<h4>Chapter 261: Christmas Ball News</h4>


    "Professor Drac, did you find anything over there?"


    Dumbledore thought for a moment, then suddenly turned his head and looked at Drac and asked.


    "I still doubt Barty Crouch''s identity." Drac turned around, folded his arms, leaned against the cold railing, and said casually.


    "Can you give me a reason?" Dumbledore''s eyes became a little deep.


    "You said... ording to the strictness of the director of the International Magic Cooperation and Exchange Department, will he really give Potter a score as high as 9 points?" Drac looked at the top of the astronomical tower with dim lights high up, and asked softly.


    "You can use Cedric''s performance as aparison - Potter was injured and actually used external objects, so his score should not be higher than Cedric''s. But the fair and strict Mr. Crouch in your mouth gave him nine points..."


    "This reason is a bit far-fetched, Professor Drac." Dumbledore shook his head slightly, "Maybe Mr. Crouch is just taking Harry''s age into consideration? It''s not easy for a 14-year-old to achieve this... Didn''t Mr. Bagman also give Harry full marks?"


    "Bagman, that guy, he just got addicted to gambling again." Drac sneered, "He lost a lot some time ago, and this time he put all his chips on Potter, hoping to make aeback in this semi-final."


    Dumbledore''s mouth twitched, and he nced at Drac subconsciously.


    Of the Galleons that Bagman lost, arge part of them were clearly given to you, Professor Drac, right?


    "Well, this one is not very obvious." Drac did not care what Dumbledore was thinking, and continued to talk about himself, "Then ignore this doubt for now and talk about the other-"


    "First of all, why did Crouch agree so strongly to let Potter participate in this semi-finalpetition? Is it just for the rule that ''everyone selected by the Goblet of Fire must participate in thepetition''?"


    Drac''s eyes moved away from the top of the tower and looked at Dumbledore meaningfully, "Although the punishment caused by the contract of the Goblet of Fire will indeed cause great harm to the contestants, is there really no other solution?"


    "After all, Potter is just a fourteen-year-old wizard. Before the end of the first project, no one believed that he could sessfullyplete thepetition. Not to mention, this also makes Hogwarts, the organizer, suspected of favoritism and fraud."


    "Bagman is keen to let Potter participate, after all, he is willing to do anything to win back the gambling money... But what about Crouch? He is out "You may be overthinking it, Professor Drac." Dumbledore obviously trusted Crouch very much, and smiled and shook his head, "Battie looks harsh, but he still cares about others. Harry''s contract with the Goblet of Fire must be fulfilled." "Not necessarily?" Drac chuckled, "If I guess correctly, Dumbledore, you should be fully capable of cracking the contract of the Goblet of Fire, right?" "To put it bluntly, the cup is just a pretty good alchemical product. If you and Nico can''t crack it together... that''s too fake." "Go with the flow, and you can also give Potter a tform for training and improvement, just so that this ''savior'' can grow faster to the point of being able to stand on his own - as for the dangers in the game, it''s not a problem at all. Is there any danger that you, a great wizard sitting on the judges'' seat, can''t solve?" Drac looked at Dumbledore with a smile, waiting for his reply. Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, exhaling a cloud of faint white mist in the cold snow.


    "You''re right, Professor Drac." He said softly, "Although we still don''t know who put Harry''s name into the Goblet of Fire, I don''t me him at all. On the contrary, I am a little grateful to him."


    "Voldemort has notpletely returned. Under Fudge''s maintenance, the wizarding world is still as calm as a pool of stagnant water on the surface. It is really difficult for me to find a way to quickly make Harry grow up..."


    "And the semi-finals is an excellent tform. It can be under my control and have enough security, and it can give Harry enough urgency. I can''t think of any better training opportunity than Harry bing a warrior."


    "I know," Drac curled his lips, "but you are the only one who has such a mentality. Crouch doesn''t have so much leisure as you."


    "Do you think those people in the Ministry of Magic will hope that the ''savior'' will grow faster like you? At most, they regard Potter as a mascot."


    "But you overlooked a problem, Professor Drac," Dun Bridgol shook his head and said, "Battie doesn''t know that Nico and I can break the contract of the Goblet of Fire, so in order to prevent Harry from being punished by the contract, he must agree to let Harry participate."


    "It''s not just one way to break the contract," Drac shrugged, "Prepare another formal match without spectators, and don''t count the score. Can''t Potter admit defeat as soon as hees on the court?"


    "As long as you are willing to think of a way, you can always find a loophole to bypass it. It depends on whether Crouch wants to do it."


    "Maybe Bartie is just a temporary idea to set an example for Harry?" Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, "After all, Harry is also a celebrity in the British wizarding world, and even the entire wizarding world. Taking this opportunity, it is also a feasible solution to expand the influence of the British Ministry of Magic worldwide."


    "And it is also very likely that Bartie has not thought of other solutions to bypass the Goblet of Fire contract in a short time... I will go to the Ministry of Magic and find out how he reported to Fudge."


    "Well, it''s better to ask." Drac nodded.


    "Of course, I''m just guessing, because I didn''t find any traces of the Imperius Curse on Crouch, and I can''t see any problems with his memory... I wonder if I can get something out of him if I use Veritaserum..."


    "Don''t do that!" Dumbledore was shocked by Drac''s bold idea and quickly stopped him, "Professor Drac, you really don''t have to break up with the Ministry of Magic because of this uncertain thing."


    "I will definitely not let them know that it was me who did it." Drac said as a matter of course.


    "Listen to me, forget it this time..." In the cold weather, Dumbledore felt that sweat was almosting out of his forehead, "Leave this to me, I will go and confirm whether Barty has any problems."


    "Well, what a pity..." Drac smacked his lips regretfully.


    Then, he jumped lightly, stepped on the railing covered with snow, and turned back to smile at Dumbledore:


    "Good night, Mr. Headmaster. I hope to hear from you before the Christmas ball!"


    After that, Drac leaned back and fell directly into the ck Lake under the bridge.


    The next moment, a pair of broad wings spread out from his back, suddenly changing the direction of falling, driving Drac to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor''s office on the third floor of the castle.


    Looking at Drac who left suddenly, Dumbledore shook his head with a smile.


    "Sweet dreams, Professor Drac."


    ...


    "Potter! Weiss is here! Can you pay attention a little bit?"


    In the Transfiguration ss on a Thursday in mid-December, Professor McGonagall''s angry voice was like a whip, crackling and scolding, startling Harry and Ron to raise their heads from their seats in a hurry.


    The ss was almost over, and they had justpleted the task assigned by Professor McGonagall, turning some guinea fowl into guinea pigs.


    The bell might ring at any time, and the next game would note for a while. Harry and Ron had no sense of urgency at the moment. They were holding two fake wands invented by Fred and George, and fencing back and forth in the back row of the ssroom.


    "Come on, Potter and Weiss, you two can be considered senior students, so can''t you behave in ordance with your age?" Professor McGonagall said, ncing at them angrily.


    "Especially Potter, you are a warrior of Hogwarts, representing the image of Hogwarts - if students from other schools see you fighting and making trouble in ss, what do you think they will think?"


    Harry sat on the stool with his back tensed, trembling and afraid to speak.


    Ron wasining in his heart that Fred and George had invented such a fun thing, causing them to be scolded in ss.


    Thinking about it this way, Fred and George are the real senior students, and their behavior is not in line with their age!


    Professor McGonagall certainly didn''t know what Ron was mumbling in his heart. After deducting two points from Gryffindor, she turned her eyes to the other students in the ssroom.


    "Everyone stop for a moment, I have something to tell you." She said.


    The ssroom immediately became quiet, and the little wizards looked up at Professor McGonagall.


    "It''s like this, the Christmas ball ising - this is an important tradition of the Triwizard Tournament, and it is also a good opportunity for us tomunicate with guests from foreign countries."


    "This ball is only open to students in the fourth grade and above, but if you want, you can invite a junior student..."


    In the ssroom, several little witches let out an ambiguous giggle, especially Gryffindor''s Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. The muscles on their faces were tense, and they couldn''t help turning their heads to look at Harry as a warrior.


    Professor McGonagall ignored them. Harry, a straight man, felt that this was particrly unfair. She had just scolded him and Ron, but now she didn''t me Parvati and Lavender.


    "Remember to wear your dress robes when the timees," Professor McGonagall continued. "The ball will be held in the hall at 8 o''clock on Christmas evening and will end at midnight. Listen--"


    Professor McGonagall looked at the whole ss calmly.


    "The Christmas ball undoubtedly gives us a chance to... well, dress up and rx ourselves." She said in a casual tone, "but that doesn''t mean we will rx our behavioral requirements for Hogwarts students."


    "I would be very sad if a Gryffindor student brought shame to the school in any way!"


    The bell for the end of get out of ss rang melodiously. As usual, everyone stuffed their books into their schoolbags and threw them over their shoulders. There was a noisy and busy ssroom.


    Professor McGonagall raised her voice and shouted in the midst of the noise: "Potter - stay here, I want to say something to you."


    Harry thought that Professor McGonagall would scold him and Ron for fencing in ss, so he walked towards the podium listlessly.


    Professor McGonagall waited until all the students in the ss had left before saying: "Potter, every warrior must have his own partner -"


    "What partner?" Harry asked in confusion.


    Professor McGonagall looked at him suspiciously, as if she thought he was joking.


    "The partner you bring to the Yule Ball, Potter!" she said sternly, "Your partner!"


    Harry''s heart skipped a beat and his cheeks felt hot.


    "Dancing partner?" He said with a red face, "I don''t dance, Professor McGonagall."


    "Oh, you have to dance," Professor McGonagall looked at him seriously, "I was just about to tell you this - ording to tradition, the dance is opened by the champions of the Triwizard Tournament and their partners."


    "Even if it bes a four-waypetition this year, this will not change!"


    "But..." Harry felt ashamed when he thought about dancing in public, "I really can''t dance, can I not dance?"


    He was afraid that Professor McGonagall would not agree, so he hurriedly He added: "Cedric is so elegant, he will definitely dance. Can''t he start the dance on behalf of Hogwarts?"


    "This is a traditional practice, Potter!" However, Harry''s wish waspletely useless. Professor McGonagall still said firmly, "You are also a warrior of Hogwarts. As one of the representatives of the school, you must do what everyone expects."


    "So, you must find a dance partner for yourself, Potter."


    "But... I can''t..."


    "You heard what I said, Potter!" Professor McGonagall said in an unquestionable tone.


    Harry had no way to refute, so he could only nod silently, thinking about the choice of partner.


    The first thing that came to his mind was Qiu Zhang''s soft ck hair and beautiful face. After all, he had a crush on her for a long time in the previous academic years.


    Then the next moment, Harry pped himself - Qiu Zhang was dating his good friend Cedric, and he couldn''t let his imagination run wild anymore.


    "Are you okay, Potter?"


    Professor McGonagall''s voice brought Harry back to his senses.


    Harry looked up and saw Professor McGonagall looking at him with a worried look on her face. From her expression, it was obvious that she was worried that he had some mental illness, so she suddenly pped herself...


    "Ahem, I''m fine, Professor." Harry coughed twice and said awkwardly, "My hand just shook a little."


    "You don''t have to be so nervous, Potter." Professor McGonagall said, "Dancing can be learned quickly, and we will train several warriorster... Do you need to go to the infirmary?"


    "I''m really fine, Professor McGonagall." Harry kept shaking his head, "I should go, Ron is still waiting for me outside the ssroom!"


    After that, in Professor McGonagall''s still somewhat doubtful eyes, Harry ran out of the Transfiguration ssroom.