Harry was not surprised that Jacob Covenas was Hermione's partner. Everyone had long known perfectly well that the fellow had designs on Hermione.
But his presence here was somewhat strange.
Although Harry did not know his precise identity, he had learned through certain channels that the fellow was an official from the New Continent, in a position similar to an Auror's.
When Barty Crouch's body had been discovered earlier, Harry had even suspected his identity because of a few little moves he and Scrimgeour had made. Thinking back on it later, he realized the reason the fellow had seemed so practiced was that this was his line of work.
But why would an official from the New Continent's Magical Congress appear here, at Hogwarts, and even become Hermione's partner?
Of course, that was not the most remarkable part.
What Harry found most remarkable was whether this meant that Corvinus had already gained an overwhelming advantage in his "battle for Hermione" against Krum.
Harry's thoughts wandered so wildly that, for the moment, he even forgot about Higgs being under the Imperius Curse.
Harry and Qiu had both noticed Hermione, and Hermione soon spotted them too-the room was not small, and there were not many people yet, so they were easy enough to spot. She brought Corvinus over with her.
"Hi, so glad to see you, Potter." As soon as Corvinus saw Harry, he broke into a broad, brilliant smile. "Hmm, you've gotten even better-looking. You look much more manly now than you did during the tournament."
Harry had already started smiling when he heard Corvinus compliment his looks. But at the second half, his face immediately stiffened again. "If you have something nice to say, say it. Otherwise, say less."
Over the past two years, perhaps because of that increase in