged his captain with his elbow and asked.
Wood merely glanced at him without answering, but the sour look on his face made it very clear that he knew the reason.
"Train properly. Our match against Slytherin is in two days. Don't lose."
Just then, cheers came from outside the pitch. The few spectators sitting in the stands suddenly seemed to realize something urgent had come up. They grabbed their things and hurried out of the stadium.
"Well, that's that. Now we don't have a single spectator. How are we supposed to have any motivation to train?"
George let out a mournful cry, hugging his broomstick with a wilted, deeply wounded expression.
It was not that he truly needed spectators to stay motivated.
He was simply unhappy because everyone else seemed to know a secret he did not.
"So what exactly happened?"
"George, you actually don't know?" the boy standing beside him, who looked almost exactly like him, asked.
"Fred, you know?" George froze and looked up at his twin brother.
'If even I don't know, how would you?'
Fred looked smug. "Of course. Little Angelina just told me."
"Ohhh... little Angelina." George drew out the word for an absurdly long time, looking at Fred with envy, jealousy, and spite as he repeated what Fred had just said.
He knew perfectly well that his brother was pursuing Angelina.
Fred immediately put on a serious face. "Hey, George, little Angelina isn't something you get to call her. She might become your sister-in-law."
"Why not your sister-in-law instead?" George asked back.
Fred answered as if it were only natural. "Because I'm older than you."
"Want to drop our trousers and compare?"
"Train properly!"
Wood cut off the two of them before the conversation could veer any further off course.
'Shh. The tyrant is angry.'
Tyrant Wood.
To outsiders, Wood normally looked like a pleasant, reliable sort of person. But the moment Quidditch was involved, especially Gryffindor Quidditch, he transformed into a harsh tyrant.
"What exactly is happening?"
George lowered his voice and asked.
"Today is the first Wizard Cards Tournament. It's being held right here at Hogwarts."
The one who answered was not Fred, but Katie Bell.
Like Angelina, she was one of Gryffindor's Chasers.
"Merlin! Wizard Cards! What have I missed?"
George seemed to remember something and let out a wail.
"Everyone else has gone to watch the Wizard Cards matches. Who still cares about Quidditch right now?"
Not every young witch or wizard liked Quidditch as a sport, but almost every student knew at least a move or two in Wizard Cards.
"I want to go too," George whispered.
Fred immediately echoed him. "Me too."
"I said, train properly!"
Captain Wood's furious roar came from not far away, cutting off their conversation.
Inside Hogwarts Castle, in the Great Hall, the hall had once again taken on an entirely new appearance. It was covered in all kinds of decorations.
At the same time, the long tables that normally belonged to the four houses had been removed and replaced by individual desks, with a stool placed on either side of each one.
In the very center of the Great Hall hung an enormous banner with a few large words written across it: The World's Greatest Wizard Tournament.
Hm.
After the word Wizard, and again after the word Tournament, there was also a tiny word: Card.
From a distance, it looked like The World's Greatest Wizard Tournament.
The Great Hall was packed with witches and wizards of every age. Everyone was craning their necks to look inside and waiting for the tournament to begin. Even Dumbledore, as headmaster, had been drawn over.
He had originally thought it would be no more than a gathering on the same level as the Duelling Club. He had not expected such a crowd.
Fortunately, this first Wizard Cards Tournament was only being held at Hogwarts as a trial.
Otherwise, it would not have been limited to students. Adult wizards would have come to participate as well.
The Great Hall of Hogwarts would definitely not have had enough seats.
"I am Carrow. I believe many of you know me. One year ago, I was still a seventh-year student at Hogwarts. Now, I am the head of Witches and Potions Publishing. It is my honor to be here..."
As one of the organizers, Carrow stood on the stage and spoke at length.
It was best to leave the spotlight to him.
Dudley only needed his share of the profits.
Holding Wizard Cards tournaments from time to time and tempting people with a generous prize pool could greatly extend the lifespan of Wizard Cards as a form of entertainment. As long as they did not court disaster, and as long as they held regular events, they would certainly make money hand over fist.
By then, he could earn Galleons while lying down.
"Then, I hereby declare that the first World's Greatest Wizard Cards Tournament has officially begun."
"The Wizard Cards duels will proceed by drawing lots."
As Carrow made the announcement, the students below burst into cheers.
"My dear students, did I never tell you? I am actually very skilled at Wizard Cards."
Lockhart stood below the stage, boasting about his abilities. "In a little while, I will also publish a new book, My Untold Secrets with Wizard Cards. If you would like to know the secret behind my technique, you may purchase it yourselves when the time comes."
How could such a lively scene possibly be missing Gilderoy Lockhart?
When it came to chasing attention, no one could compare to Lockhart.
However, when faced with his former publisher, Witches and Potions Publishing, Lockhart truly could not quite bring himself to go up there and host the event.
Carrow was not the previous head of the company. If Lockhart dared to step onto the stage, Carrow would dare to drive him right back off it.
In truth, when Lockhart had first learned about the event, he had proposed helping organize it.
Carrow had decisively refused.
But Lockhart would never give up such a fine opportunity to make himself famous.
If he could not borrow the spotlight as an organizer, then he would borrow it as a contestant.
No rule said professors were forbidden to sign up.
"I am absolutely brilliant at Wizard Cards."
Lockhart said this in an extremely exaggerated tone, then faced his first opponent.
"Lockhart? There is no way he can win." Ron was also taking part in the tournament. He had entered for the champion's prize money.
Five hundred Galleons.
No matter which student won, that much money would be enough to squander for quite a long time.
Carrow's original idea had actually been one thousand, but Dudley had vetoed it. Since the first tournament was aimed at students, the difference between one thousand and five hundred was not large. To them, either amount was a huge sum.
"I would advise you not to sound so smug, Weasley. His deck is quite excellent."
Malfoy had also entered, but he was not there for the prize money. He simply wanted to crush Ron.
Just as Malfoy had said, Lockhart won his first match with great ease.
x
x
x
If you're enjoying the story so far, consider supporting me on Patreon ❤️
You'll get weekly early access to chapters, along with some exclusive content:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheDevotedReader