The Uninvited "Grindelwald"

Gellert Grindelwald.

An elderly man with a wild smile stood steadily on the grass, his hands behind his back, calmly and cheerfully greeting everyone.

Sean's eyes widened in an instant. Grindelwald?!

Isn't he still under the Invisibility Cloak on the island in the middle of the lake?

Furthermore, the current headmaster of Newmontgard is Vita Rosier. Although the change of headmaster was due to external factors, the position of headmaster has indeed changed hands, and Grindelwald bringing Newmontgard here now gives people a feeling that it is unnecessary...

However, the moment of stunned silence was short-lived. Sean immediately remembered that, just like before, Grindelwald, as the president of the International Confederation of Wizards, was unable to attend in person for some unspeakable reason. Therefore, his Saints often took Polyjuice Potion to temporarily impersonate him. Sean had done such a thing before.

The Grindelwald before me shouldn't be him...

Newmontgard's stunning entrance left the Hogwarts students stunned for a moment, until Dumbledore walked forward, at which point they belatedly joined in the applause.

"Oh, ha ha ha ha, Albus, my old friend." Grindelwald's face beamed with a happy smile.

"Gellert, I didn't think you'd come," Dumbledore greeted him with a smile.

It's just like seeing an old friend you haven't seen in a long time.

Sean, watching from behind, even felt a sense of unreality. Ever since that night in Paris, Grindelwald and Dumbledore had practically fallen out.

Grindelwald was extremely dissatisfied with Dumbledore's distrust of him and his cooperation with the Returners, and he didn't even want to listen to Sean's analysis.

Dumbledore also seems to have a source of distrust for Grindelwald —the terrible truth hidden behind the Blood Pact.

The grudges and entanglements between the two old men were so complicated that even Sean, Sean outsider, suspected that they themselves couldn't unravel them.

So when the two greeted each other so warmly, Sean was momentarily at a loss for words to describe his feelings.

However, it was this greeting that made Sean realize that the Grindelwald in front of him was not the real person.

The World Will still need to be concealed; Grindelwald will not leave the island in the middle of the lake. And while the Grindelwald greeted Dumbledore warmly, there was always a sense of unease about him.

Only someone as familiar with him as Sean or Dumbledore could notice it.

Another person who could also sense this stepped forward; it was Vita Rosier, the current headmaster of Newmontgard.

"Professor Rosier, it's been a long time. How have you been?" Dumbledore greeted him just as warmly.

Vita Rosier responded with a smile, "Very good, thank you for your concern, Professor Dumbledore."

"What is this?" Dumbledore asked at the opportune moment, seemingly unaware that Grindelwald would be coming.

Professor Rosier explained with a smile, "The chairman believes that such a grand event as the Four-School Tournament is not only a matter for individual School of Magic and national Ministry of Magic, but also something that the International Confederation of Wizards should pay more attention to. In fact, he is the chief referee of this judging panel."

Dumbledore laughed, "Gellert, this last-minute personnel change has really caught me off guard."

"Albus, you must be joking— the Four-School Tournament are so important, as the newly appointed chairman, of course I have to take extra care of you—I hope I'm not causing you any trouble?"

"Of course not, Gellert."

"That's good, that's good. However, I still have to apologize. As the chief referee, I shouldn't have been in Newmontgard's team. But—I am, after all, the former principal of Newmontgard, and I have a deep affection for this school. I hope you can forgive my little selfishness. Of course, rest assured, I will definitely make a fair judgment."

"That's certainly not something I need to worry about—hahaha, welcome, welcome to you and the Newmontgard team—"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, at Professor Rosier's signal, the students of Newmontgard stepped forward.

Just like before, everyone stood ramrod straight, their high-necked trench coats and standard boots impeccable.

Sean tilted his head and looked over, his eyes meeting those of a chubby boy.

It was Hugo Barbarossa, one of the original members of the Golden Dawn, and also the suspected Gluttony in Sean's mind.

Aside from communicating remotely using the Golden Dawn badge, he hadn't met any of the Golden Dawn members in Newmontgard. Over the years, Hugo, already quite large, had completely transformed into a giant barrel, his soft blond hair plastered to his head like ears of wheat on a barrel cork.

Hugo also saw Sean, who maintained his upright posture, though his physique looked somewhat comical—he winked at Sean discreetly as a greeting.

Sean waved and smiled, then he saw the other members of the Golden Dawn, including Ian Teach, a master of the Confundus Charm who loved top hats and collecting playing cards. Teach's eyes, which were already blinking frequently, blinked even faster when he saw Sean —he seemed to be expressing his excitement in this way.

Savannah Minsk, a sixth-grader from Russia brokerage family, wears glasses and looks wise and confident—she nods slightly to Sean upon spotting Sean, displaying the demeanor of a cool and powerful woman.

Another member of the group is Patricia de Delansal, a sexy and fiery woman who is skilled in Transfiguration and quite combative—she boldly winks at Sean upon seeing Sean.

Sean smiled helplessly and waved. He had never been able to do anything about Patricia. When the group communicated remotely via badges, this girl often said surprising things.

Besides the members of the Golden Dawn, Sean also saw several familiar faces, including Morgens Daniels, the Newmontgard Student Council President who had recruited students with Sean during the summer.

Daniels stood at the front of the team, seemingly a top contender for the Newmontgard Champion title.

All the students from the three schools had arrived at Hogwarts, and the welcome party came to a temporary close. The Hogwarts students returned to the Great Hall to discuss their experiences, while the guests who had traveled from afar needed to settle in.

After half an hour of commotion, Dumbledore gently tapped his wine glass.

"Quiet, everyone—"

Once the Great Hall was silent, he gently clapped his hands. "Let us welcome our guests who have come from afar—"

Amidst thunderous applause, Dumbledore shouted, "Beauxbatons!"

The Great Hall doors opened, and Beauxbatons students, now in their uniforms, filed in, both male and female, their faces bearing confident yet gentle smiles.

As the silver light shone down, Gabrielle, Phoebe's younger sister, gracefully danced to the front.

As they danced, each student from Beauxbatons skipped forward, and silver butterflies flew out of their uniforms and gathered in front of Gabrielle.

As the silver light converged and everyone took their places, Gabrielle made an elegant leap, causing the silver light to explode, and the Beauxbatons School Crest appeared in mid-air in the Great Hall.

Amid cheers and applause, Dumbledore continued to shout, "Durmstrang!"

"Thump!" The sound of canes striking the ground in unison was Durmstrang's first signal of his arrival.

They wore fur coats with their chests open, and each of them looked straight ahead.

"Roar—" With an unknown syllable, they strode toward the Great Hall, striking the ground in a rhythm similar to a war dance.

Sparks flew as the cane struck the stone slabs. The immense pressure was Durmstrang's greeting as they roared forward and then abruptly stopped.

A student took out a wand, raised it to his lips, and blew hard. Flames swirled into the air and shattered the Beauxbatons School Crest. The Durmstrang emblem danced violently in the air.

"Newmontgard!"

Without a sound or a movement, the elites of Newmontgard walked in two rows.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized; apart from the sound of their boots hitting the ground, there was no other noise, only an imposing aura and an arrogant confidence.

As they walked forward, they channeled their own magic, and everyone present noticed that a tremendous magical force was rapidly forming in the Great Hall.

Durmstrang's School Crest was trembling.

With a "whoosh," the uniform sound subsided, and the flame emblem in mid-air wailed and dissipated, but the flame did not disappear; instead, it was absorbed into the enormous magical power.

Then, the magic suddenly exploded.

The flames were imbued with new magic; they transformed into a golden-red ball of fire that crashed into the wall and then spun rapidly.

The entire Great Hall was enveloped in golden-red flames. Daniels stepped out of the group, coldly raised his wand, and waved it lightly—the golden-red flames that illuminated the entire Great Hall were split in two.

The roar of the dragon and the cry of the phoenix rang out together, and the golden-red flames quickly returned to their positions.

The symbol of the Deathly Hallows appeared, with Fire Dragon and Phoenix swirling around it.

Dumbledore clapped his hands.

"Welcome, welcome Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and all the Champion of Newmontgard! Welcome to Hogwarts!"

Thunderous applause erupted.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and—especially—distinguished guests," said Dumbledore, smiling at the foreign students. "It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Hogwarts. I hope and believe that you will feel comfortable and happy here."

"The Triwizard Tournament will officially begin at the end of the banquet," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to enjoy the food as if you were in your own home!"

Dumbledore sat down, with Grindelwald and Karkaroff beside him. Sean noticed that Karkaroff seemed to want to go over and speak, but he seemed hesitant because Grindelwald didn't make a move.

Next to the long teacher's table, there were two empty chairs, seemingly waiting for someone to come in.

"Interesting..." Sean chuckled softly.

A mountain of food appeared on the plates, and the students all ate with gusto.

Halfway through the meal, the atmosphere in the Great Hall had become lively, with people from other schools occasionally coming and going to talk and discuss.

"Hey Sean, see those twin sisters?" Fred and George had somehow gotten close to him.

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, what's wrong?"

Fred grinned mischievously. "The boys are all head over heels for him, especially our silly little brother—"

Sean looked in the direction Fred was pointing, and sure enough, Ron was staring at Phoebe with a fascination in his eyes.

"Silly boy," George scoffed, "I've heard that the older one is named Phoebe Delacour and the younger one is her sister Gabrielle. Both of them have Veela blood."

"Obviously, but you two aren't obsessed?" Sean teased.

The twins looked at him in surprise, as if Sean had said something terrible.

"Don't be silly, buddy. Sure, Beauxbatons has beautiful women, but Durmstrang has Krum, Viktor Krum!"

"Okay—" Sean shrugged, ignoring Krum's appeal to Quidditch enthusiasts.

Hermione frowned. "That's a bit strange. I've seen the Bulgaria Quidditch national team's profile. Krum is indeed their Seeker, but according to official information, he should have graduated earlier this year."

"Oh? Krum is an eighth-grader now?" Sean asked curiously.

"That's how it is according to the information."

"I see..." Sean looked at Krum, then at Phoebe. According to Hermione, Phoebe should also be an "eighth-year student".

The two, who should have graduated, are participating in this Four-School Tournament as current students. It seems that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are facing a generational gap...

I don't know how Dumbledore and Rosier came to agree.

As they were talking, Fred suddenly shouted, "Look, more people are coming. Is it the Ministry of Magic?"

Upon hearing this, Sean looked over and saw a man and a woman walking in one after the other. Dumbledore stood up and greeted them.

During this time, Grindelwald casually turned his head, Sean saw that the two people from the Ministry of Magic were clearly backing away.

Everyone knows their own background perfectly well... Sean chuckled to himself.

When the dinner party ended, Dumbledore stood up.

"Please allow me to introduce two new guests, Amelia Bones, Director of the Ministry of Magic Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department for International Magical Cooperation of the Ministry of Magic—" The stern-looking woman stood up and nodded, receiving a sparse round of applause.

"This is Mr. Bagman. Ludo Bagman, Department of Magical Games and Sports."

The applause for Mr. Bagman was noticeably more enthusiastic, but that was about it.

The students at Hogwarts don't have a good impression of the Ministry of Magic these days—thanks to Umbridge.

At Dumbledore's signal, Filch huffed and puffed as he carried a box to the front.

"As you already know, there will be twelve Champion participating in the competition," Dumbledore continued calmly. "Three of them will represent each of the participating schools. We will score them based on the quality of their performance in each competition, and the team with the highest score after all three competitions will be the winner. The Champion will be selected by a fair selector, the Triwizard Cup."

At this point, Dumbledore drew his wand and tapped the box lid three times. The lid slowly and creaked open.

He reached in and pulled out a large, roughly carved wooden goblet. The goblet itself was unremarkable, but inside it was filled with dancing blue-white flames.