strictlysupreme Chapter 69 The Match Ends
Chapter 69 The Match Ends
Chapter 69 The Match Ends
The stadium erupted in thunderous cheers and applause, the sound almost lifting the roof off, the fervent atmosphere clearly penetrating the floor beneath our feet.
"Please, Headmaster Dumbledore, at least wait until the end of the competition. The champion is waiting for you to present him with the award." Lucius's tone was very sincere. He held his cane in one hand at his side, his expression full of expectation.
Just as Lucius finished speaking, the emcee downstairs seemed to receive some kind of signal, and his voice suddenly rose, filled with a dramatic pause: "Now, please allow me to introduce a distinguished guest who has graced our presence here!"
And also the one who will soon present the award to our champion, the eternal beacon of our wizarding world, the greatest white wizard—Albus Percival Woolfrick Bryan Dumbledore!!!
The beam of magical projection shot upwards, piercing through layers of space and precisely focusing on the main guest table on the second floor!
Dumbledore's figure, along with Lucius Malfoy beside him, was projected with incredible clarity onto the giant light screen in the center of the hall, magnified dozens of times, and presented to thousands of spectators!
"Boom!!"
An amazing enthusiasm erupted throughout the interior of the Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce building.
As the wizarding world's undisputed greatest wizard of our time, Dumbledore can be considered the wizarding world's recognized spiritual leader and moral authority.
The current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, consulted Dumbledore for the opinion of every decree he issued in the early days of his term, because only if Dumbledore agreed could the decrees be implemented without hindrance.
As the headmaster of Hogwarts, it can be said that all the native English wizards present had grown up and learned under his gentle gaze.
His level of respect in the wizarding world is undisputed to be number one; you won't find another wizard as highly respected and revered as Dumbledore.
However, Dumbledore was usually very busy with official business, always solving major problems in the magical world, so ordinary wizards could only see news about him in newspapers or magazines. Apart from Hogwarts students, very few people could meet him in person.
In fact, even Hogwarts students often only see Headmaster Dumbledore once every ten days or two weeks.
So now, when Dumbledore's figure appeared on the screen, incredulous gasps, frenzied screams, and thunderous applause erupted from the audience below!
Although the Stone Tower Merchant Guild had given advance notice of Dumbledore's appearance, the wizards in the mall were still pleasantly surprised.
Many people stood up excitedly, waving their arms. They turned their heads to look at the main table on the second floor, trying desperately to see Dumbledore with their naked eyes.
On the main stage, Dumbledore was bathed in beams of magical light and the focus of thousands of surprised gazes below.
He gave a gentle smile and softly thanked the audience below.
Lucius stood half a step behind Dumbledore, maintaining a polite smile on his face, but his eyes sharply swept over the frenzied crowd below, and then subtly glanced at the legendary wizard beside him.
His task was very clear—to ensure that the principal remained "appropriately" in the public eye at every crucial moment, right up to the very last moment of the awards ceremony.
"Albus, I knew it was you I just saw!" Ludo Bagman, the Director of the Department of Physical Education and Sports at the Ministry of Magic, came over and greeted Dumbledore warmly.
Soon, their area became the center of social interaction at the main table. Guests from all walks of life discovered the legendary wizard who had previously hidden them on the periphery of the crowd, and they all gathered around, vying to greet Dumbledore.
Downstairs, the emcee, after the audience's fervor had subsided slightly, strained to suppress the lingering commotion and excitedly announced:
"Contestants, enter the arena one by one! The first World Wizards vs. Card Championship - Final Rounds! Now, let's begin!!!"
It seems we won't be able to leave here anytime soon.
As the audience cheered for the two sides in the duel, Dumbledore's heart sank.
Under Bagman's overly enthusiastic guidance, Dumbledore was placed in the most lavish chair reserved for him at the head table, where the two highly skilled wizards began to manipulate magic cards, engaging in a fierce battle amidst dazzling magical effects.
The light and shadow creatures summoned by the cards roared and collided, and every ingenious arrangement and solution drew gasps and applause from the audience.
Minerva and Severus need to be notified.
The thought flashed through Dumbledore's rapidly working mind like lightning, but almost simultaneously, the dam of reason stopped the impulse.
Hogwarts should be in the middle of a Quidditch match right now.
As the Head of Gryffindor and Slytherin, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape must be at this moment in the bustling Quidditch pitch, surrounded by the intense match and their respective students.
Owls as messengers? Too slow.
A guardian spirit transmitting a message? In front of thousands of people, with thousands of eyes watching, a guardian spirit shining with silver light suddenly appears to deliver a message. This would not only interrupt the match, but also cause unnecessary panic and speculation. This is by no means a wise move.
With the image of Lynch in a suit, always smiling, flashing through his mind, Dumbledore knew that for him at this moment, patiently waiting was the only viable option.
In the time that follows.
Under Lucius Malfoy's meticulous arrangement, the beams of magical projection would always "just happen" to sweep across the main stage, occasionally freezing Dumbledore's calm and wise face on the huge light screen.
Every time his image appeared, a new round of cheers and applause would reflexively erupt below, as if he were an indispensable figure in this card battle.
While dealing with Bagman's overly enthusiastic and familiar conversation, Dumbledore pondered what Lynch had done in the castle that had caused portraits of all the headmasters to appear as a warning.
Time flowed slowly and steadily amidst the flipping of cards, the flashing of magical light, and the clamor of the audience.
Finally, after a long wait of nearly two hours, as the finalists were determined, Dumbledore presented the winner with the trophy, a symbol of the championship, inlaid with a huge magical crystal; he politely but firmly declined the other guests' requests for further conversation and interviews; he clearly and unequivocally rejected Lucius Malfoy's invitation to a post-match celebration banquet.
His figure passed through the noisy crowd and arrived at the gate of the Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce.
Without the slightest hesitation, he made a barely perceptible, extremely smooth rotation on the spot—snap!
The next instant, before the slight popping sound in the air had completely dissipated, his figure had vanished like a phantom, appearing at the ancient and heavy gate of Hogwarts Castle, which he knew so well.
The sounds from the Quidditch pitch in the distance could be faintly heard, indicating that the match was in full swing.
Looking at the castle before him and feeling the eerie silence, Dumbledore's heart sank deeply.