My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 481, Section 478: Pre-match Preparations

Lynn was one of the last people in the entire Hogwarts community to learn about Umaru's forum.

There's also the reason why he's been elusive since the start of the semester; aside from the first week of school, even Hermione hasn't seen him much since.

It wasn't until October 23rd that a public notice appeared on the information board:

Representatives from Ilham Moni, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang will arrive at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 30th. Afternoon classes will end half an hour early.

Harry and his friends were thrilled when they saw the announcement, because they had Potions class on Friday afternoons, and being able to finish half an hour early was definitely lucky for every Gryffindor student.

Even Lynn, who hadn't been seen in the castle for a long time after learning Apparition, appeared in the Great Hall at noon today.

"Professor Dumbledore has been asking me to help prepare for the arrival of three schools at Hogwarts for the past week, so I probably won't be able to accompany you," Lynn said apologetically to Hermione.

Hermione was a little disappointed, but she didn't care too much about it. She wasn't some little girl who had to cling to her boyfriend all the time.

"It's okay, but the Triwizard Tournament is about to start, so you probably won't be away from school all the time, right?"

"I've basically finished dealing with things outside, so I'll probably be spending the rest of my time at school," Lynn said with a shrug.

Next, people seemed to only talk about one topic—the three-way battle for supremacy.

Rumors spread rapidly among the students, like highly contagious bacteria: who would compete to be the Hogwarts Champion, what the tournament would consist of, and how Ilvermorny, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang's students differed from them.

The castle was undergoing a thorough cleaning. Several dirty portraits were scrubbed clean, much to the displeasure of the figures in their frames. They huddled in their frames, grumbling and wincing in pain whenever they touched the newly exposed pink flesh on their faces. Even the armor suddenly gleamed, no longer creaking as it moved.

Of Lynn's friends, only Cedric fully met the requirements to be selected as a Hogwarts champion, and he did indeed intend to sign up, becoming increasingly nervous as the deadline approached.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, Cedric. You have to believe that among all the students over 17, you're the best. Who else could the referee picking the Warriors choose but you?"

In the student council office, Cedric, the executive chairman, came to Lynn to report the results of the Hogwarts cleaning project after inspecting its progress. Lynn comforted him as he did so.

Cedric shook his head and said, "I don't understand why Professor Dumbledore didn't try to relax the age requirement a bit more so that you could also have a chance to participate. That way, the Triwizard Tournament would definitely belong to Hogwarts."

"You're too confident in me," Lynn said casually. "The world's most famous magic academies are gathered in this competition. There's no way you can say you're guaranteed to win."

"No, you definitely can!" Cedric said firmly, sounding more confident than he did himself.

In fact, it's not just Cedric; the prevailing rumor in the castle is that if Lynn is the champion, then the Triwizard Tournament will definitely belong to Hogwarts this year.

On the morning of October 30th, when the young wizards went downstairs for breakfast, they discovered that the Great Hall had been completely renovated overnight.

Huge silk banners hung on the wall, each representing a house in Hogwarts: Gryffindor with a red background and a golden lion, Ravenclaw with a blue background and a bronze eagle, Hufflepuff with a yellow background and a black badger, and Slytherin with a green background and a silver boa constrictor.

Behind the teacher's desk hung the largest banner, which featured the Hogwarts crest: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake joined together, encircling a large letter H.

The air in the castle was filled with a joyful sense of anticipation that day.

In class, no one paid attention; everyone was thinking about how Ilhamone, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang's men were coming that evening.

Even Potions class wasn't as unbearable as usual, because it ended half an hour early. When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed to the Gryffindor Tower, put down their bags and textbooks as instructed, put on their cloaks, and then dashed down the stairs to the foyer.

The college deans are ordering their students to line up.

"Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall said sternly to Ron. "Miss Pettier, take that ridiculous thing off your hair."

Parvati frowned unhappily and took a large butterfly headdress off the end of her braid.

"Please follow me," Professor McGonagall said. "First-year students, please go first... Don't crowd..."

They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle.

It was a cold, crisp evening. Night was falling, and a bright, translucent moon hung in the sky above the Forbidden Forest.

Harry stood between Ron and Hermione, in the fourth row from the front. The professors stood in the last row, including the four heads of the house, Professor Dumbledore, and Lynn.

Harry glanced back at him furtively. Lynn didn't seem nervous at all like the other students. If you looked closely at his behavior, you could even tell that he seemed a little bored and was chatting with Snape next to him. Snape didn't seem to care much about him, but he always responded to every word Lynn said.

"It's almost six," Ron glanced at his watch, looked at the driveway leading to the front gate, and whispered in the queue, "How do you think they'll get here? By train?"

"I don't think so," Hermione said.

"How did it come about? A flying broomstick?" Harry looked up at the star-studded sky and guessed.

"I don't think so... from that far away..."

"A door key?" Ron guessed. "Or maybe they can apparite—perhaps in their place, apparition is allowed for people under seventeen?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that Apparitions are not allowed on Hogwarts grounds before you remember?" Hermione said thoughtfully. "Mr. Weasley said that whenever wizards get together for a big event, they can't help but show off. I think the three schools will make their entrances in different ways, just like in Quidditch, where each team has a mascot before they enter the arena."

Just as they were talking quietly, Beauxbatons' representative arrived!

(End of this chapter)