The final piece of news left the entire Great Hall in stunned silence.
Until one voice cried out in disbelief.
"You must be joking, Professor!"
Fred asked the question everyone wanted to ask, and a ripple of laughter broke out, easing the tension in the Great Hall quite a bit.
Albus Dumbledore wore an appreciative smile.
"I am not joking, Mr Weasley. Though I did just hear a very funny joke about a Troll, a hag, and a Leprechaun who all walked into the same tavern…"
He had only just begun the joke when a soft cough from Professor McGonagall interrupted him.
"Very well, perhaps now is not the time for that," Albus Dumbledore said helplessly. "Let us return to the subject of the Triwizard Tournament. It is a competition with a long history, co-hosted by three European schools of magic: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. Each school will select one contestant through an impartial judge to compete in three magical tasks. Under normal circumstances, it is held every five years."
"However, due to the high casualty rate in the competition, the Triwizard Tournament was discontinued centuries ago. The Ministry of Magic has tried to revive it many times, but without success. This year, the Ministry believes the time is ripe for a new attempt, so the Triwizard Tournament will be relaunched at Hogwarts this year."
"In October, some students from the other two schools will visit Hogwarts and stay for a period of time. I hope you will show them enough warmth and friendliness. Oh, and one more thing: to ensure safety, this revived Triwizard Tournament is only open to students aged seventeen and older. Students who do not meet this requirement will not be considered."
The opening feast for the term ended just like that.
But clearly, having heard such bombshell news, the young Wizards wouldn't settle down so quickly.
They left the Great Hall in excitement, still discussing the Triwizard Tournament with their companions.
"It was discontinued because the casualties were too high—why didn't you notice that Professor Dumbledore said that?"
Unlike Harry and Ron, who were excitedly discussing how to enter, Hermione kept repeating this sentence with a serious expression.
Ron said dismissively,
"Isn't it about to restart now? With so many Professors around, and with Professor Dumbledore watching, there certainly won't be any problems this year."
Harry muttered to himself on the side,
"It's a good thing it wasn't Professor Cavendish who said that."
Both of them shuddered at the thought; they couldn't imagine what the Triwizard Tournament would turn into if Sherlock had said that.
Meanwhile, the Weasley Twins brushed past them, and they heard the two brothers complaining about why Dumbledore had set the age limit at seventeen, as they were still a few months short of qualifying.
However, those two mischievous spirits certainly didn't intend to give up just like that; they seemed to be discussing how to trick the judge and make themselves a few months older.
After Harry and the others returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, the prefect who had taken over for Percy handed them their class schedules for the term. Hermione stared at the new schedule and said happily,
"We have Arithmancy Class tomorrow; I reckon I'll be able to catch the first lesson from Ms Hilke."
Harry and Ron could only look at her with envy.
Arithmancy Class was an elective; neither of them had signed up for it. While Hermione was in Arithmancy Class, they had to attend Trelawney's Divination.
Harry could already foresee that tomorrow she would insist on predicting his doom for the entire lesson before she was satisfied.
Students in the Common Room were still talking about the Triwizard Tournament. Most of the students didn't meet the eligibility requirements, and they didn't have any bold ideas about trying to trick the judges into letting them enter. They were basically just discussing who would represent Hogwarts and what the students from the visiting schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, would be like.
"The headmistress of Beauxbatons is a witch as robust as Hagrid, named Madame Maxime. I've met her once," Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.
Ron looked at him in surprise. "When did you meet her?"
"Have you forgotten? I told you, during the summer after my second year, Professor Cavendish took me on a trip to France, and we toured Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Their school is also built in the mountains, but it's not a castle; it's more like a manor. The scenery inside is beautiful, and there is a huge fountain."
Harry described it to them, and a look of great envy appeared on Hermione's face.
"Did you see the library at Beauxbatons? Is it as well-stocked as Hogwarts'?"
Harry shrugged.
"The Professor and I were there for a trip; why would I go to their school library? But their onion soup in the cafeteria was very good; I had several bowls."
Hermione looked unwilling to accept this, her expression suggesting that if she had gone, she would have emptied out the Beauxbatons school library.
They chatted in the Common Room for a while longer, and soon it was nearly curfew time. Harry and Ron parted ways with Hermione and went back to their respective dormitories.
The rainstorm outside the castle hadn't stopped. After a day of exhausting travel, the students were worn out. Soon, in Harry's dormitory, everyone except himself was breathing steadily, accompanied by Neville's abrupt snoring.
It wasn't that Harry couldn't sleep; he was intentionally waiting for everyone else to be asleep so he could carry out his secret activity.
He pulled the curtains of his bed shut, then sat up and gently touched the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, which was famous throughout the Wizarding World.
A phantom-like, ghostly figure slowly emerged before him.
A beautiful witch with wine-red hair sat at the foot of his bed.
As soon as Lily appeared, she realised the surrounding environment was no longer the Weasley family home.
"Is school back in session today?"
She asked Harry with a gentle smile.
Upon seeing her, Harry naturally relaxed his entire demeanour, though he still complained.
"The rain was too heavy today. When we got off the carriages and returned to the castle, everyone got soaked."
"That's quite normal," Lily recalled with a smile. "Basically, it rains here at Hogwarts every year on the first day of school. I remember one year, your father accidentally slipped in a mud puddle and rolled around in it. He scared Professor McGonagall the moment he entered the castle, as she thought some new kind of Magical Creatures had invaded Hogwarts."