Because Victor had already dealt with the Basilisk crisis created by the Horcrux in the original story, the second term of the 1992-1993 school year at Hogwarts passed smoothly and peacefully.
Over these few months, the preparations for the Grand Wizarding Tournament were carried out. With Dumbledore and Victor's behind-the-scenes manipulations, the tournament's reputation grew, becoming the most anticipated event in the magical world since the Quidditch World Cup.
This gave Victor an unprecedented reputation, which in turn kept the Ministry of Magic and the pure-blood families from making any big moves to interfere.
After months of public excitement, the magical world was finally ready for this rare and spectacular event. People from all over gathered, and Hogwarts was instantly packed.
At the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch, the stands were teeming with a roaring crowd. The guests invited to watch the games included students' parents, Hogwarts alumni, representatives from various magical schools, delegates from the International Confederation of Wizards, media from all over the wizarding world, the Ministry of Magic, and more. Including the Hogwarts student body, the crowd numbered at least five thousand!
It's safe to say that since the founding of Hogwarts, this Grand Wizarding Tournament had completely surpassed any previous Triwizard Tournament in scale and attendance—it was a truly unprecedented spectacle.
In the stands, the central viewing area was occupied by Hogwarts professors, staff, and representatives from the Ministry of Magic, other magical schools, and various media outlets.
The rest of the seats were filled with students and their invited parents. From a distance, the Quidditch Pitch was a vibrant display of colors, with the five teams' cheering sections clearly distinguished.
Gryffindor's scarlet, Slytherin's forest green, Ravenclaw's azure blue, Hufflepuff's jet black, and Fairy Tail's mixed colors.
After a long-awaited period, the games were finally about to begin. The regular Quidditch match commentator for Hogwarts, Lee Jordan, held his exclusive golden megaphone and shouted excitedly, "Ladies and gentlemen! Good morning! Welcome to the First Annual Hogwarts Grand Wizarding Tournament!"
WOOOOOH!
A thunderous roar of cheers and applause erupted from the entire Quidditch Pitch.
"This Grand Wizarding Tournament will last for four days. On behalf of Hogwarts, I'd like to thank the International Confederation of Wizards, the British Ministry of Magic, the Daily Prophet, Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Honeydukes Sweetshop, and all our friends for their generous sponsorship and support!"
"Today is the Arena Battles, which will truly test a wizard's overall strength and willpower. Now, please welcome the organizer of this Tournament, the heir to Rowena Ravenclaw, the heir to Salazar Slytherin, and a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class, Mr. Victor Dreyar, to announce the rules!"
As soon as Lee Jordan finished speaking, Victor transformed into a Bifang and descended from the sky. He was completely wreathed in Fiendfyre, and the bluish-purple flame was so brilliant it was dazzling even in the daytime sunlight.
The Fiendfyre exploded from the Bifang, sending out a fiery ring of heat that caused the people in the stands to instinctively raise their hands to shield their faces from the searing temperature.
Victor transformed back into his human form, then aimed his wand at his vocal cords and began speaking with a Sonorus charm. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much for coming to Hogwarts to participate in the First Annual Grand Wizarding Tournament!"
"Today is the Arena Battles. For you all to better understand the rules and have a better viewing experience, I will now read out today's rules for the Arena Battles…"
"First…"
After nearly ten minutes of explanation, the parents and representatives had a basic understanding of the Arena Battle rules.
When he was finished, Victor pointed his wand at the sky, casting a spell that erupted into a shower of fireworks. Then, in a booming voice, he declared, "Now, I officially announce that the First Annual Hogwarts Grand Wizarding Tournament has officially begun! All team representatives, please enter the arena!"
WOOOOOH!
The Quidditch Pitch once again erupted in a thunderous roar of applause and cheers.
Gryffindor:
From the wild winds we came,
Strength is our compass,
Ideals blaze within us.
Brave and unyielding,
Righteous and bold,
Never faltering, never broken—
We are Gryffindor!
In the stands, a wave of scarlet fireworks shot up from the Gryffindor section, forming a roaring lion. Percy Weasley, as Prefect, led the Gryffindor representatives into the arena.
Slytherin:
From shadowed swamps we rise,
Power is our beacon,
Ambition shapes our path.
Calm in our strength,
Elegant in our stride,
Never bound by regret—
We are Slytherin!
A green serpent shadow slithered from the stands to the arena, coiling its body, baring its fangs, and hissing menacingly at the lion in the sky.
Ravenclaw:
From the still lake we awaken,
Wisdom crowns our spirit,
Knowledge guides our hand.
Seekers of the unseen,
Keepers of foresight,
Ever apart, yet ever beyond—
We are Ravenclaw!
A long cry echoed through the sky as a giant eagle suddenly soared into the arena, cutting through the air.
Hufflepuff:
From the steadfast forest we dwell,
Love roots deep within us,
Loyalty binds us to earth.
Honest in heart,
Sincere in soul,
Unafraid of toil or trial—
We are Hufflepuff!
A black badger suddenly burrowed up from the ground, standing fearlessly in the center of the arena and letting out a mighty roar at the lion, snake, and eagle.
However, compared to the four houses' cheering squads, Fairy Tail's was...
Fairy Tail: "We have few people, and no professional cheering squad!!!"
Victor's face was full of black lines as he felt the awkward atmosphere on the pitch. In the past few months, he had been so busy preparing for the tournament that he hadn't thought to prepare their own entrance. As the guild master, he had to step in.
With a wave of his hand, the bluish-purple Fiendfyre formed a giant Fairy Tail guild emblem in the sky, so large it covered the entire Quidditch Pitch, eliciting gasps from the crowd.
The entrance ceremony concluded, and the Arena Battles officially began.
First, the scene shifted to the Gryffindor arena...
Defender: Oliver Wood.
Attacker: Marcus Flint (Slytherin).
These two were absolute arch-rivals, both captains of their respective Quidditch teams. One was a Gryffindor keeper, and the other was a Slytherin chaser. This offensive-defensive rivalry had been going on both on and off the Quidditch pitch for a while.
On the arena, Marcus Flint looked at his opponent with disdain, his face full of malice. "Ready to get thrashed in front of everyone, Wood?"
"Says who!" Oliver Wood frowned, pulling out his wand and responding without backing down. "You're just as arrogant as ever."
With that, he immediately cast a spell while his opponent was distracted.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A red beam of light shot out, but it was slightly off target. Shouting the spell also gave Flint about half a second to react, so the spell only hit his robe, which enraged him.
"You treacherous cheat!" Flint's eyes narrowed as he glared at Wood for the sneak attack. He waved his wand and returned fire with a vicious spell. "Confringo!"
However, Wood, with the advantage of having the first move, was prepared. His second spell was cast almost at the same time as Flint's.
"Relashio!"
The two spells collided, and a red and green stream of magic power clashed, locked in a stalemate. As time went on, both Wood and Flint's faces became more and more twisted. Flint's stamina seemed to be a step ahead of Wood's, as the green lightning slowly began to overpower the red.
The young lions in the stands, seeing Wood losing ground, began to cheer him on with all their might.
"Come on, Wood! Hold on!"
"Go, Gryffindor!"
At the same time, the little snakes of Slytherin were not to be outdone, shouting:
"Go, Flint! Take him out!"
"Show those Gryffindors what's what!"
Hearing the cheers from their teams, both wizards' fighting spirits surged, and they redoubled their efforts to take each other down, once again locking into a stalemate.
But Wood realized that he couldn't win if he continued to fight head-on. He twisted his wrist, deflecting Flint's spell to the side. Then, while Flint was still off balance, he pointed his wand behind him and shouted, "Accio Broom!"
Flint immediately felt something was wrong. He whipped his head around just in time to see a flying broomstick hurtling towards him. He quickly dropped to the ground, and the broomstick grazed his scalp.
At that speed, if he had been a moment too slow, he would have been sent straight to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
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