The Great Hall was silent. All the young witches and wizards watched expectantly as Dumbledore rose from the podium.
The Daily Prophet camera crew, which had received special permission to attend, had already trained all manner of lenses on him.
The Super Goblet of Fire had become the most closely watched event of the entire year, far surpassing even the Quidditch World Cup.
Its staggering popularity had swept the entire wizarding world into a frenzy. People eagerly chased every scrap of news about the Super Goblet of Fire.
From the contestants' broomsticks in the first round and their Christmas dress robes to the cabins and diving suits in the second round, all kinds of Muggle items had quietly begun circulating among wizards.
Even Harry probably had no idea that he had single-handedly driven down the price of the Firebolt.
It was his outstanding performance on a Nimbus 2000 in the first round that had convinced people that Nimbus had not lost!
The Firebolt's manufacturers, Ellaby and the Baderma Broomstick Company, were at their wits' end over this. They kept sending people to contact Harry.
They tried to persuade him to use a Firebolt, even offering to give him a Supreme Firebolt free of charge.
But the Nimbus Racing Broom Company was just as quick to respond.
Its share of the high-end market, which had been steadily losing ground to the Firebolt, had suddenly come back to life.
Overjoyed, the Nimbus Racing Broom Company immediately contacted Harry, hoping to make him its spokesperson.
It was willing to keep supplying Harry with its latest broomsticks to try out, along with a substantial sum of Galleons.
Harry's choice, however, was unexpected. He made a proposal that surprised everyone.
After lengthy discussions, Nimbus finally announced its agreement with Harry.
The Nimbus Racing Broom Company