A Girl's Thoughts, Ultimately Naive / Inspecting Wands, Making Judgments

To be honest, Harry wasn't too happy with the result, mainly because he hadn't expected the Ministry of Magic to abandon Rufus Fudge so readily.

The Triwizard Tournament turning into Triwizard Tournament is actually a big deal or a small deal. If we connect Hermione, the extra Champion, to Harry, then this matter can ultimately be attributed to Voldemort's conspiracy. Harry originally intended to have The Quibbler lead the Quibbler in this way, to see if he could pin the blame on Fudge for 'his nephew colluding with Voldemort '.

But now that Fudge has kicked his nephew out of the picture, and that good-for-nothing nephew has even admitted to racial discrimination, it has inadvertently diverted public attention. Even if Harry tries to pin the label on him later, it won't have much of an effect in the short term.

It can only be said that Cornelius Fudge is indeed a politician. He basically lacked the brainpower to grasp most of what Albus Dumbledore taught him, but he was adept at the art of ruthlessness and sacrificing pawns to save the king.

Harry was truly impressed by the decisiveness of someone who usually doted on their nephew so much.

Another thing that showed Harry just how shameless Fudge could be was... this guy actually used feeling guilty towards the contestants as an excuse to cancel the Daily Prophet's interview rights for the Triwizard Tournament, and even dragged Albus Dumbledore into a bidding process to sell the exclusive on-campus interview rights!

When Xenophilius to Harry to ask if he wanted to participate in the bidding, Harry was utterly speechless.

What does this mean? They clearly exploited the Ministry of Magic's dereliction of duty to carry out the attack, but after it was over, they're expected to hand over money to them?

Are you kidding me? No way!

Besides, whoever spends this money nowadays is definitely the sucker.

The so-called "on-campus interview rights" are essentially just paying for a ticket that allows free entry to Hogwarts to take photos and conduct interviews with the contestants. However, since the contestants haven't signed any contracts with the school, they can only accept interviews from designated media outlets on campus. But if they're off campus, who can control them?

If Harry really wanted the Quibbler to cover the Triwizard Tournament, all he had to do was take Cedric Diggory and the others to Hogsmeade Village, and he'd have everything he needed.

In this incident, Cornelius Fudge's final move was to publicly announce that he would send more people to the school and Hogsmeade Village, and that he himself would lead the team to ensure the safety of the competition.

Oh, by the way, according to the rumors coming from Tonks, Fudge seems to have transferred Scrimgeour back to the Ministry of Magic...

"This guy is just trying to steal the credit!" A few days later, at breakfast, after learning about the Ministry of Magic's recent series of actions, Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust.

"So you're saying you want to ensure the safety of this competition, but aren't you just trying to use the headmaster's influence to catch a few more Death Eater?"

"His plan will ultimately fail; the Death Eater won't make a move at Hogwarts," Luna Lovegood calmly concluded. "Also, you'd better focus on your own affairs now. You need to check your wand today; your match is getting closer and closer."

"Wand...wait!" Overhearing Luna Lovegood's words, Harry suddenly remembered something. "Looks like I'll have to write to Mr. Scrimgeour and ask him to take a long leave of absence and stay home, preferably for a while before returning to work."

"Scrimgeour?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "What does this have to do with him? Why can't he go to work lately?"

"He will die." Luna Lovegood's casual words immediately stunned Hermione.

"Yes, recently, if Mr. Scrimgeour continues to stay in the Ministry of Magic, his life might really be in danger."

Harry nodded slightly; it was clear that Luna Lovegood, like him, understood the current situation.

Hermione is just bait. Despite her bizarre transformation into Champion and her apparent constant danger, Voldemort's ultimate target will always be Harry.

Therefore, the most likely reason Hermione was tricked was to lure Harry out of Hogwarts!

Hogwarts today is home to almost all of the elite wizards in the Britain Wizarding World. Voldemort would only launch a major attack if he had a pierced head and had not yet recovered.

Naturally, Cornelius Fudge wouldn't be able to catch any big fish.

The reason for the speculation that Scrimgeour might be in mortal danger is Voldemort's wand.

Harry gained access to many of Voldemort's memories and naturally knew how much Voldemort valued his wand. Once he regained his body, the wand he would undoubtedly use first and foremost.

The wand, however, has been sealed away by the Ministry of Magic as a confiscated item. If Voldemort wants to retrieve it, he will have to forcibly take it from the Ministry of Magic.

So much time has passed since Azkaban's prison break; judging by the timeline, his Death Eater should have recovered by now.

That's why Harry wanted to write to Scrimgeour. To put it bluntly, he didn't want them to meddle in his affairs, and he especially didn't want them to die so tragically in the line of duty.

Voldemort's wand is a crucial part of Harry's plan, and he'd love for the Death Eater to openly steal it from the Ministry of Magic.

Even if the Death Eater hadn't made a move, Harry might have gone to steal it himself and then found an excuse to pass it on to Voldemort.

"Come on, Hermione, I'll go with you to get your wand checked."

After the meal, Harry and Hermione went upstairs to the classroom, while Luna Lovegood left the Great Hall alone to go to the alchemy lab to continue making equipment for their side.

"Hmm?" However, just as she reached the corner of the stairs, a figure with red hair appeared in her field of vision.

The other person seemed to have been watching the direction Harry and Hermione had left in the whole time...

Chapter 633 A Girl's Thoughts, Ultimately Naive

"Harry ..."

Inside the Great Hall, the red-haired girl watched the two walk away hand in hand, her small face instantly filled with sorrow.

Ever since her chance encounter with her 'future' son on the school playground at the start of the semester, Ginny Weasley has been tormented by a double whammy of overthinking and anxiety.

Her wild thoughts stemmed from the surprising discovery that, if things went according to the 'plot,' she would actually end up with Harry in the future!

This discovery often made her heart flutter, and sometimes she would even fantasize about how she would react to Harry's confession, their first date, and what would happen if they kissed or took things further...

But amidst her fantasies, Ginny also suffered greatly every day, because given the current situation, it seemed her fantasies would never become reality.

Hermione replaced her as Harry's companion.

Ginny now has no doubt that Hermione and Harry have done everything she's ever imagined... and maybe even more.

Especially recently, after Hermione was chosen as the fourth Champion of Hogwarts, the two Granger have practically been inseparable.

According to the rumors Ginny heard, Harry, who has been taking classes with the older students, has canceled all classes that conflict with Hermione's schedule, including his General Social Cognition, which he teaches, and it hasn't started yet!

He devoted all his free time to Hermione, and the two were not only inseparable, but they would also disappear together on many occasions!

Oh, by the way, it wasn't just the two of them who disappeared; Luna Lovegood also vanished!

There were three of them!

Whether it's morning or afternoon, or even every evening lately...

Ginny had overheard the Ravenclaw girls in her year gossiping that Hermione and Luna Lovegood hadn't slept in their dorms for the past few nights. Where had they been?

Ginny didn't want to think about it, because it would definitely make her unhappy.

Logically speaking, given how things have developed, she should have given up long ago.

The problem is, Ginny isn't willing to give up.

In the future, she and he already have children, and seemingly more than one. Why should she admit defeat at this point?

So... something must have happened!

Something special must have happened to turn this situation around, making Harry notice me and ultimately choose me!

That's right, I should take the initiative!

After many days, Ginny, who had reached her breaking point, finally made up her mind.

She was convinced that if she stayed where she was, nothing would change; and the reason she would become the ultimate winner in the future was because she had done something helpful to Harry, which made him accept her!

With this in mind, Ginny ran all the way to the owl enclosure at the top of the West Tower and found her own owl, which was old and almost bald.

"Please, give this letter to Charles." She put the hastily written note into the envelope and, without even letting the glue dry, shoved it directly into her dog's owl's hand.

Watching the owl struggle to flap its wings and fly into the distance, Ginny's face lit up with boundless hope.

This must be it, the turning point in my relationship with Harry.

In Ginny's opinion, there was very little she could help Harry with, but there was one thing that was strictly forbidden in all of Britain, no, in the whole world, and she was currently the only one who could help Harry!

Because... Charles happens to be a dragon tamer!

The thought of the surprised and delighted expression on Harry's face after she had completely resolved his 'trouble' with her brother's help finally brought a relieved and innocent smile to the girl's face, who had been feeling depressed since the start of the school year.

However, Harry, who was accompanying Hermione to check the wand, was completely unaware of any of this.

In reality, he basically didn't pay much attention to Ginny at all.

Therefore, those whose thoughts don't align with Harry's are destined to have nothing in common with him. While she was grappling with those girlish thoughts, Harry was figuring out how to successfully defeat Voldemort while ensuring the safety of everyone on his side!

What she couldn't accept about the so-called 'disappearance of the three of them' was that Hermione was working hard to hone her dueling skills and improve the power of her spells, while Harry and Luna Lovegood were lying on the alchemy table, painstakingly making one magical artifact after another for their side, just so that everyone could be safer!

The reason the three of them walked together to school was, of course, the same. Harry had originally had some other expectations, but after Hermione and Luna Lovegood shared a room, the only meaning of walking together was to ensure safety...

Suddenly I feel like crying, don't you?

On the third floor of the castle, Harry and Hermione arrived at the location they had been told.

This is a small classroom; most of the desks have been pushed to the back, leaving only a large open space in the middle.

In front of the blackboard were two desks, placed side by side and covered with a velvet cloth.

Behind the desk were four chairs. The principals of the three schools were sitting there, and in another chair sat Garrick Ollivander, the owner of the Diagon Alley Wand Shop.

Apart from Hermione, all the other Champion had arrived. Viktor Krum remained sullenly in a corner, while Phoebe and Cedric Diggory seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

She wore a happy smile and occasionally tossed her cascading silver hair, but this gesture seemed to have little effect on Cedric Diggory. Instead, the photographer in the corner, who was clearly there for work, was staring intently at Phoebe.

A female reporter was standing next to the photographer, and her gaze towards Phoebe was far less friendly, filled with pure envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"Harry, now that you're here, let the reporters from Witch Weekly conduct their interviews." Dumbledore gestured for the reporters and photographers to come closer. "After the interviews, we'll have Mr. Ollivander examine the wand."

In the previous bidding for the on-campus interview rights, Witch Weekly ended up being the one who got ripped off, but Harry wasn't optimistic about the quality of their interviews.

Without Rita Skeeter's formidable professionalism, it would have been impossible to keep these four proud and arrogant Champion in check.

Sure enough, the other party simply asked a few questions, took some photos, and hurriedly left, not daring to dig any deeper into the juicy details, nor making any comments on the change from three to four.

Such news is destined to be dull, and the increased sales of <Witch Weekly> will certainly not recoup the bidding costs they incurred.

Hmm... in that case, I really should arrange an exclusive interview with <The Quibbler> in Hogsmeade Village.

Wouldn't it be a shame to miss out on trending topics?

"Please allow me to introduce Mr. Ollivander," Dumbledore said with a smile after the interview concluded and Hermione and the others had taken their seats. "He will be checking your wands to make sure they are in good condition before the competition."

Dumbledore's words drew everyone's attention to Ollivander.

Harry looked up as well, only to find that the wandmaker seemed to have been watching him the whole time.

Chapter 634 Inspecting the Wand, Making Comments

The old wizard with light-colored eyes slowly stood up from his seat. He seemed to notice Harry's gaze, so he quickly looked at someone else.

"Miss Delacour, would you like to go first?"

He chose Phoebe first, and after walking to the open space in the center of the room, he accepted the wand she offered.

He twirled the wand between his slender fingers, as if manipulating a conductor's baton, while simultaneously manipulating the wand head to spew out many golden-pink sparks, before bringing it close to his eyes to examine it closely.

"Hmm... not bad, nine and a half inches, very elastic, made of maple, contains... good heavens!"

"It contains a Veela hair," Phoebe said. "It's my grandmother's hair."

"That's right!" Ollivander nodded. "Of course, I've never used this material myself. I think wands made from Veela hair are too sensitive and capricious... But everyone has their own preferences, and since it suits you..."

After making his comments, Ollivander ran his fingers over the wand, checking for scratches and dents, before gently waving it once more.

"Orchideous!" A flower bloomed at the tip of the magic wand.

"Very good, the wand is in excellent condition." Ollivander gathered the flowers and returned the wand to Phoebe.

"Next up, Mr. Krum."

His second choice was also a student from another school. Viktor Krum stood up and handed him the wand, but said nothing.

"Hmm... if I'm not mistaken, this should be a product of Gregorovitch. He's an excellent wand maker, although I'm not entirely familiar with his style..."

As he made his comments, Ollivander examined the wand repeatedly in front of his eyes.

"That's right, hornbeam wood, and the Dragon Heartstring, right?" He glanced at Viktor Krum, who nodded in agreement.

"It's thicker than people usually see, very rigid, ten and a quarter inches... Avis!"

Viktor Krum's wand tip emitted a loud bang, like a pistol firing, and a flock of chirping birds flew out, but quickly disappeared.

"Very well, next up is Mr. Diggory."

He began examining the wands of the Hogwarts students, his expression noticeably more excited than before.

"That's right! I remember it clearly, there's a hair in here that was plucked from the tail of a particularly beautiful male Unicorn ...it must have been five or six feet long. After I plucked the Unicorn's tail hair, it almost poked a hole in me with its horn! Twelve and a quarter inches, made of elm wood, very flexible, in excellent condition...you must take good care of it regularly, right?"

Ollivander described everything about the wand as if it were his most perfect creation.

"I just wiped it down last night!" Cedric Diggory said with a smile.