Undo Time | ᶜᵉᵈᵐᶦᵒⁿᵉ [EDITED]

5- The Triwizard Tournament

05

Hermione sat down with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. The twins, who sat not too far away from them, whispered excitedly among themselves, evidently hatching a plan to get their names into the tournament. The other two schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, had arrived only mere moments before, and were choosing places to sit. Ron had desperately tried to get Ginny to make space so that Krum might sit near them, however, the Durmstrang students had taken a liking to the Slytherin table, with Krum sitting near Draco Malfoy, of all people. Hermione rolled her eyes as Malfoy gave Harry and Ron a knowing look, silently bragging about having the world famous Seeker of the Bulgarian Quidditch team sitting so close to him. Once their guests had found their seats, with Beauxbatons sitting at the Ravenclaw table, Dumbledore began to speak again.

"Now that you are all settled, I would like to introduce some guests from the Ministry of Magic. First, Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He will be watching the three champions compete during the Triwizard Tournament, as well as ensuring the safety of the competitors and the regulations of the tournament," announced Dumbledore as a plump old man came out and waved to the cheering students. Hermione recognized him from the Quidditch World Cup-- he had stopped by their tent on the campground the night before the match. Fred and George's whispers became more aggravated as Bagman joined the Professors' table.

  "Secondly, I would like to introduce Mr. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. He will be watching over the tournament, and rewarding the winner." The students gasped and started talking excitedly among themselves at Dumbledore's latest announcement. The words "reward" and "galleons" and "fortune" were thrown around by students of all ages, suddenly intrigued by the tournament, no matter if they were allowed to enter or not. Dumbledore held up a hand to silence the students before speaking again. A large chalice with a small blue flame appeared next to Dumbledore.

  "If you don't mind, I'd like to say a few words before the tournament officially begins," He started. All eyes were on Dumbledore now, nobody dared to speak. "I urge any student who puts their name into the Goblet of Fire not to tread lightly. This tournament will test your courage and strength. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. These tasks will push you until you very desperately want to give up, but you mustn't, for when you do, a piece of who you are is lost. All three champions will be chosen for a reason: the cup decides which participant from each school is the most worthy, the most honourable. If you are chosen, you must compete, so once you enter this contest, there is no turning back. To enter the tournament, one must simply write their name and school among a piece of parchment and drop it into the Goblet of Fire." The flame in the Goblet of Fire grew ever so slightly as Dumblefore finished his opening speech. "And finally, a friendly reminder that entry to the Triwizard Tournament is forbidden to anyone under the age of seventeen," Dumbledore said, and with a second wave of his hands, the food appeared on the platters in front of the students, and he walked away from the podium as several students cried in outrage.