It was clear that the witch named Umbridge had a strong urge to deliver a speech. Unfortunately, Dumbledore had no intention of letting her speak at all.
"Madam Umbridge will be attending the entire event on behalf of Minister Fudge. Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch, who have put so much thought and effort into ensuring the tournament runs smoothly over the past few months, will join me and the headmasters of the various schools on the judging panel. We will assess the Champions' efforts in the coming competition."
At the word "Champions," all the students seemed to grow even more excited. Their little faces flushed red, one after another, but they fought back the urge to speak and stared intently at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore evidently noticed this too. Smiling, he said to one side, "Mr. Filch, could I trouble you to bring the box up?"
Filch, who had been waiting in a corner of the Great Hall, pushed an unremarkable little trolley over to Dumbledore. A wooden box sat on it.
The wooden box was beautiful, inlaid with numerous jewels and gemstones that glittered in the light. Even so, it was still clear that the box was very old and must have been through many years.
No one paid Filch any attention. Even those from the other schools who did not know him paid him no heed at all.
All the students' attention was focused on the box. Some sitting farther back even had to climb onto their benches, trying to get a clearer view.
Dennis Creevey was an exception. He still could not see after climbing onto his bench, so he climbed onto the table.
"Although this competition follows in the footsteps of the previous Triwizard Cup, it should really be considered an entirely new event. As such, the new