If Charlie could think of this, Dumbledore naturally could too.
He didn't speak immediately, but stared at the goblet of fire, his eyes deepening.
At the staff table, the expressions of the judges varied.
Ludo Bagman's mouth was wide open; Mr. Crouch frowned, looking very complex; Madam Maxime and Karkaroff were completely stunned.
Just one Charlie was enough of a headache, and now Harry Potter popped up too?
Madam Maxime's face was terrifyingly grim.
Although Harry had no particularly impressive rumors, he was the one who defeated You-Know-Who. That past alone was enough to warrant caution. What if he had some powerful ability?
She now seriously suspected that the British Ministry of Magic wanted to keep the Triwizard Cup at Hogwarts, so they didn't even care about appearances anymore.
Karkaroff and Madam Maxime exchanged glances. His thoughts were basically the same as Madam Maxime's: the local gang was too impolite!
"Professor Dumbledore," Madam Maxime's voice turned cold.
"What exactly is going on?"
"This is absolutely not the doing of Hogwarts or the British Ministry of Magic."
Dumbledore said calmly.
"That's not for you to decide," Madam Maxime's tone was impolite.
Dumbledore nodded.
"Of course. But for now, the process should continue."
He turned and looked towards the Gryffindor long table.
"Harry Potter! Please come up here."
Harry stood frozen, feeling a little lost.
The atmosphere in the Great Hall instantly turned strange.
Except for the Gryffindor students, students from the other three houses stared coldly at Harry, their eyes filled with doubt.
"Why does he get to be a champion?"
"Harry Potter, what despicable methods did he use?"
"Charlie signed up fair and square, we all saw it. But Harry? He has shamed Charlie's glory!"
At this moment, Charlie walked over and squeezed Harry's shoulder.
"Let's go."
He led Harry towards the staff table.
The buzzing in the Great Hall grew louder, and Harry felt the whispers exploding in his ears.
He lowered his head, his steps a bit stiff.
Charlie squeezed his shoulder again.
"Don't be affected. There's no need to stew over something you didn't do."
Harry looked up at Charlie.
Charlie's expression was calm, without doubt or suspicion.
Harry's nose tingled a bit; at least someone was willing to believe him.
Charlie indeed believed Harry hadn't signed up, mainly because he didn't think Harry had the ability to bypass the age line.
The two walked to the staff table.
The smile had vanished from Dumbledore's face. He looked at Harry and Charlie, silent for a few seconds.
"Go to the next room."
Charlie nodded and led Harry towards that door.
The door was pushed open, and the room's temperature was a bit higher than the Great Hall's.
Flames danced in the fireplace, and Krum and Fleur were sitting by the hearth.
Fleur turned her head, saw Charlie and Harry walk in, and her eyes widened slightly.
"Why are there two people?"
Her voice was clearly confused, and she looked at Charlie in surprise.
"Are you bringing a follower to the competition?"
Krum didn't speak, but observed the two, a hint of confusion on his arrogant face.
Charlie shrugged.
"I'm not clear on the specifics, but both of us are champions."
Fleur didn't believe it and thought Charlie was joking.
"Two champions? Are all Hogwarts people so humorous?"
She sneered, her silver hair swaying slightly with her movement.
Krum didn't speak, only frowned as he observed Harry.
At this moment, the room door was pushed open forcefully.
The judges, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape followed Dumbledore in.
Madam Maxime's face was ashen. Her tall body almost touched the ceiling, and every step she took was filled with anger.
"Professor Dumbledore, I need an explanation," her voice was icy.
"Why does Hogwarts have two champions? And both are students under seventeen?"
Karkaroff immediately spoke up, his sharp voice echoing in the room.
"This is too unfair!"
Clearly, both thought Dumbledore had deliberately gone easy on them, allowing them to successfully sign up.
"We demand a new selection!" Madam Maxime slapped the table, making the whole room shake.
Before Dumbledore could speak, Snape's voice came from the corner.
"Don't blame Dumbledore. If anyone's to blame, it's Potter and White." His tone was gloomy.
"They always break school rules, and this time is no exception."
Charlie suddenly turned to look at Snape, his eyes filled with disbelief.
It's fine if you target Harry, but why drag me into it? I thought we were good friends!
Charlie felt betrayed; he even gave him a gift.
Snape noticed Charlie's gaze and turned his head away.
Dumbledore gently raised his hand, signaling for silence.
He turned to Charlie, his blue eyes looking through his half-moon spectacles.
"Charlie, did you put your name into the goblet of fire yourself?"
"Yes, many people saw it at the time." Charlie nodded.
Karkaroff immediately sneered.
"Then you should explain how you got past the age line!"
Charlie glanced at him, his tone flat.
"That should have nothing to do with you."
Before Karkaroff could react, Dumbledore turned to Harry.
"Harry, did you put your name into the goblet of fire yourself?"
"No," Harry immediately shook his head, his voice a little rushed.
"Then did you have an older student sign up for you?"
"No, Professor," Harry's tone was very firm.
"I never even thought about participating in the Triwizard Tournament."
Madam Maxime sneered.
"He's lying."
Professor McGonagall stepped forward abruptly, saying sharply.
"Harry couldn't possibly bypass the age line. We all know he's not Charlie; he doesn't have that ability."
Harry was stunned.
Although Professor McGonagall was willing to believe him, her words sounded strange.
Madam Maxime was relentless.
"What if Dumbledore's age line is flawed? What if he wanted to see these two students participate?"
Professor McGonagall stood her ground against the towering Madam Maxime, her face flushed.
"This is a baseless accusation! You all know Dumbledore would never do such a thing!"
"We don't know that," Madam Maxime's tone grew colder.
Professor McGonagall looked at her furiously.
Karkaroff then turned to Crouch and Bagman.
"How should this matter be handled? The British Ministry of Magic must provide an explanation."
Crouch's face was grim. He stared at the goblet of fire for a few seconds in silence.
"The rules must be followed. Those chosen by the goblet of fire must compete in the Tournament. It is a magically binding contract."
"Impossible, we demand a re-selection!" Karkaroff's voice was sharp.
Madam Maxime immediately echoed.
"Exactly. And Charlie and Harry must be removed, and the age limit strictly enforced!"
Charlie glanced at the two of them. So, they were waiting for him here?
It seemed that if he didn't give them some hope, they wouldn't let Charlie participate.
So Charlie said indifferently.
"Harry and I will both participate. If you can score higher than either of us, you win."
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