The professors gathered around Alaric, praising him lavishly. Nearby young wizards were dumbfounded.
Although they understood every word the professors said, the specific meanings behind those words left them baffled, unable to grasp such profound theories.
In the end, all they could make out was the professors' admiration for Alaric.
With Dumbledore's help, Maxwell and Stein successfully submitted their names into the Goblet of Fire. However, right after they did so, they slinked away in embarrassment.
They had previously belittled Alaric, thinking he was all talk. But what followed made them feel ashamed and wish they could disappear on the spot.
The person they had mocked turned out to be on a completely different level from them—Dumbledore himself felt inferior in comparison.
Their earlier behavior seemed like that of clowns; they themselves were the ones of modest abilities, yet they boasted in front of a true powerhouse.
Meanwhile, not only did the young wizards of Hogwarts witness Alaric's might once more, but even the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang gained a newfound understanding.
They now understood why Dumbledore insisted on arranging this boy as a guest—it was a form of protection for them.
After all, competing against such a monster left almost no chance of victory.
However, at the same time, the Triwizard Tournament's championship seemed less appealing.
Even if they won the championship, so what? They had now witnessed someone of their age who made the Triwizard Tournament's champion seem trivial.
In this light, the championship appeared rather tasteless.
Of course, this was just a saying. Although the champion couldn't measure up to Alaric, it still proved that among peers, he was superior.
Moreover, the champion's prize was 3,000 Galleons, a substantial sum even for wealthy families like the Malfoys.
After the professors and students from Beauxbatons had left, the Hogwarts wizards enthusiastically surrounded Alaric, bombarding him with questions.
Most of these were wizards under 17 years old.
Although they didn't fully understand the professors' conversation, they gleaned that Alaric had modified Dumbledore's Age Line charm, thus blocking out the two fools from Beauxbatons.
They felt that if Alaric could keep wizards over 17 out, he could let wizards under 17 in—this was their chance.
After all, who wouldn't want to be chosen as the champion of the Triwizard Tournament, even Harry?
However, their request was flatly rejected by Alaric.
"But I'm the judge," he said solemnly. "How could I help others cheat?"
"Then what were you doing just now?" many thought inwardly but didn't dare say.
"Does that mean those under 17 really can't become champions? That's so unfair," complained Michael Corner, Alaric's roommate.
"That's not true," Alaric countered.
"In fact, if you find your own way to cross this line and then submit your name into the Goblet of Fire, you still have a chance to become a champion.
After all, the age limit of 17 was just added by Dumbledore; it's the Goblet of Fire that truly makes the selection."
"Then can you tell us how to cross this line?" Harry asked loudly from the crowd.
"Although you can't personally help us, you can give us advice, right? How would you cross that line?"
"My method might be too complicated for you," Alaric said. "But there are simpler ways, like having older students submit your name for you."
This revelation made many people suddenly enlightened.
This method indeed made sense; after all, there was no rule saying the Age Line or the Goblet of Fire could distinguish whether the name submitted belonged to the person present or written on a piece of paper.
Immediately, people began to eagerly discuss and brainstorm in their social circles to find older students willing to take the risk of submitting their names on their behalf.
"However, there's still one problem," Hermione suddenly spoke up.
"I think the Goblet of Fire's criteria for selecting champions should be based on the strength of the person who submits the name.
If that's the case, to get your name chosen, the person submitting it for you must have some strength. But why wouldn't such a person compete themselves?"
Upon hearing this, the young wizards were all stunned.
Yeah, if someone could become a champion themselves, why would they help someone else submit their name?
Looking at Alaric, they hoped he would come up with another idea.
"In that case, there's only one rather foolish method left," Alaric shrugged and continued.
"If you can't cross the line, find a way around it. Whether it's flying from above or digging underground, as long as you don't touch that line, problem solved."
In fact, this was a flawed idea. After all, Dumbledore's Age Line was more than just a line; it had a certain range of influence.
Otherwise, wouldn't anyone be able to break through the age restriction just by jumping over it?
According to Alaric's judgment, those who wanted to bypass the restriction by flying or, um, digging underground would either have to parachute from the ceiling or dig deeper than the Chamber of Secrets.
But the young wizards were unaware of this. Alaric's analysis seemed reasonable and convincing.
So they were all excited, thinking they had a chance to become Hogwarts' champion, compete against the other two schools on the field, defeat their opponents, win the championship, get 3,000 Galleons, and reach the pinnacle of life...
Seeing the enthusiastic young wizards, especially the excited Harry among them, Alaric shook his head helplessly.
These people didn't know about the dark secrets behind this competition, nor did they know the fate of Hogwarts' champion in the original story.
In the original story, Hogwarts' champion Cedric Diggory really died during the competition.
Alaric agreed to be the judge for this reason.
In his view, Hermione's current strength definitely surpassed Diggory's and the young wizards of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
She would surely participate and win the championship. With Alaric around, Hermione could prepare psychologically and avoid death.
But what about Harry? His fate was uncertain...
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