Chapter 566: Cheating

Bagman left the Quidditch Pitch with the group but lingered at the back of the line, deliberately slowing his pace to walk alongside Karkaroff.

"I don't understand why these preparations always have to wait until nightfall," Bagman complained, rubbing his hands together as the cool night air settled in. "Have they not considered the weather?"

"Yes, quite inconvenient," Karkaroff replied, his expression one of polite concern. "Would you care for a drink? I have some excellent gin on the ship. It will warm you right up."

"Durmstrang gin, eh?" Bagman looked momentarily tempted but shook his head. "No, Igor, I'm supervising the maze later… and with Chris and Barty around, well, you know how serious they are about their duties. They wouldn't appreciate me drinking at a time like this."

"You're overthinking it," Karkaroff said dismissively. "A small glass won't hurt. They won't even notice."

"Forget it," Bagman said with a glance ahead—deliberately or unintentionally—toward Kyle. "But I do have something to discuss with you... Have you any special requests regarding reserved seating for the Durmstrang side?"

"Absolutely," Karkaroff replied promptly. "This is a rare event, and many of our professors and honorary alumni wish to attend to watch Viktor win his final championship. I'm requesting twenty more seats in the first three rows."

"That's quite a lot," Bagman said, frowning. "Ten, at most."

"Ten is far too few," Karkaroff countered. "Fifteen, at the very least."

"It's a difficult ask, Igor. But let's step aside and discuss this."

The two veered off toward the Black Lake, their voices fading into the distance.

By then, Kyle had reached the stone steps of the castle.

"Are you heading back to the dormitory?" he asked Fleur.

"No, I'll stay in the carriage for a few days," she replied, glancing back toward the grounds. "And I need to wait here a bit. If Durmstrang gets more seats for their spectators, we should request the same for Beauxbatons. But it's strange—Madam Maxime hasn't returned yet."

"Oh, alright," Kyle said.

With that, he ascended the steps and returned to the castle alone.

It was now half past nine, past curfew, and the halls were eerily silent. Normally, the faint echo of Filch's footsteps would resound through the corridors, but lately, the caretaker seemed to have lost interest in patrolling. He spent most of his time holed up in his office with Mrs. Norris.

"Fred? George? Are you heading back to the Gryffindor common room?" Kyle asked into the stillness.

No reply.

"Cedric?" he tried, but again, there was only silence.

He figured they must still be out somewhere, likely trying to gather more information or simply enjoying their mischievous explorations.

Kyle considered waiting for them, but standing alone in the chilly hallway after curfew felt a little absurd. After five minutes, he gave up and headed back to the Hufflepuff common room.

Inside, the lounge was bustling with energy. As soon as Kyle entered, every head turned toward him as if they'd planned it in advance.

"What's the third event? A treasure hunt?"

"Nonsense. It's got to be a duel."

"Agreed. Only the strongest wizard could win a duel to become champion!"

The room buzzed with speculation, everyone eager to outguess the others about the final task.

"None of the above," Kyle said, shaking his head.

Still, remembering Chris's advice to maintain some mystery, he refrained from revealing too much. "It'll definitely be exciting, though," he added with a knowing smile.

The group tried pressing for more details, but when Kyle remained tight-lipped, they gradually gave up. By ten o'clock, the excitement had settled, and the students began dispersing to their dormitories one by one.

Before long, the common room was nearly empty, with only a few students lingering near the dying embers of the fireplace.

As Kyle sat in the common room, the wooden door on the wall suddenly creaked open. A moment later, three figures appeared seemingly out of thin air—Cedric, along with Fred and George, who had apparently decided not to return to the Gryffindor common room after all.

"You'll never guess what we heard," Fred burst out, his face red with anger and frustration.

"We got curious and decided to eavesdrop on what Bagman and Karkaroff were talking about," George added, his tone equally furious. "We didn't realize they were discussing the contents of the third task."

"That Ludo Bagman!" Fred spat. "I never thought he'd sink so low as to help Durmstrang cheat against Hogwarts. I used to think he was the greatest Beater ever!"

"When we get back, we're tearing his poster off the wall and burning it!" George declared.

"As a referee, helping a Champion cheat is a blatant violation of the Triwizard Tournament rules!" Cedric chimed in, his normally calm demeanor replaced by visible anger. He had followed the twins to make sure they didn't get caught sneaking around but hadn't expected to uncover such a serious matter.

"Wait…" Kyle frowned. "Are you certain you overheard them revealing details about the task?"

"Absolutely," George said, his jaw set. "They didn't even try to keep their voices down. They probably thought no one was around to hear."

"No, we have to go straight to the Headmaster and report them!" Fred said, standing as if to leave.

Cedric quickly stopped him. "It won't work. We don't have any direct evidence, and they'll just deny it. Without proof, there's no way anyone will take action."

"That's no good!" George said, slamming his fist on the table. "This kind of cheating is disgraceful."

Kyle, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke. "What exactly did they say? Did they give away the correct route through the maze?"

"Well… not exactly," Cedric admitted after a moment's thought. "Karkaroff tried to press Bagman for specifics, but Bagman said he wasn't sure which path would lead to the Cup. It's probably because the maze is still under construction."

"Actually," Fred said, his expression dark, "Bagman did mention something. He said that if you encounter a Sphinx and a Manticore, you're on the right track, and you just need to keep going straight. That's as good as giving away the answer, isn't it?"

George suddenly slapped the table, his expression shifting from anger to calculation. "You know what? I agree with Cedric. We shouldn't report this to Dumbledore."

"What?!" Fred turned to his brother in disbelief. "You can't be serious—"

"Think about it!" George cut him off, his eyes gleaming with a clever realization. "We've been so angry, we completely missed the most important point. Remember: Kyle is the first person to enter the maze."

Fred froze, his anger dissolving as comprehension dawned. A grin spread across his face as he muttered, "Bloody hell, how could I forget that?"

"Exactly," George said, his excitement growing. "Bagman gave Karkaroff hints about the third task—but we overheard it. And now Kyle has the information. He'll be in the maze long before Krum even gets a chance."

"By the time Krum finds the Sphinx, Kyle might already be standing next to the Triwizard Cup," Fred added, his grin widening.

"Krum's face is going to be priceless," George said with a chuckle.

"And Karkaroff's will be even better!" Fred finished.