Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 162 Celebration

"Merlin, this can't be real! This can't be real!"

Ludo's incoherent voice echoed throughout the paddock, and as the massive body of the Hungarian wood bee crashed to the ground, everyone seemed to lose their senses at that moment.

"Straid!"

"he!"

"one person!"

"A dragon has been killed!"

Ludo's face turned bright red, and even though the November weather was already quite cold, he still took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves.

"This is the craziest moment in the history of the Triwizard Tournament!"

"Incredible!"

"Incredible!"

The young wizards at Hogwarts went completely wild, unleashing their excitement and exhilaration without restraint, regardless of which house they belonged to.

Perhaps the most composed person in the entire paddock was Ike.

Slowly, he walked around the massive body, bent down to pick up the golden egg, which was covered in dirt and blood, and held it high.

The next moment, an even louder cheer erupted.

"Alright, alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's calm down a bit." Ludo was doing his best to fulfill his duties as commentator. "Referees, please give your scores!"

Amidst cheers from the crowd, Dumbledore and Crouch both gave it a perfect score of 10, while Madam Maxim and Ludo gave it a 9. But as Karkaroff's 4 was raised, the young wizards of Hogwarts erupted in a deafening chorus of curses.

"A cover-up!"

"A cover-up!"

Karkaroff remained completely unmoved, sitting calmly in his chair, seemingly unaffected.

Ike didn't mind. He waved, holding the golden egg, and leisurely left the paddock. He couldn't go back to the tent yet; he had to wait until all the matches were over.

What happened next wasn't too unexpected for Ike. Fleur used her inherited charm to bewitch the dragon, putting it to sleep, and easily obtained the golden egg, although her dress was set on fire by sparks from the dragon's nostrils; Krum blinded the dragon with an eye-blinding spell, but due to the dragon's struggle in pain, he only managed to get a crushed golden egg; Harry, on the other hand, summoned a broom and used his skillful flying technique to retrieve the golden egg.

After all four warriors had finished their matches, all the scores were revealed. Unsurprisingly, Ike received the highest score, followed closely by Fleur. And under Karkaroff's tactic of "everyone except Krum gets 4 points," Krum and Harry miraculously tied.

"You all did a great job!" Back in the tent, Ludo jumped in after him.

"Alright, let's forget what just happened! On February 24th next year, you will participate in the second competition." He pointed to the golden eggs held by the four of them, "Look at the golden eggs in your hands. They can be opened. Unravel their secrets, and you will know what the second competition is."

Seeing that all four nodded, Ludo smiled with satisfaction.

"Alright, go and rest, you must be exhausted!"

"And while you're at it, go and enjoy the applause and cheers you deserve!"

After saying goodbye to Fleur and Krum, Ike and Harry stepped out of the tent. Hermione, Ron, and Stuart had been waiting outside for quite some time.

After giving Ike a tight hug, Hermione was still very excited, her ears turning a lovely pink.

"Incredible! You actually killed that dragon!"

"I told you not to worry about me, right?" Ike smiled, took Hermione's hand, and gently bumped her shoulder with his.

"Well done! I think the championship is over!" Stuart seemed even more excited, as if he didn't notice that something was off about the atmosphere. He laughed and slapped Ike twice.

Following closely behind were equally merciless slaps from Terry and his men.

"Damn it! You're all done for! I told you!" Ike, interrupted and looking furious, laughed and kicked each of the men. The men didn't dodge; it was just a joke, so what did it matter if they got kicked?

On the other side, Ron finally reconciled with Harry. The moment he saw the dragon, he finally understood that what Harry had said was true: someone really did want his life.

"Alright, stop chatting here." Charlie rushed over and gave Ike and Harry a hug each, slapping Ike hard a few times when it was Ike's turn.

"You've gotten me into big trouble, Ike," Charlie said. "You actually killed that Hungarian wood wasp! My colleagues are already protesting to the Ministry of Magic. After all, no one expected anyone to be able to kill those terrifying creatures before the tournament."

"Of course, as a friend, I must say..."

"Well done!"

"Thanks, Charlie," Ike said with a smile, throwing a punch back.

"Alright, let's go celebrate!"

The group returned to the castle, chatting and laughing. As soon as they entered, Ike and Harry were surrounded by the young wizards of Hogwarts and escorted back to their respective houses' common rooms.

"Merlin, this can't be real! This can't be real!"

Ludo's incoherent voice echoed throughout the paddock, and as the massive body of the Hungarian wood bee crashed to the ground, everyone seemed to lose their senses at that moment.

"Straid!"

"he!"

"one person!"

"A dragon has been killed!"

Ludo's face turned bright red, and even though the November weather was already quite cold, he still took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves.

"This is the craziest moment in the history of the Triwizard Tournament!"

"Incredible!"

"Incredible!"

The young wizards at Hogwarts went completely wild, unleashing their excitement and exhilaration without restraint, regardless of which house they belonged to.

Perhaps the most composed person in the entire paddock was Ike.

Slowly, he walked around the massive body, bent down to pick up the golden egg, which was covered in dirt and blood, and held it high.

The next moment, an even louder cheer erupted.

"Alright, alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's calm down a bit." Ludo was doing his best to fulfill his duties as commentator. "Referees, please give your scores!"

Amidst cheers from the crowd, Dumbledore and Crouch both gave it a perfect score of 10, while Madam Maxim and Ludo gave it a 9. But as Karkaroff's 4 was raised, the young wizards of Hogwarts erupted in a deafening chorus of curses.

"A cover-up!"

"A cover-up!"

Karkaroff remained completely unmoved, sitting calmly in his chair, seemingly unaffected.

Ike didn't mind. He waved, holding the golden egg, and leisurely left the paddock. He couldn't go back to the tent yet; he had to wait until all the matches were over.

What happened next wasn't too unexpected for Ike. Fleur used her inherited charm to bewitch the dragon, putting it to sleep, and easily obtained the golden egg, although her dress was set on fire by sparks from the dragon's nostrils; Krum blinded the dragon with an eye-blinding spell, but due to the dragon's struggle in pain, he only managed to get a crushed golden egg; Harry, on the other hand, summoned a broom and used his skillful flying technique to retrieve the golden egg.

After all four warriors had finished their matches, all the scores were revealed. Unsurprisingly, Ike received the highest score, followed closely by Fleur. And under Karkaroff's tactic of "everyone except Krum gets 4 points," Krum and Harry miraculously tied.

"You all did a great job!" Back in the tent, Ludo jumped in after him.

"Alright, let's forget what just happened! On February 24th next year, you will participate in the second competition." He pointed to the golden egg that the four of them were holding, "Look at the golden egg in your hands. It can be opened. Unravel its secret, and you will know what the second competition is."

Seeing that all four nodded, Ludo smiled with satisfaction.

"Alright, go and rest, you must be exhausted!"

"And while you're at it, go and enjoy the applause and cheers you deserve!"

After saying goodbye to Fleur and Krum, Ike and Harry stepped out of the tent. Hermione, Ron, and Stuart had been waiting outside for quite some time.

After giving Ike a tight hug, Hermione was still very excited, her ears turning a lovely pink.

"Incredible! You actually killed that dragon!"

"I told you not to worry about me, right?" Ike smiled, took Hermione's hand, and gently bumped her shoulder with his.

"Well done! I think the championship is over!" Stuart seemed even more excited, as if he didn't notice that something was off about the atmosphere. He laughed and slapped Ike twice.

Following closely behind were equally merciless slaps from Terry and his men.

"Damn it! You're all done for! I told you!" Ike, interrupted and looking furious, laughed and kicked each of the men. The men didn't dodge; it was just a joke, so what did it matter if they got kicked?

On the other side, Ron finally reconciled with Harry. The moment he saw the dragon, he finally understood that what Harry had said was true: someone really did want his life.

"Alright, stop chatting here." Charlie rushed over and gave Ike and Harry a hug each, slapping Ike hard a few times when it was Ike's turn.

"You've gotten me into big trouble, Ike," Charlie said. "You actually killed that Hungarian wood wasp! My colleagues are already protesting to the Ministry of Magic. After all, no one expected anyone to be able to kill those terrifying creatures before the tournament."

"Of course, as a friend, I must say..."

"Well done!"

"Thanks, Charlie," Ike said with a smile, throwing a punch back.

"Alright, let's go celebrate!"

The group returned to the castle, chatting and laughing. As soon as they entered, Ike and Harry were surrounded by the young wizards of Hogwarts and escorted back to their respective houses' common rooms.

Sure enough, a grand party awaited Ike, even more joyous than the day he became a warrior. Because he didn't have to go to school the next day, the party lasted until after 2 a.m., and the excited people didn't even have dinner.

The lounge was well-stocked with plenty of food and a dozen barrels of butterbeer.

Ike couldn't remember exactly how much he had drunk. Butterbeer doesn't get you drunk, but drinking too much will make you feel bloated.

For a moment, Ike felt like he was back at the barbecue stand. The difference was that back then there were bottles scattered around his feet, but now there was only the cup he was holding.

For the next few days, the entire Hogwarts was filled with an atmosphere of excitement and pride.

Two Hogwarts Champions, one at the top of the list and the other tied with Krum, were naturally ranked last in everyone's eyes, which made them unconsciously hold their heads high in front of the Durmstrang students.

Of course, when faced with Beauxbatons' female warriors, the wizards of Hogwarts will still show their gentlemanly side.

Because Beauxbatons sat with Ravenclaw during the meal, the hawks were the most gentlemanly, especially Stewart, who even secretly asked Ike to introduce him to Fleur.

As Stewart's good friend, Ike naturally granted his request. However, Fleur was more interested in Ike than in a new admirer.

"Now I understand why Mr. Diggory said you were the true Hogwarts champion," Fleur said at the long table.

"What's wrong?"

"I asked Principal Maxim what kind of magic you used back then..."

"Then I realized that I couldn't even understand what I was saying."

"..."

Ike didn't answer, but just smiled awkwardly, bowed slightly to express his apology, and then got up and left.

There was always a pair of piercing eyes staring at him from the Gryffindor table.

(End of this chapter)