bioinnovel Chapter 236 A Manner of Great Capacity
Chapter 236 A Manner of Great Capacity
Chapter 236 A Manner of Great Capacity
In the summer of 1994, the British Ministry of Magic was extremely busy.
Especially the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Sports and Physical Education, everyone wished they could split one person into two.
The preparation and hosting of the Quidditch World took a huge amount of manpower and resources from the ministry, with the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Sports and Recreation working on it for a whole year.
In addition, meetings to revive the three-way competition are also underway, again led by these two departments.
The Triwizard Tournament is a magic competition held between the three major magic schools in Europe.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry each sent one student as their representative to participate in the competition.
The competition was first held at the end of the 13th century and takes place every five years. Its purpose is to allow young wizards of different nationalities to establish more connections and promote mutual exchange and progress.
However, due to the extreme danger and uncertainty of the Triwizard Tournament, the death rate of participating students remained high, and the tournament was eventually discontinued after 1792.
Two hundred years have passed, and people still often mention this ancient competition. They have even held many meetings to try to revive the competition, but none of them have succeeded.
Representatives from Europe's three major magic schools have gathered in London to discuss the feasibility of resuming the Triwizard Tournament.
That afternoon, representatives from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrived at the Ministry of Magic early and were seated in a large conference room in the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
There were three representatives from Beauxbatons: two male wizards were officials from the French Ministry of Magic, and the only female wizard was Mrs. Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons.
Orim Maxim was a very large woman, with an outrageously strong physique, and her height was estimated to be at least ten feet tall.
Despite her enormous size, Madame Maxime was remarkably elegant, her every gesture exuding the grace of the old Parisian Plain White Banner.
She had an olive-colored face, her hair was combed back, and she wore a black satin dress adorned with luxurious opals.
On the other side, Durmstrang also had three representatives, all of whom were male, led by Durmstrang Principal Igor Kakarov.
Igor Karkarov was tall and thin with short hair and a wiry beard. He seemed easy to get along with.
In reality, however, Karkaroff's eyes were cold and sharp, and his enthusiasm in dealing with people was merely a facade.
The two groups were invited into the conference room by two representatives from the British Ministry of Magic, and each sat on one side of a triangular conference table, with a nameplate in front of each person.
"Mrs. Maxim, Principal Karkaroff, please wait a moment, the Deputy Director will be here shortly," said Cooper Collins, a thin, middle-aged wizard with thick hair, who worked for the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Standing next to Cooper Collins was a younger wizard, a balding young man from the Department of Sports and Physical Education.
"Deputy Director?" Karkaroff toyed with his beard. "Why isn't Dumbledore here? Oh well, it's alright if he's not here. But where's Barty Crouch?"
"Mr. Crouch is currently inspecting the Quidditch World Cup venue," Cooper Collins said humbly. "The Deputy Director is in charge of all matters related to the Triwizard Tournament. Please wait a moment."
Unlike Cooper Collins' composure, the balding young man from the Department of Sport was extremely flustered, constantly glancing towards the conference room door.
Their ears were perked up, carefully discerning the footsteps in the hallway outside the door.
"I saw 'Belvina Black' on the plaque. I think she was a professor at Hogwarts, right?" Mrs. Maxim said, sounding as if she knew a lot about Hogwarts.
“That’s right, Mrs. Maxim,” Cooper Collins explained. “Miss Black is both the Deputy Director of the International Department of Magical Cooperation and a professor at Hogwarts, so she is in charge of the Triwizard Tournament.”
Upon hearing this, a hint of disdain appeared in Karkarov's cold eyes.
It was neither Dumbledore nor Barty Crouch, but a Black I'd never heard of before, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Unlike the arrogant Karkarov, Madame Maxim spoke in hushed tones in French to her two companions, seemingly giving the two officials some instructions.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
With the sound of the door hinges turning, Belvina appeared at the conference room door, smiling as she said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm so sorry I'm late."
The representatives from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang both looked at the newcomer. Belvina was wearing a dark green long dress, and her smooth black hair was held back with hair clips.
Igor Karkarov grinned and said, "Not too late, not too late, the timing is just right."
Even so, Karkaroff's eyes remained cold, and he felt even more contempt for her, thinking that Belvina didn't seem to be capable.
Unlike Karkaroff's feigned politeness, the tall and imposing Mrs. Maxim rose gracefully and extended her hand to Belvina with courtesy.
"Hello, Miss Black," Mrs. Maxim said politely. "I am Maxim, Orim Maxim."
"Hello, Mrs. Maxime," Belvina said, extending her hand in return. "Professor Dumbledore always mentions you, praising you at length each time."
Igor Karkarov glanced at her dismissively; he looked down on the young Belvina and also despised the large-bodied Mrs. Maxim.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the representatives from the three parties took their seats, and the meeting to resume the three-way competition officially began.
The first and most important topic of the meeting was how to ensure the personal safety of the participating students and how to prevent further injuries or fatalities.
Soon, representatives from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang expressed their thoughts.
First, the difficulty of the competition events was reduced, and extremely dangerous challenges were avoided; second, the number of security personnel was increased to ensure that participating students could be rescued in time in case of accidents.
"Miss Black, what are your school's thoughts?" Mrs. Maxim asked.
As close neighbors who were also bitter enemies, Mrs. Maxim was very polite and treated Belvina with great respect.
The attitude of Beauxbatons was humble and polite, which was quite the opposite of Durmstrang's.
During the discussion of the first topic, Igor Karkarov appeared polite, but in reality, he looked down on everyone, and his tone and attitude were extremely arrogant.
"Mrs. Maxim, Professor Dumbledore has suggested setting an age limit," Belvina said. "Limiting participation to students under the age of seventeen would reduce the potential for injuries or fatalities."
Then, Belvina mentioned several other measures, which were similar to the suggestions put forward by Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
Before long, the first item on the agenda was approved: to resolve the issue of injuries and fatalities in the Three Kingdoms Tournament, allowing this ancient competition, which had been interrupted for two hundred years, to see the light of day again.
However, the following meeting did not go so smoothly. The representatives of the three parties argued heatedly, each saying that the three-way competition should be held in their own country.
The people below kept arguing, almost to the point of banging their shoes on the table, but Belvina, Madame Maxim, and Karkarov never interrupted, letting them argue as they pleased.
After a while, the meeting room finally quieted down, but the organizers still hadn't reached a conclusion.
Mrs. Maxim suddenly said, "Beauxbatons School of Magic is the most suitable; the buildings are magnificent and the climate is pleasant."
Beauxbatons is situated in the Pyrenees Mountains, in contrast to Hogwarts in the Scottish Highlands and Durmstrang in the north of the continent.
Beauxbatons’ climate is definitely an advantage.
"Please note, this is a three-way championship, not a field trip!" Karkarov said, banging the table with a clapper. He continued, "The competition should be hosted by Durmstrang; the strength of our students goes without saying, and there's also Viktor..."
Krum is an international superstar.
"Krum is indeed very capable, but when it comes to the strength of the students, Hogwarts is still the best," Belvina said. "You know, in the history of the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts has won the most championships."
During the foggy time, the Durmstrang representative felt as if someone had stepped on his tail.
Durmstrang was the worst in terms of school climate and location, as well as its achievements in the Triwizard Tournament.
"No matter how many times you've won, that's all in the past!" Karkaroff retorted. "Two hundred years have passed since the last Triwizard Tournament. Who knows what level Hogwarts is at now!"
Karkaroff scoffed, arrogantly declaring, "Viktor will definitely be a participant and bring the championship trophy back to Durmstrang!" "Don't be so sure, Igor," Mrs. Maxim said. "The Triwizard Tournament isn't the Quidditch World Cup; the champion will definitely be Beauxbatons!"
Belvina suddenly felt like leaving the meeting room. Why did she keep bringing up the Quidditch World Cup?
Although this year's Quidditch World Cup is being held in the UK, the British teams participating are not very strong.
"Hogwarts has won the most championships, and we were the ones who spearheaded the meeting to resume the tournament, so naturally Hogwarts should host this year's event," Belvina said.
"The tournament was held at Hogwarts two hundred years ago, so it's time for Beauxbatons to have their turn!" Mrs. Maxime argued back just as strongly.
"Demstrang is the best choice. The strength of our students is obvious to all, and their reputation is renowned throughout the world!" Karkaroff retorted.
After the three representatives temporarily ceased hostilities, the leaders of the three parties began to exert their efforts, all wanting to host the three-way competition and gain home-field advantage for the students who were about to participate.
For a time, the meeting room was filled with heated arguments, but neither side could convince the other.
Mrs. Maxim was no longer elegant; Karkarov frequently slammed his fist on the table; and Belvina rolled up her sleeves, waving her pale arms repeatedly.