"Kyle, what are you reading?"
One morning during breakfast, Cedric couldn't help but ask, "You've been staring at that book for days now."
It wasn't unusual for Kyle to read during meals, but it was odd to see him so fixated on the same book for several days in a row. The booklet only had a few pages; how much time could it possibly require? Even more unusually, Kyle hadn't played wizard chess in days, and wherever he went, the booklet was always in his hands.
"What did you say?" Kyle asked, looking up as though coming out of a trance.
"I said, what are you reading?" Cedric repeated.
"Oh, Professor Dumbledore gave it to me," Kyle replied, rubbing his forehead. He didn't bother to keep it a secret and pushed the booklet across the table to Cedric. "I thought I could finish it in a few days, but this is a lot harder than I expected. Looks like it'll take me the whole week."
"Just a few parchments, and it takes that long to learn? What's written on it?" Cedric leaned in curiously.
As his eyes fell on the pages, Cedric fell silent.
There wasn't much text on the parchment; the majority of it was taken up by dazzlingly intricate runes and symbols that seemed to twist and shimmer unnervingly.
"Are you learning Ancient Runes from Professor Dumbledore?" Kanna asked from nearby, her curiosity piqued.
"You could say that," Kyle replied. He took a quick bite of fried egg and ham, washing it down with a large gulp of pumpkin juice before continuing. "What he's teaching me is a bit complicated. I have to master this part first."
"This is the simplest part?" Cedric murmured, frowning as he studied the booklet. "These symbols... That's the 'Extend' Rune, and here's 'Additive' and 'Light.' Are you trying to make some kind of high-end magical item?"
"No, it's for a Charm," Kyle explained. "Professor Dumbledore invented it. It's very powerful but extremely difficult to learn."
"Oh, I see," Cedric said, suddenly clapping his hands together in understanding. "You must be preparing for the third task so that you can—"
Cedric abruptly stopped mid-sentence, glancing awkwardly toward Fleur, who sat not far away.
"I know what you're thinking," Fleur said calmly, scooping fresh vegetables onto her plate. "There's no need to be surprised, and certainly no need to feel as though you've let the cat out of the bag. Before the third task begins, all Champions are the same."
"In fact, Madame Maxime has been teaching me Charms lately that would never appear in a typical textbook."
"You've been learning too?" Cedric blurted out, clearly startled. "Then why didn't you mention it before?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Cedric realized how foolish they sounded. Fleur was the Champion for Beauxbatons; of course, she wouldn't openly share her preparations with competitors.
Unsurprisingly, Fleur turned her head toward him, her expression a blend of incredulity and mild amusement. She looked at him as if he were a particularly daft sea cucumber that had somehow wandered onto dry land.
Cedric blushed deeply and hurriedly explained, "I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression. What I meant was, why don't you always read a book like Kyle does?"
"That's because we have other ways of learning," Fleur replied smoothly. "Ways that don't involve textbooks. The same goes for Krum. Have you noticed anything different about him since he arrived at the castle?"
Cedric furrowed his brow in thought but eventually shook his head. "I don't think so."
He hadn't paid much attention to Krum. The few times he'd seen him in the Great Hall, Krum had been his usual self: eating quietly before leaving without much fanfare.
"But I've seen the Durmstrang headmaster teaching him some strange wand techniques on the deck of their ship," Fleur said knowingly. "He's certainly not going to let you—or rather Kyle—see any of it."
"Krum would prefer that you think he isn't preparing for the final task at all. With Kyle's score advantage being so significant, hiding his strategies is the only way Krum stands a chance of winning the championship in the end."
"The same applies to me. Madam Maxime would never approve of me sharing these things with you."
"Then why are you telling us so much now?" Kyle asked curiously.
"That's because you brought it up first," Fleur replied, glancing briefly at the parchment on the table before looking away. "It's only fair, isn't it?"
Kyle smiled but said nothing.
At that moment, the owl post arrived, a flurry of feathers descending into the Great Hall as letters and packages rained down on the students.
Kyle glanced around and spotted a copy of Witch Weekly on a nearby table. After confirming that the grinning face on the cover wasn't his, he exhaled in relief and reached for the Daily Prophet in front of him.
Although the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament had taken place some time ago, it still dominated the headlines, with discussions about the events under the lake showing no sign of waning.
Today's front page featured a piece on Kelpies. Kyle suspected the creature's newfound popularity stemmed from his dramatic exit from the lake during the task, which had earned him the highest score.
The article detailed the growing interest in the dangerous magical creature despite the Ministry's strict prohibition against keeping them.
At the bottom of the page was a warning from the Ministry of Magic:
"According to Amos Diggory, Director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the recent surge in attempts to keep Kelpies is highly reckless.
Kelpies are wild, untamable creatures. If abandoned, they bear grudges and seek revenge.
We've dealt with five Kelpie-related incidents this week alone, and I sincerely hope there won't be a sixth."
"Oh, my dad got promoted," Cedric said, noticing the article as well. He smiled. "He mentioned it to me last week, but I thought he was joking. This will mean more work for him, though. I'm not sure if he'll still have time to go to Austria with me this holiday... We made plans at Christmas."
"Austria?" Kyle asked, curious.
"Yes," Cedric said. "The last International Confederation of Wizards meeting was held there. I'm interested in visiting the place where it all happened. My dad promised to take me this year."
"I wouldn't count on it," Kyle said with a shrug.
The Beast Division is one of the busiest sections in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. With six subdivisions to manage, there's always a mountain of work. Chris barely got a day off every two weeks when he was there.
"That's disappointing," Cedric said, though his expression remained cheerful. A trip to Austria would have been nice, but his father's promotion was still a source of pride.
Kyle continued flipping through the newspaper. On the second page, a familiar name caught his eye:
[Investigation into the former Director of the Department for International Magical Cooperation, Bartemius Crouch, concluded.]