Old Blood at Hogwarts

Normally, when a new professor meets everyone, everyone will applaud and welcome him, but now, except for Dumbledore and Hagrid, no teacher or student applauded.Dumbledore and Hagrid clapped their hands a few times. They found that the applause seemed lonely in the silent auditorium, and they quickly stopped clapping.Everyone else seemed stunned by Moody's strange appearance and just stared at him.

Moody's seemed unmoved by the lukewarm response.Ignoring the large pitcher of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached into his traveling cloak, pulled out a curved wine bottle, and took a swig.When he raised his arms to drink, his cloak that was dragging on the ground was pulled up a few inches, and Aaron saw a few inches of wooden carved prosthetic legs exposed under the table, with a claw-shaped foot underneath.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, looked at the many students in front of him with a smile, and said: "As I just said, in the next few months, we will be very honored to host a very exciting event, this The event has not been held for over a century. I am delighted to report that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Fred Weasley shouted.

The tense atmosphere that had enveloped the auditorium since Moody entered was suddenly broken.Almost everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.

"I'm not joking, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore, "but since you mentioned joking, I heard a very funny joke about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun. They all went into the same pub..."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh - it's probably not appropriate to say this now... not appropriate..." Dumbledore said, "Where did I just say it? Ah, by the way, the Triwizard Tournament... some of you don't know yet What is this tournament all about, so I hope those who know the situation will forgive me for explaining it a little while I allow their minds to wander for a moment. The Triwizard Tournament was founded some 700 years ago and is A friendly competition between the three largest wizarding schools in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Each school selects a champion, and then three champions compete Three magic projects. The Triwizard Tournament is held every five years, and the three schools take turns hosting it. Everyone agrees that this is an excellent way for young wizards from different countries to establish friendship. But later, there were too many deaths. The Triwizard Tournament has been interrupted.”

"Death count?" Hermione whispered, looking around in shock.But most of the students in the auditorium were not as nervous as she was, and many of them whispered excitedly.

Aaron is also eager to hear the specific details of the Triwizard Tournament. He is not interested in those who died more than 100 years ago.

"Over the centuries, people have tried several times to revive the Tournament, but none of them has been successful." Dumbledore continued, "However, our Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Sports and Sports at the Ministry of Magic believe that another attempt The time has come. This summer we have done a lot of work to ensure that every warrior will not be in danger. In October, the principals of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will lead their carefully selected competitors. , the ceremony to select the warriors will be held on Halloween. An impartial referee will decide which students are most qualified to compete for the Triwizard Cup, win honor for their school, and personally receive a thousand galleons bonus."

"I want to join!" Fred Weasley lowered his voice across the table. , his face lit up with excitement at the thought of the possibility of obtaining such honor and wealth.

It seems that he is not the only one who fantasizes about becoming a Hogwarts warrior.At each house table, Aaron could see someone either looking at Dumbledore feverishly or whispering excitedly to his neighbor.

But Dumbledore spoke again, and the auditorium became quiet again.

"I know you are all eager to win the Triwizard Trophy for Hogwarts," he said. "However, the participating schools and the Ministry of Magic have agreed to set an age limit for this year's contenders. Only those over 17 years old Students are allowed to register for consideration. We feel..." Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, because some people made angry protests after hearing his words, such as the Weasley twins, "This Measures are necessary because the events of the competition are still very difficult and dangerous. No matter how many precautions we take, it is unlikely that students below sixth or seventh grade can handle it. I will personally ensure that no student who is not old enough can handle it. Fool our fair judges and become a champion of Hogwarts.”

His blue eyes flashed meaningfully as he glanced over the rebellious faces of Fred and George: "Therefore, if you are under 17, I beg you not to waste your time applying. Beauxbatons and Demus Trump's delegation will arrive in October and will spend most of the school year with us. I know that you will all be warm and friendly while our foreign guests stay here, and that Hogwarts Once the warrior is finally selected, you will all support him or her wholeheartedly. Well, it is getting late now, and it is very important for you to walk into class tomorrow morning refreshed and clear-headed. Go to bed! Hurry! "

Dumbledore sat down and turned to talk to Mad-Eye Moody.The auditorium was filled with rattling and pinging sounds as the students stood up one after another and rushed to a double door and entered the foyer.

"They can't do this!" George Weasley did not follow the crowd to the door, but stood there and glared at Dumbledore and said, "We will be 17 years old next April, why don't you let us try Give it a try?”

"They can't stop me from participating." Fred said stubbornly and glared at the guest of honor seat angrily. "Being a warrior, you can do many things that you are not allowed to do normally, and you also have a thousand plus Here’s Long’s bonus!”

"Yes." Ron had a dazed look on his face, "Yes, a thousand Galleons..."

"Let's go," Hermione said, "If you don't go, we will be the only ones left here."

Everyone started walking towards the foyer, and Fred and George continued to argue along the way about what measures Dumbledore would take to prevent students under the age of 17 from participating in the tournament.

"Who will be the impartial judge of who is a warrior?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," said Fred, "but he's the one we're trying to fool. I think a drop or two of age-enhancing drugs will do the trick, George..."

"But Dumbledore knows you are not old enough," said Ron.

"Yeah, but it's not up to him to decide who becomes the Warriors, right?" Fred said smartly, "It sounds to me like the referee just needs to know who wants to participate and pick the best one from each school. Excellent ones, he doesn't care how old they are. Dumbledore is trying to stop us from signing up."

"But so many people died!" Hermione said in a worried tone.At this time, they passed through a door hidden behind the tapestry and walked up a narrower staircase.

"Yeah," said Fred nonchalantly, "but that was years ago, right? And what's the fun without a little adventure? Hey, Ron, what if we could somehow cheat Dumbledore, do you want to participate?"

"What do you think?" Ron asked Harry, "It would be great if you could participate, wouldn't it? But I guess they want someone older... I don't know if we have learned enough..."

"I definitely haven't learned enough." Neville's gloomy voice came from behind Fred and George, "But I think my grandma must want me to participate. She always talks about me should maintain the honor of the family. All I want is... Ouch."

Neville's foot sank into the middle step of the stairs.Hogwarts has many such teasing staircases.For most old students, skipping this special step has become an instinct, but Neville is famous for his bad memory.Harry and Ron took his arms and pulled him out, when a suit of armor at the top of the stairs creaked and jingled, and they laughed so hard that they couldn't breathe.

"Shut up." Ron punched the guy as they passed the armor.

They reached the entrance to Gryffindor Tower above, which was hidden behind a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" asked the Fat Lady as they approached.

"Nonsense," George said. "That's what a supervisor downstairs told me."

The portrait sprang forward, revealing a large hole in the wall through which they all crawled.The circular common room was filled with tables and floppy armchairs, and a fire crackled brightly.Hermione glanced at the cheerfully jumping flames with a sad look, and Aaron clearly heard her muttering "slave labor," and then she said goodbye to them and went back to the girls' dormitory.

Aaron and Colin broke up with Harry and others on the spiral staircase and returned to their dormitory.Five four-poster beds stood against the wall, with crimson curtains hanging from them. Everyone's boxes had been placed at the foot of their respective beds.Green and Tom were ready to go to bed.

Aaron and Colin put on their pajamas and climbed into bed.Someone (probably a house elf) had placed the long-handled charcoal stove used to warm the bed among the quilts.It was so comforting to lie in bed and listen to the storm raging outside.

"What do you think of the Triwizard Tournament?" Colin said in the darkness.

"Sounds interesting." Aaron turned over in bed, "If possible, I hope I can participate."

"But, Dumbledore said that only people over 17 years old can participate in the tournament." Colin said, "We are not old enough, aren't we?"

"Who knows?" Aaron said drowsily, "Maybe there will be a solution by then, maybe."

"I hope so." Colin said, "I really hope Harry can become a warrior of Hogwarts. If Harry can participate, he will definitely win the Triwizard Cup."