Chaos and Order - A Multiverse Fanfic

Chapter 1098: The Intercontinental Tournament of Magic - A War Exercise!

If one hadn’t known any better, then one would have thought that they were attending the Quidditch World Cup all over again.

Large tents, all with Extension Charms, had painted the fields around Hogwarts in a multicolored hue.

Wizards and Witches — from literally all over the world — had gathered, turning these tents into their home for the next few months.

Then there were large banners, flapping mightily against cold, northern winds.

Not only people, but magical creatures, too, thousands in number, grouped according to their species.

In the wizarding community, this was a sight that couldn’t have belonged to any event but the World Cup.

For those who still thought so, a few things would help them come out of that fantasy.

The 421st Quidditch World Cup had been held on American soil, under the leadership of MACUSA, only three years ago.

The British Ministry of Magic had been appointed as the host of the 422nd Quidditch World Cup—to be held in the 1994 July-August Season, i.e., six months later.

The possibility of that happening was even less than the Lord Black Phoenix suddenly gaining a gray hair now, though.

Then there was the site of this gathering — Hogwarts.

Surrounded by the Forbidden Forest, the School didn’t nearly have the empty grounds needed to host such an event, while simultaneously accommodating so many people and magical creatures.

Also, the people who had gathered were truly in the tens of thousands, but they didn’t carry the excitement of a crowd about to experience the thrill of a centuries-old sport. In fact, if one dared to look harder, one would see a touch of bleakness in these people’s eyes, blanketed by temporary relief. With that, the crowd looked more like refugees and not an audience, just relieved to have some protection that came with this gathering.

And if all that was not enough, then surely the banners would do the job.

These banners didn’t belong to a Quidditch team.

They belonged to various Schools, now backed by various Ministries of Magic, Independent Factions, Communities, and Clans from all over the world.

There was, of course, a banner placed at the tip of the highest tower of Hogwarts Castle, displaying the school’s crest, the four mascots of each House seemingly roaring and flying with every gust of wind.

On the grounds, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic’s banner held the school’s crest — a blue shield featuring two crossed golden wands, with a stylized letter B in its middle, and heavily framed by ornate gold scrolling and botanical flourishes.

Then there was Durmstrang Institute — a bold, green shield featuring a yellow, double-headed eagle, which sat above a red stag’s skull, its horns surrounding the eagle’s wings.

Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s banner sat closest to Hogwarts, displaying a stylized four-leaf design, with a golden Gordian Knot at its center, surrounded by the four house mascots resting on a pale blue background.

The African School of Magic, Uagadou, had a banner that showcased its Wandless Magic by displaying a crest of a full moon on the backdrop of a mountain, with no wands anywhere.

Mahoutokoro School from Japan had the most simplistic banner, displaying their Yin-Yang Crest, with two slightly curved wands crossed under it like katanas, all in black and white.

The Russian School of Magic, Koldovstoretz, had the only banner that one could have still mistaken for a Quidditch team’s, because the school’s crest featured the silhouette of a figure riding a broom with an ancient, golden Slavic Kolovrat in the backdrop over a white background.

The only school missing in this gathering of the world’s forces was Castelobruxo, the Amazonian School of Magic, meaning that almost the entire wizarding community of South America was missing as well. It was all because South American forces had refused to join the Order of Black Phoenix, calling it a dictatorship, and had instead chosen to continue their war with the Dark Alliance.

Excluding these, there were ten more minor schools and institutes, all trying to secure a place for themselves for what was to come.

The Intercontinental Tournament of Magic!

Yes, on paper, it was only that.

Most students and ordinary citizens of the wizarding community believed so, too.

However, the forces behind these schools, representing areas of the entire world, knew what it truly was.

A demonstration of force.

A platform to secure ranks and authorities for the war to come.

A means to show their readiness not only to Lord Black Phoenix, but also to the Dark Alliance.

This was no tournament...

This was the greatest military exercise the wizarding community had ever seen since time immemorial!

Ilvermorny had known this and had almost refused to be a part of this.

Darcie and, to some extent, Harry had singlehandedly changed Headmistress Theodore Whitethorn’s mind, securing one of the greatest magical forces in the world.

Castelobruxo School of Magic knew this, too.

Despite the news of Ilvermorny’s participation, the South American magical community continued to refuse to be a part of the Order of Black Phoenix... even as the date of the Tournament kept coming closer as January ended.

Yes. It had taken one month for these forces to gather at Hogwarts.

One month, during which, regardless of the gathering of masses, the classes continued for the students.

One month, during which the students, who still believed it to be a tournament where they could prove themselves, kept training harder and harder, involuntarily preparing themselves for what they would ultimately become — soldiers.

One month, during which the students, who knew what the Tournament actually was, trained even harder because they knew what was truly at stake.

And, one month, during which the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore — the Chairperson of the Order of Black Phoenix — the Supreme General of the alliance of the world’s magical forces — hadn’t made a public appearance once.

Surprisingly, the same was true for one more student, whose name and fame had become too grand for people not to question her unusual absence.

The history’s first dual wielder - Darcie Malfoy!