Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 155 Four People

The foyer became the most crowded place in the entire Hogwarts.

From the moment the Goblet of Fire was placed in the foyer after the banquet, people began to drop parchment with their names and schools written on it, each time drawing cheers and encouragement from onlookers.

The situation became even worse the next day.

There are always about twenty onlookers around the Goblet of Fire, and many more just standing at the entrance watching from afar.

No one knew exactly what time they arrived, but when Stuart and the others, along with Ike who had been forcibly pulled up, reached the foyer, it was only seven o'clock.

"Has anyone signed up?" Stuart asked eagerly.

“Yes, Durmstrang’s men,” said Ron, who had arrived earlier, pointing to the twins cheering him on beside him. “They’re the next two.”

"I don't think that's plausible. The age limit set by Dumbledore won't be broken so easily," Hermione said naturally after joining Ike.

"I think so too," Ike nodded.

"This time it'll definitely be fine!" The twins seemed not to hear, or perhaps they did but simply ignored it. They tilted their heads back and drank the aging potion in their bottles, then stepped across the age line one after the other, tossing the parchment with their names and schools written on it into the Goblet of Fire.

But soon, the flames rose very high, and a force threw the twins out of the age limit. The parchment they had just thrown in was also spat out and hit them directly in the face.

In the blink of an eye, long white beards grew on their chins.

"I warned you," Dumbledore's voice came from behind the students. "I think you should go see Madam Pomfrey; she's dealt with quite a few students with white beards since last night."

"I must say, your white beards aren't as handsome as mine." He then touched his own white beard.

"No, no, no, ours are much better looking than yours!" the twins shouted in unison with laughter before running towards the school hospital. Behind them, the crowd erupted in loud laughter.

Soon, the girls from Beauxbatons arrived. Mrs. Maxime was at the very back, watching them drop the parchments in one by one, the prettiest one leading the way.

Seeing that Stuart and Ron were practically identical, Ike and Hermione moved away in disgust, as if trying to distance themselves from the two.

"Be careful, Stuart," Ike whispered a reminder.

"You too, Ron," Hermione said, sounding much fiercer.

"She's so captivating..." Stuart murmured, only coming to his senses after the Beauxbatons had all left.

As for Ron, he was still staring blankly at the retreating figure.

Not wanting to deal with these two good-for-nothings, Akra took Hermione straight to breakfast. Once they were both full, they parted ways.

Hermione was going to visit Hagrid with Harry and Ron, while Ike planned to kill some time at the library.

It wasn't that Hermione didn't invite him; it's just that Ike had never been a big fan of Hagrid. Hagrid's character was impeccable, but his values, being of giant blood, differed greatly from others.

For example, regarding his attitude towards dangerous magical creatures, Ike was very averse to the fact that he always released those raised dangerous species into the Forbidden Forest, which caused him a lot of trouble in sneaking in at night to scavenge for materials.

Several times over the past three years, he has had to humanely destroy those "little cuties" that Hagrid spoke of, turning them into various potions and alchemical materials.

After secretly giving Snape a portion, Ike felt perfectly justified.

The banquet that evening was even more lively than the one yesterday.

The Goblet of Fire had been moved to the table in front of the professors' table. At this moment, even though the food at the banquet was still fresh and delicious, it couldn't take the young wizards' attention away from the goblet.

Finally, as the banquet drew to a close and the plates and food on the long table disappeared, Dumbledore stood up, and the Great Hall fell silent.

"Alright, the results will be in shortly," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Since there's still a little time, I have a few words to say..."

"After the warriors' names are called, I want them to walk to the top of the auditorium, then down the professors' bench, and into the next room..."

"They receive initial guidance there."

Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped it in the air. The candlelight in the Great Hall immediately dimmed, and the Goblet of Fire became the brightest and most conspicuous thing.

Suddenly, the blue-white flames turned bright red, sparks flew everywhere, and a tongue of fire shot straight up to the ceiling, while a charred parchment slowly floated down.

Dumbledore reached out and caught the parchment, and by the light of the fire that had turned blue and white, he read aloud the name on it.

"Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang Warrior!"

"ah!!!"

"Krum!"

Applause and cheers swept through the auditorium as everyone celebrated for Krum. Karkarov was the most excited, even standing up and clapping his hands above his head.

Amid applause and cheers, Krum left the Great Hall as Dumbledore had instructed, and the crowd's enthusiasm subsided slightly.

Everyone was holding back, waiting for Dumbledore to call out the name of the second warrior.

Not long after Krum left, another parchment appeared.

"Beauxbatons Warrior, Fleur Delacour!"

"Oh, it's her! Her name is Fleur!" Stuart clapped his hands until they were red with excitement as he watched the prettiest girl in Beauxbatons stand up.

"Calm down, calm down..." Ike and Terry used their strength to push Stuart back into his seat. At the same time, Harry and Hermione did the same to Ron.

After Furong walked out of the auditorium with a smile, everyone suddenly fell silent.

Next up are the Hogwarts champions!

The crimson flames leaped up again, and the parchment floated down lightly.

Dumbledore accepted it with a smile, but his expression immediately turned serious after seeing the name on it. He looked back at the professors' table and then at the students below.

"Hogwarts Champion...Ike Strayder!"

"What?!"

Everyone was stunned, and Ike was completely dumbfounded.

Damn it, shouldn't it be Cedric?!

"Mr. Stride, please go to that room!" Dumbledore urged again, and Terry beside him gave him a nudge. Ike then stood up with a blank look on his face.

But after only a few steps, he calmed down, a smile appearing on his face. He even waved to Hermione, who looked completely bewildered at the Gryffindor table. As he passed the professors' seats, he even gave each professor a slight nod of respect.

It was at this moment, perhaps recalling Ike's impressive feat not long ago, that the Hogwarts students finally erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

"Alright, despite some twists and turns, we have chosen our three champions," Dumbledore said. "I believe you will all give your all to support your champions, including Beauxbatons and the other students from Durmstrang..."

Suddenly, Dumbledore stopped and looked at the Goblet of Fire with a puzzled expression. As the flames shifted, another piece of parchment flew out.

He instinctively caught the parchment, held it far away, and after a while, Dumbledore cleared his throat and began to read.

"Harry Potter!"

(End of this chapter)