When it came to who was best suited for the Triwizard Tournament, every House had its own ideal candidate.
Among them were the Weasley twins, who were well-liked across the school, and Harry Potter, hailed as the Chosen One—both popular choices Gryffindor students eagerly supported.
But the wizard with the strongest backing overall was Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff, celebrated by his House as their very own "hope."
His popularity didn't come only from his strong performance at school, which earned him admiration from many younger students. Part of it also came from the fact that he had a girlfriend in Ravenclaw—a witch named Cho Chang.
Ever since Penelope graduated from Hogwarts, Cho Chang had gradually become the figure Ravenclaw students looked to as their standard-bearer.
And when she publicly expressed her support for her boyfriend, Cedric Diggory suddenly gained an additional backing force, which helped secure his position as the most favored candidate.
Of course, the most important factor was that, unlike the problematic Weasley twins and Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory wasn't held back by the age restriction...
...
On the afternoon of October 30th, when Draco and the others entered the Great Hall, they immediately noticed that the house-elves had completely redecorated it. Huge silk banners draped across the walls.
Each banner represented one of the Hogwarts Houses.
Gryffindor's was red with a golden lion. Ravenclaw's was blue with a bronze eagle. Hufflepuff's was yellow with a black badger. And Slytherin's—Draco's House—was green with a silver serpent.
Behind the staff table hung the largest banner of all, the Hogwarts crest, encircled by the lion, eagle, badger, and serpent.
The grand setup made every student instinctively straighten their robes.
None of them wanted to be caught looking sloppy under Professor McGonagall's eyes…
Draco had barely sat down when Hermione—under McGonagall's complicated gaze—quickly took the seat beside him. Before Pansy could even open her mouth, Hermione jumped straight into the topic everyone was curious about.
"I asked Professor McGonagall what the Triwizard Tournament events are, but she wouldn't tell me. And as for how the school's representative will be chosen? There's no way she'd reveal that."
"Oh~ Granger, you're the professors' favorite. You couldn't get anything out of her? At least find out who the judges will be."
"Oh, that part is obvious. I already know."
Noticing the Slytherins glancing over and Draco's thoughtful expression, Hermione poked a buttered roll with her fork, as if the answer were simple deduction. Her smugness made Pansy's eye twitch.
"Obviously, the headmasters of the competing schools will be part of the judging panel. Back in the 1792 Tournament, the Cockatrice they were supposed to capture went out of control and injured all three headmasters who were serving as judges."
The judging panel… three headmasters… those details were more than enough to answer the earlier question.
Still, even Slytherins rarely had Hermione's dedication—or patience—for reading, so this was their first time hearing about such an incident at all.
With everyone staring at her now, Hermione added irritably, "It's all in Hogwarts: A History. Though honestly, that book isn't completely reliable. It should probably be called A Revised History of Hogwarts, or A Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Where the School's Darker Sides Are Hidden."
Mouths dropped open.
Eyes widened.
It was probably because no one expected Hermione of all people to criticize Hogwarts like that.
And judging by her tone, the resentment ran deep.
Someone who didn't know better might have mistaken her for a Slytherin…
But Pansy understood perfectly why Hermione was upset—especially after seeing Draco treated the way he was by Alastor Moody, and the school doing absolutely nothing about it.
Of course her opinion of Hogwarts would sour.
Not to mention, Draco held a very particular place in Hermione's heart…
At that moment, Professor McGonagall rose from the staff table.
Anyone watching closely would have noticed she checked the time just before standing.
"Now then, everyone, stop eating. Our guests are arriving!"
…
It was a cold evening. Night was settling in, and a pale, translucent moon already hung over the Forbidden Forest.
Draco stood with Pansy and the others among the gathered crowd. Unlike the excited young wizards buzzing around him, he remained completely unfazed, reading a book he'd just borrowed from Hermione.
"Weasley, put that prank item away at once unless you'd like your House to lose points. And Miss Lovegood, remove that ridiculous thing from your hair. Mr. Malfoy, put your book away."
Professor McGonagall looked even sterner than usual, her sharp gaze sweeping through the students. Even Draco had been singled out.
But her efforts were clearly futile...
"How do you think they'll arrive? The Express?"
"Impossible. They're not even in Britain."
"Then how? Broomsticks? Portkeys?"
Even as darkness spread across the sky and the air grew colder, nothing could dampen the students' excitement. Even Pansy was leaning over Draco's shoulder, whispering with Hermione as they speculated about the other two Wizarding Schools.
Just as Draco began feeling impatient, Dumbledore—standing at the very back—spoke up...
"Ah. Unless my eyes deceive me, I believe the Beauxbatons delegation has arrived."
Every student turned in the direction of his gaze.
One look, and several mouths fell open in shock...
"It's a dragon!!"
At that, Draco glanced over as well.
Had this been happening somewhere else, he might have shown them what an actual dragon in the sky looked like.
In truth, it was a pale blue carriage—simply an enormous one.
As it flew closer, everyone could finally make it out clearly: a carriage the size of a small house, pulled by twelve winged, silver-maned horses. And each horse was nearly the size of an elephant.
The sight was unlike anything the students had ever seen, and silence fell over them.
They simply stood there, staring as the "house" slowly flew toward them...
...
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