The Return to Hogwarts

About ten minutes later, the students finally arrived. Amosta stuffed the letter into an envelope and handed it to a school owl perched by the window. Turning around, he noticed the students looking at him with a hint of awe.

"what happened?"

Amosta raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked Astoria, who was closest to him.

"Are you in trouble, Professor?" The young girl didn't answer immediately, but hesitated for a few seconds before cautiously replying, "Because...you look very serious?"

"Oh--"

The students nodded in agreement, while Amosta laughed.

"That's right, the school board rejected my salary increase request, and I'm thinking of firing them and paying myself a salary!"

A burst of laughter erupted, and even Harry, who was seething with anger, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Amosta walked around from behind the table to the front, rested his backside on the edge of the table, and began calling out names. After confirming that everyone was present, he looked at everyone with a smile.

"Well, there's something. Because of the Three Kingdoms Tournament, next week's physical education class will be temporarily suspended and will resume the week after next."

The students weren't particularly surprised. The first event of the competition was scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon, while physical education class was on Wednesday evening. If Professor Blaine had any conscience, he shouldn't have brought them to class at a time when they should have been having lively discussions or celebrations with their classmates.

"--Also, all students in physical education class, except for Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger, are canceled from Wednesday morning. I have already informed your respective deans—"

Amosta smiled and, as he had hoped, saw surprise on the young wizard's face.

"I have an extra task for you—"

"What is it?" Ernie McMillan asked excitedly.

"That's how it is—"

Amosta clapped his hands, beckoning the students to him. Facing their excited and curious faces, he smiled and said...

"I think almost everyone knows about the terrorist attack at the Quidditch World Cup this summer. That attack had a terrible impact, and many people lost their lives. The Triwizard Tournament is also a very high-profile event. I had previously discussed with Headmaster Dumbledore what to do if some audacious dark wizards tried to attack the guests who came to watch the tournament—"

Some of the bright young wizards had already guessed what Professor Blaine was going to say, and they stared at him eagerly, impatient to hear the answer.

“Normally, we should request some support from the Ministry of Magic to have them send some strikers to keep watch, but I think this is a rare opportunity—”

Amosta cleared his throat, finally dropping the preamble.

"I need some manpower to arrive at Hogsmeade Station early Wednesday morning to pick up the guests arriving on the Hogwarts train. You will escort them in batches according to the teams practicing duels. After everyone arrives, you will also be responsible for maintaining order on-site from the start to the end of the competition."

The room was completely silent; no students spoke. Amosta could only see pairs of eyes filled with surging emotions.

"What?" Amosta frowned deliberately. "I thought it was a good idea, if you weren't willing—"

"We do!"

Fred and George immediately shouted it out.

Going on a mission, wow, that sounds so cool!

"You really think—"

"The lively Gryffindor girl, Angelina, raised her hand and asked in a trembling voice,"

Do we really believe we can handle a terrorist attack?

"Oh, of course! You've all improved so quickly, I've seen it all—"

Amosta said with a smile,

"Of course, I must tell you that I personally believe there's a high probability of any terrorist attacks. Perhaps your biggest challenges are getting up early and the cold weather. But it's still very necessary, isn't it? You are part of Hogwarts, and now, we can use this method to showcase Hogwarts to the entire European wizarding world and demonstrate our commitment to the competition—"

This sounds much more interesting and meaningful than fighting a dragon—Hermione pursed her lips, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"--So, we need to do some extra training. I mean, you can't look too unprofessional, right? Slouching and laughing won't do. You need to be neatly dressed, energetic, and present your best to our guests. This lesson, and the following Saturday and Sunday, I need to give you emergency training on things like escort formations and how to keep watch. I hope no one will have any objections?"

How could there be any objections?

How interesting! Even though they aren't warriors, maybe they can still make an appearance in the Triwizard Tournament because of this!

"Time is of the essence, so let's begin—"

Amosta looked pleased as he pointed to Cedric and Hermione, who seemed like outsiders in the crowd, looking incredibly sullen.

"Well then, Mr. Diggory and Miss Granger, you may go about your business. There's nothing more for you here—"

Chapter 612 Promoting Noble Character

2023-11-23

"--The first Hogwarts Express train will arrive next Wednesday at 8:10 AM. I need you to gather at the school gate at 6:30 AM and arrive at Hogsmeade Station before 7:30 AM."

The school has prepared twenty carriages to transport this group of guests. You will need to accompany them. Upon arrival, half of you should immediately return to Hogsmeade Station, while the other half will guide the guests and arrange their seating. I will give you the list in advance.

pat!

The door to the gym ward slammed shut, leaving Hermione and Cedric outside. However, they didn't leave immediately; instead, they stood in the doorway, straining to hear Professor Blaine's voice coming from inside. Ten minutes later, the sound of scattered kicking from inside the classroom finally pulled Hermione and Cedric away from the door, and they stood awkwardly facing each other.

"Ahem-"

Cedric looked at Hermione, who was a head shorter than him, and his expression became somewhat unnatural.

Indeed, when he first became a Warrior, Seido was immediately filled with excitement. But as the competition progressed, that feeling gradually faded, replaced by panic and fear. To outsiders, Warrior is a title full of honor, but only the Warriors themselves know that the line between fame and becoming a laughingstock is very thin.

Once he had shifted his mindset, Cedric's slight dissatisfaction with Hermione vanished. Instead, he felt a sense of sympathy for her. He knew very well that this girl was under more pressure than he was. At least no one questioned his status as a knight-errant, and no one was secretly trying to use his life to achieve anything.

"I'm planning to go down for dinner, what about you?"

Cedric gave Hermione a friendly smile.

Hermione could easily tell that Cedric wanted to talk to her, which surprised her a little.

She and Cedric weren't particularly close; if it weren't for gym class, they'd never spoken to each other at school. Of course, Hermione knew Cedric was popular with the girls, but his private life wasn't chaotic; his pursuit of Cho Chang of Ravenclaw was common knowledge among the girls.

"I was planning to wait here. Okay, I'll go down too--"

Halfway through her sentence, Hermione suddenly changed her tone, and then the two of them walked together toward the stairs.

Out of some mutual understanding, Hermione and Cedric did not walk fast; they strolled down the corridor almost as if taking a walk.

"how are you feeling?"

As they passed through a corridor, Cedric suddenly stopped in his tracks and said, "I mean, do you have any ideas about next week's match? Oh, don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to ask anything!"

Just as Cedric knew the pressure Hermione was under, Hermione also foresaw the pressure Cedric, as a champion, would face. They were about to make their mark on the entire European wizarding world, and if they were not careful, Hogwarts would become a laughing stock.

At that moment, Hermione suddenly remembered something—she was tied to Cedric during the match.

This was a decision made by Barty Crowch to appease Karkaroff's displeasure. Hermione hadn't forgotten about it, but she hadn't had a moment's peace lately, so she had overlooked it.

Hermione seemed lost in thought, while Cedric clearly misunderstood her silence. He sighed, a hint of bitterness appearing on his handsome face.

"You're worried too, aren't you? Worried about not being able to pass the challenge. My parents have been writing to me these past few days. They said they told all the relatives that I'll be representing Hogwarts in the challenge and that they're proud of me. It feels pretty good, but what if I don't know enough? They'll probably suffer. What do you think about this?"

Hermione knew that Cedric wanted to say much more than just what his family thought; they were under pressure from all sides.

“My mom and dad are Muggles, they don’t know what the Triwizard Tournament is.”

Hermione said, but felt a pang of guilt.

So far, she hasn't written to her parents about this, nor does she intend to. If they knew that their precious daughter was about to fight a dragon that only appears in movies, they might rush to Hogwarts overnight to take her back.

That's really good--

Cedric said worriedly, but then the image of Cho Chang appeared before his eyes.

He didn't want to embarrass his parents in front of their colleagues and relatives, nor did he want to embarrass himself in front of the girl he loved.

But he had no way to back down, did he? His status as a warrior was the pride of so many people, and Hufflepuff practically regarded him as a flag.

Hermione looked at Cedric's melancholy profile, a hint of suspicion and hesitation flashing in her eyes.

"What are your thoughts on the competition events, Cedric?"

Hermione asked tentatively.

“I don’t know, but Professor Sprout suggested I look for previous information. Oh,” Cedric suddenly realized, looked at Hermione, and smiled sheepishly. “I don’t think this counts as cheating, does it?”

“Of course not, um. Have you spoken with Durmstrang or Beauxbatons’ warriors?” Hermione took a deep breath and asked in a low voice.

"You mean Krum and Delacour?"

Cedric's eyes widened in surprise, not understanding what Hermione's question meant.

“No, I don’t have much of a relationship with them—” Cedric shook his head and said frankly, “Of course, I know they are formidable opponents, so either of us has to do something impressive, right? Otherwise, Hogwarts would be too embarrassed!”

Hermione was pretty sure that Krum wasn't kind enough to reveal the details of the competition to both of Hogwarts' champions; he was after her. To be honest, Hermione was far less confused about this issue than Harry.

Girls are much more sensitive than boys, and she did have some feelings about the days they spent searching for information together in the library. Every time Krum looked at her, the eagerness in his eyes didn't escape Hermione's notice, but she was too embarrassed to tell anyone.

She's already faced a lot of criticism because of her Warriors status. If Krum's huge fan base finds out that their idol has feelings for her, she probably won't be able to stay in the dorm peacefully anymore.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little romantic, mainly because Hermione was touched that Krum was willing to share such valuable information about the match with her. However, Cedric saw it differently. He suddenly noticed that Hermione Granger's gaze had become unfocused, and then her cheeks flushed, just like the girls who handed him love letters!

But wasn't Hermione Granger close to both Harry Potter and Ron Weasley?!

"Ahem, okay—"

Cedric's eyes widened in terror, and he instinctively took a step back.

"That's all for now. I need to go to the auditorium for lunch. Well then, I'll take my leave."

As he spoke, Cedric was about to walk past Hermione. He didn't want any unclear rumors about Hermione Granger to spread; she wasn't the girl he liked.