Cheating

Bagman left the Quidditch Pitch with them, but didn't go to Hogwarts Castle. He deliberately slowed down and walked with Karkaroff at the back of the group.

"I really don't understand why we have to wait until night to start preparations. Didn't they consider the weather?"

"Yes, you're right." Karkaroff looked concerned. "Well then, would you like a drink? I have some rare gin on board; it should warm you up quite a bit."

"Durmstrang gin..." Bagman seemed tempted, but then shook his head. "Never mind, Igor, I have to oversee the construction of the maze later... and Chris and Barty are there too, you know they're very serious about their work, they probably don't like me drinking at this time..."

"I think this is making a mountain out of a molehill," Karkaroff said dismissively. "They won't even notice if it's just a small cup."

"Let's forget about it." Bagman glanced at Kyle ahead, seemingly casually. "But I do have something to say to you... Hmm, regarding the number of stands Durmstrang's team has reserved, do you have any further requests?"

"Of course," Karkaroff said immediately. "This is a very special event. Many of our professors and honorary alumni want to come and watch Viktor's final victory. I'm requesting that twenty more seats be added to the first three rows."

"This might be a bit too many, maybe ten more at most..."

"Not nearly enough, at least fifteen..."

"You know I'm in a difficult position, let's talk over here."

As they walked, the two broke away from the group and headed towards Black Lake.

Meanwhile, Kyle had already arrived at the stone steps of the castle.

He looked at Phoebe and asked, "Are you going back to your dorm?"

"No, I'll be staying in the carriage for the next few days."

She glanced back. "And I'll have to wait here for Madame Maxime. If Durmstrang can add seats in the stands, we'll make the same request... It's strange, why hasn't she come back yet?"

"Okay then," Kyle said.

He then walked alone up the stone steps and returned to the castle.

It's already 9:30, which is curfew time. There's not a soul in the castle; it's eerily quiet.

At this time of day, Filch's footsteps could usually be heard in the castle, but lately the caretaker seemed to have lost his enthusiasm for patrolling the castle, spending most of his time in his small office with Mrs. Norris.

"Fred, George, are you going back to the Gryffindor common room?" Kyle asked.

But he received no response; all around remained silent.

"Cedric?" Kyle changed the name again, but still no one answered.

They must still be outside and haven't returned yet.

Kyle had intended to wait for them for a while, but after standing in the chilly Entrance Hall for five minutes, he turned and went back to the common room.

The main problem is that it looks really silly for someone to be standing in the Entrance Hall after curfew.

The lounge was crowded, and when Kyle came in, they all looked at him as if they had agreed to.

"What's the Third Task? Is it a treasure hunt?"

"Nonsense, I bet it's a duel."

"Agreed, only the strongest can become champions."

Everyone started guessing what the Third Task would entail.

"Neither." Kyle shook his head.

However, on his way back, Chris reminded him to keep things a little mysterious, so Kyle didn't reveal too much, only saying that the game would definitely be exciting.

When they reached ten o'clock and realized they couldn't get any more information, everyone got up and went back to their dormitories. Soon, only a few people remained in the lounge.

Suddenly, the wooden door on the wall opened, and the next second, three people appeared out of thin air in front of Kyle.

Besides Cedric, there were also Fred and George, who didn't go back to the Gryffindor common room but came here with them.

You'd never guess what we heard.

As soon as he entered, Fred spoke impatiently, looking quite angry; even the tips of his ears were red.

"We were a bit curious and wanted to hear what Ludo Bagman and Karkaroff had to say."

George said angrily, "I never expected they were talking about the Third Task."

"That Ludo Bagman, I never expected him to want to help Durmstrang against Hogwarts. I used to think he was the best Beater."

"When we get back, we'll tear his poster down and throw it in the fireplace!"

"As a referee, helping the Champion cheat is a serious violation of the Triwizard Tournament rules!" Cedric was also quite angry.

He had only gone with them because he was worried about Fred and George and feared they would be caught, but he never expected to discover such a big secret.

"Wait a minute..." Kyle frowned. "Are you sure you heard him reveal details about the project?"

"I heard it very clearly," George said. "They probably thought no one was around, so they didn't try to hide it at all."

"No, we have to go to the principal and report them!"

Fred was furious and was about to leave, but Cedric stopped him.

"It's no use, we don't have direct evidence, they won't admit it," he sighed.

"We can't just let this go!" George slammed his fist on the table. "This is such a shameful act of cheating!"

"What did they say?" Kyle had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "Did they mention which route in the maze is correct?"

"This...it seems not." Cedric pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Although Karkaroff asked, it's probably because the maze is still under construction. Bagman said he didn't know which path led to the central trophy either."

"No, they mentioned something similar," Fred added from the side. "Bagman said that the place with the Sphinx and the Manticore is the right place, and you just have to keep following it... That's practically the same as just telling him the right route."

"Hey guys," George suddenly remembered something, slammed his hand on the table, "I also agree with Cedric's suggestion; it's better not to tell Dumbledore what happened today."

"What? You..." Fred was about to say something when George stopped him.

"We were so angry that we missed the most important point," he said pointedly. "Remember? Kyle was the first person to enter the maze."

Reminded by him, Fred immediately understood what he meant, and his expression quickly changed from anger to excitement.

"Damn it, how could I forget that?" He lowered his voice. "Bagman told Karkaroff about the Third Task, but we overheard it, which means Kyle got the information too."

"That's right," George said. "And Kyle will enter the maze before Krum, and by the time he finds the Sphinx, Kyle might already be standing in front of the trophy..."

"Krum's expression will definitely be priceless then..."

"And Karkaroff's..."