A Truly Rich Woman

Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are about to arrive at Hogwarts.

The most obvious impact of this incident is that the school suddenly... became much cleaner.

Hogwarts used to be very clean, but that cleanliness was limited to the castle and the tables.

This time it was different; even the portraits were thoroughly washed.

Not only were they clean, but they also put on new formal gowns, no longer the tattered clothes they used to wear.

The Fat Lady was wearing her long, red, floor-length gown.

According to her, this dress was originally designed specifically for Gryffindor.

That mature old man from Gryffindor... absolutely adored the way she looked in that red gown.

The Fat Lady also claimed that she had never worn it since he left school.

That heartless old man... he ultimately misplaced his trust.

I never expected Gryffindor to like this kind of thing; no wonder the Fat Lady has always been their house's doorman.

The various armors that were covered in dust became shiny and no longer creaked when moved.

The school has finally decided to spend some money on lubricant. I wonder where Professor McGonagall has spent all those years of saving money.

You should know that when William came, the brooms were still antiques from twenty or thirty years ago.

To prevent Peeves from causing trouble at a crucial moment, the ghosts also held an emergency expanded meeting.

With Bloody Baron's consent, Peeves is permitted to attend the opening banquet next year.

Peeves is usually not allowed to attend the opening banquet. But this time, he has to go even if he can't.

On the first day of school this year, Peeves, who was refused entry to the dinner party, ran into the kitchen and wreaked havoc, spilling soup everywhere.

If we don't satisfy him now, are we going to let him wreak havoc everywhere when the two schools come?

The faculty and staff are also under pressure.

Filch spent his days taking Mrs. Norris and Miss Alice for walks around the castle.

He flew into a rage when he saw that some students had dirtied the floor.

He also suggested to the principal that a sanitation plan be implemented. In summary:

There should be no trash in the trash cans, and nothing should be placed on the tables.

Students are not allowed to stay in dormitories or lounges; they must stay in the library.

This inhumane regulation was met with unanimous opposition.

Especially Madam Pince. Good heavens, she doesn't like the school being in the library, and you still suggest this!

The two used to have a very good relationship, and there were even rumors of a romantic relationship between them.

The ambiguous relationship is so fragile, it could capsize at any moment.

Professor McGonagall's temper also gradually worsened; in one class, she harshly criticized him:

"McLaggen, please, don't let this slip in front of Beauxbatons ' students."

Otherwise, they'll realize that with your Transfiguration skills, you can only get a Templar Proficiency Test (T) in the OWLs exam!

That lesson went terribly wrong; McLaggen grafted Eloise's ear onto a cactus.

The "T" stands for Troll.

Professor Snape intensified his taunts, hoping Neville would take a long sick leave during the match.

This way, we won't be ridiculed by other schools because of a crucible explosion.

However, the teacher's strictness did not dampen the students' enthusiasm.

The boys all wore their cleanest robes, and the girls also tried their best to dress up.

This doesn't seem like Triwizard Tournament, but rather a large-scale matchmaking event like "If You Are the One".

On the morning of October 30th, the Great Hall was decorated overnight, as if Christmas had arrived.

Huge silk banners hung on the wall, each representing one of Hogwarts ' houses.

The Ravenclaw flag, designed by Professor Flitwick himself, features a blue background with a bronze eagle, and looks very cool.

In the morning, William and Hermione had just sat down at the Ravenclaw dining table when the twins came over.

Fred said mysteriously, "We've already created Ageing Potion... How will Dumbledore prevent minors from getting near the Goblet of Fire?"

William had already told the twins and Cedric about the Goblet of Fire selection method.

But Dumbledore didn't really know how to keep underage wizards away.

"I just don't know if it'll work?" George said. "Maybe Ron can give it a try; he's on our paycheck now."

He suddenly shut up.

Harry and Ron stood up from the Gryffindor dining table and walked over.

"What salary?" Ron asked, sitting down next to them.

"Your salary... we might run out of money soon," Fred changed the subject.

"No...!" Ron cried out anxiously.

This job pays so well, I can't stop!

"Do you have a plan for the Triwizard Tournament?" Harry asked. "How do we get in?"

"It's still under consideration; we have several options," Fred said.

Ron was somewhat tempted; as long as there was a way, he might be able to participate.

"I wonder what events are included in the Triwizard Tournament?" he asked expectantly. "You know what? I bet we can do them too, Harry."

We've done so many dangerous things before, Professor McGonagall just needs to give us one chance...

"What dangerous things have you done, Weasley?" a cold voice suddenly rang out.

Ron was so frightened that his body went limp and he collapsed into Harry's arms.

"I'm really curious, what exactly is it that has made you so arrogant, blindly overestimating your own abilities?" Professor McGonagall pursed her lips.

Ron opened his mouth, but was speechless.

First graders playing Wizard's Chess? Well, the twins were already roaming the fourth-floor Restricted Section long ago.

Second grader controlled by the diary? Third grader controlled by Peter?

They were all indeed very dangerous. But he didn't do anything about it.

"If you can complete my tasks in every class like Miss Granger did, then Merlin will be blessing you!"

Professor McGonagall glanced coldly at Ron and said softly:

"Come on, Mr. Stark, Mr. Crouch and Bagman are waiting. Did you bring the things?"

William nodded and, under everyone's watchful eyes, followed Professor McGonagall toward the Headmaster's Office.

When he entered the Headmaster's Office, all the portraits of the principal on the wall turned to look at him.

Ludo Bagman stood up, walked over, warmly grabbed his arm, and laughed:

"William, it's been a long time!" He squeezed William's arm tightly and murmured.

Ludo didn't look well; he looked much more haggard, and his hair had turned mostly white.

Barty Crouch was also there, sitting just outside the circle of firelight, his face half-hidden in shadow.

He looked a bit strange; the half-shadow made him look much older, almost like a skeleton.

"Long time no see, Mr. Stark."

Dumbledore sat behind the table, arms crossed, and smiled. "William, has the Goblet of Fire been brought?"

William took a wooden box from the Safety Watch and handed it to Dumbledore.

Ludo's gaze remained fixed on the wooden box, as if it were an old antique that could be sold for money.

After examining Dumbledore smiled and said, "It's the Goblet of Fire, perfectly intact."

"Then I'll head back now."

William walked out of the Headmaster's Office, and to his surprise, Ludo followed him out.

"William, is the Goblet of Fire yours now?" Ludo asked, squinting. "I heard from Barty that it's been with you all summer."

"It can't really be considered mine; the Venice Ministry of Magic only lent it to me temporarily," William said vaguely.

"I see." Ludo pondered for a moment, then quickly asked, "William, are you... going to participate in this competition?"

He lowered his voice and said urgently, "We two can set up a scheme and gamble with those Goblin again... It's a sure win, trust me!"

Ludo already looks like a gambler; it seems he really can't repay the debt he owes the Goblin's Galleon.

As Ludo entered the Great Hall, he saw the twins and turned to run away, just like Ron had refused to pay his debts that day.

The twins quickly gave chase.

"What's going on with them?" Hermione asked, puzzled, while waiting for William to have breakfast with her.

"On the night of the final, Ludo used the Goblin's money to book the game. George and Fred bet on Ireland to win, and Bulgaria caught the Golden Snitch," William explained.

"Ludo lost, so he used the Leprechaun's gold coins to pay back the debt. Now the twins are chasing him for it."

Hermione was speechless.

This Ludo is really unreliable.

The twins couldn't catch Ludo by nightfall, and he slipped away.

This infuriated them, leading them to decide to resort to extreme measures, including violent debt collection.

William didn't care; he still had to teach Ancient Runes to his fourth-grade students.

However, the students were clearly in a state of excitement, so William casually demonstrated a few spells and then let them study on their own.

Working diligently is earning rewards through labor; slacking off at work is making money off the school School Governor.

William only gets a pitiful Sickle what's wrong with slacking off for one class?

In fact, William learned this from Professor Snape.

He taught classes every day, but he almost never explained the textbook. Instead, he would show everyone the process of making a Potions and let them follow the steps to make it themselves.

Is there any teacher worse than this?

William is still learning, not even scratching the surface of what Professor Snape teaching.

In the evening, when the bell rang, all the students arrived at the door in order.

The deans and Prefect are directing students from each college to line up.

Ravenclaw's attire was mostly normal, except for Luna... who was wearing a Winky silver dress.

The dress seemed to be made of mirror, reflecting colorful light.

Luna was also wearing carrot earrings, hanging on her earlobes.

Professor Flitwick was happily praising her, saying that her clothes were very nice.

As Prefect, William and Cho stood on one side of the crowd, looking into the distance.

Qiu glanced at the time and said, "They should have arrived by now... How did they get here? By express train?"

William shook his head and said, "Beauxbatons will probably be traveling by carriage; Madame Maxime keeps a herd of Abraxan."

He had Dumbledore, who was standing in the back row, shouted.

"Ah! If I'm not mistaken, Beauxbatons ' representative has arrived!"

"Where?" many students asked anxiously, looking in different directions.

A colossal creature streaked rapidly across the deep blue sky, Accio towards the castle, gradually growing larger and larger.

It was a huge, light blue carriage, with twelve glass lanterns gleaming with orange light hanging from it.

Twelve winged Abraxan pulled it into the air.

Each of the Abraxan has a string of bells hanging from its neck.

A gentle breeze blows, and the bells emit a clear, melodious tune, like the song of Veela, captivating all who hear it.

All the students stared wide-eyed, stunned by the luxurious carriage.

As expected of Madame Maxime, she is truly a woman who values pomp and circumstance.

This is a real rich woman.

(Please vote for this post, everyone!)

Thanks to the boss of "Auspicious Snow Heralds a Good Year LV" for the 10,000-coin reward.

Even in death, nailed to a coffin, I will still shout from my grave with these decaying vocal cords:

(31 chapters owed!)