Chapter 495: The Approaching Guests

News of the Triwizard Tournament swept through the castle like wildfire, and within a single night, the excitement over Sirius had completely faded. The Tournament became the sole focus of conversation for the entire week.

One of the hottest topics was the selection of Champions. Each House had its own candidate in mind. Slytherin's top pick was Adrian Pucey; Ravenclaw's was Robert Andrews.

In Gryffindor, the frontrunner was Angelina Johnson—despite Fred and George repeatedly insisting that they were the true contenders for the honor. In reality, however, the twins' combined support was less than half of what Angelina had gathered.

Hufflepuff was the only House with two leading contenders, as support was split evenly between Kyle and Cedric. The rest of the Hufflepuffs couldn't decide, constantly switching sides between the two. Despite this, there was no animosity in Hufflepuff; for them, it would be a joyous event regardless of whether Kyle or Cedric was chosen as Champion.

Over the weekend, Fred and George made an early trip to Hogsmeade, returning with armfuls of items from Zonko's. They claimed these were their "secret weapons" for the Triwizard Tournament. Kyle strongly suspected that the Dungbombs would play a major role if either twin somehow managed to become the Champion. It was amusing to imagine Professor McGonagall's reaction if that ever came to pass.

As the days went by, excitement within the castle grew steadily. Everyone was eager to see what the students from the other two schools would be like. In preparation for their arrival, the castle was thoroughly cleaned. Dusty portraits were scrubbed spotless, and the suits of armor in the hallways gleamed so brightly that they almost hurt to look at in the mirrored reflection. Kyle often spotted suits of armor sprawled on the floor, as if trying to gather some dust back up, only for Filch to come by within minutes with a fresh piece of flannel to polish them again.

Filch, already notorious for his sour disposition, had become even more insufferable, snapping at anyone whose shoes bore even a trace of dust. The professors, too, seemed unusually tense. Hosting the finest students and headmasters from the other two schools was a first for them, even after so many years at Hogwarts.

In this charged atmosphere, the week flew by. When Kyle headed down to breakfast on the morning of October 30th, he found the Great Hall newly decorated. Enormous silk banners draped from the walls, reminiscent of the House Cup ceremonies, but this time, all four House banners were on display. Above the guests' table hung a banner bearing the Hogwarts crest, with the lion, eagle, badger, and snake surrounding a grand letter "H."

No sooner had Kyle and Kanna taken their seats than students began approaching, asking how they were and if they felt prepared. Kyle patiently explained, over and over, that today was simply for welcoming the guests from the other two schools, and that the Champion selection would happen later. By the time breakfast was underway, he had already repeated himself at least twenty times since waking up.

"I've never seen anything like it…" Kanna poured Kyle a glass of pumpkin juice. "It's as if the whole castle is on edge. Deanne spent an hour picking out hair accessories last night, and then got up again in the early hours of the morning to choose them all over again."

"Well, it's an event that hasn't been held for a century, so it's only natural that everyone's a bit excited," Kyle replied, taking a sip of his juice. It was much the same in his dormitory. Mikel and Ryan had kept him up until two in the morning, which they usually only did when cramming for homework at the start of term.

"Good morning..." Cedric greeted them as he arrived. He yawned widely as he sat down, a clear sign he hadn't gotten much sleep either.

"Kyle, do you know much about Beauxbatons and Durmstrang?" he asked.

"I think so," Kyle replied after a moment's thought. "Krum is a student at Durmstrang, isn't he? We met him at the Quidditch World Cup. I'd bet he'll be back for the Tournament, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's chosen as a Champion."

"Oh, right—Krum…" Cedric looked up, a bit taken aback. Viktor Krum's Quidditch achievements were so impressive that it was easy to forget he was still a student who hadn't yet graduated.

Still, Cedric wasn't particularly concerned when Kyle suggested Krum might be a Champion for Durmstrang. So what if he was a Quidditch star? The Triwizard Tournament wasn't about who could fly a broomstick the best.

"And what about Beauxbatons?" Cedric continued. "I've seen the school before, but it was during the holidays, so there was no one there."

"I know the headmistress of Beauxbatons, Madam Maxime," said Kyle.

"The headmistress of Beauxbatons?" Cedric's interest was piqued. "What's she like? Is she similar to Headmaster Dumbledore?"

"A lot younger," Kyle said, adding an egg to his toast. "I bet you'll be surprised when you see her for the first time."

"Is she very powerful?" Kanna asked curiously.

"She must be. She's the headmistress of Beauxbatons, after all," Kyle said. "But I'm not talking about her power. I mean you'll be surprised when you see her."

Cedric and Kanna's curiosity only grew, but Kyle wouldn't give them more than that.

"You'll see soon enough," he said with a smile. "It'd spoil the surprise if I told you now." A classic Hogwarts tradition—to keep people guessing.

Cedric, though, was impatient with such teasers, and he finally understood how Fred and George had felt on the train. Waiting for a reveal was harder than it looked.

That day, concentration was elusive for everyone in class. The air was charged with anticipation, and even the professors seemed distracted.

In Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall had them review previous lessons, rigorously correcting everyone's mistakes.

"This is fourth-year material, and some of you are still making these mistakes!" she scolded, practically shaking with frustration as class came to an end. She couldn't bear the thought of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students questioning her teaching abilities.

Charms class was also a review. Professor Flitwick went over a few practical charms commonly used in everyday life, and had them practice throughout the double period.

The only subject seemingly unaffected by the day's atmosphere was, unsurprisingly, History of Magic. That class was as steady as ever. Not even a Triwizard Tournament could alter Professor Binns' agenda; even if Voldemort himself were to descend upon Hogwarts that very afternoon, they'd still be expected to recite the dates and locations of the Giant Wars so long as it wasn't a holiday.