The professors' lounge—usually empty since no professors actually came here to rest—was mostly used to store teaching materials.
Any professor who needed a teaching prop could come and take it from here, as long as they returned it afterward.
Igor Karkaroff entered with a grim expression. Stanislav Ivaneski was his student—an idiot even bigger than Viktor Krum.
"Idiot! You're just an idiot! Why did I even think of bringing you here?"
As soon as Igor Karkaroff walked in, he began beating his own student. The tall, burly student didn't dare fight back and simply endured the steel baton as it landed on him.
"Calm down! Igor, calm down. What on earth are you talking about?"
Dumbledore immediately had Hagrid pull Igor Karkaroff away. Stanislav Ivaneski, who had been beaten, had tears welling up in his eyes. He was clearly badly hurt, yet forced himself not to cry.
"The Durmstrang champion was supposed to be Viktor Krum. That was the agreement. But this fool submitted his name into the Goblet of Fire without permission."
Once separated, Igor Karkaroff began to explain what he had discovered.
"I say this because Durmstrang only brought Viktor Krum. I questioned every other student—none of them did it. Once this is over, you're expelled."
Igor Karkaroff declared this sternly. It was clear he was furious that a student had dared to disobey his orders.
"Headmaster Karkaroff, please calm down. Perhaps you should hear his explanation first."
Regulus Black patted the student on the shoulder. Solid as a rock—built like a bear.
Igor Karkaroff didn't object, and everyone turned to wait for the student's response.
"I'm not as smart as Krum. I'm not as nimble as Krum. I'm not as popular as Krum. I did think about becoming a champion, but I never put my name in. Please believe me, Headmaster—I didn't submit my name."
The bear-sized boy, even larger than Krum, sat down and burst into tears. It was obvious that as someone constantly overlooked, the only time he ever received attention was now—being falsely accused. It was a truly pitiful sight.
"I didn't put in a slip either, Headmaster."
Harry Potter immediately reiterated that he was telling the truth.
"Madame Maxime, I didn't put in a slip either."
Gabrielle Delacour clutched her sister's hand, clearly shaken by the events.
"Don't be afraid! We'll get to the bottom of this."
Madame Maxime gave Igor Karkaroff a fierce glare. His outburst had clearly frightened her student.
"Obviously, someone tampered with this. And their intent was likely malicious."
Regulus Black walked up to Barty Crouch. It was ultimately Crouch who had the authority to decide whether the tournament would proceed.
"The champions selected by the Goblet of Fire must compete. The goblet enforces an ancient magical contract that cannot be undone. All we can do now is wait for the outcome."
Barty Crouch looked dazed. No matter the result, he'd be blamed when the tournament ended. None of the three headmasters would let him off the hook.
As expected, only a son could screw over his own father.
"So, the Goblet of Fire is currently sealed by my spell. After the tournament ends, will it still keep choosing names? I have no problem maintaining my spell, but once the tournament is over, will the goblet remain in the selection phase, or will it immediately shift to the completion phase?"
Regulus Black posed this question to everyone present. Only Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick, the Head of Ravenclaw and the school's charms expert, were qualified to answer.
"That's an excellent question. The Goblet of Fire is designed to ensure the fairness of the tournament, so it possesses a kind of awareness. It can judge the stage each champion is currently in."
Professor Flitwick finally felt he had something useful to contribute and immediately answered.
"Then why don't we fake a result? End this ridiculous mistake early and start over properly. Why do we have to drag these kids into it?"
Regulus Black offered a suggestion—to terminate the flawed selection and restart the tournament correctly.
"The Goblet of Fire tournament is meant to last a full year. It must be meticulously planned and extremely challenging."
Barty Crouch explained the rules behind the Goblet.
"The Goblet doesn't just place demands on the champions—it also imposes strict requirements on the hosts. This isn't something that can be settled by a round of rock-paper-scissors."
Barty Crouch couldn't help but resent the old relic who had created the Goblet of Fire. How on earth was he supposed to break out of this current predicament?
"So, does the Goblet of Fire have detailed regulations regarding the contents of the tournament? Maybe we can change the competition's content to ensure safety."
Regulus Black was very eager to find out whether the tournament would still proceed the same way as in the original timeline. If he proposed new tasks, could they replace the old, boring ones?
Yes, in Regulus Black's view, the original tasks were utterly dull—aside from snatching the dragon egg from beneath the claws of a fire-breathing beast, which had some merit. The later underwater rescue and final maze? Incredibly boring. The audience couldn't see anything—what was the point of having a competition that the audience couldn't even watch?
"The Goblet of Fire does indeed specify the core components of the tournament, but as long as those key elements are included and the tasks pose a reasonable challenge, the Goblet will recognize them."
As if he had just seen the light at the end of the tunnel, Barty Crouch's eyes lit up. He hugged Regulus tightly—he was saved!
If the tournament could remain challenging while ensuring the students' safety, then no matter the outcome, the Goblet of Fire would accept it.
And if all six students emerged unscathed, then the blame on him afterward wouldn't be too heavy.
If the tournament turned out to be exciting and well-received, he might even be credited for a job well done.
With a light shudder, Regulus Black shook himself free from Crouch's embrace.
"All right, kids, go get some rest. We still have to discuss the course of the tournament. The Goblet of Fire's selection will continue."
With that, Barty Crouch instantly distanced himself from everyone, dispersing all three champions and the three innocents without a second thought.
His mind was now fully occupied with planning the content of the competition—it had to be fun, it had to be spectacular.
"Does this mean we're all definitely going to compete?"
Harry Potter was clearly unhappy with how the adults were handling the situation. It was obvious they were only thinking about themselves.
"I'm afraid so, Harry. Otherwise, more students like you might get pulled into this mess."
The six champions walked across the hall. The frozen Goblet of Fire blazed brilliantly, its flames dancing like ribbons, as magnificent as a piece of amber-glass art.
"Let me explain to you the key elements of the Goblet of Fire tournament in detail. It's up to you now to redesign the tasks."
Barty Crouch had clearly dismissed everyone else present. These wizards didn't have the mind of Regulus Black and thus couldn't help him. That's why Regulus Black was his only hope.
Everyone fully understood his reaction, but no one left. Instead, they all sat around the table.
They were waiting for Regulus Black to offer some novel ideas. Professor Flitwick, in particular, was keen to learn more about the Preserve Intact charm.
Of course, if it was a secret—well, then there was nothing to be done!
"The three essential components of the tournament are 'dragons,' 'treasure,' and 'maze.' That's because the fiercest magical creature a wizard might face is a fire dragon, and both treasure-hunting and maze exploration are activities many wizards enjoy."
Barty Crouch didn't believe a single word of what he was saying. As a senior official in the Ministry of Magic, he had never once considered going up against a dragon, let alone treasure-hunting or wandering through a maze.
Merlin only knew what those wizards of the past were thinking—did they really enjoy these three activities that much? Wasn't Quidditch more fun?
"So what exactly had the Ministry originally prepared to test the champions?"
Regulus Black pulled out a tea set, and a steaming pot of black tea was already brewed. It looked like he was ready for a long discussion. Since no one intended to leave anytime soon, everyone took a cup of tea in hand.
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