After saying his piece, Zhang Xiao left without another word.
Silence fell over the Gryffindor table. Harry and Ron kept their heads lowered, their bodies trembling slightly.
They dared not look at anyone's faces. The words "Don't make me look down on you" kept echoing in their minds.
"You're brilliant, both of you! Better than any of us!" a voice said.
They looked up to see Colin Creevey raising his camera and quickly snapping a picture of them.
"Once the Goblet of Fire is over, I'll put all these photos into an album called Road to Champion!"
Colin spoke with complete seriousness.
"Everyone wanted to become a Champion, but honestly, we don't mind that you were chosen. We think you deserve it."
Seamus shrugged and raised a glass of pumpkin juice toward them.
"Keep going, and carry our hopes of winning the Goblet of Fire with you."
Fred and George bumped fists.
"Harry."
"And our stupid little brother."
"We've made loads of Gryffindor victory fireworks."
"We're planning to make a fortune."
"Don't make us lose money."
"Or else..."
"We'll remember it for the rest of our lives!"
Lee Jordan pumped his fist.
"Come on! You've done so many unbelievable things over the past few years. Could there possibly be better Champions than you?
"We're Gryffindors!"
In truth, Harry, Malfoy, and Ron were all quite strong. The little Duelling Club Zhang Xiao had organized was no mere showpiece.
The crux of the problem was that none of them knew how strong they were. Their only point of comparison among the older students was Cedric.
Unfortunately, Cedric was also in the Duelling Club. With his age advantage, considerable talent, and dedication to training, he had improved enormously as well.
As a result, Harry and the others assumed that an ordinary seventh-year