"Ladies, gentlemen, professors, students, little girls, young men—
Welcome to the Triwizard Tournament!"
Bagman's opening speech was rather dull, but it failed to dampen the crowd's enthusiasm.
They cheered, even more fervently than they had at the Quidditch World Cup final!
"Thank you, thank you for your enthusiasm, even if it isn't directed at me.
"All right, enough chatter. Our First Trial will test the Champions' abilities.
"Next, three relatively dangerous Fantastic Beasts will serve as the main challenges. Each one has been restrained and is guarding a Golden Egg.
"The Champions' task is to retrieve the eggs!"
"Also, the draw for the contestants has just been completed."
Bagman waved his wand, and a huge Light Screen appeared in the sky above the arena.
"The Champion from Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour, will face the infamous Hungarian Beast, the Hungarian Horntail!"
As he spoke, an image of Fleur's lovely face appeared beside the fearsome head of a dragon.
The stark contrast frightened many of the spectators.
They had known what was coming, but now that the moment had arrived, they couldn't help wondering—
Was this really going to be all right?
"Phew..."
Seeing that Fleur wouldn't have to face the Hydra, Madame Maxime breathed a sigh of relief in the stands.
This was a good draw.
The Hungarian Horntail was the least difficult of the three, relatively speaking.
"Next, the Champion from Durmstrang..."
Bagman waved his wand again in the middle of the arena.
"Viktor Krum's opponent is the ruler of the Dark Forest—the Estella Ghost-Faced Spider!"
The images of Fleur and the Hungarian Horntail vanished, replaced by Krum and the Ghost-Faced Spider.
At the sight of the spider's furry face, many children in the crowd burst into tears.
"Yes, it's terrifying, enough to make your blood run cold.
"But...
"Only those