HP Star Shining

Today's dinner seemed to last much longer than usual. After two days of banquets, people's minds were no longer on the carefully prepared sumptuous dishes.

Ron was craning his neck to look, and of course most people were like him, with anxious looks on their faces.

Everyone fidgeted and stood up from time to time to see if Dumbledore had finished eating.

Harry, too, couldn't wait to find out who would be chosen as the champion.

Finally, the golden plate became spotless again.

The noise in the hall suddenly became much louder, but as Dumbledore stood up, it immediately became silent.

Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, sitting on either side of Dumbledore, looked as nervous and expectant as everyone else.

Ludo Bagman smiled and winked at the students from various schools, while Barty Crouch looked uninterested and even a little bored.

"Well, the Goblet is about to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "It will take perhaps a minute. When the champions have been chosen, I want them to come up and pass by the staff table into the next room." He pointed to a door behind the staff table. "There they will receive their initial instructions."

Dumbledore said, pulling out his wand and waving it.

Except for the candles in the pumpkin lanterns, everything else was extinguished, and the hall suddenly fell into semi-darkness, so the blue and white flames of the Goblet of Fire became the most dazzling light, attracting people to look at it.

"Almost there," Lee Jordan whispered, and from time to time someone looked at their watch anxiously.

The flame of the goblet suddenly turned red, and crackling flames burst out.

A tongue of fire shot into the air, and from it flew a piece of parchment with a singed corner. Dumbledore reached out to take it, holding it high so that the flames could illuminate it and he could see the name on it clearly.

Everyone in the auditorium seemed to hold their breath.

"The Champion of Durmstrang," Dumbledore said in a clear, strong voice. "Viktor Krum."

Applause and cheers immediately filled the entire auditorium.

"Not surprising at all!" Ron shouted.

"Brilliant, Viktor!" Karkaroff's voice boomed, audible even in the tumult of the auditorium. "I knew you were destined to be a champion!"

Harry saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table, walk over to the staff table, and then into the back room.

As the applause and chatter died down, everyone's attention returned to the Goblet of Fire.

A few seconds later, the flames turned red again, and the second piece of parchment shot out of the cup under the impetus of the flames.

"The champion of Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour."

Su Xingchen looked towards Ravenclaw and saw Fleur stood up gracefully and shook her silver hair.

"It's her, Ron," Harry whispered to Ron, who was staring blankly at Fleur.

"Tsk, tsk, they're all so disappointed," Hermione said above the clamor.

At Beauxbatons, "disappointed" was an understatement. The two girls who weren't chosen burst into tears, covering their faces and crying sadly.

Su Xingchen frowned, feeling weird...

When Fleur Delacour entered the room, the hall fell silent again, but this time, the silence was filled with intense excitement. Now it was the turn of the Hogwarts champions.

The flames turned a dazzling red for the third time, and Dumbledore took the "last" piece of parchment from the high flames.

"The Champion of Hogwarts," he cried, "is Cedric Diggory."

"Oops!" Ron complained, and no one heard it except Harry, who was sitting next to him.

The cheers from the Hufflepuff table next to them were deafening. The Hufflepuff classmates clapped, stamped their feet, and jumped up and down.

Cedric walked between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor with a bright smile on his face. Su Xingchen was sincerely happy for him and gave him a thumbs-up as a reward.

Regardless, now is not the time to spoil the fun.

The smile in Cedric's eyes deepened. He withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards the staff table, as if his eyes had just glanced at her inadvertently and he had not intentionally looked at her.

After all, it was Hogwarts' home ground, so the cheers for Cedric lasted longer.

"Well, now our three warriors have been selected." Dumbledore said happily after the noise finally subsided, "I believe they will do their best..." He didn't finish his words, as if his attention was attracted by something.

The flame of the goblet turned red again, and long tongues of fire shot out a new piece of parchment.

Dumbledore instinctively grabbed the paper and stared at it in a long silence, while everyone in the hall stared at him.

He cleared his throat, "Harry Potter."

Harry sat there in a daze, his mind blank. Surely he must have heard it wrong, or was he dreaming?

There was no applause. Instead, the hall buzzed with whispers, like a swarm of angry bees. Everyone turned to look at him, and some even stood up to get a better look at him.

Harry sat frozen in his seat.

Professor McGonagall stood up and hurried past Karkaroff and Ludo Bagman, whispering something in Dumbledore's ear.

Dumbledore listened, frowning slightly.

Harry turned to face his friends and saw that all his classmates were staring at him with their mouths wide open around the long Gryffindor table.

"I didn't put my name in." He swallowed hard, "You know that."

Ron and Hermione also looked confused and stared at him blankly.

"I know you didn't, Harry." A voice came into my ears from the side, like a clear spring pouring into the suffocating dryness.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore straightened up and called out again, "Harry, please come here."

"Go." Su Xingchen gently pushed him, and seeing that he was still at a loss, he comforted him softly, "It's okay."

Harry stood up, tripped slightly on the edge of his robes.

Like Cedric Diggory, he walked down the aisle between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, but unlike Diggory, he was treated completely differently. There was no applause or cheering, only a buzzing sound that grew louder and louder.

Today the road seems particularly long and the podium seems out of reach.

Harry could feel hundreds of eyes staring at him like searchlights for what seemed like an hour, and when he finally stepped onto the podium, even the teachers' eyes were fixed on him.

"Well, go through that door, Harry," said Dumbledore, but his smile was completely gone.

Harry walked through the door and found himself in a small room.