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Chapter 506: Rita Skeeter
Chapter 506: Rita Skeeter
What happened in the Great Hall at noon soon spread throughout the castle.
Every Gryffindor student was excited, thinking that there was finally someone in the castle who could make Snape feel afraid.
Even Professor McGonagall couldn't get Snape to deduct points from his own house without a word of rebuttal.
For a time, Professor Alastor Moody's fame in Gryffindor reached unprecedented heights, and the story of the Weasley brothers was also embellished into several versions, spreading among the students by word of mouth.
It could be said that the reason why the news spread throughout the school in less than half a day was due to the efforts of the Gryffindors.
But the cost was that their house points started to drop rapidly. The hourglasses in the Great Hall that kept track of the points seemed to have sprung a leak, as they lost more than half their sand in just a few days.
It wasn't until Professor McGonagall could no longer bear to watch that she stepped in and warned some people, bringing the matter to a temporary close.
On a weekend in mid-November, it was the second Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were also invited to visit the famous wizarding village.
The shop owners seemed to have received the news in advance, as they added quite a few foreign elements to their stores.
For example, Honeydukes Sweetshop displayed a row of dancing macarons and a barrel of flaming toffee apples in the most prominent position at the entrance.
The Whizzing Wizrobe, a wizarding clothing store, also featured French-style long skirts and exquisite fur cloaks.
At the Three Broomsticks, Kyle saw through the window that Madame Maxime and Hagrid were sitting together, drinking a huge bucket-sized cup of a blue wine that he had never seen before.
Just the two of them occupied the largest table in the pub.
"Kyle, I think you need to stock up on these."
Upon arriving at Zonko's Joke Shop, Fred shoved a whole box of Dungbombs into Kyle's arms.
"That's right," George chimed in. "Even though we don't know what the competition will entail yet, whether it's dueling or dealing with some other creatures, Dungbombs are the most effective props."
"Just a tiny bit..." Fred raised an eyebrow. "...is enough to take down a dozen people, and the more confined the space, the more potent its effect."
"Of course, the prerequisite is that you must prepare in advance and cast a Protective Headwear Charm on yourself," George reminded him.
"Never mind," Kyle said, putting the box back on the shelf. "The rules already state that we can only use our wands, and this stuff can't be brought in at all."
"Huh?" Fred frowned, looking disappointed. "That's too unreasonable..."
However, Kyle thought it was quite reasonable.
Although there were ways to bring them in if one really wanted to—for example, using the Summoning Charm—Kyle felt that it was better not to use such a powerful weapon lightly, or he might end up becoming the smelliest champion in history.
That certainly wouldn't be a good reputation to have.
Even after returning to the castle that evening, Fred and George continued to complain about the strict rules set by the headmasters, insisting that competitions without props would be much less fun.
The next day, after breakfast, Kyle went to the Charms classroom on the third floor as usual.
"Before today's lesson, let's review the Summoning Charm," said Professor Flitwick. "Although this spell is simple, it often appears in O.W.L. exams, and it's also essential in our daily lives."
His gaze rested on Kyle for a moment before quickly moving away.
Until the classroom door was knocked upon.
It was Ginny, who swiftly entered the room.
"Yes, Miss Weasley?" Professor Flitwick inquired.
"Sorry, Professor, but Mr. Bagman asked me to fetch Kyle downstairs," Ginny said. "All the champions are to go."
"Of course, that's quite all right," Professor Flitwick said with a smile at Kyle. "Off you go, we won't be covering anything new in class today."
Kyle nodded, handed his textbook to Connor, and made his way towards the door, feeling the gaze of the entire class on him.
"This is amazing, Kyle, you're a champion of Hogwarts now!" Ginny exclaimed eagerly once the door was closed. "Mum's over the moon about it, and she says she'll definitely come to watch the competition. Bill and Charlie said they'll take time off to come, too."
"For the first task?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
"Mum will probably come for all three tasks," Ginny said, "but I'm not sure about Bill and Charlie since they're so far away. I think they'll probably come for the last one."
"Oh, we're here. Good luck," Ginny said as they reached a room.
Kyle knocked and entered.
It was a smaller classroom, with the desks pushed to the back, leaving a clear space in the middle. Three tables were lined up at the front, draped with a long piece of velvet.
Ludo Bagman sat nearby, deep in conversation with a witch clad in a bright scarlet robe.
Crouch and Fleur had already arrived and were standing by.
"Ah, the final champion. Come in, there's nothing to worry about. It's just a wand-weighing ceremony, and we'll take a few photos," Bagman said as he stood up. "This is Rita Skeeter... She's writing a little article about the Tournament for the Daily Prophet."
This was Kyle's first time meeting the famous—or perhaps, infamous—Rita Skeeter.
After all, there were plenty of people who despised her, including Chris, who had been maligned by one of her articles.
"Ludo, before we begin, could I have a word with Kyle?" Rita Skeeter asked. "He's the youngest champion, you know... It would add some color to the article."
"I'm sorry, Miss Skeeter," Kyle said before Bagman could respond. "I think it would be better to inspect the wands first. After all, I still have classes to attend."
"Ah, quite right..." Bagman said loudly. "Every lesson is vital before the Tournament begins."
Rita Skeeter's face soured, and she stared daggers at Kyle.
However, Kyle pretended not to notice.
"It's good that you didn't accept the invitation," Fleur murmured. "Madame Maxime warned me about her."
"She's right," Kyle agreed.
Soon, Professor Dumbledore entered the room, followed by the other three members of the judging panel—Maxime, Karkaroff, and Chris.
Trailing behind them was Ollivander, the owner of the wand shop in Diagon Alley.
"It looks like everyone is here," Dumbledore said.
He took a seat behind the velvet-covered table.
"Allow me to introduce Mr. Ollivander, who will be inspecting your wands to ensure they are in good condition before the Tournament," Dumbledore said.
...
(End of Chapter)
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