This was bordering on the absurd.
Erwin didn't waste time with speeches. He stepped forward and lightly touched the Goblet of Fire. Instantly, blue flames surged from within, and a single parchment scroll drifted out.
Erwin waved a hand, summoning the scroll to his grasp.
It contained the names of the Durmstrang students. Erwin didn't bother reading them aloud; Durmstrang had only brought ten students, and apparently, they had all entered. Beauxbatons was the same.
Once the names of the other schools' champions were announced, polite applause rippled through the Great Hall. There was no suspense. The exchange delegations had submitted only their strongest students. Consequently, the selection for the other schools ended with a whimper rather than a bang.
The students were bored. Their champions were effectively pre-picked.
The only suspense lay with Hogwarts.
Erwin knew this, which was why he'd breezed through the others. The real show was just beginning. He didn't know who the Goblet would choose; the submissions from Hogwarts were a mess. Nearly every sixth and seventh-year had thrown their names in. The Weasley twins, despite being a year too young, had tried to sneak in and nearly caused a disaster.
"And now," Erwin said, his voice cutting through the silence, "the champion of Hogwarts. The first one."
The Goblet flared again. A scroll shot into the air, and Erwin caught it effortlessly.
He glanced down. "Charlotte Cavendish."
The Gryffindor table erupted. It was hardly a shock. Everyone knew Charlotte's caliber. It was impossible to stand at Erwin's side without being exceptional.
Charlotte remained poised, betraying no emotion. She was confident that, barring Erwin himself, no student here could rival her. A tournament before graduation? It was a pleasant diversion.
Across the hall, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and the Beauxbatons champions eyed her with fierce determination.
The Goblet spat out a second name.
"Cedric Diggory!"
A roar went up from the Hufflepuff table. Cedric grinned, standing tall as he moved to stand beside Charlotte. Erwin smiled faintly. Interesting. He hadn't expected Cedric to be chosen. It seemed the narrative forces were working their magic, seizing opportunities wherever they could.
Another scroll emerged.
"Penelope Clearwater!"
Erwin raised an eyebrow. Was Dumbledore secretly pulling strings? The selection was uncanny. Penelope, like Charlotte, was a seventh-year. A Ravenclaw prefect—the very same one Erwin had charged past in his reckless search for Hermione years ago.
She stepped out from the Ravenclaw table, heading to the front. Hermione clapped the hardest; she admired her prefect and had tried desperately to bypass the age barrier herself, relying on logic rather than force. But she, and Pansy, had failed at the final hurdle.
The fourth champion was announced.
"Blaise Zabini."
The Slytherin unofficial prefect—the only one to break Dumbledore's age barrier through raw magical strength alone. He looked euphoric.
On the judges' platform, Madame Maxime gasped. "I can't believe he was actually chosen."
Karkaroff, standing beside her, frowned. "The only one to break Dumbledore's barrier. His power is undeniable." The Durmstrang Headmaster wasn't happy. Hogwarts's roster was terrifying: Charlotte was a known powerhouse, Cedric and Penelope were near-graduation prefects, and now Zabini, the one who shattered the wards.
The Goblet burned on, summoning the remaining champions. By the time the ninth name was called, the tension in the Great Hall was palpable. Every young wizard leaned forward, praying to be chosen.
Erwin felt a spark of anticipation. Was the final spot destined for the Boy Who Lived?
The Goblet blazed one last time. A scroll, edged in dying embers, flew out.
Erwin caught it. He read the name, and his pupils contracted.
"Harry Potter!"
Silence.
Then, chaos.
Harry Potter froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. Draco Malfoy, who had been snatching a bite of chicken next to him, dropped his drumstick. Hermione stared, wide-eyed, completely stunned.
And Harry? He just sat there, utterly bewildered.