Despite Fred and George grabbing Eda immediately, they had no idea why she was upset.
Was it because Fleur was so indifferent toward someone who cared about her, liked her, and worried about her? Or was it because that hopeless simp happened to be Eda's cousin?
Truthfully, Eda herself wasn't sure why she was angry. Maybe it really was because Hector had looked far too pathetic just now.
Under the twins' soothing efforts, Eda sat back down in her chair and resumed stuffing herself with food in a huff.
Gryffindor's resident hamster was back online. Across from her, Lee Jordan looked dejected, all the swagger from moments ago gone.
These days, even simps were caught up in competition. Lee Jordan felt that finding a girlfriend before graduation was probably hopeless, and he very much wanted to cry... In the end, like Eda, he could only channel his sorrow into eating.
When the golden plates had once again become spotless, Dumbledore rose to his feet. A mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation seemed to spread throughout the Great Hall.
Everyone knew that the most thrilling moment of the evening was about to begin.
Dumbledore first introduced Bartemius Crouch, head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and then Ludo Bagman, head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Only afterward did he begin explaining the Triwizard Tournament.
Caretaker Argus Filch carried in a large wooden chest encrusted with jewels. The chest looked very old. Filch carefully placed it on the table in front of Dumbledore.
As Dumbledore explained, the students learned that the Triwizard Tournament consisted of three dangerous tasks. These tasks existed to test the champions' courage, reasoning ability, and their ability to deal with difficulties and dangers.
The Great Hall fell completely silent, as if everyone had stopped breathing. Three tasks. Dangerous. Difficult. Those words weighed heavily on the students' hearts.
No wonder the tournament had been discontinued for so many years. No wonder Dumbledore had imposed an age restriction.
People who lacked the necessary ability truly could not participate. They might even lose their lives.
Each school would select one student to serve as its champion and represent the school in the Triwizard Tournament. The selection would not be made by people, but by a magical artifact known as the Goblet of Fire.
A panel of judges would score each champion based on their performance in every task. The highest scorer would win the trophy and bring glory back to their school.
Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped the chest three times. The lid slowly opened.
Inside was a large wooden goblet, crudely carved and entirely unremarkable. If someone tossed it onto the street, nobody would bother picking it up. Yet blue flames danced within it.
"Any student who wishes to enter," Dumbledore said, "must place their name and school into this goblet. On Halloween night, which is tomorrow evening, the Goblet of Fire will select three students to become champions and represent the three schools in pursuit of the highest honor."
Although the registration period was less than twenty-four hours, everyone had known since the beginning of the school year that the Triwizard Tournament would be held.
Those who intended to enter had long since made up their minds. All they needed to do was submit their names within those twenty-four hours.
"To prevent underage students from giving in to temptation," Dumbledore continued, "once the Goblet is placed in the Entrance Hall, I will draw an Age Line around it. Anyone under the age of seventeen will be unable to cross that line."
Drawing a circle around the Goblet of Fire...
The phrase sounded strangely familiar to Eda. She felt as though she had heard a similar story when she was little.
Though in that story, the circle hadn't been drawn by a white-bearded old man, but by a monkey. And that monkey had been ridiculously good at fighting.
"Finally," Dumbledore said, "I would like to remind every student considering entering that the Triwizard Tournament is not a game. Once you are selected as a champion, you cannot change your mind. You will be bound by a magical contract. Therefore, think very carefully before entering."
He paused before adding his final warning.
"The tournament is genuinely dangerous. You may suffer very serious injuries."
As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, the quiet Great Hall immediately erupted into a buzzing wave of conversation.
Many people wanted to enter because of the glory and the prize of one thousand Galleons, but the dangerous nature of the tasks made them hesitate.
"The Age Line!" Fred exclaimed, his eyes shining. "Then this will be easy. An Aging Potion will definitely fool it! As long as your name gets into that goblet, the rest is up to the goblet!"
Eda tactfully advised, "You still haven't given up on that unrealistic idea? Honestly, compared to an Aging Potion, I think you'd have better odds crumpling up a piece of paper with your name on it and throwing it in from a distance."
"Why didn't I think of that?" George said, suddenly enlightened. "That's a brilliant idea. Fred, we'll do both. If the Aging Potion fails, we'll try Eda's method."
No, absolutely not. Please don't. I was just talking. Don't take me seriously.
The last person who took something I casually said seriously has probably starved to death by now...
Eda kept that complaint to herself, but she still made one final attempt to discourage the twins.
"Didn't you see the fire in the Goblet? That's magical fire."
"So what?" Fred replied indifferently. Then he suddenly remembered the flames Eda could produce. "Wait, surely it isn't that blac..."
Fred hurriedly shut his mouth.
George also nodded. "I don't think so either. That would be way too dangerous!"
"True, it isn't the same kind of fire, but do you really think that magical flame can only choose people?" Eda patiently tried to persuade them. "That blue-white magical fire is obviously no ordinary thing. I have a feeling your plan is going to get you hurt."
"Shut up. Don't you know you're always a jinx? The good things never come true, but the bad ones always do. Stop saying stuff like that." Fred slapped a hand over Eda's mouth.
George added, "Just wait and see. The two of us are definitely getting our names into the Goblet of Fire. And we're definitely going to be perfectly fine."
With that, Fred and George slipped out of the castle.
That night, neither of them returned to the Gryffindor common room.
The next day was Saturday. Normally, students would sleep in and have breakfast late. Yet that morning, the Great Hall was already packed. Everyone was carefully studying the Goblet of Fire, waiting for someone to put their name into it.
Although it was still early, several students had already submitted their names. The Durmstrang students had entered the most names, while at Hogwarts only Slytherin's Warrington had put his name in so far.
As everyone whispered among themselves, Fred and George burst into the Great Hall with extremely excited expressions. Lee Jordan followed close behind them.
"It worked," Fred whispered smugly to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who had just entered as well. "We just drank it."
"What?" Ron asked.
"The Aging Potion, you idiot little brother," Fred said.
"One drop each," George said happily, rubbing his hands together. "We only need to age a few months."
"I don't think this is necessarily going to work. Didn't Eda warn you?" Hermione reminded them. "I'm sure Dumbledore thought of that. There's no way an immature trick like an Aging Potion could fool him."
The twins moved to Hermione's side.
"No, no," Fred said. "That's the brilliant part. Dumbledore is too smart."
George continued, "And when you're dealing with someone that smart, the more childish the trick, the better it works."
After saying that, the twins walked to within a step of the golden Age Line. Each of them took out a slip of paper bearing their name and school.
"Ready, George?"
"Ready, Fred?"
They spoke at the same time.
Then, under the watchful gaze of every eye in the Entrance Hall, they took a deep breath and stepped over the Age Line Dumbledore had drawn.
For an instant, everyone thought Fred and George had succeeded.
The twins thought so too.
They hugged each other in celebration as though they had just won the Quidditch World Cup for England.
Lee Jordan was excited as well. He was about to jump in himself.
Before he could move, however, a loud hissing sound filled the hall.
The situation changed instantly.
The twins were violently hurled back out of the golden circle.
Lee Jordan immediately calmed down and pulled back the left leg he had already extended.
Having been thrown nearly ten feet, the twins lay painfully on the floor. Identical long white beards had suddenly sprouted from their chins, making them look decades older. It was the first time either of them had seen what the other might look like in old age.
The Entrance Hall erupted in laughter.
Even Fred and George, after climbing to their feet and seeing each other's white beards, burst out laughing.
"I did warn you," Dumbledore said with a smile as he walked in and stopped beside the twins, looking as though he wanted to compare beard lengths with them.
His eyes twinkled as he continued, "I suggest both of you visit Madam Pomfrey. You are not the first students to use Aging Potions. But I will say this: their beards were nowhere near as magnificent as yours."
At that moment, Eda entered the Entrance Hall with Angelina and Alicia. One glance was enough for her to spot the elderly version of the twins.
Her expression became very strange.
Half of her wanted to laugh.
The other half was desperately trying not to.
Without saying a word, Eda and Lee Jordan silently helped the elderly twins to their feet and escorted them toward the hospital wing.
Encouraged by her friend Alicia, Angelina walked up to the Goblet of Fire and submitted her name.
Like Eda, Angelina had celebrated her birthday only the previous week and had just turned seventeen.
At last, Gryffindor had someone entering the competition.
The Entrance Hall erupted in enthusiastic applause. The Gryffindor lions in particular clapped until their palms turned red.
Compared to Hogwarts' scattered, individual entries, Beauxbatons appeared much more professional. Under Madame Maxime's leadership, they formed a line. One after another, the Beauxbatons students crossed the Age Line and tossed their parchment slips into the blue-white flames.
After the Beauxbatons students, Cedric stepped forward under the escort of a crowd of Hufflepuffs and placed his name into the Goblet of Fire.
As for Eda, she was still in the hospital wing keeping an eye on Fred and George, making sure the two of them didn't start fighting from blaming each other.
After all, with bodies that old and fragile, they really couldn't withstand much roughhousing.
...
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel