Sirius gave this to me—it can't be... Kyle seemed to realize something and immediately tore open the package.
Sure enough, just as he had suspected, inside was a beautifully crafted broom.
The day Sirius had been acquitted, he had wanted to buy it as a gift for Kyle. But Kyle had declined at the time, pointing out that there wouldn't be any Quidditch this year.
Yet here it was, a few months later—Sirius had still gone ahead and bought it.
"Firebolt! Did someone give you a Champion's Gift?" Cedric exclaimed excitedly. "We've got a Firebolt now, too... Oh, wait—there's no Quidditch this year."
Cedric's excitement wavered for a moment, his expression clouding briefly with disappointment. But he quickly shook it off.
Well, it was still a Firebolt. That alone was reason enough to celebrate. They could always use it next year. He wondered if the Gryffindors—especially Fred and George—would be so full of themselves when Hufflepuff showed up with a Firebolt, too.
Mikel was equally thrilled. He leaned in close, carefully inspecting the Firebolt as though it were some rare and precious artifact.
"It's such a shame," he murmured, almost to himself. "If only we could use broomsticks in the Triwizard Tournament..."
Soon, word spread that Kyle had received a Firebolt. However, with the Triwizard Tournament occupying everyone's minds and given that Harry had received a Firebolt the previous year, the news didn't make much of a splash. The excitement quickly waned.
Kyle glanced once more at the note from Sirius, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he put the Firebolt away in his dormitory and headed to class as usual.
What he didn't realize, however, was that the Firebolt wasn't the only surprise in store for him that day.
The last lesson of the morning was Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had somehow managed to procure a large group of Fire Crabs, their gem-encrusted shells immediately capturing everyone's attention.
As the class busied themselves feeding the Fire Crabs lettuce, Hagrid quietly moved closer to Kyle. Pretending to inspect the lettuce scattered on the ground, he leaned down and whispered in a low voice, "Meet me in my hut at midnight tonight. Don't let anyone see you."
Straightening up, Hagrid boomed, "Very good, Kyle! You've mastered the technique of feeding Fire Crabs." He winked conspicuously and walked off.
"Why did Hagrid tell you to find him?" Kanna asked curiously.
"I think he wants to show me something," Kyle replied. "We can go together tonight... if you're not too tired."
"But is that okay?" Kanna asked, a bit hesitant. "What if someone finds out?"
"Don't worry," Kyle said with a grin. "This is the perfect time to use the Invisibility Cloak. Besides, I know the Disillusionment Charm—I can manage even without the cloak."
Kanna's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly.
Later that afternoon, Kyle handed Kanna the Invisibility Cloak. At half past eleven, he used the Disillusionment Charm and slipped quietly out of the dormitory. Passing through the wooden barrel door of the common room, he stepped into the corridor outside.
He waited for a few moments until the barrel door opened slightly, and a voice whispered, "It's me."
A disembodied head appeared in the air. It was Kanna, speaking a bit nervously. "How did it go? Did anyone notice you?"
"No," Kyle replied. "They were up late with homework last night and went to bed early tonight."
"Same here," Kanna said before pulling the Invisibility Cloak back over herself.
The two of them made their way through the dark castle, sticking closely to their plan. Outside, the night was quiet, and the light from Hagrid's hut guided them along the path.
But they weren't the only ones out that night. The door to Hagrid's hut was slightly ajar, and Kyle could hear laughter and conversation from inside.
"Oh no, someone's already there," Kanna said nervously. "What should we do?"
"Let's wait and see," Kyle whispered. They moved a few steps closer, staying hidden.
Suddenly, Fang's loud bark echoed from the hut. The laughter and chatter inside stopped abruptly. Moments later, Hagrid stepped out, followed by another man.
"Did someone come?" the man asked, looking around suspiciously.
"No, no one," Hagrid said, his voice exaggeratedly loud. "Probably just a Kneazle. Fang loves playing with the Kneazles in the Forbidden Forest."
"Kneazles? How fascinating! I love the Forbidden Forest," the man said, tilting his head as he drained his glass.
"Well, I've got to go now. Hagrid, it was a pleasure meeting you. See you tomorrow."
"Wait, Lochneal," Hagrid called after him. "I've got something amazing to show you—something you've never seen before."
"You'll see," Hagrid replied mysteriously. "But we've got to fetch Madam Maxime first. I promised her."
The two headed towards the Beauxbatons carriage, with Hagrid occasionally glancing back, as though checking on something.
Kyle waited until they were out of earshot before tossing a small stone at Hagrid's arm. Startled, Hagrid turned back, but quickly picked up his pace to catch up with the other man.
Kyle then dropped the remaining stones and turned to Kanna.
"That's Professor Lochneal from Beauxbatons. We've met before." Kyle said, recalling how he had sold Lochneal some heavily damaged dragon scales at a surprisingly good price.
"Are there any other professors from Beauxbatons here?" Kanna wondered aloud. "I thought it was just Madam Maxime."
"He must have just arrived," Kyle replied. "After all, if he had been here from the beginning, he would have made an appearance in the Great Hall, but none of us have seen him before today."
As they spoke, Madam Maxime emerged from the carriage. Before Lochneal could approach her, Hagrid stepped forward, his large hand extended to help her down the golden steps.
The three of them—Hagrid, Madam Maxime, and Lochneal—then began walking around the paddock where the majestic Abraxan horses were tethered, heading into the shadowy depths of the Forbidden Forest.
Kyle and Kanna trailed behind at a cautious distance, straining to catch snippets of their conversation.
"Hagrid, Lochneal, where are you taking me?" Madam Maxime asked, her deep voice tinged with curiosity.
"I don't know, Headmaster," Lochneal replied with a shrug. "I was just about to head back to bed... Honestly, it's a lot colder here than at Beauxbatons."
"If you go back now, you'll definitely regret it," Hagrid said in a husky voice, barely able to contain his excitement. "You'll like it—it's worth seeing, believe me. But... keep it a secret, all right? Don't tell anyone. You shouldn't even know about this."
"Of course we won't tell," Madam Maxime assured him.
"That's right," Lochneal agreed.
The trio pressed on into the forest. Kanna and Kyle kept up, their footsteps light on the leaf-strewn path. The minutes stretched as they wound deeper into the woods. Half an hour later, the forest had closed in around them, and neither Hagrid's hut nor the castle was visible anymore.
"Did you hear something?" Kanna whispered after another ten minutes of walking. Her head tilted as she tried to catch the faint sounds in the distance.
A few voices rang out, shouting unintelligibly. Then, cutting through the quiet night, came a shrill, deafening roar that sent a shiver down her spine.
The three figures ahead quickened their pace, and Kyle and Kanna followed suit, breaking into a brisk trot. They passed through a grove of trees and emerged into a clearing.
Kanna gasped aloud. "Oh my God!"
The scene before them was breathtaking and terrifying. Fortunately, the surrounding commotion masked the sound of her voice. Kanna quickly ducked behind a tree, whispering urgently to Kyle, "That's a dragon!"
Kyle nodded grimly, his eyes fixed on the enormous creatures. He had already seen them.
In the middle of the clearing, two fully-grown dragons stood chained within a sturdy enclosure made of thick planks. They roared and snorted, their scales gleaming in the dim light. Around them, a dozen burly dragon keepers wrestled with the chains, trying to control the massive beasts.
"I hope the first task of the Triwizard Tournament isn't dealing with these dragons," Kanna murmured, worry etched in her voice.
"To be honest, I'm not sure," Kyle said, frowning deeply. While he had suspected that Hagrid's secretive trip involved dragons, something didn't add up. There were only two dragons here—a Swedish Short-Snout and a Hungarian Horntail.
There isn't even a single dragon egg. But there are three Champions. How are they going to divide two dragons?