Chapter 499: The Weasley Brothers’ Surprise

Kyle thought to himself, It's really good news that Crouch can't come.

At that moment, Dumbledore and Bagman emerged from the side door.

"Oh, Kyle, why haven't you gone back to rest yet?" Dumbledore asked with a smile. "As I just mentioned, the Triwizard Tournament is no joke. I suggest you think it over carefully and come back tomorrow morning."

"Then, Albus, I'll be off..." Bagman said, his face drooping. "Working overtime all night, and I don't even know if I'll get any extra pay."

"Goodbye, Ludo. You've worked hard," Dumbledore replied kindly.

Once Bagman left, Kyle turned to head back to the dormitory. However, after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned back to Dumbledore, and said:

"Professor, I think you should have the professors pay more attention to the Goblet of Fire."

"Oh?" Dumbledore looked at him curiously.

"Well..." Kyle hesitated. "As you probably know, someone tried to kill Harry during the Quidditch World Cup."

Dumbledore's expression became serious. "What are you getting at?"

Kyle elaborated cautiously, "Well... the person who cast the Dark Mark hasn't been caught yet, right? And you've also said that the Champions' lives are in constant danger."

Kyle didn't spell it out, but Dumbledore clearly understood his implication.

"I will consider your suggestion," Dumbledore said, his tone thoughtful. "However, I don't believe this scenario is very likely."

"I was just mentioning it, Professor. Maybe I'm overthinking things," Kyle said with a shrug.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that warning Dumbledore was a wise move, even though he wasn't entirely sure whether Barty Crouch Jr. had infiltrated Hogwarts yet.

In the distance, the echo of Filch's footsteps could be heard. Kyle touched the Marauder's Map tucked in his pocket, bade goodnight to the headmaster, and returned to the Hufflepuff common room.

...

The next day was Saturday, and while most students typically slept in and went to breakfast late, today was an exception.

Early in the morning, Kyle was jolted awake by his two roommates.

"Wake up, Kyle! Everyone's already gone to the Great Hall. How can you still be sleeping?" Mikel exclaimed, pushing open the window. A blast of cold wind rushed into the room.

Kyle groaned and sat up in bed. "There's no need to hurry. The Champions won't be announced until tonight."

But Mikel and Ryan weren't interested in listening. They seemed convinced that submitting their names earlier would somehow increase their chances of being chosen.

Kyle had no choice but to drag himself out of bed, wrapping a heavy robe around himself to ward off the chill.

When they arrived at the Great Hall, they found dozens of students crowded around, all eagerly examining the Goblet of Fire, which had been placed in the center of the room.

A thin circle of golden lines had been drawn around the Goblet, creating a radius of about ten feet.

Kanna stood near the doorway alongside Fleur, Madam Maxime, and Professor Sprout, observing the growing crowd.

"This isn't actually allowed," Kyle overheard Madam Maxime say in her deep, authoritative voice. "But Fleur... well, if everyone agrees, I don't see why not."

After the two professors walked away, Kyle approached Kanna, his curiosity piqued. "What were you talking about?"

"Nothing," Kanna replied with a laugh. "Fleur mentioned that since she's planning to stay here until the end of the school year, she can't keep living in the carriage. So, we thought we'd try to let her stay in our dormitory for a while. We talked about it last night, and everyone agreed."

"So, Fleur will be moving into the Hufflepuff dormitory today?" Kyle asked.

"And Gabrielle," Fleur added with a nod. "But it's not permanent. They will have to go back to the carriage when the tournament gets closer. That's Madam Maxime's condition."

Kyle nodded, noting that this tacit approval from the headmistress likely hinted at Fleur's confidence in becoming Beauxbatons' Champion.

"What about the other Beauxbatons students?" Kyle asked. "Won't they mind you living here? You all came together, after all."

"If they care," Fleur said with a nonchalant shrug, "they can say something."

Her indifferent attitude left Kyle with nothing more to add.

At that moment, Fred and George came downstairs. Spotting Fleur, they halted abruptly before adopting a dramatic and exaggeratedly casual walk toward her.

"Good morning, my dear friends," Fred greeted, his tone overly saccharine.

"So delightful to see you here," George added, sounding as if he were describing Percy at work.

"Will you behave?" Kyle interjected, visibly unimpressed.

"We are behaving," Fred replied, pinning a homemade Prefect badge to his chest. It read, Big Head Boy.

"These two are Fred Weasley and George Weasley," Kyle said, introducing them to Fleur.

"Weasley?" Fleur blinked, her gaze shifting between the identical boys.

"Yes, they're the younger Weasley children," Kyle clarified. He noticed Fleur's hesitation, as if she wanted to greet them but wasn't sure how. "Oh, you don't need to know much about them—just call them by their names. They'll help you out if the time comes."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Fred objected, frowning.

"Exactly! I'm completely different from him," George chimed in. "Everyone says I'm the better-looking one."

"Absolute nonsense—they're talking about me," Fred retorted.

The twins launched into a heated argument, grappling at each other's necks as if on the verge of a full-blown scuffle.

"Excuse us for a moment," Kyle muttered to Kanna and Fleur, grabbing Fred and George by their arms and dragging them out of the Great Hall.

Once out of sight of Fleur, the twins seemed to snap out of their odd behavior.

"No way!" Fred exclaimed, letting go of George and shaking his head. "Kyle, there's something wrong with that girl!"

"We don't usually act like this," George said, frowning. "But just now, it felt like we had to show off. It's so familiar. It's just like…"

"The Quidditch World Cup," Fred finished. "The Bulgarian mascots... the Veelas!"

"She's a Veela!" George rasped, his voice hoarse with revelation.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Veelas can't use wands, no matter where they're from."

"Then she must be part Veela," George insisted.

This time, Kyle didn't argue. He simply waved dismissively. "Don't make such a fuss. If people see you acting like this, they'll think we Hogwarts students are ignorant."

"Amazing," Fred murmured, his grin wide with astonishment, his earlier embarrassment forgotten.

George, still intrigued, leaned over to peek back into the hall. He quickly withdrew, his expression thoughtful. "There's no one like her at Hogwarts, right? I'd bet she's a shoo-in to become a Champion."