I became Voldemort

Chapter 241: Salazar’s Wand.

With a simple raise of his hand, a small emerald-green snake slithered out from his sleeve. It lifted its head, and its tiny eyes, like red gemstones set in a sculpture, gleamed with life.

Ollivander gasped in amazement, carefully reaching out toward Cyrus. In his eyes, the serpent seemed just as much a work of art as the Elder Wand!

With a mere thought from Cyrus, the green snake transformed back into a wand—sleek and flexible, with each individual snake scale on its surface exquisitely detailed.

"I never dreamed I would one day see this legendary wand!" Ollivander's voice trembled with excitement, and tears shimmered on his bushy white eyebrows as he spoke.

It was understandable.

Salazar Slytherin was a legendary wizard, also one of the founders of Hogwarts, and every witch or wizard who graduated from Hogwarts—whether they were from Slytherin or not—would feel a sense of awe and honor in the presence of this wand.

"Wands choose the wizard, and clearly, I have not been chosen by either of these wands," Ollivander said as he gave the wand a firm flick, but he felt no particular response from it. "I heard that you awakened it at Ilvermorny?"

"Yes, Mr. Ollivander. Only a true heir of Slytherin can unlock its full power," Cyrus said softly.

He wasn't just referring to Parseltongue; he meant the true ability to be recognized by the wand.

Just as Parseltongue abilities vary, Harry using this wand would experience a completely different enhancement compared to Cyrus. Even Lord Voldemort himself might not be able to make this Serpent King wand submit as easily.

"Serpentwood, with a core of Serpent King's horn. The wand is in good condition," Ollivander quickly announced, sensing that the wand was growing restless in his hands, as if it resented being held by someone so ordinary. It seemed calm on the surface, but in reality, it was struggling! He hurriedly returned the wand to Cyrus. Now, all the wands had been inspected.

Next, Babajide Akingbade stood up. He looked even more haggard than before, likely due to the mental strain of having to modify the tournament tasks over the past few days.

He walked out from behind the black velvet-draped table and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"The schedule for the tournament remains unchanged, and since we've already made preparations, we can't go back on our plans. Therefore, the first task will only undergo some minor modifications," Babajide Akingbade said with some difficulty.

The International Confederation of Wizards had already contacted the Romanian Dragon Reserve, and the dragons were well on their way. It wouldn't make sense to turn them back now.

Moreover, as one of the most dangerous magical creatures, they couldn't think of anything else that could match the dragons.

However—

Babajide glanced at Dumbledore—

Having these contestants steal dragon eggs would be too hard on the poor dragons.

The task had to be adjusted. The original number of dragons was clearly insufficient, but fortunately, they had received emergency assistance from Newt Scamander, who had brought in more magical creatures to diversify the challenge.

"You will depart from Hogwarts and enter the Forbidden Forest. Throughout the journey, you are forbidden to use anything other than your wand—no tools, no flying. You must travel on foot through the forest," Babajide Akingbade explained.

"As for the three champions who are also headmasters, you will need to retrieve a specific token to pass the trial, while the other contestants only need to reach the finish line to complete it."

"In the course of the challenge, we've placed some items and clues that relate to the second trial. If you manage to find them, they might help you in the upcoming tasks."

"One more thing worth noting: this is an elimination round. From the moment the first ray of sunlight touches the ground, you will enter the Forbidden Forest, and any contestant who fails to reach the finish line by sunset will be eliminated."

The use of an elimination system was a necessary compromise.

Babajide Akingbade and the committee members had debated for a long time before coming up with a solution that could both bypass the magical constraints imposed by the Goblet of Fire and ensure the safety of the champions.

Originally, the chosen champions were required to participate in all the Triwizard Tournament tasks. However, this time, they had collectively cast a spell on the Goblet of Fire, successfully modifying some of its rules.

Now, Babajide only hoped to eliminate enough young wizards in the first round, which would make the competition a bit more fair.

Of course, he understood that this would inevitably lead to a showdown between the three headmasters.

No, to be honest, Babajide, who was still uncertain of Cyrus' true strength, believed from the start that only Dumbledore and Grindelwald would make it to the final round.

"As compensation," Bagman continued, "the champion from Beauxbatons, who doesn't have a headmaster competing, will receive some special information in advance and will not be subject to elimination. Additionally, Beauxbatons will receive extra points in the final score calculation."

"I have no objections," Barty Jr. nodded, though he didn't look particularly pleased.

Bagman then turned his gaze toward Cyrus, regarding him with an affectionate, almost paternal look. "These same advantages will apply to Ilvermorny as well."

"Thank you for your and the committee's kindness, Mr. Akingbade," Cyrus responded with a warm smile. "However, Ilvermorny has no need for such special treatment. Otherwise, it might be a bit disrespectful to the elderly."

Upon hearing Cyrus refer to them as "elderly," Dumbledore remained unfazed, but Grindelwald clearly wasn't as willing to accept the label.

He looked eager, as if he couldn't wait to challenge Cyrus and prove otherwise.

"Ehm.. Since you insist, I will respect your decision," Babajide Akingbade nodded, choosing not to say more to Cyrus.

Akingbade may not have considered Cyrus on the same level as Dumbledore and Grindelwald, but after all, Cyrus was a headmaster, a position that required considerable skill.

He was undoubtedly stronger than most adult wizards, perhaps even Aurors. Moreover, Cyrus was still so young, and this was his first time bringing Ilvermorny to participate in the Triwizard Tournament.

Even if he lost, it wouldn't be shameful.

In fact, losing to Dumbledore and Grindelwald was considered an honor by most wizards.

After concluding his remarks, Babajide Akingbade asked the Beauxbatons students and headmistress to stay behind. "I will provide some maps of the Forbidden Forest, marking areas of extreme danger. If you're not confident in your abilities, please make sure to avoid those areas…"

Babajide's voice grew distant as Cyrus and the others left the classroom.

Harry and Cedric walked side by side behind Dumbledore.

Though they weren't particularly familiar with each other, they found common ground in their shared experiences.

"Have you ever been to the Forbidden Forest before?" Harry asked Cedric, turning his head.

"No," Cedric shook his head. His pale face looked a bit unhealthy. "I'm a Hufflepuff, not a Gryffindor."

"I was forced to go in during my first year," Harry said.

"I ran into a centaur, and then Vold… well, a dark wizard—actually, it was Quirrell."

"In my second year, I stumbled upon a whole swarm of Acromantulas as big as cars… and in my third year, Death Eaters dragged me in there…" With each sentence Harry spoke, Cedric's face grew a shade paler.

"That doesn't sound like a pleasant memory…" Cedric replied stiffly, his face now pale like a vampire.

"It really wasn't…" Harry glanced back at the classroom, where the Beauxbatons champions were gathered around Akingbade, listening to him explain the dangerous areas of the Forbidden Forest they should avoid. "Honestly, I think we could use some help too…"

"Haha~ Don't worry, Harry, I'm quite familiar with the Forbidden Forest," Dumbledore, overhearing their conversation, turned back and winked playfully. "The only question is whether there might be any new guests there this time."

"That makes me feel a bit better," Harry said, though his expression showed anything but relief.

He sighed regretfully, "It's a shame we can only carry wands. Otherwise, I'd bring that enchanted firearm."

"My suggestion, Harry, is that casting a summoning charm wouldn't exactly be breaking the rules," Dumbledore offered with a knowing smile.

"The rule says that when you enter the Forbidden Forest, you can only carry a wand. But if you summon something later on, well, nothing's stopping you from doing that."

Meanwhile, Cassandra and Fischer were asking Cyrus about the Forbidden Forest as well.

"Professor, I've heard there are many dangerous magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest?" Fischer asked with some concern.

For most wizards, handling magical creatures wasn't an easy task. Many of these creatures had strong magical resistances, and spells that could destroy armored vehicles might barely scratch the thick hides of a 5X-rated magical beast.

"There are indeed many dangerous creatures in there, and I know they've brought in at least a few dozen more," Cyrus said, holding a letter with Scamander's signature. "At least 4X-rated."

Upon hearing this, Fischer's face instantly fell.

Cassandra, on the other hand, seemed quite excited. She cupped her small chin and asked, "If I kill them, can I keep the magical materials from their bodies?"

She was already considering which magical creatures' parts would be the most valuable.

The Triwizard Tournament prize was only a thousand Galleons, and she would have to compete against a few headmasters to get it. Even though Cassandra was prideful, she didn't think her magical prowess could match those three monsters.

Since that was the case, she might as well find a way to profit in other ways.

Cyrus couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated by Cassandra's assertive personality, though he had to admit she was quite skilled.

Unlike most young witches and wizards, Cassandra was particularly adept at dark magic, which happened to be highly effective in combat. If they encountered a powerful magical creature, she might actually have the ability to kill it.

However...

"What you should be worrying about now is whether you can reach the finish line before nightfall," Cyrus said softly.

"The Forbidden Forest covers a vast area, and since flying is prohibited in this competition, even if you can summon a broomstick, you can't ride it. Relying on walking alone, even without interference from magical creatures, reaching the finish line will be a difficult task.

"I was actually planning on teaching you the Flying Charm…"

"Can't we just Apparate?" Cassandra asked in return. "I know there's an anti-Apparition charm on the castle, but the Forbidden Forest is pretty far from there, right?"

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