Chapter 570: New Updates on the Competition
Chapter 570: New Updates on the Competition
By three in the afternoon, the sixth-year students had finished their final exams and were eagerly anticipating the upcoming competition and vacation.
However, the fifth-year O.W.L. students still had two more hours to go.
In the afternoon, Kyle and Cedric sat by the Black Lake, discussing the upcoming competition.
Meanwhile, Fred and George resumed their old habits and went to find Bagman and Kakaroff. According to them, the closer the competition got, the more vigilant they needed to be.
After all, the maze was now complete, and Bagman might have already informed Kakaroff about the route to the Triwizard Cup.
"It's only a few hours until the competition begins. I wish time would pass faster..." Cedric gazed at the giant squid sunbathing in the middle of the lake and said, "How are you doing with those spells? Any issues?"
"Of course not," Kyle replied. "I feel like you're more nervous than I am."
"I don't know. Maybe it's because this is the last event," Cedric said. "You've been leading in the first two tasks. If... I mean, if you lose in the end, it would be such a pity."
"Don't worry, I won't lose."
"I know," Cedric said with a smile. "If you win the Triwizard Tournament, Professor Sprout will be very happy, right?"
"I saw her in Hogsmeade last time. She was in the wizard's clothing store, seemingly picking out a new robe."
"A new robe?" Kyle turned to look at him. "You must be mistaken. Didn't she buy a new robe just last year?"
This might sound strange to others, as no one would buy only one piece of clothing a year. But for Professor Sprout, it was perfectly normal.
Usually, at school, she wore more durable clothing suitable for tending to plants in the greenhouses. Only during the opening ceremony would she change into a robe.
Additionally, Kyle noticed that her yellow robe hadn't been changed for several years until last year, when Hufflepuff won the House Cup for the fourth consecutive year. Only then did she get a new one.
Moreover, she even used this new robe as a dress for the Christmas ball.
"I probably didn't make a mistake," Cedric said. "After all, if you win, it's not just an honor for Hogwarts but also for Hufflepuff. Professor Sprout would definitely want to celebrate."
Well, celebrating with a new robe... This was indeed typical of Professor Sprout's style.
At that moment, Cedric suddenly said, "Kyle, look over there. It's the headmaster."
Kyle turned around and saw Dumbledore just coming out of the castle, accompanied by several other judges, engaged in a heated discussion.
"What are they talking about?" Cedric asked curiously.
"I don't know," Kyle shook his head. Due to the distance, they couldn't hear what the judges were saying.
"I think it must be related to the competition."
"No way," Cedric exclaimed. "The competition is about to start. Could they still have disagreements?"
"Who knows," Kyle said, not overly concerned.
It was normal for each headmaster to favor their school's champions, and disagreements were to be expected.
...
At five o'clock, excited cheers echoed through the castle.
"I think the exams must be over," Cedric said.
Then, they stood up and prepared to return to the castle for dinner.
"Hey, you two are here..."
At that moment, Fred and George, who had disappeared for the afternoon, returned, looking excited.
"Guess what we heard..."
"Did Bagman really tell Kakaroff about the maze route?" Cedric asked anxiously.
"Not exactly," Fred shook his head. "But Bagman did go to see Kakaroff again."
"He said the maze was designed by all the judges together, and no one knows the exact route."
"That's good," Cedric said.
"But we heard something else," George said mysteriously. "The judges seem to want to increase the difficulty of the competition by using the same method as the second task."
"The method of the second task?" Kyle asked, puzzled. "What does that mean?"
"Hostages," Fred said. "They want to add a few hostages to the competition, and the champions must find all the hostages before they can go for the final cup."
"You must have heard it wrong," Cedric blurted out. "The maze is already dangerous enough, why add hostages?"
"We swear, we didn't," George said seriously. "Anyway, that's what Bagman said, and we heard it clearly."
"Wait... that's not right, it's still daytime now," Cedric suddenly realized. "Could your Polyjuice Potion get close to them?"
Ludo Bagman aside, Kakaroff was still a headmaster, and without the cover of night, it would be impossible for him not to notice someone approaching with a Polyjuice Potion.
"Of course not," Fred said, raising his eyebrows. He then took out an ear-shaped object from his pocket.
"Extendable Ears. We made it just a week ago."
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"We disguised it as a bush and happened to overhear Bagman and Kakaroff's conversation," George said.
"Alright," Cedric sighed and couldn't help but look at Kyle. "It seems Cona will be a hostage again. Let's see how long it takes you to rescue her."
"No, no, no, you guessed wrong this time," Fred shook his finger. "The hostage from Hogwarts is not Cona, but Harry."
"Harry Potter?"
"Yes," George said. "They believe that if the boy who lived also participates, it will definitely make the competition more exciting."
"Let Harry participate in the final task?" Kyle felt something was amiss. "Do you know who proposed this?"
"Kakaroff? Or... Bartemius Crouch?"
"We don't know about that," Fred said. "It was probably decided long ago. We only paid attention to Bagman, and he mentioned this while talking to Kakaroff."
"Bagman also said that this competition will dominate the front page of the Daily Prophet for the next week."
Kyle frowned, still feeling something was off, but before he could ask further, Cona and Autumn came running from not too far away.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"About the Triwizard Tournament," Fred said. "By the way, you guys go ahead for dinner. We need to find Professor Dumbledore."
"The hostage doesn't have to be Harry, we can do it too," George said.
"This is the Triwizard Tournament, and it's the only one we can participate in..."
"We discussed it when we came..."
"Even though we can't be champions, but for the role of hostages... we must try our best."
After saying this, they rushed out of the castle to find Dumbledore.
Kyle pondered for a moment.
Although it was a bit strange to have Harry as a hostage, with Professor Dumbledore around, there shouldn't be any problems...
As long as he reminded them to check the Triwizard Cup for any issues later, it should be fine.
After figuring this out, Kyle went to the Great Hall with the others.
(End of Chapter)
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