The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 316 The Fourth Warrior

With the appearance of the fourth parchment, Ino had her answer.

And many details from the past are now connected at this moment.

During the summer holidays, Voldemort's two remaining Horcruxes were collected; after the start of the school year, Mad-Eye Moody became the new gamekeeper; and even Harry's progress in learning Occlumency...

Everything seems unrelated, but upon closer examination, it appears to be subtly connected.

Ino is now quite certain that last night's chance encounter was a wonderful misunderstanding.

It's likely that Dumbledore also wanted to cheat under the moonlight, but he didn't expect someone to beat him to it.

But the only thing he wasn't sure about was whether the change he made on a whim last night was also part of the principal's plan.

Or perhaps it won't affect the plan's progress no matter who becomes the warrior.

……

With a hint of doubt, Ino casually pushed open the door.

The room that comes into view is a simply furnished, rectangular wooden room.

The room contained a long fabric sofa, several high-backed chairs, and a tall round table; other than that, there wasn't much else.

The light here was rather dim, with only two trident candlesticks on the walls providing faint illumination, making the whole place seem rather shabby.

Ino was speechless at the sight before him; he had no idea where all the money at Hogwarts had gone.

Just like the slippery path we took by boat in first grade, it was completely dark the whole way, and we couldn't bear to install even a single magic lamp.

Just as he was having his doubts, he heard slightly broken English.

"Mr. Swinburne!"

Although Furong arrived late, she was the first to react, immediately standing up and greeting everyone with a smile.

Krum, half a beat behind Fleur, also stood up to greet her: "I knew it, great! We're on stage together again."

With his simple and unpretentious language and honest, simple smile, Krum's performance easily won people's favor, and even the phrase "on the same stage" brought them closer together.

However, all of this seemed a bit funny to Ino.

After all, someone who can think about 10 years into the future before graduation, and even cleverly complain when their requests go unanswered, is unlikely to appear as simple and honest as they seem.

Moreover, there's the Goblet of Fire.

Without external interference, the Goblet of Fire is truly impartial.

It's safe to say that none of the three people present, chosen as warriors to represent three ancient schools in Europe, are easy to deal with.

Of course, there's some exaggeration in the names of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. After all, they have fewer people, so it's easy to miss some seemingly unassuming but truly outstanding individuals.

After a brief moment of thought, as soon as Krom finished speaking, Ino replied with equal politeness:

"I am honored to be a warrior alongside you! Miss Delacour, and Mr. Krum!"

Inside the room, while the three exchanged pleasantries harmoniously, a different, eerie atmosphere pervaded the auditorium.

……

Quiet, utterly quiet.

After the Goblet of Fire spat out its fourth parchment, the vast auditorium was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Not only the students below, but also everyone in the main seats were astonished, as if no one had expected such a sudden change.

The parchment drifted down freely, and Dumbledore instinctively caught it in his hand. He froze in surprise, and after a brief silence, he still read out the name accurately:

"Harry Potter!"

There was no school prefix, only a short first name followed by a surname, but no one cared about those details anymore; everyone was waiting for an explanation.

Similarly, there was no applause or cheers in the Great Hall when Harry's name was called.

The previous tranquility was gradually broken, and a buzzing sound began, which was the prelude to the discussion.

Many people in the Great Hall looked at Harry with confusion, including those around him, Neville, Ron, and many others. Their expressions were surprisingly uniform, each one looking incredulous.

"This has nothing to do with me!" Harry said blankly.

With a fourth hero suddenly appearing from three magic schools, it was obvious to anyone that something was wrong, and Harry was no exception, immediately choosing to defend himself.

"We all know!" Ron stared, then forced a smile. "But this is good news, congratulations, Harry!"

Although he said it, Ron felt a little bitter inside, like a friend who had shared joys and sorrows with him, who suddenly confessed that he was just experiencing life.

"This isn't about congratulations! Haven't you noticed the problem?"

For some reason, Harry suddenly yelled, perhaps due to the emotional turmoil, which made his eyes redden.

This sudden turn of events also drew the attention of the guests of honor. Snape frowned as he looked down, while Professor McGonagall stood up in a panic and quickly walked towards Dumbledore.

Unlike Ino, whose strength and reputation are undeniable, Professor McGonagall had absolutely no approval of Harry becoming a warrior, especially since he was a student who relied on copying his Transfiguration assignments.

But in this situation, she knew she had to do something. The safety of the students and the reputation of Hogwarts weighed heavily on her mind.

When Dumbledore saw Professor McGonagall approaching, he spoke first: "Minerva, listen to me first. This matter needs to be discussed, but not now..."

Dumbledore glanced around before finally looking at Harry, who looked bewildered: "Harry Potter, please go to the room next to the Great Hall."

Upon hearing Dumbledore's voice, Harry seemed to wake from a dream, got up from his chair, and stumbled toward the back of the Great Hall.

Looking at the astonished faces around him, he felt a sense of alienation at Hogwarts, as if he had never belonged there.

Similarly, as Harry got up to leave, various discussions finally broke out in the Great Hall.

Especially the Hufflepuff little badgers, who were already quite disappointed when Cedric was not selected, but since the Warriors are Enoch Swinburne, they couldn't really say anything.

After all, whether it was last year's Dementors, the Blue Phoenix, or this year's World Cup and Red Phoenix, they all proved their excellence, and the Daily Prophet has also reported on them in detail.

However, Harry Potter, who is hailed as the savior, seems to have nothing outstanding except for his first year. His grades and abilities are mediocre, and the only thing he seems to be good at is Quidditch.

This achievement might have been commendable in the past, but with the Quidditch World Cup Seeker ahead of him, Harry's Seeker status doesn't even qualify him as a supporting player.

Hearing the chatter behind him, Harry pushed open the wooden door that symbolized honor as if he were fleeing.

"Quiet!"

Dumbledore's voice, aided by magic, resounded throughout the Great Hall, the enormous sound waves drowning out all other discussions.

"There's been a slight mishap! But we'll handle it. The dinner is now adjourned!"

"Prefects, lead everyone back to their respective college lounges in an orderly manner."

Because of his long-standing prestige, all the prefects of the four houses stood up as Dumbledore finished speaking.

……

At the same time.

When Harry pushed open the door, he was met with the same curious and astonished looks, which made him feel ashamed, but thankfully there were also some different gazes.

"Harry! Don't worry, Professor Dumbledore will handle everything."

Ino stood up and gently comforted him.

Others might not know, but he knew that Harry was like a ticking time bomb.

(End of this chapter)