Goblet of Fire

Hermione's words did not shatter Ron's beautiful fantasy that Fleur might have had a crush on him.

Halfway through the feast, the doors to the Great Hall opened again and two wizards in suits entered.

They made their way to the dais, shook hands with Dumbledore, and then took their seats at the teachers' table.

Ivan, however, was apparently an exception, as he never took his eyes off them as they entered.

"What are Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch doing here?" Harry asked, glancing in that direction.

"Which one of them is Crouch?" Ivan asked.

He remembered that Barty Crouch was under the influence of a Imperius Curse cast by Lord Voldemort himself. Now that he had no leads, Crouch might make a good break for him!

"The tall, skinny, grey-haired one is Crouch, and the other is Ludo Bagman!"

It was Ron, rather than Harry, who finally looked away from Fleur, presumably because she had not returned his affectionate gaze for so long.

Yvonne nodded and turned back to the teachers' table, where Crouch was sitting next to Dumbledore, chatting happily with the old professor.

Ivan, however, knew that the Imperius Curse could be used almost perfectly to control a wizard, making them behave as they normally would.

There are only two flaws in this spell!

Firstly, it would be detected by a skilled Legilimency Master. As long as one searched the other party's memories, they would be able to find something amiss.

The second possibility is that a strong-willed wizard may break free of this spell, as Barty Crouch and his son did in the original world!

The full extent of his knowledge was due to Ivan's research into the Imperius Curse in order to gain control of Nott while he was in Knockturn Alley.

The first defect was seemingly impossible to fix in Ivan's opinion. Fortunately, Legilimency was rare, as long as one controlled the house and went out less often.

It was also easy to break free, as Ivan had two werewolf wizards watching him at all times and reinforcing the Imperius Curse regularly to prevent him from escaping.

With this thought in mind, Ivan was put in a difficult position, as he suspected that Crouch was an undercover agent controlled by Lord Voldemort, but did not have enough evidence to testify against him.

Crouch was the Minister for International Magical Exchange and Co-operation, a man of great power and reputation for being a man of integrity.

And with him as the butterfly, and the real Moody at school, it's unknown whether Crouch was even controlled by Lord Voldemort, as he was in the original dimension… it's no joke to get it wrong!

The power of the Imperius Curse lies in the fact that Voldemort could control anyone in this school!

The only solution was for Dumbledore to use Legilimency to read everyone's memories in the Great Hall, and to determine who was normal and who was a controlled spy.

However, with the old professor's personality, it was obvious that he would not do so unless he had to…

Ivan wanted to do it himself, but his Legilimency was far from that level!

He estimated that Legilimency had to be raised to at least Level 6 before he could probe the minds of most people without their knowledge.

While Ivan was thinking this, Dumbledore, who had been talking to Crouch, stood up and walked to the front of the stage again.

"Everyone, I think you've had enough, don't you?" Dumbledore's booming voice echoed through the Great Hall.

All of the wizards present put down their knives and forks, and although some of the foodies wanted to continue enjoying their meal, they were more eager to hear what Dumbledore had to say next.

"It seems the time has come!" Dumbledore observed the expressions of the crowd, and with another wave of his wand, the table returned to its pristine state.

Dumbledore continued. "Then I will speak of the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament!"

Hearing the old professor mention the Triwizard Tournament, everyone sat up straight. A mixture of excitement and nervousness gradually spread throughout the Great Hall.

Dumbledore, in turn, pointed to Crouch on his right and said, "Allow me to introduce to you two new guests, presumably those who do not know them, Mr Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Cooperation!"

Crouch nodded to the crowd, and there was a smattering of applause.

Dumbledore then went on to introduce Ludo Bagman, who was on the left, and to thank the pair for going out of their way to reopen the Triwizard Tournament.

"They will join me, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime in a five-man judging panel to judge the performance of the champions."

Dumbledore then clapped his hands and asked Filch to bring up the box.

"What box?" Harry asked, lowering his voice.

Ivan knew what was going on, but he still looked over at Filch.

Filch, who was usually slovenly, seemed to have tidied up for this important occasion. At the very least, he had changed into a new set of robes and was holding a large, jewelled wooden box in both hands. His expression was solemn, as if he were holding a noble relic.

The young wizard craned his neck curiously, trying to get a better look.

Dumbledore went on, "This year's Triwizard Tournament has been carefully vetted by us for each task, which is divided into three parts, in which the abilities of the champions will be examined in various ways, such as whether they are skilled in magic, whether they have exceptional courage, careful reasoning, and so forth…"

"At the end of each task, the judges will award points based on their performance, and the champion with the most points will win the Triwizard Cup! As for the selection of the champions…"

Filch approached the dais and placed the box carefully on the table in front of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and tapped the lid three times, and the box slowly opened, revealing a crudely carved wooden goblet.

Dumbledore pointed his wand at it, looked at the crowd, and enunciated each word clearly. "The selection of the champions will be carried out by the most impartial of the chosen, and this is the… Goblet of Fire!"

At Dumbledore's words, a torrent of blue and white fire erupted from the cup…