The total scores of the champions from each school would determine whether they could claim the Triwizard Cup, but if someone from your own camp performed poorly, there was no need to lose heart and give up—because there were still individual awards.
This way, the competition's basic entertainment value was guaranteed, preventing it from falling apart if a lagging champion decided to throw in the towel.
"But Professor, you haven't said whether you'll participate in the tournament yet!" a student suddenly shouted from the crowd. "I mean the professors' competition!"
"Of course not," Harry said firmly. "We're responsible for scoring the champions, so you don't have to worry about Madame Maxime, Professor Karkaroff, or me making the competition even more intense."
A ripple of laughter spread through the hall.
"By the way, although the three of us won't participate directly in the tournament, as headmasters of each school, we will have an exhibition match—you can look forward to that in advance."
The students immediately buzzed with excitement. After all, dueling spectacles were a human pastime unchanged since ancient times, and the eternal debate over which of the three magical schools was superior was finally going to get a public resolution.
"Anyway, according to Dumbledore, the selector for the champions is an absolutely impartial one, and that is it—the Goblet of Fire."
As he spoke, Harry opened the wooden box and lifted out a roughly carved wooden goblet burning with blue-white flames.
It wasn't exquisite; in fact, the carving was quite crude. Without those blue flames, it would be utterly unremarkable.
"Write your name and school on a piece of parchment, then toss it into this goblet," Harry said, patting the cup for emphasis. "Let me remind you again: only those who meet the requirements can enter. You have twenty-four hours. Tomorrow evening, on Halloween night, the Goblet of Fire will select the names of the eighteen champions it deems most representative of the three schools. From now on, the goblet will be placed in the entrance hall."
"As your headmaster, I must solemnly remind you to take responsibility for your own lives," Harry emphasized tirelessly. "Do not impulsively or recklessly participate just because you're blinded by honor or gold. Once selected by the Goblet of Fire, no matter how difficult the tasks or how many people die, the champion must see the tournament through to the end—or they will pay with their life."
"Submitting the slip itself is equivalent to signing a binding magical contract that must be honored. Even Dumbledore couldn't undo this contract, so don't count on any loopholes."
"I have nothing more to say," Harry said after thinking for a moment to ensure he hadn't missed anything. "Now, let's eat."
The news of the Triwizard Tournament had drawn so many people that some even forgot their hunger, but now it was time to remember.
The Beauxbatons contingent retired to their carriage to rest, while the Durmstrang students returned to their ship.
The next day, Halloween, happened to be a Saturday. Normally, many students would drag themselves to breakfast late on such a day, but today, the entrance hall was already crowded before the sky had fully brightened.
It was almost like some mysterious ritual was underway. Even though many couldn't submit their own names to the Goblet of Fire, they just loved waiting here to watch others do it.
By the time Harry arrived for breakfast, the Durmstrang students had already submitted their entries en masse—after all, those selected by both schools were the elite of their respective institutions.
"Did you enter, Percy?" Standing beside the Goblet of Fire, Harry asked the red-haired boy.
"Yes, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick gave me permission," Percy said with a smile. "They said I have a good shot."
"I think you're excellent too. Good luck," Harry encouraged. "By the way, you and Penelope?"
"Cough cough cough cough!!" At the mention of it, the composed Percy suddenly broke into a coughing fit. He leaned in and whispered, "Don't talk about this out here, Harry. I still need to maintain my dignity in front of the lower-years—Penelope and I are doing great. It's just that she doesn't want to join the Ministry of Magic right after graduation."
Percy and Penelope were in their seventh year now, meaning some of Harry's first batch of apprentices were about to graduate.
"And you want to join the Ministry?" Harry asked. "What does Penelope want to do?"
"Yes, I want to become Minister for Magic," Percy said with a sigh. "As for Penelope, she wants to officially join the Earthen Ring after graduation and spread the ways of shamanism... Actually, I wanted that too, but after trying so many times, I've realized I might really not have the talent for it. The elements don't like me."
"Everyone has their own strengths, Percy. No need to get discouraged over this," Harry consoled. "We're wizards, aren't we? Even if Penelope doesn't join the Ministry, seeing each other won't be hard. Hmm, fighting for your ideals is a good thing too."
"I think that's pretty good too. It's just that Fred and George keep making weird comments," Percy said with a shrug. "Why can't a Weasley become Minister? I originally wanted to go under Mr. Crouch because he's fair, selfless—even Dad praises him as capable and admirable. But Mr. Crouch..."
Sirius's case had still affected Percy to some extent.
"Crouch... I don't actually have any issues with Crouch, and I admire what he's done—standing on impartial ground to deal with his son as a Death Eater," Harry said after thinking. "But Percy, I don't recommend working under him."
"Why?" Percy's eyes widened immediately. "Because of Sirius?"
"Not Sirius. It's because he's a bit... too rigid? Or too arrogant?" Harry pondered. "I don't know if you remember, but last night when I introduced him and Bagman to you all, Bagman greeted you normally, while Crouch acted like he hadn't heard, stone-faced and just sitting there."
"...Yeah, that does ring a bell," Percy said, scratching his head. "It was like that."
"I don't really like people like that," Harry said frankly. "And you—your problem is that you read too many books, Percy. You lack experience dealing with different situations in the real world."
"You're actually the same type as Hermione, and you're even more outstanding than her," Harry said seriously. "You both understand the world through books, but the knowledge in books—uh, I'm not saying it's wrong—but it's often polished or beautified. When you actually graduate and enter society, you'll find that many situations described in books basically never happen."
"You're honest, hardworking, and diligent—these strengths, in some people's eyes, just mean you're easy to bully and exploit. And the position of Minister for Magic, Percy—I can tell you clearly—this isn't a job you achieve through diligence, reliability, and hard work alone."
"Those who become Minister for Magic either possess magical power far beyond ordinary wizards, so even if you don't want it, people will push you into the role, or you need to balance the interests of all sides: pure-blood nobles, Muggle-born wizards, gathering supporters for yourself. Only then can you become Minister through compromises."
As a headmaster giving advice to an outstanding student, Harry was being very thorough.
"Pure-blood nobles," Percy's face darkened. "They've always looked down on our family. I could never side with them."
"Yeah, so your only options are Muggle-born wizards and the non-pure-blood supremacists," Harry said, patting Percy's arm.
"Then if I don't go to the Ministry, where do you suggest I go, Harry?" Percy asked, a bit lost.
"I recommend you wander around outside after graduation," Harry said with a shrug. "Become an adventurer, like in Lockhart's books—of course, don't do the things Lockhart did."
"Of course I wouldn't," Percy said immediately.
"In the process, you'll meet all kinds of people: good ones, bad ones, ordinary ones, disgusting ones... By the time you roughly understand how to handle different people, you should be ready for the Ministry," Harry said seriously. "And it won't take too long—with your smarts, adventuring outside for a year or two at most should do it."
"An adventurer..." Percy murmured. "Mum probably won't be happy. She was against Bill going to Gringotts back then."
"Mrs. Weasley just loves you all too much. She wants to see her children every day, but we all know that's impossible. You'll eventually have your own lives," Harry said calmly. "Don't make your family sad, but don't just obey them blindly either. Chicks have to leave the nest to grow."
"...I understand," Percy said, taking a deep breath as if resolving himself. He suddenly added, "Then this way, I could be with Penelope again? She's joining the Earthen Ring, right?"
"Not yet, but after she graduates this year, she will. I need her as a shaman priestess representative to travel to Ministries of Magic around the world and help them quell elemental disasters—wait, what do you mean 'be with her again'?"
"If you're thinking of breaking up because Penelope won't join you at the Ministry, then you're about to find out how hard my fist is," Harry said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes, flexing his right hand. "I still remember how you got together with Penelope. If you break up for some other reason, I could accept it, but this..."
"Of course not!" Percy's face turned beet red as he stammered, "I mean I can go with her around the world! That's adventuring too, right? Then she won't have to rush back to Britain to see me—we'd see each other every day!"
"Hmm, you'd better mean that," Harry huffed.
As a mentor, he had to look out for his apprentice's romance. Penelope had poured her heart into Percy, and two people in love deserved a happy ending. Harry loved seeing that.
"Good morning, Headmaster Potter."
Just as Harry was advising Percy, a group from Beauxbatons pushed open the doors and entered. The girl named Fleur walked straight over and greeted Harry.
"Good morning, Fleur," Harry said politely. "I hope Hogwarts' food is still to your taste?"
"Quite good," Fleur said with a smile. "Especially that French fish stew—I liked it a lot."
"That's good news for our house-elves," Harry laughed. "To welcome our far-traveled guests, they learned many new dishes in advance."
"They're so diligent, unlike Beauxbatons' house-elves, who always serve the same things," Fleur said in mock complaint.
"Actually, Hogwarts is the same," Percy suddenly interjected. "If not for this Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts' menu wouldn't change in seven years."
As a Gryffindor—especially as the brother of the troublesome twins Fred and George—Percy always kept a high level of vigilance toward his siblings, which was how he knew about Fred and George's new plan from last night.
So, as a Hogwarts student, as Hermione's friend and senior, he felt he couldn't let Harry and this French woman keep chatting—she was really beautiful. Honestly, from the moment Fleur started walking over, Percy had wanted to interrupt, but the instant he saw her face, he froze.
That freeze cost him a bit of time.
"Then I won't disturb you further. Can you wish me to become Beauxbatons' champion, Headmaster Potter?" Fleur said with a pursed-lip smile. "I'm your loyal admirer. I think your blessing will work."
"You will become Beauxbatons' champion," Harry said sincerely. "Madame Maxime told me how excellent and smart you are."
"And how beautiful?" Fleur tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, an action that made many students sneaking glances suck in a breath.
There was a captivating charm to it—this move really suited her.
"...Yes," Harry couldn't help but stun for a moment at the stunning sight. "Indeed beautiful, but—"
"I inherited my grandmother's Veela blood, and I never hide it," Fleur said with a carefree flick of her hair. "I hope you don't discriminate against those with magical creature heritage."
"Of course not," Harry shook his head. "Only livestock and pets are divided by bloodlines. Humans don't need that."
"Thank you," Fleur blinked. "I knew you were different from ordinary people."
"Cough cough, cough cough cough!" Percy started coughing loudly. He felt he had to do something.
For his friend! For Hogwarts!!