The Admiral of Hogwarts

Hagrid was very satisfied with the image Venetto had designed for him. At 5:30, they left Hagrid's hut together and headed for Hogwarts Castle, where they happened to see the Durmstrang students disembarking from their ship.

As they approached the candlelit Great Hall, it was almost full. The Goblet of Fire had been moved and now stood on the staff table in front of Dumbledore's empty chair.

Fred and George's chins were smooth again—they seemed to have accepted their defeat and were loudly discussing their guesses about the champions.

"Did you know that Venetto is already the most likely student from our house to participate in the competition?" Marietta, a seventh-year, leaned over and said as soon as Hugo and the others sat down.

"Because the Triwizard Tournament has so many combat-related events, everyone thinks that, compared to others, Venetto is actually the most suitable student to participate in the Triwizard Tournament."

"I think so too," Hugo nodded in response. "Don't think that just because I've experienced real combat, I'm better. If it's a competition with a limited range like the arena, Venetto is definitely stronger than me."

Amidst everyone's discussion, the feast began.

Although this year's feast seemed more lavish due to the presence of guests, everyone had just had a feast not long ago and were eager to see the champions from each school, so they ate very quickly.

To his surprise, he discovered that in the students' discussions, Venetto had become one of the top three most popular champion candidates for Hogwarts. The other two were Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff and Vorlins from Slytherin.

Finally, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state, and the hall erupted in a sudden surge of discussion.

With no food to hinder their chatter, talk about the Goblet of Fire and the Triwizard Tournament filled the entire hall, and naturally, the most discussed topic was the word 'champion'.

When Dumbledore stood up, the entire hall immediately fell silent. Whether it was the heads of the other two schools on the stage, the Ministry of Magic officials, or the students below, all eyes were focused on him, and countless faces showed the same sense of anticipation.

"Well, the Goblet of Fire is about to make its decision," Dumbledore said. "I estimate it will take about a minute. Listen, after the names of the champions are announced, I want them to walk to the end of the hall, then along the staff table, and into the room next door—" He pointed to the door behind the staff table, "—where they will receive initial instructions."

He took out his wand and waved it dramatically. Instantly, all the candles except those in the pumpkin lanterns were extinguished.

This scene was actually quite shocking, especially in the dimness, which further highlighted the Goblet of Fire burning with blue-white flames, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.

Although the blue-white flames were a bit dazzling like an electric welder, no one wanted to look away. Everyone watched, waiting—Lian even noticed that several people took out their watches and glanced at them from time to time.

This minute passed somewhat slowly. Finally, the flames in the Goblet of Fire suddenly turned red, and crackling sparks burst out.

With a soft sound, a tongue of flame shot into the air, and a piece of parchment with obvious scorch marks on the edges was ejected along with a large puff of flame, which Dumbledore easily caught.

Countless eyes focused on Dumbledore's hand. The headmaster looked at it in the light of the flames and immediately announced, "The champion for Durmstrang," he said in a clear and powerful tone, "is Viktor Krum."

Obviously, Durmstrang's chosen champion was widely expected, and the entire hall was filled with applause and cheers.

When the sound subsided a little, the second piece of parchment was also ejected.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," Dumbledore said, "is Fleur Delacour!"

Everything is normal now, and the butterfly effect is not as strong as imagined. Hugo thought. He watched Fleur gracefully stand up and walk towards the staff table.

After Fleur Delacour also entered the next room, the hall fell silent again. This time, the silence was filled with a palpable sense of excitement, because now it was time to choose the Hogwarts champion.

At this moment, Hugo noticed that many eyes were wandering between Cedric, Vorlins, and Venetto. He also felt a little nervous at this time, because he hoped from the bottom of his heart that Venetto would be chosen for the competition to deal with complex situations.

At this moment, the Goblet of Fire turned red again, sparks burst out, and a tongue of flame shot high into the air. After this familiar process was completed, Dumbledore drew the third piece of parchment from the tip of the flame. "The champion for Hogwarts," he said loudly, "is Vittorio Venetto!"

Applause and cheers immediately drowned the entire hall, especially every Ravenclaw student, who abandoned their usual reserve and screamed, stomped their feet, and cheered for the Ravenclaw student who had become the school's champion.

The other houses, although a little disappointed that the champion was not from their own side, were also convinced by the wisdom and strength that Venetto had previously shown.

As Venetto headed towards the small room, Hugo noticed that the heads of the other two schools also had smiles on their faces, apparently feeling that Venetto was younger and not a match for their contestants.

"Excellent!" When the noise finally subsided, Dumbledore said cheerfully and loudly, "Well, now our three champions have been chosen. I believe you will all do your best to support your champions. By cheering for the champions, you will also make a great contribution to this event—"

Speaking of this, Dumbledore suddenly stopped, and at the same time, everyone in the hall focused their attention on the Goblet of Fire, which was still burning.

The flames on the cup, which should have been extinguished by now, had not gone out, but had turned red again, and crackling sparks were bursting out. A long tongue of flame suddenly shot into the air, carrying another piece of parchment.

Dumbledore seemed to instinctively reach out a slender hand and grab the parchment. He held it far away, staring at the name written on it.

There was a long silence. Dumbledore stared at the piece of paper in his hand, and everyone in the hall stared at Dumbledore. Then, Dumbledore cleared his throat and read aloud—"Harry Potter."

For a moment, the hall was as silent as death. But soon, a buzzing sound spread through the hall. Many people looked in surprise at the Goblet of Fire, which was now extinguishing.

"The Goblet of Fire must be broken!" Ron roared at this moment, followed by a chorus of voices from the house tables.

Because everyone knew that Harry had indeed written a piece of parchment with his name on it, and that piece of parchment had indeed been thrown into the Goblet of Fire by Venetto earlier.

But the problem was that only one contestant could be chosen from each school. In this case, it was obviously strange that Harry had become Hogwarts' second contestant.

"Quiet, quiet down." Headmaster Dumbledore shouted decisively, "Harry, you go over there first and join the other champions, and we'll be over in a little while."