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Chapter 536: Bagman and Krum
Chapter 536: Bagman and Krum
In addition to the latest article from The Prophet, Sirius Black also brought out a thick stack of letters... these were all given to him by Dumbledore.
In a sense, Rita Skeeter's report wasn't a problem, as there really were many graduated students who believed that Dumbledore shouldn't dismiss Hagrid, and they sent their letters to express their support.
These were just a part of the letters that Sirius brought this time, and there were more letters with Dumbledore that he hadn't had time to go through yet.
With the article and these letters, Hagrid finally regained his confidence.
"Thank you... thank you all."
He patted Sirius' shoulder gratefully, "I think I should head back now. The first class this afternoon is the Care of Magical Creatures class for the fourth years, and I haven't prepared anything yet."
"Won't you stay for lunch?" Kyle asked.
"No, I'm running out of time..."
After saying that, Hagrid hurried out of the entrance hall in large strides.
"Hagrid really should be aware of his own strength." Sirius rubbed his shoulder and muttered, "That almost broke my arm, I even heard the crack of my bones."
"Are you alright...?" Kyle looked at him amusedly, "Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"
"No, I'm not that fragile." Sirius waved his hand, "By the way, how is your preparation for the second task going?"
"Professor Dumbledore has been busy these days and hasn't been seen much, probably preparing the venue for the competition."
"Hmm... it's going alright, I guess." Kyle shrugged.
"That's good." Sirius patted Kyle's shoulder as well, "I believe you can beat them, especially the Durmstrang champion. I really want to see Karkaroff's expression then."
After saying that, Sirius also left the entrance hall.
Kyle and Kona walked into the Great Hall together.
"That Rita Skeeter actually spoke up for Hagrid in the end." Kona sat down in a chair, "Your guess was spot on."
"Of course." Kyle said as he ladled stew into a bowl with a long-handled spoon, "I told you, Rita Skeeter is a smart person. She must have guessed what we wanted her to do."
"So, will you send the photo to the Ministry?" Kona asked.
"Why would you think that?" Kyle looked at her in surprise.
"Well, you didn't agree to her request, did you?" Kona blinked, "I remember clearly, you only said that you wouldn't publish the photo because you were in a good mood, not because you would speak up for Hagrid."
"Hmm... Although what you said makes sense, after thinking about it carefully, I still feel that it's better to keep the photo for now. After all, I am now a champion representing Hogwarts, so I can't act against my conscience, right?"
Kona raised an eyebrow.
If it were three or four years ago, she might have believed what Kyle said, but not now... she didn't believe a word of it.
"You're up to something again."
"Really, I assure you, I'm not." Kyle said, and then quickly added, "At least not at the moment."
"So, that means it's not impossible in the future?" Kona said, and for some unknown reason, she suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for Rita Skeeter.
Who was the last person Kyle had set his sights on... Oh, right, that rat named Peter Pettigrew.
If it hadn't been to clear Sirius' name, he might have never been able to turn back into a human.
"But speaking of that, you just reminded me." Kyle slapped his forehead and took out a piece of parchment from his pocket, which he then turned into an envelope.
"Can you deliver this to the newspaper office for me?"
Ratoh nodded and grabbed the envelope before flying out through a small window beneath the ceiling.
Watching Kyle's actions, Kona asked in confusion, "Why are you giving Rita Skeeter ten Galleons?"
"Of course, it's her payment," Kyle replied. "The photo is one thing, but if we want to establish a better working relationship, it's essential to offer appropriate incentives. This way, she'll be more dedicated when writing articles, and ten Galleons isn't too much anyway."
"So, you're planning to ask her to write more articles for The Prophet?" Kona inquired.
"Of course," Kyle said, taking a bite of his Yorkshire pudding. "Aside from the wide reach of her articles, what other use does she have?"
Kona was speechless. Just a moment ago, Kyle had claimed he wasn't plotting anything, and now here he was, scheming away.
"There's no conflict here," Kyle said, seeing through her thoughts. "It's always good to be prepared. Who knows when it might come in handy?"
...
Mid-January marked the first Hogsmeade weekend after the start of the new term.
Instead of joining Fred and George at Zonko's, Kyle made his way directly to Dervish and Banges, curious to see if the shop had acquired any new and intriguing magical items.
Unfortunately, it seemed the owner hadn't ventured out recently, and after much browsing, Kyle only ended up purchasing a few Exploding Bonbons.
While their explosive power was minimal, they would certainly be useful for pranks and surprises.
Afterward, Kyle met up with others, and Cedric suggested they pay a visit to the Three Broomsticks.
The pub was as bustling as ever, with Hagrid seated at the bar, drinking with Sirius. Several empty bottles were lined up in front of him, indicating he'd been there for a while.
Across from him, Sirius seemed to have had one too many, swaying unsteadily in his seat as if he might pass out at any moment.
"Oh, I wonder what he's doing here..." Fred suddenly pointed to the mirror behind the bar, "I thought there weren't any Triwizard Tournament events happening right now that would require judges."
Kyle looked up and spotted Ludo Bagman's reflection in the mirror, whispering something as a group of stern-looking goblins sat across from him with their arms crossed.
"I wonder what they're talking about," George mused.
"No idea, but he doesn't seem to be in a good spot right now. That goblin looks pretty angry," Fred commented.
"You know, we should really go and demand our dad's one Galleon back," George said, a hint of anger in his voice. "That con artist... it's a good thing we didn't place any bets. He hasn't paid our dad back, so he probably won't honor our bets either..."
As the twins spoke, the pub door opened once more, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked in. Not long after, Durmstrang's Viktor Krum also arrived.
At that moment, Bagman abruptly left the goblins and hurried over to Krum.
"Oh, Viktor, it's wonderful to bump into you here. May I have a word with you in private... Don't worry, it won't take too long."
Without waiting for Krum's response, Bagman pulled him to the other side of the bar.
The goblins continued to glare at them, seemingly ready to pounce if Bagman tried to flee.
(End of Chapter)
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