A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Apart from Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Felix himself, none of the other professors did this, which actually shows that everyone values ​​their memories highly. Dumbledore's previous concerns were justified, and he didn't want to turn it into a forced action.

Felix bowed slightly, stepped forward, pointed to himself with his wand, and his voice carried far, as if speaking directly into the students' ears; everyone could hear him clearly.

"You should have seen what's on the bulletin board. Today we're not selecting warriors—that's a mission for the Goblet of Fire. What we're doing is selecting a group of promising individuals for special training. It's very likely that the final warriors will emerge from among these people. Even if they don't, they will serve as student representatives, hosting the teachers and students from the four participating schools and attending exchange activities."

Felix casually twirled his wand. "So, what defines potential, what qualifies someone as a warrior?"

"The Sorting Hat can sort students into four houses based on a person's most outstanding qualities. You might think, 'If only there were a 'Warrior Hat'...'"

The students below chuckled softly.

"...You might think I'll pick the most skilled students. That would require a free-for-all, or at least a chance for you to showcase your best magic. But I must warn you, the tournament will be extremely long, which means that newcomers can catch up, and those who came from behind can fall behind at any time."

Strength is not the only criterion; otherwise, what we do today would be meaningless.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances. They had come speculating whether to compare whose spells were stronger, but this couldn't really be considered a unified standard. Harry was best at the Disarming Charm, but even he knew the professors wouldn't only consider that one factor.

But the professor's words were quite different from what they expected; he seemed completely unconcerned about their abilities, which disappointed Harry.

"...We professors reviewed a lot of data and analyzed past competitions, and came to some conclusions. One of them can be shared with you: warriors often face the most difficult challenges, even tests that far exceed their own capabilities. In such cases, slight differences in strength are not that important."

“The strongest don’t always win championships. You’ll find that there are many unseen obstacles blocking your path to victory… So, I have a small suggestion, starting with the very definition of a warrior.” Felix stopped what he was doing, his eyes flashing sharply. “We’re back to our initial question: what truly defines a warrior?”

He stood up and looked at the crowd with a commanding presence. When Felix asked the question again, the students felt a heavy weight in their hearts.

"The warriors don't represent individuals or any particular house, but rather a unified title given by outsiders—Hogwarts students. During the summer vacation, I went to Egypt and met a local witch. I didn't ask her which house she was from, because in my eyes, she was a witch from Vargado."

The young wizards' expressions involuntarily turned serious, their chests straightening. A freshman held a candy to his lips, which hovered in mid-air before he looked around and put it down. Luna clapped her hands and shook her hat vigorously.

"Since the warriors represent Hogwarts in the war to win honor, I think they should possess some common characteristics—"

"Brave and fearless, with extraordinary courage;"

"Knowledgeable and intelligent;"

Honesty, loyalty, perseverance, and integrity;

"Stay focused on your goals and remain calm and composed."

Felix chuckled softly. "Of course, those are just good wishes. We're lucky enough to be associated with one or two words." Unbeknownst to him, he was holding a suspicious cloud of black mist in his hand.

He pointed his wand at the black mist, causing it to rise rapidly. When it reached high in the sky, near the ceiling, the mist plummeted like a cannonball, trailing a long plume of black smoke as it crashed to the ground and spread outwards. The young wizards quickly dodged, only to find that the mist didn't expand indefinitely. After swelling to about ten feet, it stopped expanding, instead twisting into a faintly visible doorway, suspended six or seven feet above the ground, shrouded in the mist.

Beneath the black gate, seven steps extend out, their surfaces as smooth as black mirrors, connecting one after another to the ground.

“Go in, come out, get your invitation cards, and you’re selected,” Felix said calmly. He looked at Moody, who was using a cane, and the professors beside him, and smiled. “Let’s leave this to the students, have some tea, and discuss the training ahead.”

They all had no objections; they were just gathering together today to express the school's emphasis on the matter. The selection criteria had already been determined in previous discussions, which is why Professor McGonagall felt comfortable not showing up to handle more important matters.

They walked a few steps, then Felix stopped, lost in thought, and said, "Oh, right," he continued, "I seem to have forgotten to add an age limit; it's not really necessary for students in other grades..."

“No need for all that trouble, Professor Hyp,” Moody said in a hoarse voice, gripping his cane tightly. “The more you forbid it, the more people will try it. That’s what I’ve learned from my experience this past week!”

His prosthetic eye twitched, then retracted into its socket. He pointed behind him with his thumb, and the Weasley twins peered curiously at the black door, just a few steps away. One of them seemed to want to touch the steps above.

The other Weasley noticed the professors turning around and quickly pulled him aside; the two of them then flashed identical smiles.

"You want to test the students' character, which is a good move. But instead of imposing restrictions and making them resentful, it's better to let them try one by one and see how capable they are."

He banged his wand hard and said in a firm tone, "Not everyone can become a warrior."

Felix looked at Moody, his gaze lingering on him for a moment, and readily agreed, "You're right, Professor Moody."

They left together, and the students watched them as they opened the door to classroom number seven and walked out one by one. With a "bang," the door closed.

After a few seconds of silence, the students erupted in excitement, their eyes fixed intently on the black gate suspended in mid-air, shrouded in black mist. The seven smooth, upward-extending steps seemed to possess a strange allure, drawing all their attention.

"Gudong!"

Harry swallowed hard.

Chapter 359 The Bankrupt Weasley Twins

"Together?" Fred turned to George beside him and said in a casual tone, as if asking if he wanted to have breakfast together.

"This is the Warriors' first step," George said proudly.

The Weasley twins were standing at the bottom of the steps, surrounded by eyes fixed on the black, suspended doorway, and also on the two of them. They exchanged a smile and stepped onto the black, mirror-like steps.

“I thought it would be slippery, but I stood very steadily. A good start, George,” Fred said loudly, showing off, making sure those around him could hear.

They climbed the seven steps and stood before the black gate, momentarily at a loss.

How do I get in?

"Push it away with your hand?"

“Oh, that’s not magical,” George said, but Fred had already reached out and was pushing hard against the center of the black door, which was surrounded by black mist.

“No response,” Fred said, but then his eyes widened and he faded away like a phantom. George immediately grabbed his shoulders, and the two of them were sucked in together.

The people around held their breath and waited quietly.

"Did they succeed?" Ron asked hesitantly, somewhat uncertainly.

“They’ve just gone in; they still have to face unknown challenges,” Hermione said, then asked thoughtfully, “Are they together now, or separated?”

"Is there a difference?" Dean asked nervously. "I'd like to be together, wouldn't you, Seamus?"

“Yeah,” Seamus muttered, pulling an Irish Quidditch team badge from his pocket and nervously putting it on. “It’s my lucky charm.”

Harry glanced at the shamrock badge, knowing that Seamus and his mother were die-hard fans of the Irish team, and that their victory in the Quidditch World Cup final during the summer holidays had made them ecstatic. He and Ron had actually bought the same badges; they could even call out the name of every player on the Irish team, but now that the magic was fading, the voices were weak and feeble. Harry tucked it into his stocking.

Neville's round face was tense, and he gripped his wand tightly in one hand.

About half a minute later

The silent black gate stirred; the swirling black mist began to boil, like a kettle churning, spewing forth copious amounts of black steam. It spread out menacingly, obscuring the entire gate. Two figures, as if forcefully thrown out, were the Weasley brothers. They somersaulted, tracing crooked, irregular arcs, and at the moment of impact, were caught by an unseen force, dissipating some of their momentum before crashing to the ground.

"Ouch!" George landed on top of Fred, and the two rolled around on the ground twice, covered in mud and grass.

The young wizards were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"That was brilliant! Thanks to Fred and George for the fun, though it's not a great start," a voice suddenly broke through the laughter, booming so loud it made everyone's ears ring. A circle instantly cleared in the crowd, revealing a male wizard with terrifyingly long, bushy hair.

He is Lee Jordan, one of the Weasley twins' most estranged friends. After failing to make the Gryffindor team in his early years, he became a Quidditch commentator. Lee Jordan is known for his humor and tendency to boast. His most recent outrageous statement was publicly declaring in the common room that he would use his skin color to infiltrate the Vagabonds and gather secrets for the Hogwarts warriors.

"It would be even better if I could learn a new or interesting spell," he said with great anticipation.

……

At that moment, Li Jordan strode out, pressing his wand to his throat and casting a "loud voice" spell. He shouted, "Next, it is I, Li Jordan, the Quidditch commentator who will be unemployed for a whole year, who will present a wonderful commentary for everyone!"

The other students were somewhat stunned, but the Gryffindor students clapped their hands a few times to show their respect.

"Ahem! Thank you, thank you! You're all so kind..." He bowed to those around him in a mock manner. "Let's interview the two parties involved firsthand to get some inside information. You probably want to know some inside stories too, right?" Li Qiaodan said.

The students quieted down, and even a few restless older students stopped in their tracks, hoping to overhear some useful information.

Fred and George got up from the ground, still looking shaken, and grinned mischievously when they heard what Lee Jordan said.

"Oh dear, I can't reveal too much."

"Extremely difficult!"

"Does it require a fight?" Lee Jordan interjected.

"Uh……"

"That's right, it was a tough fight."

“But you are very clean. The dust on your robes must have gotten on you when you were thrown out.” Li Qiaodan looked at him with suspicion, though he could also be faking it, as he and the twins always worked together seamlessly.

“Well,” Fred sighed, “that’s Professor Hyp’s magic, from a memory master. Think about the professor’s stone basin…”

“Oh, I get it!” Li Qiaodan said, “You’re fighting in the world of thought!”

The two couldn't help but laugh, "You're right!"

"So what did you encounter?" Li Jordan asked with great interest. "I think others would like to know too." The young wizards listened more attentively, secretly pondering the dangers they might have encountered, hoping to learn from their experiences.

"We, uh, encountered a snake!"

"A snake?" Li Qiaodan asked.

"Yeah, a really big snake, it could reach the ceiling... George, you tell me about it!"

“Okay, I think… it has three heads, and it has patterns on it.”

In the crowd, Hermione muttered, "Three heads, with patterns, how come it looks like a rune snake? But they're usually only six or seven feet long, which doesn't match their description."

Other students shared the same feeling, generally believing that Fred and George's descriptions were somewhat dubious.

“Perhaps Professor Hyp changed it in private,” Ron guessed. Harry and Hermione nodded thoughtfully. “That’s certainly possible.”

On the other side, Lee Jordan saw Fred and George off, and they withdrew their magic and discussed in hushed tones.

“What do you think the professor’s test is?” Fred asked.

“Let’s see how we respond by hitting people,” George said without hesitation.

“I think so too, otherwise we wouldn’t have gone bankrupt seventeen times in a row…” Fred shuddered. “That feeling was terrifying and so real, you were completely immersed in it and didn’t even realize there was a problem.”

"Wait, you said seventeen times? But I failed fifteen times!" George's eyes widened.

Fred looked at him hesitantly, "Could we have miscounted?"

“Definitely not, it’s still fresh in my mind!” George said with lingering fear. “I suspect I’ll have nightmares tonight.”

"So, does that mean we experienced different illusions?"

"That should be it."

“Alright,” Fred nodded. “Let’s exchange the reasons for our respective business failures and go back to our notebooks to write them down! These are lessons to be learned.”

A seventh-grade student walked up the steps, reached out and touched the black door, and was sucked inside.

Li Qiaodan commented, "The third person went in! After knowing he was about to face a three-headed snake, and with information from outside the arena telling me it might be a variant of the Runeboding Serpent, thank you for still stepping forward! Remarkable courage! Just one more question, is he a senior from Gryffindor?"

The Hufflepuff students started making a fuss, and Lee Jordan said in a panic, "Uh, it doesn't seem like it..." He quickly changed the subject, "The third volunteer has already gone in, let's guess he'll stick it out, oh my god!"

A figure was then flung out, tumbling a few times in mid-air before landing lightly on the ground. The seventh-grade student lay sprawled on the ground in terror, his empty right arm flailing wildly behind him as if waving a magic wand, shouting, "Obstacles! Obstacles!" Even Li Qiaodan, who had come closer, was punched in the face, half of his cheek immediately swelling up.

"Hiss~ Calm down, calm down! My God, come quick, a few people and drag him away!" Li Qiaodan shouted, covering his face.

After a while, the somewhat hysterical student was taken away by his friends, looking completely lost. Li Qiaodan didn't dare to ask him what had happened, but everyone had their own thoughts.