Erwin rubbed his nose, a faint smile touching his lips. "My dear student, are you thinking of me? Do you want to find my trail?"
The warriors were chosen. The four houses formed their challenge teams, and the Hogwarts team was led by Charlotte. Her leadership was universally acknowledged; not only was she the strongest among them, but her experience far surpassed that of the other young wizards who had yet to truly enter the wizarding world. The other three schools were led by their respective champions.
Inside Hogwarts, the atmosphere was shifting. While the fierce internal competition raged on, the students had a new obsession: the challenge tournament. This injected some much-needed vitality into the castle.
The Weasley twins, ever enterprising, spotted an opportunity. Unable to participate themselves, they decided to open a betting ring. However, Erwin privately suspected they would lose. After all, the student body was overwhelmingly betting on the Hogwarts team to win—such a star-studded lineup made the idea of defeat seem impossible! Doing the math, the Twins were horrified to realize that a Hogwarts victory would bankrupt them.
Fortunately, they had always been on good terms with Erwin. He invested in their venture, suggesting they make "small support badges." The Twins ended up making a considerable profit.
Thanks to Erwin's intervention in the Great Hall, Harry Potter's situation was far better than it could have been. No one mocked him; everyone knew he'd been tricked. Instead of ostracizing him for his lower skill level, his fellow contestants took turns helping him train, allowing Harry's strength to skyrocket! Draco and Hermione watched this with intense envy.
Meanwhile, Erwin had been busy preparing "amusements" for the contestants. If his suspicions were correct and Voldemort was disguised as a certain professor, these preparations would provide his "dear teacher" with a truly agonizing spectacle. Just imagining Voldemort hiding his identity to participate in this meticulously rigged tournament was exhilarating.
Time passed, and the tension within the teams grew. They didn't know what the first challenge was, nor the risks involved. Because Erwin was in charge of the project, no one else at Hogwarts knew what he had planned. The uncertainty was unnerving. Without a preview, they could only focus on honing their skills.
Then came Saturday, November 24th.
The first rays of dawn had barely touched the earth when a massive bang jolted the sleeping students awake. Still bleary-eyed, the young wizards rushed to their windows to see what had happened—and froze.
Beyond the castle grounds, a multitude of giant dragons circled the sky. Erwin floated before them, clutching his amethyst wand.
Even the professors were stunned. Professor McGonagall, still in her pajamas, gasped, "My goodness! Is this his new project? A dragon battle? Against a whole horde of them?"
Snape swallowed hard at the sight. So many dragons. Even he couldn't handle that many. The tournament warriors were equally terrified.
Sunny Finch swallowed hard. "Erwin isn't planning to make us fight those, is he?" The other exchange students looked grim. This seemed impossible.
In Harry's dormitory, Harry and Draco—exhausted from late-night practice—had simply crashed in the same room. They scrambled to the window.
"Harry, good luck," Draco muttered, pallid. "I think Erwin is planning to kill you!"
Harry's eyes widened in sheer terror.
Charlotte, however, looked at the sky with a calculating expression, estimating how many dragons she could defeat if she used Apparition to avoid being surrounded. But then, her expression changed. She realized she couldn't Apparate. Looking at Erwin hovering above, she understood this was his doing.
Erwin hovered in mid-air. Behind him, thirty dragons bowed their heads in respect and awe. His voice echoed across the grounds, waking the entire castle.
"Good morning, everyone! Today, the Tournament officially begins! Let me explain the rules."
A parchment scroll appeared in his hand. With a wave, it tore into thirty pieces, each flying toward a dragon and adhering to its neck.
"There are thirty dragons here," Erwin announced. "Each carries a scroll. Your goal is to retrieve them. Combine all thirty, and you'll receive a map revealing the contents of the second challenge! These dragons are scattered around Hogwarts. Find them, defeat them, and take the scrolls. Use any means necessary! Don't hold back, and don't worry about hurting the dragons. They certainly won't worry about hurting you. As I said: in this tournament, people die."
A chill ran down the spines of every contestant. A dragon unleashing its full power was a nightmare scenario.
Erwin continued, "This tournament will be broadcast live to the entire wizarding world! Starting today, every corner of Hogwarts—excluding the dormitories—will be monitored by Cavendish family cameras.
"The map retrieval phase lasts two days. However, to better test your abilities, I've added a twist! Before the second challenge begins in three months, you may compete for each other's scrolls. Trust me, these scrolls will be invaluable later."