— — — — — —
Honestly, Dumbledore's blatant little-sister obsession wasn't just shocking to the students— even the professors were struggling to keep a straight face.
They were genuinely worried that the old man might lose his head for a moment, exploit some loophole in the rules… or even outright cheat just to push Ariana straight to the championship.
"You wouldn't let something like that happen, would you?"
Snape glanced at Tom, who was currently holding Daphne's hand and quietly soothing the young lady's nerves. Just looking at him made Snape feel a lot more at ease.
If Hogwarts could only have one person with special privileges, then right now that person could only be Riddle.
And if there were any shady dealings in this tournament, then the one running the shadows would definitely be Riddle.
Snape simply refused to believe Tom would allow Dumbledore to pull some off-the-books trick to sabotage Daphne's chances. If that old man really dared try something like that…
Well, then Snape might start seriously considering his policy plans for when he eventually took over as headmaster.
...
After Ariana entered the small chamber, only the Hogwarts champion remained to be chosen.
The Goblet of Fire flared bright red again. A tongue of flame leapt upward, curling sharply as it spat out the final slip of parchment. Dumbledore caught it neatly, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "Hogwarts' champion… Daphne Greengrass!"
BAM!
The Great Hall erupted into the loudest applause since the selection began. The floating candles trembled slightly from the surge of noise as cheers, clattering chairs, and excited shouts blended together.
Even Gryffindor joined in. Students clapped enthusiastically, and quite a few younger witches and wizards stood on their toes, craning their necks toward the Slytherin table to catch a glimpse of Daphne and offer their congratulations.
For one simple reason: she would be representing Hogwarts.
At this moment, the usual rivalries between houses didn't matter.
Besides, Daphne was fairly popular among the girls. Sure, she could be a little spoiled, but she lived the kind of life countless girls secretly dreamed of. On top of that, she was generous—often inviting friends to enjoy afternoon tea together.
Of course, while applauding, a few people suspected that Tom might have helped Daphne cheat.
But those voices were a minority.
After all, plenty of students had seen how easily Daphne had succeeded in registering that day. Her performance had been clearly stronger than competitors like Cedric.
Meanwhile, Daphne herself finally relaxed. Her eyes sparkled like stars as she jumped up and threw her arms around Tom, planting a kiss on the cheek Fleur hadn't claimed earlier.
Truth be told, she'd been under enormous pressure.
She'd already bragged plenty, and during the summer Tom had put her through brutal training that made her suffer quite a bit. If she hadn't been selected after all that…
She might actually have exploded.
Thankfully, nothing unexpected happened.
The light of the Goblet slowly faded. After hugging Tom and Astoria to celebrate, Daphne bounced happily toward the small chamber.
Only then did everyone belatedly realize something strange about this year's tournament.
Among the champions from the seven participating schools… five were girls.
Still, no one dared underestimate them.
Ariana's backing was ridiculously powerful—so powerful that the other Durmstrang students hadn't even dared to submit their names. Clearly, she wasn't someone you wanted to mess with.
Kamio carried a similar level of intimidation.
As for Fleur and Daphne… both had Tom standing behind them.
A wizard who was unreasonable, shameless, completely without bottom lines—yet powerful enough to stand on equal footing with Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
Looking at it that way, unless the other three champions had some extraordinary hidden cards up their sleeves... They were actually the weaker side.
The students couldn't help sighing in amazement, their anticipation for the upcoming tournament growing even stronger.
---
Meanwhile, Dumbledore had instructed Filch to remove the Goblet of Fire.
And the various headmasters, along with Bagman and Crouch, began to stand.
"Mr. Riddle, you should come along as well."
Dumbledore called out to Tom from across the hall.
Tom nodded, rose from his seat, and followed them into the chamber.
The already small waiting room quickly became cramped with so many people inside. The fire in the hearth flickered, casting shifting shadows across the walls, while the faint scent of dust hung in the air.
"Congratulations," Dumbledore said with a warm smile, looking at the seven champions. His gaze swept across the group before finally settling gently on Ariana.
"You are the most outstanding students chosen by the Goblet of Fire. Over the coming year, you will have many opportunities to prove that the Goblet made the right choice."
He stepped aside slightly.
"And now, Mr. Crouch will give you the necessary instructions."
After Dumbledore finished speaking, Crouch walked forward and stopped beside the fireplace. His face looked flushed and full of energy.
Good news really did brighten a man's spirit, and Crouch was living proof. His political career had reached the peak of his life, and even the son who had once been completely led astray had turned back from the wrong path. True, the boy hadn't exactly become a model citizen, but it was still ten thousand times better than running around with Voldemort. Lately, even the white hairs on Crouch's head seemed to have decreased.
"The first task will test your willpower, your daring, and your courage," Crouch said to the champions.
"Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard. For that reason, I will not reveal the exact nature of the task."
"The event will begin on the second weekend of November. How long it lasts will depend on your performance. The location will be announced at that time by Mr. Riddle, as the task itself was proposed and designed by him."
Every champion immediately turned to look at Tom.
Even Daphne and Fleur looked openly surprised, and Ariana raised an eyebrow. Clearly none of them had heard Tom mention this before.
Tom leaned casually against the wall with his hands in his pockets, smiling faintly and offering no explanation at all.
"So the task was arranged by Riddle…"
In the suddenly quiet room, Grindelwald spoke up. He stood alone in a corner with several meters of empty space around him, a playful smile on his face.
"Riddle, your relationship with certain contestants is rather… close. Surely you won't help them cheat, will you?"
"Rest assured, Mr. Grindelwald," Tom replied solemnly. "I can swear on Ravenclaw's reputation that I will not reveal the contents of the test to anyone."
Dumbledore's mouth twitched slightly.
"Tom," he reminded quietly, "you are in Slytherin…"
"What reputation does Slytherin even have?" Tom shot back.
The question left the entire room in awkward silence.
"Then why Ravenclaw?" Madame Maxime asked curiously. "Why not swear on one of the other founders?"
"Because Ravenclaw is the founder I admire most," the boy said with complete seriousness. "You know, I've always wanted to bring my talents to Ravenclaw House. Unfortunately, Hogwarts doesn't have a transfer window."
After saying that, he glanced at his system panel. Ravenclaw's approval rating had quietly ticked up a few points and now stood at eighty-five.
Women…
Your name is hypocrisy.
Among the seven champions, the three who had no connection with Tom looked at him with suspicion. Daphne, Fleur, and Astoria stared at him with clear resentment. Hozumi Kamio wore the same expression.
You've already… three times, and you still won't tell me anything?
Tom ignored every single one of those looks.
...
After giving a rough explanation of the first task, Dumbledore delivered another piece of good news. All champions were exempt from monthly exams, quarterly exams, and even the final exams at the end of the year.
That did it.
Daphne's eyes widened into perfect circles. She looked even happier than when the Goblet had chosen her.
"I'm sure your classmates are waiting to celebrate with you," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. "You should go back."
After a few more words of encouragement, he dismissed the champions. Then he turned to Tom.
"Tom, would you care to join me for a glass of lemon water? I'd also like to discuss the wizard ranking project with you."
"Don't you want my opinion?" Grindelwald interjected.
Dumbledore ignored him completely.
Tom waved a hand and left the room with Daphne and Fleur. He first escorted Fleur back to the Beauxbatons carriage, then walked Daphne to the Slytherin common room. Only after that did he Apparate away.
Moments later, he appeared in front of the stone gargoyle and entered the headmaster's office.
...
Inside the office, besides Dumbledore, there was also a silent Snape.
Dumbledore conjured three glasses of lemon water along with cakes and pastries on the coffee table.
Snape didn't touch anything and simply stood there. Tom sat down without hesitation and began eating. The selection process had taken quite a while, and he was starting to feel hungry.
"I believe we may have trouble ahead," Dumbledore said slowly, worry hidden beneath his calm voice. "Sybill's gift of prophecy speaks for itself. It's possible that somewhere beyond our sight, Voldemort is already preparing to rise again."
"That wouldn't be surprising," Tom replied. "We've always known he never truly disappeared. What concerns me more is the disaster Sybill mentioned."
Around the room, the portraits of past headmasters opened their eyes one by one, quietly listening to the conversation between the three men.
.
.
.