Sirius was still rambling about his glory days at Hogwarts, recounting tales Kyle could only half-listen to. Kyle seriously doubted that Madam Rosmerta of The Three Broomsticks would have been the least bit impressed by a first-year Sirius. Luckily, his musings were interrupted by Ludo Bagman's magically amplified voice echoing across the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached a decision. The Merchieftainess Murcus has shared with us everything that transpired beneath the lake. Now, we will proceed with scoring the Champions."
The audience grew silent, leaning in with anticipation.
Fleur was scored first. Having only managed to complete half the task, she received 25 points—the minimum score.
Krum, despite being the last to emerge from the Forbidden Forest, had completed all parts of the task without significant errors and was awarded 40 points.
Finally, it was Kyle's turn. He had achieved an impressive 49 points but was docked a single point for technically breaking the rules by bringing Gabrielle out with him. However, the judges announced only the total scores, so no one outside the judging panel knew about the deduction.
The crowd erupted into applause as Kyle maintained his first-place position, comfortably leading the competition.
"The third and final task will take place on the evening of June 30th," Bagman declared with enthusiasm. "The Champions will receive details a month in advance, and I can promise you, it will be nothing short of spectacular."
After the Second Task, the group returned to the castle for lunch. The wind and chill of the Black Lake had left everyone ravenous, and the House-elves had prepared a feast to match. As the students entered the Great Hall, the once-empty plates filled with an array of delicious dishes.
Perhaps shaken by the morning's events, Fleur set aside her usual complaints about the oiliness of the food. Instead, she silently picked up a pork chop and began eating. However, she still refused to speak to Kyle, and for some reason, she made sure to sit Kanna far away from him as well.
This left two open seats on either side of Kyle, which were quickly claimed by a pair of eager students. The air buzzed with curiosity, and everyone wanted to know what had happened beneath the lake.
Throughout lunch, Kyle provided a general account of the events, describing the Grindylow lurking in the shadows and the dramatic appearance of the Kelpie. He deliberately left out certain details, but the listeners were captivated regardless.
The tale of the Merpeople attacking the Kelpie drew particular interest. One student, Mikel, was so enthralled that he failed to notice he was trying to shove a potato up his nostril instead of his mouth.
However, when the topic turned to the Kelpie, Kyle grew more thoughtful. Concerned for the creature's safety after its encounter with the Merpeople, he found an excuse to return to the Black Lake once the crowd had dispersed. Quietly, he led the Kelpie to a much safer location—one far from any potential neighbors.
As March progressed, the weather began to clear slightly, though the biting cold winds still left hands and faces stinging. Despite the conditions, owls braved the skies, faithfully delivering letters and packages to the castle.
That day, Kyle entered the Charms classroom to find a group of Ravenclaw girls huddled together, laughing and chatting animatedly. Their laughter grew louder as they noticed Kyle walking in.
"What's going on?" Kyle asked, puzzled by their behavior.
"Well... you'd better see for yourself," Cho said, struggling to contain her giggles as she handed him a magazine. "Look closely—there's a surprise in there."
"Surprise?" Kyle murmured, taking the magazine. He found an empty seat and flipped through its pages while waiting for Professor Flitwick to arrive.
The cover bore the title Witch Weekly. Unlike the fringe publication The Quibbler, this magazine was widely regarded as the second most popular wizarding periodical, surpassed only by The Daily Prophet.
About halfway through, Kyle found what Cho had been referring to: a headline that made his stomach drop.
"Hogwarts Champion, 15-Year-Old Genius"
The article opened dramatically:
"He may not be as extraordinary as Harry Potter, but he has achieved far more than The Boy Who Lived."
Kyle squinted at the byline. Rita Skeeter. Of course.
The article continued:
"Rita Skeeter reports that when he first enrolled, he displayed an unprecedented talent for magic, single-handedly holding off the notorious dark wizard Oren and saving a first-year student. For this, he received Hogwarts' first Special Award for Services to the School (although, in my opinion, this was enough to earn him an Order of Merlin, had the Ministry of Magic's Hit Wizards not allowed the dark wizard to escape)."
Kyle blinked in disbelief and read on.
"Of course, he didn't stop there. In his second year, he was awarded the Order of Merlin..."
The embellishments grew increasingly absurd. The article credited him with exposing Gilderoy Lockhart as a fraud, claiming Kyle's simple question in class had been a cunning act of investigative brilliance.
"Kyle ensured fairness and justice in the wizarding world, protecting the rights of witches and wizards alike."
Even his brief visit to Lupin's train compartment last year had been spun into an act of heroism:
"A crucial step toward harmony between wizards and werewolves," the article gushed.
By the time Kyle finished reading, he was thoroughly overwhelmed.
Kyle put the magazine down, resting his forehead in his hand. My, my, if this magazine is to be believed, I'll be on my way to receiving the Order of Merlin, First Class, and possibly replacing Fudge as the Minister of Magic by the end of the month.
"Oh, so you're that good..." Kanna's teasing voice came from behind him. "And this photo—wow. It's just as you were riding the Kelpie out of the lake. I hadn't seen that before."
With a sharp pop, Kyle snapped the magazine shut. "It's nothing," he muttered, rubbing his arms in discomfort.
Being praised was nice, but this level of exaggeration was something else entirely.
"You know, this Rita Skeeter just loves to write nonsense," he added, hoping to downplay it.
"No," Kanna said with a laugh, her eyes twinkling. "These are all things you've done. She's not wrong."
"But it doesn't feel like I've made such a big contribution to the wizarding world," Kyle said, shrugging. "And I don't think Dumbledore and Fudge are going to resign just to give me their positions. Seriously, I can't imagine how busy someone would be if they were both Minister of Magic and Headmaster of Hogwarts. Isn't it better to stay a student? At least you get to keep your hair."
Kanna laughed at that, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons. "So you're saying you don't want the responsibility, but you don't mind if she submits this photo for Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award?"
"What award?" Kyle froze, frowning as he quickly flipped back through the magazine.
Sure enough, at the end of the article, Rita Skeeter had written about the award. The photo accompanying it captured Kyle smiling—a perfectly natural expression for a Champion who had just completed the task first.
If only he had known this would happen, he would have kept his face entirely neutral the whole time.
"The Most Charming Smile Award," Kanna repeated, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "If they put it on the cover, I'll definitely save that issue."
"Me too," Cho chimed in with a smirk. "I'll buy two copies—one to read, and one to save."
Kyle groaned. "If that happens, I'm going straight to the Ministry of Magic to file a complaint against her."
"Against who? Rita Skeeter?" Cho asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yes," Kanna whispered conspiratorially. "We have evidence of her breaking the Wizarding Act."
"I see," Cho said, nodding thoughtfully. "No wonder she went out of her way to praise Kyle . Before now, I've never seen her write an article full of praise for anyone."
"I'd rather not have this kind of praise," Kyle said, rubbing his forehead.
After the debacle with Lockhart, the Most Charming Smile Award had become an infamous joke at Hogwarts—at least among students in their third year and above. If Skeeter actually managed to get Kyle's name associated with the award, he was certain Fred and George would celebrate the occasion by setting off fireworks. They'd probably make it their go-to joke for years to come.
No. That could not happen.
Feeling a sense of urgency, Kyle pulled out a piece of parchment and his quill, determined to write to Rita Skeeter and convince her to abandon the idea altogether.