At this moment, the eyes of every young wizard were fixed on Harry Potter. Some were puzzled, others confused, but most were openly suspicious.
On the platform, Snape's fists clenched tight. His dark eyes swept over the crowd, while Dumbledore frowned deeply. This certainly wasn't his doing.
Erwin, however, merely smiled. As expected of Voldemort—he had somehow bypassed all their security to enter Harry's name. No one had noticed a thing. Even with all of Erwin's preparations, he hadn't detected a shred of abnormality.
Draco swallowed the meat in his mouth. "My goodness, Harry, you're amazing! Did you have someone put your name in?" he asked.
Harry shook his head frantically. "No, I didn't!"
Draco paused, then nodded. "Then someone's trying to frame you!"
Harry blinked. "You believe me?"
"Of course," Draco said with uncharacteristic sincerity. "Besides my parents, you and Hermione are the people I trust most. You need to tell the Headmasters about this. I suspect someone is trying to harm you!"
Harry nodded, but before he could speak, Erwin's voice cut through the murmurs.
"Harry Potter, come up here."
Under a sea of suspicious eyes, Harry walked to the stage. Seeing the doubt on the students' faces, Erwin raised his voice.
"Alright, everyone, settle down. This selection process was under my direct supervision. I can assure you that no older student put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire. As for how it happened, I will investigate personally. Stop looking at your classmate of four years with such mistrust!"
The students quickly averted their gazes. They trusted Erwin implicitly.
Erwin glanced at Dumbledore, who gave a slight nod.
"The Champions selection is complete," Erwin declared. "I hereby declare the Tournament officially open! Each event begins on November 24th. Prepare yourselves. Now, return to your common rooms. Harry, stay behind."
The crowd dispersed, murmuring. Because Erwin vouched for Harry, they accepted it. They knew Erwin would give them an answer eventually. That was the weight his name carried at Hogwarts.
Inside the Headmaster's office, the atmosphere was tense. Madame Maxime, Karkaroff, Barty Crouch Sr., the Heads of House, and Dumbledore were all waiting.
Erwin led Harry inside.
The moment Karkaroff saw Harry, he started to bark complaints. Erwin shot him a cold look, and Karkaroff instantly shut his mouth, intimidated into silence.
Snape couldn't hold back. "Harry! Explain yourself! Why is your name in the Goblet of Fire?"
Harry shook his head. "I swear, Professor, I didn't ask anyone to do it! I didn't even touch the thing!"
Snape looked to Erwin for confirmation.
Erwin nodded. "It's true. I had people watching. Every student who entered did so with their own hand. None of them entered Harry's name."
Dumbledore leaned forward. "Then someone used a method capable of fooling Erwin's surveillance."
"Perhaps," Erwin said, noncommittal. "I didn't watch the Goblet personally. If it were a powerful adult wizard, deceiving the students monitoring it wouldn't be difficult."
"So what do we do?" Karkaroff demanded. "Whatever the reason, this is a violation of the rules!"
Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting we expel Harry?"
Harry paled. "No! Please, I don't want to be expelled!"
Professor McGonagall stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry, Harry. Erwin won't let that happen. This isn't your fault."
She gave Karkaroff a sharp look. Erwin has made his decision. Watch your step.
Karkaroff was a survivor. He caught the implication immediately.
"No, of course not," he backtracked quickly. "I merely meant to ask how we proceed. The Tournament is dangerous, after all."
Erwin stepped in. "Since the Goblet chose Harry, he participates. The rules are binding. We aren't selecting a substitute for Hogwarts. The Goblet is a magical artifact; we can alter the format, but we can't reverse its selection without restarting the entire tournament. Do you really want to start over?"
Silence fell. Erwin was right. Restarting the Goblet was a logistical nightmare.
"Furthermore," Erwin continued, looking at the visiting champions, "Harry's participation benefits you. It's harsh, but Harry is the youngest and least experienced. His presence gives you an advantage. Or would you prefer we send a capable seventh-year to crush you instead?"
Karkaroff stayed silent. It made sense. Harry was the weak link.
Madame Maxime was the first to agree. "I approve. Fate has chosen him. Let the boy compete."
Barty Crouch Sr. nodded stiffly. "Durmstrang agrees."
Karkaroff had no choice but to follow suit.
"Then it's settled," Erwin said. "Make your arrangements. And let me be clear: this was not Harry's fault. I will not hear any slander against Hogwarts students regarding this incident. Is that understood?"
His gaze lingered on Karkaroff, delivering a warning the man didn't dare ignore.