Chapter 116: The Triwizard Tournament
The Sorting Hat fell into a brief silence, one that stretched on for nearly a full minute...
This wasn’t unusual. For students who were difficult to sort, the Sorting Hat often needed extra time to deliberate—or even to consult the student’s own thoughts. Two years ago, during Jon’s Sorting Ceremony, his turn had taken several long seconds as well.
“Gryffindor!” After a full minute, the Sorting Hat finally shouted.
Jon let out a breath of relief...
At least she hadn’t been placed in Hufflepuff. Otherwise, he doubted he’d have a single quiet moment to study all year!
The young girl, however, looked far from pleased. Even when she reached the Gryffindor table and shook hands with Hermione Granger, her face remained sullen.
With the Sorting Ceremony concluded, Professor Dumbledore stood and declared: the feast was officially open!
Jon realized he hadn’t eaten much on the train and was feeling quite hungry.
Now, he wasted no time digging in.
As he dug into a thick steak, he half-listened to Ernie Macmillan boasting nearby:
“This year, Hogwarts will host an incredibly fierce new competition. Straight from inside sources...”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zacharias Smith was talking with Cedric Diggory about the World Cup:
“Ireland’s Seeker, Lynche, is such an idiot—getting tricked the same way twice! Cedric, I swear you’d do better than him. I could even give him a fair match...”
...
When the feast ended, Dumbledore began explaining the school rules to the first-years.
The Forbidden Forest was off-limits to students. Hogsmeade Village was barred to anyone below third year...
Jon suddenly realized he was now in his third year. The Hogsmeade permission slip signed by his parents was sitting safely in his trunk. Which meant... he could finally visit Hogsmeade.
It was the only all-wizarding village in Britain, with a bustling wizarding street.
More importantly, going there meant he could freely connect with the outside world... Perhaps he wouldn’t even need to wait until Christmas to move his plans forward!
As Jon pondered this, the doors to the Great Hall swung open. “Mad-Eye Moody,” who had arrived on the same train as them, stepped inside...
He strode across the hall, exchanged a few words with Dumbledore, then took a vacant seat at the staff table. Pulling out his curved flask, he took a few gulps.
When Dumbledore introduced Moody as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, only Hagrid and Moody himself clapped.
“In the coming months, we shall have the great honor of hosting an event of extraordinary excitement—one that has not been held for over a century. It gives me great pleasure to announce that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year.” Dumbledore resumed the speech he had begun earlier.
“You’re joking, right?” a few stunned students exclaimed.
“Most certainly not!” Dumbledore replied. “But since you bring up jokes, I happen to know a rather amusing one: about a troll, a Hag, and a Leprechaun who all walked into the same pub...”
“Pfft...” Jon clapped a hand over his mouth, stifling his laughter.
It struck him suddenly—just half a year ago, over Christmas, Hagrid, McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick had all walked into Madam Rosmerta’s pub together... Was his Headmaster being slyly mischievous with that joke?
The nearby Hufflepuffs were staring at him curiously.
“Is it really that funny?” Hannah Abbott asked from across the table.
“Nothing...” Jon quickly masked his smile.
When he looked up, he thought he caught Dumbledore’s gaze sweep across his side of the hall.
Of course, it might have just been his imagination.
Professor McGonagall cut in, prompting Dumbledore to continue his explanation of the Triwizard Tournament.
The rules were straightforward: three European wizarding schools—Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang—would each select a single champion. These champions would then compete in three magical tasks.
The ultimate victor would be crowned Triwizard Champion.
Dumbledore also announced that the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would arrive at Hogwarts in October, and that no student under the age of seventeen would be permitted to enter this dangerous competition.
...
Many students looked far from satisfied with that last rule.
Take Zacharias, for example. He shouted angrily, “Why not? I say any student should be allowed to represent Hogwarts—it shouldn’t just come down to age!”
Jon thought that if Zacharias were ever chosen, he’d probably lose his nerve at the very first task—especially if it involved a dragon.
“Cedric... Cedric’s birthday is in September! He’ll be seventeen by then!” someone shouted.
Countless Hufflepuff eyes turned toward Cedric Diggory, who suddenly seemed like the hope of their entire house.
In truth, the pool of potential Triwizard Champions was very narrow... Only seventh-years and a select few sixth-years could even qualify.
And given the proportion of top students at Hogwarts, there really weren’t many truly outstanding candidates to choose from.
Cedric was indeed one of the rare few who fit the bill. It was just unfortunate that at the end of this tournament lay not glory—but death.
When Professor Dumbledore announced the end of the feast, Jon stood and stretched with deliberate laziness.
Following the other Hufflepuffs, he was about to head back to the Hufflepuff common room.
Suddenly, a plump ghost in monk’s robes floated into his path, blocking him.
“What is it, Friar?” Jon asked, startled.
“Jon... Professor Dumbledore asked me to pass on a message,” the Fat Friar whispered. “If you’re not too tired, you should pay a visit to his office. The password is the same as it was at the end of last term.”
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