All the Little Wizards , even the Professors , turned their gaze towards the Great Hall door .
At the entrance to the Great Hall stooda male wizard , leaning on a long staff and wearing a dark black cloak. Seeing everyone staring at him, he quickly removed his hood, revealing his grey-white hair and scarred face.
Hissing-
The little wizards held their breath, each one growing tense.
What a face!
His body wasn't just covered in scars; his mouth was also slightly crooked, and part of his nose was missing. Of course, the most terrifying thing was his eyes.
One eye was perfectly intact and possessed a sharp gaze, while the other was a constantly shifting, magical eye.
That round, slightly bluish artificial eye was constantly rotating, able to look in every direction, including the back of his head.
The little wizards, fearing that magical eye would look upon them, shortened their necks, and some even bent their bodies down slightly.
His gaze was unusually intense, filled with horror and contempt, but Moody , leaning on his wand, paid no heed. He smugly scanned the entire hall with his magical eye, then limped toward the Professor's desk.
Sebastian ,watching Moody approachraised his eyebrow slightly.
Interesting!
The school alarm didn't go off.
Therefore, Moody's identity is quite interesting.
Sebastian vividly remembered thaton the day the holidays began, Dumbledore had seized the opportunity to distribute Moody's teaching curriculum
Given the existence of the magic contract, it's logical that if he had taken Barty Moody's place, he should have activated the alarm upon entering the school.
Is it possible that Lord Voldemort saw some clues in Barty's teaching certificate andpersonally intervened to help himcircumvent Hogwarts ' magical contract?
In conclusion, while the power of this magical contract is not bad , it cannot be compared to magical contracts on the level of the Fidelius Talisman and the Unbreakable Vow .
Although Lord Voldemort no longer has his powers, he still has the ability to see and has two subordinates who can now do his bidding.
Against the world's most powerful Dark Sorcerer , Sebastian couldn't be sure he couldn't break this magical contract .
Besides, there's another possibility: this Moody is real, and Lord Voldemort used other methods instead of disguising Barty as Moody .
In summary, Moody's credentials are questionable and require further verification in the future.
Under everyone's gaze , Moody shook hands with Dumbledore , who had risen to his feet , then sat down in the empty chair at the Professor's table and began to eat the meal that had been specially set aside for him.
Despite this, his prosthetic eye continued to roll, observing everything around him.
Dumbledore seemed accustomed to Moody's eccentricbehavior. He turned to everyone and enthusiasticallyintroduced this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class . Professor — Alastor Moody .
The scattered applause coming from below the stage created a lonely and meaningless echo in the silent Great Hall . Clearly, everyone was stunned by Moody's appearance and actions .
A moment later, the Little Wizards began whispering amongst themselves.
"So that's Mad-Eyed Moody !" Ron said in surprise, lowering his voice. "This is the first time I've seen him in person; he's definitely an extraordinary person."
Mad-Eye?
Harry and Hermione quicklylooked at Ron : "Who is this?"
" Moody is a legendary Auror from the Ministry of Magic ," Ron's voice was filled with admiration, " He's spent his entire life fighting Dark Wizards . The scars on his body and face are from his battles with them ."
"During the Last Wizarding War, he consistently played an active role on the battlefield, fighting against the Death Eaters ."
"He is the sharpest blade in the Ministry of Magic . It is said that half of Azkaban is filled by him ."
"Of course, the record was broken by Professor Swan after this summer . As for the Azkaban matter , you all know about it."
Legendary Auror !
They are constantly fighting the Death Eaters .
After listening to Ron's assessment, Harry looked at Moody and suddenly felt his own behavior was far more acceptable.
He's a respected warrior; any eccentric behavior from him is acceptable.
Sebastian smiled, cleared his throat, and drew the students' attention.
"As I just mentioned, next year we'll be hosting a very exciting event at Hogwarts: the Triwizard Tournament !"
No sooner had he finished speaking than sound waves echoed through the Great Hall , as if they were about to shake the ceiling .
" Professor Swan , you're not kidding us, are you?"
"This competition hadn't been held for centuries!"
" What exactly is the Triwizard Tournament , can someone explain it to me ?"
Sebastian raised his hands and pressed them down, and after the students fell silent, he continued.
" Considering that some students may not have a clear understanding of the Triwizard Tournament , I will briefly explain it here."
"This competition was established over seven hundred years ago by the three magical schools — Hogwarts , Beauxbatons , and Durmstrang— with the aim of promoting friendship and the exchange of knowledge among the great schools of magic ."
"The tournament was held every five years, with three schools taking turns hosting. However, it was later suspended due to the high number of fatalities and, in the most dangerous incident, serious injuries even to professors and judges ."
The young wizards didn't care about the dangers that had occurred hundreds of years ago; all they wanted was for the Professor to explain some of the details of the competition.
Sebastian smiled and said, "Of course,this time itshould be called the Triwizard Tournament , not the Triwizard Tournament ."
" Ilvermorny from the United States and Uagadou from Africa will also participate in this major competition."
"We will determine the champions on Halloween Eve . Then, champions from five schools will compete on the same stage, bringing honor to their schools."
"In addition, the winner of the final competition will receive a prize worth one thousand galleons ."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Great Hall erupted in cheers again, the eyes of the Little Wizards sparkling with excitement.
Everyone wanted to be a champion, bringing honor to their school and earning fame and fortune.
Sebastian's voicesilenced the young wizards once more: " Following discussions with the Ministry of Magic and various schools, for security reasons, only students seventeen years and older can register."
"Unfair!"
"We want to participate in the tryouts too; you can't restrict us because of our age."
Students became uneasy; this selection method clearly ruined the chances of many participating.
They protested loudly and tried to negotiate with the school.
"But!"
Sebastian's voice drowned out all the noise.He smiled, glancing at all the little wizards , and then spoke words that made them glow with joy.
" Following the professor's persistent argument , all schools agreed to use force as the new selection criterion."
" Any student who reaches Adult Wizard Level 1 magic level can register to participate. Then, a fair jury will choose the best among you."
Adult Wizard Level 1 !
Upon hearing this, all the students who met the standard were beaming with joy and immediately praised Sebastian the twins .
This condition was much more flexible. It should be noted that after two years of practice in the Dueling Club , many of the fifth-year students had reached Adult Wizard Level 1 magic .
Even some of the most successful students in the fourth grade had met this requirement.
Moreover, everyone was convinced by the use of power as a criterion for evaluation.
Of course, there were also students who cried and complained because they hadn't yet fully met this selection standard.
Ron said dejectedly, "I'm still a little far from reachingthe Fifth Stage of Wizard Apprentice , quite far from the standard."
Before Harry and Hermione could console Ron ,they overheard Sebastian saying...
"Let me tell you a little secret: The theme of this Triwizard Tournament is [Unity], so there are multiple competitors from each school, which greatly increases your chances of becoming champion."
"There are still two months until the champion is determined."
"Therefore, students who want to try their luck, make good use of this time and study hard!"
...