Chapter 20: The Goblet of Fire Opens
The tables in the auditorium were magically stretched, and students from the four schools were arranged in the bench areas of the four branches.
The students of Ilvermorny in the United States were assigned to Gryffindor, Beauxbatons to Ravenclaw, Nagud Inafer to Hufflepuff, and Slytherin to Durmstrang - much to the envy of the students in the other branches, and almost all of the students were focused on Krum. Draco and the rest of the Slytherin team were even more eager to put it up.
When Krum heard that Draco was also a chaser, he softened his attitude. The two also talked and laughed a few words, and they were even more envious of the people in the other branches.
The attention to Durmstrang continued until the girls of Beauxbatons took off their veils.
"Oh my God!" The screams of the boys rang out in the auditorium, and Daphne's eyes lit up.
The clouds want to dress and the flowers want to look, and the spring breeze blows Revlon. If it weren't for the jade mountain, it would meet Yaotai under the moon.
Daphany couldn't help but think of Li Bai's poem. Once, Daphine thought, what kind of grace it must be to make His Excellency Shixian write such beautiful sentences. At this time, seeing Fleur taking off the scarf, Daphany suddenly seemed to understand.
There is such a stunning color in the world!
No need for an introduction, Daphany can confirm at a glance that it's Fleur!
The long silver hair reflects a little bit of light under the light of the auditorium, and the clear blue eyes like the Aegean Sea contain endless secrets that countless men are willing to explore with their lives. Her skin was radiant and delicate, even faintly glowing like moonlight, her nose, her rosy lips and a mouthful of white teeth that showed out after her cherry lips were gently opened, everything was perfect.
If there is something wrong with her, it is her temperament. She has a cold, unapproachable feeling. But this feeling faintly provokes the men's desire to conquer.
In the hall, at least two dozen boys lost their minds at the sight of her face.
However, this stunning beauty, who caused many boys to lose their minds, seemed to be looking for something after taking off the veil, looking for it among people. It was clear from her gaze that she was looking among the crowds of Slytherin.
Who is she looking for? Countless people thought so, including Daphany. Until the eyes of the two met at a certain moment, Fleur's eyes immediately flashed with a dazzling look.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and Fleur withdrew her gaze and turned sideways to say something to another woman beside her.
Only then did Daphine notice that there was a big beauty sitting next to Fleur. That beauty is obviously also a student, and her dazzling blonde hair echoes the silver hair of Fleur next to her. She is also extremely beautiful, but she is obviously inferior to Fleur by more than one point. Therefore, before this, everyone only noticed Fleur, but few people noticed her.
I don't know what Fleur and the blonde girl said, but the blonde girl also looked at Daphany and smiled slightly. Nodding to Daphany, who was also looking at her. Daphine was inexplicable, so she had to bow her head slightly.
The girl didn't say anything else, but smiled and said something to Fleur. During this time, Fleur also looked towards Daphany from time to time.
"Cousin, those two beautiful sisters have been watching you!" Draco noticed all of this and couldn't help but say to Daphany. Pansy next to him kept pinching him, and he couldn't take care of it.
Daphine was about to say something, and Dumbledore on the podium got up. The rostrum had been magically magical, and it didn't seem to increase in length, but it still didn't look crowded at all with seven more people, and there were even two empty seats.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and ...... Especially...... Distinguished guests," Dumbledore said, smiling at the foreign students, "it is with great joy that I welcome you to Hogwarts. I hope and believe that you will feel comfortable and happy here. ”
At the Ravenclaw table, Fleur had withdrawn her gaze from Daphine, looking around at the castle. Although the castle has been thoroughly cleaned and maintained in the past few days, Fleur's eyes are still full of disapproval. At this time, he chuckled when he heard Dumbledore's words, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but hook up a mocking smile.
To say that Fleur's voice is not loud, it can't be spread far in the auditorium of Nuoda. But at this time, too many people were staring at her, so many people saw it. Like Hermione from Gryffindor, or Daphne from Daphne's side.
Daphne's appearance is also extremely beautiful, and it gets more and more so as she gets older. Although Daphne is reluctant to admit it, in fact, Daphne's current beauty is indeed hidden above her. Pansy, Daphne and Pettier are considered the four prettiest girls in fourth grade! Daphine's appearance is not much different, but it is too strong to pay attention to her face.
Daphne was so confident in her looks that she was only half a point behind Pansy in the entire house. But as soon as Fleur came out, she immediately pressed everyone down. I was already unhappy, but when I saw Furong's performance at this time, I suddenly said sourly: "Is there anyone forcing you to stay!" "Obviously very angry.
Dumbledore didn't know whether he didn't notice or didn't care, and continued to smile and said, "The tournament will officially start at the end of the banquet. I now invite everyone to eat and drink as if they were in your own home! ”
The plates on the long table were again piled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen were clearly pulling out all the stops. The dishes were much more plentiful than usual, and they were presented in front of the students in a variety of ways. In the past, there were many international cuisines, but they were mainly simple foods such as grilled chicken, grilled meat, and toasted bread. At this time, it is mostly exquisite and complex foreign cuisine. Wonderful Pen Court
Dumbledore's left and right, which were supposed to be Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, were replaced by the heads of the four guest houses. At this time, on the left and right were Karkarov and Madame Maxim. After Dumbledore sat down, Karkaroff leaned over, not knowing what he was talking to Dumbledore. Not only him, but also several other principals frequently exchanged things with each other.
Daphany took a few bites when she saw two men enter the auditorium. But it was Ludo Buckman and Barty Crouch who sat in the empty seats they had been in.
"Huh? Is it Buckman in the Division of Physical Education and Crouch in the Division of International Communications? Draco had a German sausage in his mouth.
"The tournament is also an international sporting event, and these two people should be in charge of organizing it." Pansy took a piece of sweet and sour ribs in her mouth, glanced at her and replied vaguely.
When the golden plates were scrubbed again, Dumbledore stood up again. An emotion of excitement and nervousness seemed to permeate the auditorium. Even Daphne felt a burst of excitement, and Draco, who was not far away, trembled with excitement. The other students were staring at Dumbledore intently.
"The time has finally come," Dumbledore said, smiling at the raised faces, "the top three...... Oh no, it should be the Big Five Tournament that is about to begin! I'd like to explain a few words before I bring the box in......"
"Bring what in?" Pansy asked in a whisper.
Draco shrugged his shoulders, apparently she didn't know either.
"I'd like to explain our program for this school year. But first, allow me to introduce two guests, because there may be people who don't know them, this is Mr. Barty Crouch, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic" Dumbledore waited for a moment, and the auditorium burst into sparse applause: "This is Mr. Ludo Bagman, Director of the Department of Physical Education at the Ministry of Magic. ”
The applause given to Buckman was a little more enthusiastic than Crouch's. This was originally a very powerful Quidditch player, and although he has been retired for many years, many students who have watched the review of past competitions still recognize him. Of course, compared to Crouch with a straight face, the smiling Buckman is more popular.
Buckman was visibly happy and waved at the students.
Crouch was expressionless, without any intention of interacting. Strangely, he did not wear a magic robe, but passed on an elegant gown robe. As meticulous as she had seen during the World Cup.
"Over the past few months, Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly to arrange the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will form a panel of judges, along with me and the other four Regents of the Academy, to judge the Warriors' efforts and performances. ”
At the sight of the word "warrior", the students seemed to be more attentive, whether they were from Hogwarts or other houses. Dumbledore also seemed to notice their sudden silence, only to see him smile and say, "Mr. Filch, please bring the box." ”
Not a single student, including Dafanie, noticed that Filch had been standing in the corner of the auditorium. Hearing Dumbledore's call, he immediately walked out of the corner, still touching a large wooden box inlaid with jewels.
The box looked very old, but it was obviously not easy to take it out at this point. The students were very interested and chattering with great interest. There were even a few students who were small and couldn't see them, and they stood on the chairs.
"The specific items of this year's Warriors' game have been carefully reviewed by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Buckman!" Dumbledore said as he motioned for Filch to carefully place the box on the table in front of him, "They also carefully prepared each project. There are five events in the competition, which take place at different times throughout the school year. They will test the warriors in many different ways! It's not just magical talent, it's all about other things, but I can't reveal too much here. ”
"Five?" Daphany was stunned, and many of the other students were surprised by the fact that they were familiar with the tournament. Because the previous tournaments were all three events. But when you think about it, the Warriors have grown from three to ten, so it's not surprising that there are more projects!
The students knew that Dumbledore was about to get to the point, so they fell silent after a brief discussion.
"As you all know, this tournament will have an unprecedented 10 warriors in the tournament." Dumbledore continued to smile as he said, "There will be two students from each house who can represent their school. They will be graded based on the quality of their respective projects. After five events, the final winner will be the overall winner! There will be supreme glory, and this glory will be recorded in the annals of history. And the one in charge of selecting the warriors is the most impartial selector! ”
Dumbledore said, pulling out his wand and striking it three times on the lid of the box. The lid slowly creaked open. Dumbledore reached in and pulled out a large, rough-cut wooden goblet. The cup itself is unremarkable, but the inside is full of dancing blue-white flames.
Dumbledore closed the box and placed the cup on the lid so that everyone in the auditorium could see it clearly.
"This is our picker, the Goblet of Fire! Every student who wants to participate must write his name and school on a piece of parchment and throw it into this goblet! Dumbledore said, "The delivery time is until eight o'clock on Sunday evening, so everyone has a whole weekend to do this." We will conclude the auditions next Monday night, which is the Halloween party. At that time, the Goblet of Fire will select the names of the ten students it thinks best represent the five schools. Starting tonight, goblets will be placed in the foyer. It will be accessible to all students who are willing to participate in the campaign. ”
"As you know, there is a new age limit for this tournament. In order to avoid the temptation of students who are not old enough," Dumbledore continued, "and when the goblet is placed in the foyer, I and several other Headmasters will draw an age line around it. No one under the age of 17 can cross this line. ”
"Finally, I would like to remind everyone who is going to participate in the election to pay attention to the fact that this competition is not a child's play, and you must not participate in it recklessly. Once the Warrior is selected by the Goblet of Fire, he must hold the game to the end. Whoever throws his name into the cup actually forms a magical contract that must be observed. Once you become a warrior, you are not allowed to change your mind. So, think twice and find out that you really want to participate in the competition before throwing your name into the cup. Okay, I think it's time for everyone to go to bed. Good night to all. ”
"Age cut-off? What is that? Draco asked, a little puzzled.
"I don't know!" Daphany smiled and shook her head, "But I'll find out soon." ”