Chapter 233: The Triwizard Tournament

After the last dessert on the table disappeared, Dumbledore stood up and all the noise stopped.

There was only the sound of the wind and rain outside.

"Now that we have all eaten and drank enough, I must say some more things, some very important things.

Dumbledore said.

The older students were unmoved because they had grown tired of this speech as it was the same every year.

As expected, Dumbledore announced a few new additions to the banned items list, including Dung Bomb, Fanged Frisbee, and Nosebleed Nougat.

The Weasley twins' Nosebleed Nougat had caused a lot of trouble for the professors. They couldn't determine if students were truly sick or under the effects of the candy.

After a few years, the twins' Nosebleed Nougat had been updated to multiple versions.

It was no longer limited to making students have nosebleeds, the candy could cause a lot of illnesses, such as colds, fevers, sore throats, and even hemorrhoids.

After listing these items, Dumbledore introduced Sirius once again, who would be the new defense against the Dark Arts professor this year.

The young wizards had known this since the end of last semester.

But Dumbledore's next announcement caused an uproar.

"I must regretfully inform you all that the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup will not be held this year."

"What?"

Harry and everyone else were shocked. Fred and George gaped in disbelief.

"Is Dumbledore out of his mind?"

Cho, who loved Quidditch more than anyone, couldn't stay seated.

"Don't worry, Cho. There will still be a Quidditch tournament this year."

Arthur said some words that Cho couldn't quite understand.

Dumbledore ignored everyone's reactions and pointed his wand at his throat so that everyone could hear him speak.

"This is because a major event is about to happen starting in October,  and it will continue throughout the school year, taking up a lot of the teachers' attention."

"But I believe you'll have a lot of fun with it, and I'm pleased to announce that the Triwizard Tournament, which has been discontinued for over a century, will be held this year at Hogwarts!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Fred exclaimed, and everyone laughed, including Dumbledore. The disapproval that the cancellation of Quidditch caused has now vanished.

"Is this the important event that Malfoy talked about?"

Cho asked Arthur.

Arthur nodded and confidently promised, "Yes, believe me, this competition will be much more interesting than Quidditch."

"I wasn't joking, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, "But speaking of jokes, I remembered a joke that Gaunt and I used to say. A wizard and a witch walked into an inn, and one minute later, they..."

"Ahem!"

Arthur coughed loudly, interrupting Dumbledore's speech.

"Oh! My apologies, where were we? Ah, yes, the Triwizard—"

Many senior wizards laughed at Arthur, and he was very annoyed.

Was Dumbledore trying to tease him on purpose?

Cho's face turned red, and she pinched Arthur's soft flesh around his waist, telling him to stop.

"Arthur, what are they laughing about?"

Luna was confused and couldn't understand what Dumbledore meant.

"It's nothing. The headmaster got confused; he mixed up the joke."

"It's okay, the headmaster got confused and mixed up the punchlines."

Arthur laughed awkwardly and made an excuse, and Luna nodded in agreement.

"The Quibbler said that Headmaster Dumbledore has been plagued by brain-eating bugs, which sometimes makes him act crazy."

'Thank goodness for that article, and thank goodness for my father-in-law. He saved my life.'

Arthur thought silently to himself.

"In any case, this event will be held again at Hogwarts after a few years. Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Ilvermorny will compete fiercely."

"In October, they will bring carefully selected champions here, where a fair judge will decide the ultimate candidates."

After Dumbledore finished speaking, there was a moment of silence, and then the Weasley twins stepped forward.

"Headmaster, I think you may have some math problems. It's supposed to be a Triwizard Tournament, but you just mentioned four schools."

The young wizards laughed out loud, and it turned out that this was the reason for their previous silence.

Arthur felt embarrassed and awkwardly scratched his nose, avoiding Dumbledore's gaze.

"Mr. Weasley, you did not hear wrong."

Albus said kindly.

"Due to some reasons, Ilvermorny will also participate in this Triwizard Tournament. It is a famous magical school from the United States."

"To show their sincerity, the champion will receive a total of 3,000 galleons!"

The atmosphere became warm again, and many people began to fantasize about becoming champions.

Even for many adult wizards, 3,000 galleons is a huge sum of money.

Mr. Weasley was a mid-level employee at the Ministry of Magic, and his monthly salary was less than 100 galleons.

This money would be enough for him to work for four or five years.

However, Dumbledore spoke again, and the hall fell silent once more.

"I know you all want to win for Hogwarts, but the Ministry of Magic and I agree that only students over the age of seventeen are allowed to participate."

His words caused strong protests from many people. Some young wizards who fell below the age limit were smashing the table, expressing their dissatisfaction.

They had already planned how to spend the 3,000 galleons, and now Dumbledore's words had cost them 3,000 Galleons...

"What do we do, Arthur? If he can participate, we will definitely win the championship!"

A Ravenclaw student stood up and protested loudly.

Many people also realized that if Artur could participate, Hogwarts would definitely win.

Even the Slytherin students admitted that Arthur was the best wizard in school right now.

Although some were not happy that a Ravenclaw won this honor, if they can beat the other magic schools, then they'll accept it.

Dumbledore pushed his glasses away and looked at the students, who were all hoping he would change his decision.

"I'm sorry, but being 17 years old is a requirement to participate in the Triwizard Tournament."

"As for Mr. Gaunt...,"

He stopped as if pondering, saying, "If Mr. Gaunt were to participate, I believe there would be no need to hold this Triwizard Tournament this year."

"Hahahaha!"

All the students burst into laughter, some even cheering.

Cho and the others proudly looked at their boyfriend.

"So, he won't be a participant in this competition, but he will join us as a technical advisor and judge!"

The young wizards didn't expect that Arthur would become a judge for the Triwizard Tournament, let alone a technical advisor.

"Alright, it's getting late. Get some sleep for your classes tomorrow!"

After Dumbledore finished speaking, he left the Great Hall, and the students got up and went to their respective common rooms.

Fred and George quickly caught up with Arthur.

"You must have a way to help us, right?"

They asked eagerly. They weren't short on money anymore, but how could the twins pass up such a fun opportunity?

Arthur pretended to be serious.

"Is this how you usually talk to judges?"

The young wizards around them chuckled, knowing Arthur was joking. They were curious about whether Arthur could solve the age problem.

"Arthur, you can't help them cheat!"

Hermione also joined them, worried Arthur might give in to the twins.

Giving Hermione a reassuring look, Arthur glanced at the twins and then at the people around them. He cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Actually, there is a way to participate even if you're underage."

With that, the crowd erupted in excitement, but Arthur quickly poured cold water on everyone.

"If you want to participate, you can try your best when the time comes. If you succeed using your own methods, it means that you're qualified."

"But before that, you need to think carefully. The Triwizard Tournament has had casualties before. Are you prepared?"

With that, Arthur led Cho and the others through the crowd and up the stairs, leaving behind a group of quiet young magicians.

...

https://www.patreon.com/Abyssuit

You can find up to 35 advance chapters at my patreon