The flames turned red once more, and sparks crackled and popped.
A long tongue of fire suddenly shot into the air, producing another piece of parchment.
Dumbledore stiffly reached out to take it; he had just been about to announce the end and take the Goblet of Fire away.
Then, he would have studied it carefully to see if there was any way to break the contract between Ron and the Goblet of Fire, resorting to letting him participate only as a last resort.
Unfortunately, he was a step too late.
The young wizards in the Great Hall had also basically determined who the Goblet of Fire would spit out this time.
Even Ron was breathing rapidly, unsure of his current feelings.
Under everyone's gaze, Dumbledore cleared his throat and announced loudly:
"Ron Weasley!"
There was no applause, only whispers spreading through the Great Hall.
Ron stood up somewhat dazedly and walked into the room behind the staff table.
Once Ron left, the discussions grew even louder.
Some gloated, believing in Ethan's warnings about the danger, convinced that Ron's limited skills would inevitably lead to injury.
Others were jealous, thinking that angering Ethan was the key to becoming a champion in the Triwizard Tournament, regretting not stepping forward themselves so they could have Ron's place.
However, they only thought about it; they lacked the courage, or rather, the brains, to be as 'brave' as Ron.
Inside the room, Ron was also in a daze, leaning against the wall, looking completely lost.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down, the champions of the Triwizard Tournament…"
Before Dumbledore could finish speaking, the Goblet of Fire changed color once again.
The young wizards looked at Dumbledore in surprise. What was going on?
They remembered that Ethan had only put in two pieces of parchment and hadn't touched the Goblet of Fire since. Was someone cheating like Ethan, or was the Goblet of Fire malfunctioning?
Dumbledore habitually caught the parchment that was spat out.
"Harry Potter!"
Even Dumbledore was momentarily stunned.
'Moody, is this you?'
From last night until this morning, the portraits and ghosts, Hogwarts' surveillance system, had reported to him who had touched the Goblet of Fire. Besides a few unskilled young wizards, only Moody had done so.
But this was also good. Voldemort hadn't resurrected yet, so this could give Harry some experience.
As for Harry, sitting in his seat, he was completely dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore had called out his name.
Like with Ron, there was no applause or cheers in the Great Hall, not even from Gryffindor.
Although Harry was the Boy Who Lived, after so many years of being classmates, everyone knew he was just an ordinary young wizard, not even particularly skilled. How could he possibly be qualified to represent Hogwarts as a champion?
He must have used some kind of trick.
"I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't."
However, few students believed him. Only Neville comforted him briefly and told him to go to the room.
The sound of Harry pushing open the door startled Ethan and the others.
"Harry, why are you here? Were we called out?"
Ron asked, snapping out of his daze.
Since Peter's escape, Harry and he had fallen out. Ron had tried several ways to mend their relationship, but to no avail. Now, he still wanted to try again.
"No, I was chosen too."
Harry was still in a state of shock.
"Ethan, did you add my name?"
Harry looked at Ethan, certain that he hadn't signed up.
Among the young wizards, only Ethan could have done this.
But it shouldn't be!
Ethan had no reason to do so.
"No, after adding my and Ron's names, I haven't touched the Goblet of Fire," Ethan explained, shaking his head.
From the moment Moody entered Hogwarts and habitually took a few swigs of his drink, Ethan knew that Harry couldn't escape this Triwizard Tournament.
"Then who was it?"
Harry looked blankly at the ceiling.
According to Ethan, Fred, and George, the Triwizard Tournament was dangerous. Was this meant to make him famous or to harm him in the Triwizard Tournament?
Ethan reminded him, "Think about your background. Who is most hostile to you? You'll know the answer."
"He's back!"
Harry's eyes widened instantly.
Besides Voldemort and his Death Eaters, who else would target him?
Harry had told Sirius about Voldemort's survival and the existence of a remnant soul. Sirius had analyzed it for him and told him that Voldemort would return one day.
"Harry, Ethan must have added you! Look at me; you'll understand," Ron said loudly, with renewed jealousy, as he watched Harry ignore him and talk to Ethan.
He used to be the one discussing these issues with Harry!
Ethan glanced at Ron, and then Ron was hanging upside down, constantly vomiting large slugs. The slugs didn't fall to the ground as they normally would but instead crawled along Ron's head and over his body.
Fleur turned her head away with disgust.
Krum frowned even more deeply. This was wandless, nonverbal magic!
Harry was still immersed in thoughts of who was harming him and where they were, completely unaware of the changes in the room.
The atmosphere in the room was strange, and the atmosphere in the Great Hall was even more bizarre.
Everyone was looking at the pieces of parchment in Dumbledore's hand.
These were all spat out by the Goblet of Fire just now, several at once, silencing even Dumbledore.
To the point where he didn't know what to do after holding them.
Chapter 254: Snot-for-Brains Nickname Changes Hands
Karkaroff and Madame Maxime frowned at Dumbledore, their expressions suggesting they'd be yelling if the occasion wasn't so formal.
Ludo, another judge, wore a cheerful, expectant expression, knowing that his boss, Ethan, wouldn't let him down and would always come up with something new. It was just hard to set the odds!
Everyone knew that if they were betting on the Triwizard Tournament, they would bet on Ethan to win. He didn't have the ability to influence the Boss's ideas, so he might as well just watch the show.
As for Barty Crouch, he maintained his gloomy demeanor, unchanged from beginning to end.
"How many champions is Hogwarts planning to have?"
"Or has the Triwizard Tournament come up with new rules, allowing the host to send multiple champions to participate together?"
Karkaroff was the first to attack, but he managed to restrain himself somewhat.
Ethan's participation against the rules already made him very unhappy. If he could, he would have withdrawn and returned to Durmstrang with his students.
Unfortunately, being chosen by the Goblet of Fire meant he was bound by a contract and had to participate whether he wanted to or not.
The subsequent selections of Ron and Harry, giving Hogwarts three champions, still raised objections, but it wasn't entirely unacceptable. He could always talk to Dumbledore later.
After all, those two were just extras; not every fourth-year student was an Ethan Adrien.
But now, with another batch of Hogwarts champions, it was a bit too much.
It was as if he and Madame Maxime weren't even being treated like people.
If they could still tolerate this, they'd probably be getting shit on when the Triwizard Tournament officially started.
"This selection of Triwizard Tournament champions doesn't count. So many champions from Hogwarts isn't fair to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."
"What do you say, Mr. Crouch!"
Madame Maxime naturally sided with Karkaroff.
And she pulled Barty Crouch into the fray.
As the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Barty Crouch's presence at the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts was not just as a judge, but also to handle hospitality and resolve any potential conflicts.
"This indeed violates the rules!"
Although Barty Crouch was part of the British Ministry of Magic, he wasn't going to lean too far in one direction.
If it were just Ethan alone, although it also violated the rules, it wasn't impossible to smooth things over. But this was indeed excessive.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"The Goblet of Fire has already made its choice. If you can dissolve the contracts within, I have nothing to say."
Dumbledore also gave up, saying it had nothing to do with him.
He hadn't done anything except set up anti-cheating charms from start to finish. Now the blame was all directed at him?
If they had the ability, they should go to the hut behind and find the culprit.
What kind of ability was it to make things difficult for an old man over a hundred years old?
After hearing Dumbledore's words, Karkaroff and Madame Maxime fell silent.
The Triwizard Tournament contract wasn't that easy to dissolve. It was a contract spell set up centuries ago by the most famous wizards using Merlin's relics.
Over the years, many people had studied the Goblet of Fire and the spells within, but no one had figured it out, let alone dissolved it in a short period of time.
At least the two of them had no hope at all. Dumbledore might have had a chance, but he wasn't worth their trust at all.
Before dissolving the contract magic within the Goblet of Fire, they had to participate in the Triwizard Tournament according to the rules.
If they didn't participate, they would be treated as cowards opposed to the champions.
And according to the effect of the contract, cowards were not worthy of being wizards. At that time, the coward's magic would gradually wither until they completely lost the ability to cast spells.
This was equivalent to directly crippling a wizard, a loss that no one could bear.
This was the main reason why they hadn't withdrawn.
Also, even if they wanted to start over and re-select champions at this moment, it wouldn't work.
That was for the next tournament.
"Durmstrang will never participate in the next tournament."
"We held so many meetings, went through so many negotiations and consultations, but I didn't expect such a thing to happen! I feel like leaving right now!"
Dumbledore gave up, and Karkaroff couldn't bear it anymore.
"Beauxbatons will not participate in the next tournament either."
"Since you are so undisciplined, only Hogwarts can select champions in the future, and the champion is also yours. Isn't that great?"
Madame Maxime also sneered. Was there any need to participate in such a Triwizard Tournament?
A roaring voice directly interrupted!
"Alright, let's talk about the next tournament next time!"
"The champions selected this time must participate. They are bound by a magical contract!"
Moody entered, and he wouldn't allow his plan to be ruined.
As for the next tournament, that had nothing to do with him.
"Let's calm down first. How about we first take a look at whose names are written on these parchments?"
Ludo, seeing that these people were about to erupt, immediately stepped forward to smooth things over.
