Harry instinctively looked at Hermione, his eyes full of confusion and a plea for help.
Hermione met his gaze and strolled over to him. With a neutral expression, she patted his shoulder and said casually:
"Relax. It's just a tournament. At worst, you'll lose an arm or a leg. You won't die."
"Oh, right. Have you bought insurance? Who did you name as the beneficiary?"
Harry: "..."
Harry looked even worse.
Great reassurance. Please never reassure me again.
Beside the staff table at the front of the Great Hall, the hushed argument between the headmasters and Barty Crouch finally came to an end.
Dumbledore turned to the crowd, his voice returning to its usual calm, though it carried a note of unquestionable authority. "The Goblet of Fire's selection is binding. Harry Potter must compete."
He looked at Harry, his gaze gentle and his tone calm. "Harry, did you put your own name into the Goblet of Fire?"
"No, Professor!" Harry immediately denied loudly. "I didn't!"
"We believe you, Harry."
Dumbledore nodded, then turned his gaze to Hermione.
"Miss Granger, given the dangers of the tournament, as well as the... unexpected circumstances, the heads of all three schools would like to ask whether you would serve as a special safety officer for this Triwizard Tournament, ensuring the Champions' safety throughout the competition and preventing any accidents."
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
You mean you would like that. Hogwarts already has an extra contestant. They must be under enough pressure as it is. Why would they want a biased referee from Hogwarts thrown into the mix?
Seriously, Old Dumbledore managed to find work for me every year.
"Sure." She agreed without hesitation.
She had been worried that some deviation might prevent Old Voldy from actually coming back to life, leaving her without a