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Chapter 566: Cheating
Chapter 566: Cheating
Bagman left the Quidditch field with the others, but instead of heading towards Hogwarts Castle, he intentionally slowed his pace and walked alongside Karkaroff, who was at the back of the group.
"I really don't understand why we have to wait until nightfall to start the preparations. Have they not considered the weather conditions?" Bagman wondered aloud.
"You're right," Karkaroff agreed, his face filled with concern. "How about a drink? I have some fine juniper whiskey on my ship that should warm you up nicely."
"Durmstrang's juniper whiskey..." Bagman seemed tempted, but he shook his head. "Never mind, Igor. I still need to supervise the maze construction later... And Chris and Barty are there, you know. They're both very dedicated workers, and they might not appreciate me drinking at this time..."
"I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill," Karkaroff said dismissively. "Just a small cup, they won't even notice."
"Never mind," Bagman said, glancing at Kyle ahead of them. "But I do have something to discuss with you... Well, regarding the number of reserved seats for the Durmstrang side, do you have any further requests?"
"Of course," Karkaroff replied immediately. "This tournament is a rare opportunity, and we have many professors and distinguished alumni who want to witness Viktor's final triumph. I request an additional twenty seats in the first three rows."
"That might be a bit too many. I can add ten at most..."
"That's not nearly enough. At least fifteen..."
"I know it's a difficult situation," Bagman said. "Let's discuss this further over here."
As they walked, the two of them drifted away from the group and headed towards the direction of the Black Lake.
At that moment, Kyle had already reached the stone steps leading to the castle.
He turned to Fengrong and asked, "Are you heading back to the dormitory?"
"No, I'll be staying in the carriage for the next few days," Fengrong replied.
She glanced back, "And I'm waiting here for Madame Maxime. If Durmstrang can increase the number of seats in the stands, we should make the same request... It's strange that she hasn't returned yet."
"I see. Well, then," Kyle said.
He proceeded up the stone steps alone and returned to the castle.
It was already 9:30 pm, past curfew time, and the castle was eerily quiet, with not a soul in sight.
Usually, at this time, one could hear Filch's footsteps echoing through the castle, but recently, the caretaker seemed to have lost his enthusiasm for patrolling the castle. He spent most of his days in his small office, keeping Mrs. Norris company.
"Fred, George, are you heading back to the Gryffindor common room?" Kyle asked.
However, he received no response, and the silence around him remained unbroken.
"Cedric?" Kyle tried another name, but again, there was no reply.
They were probably still outside and hadn't returned.
Kyle had intended to wait for them, but after standing in the chilly entrance hall for five minutes, he turned and headed back to the common room.
After all, standing alone in the entrance hall during curfew hours would have looked rather foolish.
The common room was bustling with people, and as Kyle entered, they all seemed to have coordinated their gazes, turning towards him simultaneously.
"Is the third task a treasure hunt?" someone asked.
"Nonsense, I bet it's a duel," another voice chimed in.
"Agreed. Only the strongest can become the champion."
Everyone was speculating about the content of the third task.
"None of the above," Kyle shook his head.
However, on his way back, Chris had reminded him to maintain some sense of mystery, so Kyle didn't reveal too much, only saying that the competition would be exciting.
By 10:00 pm, as no further information could be extracted, everyone gradually stood up and returned to their dormitories. Soon, only a handful of people remained in the common room.
At that moment, the wooden door on the wall suddenly opened, and in the next second, three people appeared out of thin air in front of Kyle.
Besides Cedric, there were Fred and George, who didn't return to the Gryffindor Common Room but followed along.
"You'll never guess what we just heard."
As soon as he entered, Fred couldn't wait to speak, and he looked so angry that even his ears were red.
"We were a little curious and wanted to hear what Ludo Bagman and Kakaroff were talking about."
George said angrily, "We didn't expect them to be discussing the content of the third task."
"That Ludo Bagman, I never thought he'd want to help Durmstrang against Hogwarts. I used to think he was the best Beater."
"When we go back, we'll tear down his poster and throw it into the fireplace!"
"As a judge, he's helping the champions cheat. This is a serious violation of the Triwizard Tournament rules!" Cedric was also quite upset.
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He was initially worried about Fred and George, fearing they'd be caught, so he followed them, but unexpectedly discovered such a huge secret.
"Wait..." Kyle frowned, "Are you sure you heard him reveal the task details?"
"We heard it clearly." George said, "They probably thought no one was around, so they didn't hide it at all."
"No, we have to go and report them to the headmaster!"
Fred was so angry that he was about to walk out, but Cedric stopped him.
"It's useless. We don't have direct evidence, so they won't admit it." He sighed.
"We can't just let this go!" George slammed the table, "This is such a shameful act of cheating."
"What did they say?" Kyle, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked, "Did they mention which route through the maze is correct?"
"Well..." Cedric thought for a moment and shook his head, "Although Kakaroff asked about it, it's probably because the maze hasn't been built yet. Bagman said he wasn't sure which path leads to the center cup."
"No, they mentioned something similar." Fred added from the side, "Bagman said that the place with the Sphinx and Chimaera is the right one, and you just have to follow it all the way... It's not much different from telling him the correct route directly."
"Hey, guys." George suddenly remembered something and slapped the table, "I also agree with Cedric's suggestion. It's better not to tell Dumbledore about what happened today."
"What? You..." Fred was about to say something, but George stopped him.
"We were so angry that we didn't realize the most important point." He hinted, "Remember, Kyle was the first one to enter the maze."
With this reminder, Fred immediately understood what he meant, and his expression quickly changed from anger to excitement.
"Damn, how could I forget this." He lowered his voice, "Bagman told Kakaroff about the third task, but we overheard it, which means Kyle also got this information."
"That's right." George said, "And Kyle will enter the maze before Krum. By the time he finds the Sphinx, Kyle might already be in front of the cup..."
"Krum's expression will be priceless..."
"And Kakaroff's..."
(End of Chapter)
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