"Oh, what--of course not!"
Fuming said in a daze, and then, she only noticed Amortas eye smile, aware he was just kidding.
"So, you are really willing to support BoothSBaton, to know that this is Europe's greatest magic school?"
Regaining her composure, Fuming's eyes sparkled with a hint of coquettishness as she smiled.
"On this point, I hold a reserved view."
Amortas chuckled.
Fuming has a fairly good command of English, with just a hint of a French accent.
Fuming introduced Amortas with some things about the BoothSBaton Magic School and local customs of France. For a young wizard who hasn't graduated from the school yet, Fuming's knowledge is quite extensive, but it can't compare to Amortas' travels around half the world. However, Amortas didn't point out any mistakes in what Fuming said, just maintained a polite smile.
"I have a younger sister, her name is Gabrielle. When the basilisk from the Slater Room in France came for an exhibition, the professor who taught us about magical creatures took us to see it. Wow, that was a fierce creature! Gabrielle had nightmares for days after that. I can't even imagine how you managed to subdue such a fierce creature!"
Fuming patted her chest and her eyes sparkled with anticipation, fixedly staring at Amortas, hoping to hear a thrilling and dramatic story.
Amortas realized that this little girl was not here to "spy" on him, but simply interested in himself.
Amortas, coming to his senses, felt somewhat absurd. Having lived a life of self-control, he hadn't expected that he would be caught by a young girl who hadn't graduated from school and had never met before.
"Hmm—there's an element of luck involved..."
Amortas chuckled and briefly changed the topic, as he wasn't Gilderoy Lockhart and didn't have the habit of boasting.
"By the way—"
After using the excuse of pouring wine to distance himself from Fuming, Amortas gave her a thorough look.
"When the Triwizard Tournament officially begins, will you represent the BoothSBaton, Miss Delacour?"
"Of course--"
Fuming flicked her cascading silvery blonde hair, her bright azure eyes twinkled, revealing a row of white, even teeth, and her tinkling laugh made those secretly watching this scene around her hearts flutter.
"Whether it's held by any school, I will represent the BoothSBaton in the Triwizard Tournament. I have read about the participant selection mechanism for the tournament and believe that I can pass the test of the Flame Charm."
"Then I wish you to achieve your dreams and get a good performance in the Triwizard Tournament, Miss Delacour."
Amortas knew it was time for him to leave, otherwise, the waves of jealousy around would surely drown him. He took the opportunity to raise his glass in a gesture towards Fuming, his lips brushing the rim of the cup, and then he smiled and said,
"I think we should briefly part ways, Miss Delacour. I noticed that Mr. Croucher is giving me a signal over there. I think he should have something to tell me—"
"Ladies and gentlemen, evening everyone—"
Just as Amortas was finding an excuse to leave, a loud voice suddenly echoed from near the stage, overriding the buzzing conversations in the banquet hall. Amortas followed the sound and saw that Dolohov was quickly moving away from beside Welp Dregan, who was eagerly watching, and who that night was representing the International Wizarding Confederation, addressing everyone present.
The performance of the Enchanted Forest Troupe halted the music, and the crowd gradually gathered in front of the stage, forming a semicircle.
"Tonight, the International Wizarding Confederation welcomes with great joy, welcomes the Minister of Magic of the United Kingdom, Mr. Bathhcr Croucher, as well as Mr. Rubeus Bagman, who serves as the Director of Magical Sports. It is thanks to the efforts of these two gentlemen that the flame of the Triwizard Cup has been reignited after centuries of extinguishment. I believe that everyone here must show gratitude to Mr. Croucher and Mr. Bagman for their efforts!"
Welp Dregan was the first to raise his glass and give a toast to Bathhcr Croucher and Rubeus Bagman in front of the crowd, and under his call, the rest of the people also took turns raising their glasses.
Bathhcr forced a smile, turned his head slightly and gave a nod to the crowd, but when he faced Welp Dregan, his eyes were filled with a hint of caution.
But Rubeus had no such reservations; he beamed with a brilliant smile, waving to greet everyone.
"Of course, we also need to thank Mr. Igor Kakarov and Mrs. Olime Maxim——"
After Rubeus's applause and cheers died down slightly, Welp Dregan spoke with a sense of urgency,
"It is thanks to the positive response from the two magic schools of BoothSBaton and Durmstrang that we have seen the Triwizard Tournament truly come to life!"
Amortas narrowed his eyes, and Bathhcr now seemed to be giving him a warning look.
"Oh, promoting communication and exchange between different magical civilizations has always been what we pursue, Mr. Dregan——"
Kakarov smirked, his eyes twinkling as he spoke in a smooth tone.
"However, Mr. Dregan, I noticed that you left out a key person. I mean, the school of Hogwarts under the leadership of Albus Dumbledore has always been promoting the idea of friendly communication, isn't it?"
"Oh, of course I wouldn't forget——"
Welp Dregan, with considerable influence in the International Wizarding Confederation, twitched his gray stubble and spoke with a feigned playful tone.
"But Mr. Dumbledore is our President, promoting communication between various parties is his duty, so I think it's unnecessary to specially thank him."
The crowd responded with sparse laughter and discussion, with many people shaking their heads lightly to express their disapproval of Dregan's words. Some people also turned their gaze to Amortas Brein, their eyes twinkling with a hint of schadenfreude.
But at this moment, Dregan suddenly shifted the direction of his speech, his gaze directly pointed at Amortas Brein, representing Hogwarts, with a fleeting look of disdain and malevolence in his eyes. Yet, on his face was still a heap of sincere smiles.
"Just now, I was just joking with everyone to create a happy atmosphere. Of course, we need to thank Hogwarts for their active response. And here, we will meet a new friend, that is, Mr. Amortas Brein representing Hogwarts as the representative of Mr. Albus Dumbledore!"
Amortas maintained a serene smile and nodded to the crowd in response.
"Oh, Mr. Brean, why don't you come up here and showcase yourself properly?" Dregan said playfully, "Or is it that you don't want to part from the beautiful Miss Delacour?"
The crowd erupted into a burst of light laughter, with both benign and malicious intentions, but Fuming's bright blue eyes betrayed a hint of shame and anger. Clearly, she did not appreciate such jokes.
"Come up and talk to everyone, Amortas!"
Rubeus ignored Bathhcr's cold gaze and excitedly waved to Amortas, seemingly not realizing that the Welp Dregan had ill intentions.
"That's true—"
In a moment, Amortas had chosen a way between coercion and temptation.
He walked forward slowly, facing the eyes of those with various intentions, and smiled freely.
"Perhaps you all are unaware that before taking up the position of Director of Student Safety at Hogwarts, I served as a professor of Dark Magic Defense at the school. And Miss Delacour's rich magical knowledge and talent has amazed me, and I am already planning to glean insights into the advanced teaching concepts of BoothSBaton from her."
This time, the laughter from the crowd was predominantly good-natured, and even Mrs. Maxim gave Amortas a friendly smile.
A flicker of sarcasm passed through Bathhcr's eyes, not towards Amortas, but towards the foxlike Welp Dregan who was laughing like an old fox.
This guy probably thought that Amortas was just a young and inexperienced wizard, gaining some fame only because of Dumbledore's operation. That's why he pulled Amortas out to vent his discontent with Dumbledore. However, from Bathhcr's understanding of those events, neither in terms of strength or intelligence, Amortas Brein was not a guy to be taken advantage of!
(Chapter ends)
