Bagman and Krum

In addition to the latest article in the Daily Prophet, Sirius also produced a thick stack of letters... all of which Dumbledore had asked him to bring.

To some extent, Rita Skeeter's report wasn't problematic, because many graduates genuinely believed Dumbledore shouldn't have fired Hagrid and sent him letters.

Sirius brought only a portion of it this time; Dumbledore more, but he hasn't had time to read it all yet.

The article and the letter finally helped Hagrid regain his confidence.

"Thank you... thank you all."

He patted Sirius on the shoulder gratefully. "I think I need to hurry back. The first period this afternoon is the fourth-grade Care of Magical Creatures, and I haven't prepared anything yet."

"Aren't we going to have lunch here?" Kyle asked.

"No, there's not enough time..."

After saying that, Hagrid strode out of the Entrance Hall in a great hurry.

"Hagrid should realize just how strong he is," Sirius muttered to himself, rubbing his shoulder.

That blow almost broke his arm; he could even hear the bones cracking.

"How are you...?" Kyle looked at him with amusement. "Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?"

"No need, I'm not that fragile." Sirius waved his hand. "By the way, how's your Second Task coming along?"

"Professor Dumbledore has been so busy these past few days, he's probably busy preparing the venue for the competition."

"Hmm... it's alright," Kyle shrugged.

"That's good." Sirius patted Kyle on the shoulder. "I believe you can beat them, especially Durmstrang. I really want to see what Karkaroff's expression will be then."

After saying that, Sirius left the Entrance Hall.

Kyle and Kanna walked into the Great Hall together.

"That Rita Skeeter actually spoke up for Hagrid," Kanna said, sitting in her chair. "You guessed absolutely right."

"Of course," Kyle said, ladling soup into a bowl with a long-handled spoon. "Like I said, Rita Skeeter is a smart woman; she'll figure out what we want her to do."

"Will you send the photo to the Ministry of Magic?" Kanna asked.

"Why would you think that?" Kyle looked at her in surprise.

"After all, you didn't agree to her request, did you?" Kanna blinked. "I remember clearly, you only said you wouldn't publish the photos because you were in a good mood, not that you were speaking up for Hagrid."

"Hmm... While what you said makes a lot of sense, after thinking about it carefully, I still think it's better to keep the photos for now. After all, I'm Champion now, representing Hogwarts. I can't do things against my conscience, right?"

Kanna raised an eyebrow.

If it were three or four years ago, she might have actually believed Kyle when he said that, but things are different now... She doesn't believe a single word of it.

"What are you up to now?"

"No, I promise," Kyle said, then quickly added, "At least not right now."

"So, things might not be the same in the future?" Kanna said, and for some reason, she began to feel sorry for Rita Skeeter.

Who was the last person Kyle had his eye on...? Oh, right, that mouse named Peter Pettigrew.

If it weren't for exonerating Sirius, he almost would never have been able to turn back.

"Speaking of which, you reminded me." Kyle slapped his forehead, took a piece of parchment from his pocket, and turned it into an envelope.

Kyle wrote Rita Skeeter's name on the envelope and stuffed ten Galleon inside.

Then Kyle whistled, Ladon flew in from outside.

"Could you please deliver this to the newspaper office for me?"

Ladon nodded, grabbed the envelope, and flew out of the small window under the ceiling.

Seeing Kyle's actions, Kanna asked with a puzzled look, "What are you doing giving Rita Skeeter the Galleon?"

"Of course, it's the payment for this," Kyle said. "The photos are only one aspect; appropriate benefits are also essential for building a better working relationship."

Only in this way will she put more effort into her writing; after all, it's only ten Galleon, not much."

"Are you going to ask her to write another article for the Daily Prophet?" Kanna asked.

"Otherwise," Kyle said, taking a bite of Yorkshire pudding. "Besides having a large readership, what other use does she have?"

Kanna was speechless. Kyle had just said he didn't have any other plans, but he changed his mind in the blink of an eye.

"That doesn't conflict with anything," Kyle explained, seeing through her thoughts. "It's always good to be prepared; you never know when you might need it."

Mid-January marks the first Hogsmeade Week after the start of the school year.

Kyle didn't go to Zonko's with Fred and George; instead, he went straight to Davy -Bans, wanting to see if the shop had acquired any new or unusual magical items.

Unfortunately, the shop owner didn't seem to have gone out again, and after browsing for a long time, Kyle only managed to buy a few beans that would explode.

Although this thing isn't very powerful, it's still good for scaring people.

Afterwards, Kyle found other people, and Cedric suggested they sit at the Three Broomsticks.

The tavern was as crowded as ever. Hagrid sat at the bar, drinking with Sirius. Several empty bottles sat in front of him, indicating they had been drinking for a while.

Sirius, who was sitting opposite him, was probably drunk; he was swaying unsteadily and looked like he could pass out at any moment.

"Oh, what's he doing here..." Fred suddenly pointed to the mirror behind the bar. "There's no Triwizard Tournament right now, so we probably don't need referees, right?"

Kyle looked up and saw Ludo Bagman's reflection in the mirror. He was speaking in a low voice, while several Goblin sat opposite him with their arms crossed, looking quite menacing.

"Guess what they're saying?" George asked.

"I don't know, but he's probably not in a good position right now. That Goblin seems pretty angry," Fred said.

"Do you think we should go and ask for Dad's Galleon back?" George suddenly became angry. "That cheat... thank goodness we didn't place a bet. He won't even pay Dad's Galleon, so he definitely won't pay our bets either..."

Just as the two were talking, the tavern door opened again, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked in.

Not long after, Krum from Durmstrang arrived.

At that moment, Bagman suddenly abandoned the Goblin opposite him and rushed over.

"Oh, Viktor, it's so nice to meet you here. I wonder if I could speak with you alone for a few minutes... Don't worry, it won't take up too much of your time."

Before Krum could say anything, Bagman pulled him to the other side of the bar.

The Goblin remained vigilant, watching him intently, as if afraid he would escape.