This Isn't What We Agreed On

On Sunday, Kanna spent almost the entire day in the library, trying to find a way for Kyle to deal with the Dragon.

Even though Kyle told her many times that she didn't need to do that, she didn't listen.

"I'm so nervous, I need to find something to do." Kanna placed a thick book on the table.

The cover features a Hungarian Horntail with a line of gold-embossed calligraphy above it.

Kanna kept flipping through the book, trying to find the Dragon's weakness.

"I don't think the school will let you fight the Dragon; you'll probably just have to pass by them."

Cedric was also offering suggestions from the side.

"I think the Transfiguration Spell is good. You can conjure a dog or some other animal to distract the Dragon, and then you can sneak past it."

"Or to put it even more simply..."

Fred looked around and lowered his voice, "You could just release that big thing out of the box, and clearing the level would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, then I won't need to participate in the Second Task," Kyle said irritably. "You guys didn't take money from Karkaroff to make me lose the competition, did you?"

"If he can give us enough Galleon, it's not impossible," George said with a smile.

"Unfortunately, our price is too high," Fred said. "Even if he sold Durmstrang, he couldn't afford it."

"I think a slight discount wouldn't be out of the question," Kyle laughed. "If losing the game would get me a Durmstrang, I'd be more than happy to."

"Oh... look at him..." Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out not far away.

"Here we go again!" Fred said irritably. "Can't that Krum take his admirers somewhere else? With him here, how are the others supposed to read?"

"Hmm?" Kanna looked up at him. "You're all pretty much the same. Nobody should criticize anyone else."

If there were a book in front of Fred, maybe she would believe it.

"At least we didn't affect anyone else," George said.

Kanna pouted. "You mean it's okay if it affects me, right?"

"Of course not... but it's close enough," Fred said with a grin. "It's just dealing with a small Dragon. Don't forget, Kyle has experience."

"Don't drag me into your bragging," Kyle glanced at him. "I was right there when Norbert hatched from his egg; his situation was different."

"But you certainly have experience, don't you?" George said. "Phoebe and Krum have never raised fires before... well, Norbert."

Another burst of chattering came from the side.

"Here we go again," Kanna said irritably. "Let's go back. Oh, and here, this is for you..."

She handed Kyle the book "Riding on the Back of a Dragon," then took another book, "Basic Spells for Dealing with Hyperactive and Restless Animals," and got up to leave.

As they walked out of the library, Hermione also walked out quickly from the side.

She was clearly also annoyed by the noise inside, and muttered with a hint of complaint, "Why can't he stay on that stupid big ship and read a book?"

"Stupid and foolish?"

Why would she say that?

Fred and George exchanged a glance; they had always thought the ship was pretty cool.

Back in the common room, Kyle, having nothing to do, spent the afternoon reading with Kanna to kill time.

Tomorrow is the start of the First Task. That night, Kyle, who was usually very calm, suddenly became a little nervous. He tossed and turned in bed until late at night before finally falling asleep.

the next day.

From the moment Kyle woke up until he went to lunch in the Great Hall, people were constantly cheering him on.

Then Professor McGonagall arrived.

"Are you ready?" she said. "The Champion need to get to the field now... to complete the First Task."

"Okay." Kyle stood up.

"Good luck," Kanna whispered.

Cedric patted his arm. "Keep it up."

"You can definitely take them down!"... That was Mikel.

Kyle left the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall seemed somewhat anxious. She kept telling Kyle not to be nervous, but Kyle felt like she was talking to him more.

"We've arranged for some wizards to be on the sidelines; they'll step in and stop things if things get out of hand."

And most importantly... Professor Dumbledore will be watching the whole match, so there won't be any problems."

"Professor, you should be worried about the other two Champion," Kyle said with a smile. "Hopefully, their headmaster is as reassuring as Professor Dumbledore."

Professor McGonagall chuckled and put her hand on Kyle's shoulder. "Anyway, be careful. If things really don't work out... it's not shameful to give up. Don't forget you're only fifteen."

"Don't worry, Professor," Kyle said.

After leaving the castle, Professor McGonagall did not head towards the Forbidden Forest, but instead went to the Quidditch Pitch.

From the outside, nothing looks different, but inside it's shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to see anything. The only visible part, the audience seating, seems much larger than before.

Professor McGonagall led Kyle to the door of a locker room.

"Go in." Her voice trembled slightly. "Bagman is inside...he'll tell you what to do next."

"Thank you," Kyle said, then pushed open the door and went inside.

Phoebe had arrived. She sat on a low wooden stool, her face very pale.

"How are you? Are you alright?" Kyle asked.

Phoebe shook her head. She looked at Kyle, opened her mouth as if to say something, but was interrupted by Ludo Bagman.

"Kyle, that's great." Bagman turned to look at him and said cheerfully, "Come in, relax, the Triwizard Tournament isn't that scary."

"Alright, now that everyone's here, it's time to give you a brief introduction." He stood up, took out three identical quill pens, and said excitedly, "These are specially made Portkey. Once the audience has gathered, they will take you to the venue outside."

"Your task is to do your best to overcome all the obstacles in front of you and reach the end. Also, there's something else I need to tell you... The red stones are very important; they're related to your Second Task, so be sure to collect as many as possible."

No one spoke in the room; Phoebe and Kru simply nodded slightly to indicate that they understood.

"Well... that's it," Bagman said. "You have a few minutes to calm yourselves down."

After saying that, he prepared to distribute the quill pens.

"Make sure you hold onto it carefully. If you miss the time and don't enter the arena, you'll be disqualified..."

"Wait a moment."

At this moment, Phoebe suddenly said, "Don't we need to draw lots?"

"A draw?" Bagman asked, somewhat puzzled. "There's no need for that. All events are the same; it's just that each Champion is placed in a different position... Of course, you can do it if you want."

He quickly found a cloth bag, put three quill pens inside, and then handed them out to each person in turn.

Phoebe was the first one to draw.

She looked at the identical quill pens in the hands of the three people, her expression somewhat bewildered.

What's going on? There's no Dragon, and no bye... This is different from what Madame Maxime told her.