Chapter 234: Returning to Hogwarts

The more exceptional the champions were, the prouder the professors felt. But, they also understood that the Triwizard Tournament was incredibly dangerous, which was why it had been discontinued for centuries.

"Alright, let us give our blessings to our champions!"

Cyrus stood at the forefront, and all eyes focused on him. The young witches and wizards looked up to him in admiration, clenching their fists alongside him and silently, solemnly, raising their wands.

In the wizarding world, the wand salute was the highest form of respect. Every wand tip lit up with sparks, glowing brilliantly like a constellation of stars.

The acting Headmaster Boot was already shedding tears of pride and emotion.

"Don't worry, I'll bring the children back safely," Cyrus reassured him.

In the end, the students' tournament was just the opening act.

The real battle would be between the Dark Lords.

"Those who can't join us need not worry, there will be a live broadcast," Cyrus said with a wave of his hand. He then led the ten champion candidates out of the hall.

Outside, two fire-breathing dragons, their heads lowered, had been waiting for some time.

The ten champions were visibly startled when they saw Cyrus bring out two fire-breathing dragons. They all covered their mouths in silent shock, clearly afraid to approach.

The mere thought of those terrifying creatures lifting a claw and slicing them in half sent shivers down their spines.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, hop on. I've arranged for these dragons to carry you there. Isn't this grand enough?" Cyrus chuckled softly, then reached out to pat the shoulder of a blond boy standing nearby.

"Set an example, Fischer?"

"Of course!" the blond boy nodded vigorously. He took a deep breath and, mustering his courage, walked toward the carriage hitched to the back of the dragons.

The entire time, Fischer couldn't take his eyes off the dragons, his steps cautious and his forehead beaded with sweat.

The white and black dragons both noticed his approach, but they paid him no mind. The white-scaled dragon briefly opened its cloudy eyes to glance at him before closing them again.

Fischer let out a sigh of relief as he reached the edge of the carriage, placing one hand on the golden carriage shaft.

Seeing his successful attempt, the others transformed from fear to eager anticipation.

The next to act was a girl with long, golden hair, her features delicate but her expression haughty. Her name gave Cyrus a pleasant surprise—

Cassandra Vole.

Cyrus hadn't expected to encounter a character who hadn't appeared in the original story but was from a mobile game.

In fact, like Draco Malfoy, Cassandra Vole was also a transfer student. She had originally attended Durmstrang, but her father was a Death Eater. On that fateful night in March, her father chose to cross through the flames and kneel at Cyrus's side.

Afterward, as Cyrus swiftly gained power within MACUSA (the Magical Congress of the United States of America), Cassandra had followed and transferred to Ilvermorny.

In the mobile game, Cassandra was supposed to be a descendant from Harry Potter's era. Since Cyrus didn't know much about her, he wasn't sure if she was indeed the same Cassandra from the game or just an ancestor with the same name.

It was common abroad for descendants to inherit the names of their ancestors.

Thanks to Durmstrang's teaching methods, Cassandra was proficient in Dark Magic and, despite her young age, had already displayed impressive talent, earning her a spot among the reserve champions. She seemed to be in her rebellious phase, eager to prove herself. Not long ago, she had even approached Cyrus, requesting him to mark her arm with a magical imprint.

Of course, Cyrus had refused.

Once all the students had boarded the carriage, Cyrus and Bellatrix followed suit.

The inside of the carriage was spacious, ensuring each student had their own room. Since they would all be attending classes together at Hogwarts, Cyrus hadn't bothered constructing a classroom inside.

"Find a room to rest. We'll arrive at Hogwarts by the evening of the next day," Cyrus said.

Traveling across the world by carriage was quite a novel experience.

In the past, Cyrus would have saved time by using Apparition directly, but this time, a bit of flair was necessary. So, he specifically released the two dragons from his suitcase to pull the carriage.

The white dragon was a bit old, but for a dragon, this level of exertion was hardly anything.

Cyrus sat alone outside the carriage, watching as the sun gradually slipped behind them. Night fell, and the cold, distant moon hung in the sky.

Below, the dark ocean surged with waves, silver-white foam breaking and dissolving into the darkness.

The two dragons flew at a considerable distance from each other to avoid their wings colliding, with silver chains hanging over their bony backs.

Cyrus enjoyed the breeze, the black world rushing toward him, filling his eyes.

Suddenly, the carriage door opened.

Bellatrix, dressed in formal attire, emerged, gracefully sitting down on the other side like a black butterfly.

...

"Ugg~~ Sss.."

Harry shivered in the cold wind.

A week ago, he'd learned that the other three schools participating in the Four-Wizard Tournament would be arriving at Hogwarts today. However, he hadn't expected such a grand affair, with the entire school summoned to the gates to welcome the visitors.

Professor McGonagall appeared particularly anxious, her sharp eyes constantly scanning the sky and the young wizards. She tirelessly pointed out any irregularities in their attire, even something as minor as a tilted hat was unacceptable.

First-year students were especially excited, and Harry was in a good mood as well.

This was supposed to be Potions class, and Snape had planned to poison his potion, but now he wouldn't have the chance.

Thinking about this, Harry stole a glance at Snape.

Snape still wore his usual stern expression, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

Soon, the sky darkened.

The cold wind blowing from the Black Lake made them shiver, but there was still no sign of the other schools.

Ginny, with her fiery red hair, turned and leaned against Hermione's shoulder, complaining, "I'm getting fed up. When are they going to get here?"

"Weasley!" McGonagall hissed angrily, her gaze immediately snapping toward Ginny.

Before Ginny could straighten up, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that something was stirring in the Black Lake.

Suddenly, a section of the water surged upward.

A loud, strange sound drifted over from the darkness.

Massive splashes erupted from the water's surface, and waves crashed against the damp shores—then, right in the center of the lake, a gigantic whirlpool appeared.

Within that vortex, a sharp horn pierced through the water!

A colossal creature burst forth, tilting and towering like an enormous whale emerging from the sea, before crashing back down onto the surface, sending water shooting skyward!

The enormous splash fell like icy rain.

Ginny stared in shock.

A ship, skeletal in appearance, gleamed under the moonlight. Its portholes flickered with a dim, misty light, resembling the eyes of ghosts.

On the ship's raised cross mast stood a man in a coat, wearing a captain's hat.

Dumbledore, standing amidst the crowd, was instantly frozen in place.

"So, you didn't die after all."

After forty-nine years, he was face-to-face once more with Gellert Grindelwald.

But Dumbledore had no time to reminisce, for in the darkness, a searing flame ignited out of thin air.

In the next moment, the blaze rapidly expanded, surging skyward and illuminating the entire night!

The flames shot up higher than the castle itself!

The young witches and wizards of Hogwarts were startled by the sudden turn of events and took a few steps back in alarm.

But a few bolder students stared intently at the flames.

"There are several shadows in the fire!"

A student shouted in excitement.

In the next moment, the massive heads of two dragons—one black, one white—broke through the flames. The dragons spiraled upwards, soaring from the fire into the clouds!

The flames parted, splitting like waves being pushed aside.

A powerful gust of wind blew against the students' robes, forcing them to bow their heads and hold onto their wizard hats to keep them from flying off.

Yet, even with all this, no one could tear their eyes away from the two dragons.

With mouths agape, they watched as the dragons, pulling a golden carriage, circled the castle and left trails of flame in their wake.

Eventually, the carriage descended and landed on the shores of the Black Lake.

The dragons lowered their heads, and the door of the luxurious carriage swung open.

Then, under the silvery moonlight, a handsome wizard stepped out.

Ginny's eyes widened, and she nearly jumped in surprise.

"Cyrus?!"

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