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0770 Surprise
🕑 Added 2025-07-08 11:29:44 +0000 UTCBryan's decision to throw the question to Professor McGonagall caught everyone in the room slightly off-guard. The unexpected deflection was particularly noteworthy because Watson had never been known as someone who lacked initiative, had no personal opinions, or habitually liked to shirk responsibility when difficult decisions needed to be made.
However, upon deeper reflection, the logic behind Watson's approach became clear and understandable to everyone present. Professor McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor House, a position that placed her in daily contact with these three young wizards and gave her unique understanding into their personal relations, emotional bonds, and individual personalities.
Her understanding of their relationships went far beyond what any outsider could realize through casual observation. Therefore, Watson's decision was indeed reasonable.
Only one person in the room served as an exception to this general acceptance of Watson's approach—Alastor Moody.
Moody's lips were pressed together tightly. His magical eye appeared to be experiencing some form of malfunction. It spun wildly in its socket, creating a disturbing humming sound that was inaudible but deeply unsettling to anyone who noticed it.
Like everyone else around the table, Moody's natural eye was directed toward Professor McGonagall. However, his magical eye had spun to focus its gaze on Watson's face.
That scarred face remained completely expressionless. But his heart was filled with confusion, suspicion, and a growing sense of unease.
What exactly was Bryan Watson trying to do?
By this point, she and Bryan had been quite frank with each other. During their previous private conversations, she had given Bryan many hints that she intended to take decisive action during the second task.
Someone with Bryan's intelligence, perception, and experience couldn't possibly have failed to notice these obvious signals. Yet despite this clear awareness of her intentions, he continued to maintain an attitude of seeming indifference, as if he didn't care about her planned actions at all. He appeared content to let events unfold naturally, showing no signs of concern, preparation, or countermeasures.
Being stared at by everyone present in the room, Professor McGonagall felt a slight flutter of nervousness. She pressed her lips together and spoke.
"Oh, as Bryan said, for Miss Granger, both Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are indeed her closest friends. The three of them have been practically inseparable since their first year at Hogwarts and have overcome countless difficulties together."
Professor McGonagall's eyes showed clear signs of the difficulty she was experiencing in making this assessment.
"But if you insist that I make a definitive judgment about who holds greater importance in Miss Granger's heart, you must understand that this isn't like grading students' homework essays where you can apply objective criteria and arrive at precise, measurable judgments."
She paused, removing her spectacles to clean them with a small cloth. "In fact, based on my observations over the past several years, I believe that both Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley occupy positions of tremendous importance in Miss Granger's heart."
No one around the table made any attempt to mock Professor McGonagall for what might have appeared to be talking in circles or avoiding a direct answer. Every person present understood from their own life experiences that matters of the heart whether involving friendship, romantic love, or family bonds were extremely difficult to quantify or rank in order of importance.
However, after hearing Minerva's description of the situation, Karkaroff's yellowish eyes began to move restlessly in their sockets. His gaze darted from person to person around the table, taking in their expressions and body language. The corners of his mouth curved up in what could only be described as a hidden smile.
"If I remember correctly," Madame Maxime said, stroking the opal ring on her thick knuckles thoughtfully, "at the Christmas Ball that was held earlier, Miss Granger seemed to attend the Ball with that Weasley boy. Perhaps this represents..."
Bryan smiled slightly. However, his sharp eyes noticed that Cliodna's hand, which had been resting casually on the table, had suddenly clenched into a tight fist beneath the table, and he also noticed the expectation in her eyes.
Blinking slowly, Bryan felt a moment of clarity as he understood the conflicted state of mind that was driving her behavior.
Some powerful reason was forcing her to take action during the upcoming task. Yet at the same time, she also had a secret hope that the original plan would fail due to legitimate circumstances beyond her control.
"Oh, but that doesn't necessarily represent anything definitive, does it?" Surprisingly, it was Ludo who said this excitedly.
Bryan couldn't quite tell whether Ludo's current state of excitement was due to the specific point he was about to make, or whether this fellow had once again placed some ridiculous bet at one of the underground gambling dens.
Ludo continued with rising enthusiasm. "Harry Potter and Miss Fleur Delacour attended the Christmas Ball together as partners. Now, forgive me for saying so, but I'm afraid that very few young wizards could resist Miss Delacour's charm and allure."
He paused, allowing his words to sink in before continuing with his theory. "So perhaps the situation is not as straightforward as it initially appears. Perhaps Miss Granger originally intended to invite Harry Potter to be her partner for the ball, but unfortunately missed her opportunity when he became unavailable. Faced with this disappointment, she might have settled for what she considered second best, choosing Ron Weasley as a substitute rather than attending the event alone."
Ludo's eyes gleamed with the eagerness of someone who believed they had uncovered a hidden truth.
"If you ask me for my honest opinion, Harry Potter would be the more suitable choice for this task, wouldn't he? He's already a legendary figure throughout the wizarding world, famous for surviving the Killing Curse as an infant and for his numerous adventures since arriving at Hogwarts.
The general public would obviously prefer to see Harry Potter appear on the Triwizard Tournament stage, adding an extra element of excitement and drama to the competition."
Ludo's suggestion caused Professor McGonagall's face to tighten with obvious displeasure. She understood Potter better than most people. She knew that he didn't enjoy being in the spotlight, that he was consistently burdened by his unwanted fame.
Of course, if Hermione truly valued Harry above all others, McGonagall wouldn't hesitate to support his participation in the tournament, regardless of her personal preferences or protective instincts. However, she absolutely refused to support Harry's involvement just to please a bloodthirsty audience or to create additional publicity buzz for the tournament organizers.
"According to my understanding of the situation, Ludo," Moody said grimly, his voice coming hoarse, "Miss Delacour extended her invitation to Harry Potter to attend the Christmas Ball after Miss Granger had already publicly acknowledged Ron Weasley as her partner. So, your hypothesis about Miss Granger settling for second best simply doesn't hold water."
Bryan's eyebrows moved slightly. This situation he indeed wasn't properly clear about.
Moody's challenge made the smile on Ludo's face freeze for a moment, but he didn't give up his suggestion.
"Even accepting your correction about the timing, Alastor, you heard Professor McGonagall's own statement on the matter. She clearly indicated that for Miss Granger, both Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley hold significant importance in her life. Since that's the situation, and since we're forced to make a choice between them, why not select the one that the audience would most prefer to see…."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry to interrupt!" Professor McGonagall interrupted Ludo's speech coldly. She glared at Ludo, her tone carrying obvious anger.
"Mr. Potter is not a performing monkey in a circus, Mr. Bagman! He doesn't need to show up simply because the audience wants to see him perform tricks for their amusement!"
After successfully making Ludo awkwardly shut up, Professor McGonagall turned her attention to the two men who would ultimately make the decision.
"In my opinion, Albus, Bryan, either Mr. Potter or Mr. Weasley could reasonably satisfy the condition of being Miss Granger's 'most important person.' It depends on your choice."
After this lengthy discussion that had covered every possible angle and consideration, the question had returned full circle to rest with Dumbledore and Bryan.
But before either of them could say their opinions or reveal their preferred course of action, Karkaroff who had been sitting quietly and observing the entire conversation once again arranged his face into that sickeningly false smile.
"Since we appear to be facing a genuine dispute with no clear resolution in sight, I believe I might have a suggestion that could solve our dilemma, Dumbledore. Ah, of course, it might be somewhat immature or unconventional, but perhaps it deserves consideration."
"Stop your posturing, Karkaroff!" Moody immediately erupted, his voice rising to a roar. "I'd bet my remaining limbs that you've got some malicious scheme brewing in that twisted mind of yours! Don't even attempt to lie about it—you know perfectly well that your pathetic tricks and manipulations can't fool me for a single second!"
"Alastor," Dumbledore called Moody's name for the second time that evening, though this time the warning tone in his voice was more obvious.
After requesting that Professor Moody return to his seat and compose himself, Dumbledore turned his attention to the red-faced Karkaroff, who was struggling to maintain his composure in the face of such direct and public hostility.
"We have gathered here tonight in the spirit of fairness, transparency, and collective wisdom," Dumbledore said with grace. "Each school deserves to have its voice heard. Professor Karkaroff, you are certainly welcome to share your thoughts and suggestions with the group."
Watching Karkaroff take several deep breaths to calm his agitated state and prepare for his presentation, Bryan slowly interlaced his fingers on the table in front of him. A cold glint flashed briefly in his deep eyes.
"My view on this matter is" Karkaroff began, forcing his voice to remain steady despite the tension in the room,
"Since we're having difficulty making a precise judgment between Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, then... to avoid choosing wrong, I think... why not have both of them attend?"
"Despicable!"
After a few seconds of silence in the headmaster's office, the first voice came surprisingly from the portraits of former headmasters hanging on the walls.
The hot-tempered Armando Dippet jumped up angrily, his head hitting the top of the frame heavily, but he still glared at Karkaroff furiously. No one would doubt that if he could step out of the frame, he would definitely curse Karkaroff viciously with his wand first.
"You contemptible conspirator!" Dippet shouted. "You despicable excuse for an educator! You're openly and shamelessly attempting to sabotage Hogwarts' champion by creating terrible conditions for her success!"
His face was flushed with anger as he continued his tirade, "In all my years as headmaster, I never encountered such blatant dishonesty and unsportsmanlike conduct! You should be ashamed to call yourself an educator!"
Under the joint and indignant condemnations of the former Hogwarts headmasters, whose portraits had come active with fury, Armando Dippet's voice was particularly prominent and clear.
"Thank you, Headmaster Dippet!" Professor McGonagall said with genuine gratitude, nodding respectfully toward the energetic portrait. "Your assessment of the situation is exactly what I wanted to say, though perhaps expressed with more restraint than I might have managed."
At the conference table, Bryan and Dumbledore still hadn't expressed their opinions. Though Moody wanted to shove his staff into Karkaroff's mouth, based on having been formally 'warned' twice already, he struggled to restrain himself.
Among the remaining participants at the table, Ludo Bagman was the first to show his reaction to Karkaroff's suggestion. His face initially displayed surprise at the audacity of the proposal, but this quickly transformed into a deep frown as he began to consider the practical consequences.
While Ludo certainly wanted to generate excitement and publicity for the tournament, he had no desire to create artificial difficulties that would prevent any of the champions from having a fair chance at success.
Madame Maxime, meanwhile, remained silent, neither openly agreeing with Karkaroff's proposal nor explicitly refusing to support it. She could clearly see that Karkaroff's suggestion would be favorable to Beauxbatons and her own champion too.
If Hermione Granger was forced to rescue two people instead of one, the task would become significantly more difficult and time-consuming, potentially giving Fleur a substantial advantage in completing her own rescue mission.
"Say something, Albus! Bryan!"
The fact that these two decision-makers hadn't immediately stated their positions and rejected Karkaroff's outrageous suggestion filled her with an ominous premonition. She stared at both men with increasing anxiety, hoping to convey her strong opposition to the proposal through the sheer force of her stern gaze and the distress in her expression.
"Oh, please wait just a moment, both of you," Karkaroff interjected with that sickly sweet smile again before Dumbledore and Bryan could state their positions.
"I want to make it clear that I'm not proposing this course of action because I hope that Miss Granger will face more difficult rescue conditions than the other champions. That would be unsportsmanlike and contrary to the spirit of fair competition that this tournament is meant to represent.
Rather, I have other, more legitimate reasons for making this suggestion—"
Dumbledore's bright blue eyes flashed with what might have been curiosity, amusement, or perhaps a combination of both.
"We are indeed all ears, Professor Karkaroff," He said with a slight smile. "Please, share with us these other reasons that have led you to make this suggestion."
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