The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 390 Age-increasing agent

Although Fred and George immediately pulled Ada back, they didn't know why Ada was upset. Was it because Fleur was ignoring someone who cared about her, liked her, and worried about her, or was it because this licking dog was Ada's cousin.

In fact, Ada herself didn't know why she was angry. Maybe it was because Hector was too humble just now!

Comforted by the twins, Ada sat back in her chair and ate her meal in a huff. The Gryffindor hamster was online again. Lee Jordan, who was sitting opposite her, was dejected and no longer as arrogant as before.

Nowadays, even the bootlickers are inward-looking. Lee Jordan felt that he might have no hope of being single before graduation, so he wanted to cry... He could only turn his grief and anger into eating as Ada did.

As the golden plates were cleaned one by one, Dumbledore stood up again. A feeling of excitement and nervousness seemed to permeate the hall. Everyone in the hall knew that the exciting moment was about to begin.

Dumbledore first introduced Barty Crouch, the Director of the Department of International Cooperation, and then Ludo Bagman, the Director of the Department of Sports and Physical Education, before he began to introduce the Triwizard Tournament.

The caretaker Filch held a large wooden box inlaid with jewels, which looked very old. Filch carefully placed the box on the table in front of Dumbledore.

In Dumbledore's explanation, the students learned that there are three dangerous events in the Triwizard Tournament. The purpose of these events is to test the warriors' courage, reasoning ability, and ability to deal with difficulties and dangers.

The auditorium fell silent, as if everyone had stopped breathing. The three projects, dangerous, difficult, these words made the students' hearts sink.

No wonder the competition has been suspended for so many years, and no wonder Dumbledore set an age limit for participating. People with insufficient abilities cannot participate, and may even lose their lives.

Each school selects a student to represent their school as a warrior in the Triwizard Tournament. The selection of contestants is not done manually, but through a magical prop, the Goblet of Fire.

The judges will score each warrior based on the degree of completion of each project. The one with the highest score will win the trophy and bring the honor back to his school.

Dumbledore took out his wand and knocked on the box three times. The lid slowly opened. Inside the box was a large, roughly carved wooden goblet. The goblet was inconspicuous and no one would pick it up if it was thrown on the street, but there was a blue flame dancing inside the goblet.

"Students who want to register need to put your names and schools into this goblet." Dumbledore said, "On Halloween night, which is tomorrow night, the Goblet of Fire will select three students to become warriors and represent the three schools to compete for the highest honor."

Although the registration period is less than twenty-four hours, everyone has known that the top three competition will be held since the beginning of the school year, and those who want to register for the competition have already made mental preparations. They only need to submit their names within these twenty-four hours.

"In order to prevent underage students from being tempted," said Dumbledore, "when the goblet is placed in the hall, I will draw an age line around it. No one under seventeen years of age can cross this line. Age line.”

Draw a circle outside the Goblet of Fire. Why did this sound so familiar to Ada? She seemed to have heard a similar story when she was a child. However, the circle was not drawn by an old man with a white beard, but by a monkey, and that monkey was very good at fighting.

"Finally, I would like to remind every student who is going to participate in the election that the Triwizard Tournament is not a joke. Once you are selected as a champion, you cannot change your mind and you will be bound by the contract. Therefore, please think twice before you act." Dumbledore finally reminded, "The competition is really dangerous. You may be seriously injured."

As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, the quiet hall immediately became noisy with a buzz of discussion.

Many people wanted to sign up for the competition because of the honor and the prize money of one thousand gold galleons, but the dangerous events discouraged everyone.

"Age line!" Fred said excitedly with his eyes shining. "That's easy. You will definitely be fooled by the aging drug! As long as your name is in that cup, the rest depends on that cup!"

Ada tactfully advised, "You haven't given up this unrealistic idea yet? Compared to the anti-aging agent, I think it would be more reliable for the two of you to roll up the slips of paper with your names on them and throw them in from a distance."

"Why didn't I think of that!" George suddenly realized, "What a good idea. Fred, let's do it on two fronts. If the aging agent fails, we can try the method Ida said."

No, please don't, brothers, I'm just talking, don't take it seriously. The last person who took my words seriously is probably starving to death now...

Ada didn't say out loud what she was complaining about in her heart, but she still wanted to persuade the twins one last time. She said, "Didn't you see the flame in the Goblet of Fire? That's the devil's fire."

"So what?" Fred said nonchalantly, and then he remembered the fire cast by Ada, "It shouldn't be, isn't that black..."

Fred quickly shut up, and George said, "I don't think so either. That's too dangerous!"

"It's true that it's not the same kind of flame, but do you think that magic fire can only choose one person?" Ada persuaded patiently, "That ball of blue and white magic flame is obviously not simple. I always feel that your actions will hurt you."

"Shut up. Don't you know that you have always been a pessimist? Good things don't work, but bad things do? Don't say anything." Fred covered Ada's mouth with his hand.

George said, "Just wait and see. The two of us will definitely put our names into the Goblet of Fire. And we will definitely be safe."

With that, Fred and George slipped out of the castle. That night, they did not return to the Gryffindor common room. The next day was Saturday, and normally, students would go to breakfast very late. However, this morning, the Great Hall was full of people, all of whom were carefully looking at the Goblet of Fire, waiting for someone to cast their name into the goblet.

Although it was still early, several students had already voted in. The Durmstrang students voted the most, and only Slytherin student Warrington had voted in Hogwarts.

Just as everyone was whispering, Fred and George rushed into the auditorium with extremely excited expressions, followed by Lee Jordan.

"It's done," Fred whispered in a smug tone to Harry, Ron and Hermione who had just entered the hall. "Just drink it."

"What?" Ron asked.

"Ageing potions, my stupid brother," said Fred.

"A drop each," George said, rubbing his hands together happily, "We only have a few more months to grow up."

"I don't think this will necessarily work. Didn't Ada warn you?" Hermione reminded, "I'm sure Dumbledore would have considered this. A childish trick like an aging potion wouldn't have fooled him."

The twins stood together next to Hermione, and Fred said, "No, no, that's the beauty of it, Dumbledore is so clever."

George went on to say, “So when dealing with a smart guy like him, the more childish the tricks, the more effective they are.”

After saying that, the twins walked to a position one step away from the golden age line, and both took out a piece of paper with their names and schools written on it.

"Are you ready, George?"

"Are you ready, Fred?"

The two said at the same time, and then under the gaze of every pair of eyes in the hall, they both took a deep breath and crossed the age line drawn by Dumbledore at the same time.

For a moment, everyone in the hall thought Fred and George had succeeded, and they thought so too. The twins hugged each other and celebrated, as if they had won the Quidditch World Cup for the England national team.

Lee Jordan was also very excited, and he wanted to jump in immediately. But before Lee Jordan could make any move, he heard a hissing sound, and the situation took a turn for the worse, and the twins were thrown out of the golden coil.

Lee Jordan calmed down immediately and retracted his outstretched left leg.

The twins fell ten feet away and fell to the ground in pain. Identical long white beards sprouted on their chins. They seemed to have aged dozens of years in an instant. This was the first time they saw each other's old appearance.

The people in the hallway burst into laughter. Even Fred and George, who had gotten up and saw each other's white beards, couldn't help laughing.

"I warned you." Dumbledore walked in with a smile and stood next to the twins, as if he wanted to compete with the twin brothers to see whose beard was longer.

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled as he continued, "I suggest that you both go to Madam Pomfrey. You are not the first students to use the aging potion. But I would like to say that their beards are far less beautiful than yours."

At this time, Ada, Angelina and Alia walked into the hallway and saw the elderly twins at a glance. Ada's facial expression became very strange, half of her wanted to laugh, but the other half was holding back.

Without saying a word, Ada and Lee Jordan helped the elderly twins up in silence and walked towards the school infirmary.

Angelina, encouraged by her good friend Alia, walked to the Goblet of Fire and cast her name in. Like Ada, Angelina had just celebrated her birthday last week and just turned seventeen.

Finally someone from Gryffindor signed up, which caused warm applause in the hall, especially from the little Gryffindor lions, whose palms turned red from clapping.

Compared to the guerrilla registration method of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons seemed much more professional. They lined up in a row under the leadership of Ms. Maxime. One by one, the students of Beauxbatons crossed the age line and threw their parchment slips into the blue and white flames.

Following the students of Beauxbatons, Cedric, surrounded by Hufflepuff students, cast his name into the Goblet of Fire.

And Ada was still in the school clinic watching over Fred and George, preventing them from fighting because of their complaints against each other. After all, the old man couldn't stand the torture.

(End of this chapter)