novelcrest Chapter 459 Autumn - Zhang's Troubles
Chapter 459 Autumn - Zhang's Troubles
Chapter 459 Autumn - Zhang's Troubles
The group entered the small room, and the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind them.
The walls around the room were covered with portraits of wizards, the figures in the paintings with different expressions, seemingly watching each person who walked in quietly.
Directly opposite the door, a stove was burning brightly, with red-orange flames dancing.
The three warriors from before—Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour—were standing around the fire.
Against the backdrop of the flames, the three figures made a particularly strong impression.
Krum leaned against the fireplace mantle, hunched over, deep in thought, keeping a slight distance from the other two.
Cedric stood there with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the fire.
As the group entered, Fleur Delacour turned around and tossed her cascading silver hair.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Should we go back to the auditorium?"
No one paid her any attention, because they didn't know how to explain such a bizarre thing.
So everyone went to the side of their respective school.
Immediately afterward, a series of hurried footsteps sounded behind him, and a large group of people rushed in: Professor Dumbledore, followed by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Professor Phillips, Mrs. Maxim, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have something to announce here."
"In this competition, each of the three magic schools will send three students to participate."
After the words were spoken, the three warriors from before had different expressions.
Only they in the room were unaware of what had just happened—now they understood why it had taken so long for someone to come in—and why they had two more classmates with them.
Even so, some people still raised questions.
"Is something wrong?" Furong frowned.
However, she was the only one who felt there was a problem.
When Krum saw Irene and Cedric saw Cho Chang appear, their initial doubts vanished instantly.
This is a good arrangement for them, isn't it?
Seeing that the other two did not agree with her, Fleur was a little angry, but Mrs. Maxim quickly comforted her.
"Don't worry too much, Furong, we've already discussed it outside."
Furong nodded slightly, pursed her lips, and said nothing more.
Following that, Barty Crouch, in accordance with the rules, began to announce the procedures for the Triwizard Tournament in front of everyone.
"The first project will take place on November 24th, and other students and the judging panel will be present to watch."
"The first project will test your courage, so we won't tell you what it is beforehand. Daring to face unknown challenges is one of the most important qualities of a wizard—very important."
He clapped his hands lightly, his gaze serious.
"During the competition, warriors must not ask for or accept any help from any teacher. When facing the first challenge, the only weapon you can rely on is your own wand."
"The warriors will only learn about the details of the second event after the first event is over." He paused, then added, "Given the very high requirements and long duration of the competition, the participating warriors will not participate in this academic year's exams."
This sentence made Harry's eyes light up.
Because of the significant malfunction in the Goblet of Fire this time, he didn't become the target of everyone's criticism as he did in the original story, so his pressure was much less.
In this situation, not having to take the academic year's exams is undoubtedly a comfort, or even a great relief.
If the Triwizard Tournament offered Harry any benefit, aside from the thousand Galleons he didn't need, that was probably the only one.
He even mentioned this point in a letter to Sirius.
Despite this, Harry was still filled with confusion—he hadn't put his name into the Goblet of Fire, so why was his name chosen?
Whenever he thought this way, the confusion in his heart became even stronger.
But when he heard that others had encountered the same situation, his confusion seemed to dissipate.
Anyway, he wasn't the only one who encountered such a bizarre thing, was he?
As Gryffindor's only champion, Harry's return to the common room still elicited a warm response from his classmates.
When the portrait of the Fat Lady was opened, the screams and commotion around him almost made Harry fall over.
Then, a dozen hands suddenly pulled him into the common room, where he was surrounded by all the Gryffindor students, who were screaming, cheering, and whistling.
"You should have told us you signed up!" Fred shouted, his voice a mixture of anger and agitation.
"How did you manage to pass without a beard?" George shouted back.
"I didn't," Harry quickly explained, "I really don't know what happened—" At that moment, Angelina rushed in front of him like a whirlwind, her eyes sparkling: "Oh, even if it wasn't me, you're still a Gryffindor!"
"You can get revenge on Diggory for the last Quidditch match, Harry!" Katie Bell screamed, equally excited as the Gryffindor Chaser.
"We've prepared some food, Harry, come and have some!" A classmate handed him some food.
"I'm not hungry, I ate enough at the party—" Harry said with a wry smile.
But no one was willing to listen to his explanation.
No one listened to him say he wasn't hungry, and no one noticed that he didn't want to celebrate at all.
Everyone was so engrossed in the enthusiastic reaction to his election that it was a great personal achievement for him, while he himself was overwhelmed by the noise of the crowd.
Lee Jordan somehow found a Gryffindor flag and insisted on wrapping it around Harry like a cloak.
Whenever Harry tried to sneak up to the dormitory stairs, a group of people would surround him, forcing him to drink another butterbeer or stuffing some cookies and peanuts into his hands.
Everyone was eager to know how he did it, how he managed to circumvent Dumbledore's age limit and put his name into the Goblet of Fire.
"I don't know," Harry answered again and again. "I really don't know what happened."
However, it seems no one wants to listen to these words.
He ignored everyone's explanation and continued their cheering and speculation as if he hadn't said anything at all.
"I'm tired!" After about half an hour, Harry finally couldn't take it anymore, his voice trembling with excitement. "No, seriously, George—I want to go to bed!"
This same scene is playing out on others as well.
for example-
Cho Chang of Ravenclaw.
When she returned to the common lounge, she received the same "warm welcome" as Harry.
As soon as she entered, she was surrounded by a burst of sharp cheers, as if she had not just gone through the selection stage, but had won the three-way competition.
Before they could even react, the entrance was already packed with enthusiastic students. Although the Ravenclaw students were a bit more restrained compared to the "boiling" atmosphere of Gryffindor, this restraint didn't last long.
As more and more classmates surged forward, Qiu Zhang gradually felt overwhelmed and began to feel breathless.
In the past few years, Ravenclaw has not achieved any remarkable results.
Compared to the "glorious past" of Slytherin or the "rising" of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw's achievements have been unremarkable.
Although Hufflepuff isn't particularly famous, at least they have an upperclassman who occasionally adds some luster to Hufflepuff's reputation.
Ravenclaw has had almost no noteworthy achievements in recent years, apart from Lockhart.
Lockhart, the only "star," is now imprisoned in Azkaban and has become a laughing stock.
Therefore, Cho Chang's appearance on the list of those who won the Goblet of Fire undoubtedly brought Ravenclaw a long-awaited sense of excitement and glory.
This can already be considered a major event in recent years.
"How did you do that, Cho Chang?" Christina Campbell asked excitedly, almost jumping forward, her eyes shining like stars. "Did you do something secretly? I know you must be a genius!"
Cho Chang felt a headache coming on. She forced a smile and said, "I really didn't know that the Goblet of Fire had chosen me. I didn't volunteer."
"Oh, really?" another girl, Lottie Jenkins, chimed in, looking at Qiu with a hint of disbelief. "But how did your name get in there? You were so—"
"What?!" Qiu Zhang's expression changed slightly, interrupting her.
Admittedly, she doesn't like people discussing her personal life, and she dislikes people comparing her to others.
More precisely...
No one likes living in the opinions of others, especially a girl.
Qiu Zhang took a deep breath and explained rather restrainedly, "I don't know what happened either. The Goblet of Fire is clearly malfunctioning." Seemingly to avoid sounding abrupt, she added a joke, "After all, the Goblet of Fire hasn't been used for hundreds of years. Isn't it normal for it to malfunction?"
Even so, the others in Ravenclaw were completely unaware of the awkwardness and unease she was in.
"Do you know what the first project is?" a boy asked eagerly.
Qiu Zhang shook his head. "I don't know either. Just like you guys, we'll only know when the competition starts."
At this moment, several classmates began to excitedly discuss, "Look, the Goblet of Fire is different this time, it actually gave us a chance! This is really amazing!" Some people even began to speculate whether she could perform well in the competition and defeat the other contestants.
Qiu Zhang looked up helplessly, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.
Although she disliked the attention focused on her, especially while she was in the middle of this "farce," she genuinely wished she could keep a low profile and continue focusing on her studies and magic practice. However, Ravenclaw hadn't had any significant achievements in many years.
Last year, they almost won the Quidditch Cup, which was almost the best result for Ravenclaw in the last two or three decades. Looking at the excited look on the faces of his classmates, Cho Chang felt a sudden surge of inexplicable sadness.
When did Ravenclaw become so eager for these trivial honors?
The entire academy was so excited for such a small opportunity that it didn't even qualify as an "honor".
Everyone's eyes seemed filled with anticipation for this "glory," so how could I possibly spoil their fun?
Of course, the source of her sorrow was not only this, but also her own.
If she has the strength to win real honors, she might not hesitate to accept all the attention and pressure, and even enjoy it.
The problem is that she knows she doesn't have enough ability to shoulder all of this, and she doesn't even have enough confidence in whether she can successfully complete the competition.
this is the key of the problem.
"Okay, stop asking me," Qiu said softly, a forced smile appearing on her face. "I'm really tired today and want to go upstairs to rest for a bit."
However, her words did not have the desired effect. She had only taken a few steps when another girl stopped her. "Qiu Zhang, wait! You can't walk like that! Everyone wants to hear your opinion on the competition."
Qiu Zhang felt her emotions were about to explode, but she still managed to hold back and nodded with difficulty. "I already said that I would know once the competition starts. Right now, I just want to rest."
Finally, amidst a chorus of reluctant sighs, Qiu Zhang managed to escape and climb the stairs.
Hearing the commotion behind her, she had only one thought in her mind: what should she do?
Among the nine people, no matter how you look at it, she seemed to have absolutely no chance of winning the championship.
She wasn't insecure; rather, she clearly recognized that this was a reality.
First of all, in terms of magical ability, she is a year younger than Cedric and far inferior to the candidates from the other two academies, especially Durmstrang, which is known for producing such students.
Can Hogwarts compare? Absolutely not!
Furthermore, her Quidditch skills, which she was so proud of, were not even defeated by Harry's Gryffindor team. Not to mention that perhaps the outcome of the match was predetermined from the start, and she was merely an observer in this "game".
She couldn't help but wonder, why did she get involved? Why did she have to face such a huge challenge? Why did she have to participate in this "inevitable defeat" competition?
However, gradually, a clear-headed thought rose in her mind: nothing in this world is absolute.
The Great Way is forty-nine, and Heaven evolves into one.
In every situation, there is always a glimmer of hope, however small, it can always be found.
Suddenly, Qiu Zhang's thoughts seemed to have found a breakthrough.
Who taught her that phrase?
Although she is Chinese, her family doesn't often use these obscure and difficult proverbs.
Who else could it be?
By the way—
Professor Phillips.
Qiu Zhang's eyes suddenly lit up.
Now, perhaps only Professor Phillips can help her in her confusion.