Faced with this sudden turn of events, everyone was somewhat bewildered.
However, Dumbledore still instinctively reached out with a long, slender hand and caught the tattered piece of parchment.
He clenched the parchment and stared intently at its contents. After a long silence, he sighed, cleared his throat, and announced loudly:
"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen. An unexpected situation has arisen. We now have a fourth Champion.
"And the fourth Champion is—Harry Potter of Hogwarts!"
A long silence followed. Not a single person in the Great Hall spoke. They all turned to stare at Harry, their eyes full of confusion.
After that calm came another violent eruption.
There was no applause. Instead, a buzzing murmur spread through the Great Hall, like the droning of countless angry bees.
The Young Wizards began discussing what would happen if Harry took part in the Triwizard Tournament.
Even the usually composed Professor McGonagall rose from the staff table, hurried past several professors, and came to whisper urgently in Dumbledore's ear.
Naturally, the Young Wizards below the platform were discussing things even more fiercely.
One Slytherin young wizard who had always disliked Harry shouted loudly:
"This is unfair! Letting Harry take part in the Triwizard Tournament is completely unfair!"
All the Young Wizards nodded instinctively. They thought it was unfair too.
But if there had been Wizards present who did not know the full story, they might have thought it was unfair to Harry, a young wizard of only fifteen, to participate in the Triwizard Tournament.
Yet none of the Wizards who knew the truth thought that way.
They felt that if Harry took part in the Triwizard Tournament, it would be far too unfair to the other three Champions.
Everyone knew just how powerful Harry was. His strength vastly surpassed that of ordinary Young Wizards