The First Project

For the three people in the locker room, time seemed to stand still ever since they received the quill pen.

Ludo Bagman was having a great time and even tried to tell jokes to lighten the mood... but nobody was listening to him at all.

"Well, it seems you don't like jokes," Bagman said, seemingly unconcerned. "I have to step out for a bit to give an explanation to the audience. Remember, don't let go of your quills, okay?"

"Well... Mr. Krum... may I speak with you for a few minutes? Shall we go outside?"

"Oh..." Krum looked up, somewhat bewildered.

Although he didn't know why Bagman wanted him to go out, the other party was, after all, one of the referees for this Triwizard Tournament. He hesitated for only a moment before getting up and following Bagman into the passageway outside the locker room.

"What do they want to say?" Phoebe frowned. "Is there anything else they want to tell us separately?"

"Who knows?" Kyle said casually.

He noticed that the cheers and laughter outside were getting louder and louder, buzzing around his ears.

Just then, a whistle sounded from somewhere.

Immediately afterwards, Kyle found that the quill pen in his hand was getting hotter and hotter, accompanied by a huge suction force.

In an instant, Kyle felt as if he had been sucked into a quill pen. When he came to his senses, he found himself in the middle of the Quidditch Pitch, surrounded by deafening cheers.

Kyle looked around; the vast arena was empty except for him... Strange, where were Phoebe and Krum? Weren't they supposed to compete together?

Welcome to the Triwizard Tournament!

At that moment, Bagman's voice rang out from the stands.

"As you can see, the Champion are in position, but they are all in separate areas and cannot see each other... Of course, we can all see them, the only question is who to watch... That's quite a problem."

Bagman made a witty remark, which wasn't very funny, but it did answer Kyle's question.

"First comes the first hurdle," Bagman shouted. "All Champion must pass through this door to reach the next hurdle. Let's wish Champion all good luck... By the way, the little guy guarding the key is quite a handful."

Door?

Kyle paused for a moment before noticing that there was indeed an oak door standing where the goalpost used to be.

But there was nothing around, as if someone had forgotten it there.

Kyle immediately went over.

There was indeed only one door, and he could easily walk around it... but nothing had changed around him, so clearly, doing so wouldn't count as getting through.

"Alohomora!"

Then Kyle attempted to use the Unlocking Charm, but the instant he uttered the incantation, a blue shadow pounced from nowhere.

Kyle instinctively dodged.

"Creak!" Several obvious scratches appeared on the oak door.

At the same time, he could see clearly what it was: a cat, but much larger than an ordinary cat, with equally large eyes, like two pebbles emitting a blue glow.

Kneazle!

And hanging around its neck was a large golden key.

I see. No wonder he was able to see Professor Locknir at Hogwarts.

Professor Beauxbatons is France's most famous Fantastic Beasts expert, especially fond of Kneazle, which he takes everywhere with him. He even had one with him when he was in the Dragon Sanctuary.

Thinking of this, Kyle's expression shifted, and he said softly, "Shakir?"

The Kneazle didn't react at all; its bright blue eyes remained fixed on him.

Needless to say, he mistook the cat for the real one.

Although somewhat disappointed, it wasn't surprising, or rather, it was within expectations.

Back in the Dragon Sanctuary, the Kneazle named Shakir had become quite familiar with him, and Professor Locknir knew this, so naturally he wouldn't bring it over to make things easier for Kyle.

After all, Phoebe is the real Beauxbatons Champion.

"Aha, now everyone's encountered the little guy guarding the keys... What should you do...? A friendly reminder: don't use magic on the Kneazle lightly, because..."

Oh, Viktor Krum, that impatient fellow! If they had been a little more patient, they would have known that once Kneazle is struck by magic, it splits into two... Oops, now there are three... What is he going to do?!

To be honest, Bagman's words actually revealed a lot of information, and strictly speaking, they didn't follow the rules, but no one seemed to care.

Kyle knew about the characteristics of the Kneazle long ago, and Phoebe naturally knew as well. The only one who didn't know Krum had already stepped on a landmine before Kyle even gave him a hint.

So... it has absolutely no impact, not at all.

Gasps of surprise filled the stands.

"Oh, look over there, what a clever girl..." Bagman continued shouting, "Oh, what a pity, I thought I had her. She should have been a little more patient."

Kyle listened for a while, then stopped paying attention.

Without a doubt, this is Beauxbatons ' challenge. Phoebe will likely pass it easily, but Krum will need to put in some effort, since the split-up Kneazle will become more irritable and harder to deal with.

Of course, this only applies to Krum.

Kyle looked at the Kneazle in front of him; it was still standing there, seemingly not going to attack unless he touched the door.

Kyle put away his wand, slowly lowered his body, and placed both hands on the ground.

Kneazle are very wary creatures, especially after seeing the wand; in their eyes, Kyle's current actions are the least threatening.

Moreover, this had another advantage for him: by lowering his body, the people in the stands couldn't see his mouth.

"Oh, well done!" Bagman's surprised voice rang out. "Our youngest Champion has also found a way."

However, Kyle didn't pay any attention to what he said.

After he placed his hand on the ground, the Kneazle in front of him was indeed less wary than before. It gradually straightened its arched back, and its tail stopped twitching from side to side.

Kyle slowly moved in that direction, pulling up the hood of his robe to cover his face as much as possible.

Kyle stopped abruptly when the Kneazle arched its back again and let out a low whimper. His mouth, hidden by his hood, moved slightly. "Don't be nervous, little one. I just wanted to use that key to open a door. I'll give it back to you soon."

The Kneazle's bright blue eyes blinked, and it let out another whimper.

"Your job is just to guard the keys and prevent strangers from touching them?"

I know, but I'm not a stranger. I know Shakir, a beautiful female Kneazle. Do you know her?

"Waaah..."

"Oh, of course I recognize it. I also know that it's missing a small patch of fur from the toe of its hind leg... that's because it accidentally stepped on a student's failed alchemical artifact."

"Waaah..."

"Right? I told you I wasn't a stranger. In fact, Professor Locknir and I are quite close... He also told me that your favorite food is Long-whiskered Barracuda, the kind with two long whiskers and three golden lines on its body..."

Professor Locknir had never said any of this; it was all Kyle's guess... After all, no cat can resist Long-whiskered Barracuda, including Wampus Cat and Nundu.

That stuff is a hard currency among these Fantastic Beasts, but it's too expensive. A bag of three costs ten Galleon, and even then, it's hard to find.