I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 257 The Banquet and the Goblet of Fire

"Welcome, Lari." Dumbledore warmly shook her hands. "Your entrance was quite impressive."

He said, "I've been thinking about adding something new to the castle, but I didn't expect Ifamoni to get ahead of us in this regard."

"."

Upon hearing this, Yullari Hicks simply gave an awkward laugh. The pickled red on her face concealed the fleeting change in her expression.

"A lot has happened to Albus in Iphamoni. She's not the same as before," Yullari said with a hint of worry.

"I believe you will resolve these matters once you take over as headmaster." Dumbledore nodded steadily at her.

"I hope so," Principal Yullari Hicks said with a forced smile. Today's events clearly showed that she had very little control over the school.

Things are getting worse.

Owen was not far from Dumbledore, watching the African-American headmaster of the magic school from afar.

Euryale Hicks, that's an old friend of Dumbledore's.

She entered Evamorni in the same year as Newt's wife, Tina. After graduation, one of them stayed on as a teacher at the school, while the other joined the Magical Congress.

Euryale Hicks is an excellent spellcaster, and her book "Advanced Spellcasting" has always been a popular book recommended by Professor Flitwick.

Irving wasn't sure exactly how long she taught at Ifamoni, but it was clear she had retired many years ago.

No one knows what happened to the former principal of Iphamoni, but they brought this old employee back.

It was clear that a major change was taking place at the magic school in North America, and many things were beyond the control of Yullari Hicks, the substitute.

The two exchanged a few words briefly.

Then Dumbledore led her, along with the young wizard Ilvermorny dressed in blue and burgundy, into the castle.

The others, including the young wizards of Hogwarts, followed closely behind them, entering the castle in an orderly fashion.

Inside the auditorium, Beauxbatons' classmates, who had entered earlier, had already chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. After sitting down, they looked around the auditorium.

As for the Durmstrang young wizards, led by Snape, they naturally sat on the Slytherin benches.

Many young Hogwarts wizards were still searching for Krum in the Great Hall, like Ron—"Look, Krum signed my autograph!" His face flushed red. "I'm going to keep it as a treasure."

He had just run back, excitedly showing off a piece of parchment in front of everyone.

"Krum remembers me, and he only signed for me!" he said proudly. "I dare say."

Just as he was about to speak, he saw Krum, at Malfoy's invitation, sit down next to him.

In an instant, Ron's face turned red, and he felt a lump in his throat that he couldn't let go of.

After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and said, "Damn Malfoy, it's only the first day and he's already trying to curry favor with Krum."

"I bet Krum knew exactly what kind of person he was at a glance."

I dare say that wherever Krum goes, people fawn over him and flatter him.

"Where do you think they'll sleep? We can offer him a bed in our dorm, Harry. I'd give him my bed; I'll sleep on my cot."

Harry didn't say anything.

He doesn't really want outsiders in his dorm room.

However, Hogwarts is so big that young wizards from other schools must have places to sleep.

As for Iphamoni's little wizard.

They could only sit with the Gryffindors.

Of the three magic academies, they had the most attendees. After all, Ilfamoni was the only magic school for wizards in North America, and its student population was equivalent to that of the three major European magic schools combined, so it was quite normal for them to have a large number of junior wizards.

As the largest house in Hogwarts, Hufflepuff indeed couldn't find any more seats.

among the crowd.

Irving spotted the girl named Koyatl Stewart immediately.

After all, her silver hair and red eyes were simply too eye-catching.

Although Furong's silver hair was also quite stunning.

However, their hair colors are slightly different; Hibiscus's hair is more gray, while Koyatl's has a slight blue tint.

This time, she wasn't wearing her usual unusual long dress.

Instead, she was dressed in a blue and berry-red robe along with the other young wizards, Ilvarmoni.

She sat on the Gryffindor bench, her eyes showing no interest in the Great Hall, and if you looked closely, you could even see a hint of disdain in her eyes.

Perhaps in her opinion, Hogwarts' style was too rough, and compared with those magnificent palaces, even though the Great Hall had been renovated, it still looked a bit shabby.

Her eyes were now fixed on another little witch who was also sitting on the Gryffindor bench.

That girl was perhaps the only thing that interested her at Hogwarts.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After everyone was seated, the welcome banquet officially began.

At the faculty desk, the doorman Filch was adding a few chairs.

For this grand occasion, he wore an old, moldy tailcoat.

As he placed more and more chairs.

The young wizards gradually became puzzled.

"What is he doing?" Justin whispered. "This is the fifth chair."

"Besides the other three principals, is anyone else coming?"

"Probably officials from the Ministry of Magic?" Hannah glanced towards the VIP section and replied, "They're involved in the Triwizard Tournament, so they'll definitely be there for the opening ceremony."

"Barty Crach?" Justin raised an eyebrow. Ever since he learned what had happened to Hannah's family, he had no liking for this Minister of Magic, who was known for his toughness.

"Probably not," Owen replied. "The main participants this time are the Federation; the Ministry of Magic is just handling the implementation."

It seems to be to confirm what Irving said.

Suddenly, the side door next to the podium was opened.

Then Dumbledore, all smiles, welcomed in a group of young wizards he knew nothing about.

The leader was an African-American wizard.

He was dressed in clothing with a strong regional style.

He was a male wizard in his forties, with short curly hair, brown eyes, and a ridge-like necklace hanging around his neck.

With a smile on his face, he showed great respect for Dumbledore. He looked at the old man in front of him with an ordinary expression.

"Who is that?" Ernie asked, puzzled.

"It seems to be the new vice president of the Federation." Owen explained with a frown. Ever since his real grandmother died, he had been keeping an eye on who would take over as vice president of the Federation.

"His name appears to be Babajid Akinbad, an African sorcerer who graduated from Wajadu."

There were several other people behind him.

They all look like they're from the federation.

Irving only had a superficial understanding of this massive organization.

In fact, it took a lot of effort to unite another group of wizards under Dumbledore's banner to get Babajid Akinbad into the position of vice-chairman of the Guildhall.

It can only be said that after the Deathborn incident, the way international wizards live changed drastically, and the peaceful, diverse and gentle atmosphere of the past is gone forever.

After losing a large number of personnel, some within the federation even welcomed Grindelwald's return.

Even without any overt actions, silence is tantamount to acquiescence in the current situation. Many people believe that under the pressure of a lack of combat power, it is not a bad thing for the legendary wizard Grindelwald to lead them out of their difficult times. At least his strength is evident to all wizards in Europe.

This is also one of the important reasons why the resistance was weak after his return.

Irving pondered.

On the stage, all the professors, principals, and guests were seated.

The auditorium gradually quieted down.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and especially our distinguished guests!" said Dumbledore, smiling at the foreign students. "It is with great joy that I welcome you to Hogwarts. I hope and believe that you will feel comfortable and happy here."

Upon hearing this, a girl from Beauxbatons, still tightly wrapped in her scarf, let out a cold laugh that was undoubtedly sarcastic.

The junior wizards from the other two colleges were not to be outdone; some were talking to each other, while others were deliberately making noise.

In short, they didn't give this greatest legendary wizard the slightest bit of face.

Upon seeing this, Dumbledore's smile deepened.

He nodded toward the little witch Beauxbatons who had made the shrill sound.

seem

It appears to be marking an enemy.

The next second, a young wizard's displeased voice rang out from the Ravenclaw crowd: "What is she doing!"

"If she doesn't want to stay, she can leave. No one is forcing her to stay."

The reactions of the other three junior wizards were similar.

Everyone agreed.

These foreigners have absolutely no manners.

As expected—they were too lenient during the World Cup and didn't teach them a lesson they shouldn't have!

The banquet had barely begun when the air in the hall was already thick with tension.

One can imagine that if it weren't for the professors, university presidents, and federation officials on the podium keeping things in check, a fight would have broken out long ago.

Hehehe!

Irving's smug smile was almost impossible to contain.

Is happiness on its way?

"The competition will officially begin at the end of the banquet."

On the platform, Dumbledore continued, "I now invite you all to eat and drink to your heart's content, as if you were in your own home!"

The next second, as usual, a lot of food was suddenly piled up on the long table in front of the young wizards.

Dumbledore sat down and chatted with the headmasters around him, laughing and talking.

"Wow!"

Food suddenly appeared on the long table.

This is something that the young wizards at the other three major magic schools have never experienced.

Many people couldn't help but sigh.

"Hmph—country bumpkin!" The young wizard from Hogwarts immediately felt much better.

Actually, looking at the food in front of me...

They were also surprised. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have used all their skills. They had never seen such a sumptuous feast before. A wide variety of dishes were laid out in front of them, some of which were definitely of foreign origin.

"What is this?" Ernie asked.

He pointed to a large plate next to a big piece of steak, kidney pudding, which looked like a seafood medley.

"French mixed fish soup," Justin said. "It's a French dish. I had it during the summer vacation two years ago, and it was very delicious."

"You've eaten French food before?" Ernie looked at him with great surprise.

"I've been to Paris many times, don't you think?"

After listening to Justin's words, everyone tried to serve themselves a little.

Then they started cooking with great enthusiasm.

The disputes were temporarily forgotten by everyone during the meal.

The auditorium was much more crowded than usual.

Unlike in the original story, this time, for some unknown reason, Irving felt as if each school had brought their entire seventh grade here.

Beauxbatons brought about twenty people.

Durmstrang had even more, more than thirty people in total.

There were the most Evamonis; Owen counted them, and there were probably more than fifty people on the Gryffindor benches.

This might not be good news for others; with so many people, they won't be able to capitalize on their home-field advantage in a fight.

But for Irving, this was a golden opportunity, a chance to be a fish in water!

Hogwarts has become uninteresting after all these years of meticulous work by him.

If they don't resist anymore, what's the point?

But now—there are suddenly so many more people.

Haha.

it is good!

That's great!

Twenty minutes after the banquet began, Hagrid slipped into the auditorium through a door behind the faculty desk.

He sat at the end of the table in his seat, near the Gryffindor table.

Hagrid raised a hand wrapped in many bandages and waved it at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

It seems he has already dealt with those disgusting, flammable snails.

As Hagrid entered, others followed into the auditorium.

It was Ludo Bagman and Percy, and now the Minister of Magic, Mr. Barty Crouch.

"Damn, he really has the nerve to show up here," Justin immediately retorted.

"After all, he's the Minister of Magic. Do you think Headmaster Dumbledore can stop him?" Ernie took a bite of milk jelly.

"Hmph!" Although that made sense, Justin was still very unhappy.

Minister of Magic—what a prestigious title.

Sometimes he even thought it would be better to let the Prime Minister also serve as Minister of Magic, with the Ministry of Magic under the Queen's government. After all, ministers don't need to fight, and he figured the new Labour Prime Minister, Jim Harker, would do a good job.

It will at least be better than Fudge.

On the Hufflepuff bench, Justin's inner monologue remains unknown to anyone.

After two rounds of dishes.

The little wizards had already filled their stomachs.

When all the golden plates had been cleaned and polished, Dumbledore stood up again.

A mix of excitement and nervousness seemed to fill the auditorium as everyone waited for the next program.

Everyone suppressed their excitement and stared intently at Dumbledore.

"The moment has finally arrived!" said Dumbledore, smiling at the grim faces. "The tournament is about to begin. I'd like to explain a few things before bringing in the box!"

"Bring what in?" Justin asked in a low voice.

"The Goblet of Fire!"

"What is the Goblet of Fire?" he asked again.

"A magical item used to select warriors," Owen said.

"I see."

On the platform, Dumbledore's voice continued, "I shall now explain the program for this school year, but first, please allow me to introduce two guests to our lovely guests, as some may not recognize them. This is Mr. Barty Crouch, Minister for Magic of Great Britain."

Sparse applause rang out in the hall, and many young wizards even wore mocking expressions.

In contrast, the young wizards from other countries clapped enthusiastically. The Minister of Magic, what a high-ranking official! They had to give him face.

And so you witnessed this strange scene.

The local wizards clapped listlessly, while the wizards from other countries clapped enthusiastically.

If you didn't know better, you'd think they were the outsiders.

"This is Mr. Ludo Bagman, Director of the Department of Physical Education and Sports at the Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued.

The applause for Bagman was much louder than that for Crouch, perhaps because he was a well-known batter, or perhaps simply because he looked much more approachable.

He stood up happily and waved to express his gratitude.

When Barty Crouch was introduced, Crouch neither smiled nor waved.

"In the past few months, there has been another gentleman who has worked tirelessly to arrange the World Championship. His contribution to Hogwarts' ability to host such a grand event cannot be forgotten."

Now let us welcome Mr. Babajid Akimbad, Vice President of the International Federation of Wizards.

The applause in the auditorium this time was the loudest.

The African wizard rose, nodded slightly to Dumbledore, and smiled at the young wizards.

"Because this tournament is far beyond history, with four magic schools participating, this is unprecedented. To ensure fairness and rigor, Hogwarts has invited several well-known wizards from the wizarding world. We will form a judging panel of about ten to fifteen people to score the matches and take the median value to ensure fairness and impartiality to the greatest extent possible."

"Members of the referee team will arrive at Hogwarts one after another before the match officially begins."

"Now then—Mr. Filch, please bring the box up."

The auditorium fell silent.

No one noticed that Filch had been lurking in a corner of the Great Hall. Now he walked toward Dumbledore, holding a large wooden box inlaid with jewels. The box looked very old.

Everyone stared intently at the box.

Although they didn't know exactly what was inside, they figured it must be the most important item in the championship.

Colin, the Hogwarts-designated reporter, raised his camera.

The flashbulbs started clicking non-stop from the moment Filch pushed the box out.

"The specific events for this year's warriors' competition have been carefully reviewed by Mr. Babajid Akinbad of the Federation and Mr. Bagman of the Ministry of Magic."

Dumbledore said that Filch carefully placed the box on the table in front of him, "They also made many necessary arrangements for each project. There are four projects in total, which will be carried out at different times throughout the school year. They will test the warriors in many different ways, testing their magical talents, their courage and their reasoning abilities."

Of course, there's also their ability to overcome danger.

The challenges in this tournament will be extremely difficult; even ordinary adult wizards will not be able to overcome them easily. I hope you will be cautious.

Upon hearing the last sentence, the auditorium fell silent; it seemed as if everyone had stopped breathing.

(End of this chapter)