bioinnovel Chapter 292 Bluffing
Chapter 292 Bluffing
Chapter 292 Bluffing
The argument that was taking place in the temporary break room continued.
Although Demister has given up, Hogwarts and Beauxbatons are still locked in a dispute.
Mrs. Maxime, outnumbered but outmatched, first engaged in a fierce verbal battle with Belvina, and then turned to the easy target, Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore's line must be wrong!" she said, shrugging her shoulders.
Dumbledore, always humble and polite, chose to back down and applaud Mrs. Maxime's remarks.
He said, "Of course, that possibility cannot be ruled out."
At this point, Professor McGonagall, unaware of the situation, could no longer remain silent.
Seeing Mrs. Maxim's aggressive questioning of both Harry Potter and Dumbledore, the older catgirl from Gryffindor immediately unleashed her full power.
Professor McGonagall first refuted Madam Maxim's remarks, then mocked Snape for being biased, and glared angrily at the Potions professor at Hogwarts.
Now, Hogwarts and Beauxbatons are truly locked in a full-blown confrontation.
On the Hogwarts side, although Snape switched sides at the last minute, Belvina and Professor McGonagall stood their ground.
On Beauxbatons' side, Mrs. Maxime also fought for every inch of ground. Although outnumbered, she did not fall behind and relentlessly pursued the opponent's weaknesses.
The world is inherently unfair; some are born into privilege, while others are born to be treated like cattle.
Mrs. Maxim is no child. Her outburst and anger were not for the sake of so-called "fairness," but to fight for her own interests.
She used the excuse that "Hogwarts has two champions" to win over Karkaroff and put pressure on the referees on Hogwarts' side.
It's common to put pressure on referees, but Hogwarts doesn't fall for it and failed to get what Mrs. Maxime wanted.
The main reason for the dispute between the two parties is their different perspectives and angles on the whole matter.
On Beauxbatons' side, Madam Maxime believed that Hogwarts had manipulated things behind the scenes, forcibly increasing the number of their own warriors to create more opportunities to win the Triwizard Tournament.
The only thing I can't understand is why Hogwarts would choose Harry Potter, who was only fourteen years old.
Could it be that he possesses some extraordinary talent that no one knows about?
On Hogwarts' side, Belvina and Dumbledore knew that someone else was behind the scenes for not casting Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire.
Unaware of the situation, Professor McGonagall and the others (except Snape) naturally chose to believe their student and stand their ground to fight back.
What Hogwarts is most concerned about is who is secretly manipulating all of this.
Seeing that the two sides were deadlocked, the third party, Demster, decided to step in and mediate, offering a way out for both sides.
Igor Karkarov stroked his beard and said in a glib tone, "Mr. Crouch, you are one of us—well, the objective judge—what is your opinion on this matter?"
Even when trying to smooth things over, Karkarov still couldn't resist putting others in a bad light.
Moreover, Barty Crouch is the most suitable candidate, as he belongs only to the Ministry of Magic and not to any of the three schools.
Barty Crouch, who was standing outside the circle of firelight, looked up when he heard this. He looked a little strange, with half of his body brightly lit by the firelight and the other half hidden in the shadows.
"We must abide by the bylaws and act in accordance with the bylaws," Barty Crouch said curtly. "Harry Potter was chosen for the Goblet of Fire, so he must participate in the competition; he cannot withdraw."
As Belvina previously stated, the contract is final and cannot be changed.
"But that's very unfair to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, Mr. Crouch," Karkaroff said in a slick voice. "Perhaps we can restart the Goblet of Fire—"
"Stop your unrealistic fantasies, Karkaroff," Barty Crouch said curtly. "The Goblet of Fire has been extinguished; there will be no more warriors."
When one plan failed, Karkaroff came up with another. He said, "We can't accept that Hogwarts has two lesser warriors. Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter both participated normally, but we'll only take one of their results, how about that?"
"I agree; I can barely accept this method," said Mrs. Maxime. "What do you say, Dumbledore?"
Mrs. Maxim realized that her plan to put pressure on the jury had not worked at all.
Since pressuring them won't work, weakening Hogwarts' strength and reducing their chances of winning the championship is not unacceptable.
Therefore, Madam Maxim decided to support Karkaroff, hoping to use this to split Hogwarts and cause internal strife among them.
"I disagree," Dumbledore said firmly. "If you participate in a competition, it should be counted towards your score. It's inappropriate to choose only one."
Mrs. Maxim was once again enraged; her enormous breasts, wrapped in black satin, heaved violently, making her look like an angry lioness.
Karkaroff was also at a loss. This wouldn't work, that wouldn't work. What exactly did you want?
If it weren't for his burning desire to win the Triwizard Tournament, Karkaroff would have loved to slam the door and leave, heading back to Durmstrang.
"Belvina, you are in charge of the Triwizard Tournament, so you make the decision," Dumbledore continued. "Hogwarts unconditionally supports your decision."
The tall Mrs. Maxim let out a short, cold laugh upon hearing this.
As the Deputy Director of the International Magical Cooperation Department of the British Ministry of Magic, and also a Hogwarts professor, he knew with his eyes closed which choice Belvina would make.
"Truly disappointing, Dumbledore," Mrs. Maxime said coldly. "Utterly disappointing."
"I'm disappointed too, Mrs. Maxim," Belvina said calmly. "Maybe it's because Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts that I let it go. It's nothing."
Although the words were not fully spoken, the implied sarcasm and disdain were clearly expressed.
"Gentlemen," Belvina said as she walked to the center of the room, "under normal circumstances, there is absolutely no way Mr. Potter could be chosen by the Goblet of Fire, and there has never been a situation with four warriors in the history of the Triwizard Tournament."
Madam Maxim let out another cold laugh and said, "Hogwarts should never have held the Triwizard Tournament in the first place."
"Indeed, the Triwizard Tournament should perhaps not have been held again," Belvina said, surprisingly echoing Mrs. Maxim's words.
Immediately, Karkaroff felt a sense of foreboding; he had a feeling that Belvina was about to say something shocking.
Sure enough, what Belvina said next made people wonder if she had gone mad.
She said, "As the organizer of the Triwizard Tournament, I propose that this year's tournament be cancelled, and we should all go our separate ways, what do you say?"
The incident caused a huge uproar, and the temporary rest room instantly erupted in chaos. Belvina, who had made a startling statement, became the target of everyone's criticism.
"Miss Black, what are you trying to do by forcibly canceling the match and breaking the contract of the Goblet of Fire?" Barty Crouch asked, his half-face hidden in the shadows looking as terrifying as a skull.
"Mr. Crouch, you used to be the head of the Enforcement Division, don't tell me you can't see through this conspiracy," Belvina said. "I'd be very disappointed."
Mrs. Maxim, no longer maintaining her composure, angrily slapped away the chandelier hanging in front of her again and strode up to Belvina.
She demanded sharply, "Are you out of your mind to forcibly cancel the three-way championship?!"
"Madam, thank you for your concern, but I'm perfectly fine," Belvina said nonchalantly. "Anyway, no matter what I say, you'll think it's unfair. Since you think it's unfair, let's just not do it at all; that's the fairest thing to do."
"Canceling the match and breaking the contract comes at a price," Karkaroff said. "You must know that, Miss Black, right?"
Belvina turned to Karkaroff and said, "Of course I know. I'm confident I can protect Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter from the backlash of the contract."
"Miss Black, international competitions are not to be taken lightly. Please be careful!" Karkaroff said anxiously, as he did not want the three-way championship to be canceled.
"I'm going to file a complaint with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards!" said Mrs. Maxim.
"Whatever, sue me wherever you want," Belvina said, completely unfazed by the threat. "As long as it stops the malicious schemes of these people, sue me however you like!"
No matter what others say, Belvina has a "what's the use" attitude. Can't this stupid competition just be canceled?
Everyone present seemed to be shocked by Belvina's madness; they never expected her to be so unruly and start flipping the table right away.
Only Dumbledore could see clearly that Belvina was bluffing and had no intention of canceling the match.
Hmm... perhaps Moody and Snape could guess something too.
"Miss Black, Mrs. Maxim didn't mean that," Karkaroff quickly tried to smooth things over again, as he wanted the Triwizard Tournament to continue more than anyone else.
"What are you talking about, Miss Black?" Mrs. Maxime demanded. "What do you mean by 'stopping the shadow of ill-intentioned people'?"
Enraged, Mrs. Maxim finally realized something was amiss. The appearance of a fourth champion in the Triwizard Tournament seemed to be someone else's doing, not Hogwarts's doing.
"She means that someone wants to use the Triwizard Tournament as an opportunity to murder Harry Potter," Professor Moody said gruffly from the doorway.
As he spoke, Professor Moody walked over. He limped toward the fireplace with a prosthetic leg that landed with a loud thud each time it touched the ground.
With Professor Moody joining the fray, Igor Karkaroff felt immense pressure, fearing he would be implicated and trigger Moody's renewed pursuit.
Snape's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but Dumbledore anticipated his actions and swept a glance at him.
Snape had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
With a series of thuds, Professor Moody continued, "Someone has put Harry Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire, forcing him to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, because once he is chosen, he must participate."
"That guy is so kind!" Fleur Delacour suddenly interjected, her tone sneer. "Everyone wants to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, eagerly anticipating becoming a champion, bringing glory to themselves! Bringing glory to the school! It's an opportunity so many people dream of, it's truly..."
Belvina, standing with her hands behind her back, swept her gaze over with a cold look that sent chills down one's spine.
The young Fleur Delacour felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and couldn't help but shiver, her legs involuntarily taking a step back.
Desperate to protect her student, Mrs. Maxim rushed forward, her imposing figure shielding Delacour from her, preventing Belvina from continuing to bully the child.
"Keep an eye on your students, Mrs. Maxim," Belvina said coldly. "She has no right to speak here."
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