Chapter 247: Dumbledore's Miscalculation

Alaric and Hermione left the scene, leaving the young wizards to showcase their own ingenuity.

The next day, Filch had to stay busy, dealing with hundreds of mischievous young wizards causing trouble.

These wizards tried every conceivable method to bypass the age line.

Some used Levitation Charms, while others used flying brooms. However, without exception, they all seemed to crash into an invisible wall and were bounced back.

Yet, no one doubted Alaric's method. Some thought they didn't fly high enough; others believed digging tunnels was more reliable.

Those who insisted on the flying route, after several failures and sending three or four young wizards to Madam Pomfrey, finally realized they needed to fly higher than the ceiling.

So, some went to the roof, directly above the Goblet of Fire.

They found that there were no age restrictions up there—the age line didn't extend that high. So, they began casting spells on the roof, attempting to break in from the top.

Those who wanted to dig tunnels, of course, couldn't dig directly in the hall. 

They calculated the position, went to an adjacent room, found a place without passing people or portraits, and started digging through the floor.

That day, Filch nearly went mad. 

He caught groups of young wizards digging tunnels in the vicinity, not only damaging the floors but also dirtying the corridors and classrooms, forcing him to spend a lot of time cleaning.

Moreover, there were too many young wizards digging tunnels. He caught one group after another. 

The frenzy for becoming a champion rendered detentions ineffective. To make matters worse, some even tried entering from the roof, which was a challenge for a Squib like him.

Eventually, the commotion reached Dumbledore. 

Amused and helpless, Dumbledore had to cast another spell, turning the age line into a circular transparent wall, finally curbing the young wizards' enthusiasm.

After all, a full-circle barrier seemed impossible to bypass.

This uproar finally settled down.

However, by noon that day, another surprise occurred.

Dumbledore suddenly discovered that his age "line" had been violently destroyed.

But when he rushed to the scene, he found no traces of any magic. He couldn't figure out what kind of magic had completely destroyed his magical barrier.

Judging by the traces, it seemed the magical wall had been breached by a powerful physical attack, with almost no defense effect.

But how was that possible? How could someone physically break through such a magical defense?

After all, magic works on rules and concepts. 

Under the same conditions, the impact of physical force on magic is negligible, with very poor results, because no one can fight against the rules; only magic can counter magic.

For example, a Disarming Charm disarms anything deemed a "weapon" held by the target, even a tank, a missile, or an aircraft carrier.

Similarly, only magic and souls can counter the Killing Curse. Even a whale or a dinosaur, without strong magical resistance and a soul, would fall to a single Killing Curse.

So, no matter how Dumbledore thought about it, a physical breach of the wall seemed impossible.

Yet, it happened right before his eyes.

Unable to figure it out, Dumbledore had to reinforce the barrier, increasing its physical defenses before stopping.

In fact, all this was caused by Hermione Granger.

She couldn't modify Dumbledore's spell with her advanced techniques and rune skills like Alaric, nor could she bypass the magical wall with a Confundus Charm.

But she had Animagus.

Now, she could transform into a dragon, possessing great strength and strong magical resistance.

So, when no one was around, she transformed into a dragon in the hall and forcibly broke through Dumbledore's magic with sheer strength, then threw her name into the Goblet of Fire.

Although breaking the wall with brute force was difficult, it became possible with magical resistance.

Especially with a dragon's level of magical resistance.

It's like the wall's defense is 100. 

Although it wasn't designed to block physical attacks, even with 100 strength, pure physical attacks, lacking mystery, have minimal impact on magic. 

So, the damage to the wall is 100 times 0—though in reality, it isn't zero, as pure physical attacks don't exist in a magical world. 

But ordinary physical attacks were virtually ineffective against magical defenses.

But with magical resistance, even if it's 1, it can affect magic. 100 times 1 equals 100, not to mention a dragon's resistance is much more than 1.

So, although Animagus couldn't deceive the magical wall, Dumbledore's magic couldn't stop her. She brazenly broke through and put her name into the Goblet of Fire.

Even Dumbledore didn't expect this, just as he didn't foresee Barty Crouch Jr. infiltrating Hogwarts and helping Harry Potter enter the Goblet of Fire.

His magic stopped underage wizards but didn't prevent name submissions or dragons.

...

That night was the Halloween feast, more importantly, the champion announcement ceremony. All the young wizards gathered early in the Great Hall.

Even Hermione was no exception. Although Alaric assured her that no one was stronger than her, she was still a bit nervous.

When they entered the candlelit hall, it was almost full. 

The Goblet of Fire had been moved, now standing on the teacher's table in front of Dumbledore's empty chair.

Fred and George—clean-shaven again—seemed to have accepted their defeat.

The Halloween feast seemed much longer than usual.

Maybe because it was two days in a row of feasts, Hermione didn't seem to enjoy the elaborate dishes as much as usual. 

The hall was filled with people craning their necks, anxious expressions on every face. 

Everyone was restless, standing up now and then to see if Dumbledore had finished eating.

Hermione was no different, eager to finish her plate and find out who was chosen as the champion, very worried that her name wouldn't be called.

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