HP: Embrace the Darkness

There was something for everyone at this gourmet feast, and everyone had a great time.

Except... Grindelwald, who is staring at Dumbledore with resentment, and Artes, who is guarding Karkaroff closely.

As the headmaster, Dumbledore has the responsibility to take care of guests coming from afar.

Karkaroff sat on the side close to Snape. He was out of reach, so he only had to focus on looking after Ms. Maxim, and often turned his head to chat with her in a low voice.

Originally, Grindelwald didn't like Madam Maxime because of the hand kiss just now.

Now seeing Dumbledore whispering to her, she was even more displeased.

She wished that the place would explode in the next second, blowing her away so that he could return to Al's side.

It's a pity that Dumbledore didn't look away at all. He smiled while chatting and looked very happy.

Compared to Grindelwald's unilateral resentment, the situation on Asseth's side is a little better.

Snape really didn't want to deal with Karkaroff, but Karkaroff didn't know what medicine he took wrongly, and kept glancing at him while he was about to speak.

His gaze was undisguised, as if he wanted Snape to notice him.

Snape became increasingly impatient and simply lowered his face, lowering his eyes and focusing on eating the food in front of him.

No matter how much Karkaroff used small tricks to attract his attention, he never looked away. His attitude was colder and biting than the wind in the cold winter.

All he needed to do was write a few words on his face, "Don't get involved." Anyway, there was an Ass between him and Karkaroff, so it was normal that he couldn't see or hear.

Karkaroff cast his gaze for so long, but still received no response, and finally couldn't help but clear his throat.

Anticipating that Karkaroff was going to speak, Artes sat upright calmly, separating the two of them with himself.

His vision was blocked and he couldn't speak out the draft he had just typed. Karkaroff frowned at first, then thought of Ass's identity, and a hint of calculation flashed in his eyes.

This time he stopped looking at Snape and started chatting with Arthas.

Artes could clearly see the fleeting calculation in Karkaroff's eyes, but he still continued with a warm attitude.

He has seen a lot of scheming, and this is the one he is least afraid of. Now that it is just chatting, he is even less afraid, as long as the thick-browed Principal Durmstrang doesn't miss Sif.

The two of them had their own secrets, but they cooperated with each other, and they were chatting well for a while. The drinks on the table next to the two of them were finished in a short time.

Because Karkaroff comes from the north, Dumbledore prepared very strong wine for him.

After a few cups, a warm feeling arose in the body, spreading throughout the body like fire.

The faint but strong smell of alcohol filled the air, and Artes dispersed it before he could even reach Snape's side.

Snape seemed to be aware of it. For the first time in such a long time since the banquet started, Snape looked around him.

The man's slender and distinct knuckles flexed and rested lightly on the wine glass. The wine glass shook every now and then, showing the owner's joyful mood.

The drinker's eyes were still clear, and occasionally he glanced lazily sideways and responded to Karkaroff's words. In two or three sentences, Karkaroff's attention was focused on the communication.

After finishing speaking, he stopped shaking the wine glass and took a slow sip of wine.

The transparent wine swayed, stopped, and then slid along the rim of the glass into his lips. It should have emitted a rich aroma of wine, but Snape didn't smell it.

"what happened?"

Artes' voice popped out of his mind, and Snape looked away from the wine glass and looked at Artes.

Artes was still looking at Karkaroff, as if he was talking about some interesting topic, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised.

If it weren't for the voice in his head, he would seem very focused.

When Snape didn't get an answer, Artes raised his eyebrows and continued to ask.

"Is the smell of alcohol wafting over?"

Snape chuckled, lowered his head and picked up the wine glass to hide the smile on his lips.

It's just the smell of alcohol, and he's not a fragile potion bottle. Just because he doesn't like it doesn't mean he can't, not to mention that he doesn't drink.

Still not getting a reply, Artes finally couldn't help but turned his head, only to see Snape pick up a glass of wine on the table and drink it in a few sips.

Aces fell silent on the spot.

It wasn't because Snape could drink, but...if he remembered correctly, he took a few sips of that glass of wine, and later felt that it wasn't flavorful enough, so he changed it to the current one.

Whether he will talk about this or not...

Aces still didn't say anything.

His instinct told him that the consequences of speaking out were not something he could bear.

After the banquet, Dumbledore came to his usual speaking position and raised his hand to press down.

The auditorium quickly fell silent, and everyone looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

"As everyone knows, this Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts. Before that, I will briefly introduce the rules of the Triwizard Tournament."

Dumbledore waved behind him.

Filch, the administrator of Hogwarts, moved out a large cabinet. The cabinet was exquisitely decorated with gorgeous patterns. The translucent material allowed you to see the golden, half-human tall goblet inside.

Dumbledore came to the cabinet, and Filch immediately opened the cabinet and took out the gray and dull goblet.

The moment the goblet was taken out, blue and white flames burst out. The sudden flames made the little wizards let out suppressed exclamations.

Dumbledore smiled mischievously.

"You should know the rules for selecting one student from each school to compete. Now I want to tell you how we will select three warriors to represent the school."

"The Triwizard Tournament takes a school year and faces three extremely difficult levels. Therefore, for the sake of safety, the participating age for this Triwizard Tournament is set to seventeen."

"As long as students are over seventeen years old and have courage, they can throw a note with their name on it into the Goblet of Fire. The Goblet of Fire is this goblet, and it will select the three final warriors."

Dumbledore moved his body, completely revealing the Goblet of Fire, so that the students below could see clearly.

"The time limit for putting in the note is 24 hours, which means that at this time tomorrow night, registration will close and the contestants will be selected."

"In order to prevent people who do not meet the conditions from throwing in notes, a circle will be set up near the Goblet of Fire to select students who are over 17 years old."

Dumbledore slowly looked around the auditorium, "I guarantee that all students under the age of seventeen will not be able to cross this line. I hope everyone will not do useless work."

His words were of no use to the eager little wizard.

Aces could clearly see the excitement in the twins' eyes, as if they had successfully crossed the limit and put in the paper with their names on it.

Apparently, Dumbledore saw it too.

He did not continue to warn, but showed a meaningful smile, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.