Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 395 The Hero's Melancholy

"The Goblet of Fire tournament was discontinued at the end of the 18th century, and records of the tournament were sealed away. However, no relevant files can be found in the Hogwarts Library; the information is even less than that in the archives of the Newspaper of the Prophet. I think it's because they were lost during the school's several renovations, or perhaps they're piled up in some hidden room."

Hermione pulled Harry aside and explained, her incessant chatter resembling that of the professor:
"I asked a colleague at the newspaper to make a copy of the information. According to statistics, the first event of the competition was almost always about capturing animals. The most detailed record we can find is from the 1792 competition, where the warrior had to capture a magical parrot. It was very dangerous. On that day, the parrot went berserk and injured three principals."

"You mentioned before that it's also recorded in Hogwarts' school history..."

Harry looked thoughtful and recalled: "I've always wanted to ask, what kind of parrot is so amazing?"

"There are no detailed records, and it's not even mentioned in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They should be extinct, but that's not important. We should be preparing for the upcoming competition!"

"Without reference materials and detailed historical records, how can I prepare? Should I use my third eye for divination?"

Professor Trelawney couldn't hear this mockery of divination; they were sitting in a corner of the library, a dozen or so thick volumes piled up in front of them, a sight that filled one with despair.

Those who know it are preparing for the Cup of Fire competition, but those who don't might think it's some kind of quiz.

The library was quiet. Harry sat in a corner by the window, silently glancing at Krum in another corner. The young Seeker was engrossed in an English textbook, his seat empty, while the surrounding bookshelves were filled with gleaming witches.

They were all witches from Krum's fan club, clutching their hair or the hem of their clothes, their faces flushed with shyness.

They dared not make a sound, for fear of disturbing the order of the library and being expelled by Mrs. Pince.

"Where's Ron? I haven't seen him since this morning," Hermione asked, taking a moment to finish flipping through a thick book.

"I don't know, I didn't see it when I woke up this morning."

Harry casually replied, feigning nonchalance, "I didn't see him at the party last night. He was asleep when I got back to the dorm and didn't say a word."

He guessed Ron was a little resentful. Everyone else had been punished by Professor McGonagall, but he was the only one who got an application form from the professor before the deadline. Actually, Ron didn't care much when filling out the application form; applying didn't guarantee selection, and many others had applied—Angelina, Nott, Reginald, and so on.

Unfortunately, both Hermione and he were chosen.

To be honest, if I were in that situation, I would also feel uncomfortable. Harry understands Ron, but being suddenly treated with cold violence makes him feel wronged.

"Perhaps it's jealousy."

Hermione stopped turning the pages of her book and said helplessly, "My grades are pretty good. You're the Seeker on the Quidditch team and you're always in the spotlight. How should I put it? Ron has to compete with so many of his brothers at home and he's always the one who gets ignored. You're his best friend at school and you're so famous. Every time someone sees you, he gets sidelined."

“He was a little unhappy when we were in tutoring class together. We were both chosen as champions this time… I regret it. Why didn’t I ask the professor for an extra application form so that Ron could compete with us…” Harry sighed dejectedly.

"Thinking about it carefully, going through the selection process isn't actually a good thing. I was only happy for a short while last night."

Harry glanced at Hermione, pursed his lips, and swallowed back any words that might damage their friendship.

"This competition is dangerous. The professor can guarantee that we will not be in mortal danger, but we may lose an arm or a leg, or lose an eye like Professor Moody, leaving a permanent scar."

Hermione sighed sadly, "It's also disrupting my regular classes. I won't be able to take any exams this school year."

"..." "The library is a place to read books! Understand?"

Mrs. Pince's roar interrupted their worries. Looking up, they saw that Hibiscus had also arrived at the library, attracting a large crowd of boys.

The charm of the Veela far surpasses that of finding a player. Many boys have short-circuited their brains and do stupid things like fiddling with bookshelves or spinning books with their fingers. Some even say stupid things regardless of the occasion.

Mrs. Pince was so angry that her hair stood on end, like flames.

More and more fans gathered in the library, and Harry and Hermione couldn't stay any longer. They borrowed a few books and hurriedly escaped from the library.

As they walked down the corridor, they encountered many other contestants. Only then did they realize that compared to the other warriors, they were actually quite inconspicuous and lacked any prestige.

Not to mention Fleur of Beauxbatons and Krum of Durmstrang, Pickley Greaves and Nancy Boots were also quite impressive. They were the student council presidents of Ilfamony and were always surrounded by a group of students wearing Goldie Knots.

The Slytherin students banded together to support Perrykin.

Many other sixth-year girls from various colleges surrounded Cedric, eagerly awaiting his autograph on their backpacks.

It is an undeniable fact that Fleur, Krum, and Cedric certainly looked more like warriors than Harry and Hermione, with straight noses, shiny black hair, and handsome and radiant appearances.

Hermione pursed her lips to cover her chipmunk-like front teeth, Harry pushed up his glasses, and they exchanged a glance, both feeling ashamed of themselves.

The two went down the stairs and glanced at the Great Hall. Although it wasn't mealtime, it was bustling with activity. Seamus and Dean were looking through their Chocolate Frog picture collection, listing which famous wizards had participated in the Goblet of Fire, but Ron was nowhere to be seen.

They quietly avoided the crowd, passed through the entrance hall and left the castle, intending to find a quiet place to look through the documents.

Soon they arrived at the lakeside lawn. Durmstrang's black ship was moored on the lake, casting a dark reflection on the water. Beauxbatons' divine horse was drinking water by the lake, its snorting sound carrying far.

Harry also smelled a strange, strong, and pungent odor, and couldn't help but sneeze.

“Hey, did you see that? That looks like Hagrid… and Madam Maxim!” Hermione nudged his arm.

Following Hermione's gaze, they indeed saw two robust and imposing figures, as tall as the Divine Horse. There were no people this tall among Muggles, and they were extremely rare in the entire wizarding world.

They strolled side by side along the lake, chatting and laughing, their boots clattering with the sound of horses' hooves.

Before Harry could pull Hermione into the bushes, Hagrid spotted them, waving and calling out to them.

Hagrid approached with a bright smile, bringing with him a strong, enticing aroma, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey! Harry, how does it feel to be a champion? I'm so proud of you! And you, Hermione..."

He suddenly crouched down, leaned closer, and whispered, "After the lights are turned off tonight, come to my cabin at midnight. Remember to wear the invisibility cloak."

(End of this chapter)