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Chapter 571: Harry is Taken Away
Chapter 571: Harry is Taken Away
Tonight's dinner was much more lavish than usual, and as the judges entered through the side door, golden plates filled with delicious food appeared.
Kyle picked up a piece of ham and glanced at the teachers' table.
Madame Maxime looked delighted, beaming with joy, but Karkaroff, sitting next to her, had a stern expression.
And so did Bagman, who was usually cheerful, but today, he was out of character, anxiously discussing something with Dumbledore.
But Dumbledore merely shook his head.
"His front-page dream has been shattered," a voice suddenly spoke from the side, and Kyle turned to see Fred and George.
They had arrived in the Great Hall without him noticing, and they were sitting at Hufflepuff's table.
"Don't be too surprised; we came to cheer you up because we were worried you'd be too nervous," George said with a smile.
"Thank you so much, but what did you mean by Bagman's front-page dream?" Kyle asked.
"That's the second piece of news we have for you," Fred whispered, "The plan to increase the number of hostages has been canceled."
"What?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," George said, spreading his hands, "We just found Headmaster Dumbledore and volunteered to be hostages..."
"But the Headmaster refused..."
"He said the maze was too dangerous, and he didn't want students outside the champions to take risks, so before they entered the Great Hall..."
"Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, and your father, the three judges, voted to cancel the plan."
"Karkaroff doesn't look happy," Fred glanced at the teachers' table, "He thinks everyone is being too cautious, and this isn't the Triwizard Tournament he remembers. He had an argument with everyone in the entrance hall."
"Did it work?" Cedric asked.
"Of course not," George said, "The original Triwizard Tournament was discontinued due to the high number of casualties. Now that it's back, most people don't want students to take excessive risks."
Kyle subconsciously looked at the teachers' table as well; Bagman was still talking to Dumbledore, clearly supporting Karkaroff.
But none of that mattered.
Canceling the hostages was, of course, the best outcome, as it would save him some trouble during the competition.
Soon, dinner ended, and the magically enchanted ceiling gradually changed from blue to a deep dusk.
Dumbledore stood up, and everyone immediately quieted down.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in ten minutes, I will be taking you to the Quidditch Stadium to watch the final event of the Triwizard Tournament. Now, I invite the champions to follow Mr. Bagman to the field."
Kyle stood up, and the Hufflepuff students around him applauded, and they bid him farewell as he left the Great Hall with Fengrong and Viktor Krum.
Fengrong looked a bit nervous, taking deep breaths. Krum wasn't doing much better, veering off course several times.
They entered the Quidditch Stadium, and it looked different from what they had seen before. The surrounding hedges had grown to twenty feet tall, leaving only a dark gap.
"Take a moment to rest and get yourselves ready," Bagman led them to a nearby changing room and then left.
After that, Fengrong and Krum each found a place to sit, and Kyle originally wanted to chat with Fengrong to pass the time.
But she didn't seem like she wanted to talk, so Kyle also found a place to sit and quietly waited for the competition to begin.
Ten minutes later, people started entering the stands, and the surrounding area was filled with excited conversations and bustling footsteps. Kyle felt like he had returned to the time before the first event, sitting in the changing room, listening to the crowd entering and taking their seats.
At this moment, the changing room door suddenly moved, and everyone immediately looked up at the slightly ajar door, just in time to see a head quickly slipping out from the door crack.
Kyle, being the closest, walked over and opened the door, just in time to see Hermione and Ron's backs as they were about to sneak away.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you," Hermione said, a bit embarrassed, "We just wanted to see Harry and make sure he wasn't nervous."
"Harry?" Kyle frowned.
"Yes, he was taken by Filch to cooperate with the third event," Ron said enviously, "So lucky to be involved in the Triwizard Tournament."
"But he doesn't seem to be here."
"Hermione said, 'We're off, good luck, Kyle.'
'Wait...' Kyle hurriedly stopped them, 'When was Harry taken away?'
'Just now,' Hermione replied, 'Shortly after you left, Filch came over... He said it was at Professor Dumbledore's request to take Harry to the Quidditch Stadium to cooperate with the match.'
'After we left?' Kyle felt something was amiss.
During dinner, Fred and George mentioned that the plan to add hostages to the maze had been canceled, so why would Filch take Harry away.
That's not right!
Amidst the bewildered gazes of Hermione and Ron, Kyle sprinted towards the judges' location.
'What's so strange about this?' Ron scratched his head, a bit confused by Kyle's actions.
Why did he suddenly run off like that?
'Oh no, he's not going to report us, is he... You know, according to the rules, we're not allowed to enter the Champions' Rest Area.'
'Don't be silly, Ron, Kyle isn't like that,' Hermione said, her expression somewhat serious. 'Let's go to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's positions and see if they're short of people.'
'Why go there?' Ron was a bit reluctant, 'The game is about to start.'
But Hermione didn't pay him any attention and ran towards the middle stands on her own.
On the other side, when Kyle arrived at the judges' location, Dumbledore was talking to several professors with star insignias.
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'Oh, Kyle?' He looked at Kyle, puzzled, 'The game is about to start, what are you doing here?'
'There's something, Professor,' Kyle glanced at the others.
Dumbledore immediately understood and took a few steps forward, 'Go ahead, what's the matter?'
'Do we need to rescue hostages in this game?'
'You're well-informed,' Dumbledore smiled, 'We did consider that idea, but later vetoed it, so you don't need to...'
'Harry was taken away.'
Dumbledore's words were interrupted by Kyle.
'Just now, after dinner, Ron said Filch took Harry away, saying it was to cooperate with the game.'
Dumbledore's expression gradually became serious.
'That's impossible, the proposal to add hostages was vetoed before dinner started.'
'But Harry was indeed taken away,' Kyle said, 'Ron and Hermione saw it with their own eyes.'
The smile on Dumbledore's face completely disappeared, and he turned to look around, his gaze pausing on Karkaroff's face for a moment before looking back at Kyle.
'I understand,' he said gravely, 'The game is about to start, you'd better hurry back.'
'Okay,' Kyle said and left the stands.
To be honest, this matter did catch him off guard... Especially, he never expected that Filch would be the one to take Harry away.
Imperius Curse? Or Polyjuice Potion?
Kyle couldn't be sure, because for the past month, to better grasp Ludo Bagman's movements, the Marauder's Map had been in Fred and George's possession.
But even if Kyle had the Marauder's Map, he probably wouldn't have paid attention to Filch.
Being annoying and a dud is the best disguise.
He could appear in any part of the castle without raising suspicions.
Even if he took a sip of Polyjuice Potion in front of others, probably no one would find it strange, or he could intentionally find a secluded place to drink the Polyjuice Potion.
Kyle carefully recalled. When he returned the Marauder's Map to Fred and George, he took one last look... But at that time, Filch didn't seem to have any issues.
If Kyle remembered correctly, he was in his office with Mrs. Norris, and there was no mention of 'Barty Crouch' in the castle.
Kyle thought as he returned to the entrance of the maze.
At this moment, Fengrong and Krum had already come out of their rooms, and Ludo Bagman was also there, everyone was waiting.
'Fortunately, you're just one minute away from missing this game,' Bagman hurried over and pulled Kyle into the team.
Although he said so, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, as if he was quite willing to see Kyle miss this game.
...
(End of Chapter)
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