The Idiot Cup (Two in One)

The Triwizard Tournament, literally speaking, involves three schools and three Champion.

This has been the consensus for hundreds of years and has been held so many times.

But I only realized today that the number three is not a real number, but an imaginary number.

For example, tonight, the "three" refers to the twenty-three.

Durmstrang had nine members, Beauxbatons had seven, and Hogwarts had seven.

Three Champion, that's standard procedure.

The appearance of a fourth Champion... the students could barely accept it.

Then a fifth Champion arrived... The little wizard began to question the meaning of life.

When the sixth or seventh person stands up, everyone will be completely dumbfounded, their brains going blank.

When more than twenty Champion suddenly appeared, each of them had only one thing on their mind:

Am I still half asleep?

School hasn't actually started today yet; this must all be a dream!

Haha, I'm not crazy!

So Goyle slapped Crabbe.

Draco is Champion?

Could this dream be any more fake?

Crabbe thought so too, so he slapped Goyle back.

The two of them were slapping each other back and forth, like Russia slapping contest... the kind where you can't wake them up.

McLaggen remained seated, his face contorted in pain.

When the fourth Champion appeared, the quick-witted man made a bet with Eloise:

If another Champion comes along, he will eat the cup on the spot.

Then, Qiu stood up and slapped him in the face with lightning speed.

He bet that a sixth Champion would appear, and that he would eat Blast-Ended Skrewt... Then, George stood up and slapped him again.

After gambling more than ten times, McLaggen lost every single time, and his face was swollen from all the beatings.

They gambled away everything edible, even the toilets.

McLaggen was furious.

Why should he...? He spent fifty Galleon to have an adult senior submit his name.

So many people became Champion, why did Champion he?!

He's also a big spender on in-game purchases.

If you're talking about other people, fine, but even Ron, Potter's lackey, is Champion!

Ron stood up, intending to enjoy the cheers for a while, but seeing the way everyone was looking at him, as if he were a fraud, he quickly walked back to his room.

The Great Hall was deathly silent, while the rooms were much more lively.

Hermione, Phoebe, and Cho were gathered around the fire, whispering to each other.

Cedric and George looked around the room, and all the portraits on the walls turned to look at them.

A wrinkled witch darted out of her own picture frame and into the one next to it, which depicted a wizard with a walrus beard.

The wrinkled witch began to whisper in his ear.

Krum's face darkened as he noticed six people entering the room.

Wait a minute... wasn't this supposed to be Triwizard Tournament? How did it turn into a six-way Triwizard Tournament?

But judging from the expressions of the other five people, their reactions were calm, as if they already knew what had happened.

He's the only one who doesn't know!

This feeling was very uncomfortable. Just as Krum was about to ask something, a commotion arose behind him.

A dozen or so wizards rushed in through the door, eight of whom were Durmstrang's students.

Krum frowned even more deeply, and looked at a student, saying, "What's going on, Poliakoff! Did Headmaster Karkaroff call me back?"

"No." Poliakoff shook his head, a smug look on his face.

"We are Champion just like you!"

"That's impossible!" Krum exclaimed sharply. "A school can only have one Champion..."

"But there are indeed many Champion now, even if you might be..." Poliakoff shrugged. "I can't understand what happened."

The sound of hurried footsteps came again from the doorway.

Ludo Bagman entered the room. He looked around and said loudly:

"This is too bizarre! Absolutely too bizarre, everyone..."

Who would have thought that our Triwizard Tournament would have more than twenty Champion?!

Merlin, this is something that has never happened in seven hundred years!

Krum straightened up, his thick eyebrows furrowed, and glared at Bagman.

It seems that many Champion have indeed emerged.

He sized up the others, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Everyone else seemed to know what was going on... except him!

In fact, besides Krum, there were also some students who were quite confused.

For example, Malfoy.

He thought he was the only Champion at Hogwarts!

What's going on?! Three thousand five hundred Galleon! Wasn't this supposed to be a buyout of a spot?!

The door was pushed open again, and a large group of people rushed in:

Professor Dumbledore, followed by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape.

Before Professor McGonagall closed the door, everyone could hear the buzzing of hundreds of students in the adjacent Great Hall.

Madame Maxime stood tall and imposing, her head touching the chandelier filled with lit candles.

She was somewhat agitated, her large breasts, clad in a black satin dress, heaving violently.

"What does this mean, Professor Dumbledore?"

"I'd like to know that too." Professor Karkaroff's face wore a cold smile, his blue eyes gleaming with an icy chill.

"Isn't this Triwizard Tournament? Why are there so many Champion? Did I not read the rules carefully enough?"

"Actually... I'm also very curious to know what happened."

Dumbledore wore a perfectly timed look of confusion. He glanced around:

"We should indeed only have three Champion, but now..."

Dumbledore. "You don't think I did it, do you? Why would I do such a thing?"

Maxime and Karkaroff exchanged a glance.

Dumbledore really had no reason to create a large number of Champion.

If there were one or two more Hogwarts students, they could understand. But now there are far more than just Hogwarts students.

"Ask Stark, perhaps?" Crouch suddenly interrupted abruptly.

"He's been keeping the Goblet of Fire safe all this time; he might know something!"

Everyone was stunned.

Professor Snape grinned and said in a greasy voice, "I'll go get him."

He was just looking for an opportunity to cause trouble for William. The herbs he had "picked up" in class last time had all been stolen.

It must have been stolen by Shidake!

Snape had no evidence, but he never needed evidence to do things.

His intuition told him the truth!

Similarly, this incident is also inseparable from him!

Sitting at the Ravenclaw dining table, William slowly sipped his black tea.

He glanced at the Gryffindor table out of the corner of his eye; Harry was still sitting there, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

There was another important reason why Dumbledore didn't choose Harry to be the Champion:

Peter found Voldemort and tortured Bertha, so he most likely knew about the Triwizard Tournament beforehand.

If Voldemort didn't cause trouble during the Quidditch World Cup, then he's very likely to make a move in the Triwizard Tournament.

Dumbledore that if Voldemort wanted to cause trouble or resurrect, his target would be, and could only be, Harry.

Although William didn't know why the principal was so certain, he still considered the idea for a moment.

Voldemort's real target is Harry; he also wants to do something in the competition, most likely... making Harry a Champion!

If William were Voldemort, he would have done the same.

Only by becoming Champion can he take advantage of the chaos.

Therefore, William cannot allow Harry to become Champion. He is waiting for Harry to make a move, and then following the clues.

If someone puts Harry's name into the pot, William will be able to communicate with the red dragon in the Holy Grail and slowly find out where that person is.

In fact, William had the twins and Cedric take turns monitoring the Hogwarts Map last night, according to their assigned time slots.

As long as someone submits their name on the list, it will be recorded.

Unfortunately, all the people who came in the evening were students.

Of course, if it were Peter, he wouldn't be discovered either. After all, his name has long been erased from the map.

William was ready, and Harry's name was prepared to appear in the Goblet of Fire.

But they seemed to be wrong... Harry didn't become Champion; no one put his name in.

Or perhaps... Voldemort also considered this possibility after revealing his presence in Albania.

So, are you preparing to execute an even more covert plan?

William rubbed his temples and suddenly looked up. The Great Hall had fallen silent.

Professor Snape didn't need to say a word; his demeanor was impeccable. He only needed to squint and glance around to silence everyone.

Even the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were no exception.

This greasy, middle-aged man... he's got something going for him.

Professor Snape walked toward William, and as he passed Gryffindor, he casually nitpicked and deducted twenty points.

William, holding his cup, couldn't help but laugh.

He strongly suspected that deducting Gryffindor's House Points had become Professor Snape's muscle memory.

Even when he's talking in his sleep, he might say something like: Potter... Gryffindor five points.

Professor Snape walked to the Ravenclaw dining table, shook his robes, and sneered, "Come on, don't you have any self-awareness? What have you done?"

William took a sip of tea and said softly, "Professor, I don't understand what you're saying."

Snape narrowed his eyes, chose a seat, and without looking at William, frowned and whispered:

"Have you offended Crouch?"

William raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe. During the summer vacation, he said I burned down Albania's forests."

Crouch did indeed approach William and Hermione about this matter, but his main purpose was to find out about Bertha.

William and Hermione claimed ignorance, perhaps because he held a grudge against them.

Professor Snape said gleefully, "Then you're in trouble. He just singled you out as a suspect, saying the Goblet of Fire has been with you all along."

"He has no proof that I did it," William said calmly.

Snape snorted and said, "You must have made a lot of money, huh?"

William simply smiled without saying a word, neither admitting nor denying.

Snape pursed his lips.

Others might not know, but he certainly did.

William took advantage of the school in various ways, and he even dabbled in selling materials related to the Acromantula.

William was definitely behind this Champion stunt, and he made a lot of money from it.

"Thank you for the reminder, Professor." William swirled his glass.

Snape was alright; he even informed him that Crouch was the one who betrayed him.

This Crouch... he's in serious trouble.

"A reminder? I didn't remind you of anything!"

Professor Snape suddenly stood up and said sternly, "Aren't you leaving? Do I need to tell you what you've done?"

The principals are waiting for you!

William was slightly taken aback, but Snape turned and left, leaving him with only an angry back view.

The Great Hall erupted in chaos once again.

It was Stark who did it!

William was speechless. He had just praised Professor Snape, and now he had pulled another stunt.

William could have simply gone to his room; at most, people would have assumed he needed to see him for something.

But the professor's shout confirms that he was the one who did it!

Hogwarts is a haven for rumors; people don't need any evidence, they just use their imaginations.

William sighed and slowly walked into the room amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd.

Inside the room, the rivalry continued.

Maxime and Karkaroff seem to be arguing again.

Upon seeing William approach, the two fell silent and stared at him.

"What do you need me for?" William asked. "Do you want me to be a referee?"

"..."

"It's not the referee..." Dumbledore shook his head, "William, you saw so many Champion too."

We'd like to know if you were aware of this matter.

William, putting on a convincing act, frowned and said, "I don't know... I really want to be Champion too."

To be honest, this is a huge honor.

If I could overcome the Age Line, I'd definitely become Champion!

"But Crouch just said that the Goblet of Fire has always been with you?" Karkaroff's cold smile remained, but the chill in his eyes deepened.

"How dare you, a student, keep the Goblet of Fire?!" he questioned. "Who gave you that authority?!"

"The Italy Ministry of Magic gave me this power," William said.

"During summer vacation, I happened to do a small favor for the Minister of Italy Ministry of Magic."

"Small favor..." Everyone was speechless.

Saving Venice... is that considered a small favor?

In that comparison, wouldn't Voldemort just be the village thug boss?

William continued, "I happen to particularly like the Goblet of Fire."

To commemorate my great friendship with the Italian Ministry of Magic, Minister Hewen lent me the Goblet of Fire for research.

I have the authority to dispose of the Goblet of Fire; you're essentially borrowing something from me.

Of course I have the right to decide when to lend it to you.

Is there a problem?

Everyone was speechless. "Of course, there's no problem."

"As for why these people became Champion, you should ask them, why are you asking me?!"

William paced around the room, then pointed to a Durmstrang student and said:

Did I help you become Champion? Tell the truth!

"No!" The man shook his head vehemently. "I became Champion through my own strength!"

"Sincere."

William patted Malfoy on the shoulder again. "And you? I didn't help you become Champion, did I?"

"No, I submitted my own name!"

Malfoy stood stiffly, as if the greatest insult to him was for people to question his abilities.

William laughed and said, "Very good, very energetic!"

Snape, standing in the corner, curled his lip.

Let's leave Malfoy aside. If Weasley could become Champion through his own abilities, then the Goblet of Fire wouldn't be the Goblet of Fire.

It should be renamed... the "Idiot Cup".

(Please vote for this post, everyone!)

Thank you to the generous donor "Benbang Caifan" for the donation.

I'll combine the four thousand words into one chapter instead of splitting it into two.

There will be another chapter tonight, which is equivalent to the third chapter.