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"That's right." Fudge said with a smile, "Chris, you tell the story."
"Okay." Chris nodded and took two steps forward.
"The first task... is to test your courage, so I am not going to tell you what it is. Having the courage to face the unknown is an important factor for wizards... The only thing I can remind you is to 'break through'.
"There are three levels in total, corresponding to three different schools. Only when you reach the end can you get the clue for the second project."
"That's about it, Chris." Bagman said with a smile, "I can't reveal any more, otherwise the game will lose a lot of fun."
"Okay, you're right." Chris smiled.
Kyle, Fleur, and Krum all looked at Bagman with unfriendly eyes...but he patted his belly proudly.
"Now let's talk about the time." Chris clapped his hands and said, "The first project will be conducted on November 30th, in front of all the students, and will be scored by the judges.
"When completing the competition, warriors must not accept any help from other professors. Your only weapon is the wand in your hand."
When he said the last two words "magic wand", Chris's tone became heavier, as if reminding someone of something.
Fortunately, no one else noticed this.
"Since the competition requirements are already very high, the Warriors do not need to take the academic year exams." Chris continued: "You have a month, don't worry about anything, and prepare seriously for the game."
Then he turned to look at Dumbledore, "I think that's all, Albus."
"Yes," said Dumbledore. "How about we have a drink together later? I have a bottle of fine whiskey."
"I'm afraid not, Albus," said Chris. "It's a very busy time right now and there's a lot to do in the Ministry."
"It's just a glass of wine, it's okay." Fudge blinked and said with a smile: "Besides, you should want to celebrate too."
"Well... okay." Chris nodded and agreed.
"That's great," Dumbledore said with a smile.
He also wanted to invite Maxim and Karkaroff to join him, but when he turned around, he found that the two were already preparing to leave with the warriors from their respective academies.
……
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 503 Don’t understand, but respect
When Kyle left the room and returned to the common room, the sudden noise that filled his ears almost made him fall backwards.
Kyle didn't even have to walk by himself, more than a dozen pairs of hands pulled him in directly... Otherwise, due to the limited space at the door, there would probably be even more people.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
Dozens of streamers exploded in the common room, and all the Hufflepuffs were screaming and cheering.
"Welcome the warriors of Hogwarts!" someone shouted first.
It was Fred and George, who had somehow gotten in and were excitedly preparing to open the second streamer.
"You're amazing." Cedric squeezed through the crowd and said, "Professor Sprout came just now. She was dancing with joy. This is the first time I've seen her so excited."
"We've prepared food... and are waiting for you." Fred said, "To be honest, it's really convenient to have the kitchen right next door."
"And butterbeer..." said George. "The house-elf in the kitchen bought three large barrels of it from Hogsmeade in just five minutes."
Then, Kyle was dragged by a group of people to the front of the put-together tables.
It was filled with all kinds of delicious food, almost as sumptuous as a banquet, and there were three butterbeer barrels almost as tall as him next to the table, which was enough for everyone to drink for the whole night.
Kyle wanted to say that he had eaten a lot at the banquet and was not hungry at all, but no one listened to him.
They crowded around him, and people kept thrusting butterbeer into his hands. Everyone wanted to know what the first task of the Triwizard Tournament would be.
"I don't know either," Kyle said. "They didn't say anything. All I know is that the game will start on November 30th."
But there were too many people around, and there were always some who didn't hear it, so Kyle could only explain it over and over again without getting tired of it... It was the first time he realized that the Hufflepuff common room could actually accommodate so many people.
Two hours later, Fred and George put their arms around each other's shoulders and staggered away. Kyle finally got rid of the crowd and hurried back to the dormitory.
He really couldn't drink anymore.
……
It was unknown how late they celebrated, but when Kyle woke up on Sunday morning, there were only a few people in the common room.
The previously messy table and floor had been cleaned up, without even a trace of cookie crumbs left.
"You're awake, do you want something to eat?" Kanna opened a tray on the table, which contained a few slices of bread, sliced ham and a pot of pumpkin juice.
"Breakfast time is over, and I just got this from the kitchen."
"Thank you," Kyle said.
He stuffed the bread and ham into his mouth, but left the pumpkin juice untouched. It looked too much like butterbeer, and the mere sight of it made him feel sick to his stomach.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" Worried about being surrounded again, Kyle decided to hide outside after finishing breakfast.
"Okay," said Connor.
The two walked through the barrel door and down the foyer to the grounds outside the castle.
Durmstrang's large ship was parked in Black Lake, swaying with the waves. Kyle doubted whether they could get a good rest at night.
"Where are you going?" Connor asked.
"How about going to Hagrid's place." Kyle thought for a moment, "It seems like we haven't been to his cabin for quite a while."
"good idea."
The two walked slowly along the grass towards the forbidden forest.
As they approached Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Connor suddenly asked, "Do you smell anything?"
"It sounds like wine..." Kyle said. He looked around and quickly determined the source of the smell.
Not far from the cabin, there was a makeshift enclosure into which Hagrid was moving large wooden barrels.
At this moment, Hagrid turned around and saw Kyle and Connor walking over.
"Finally you're here," he said in mock anger. "I thought you kids had forgotten where I lived."
"Of course not, we're just too busy." Kyle said, "You know, fifth grade is the OWL year, there's too much homework to do."
"That's rare. I didn't expect you to complain about having too much homework." Hagrid said with a smile, "By the way, congratulations on becoming a warrior. I knew it had to be you."
"Thank you." Kyle said, "What are you doing?"
"Make breakfast for the horses." Hagrid pointed to the elephant-like horses in the paddock. "They drink only single malt whiskey, which I bought in Hogsmeade early in the morning.
But it's all worth it... they're beautiful, aren't they."
"Yeah..." Kyle leaned against the fence, staring at the divine horse inside without blinking.
Hagrid was right, these big guys are really beautiful, but it's a pity that they belong to Beauxbatons, and there are not many of them...
Kyle shook his head and stopped reading.
At this time, Hagrid also moved the last wooden barrel in. He opened the seal, and a strong smell of alcohol immediately wafted out.
"That'll do." Hagrid clapped his hands and walked out of the paddock. "This whiskey is enough to keep them going all day."
"Do they only drink whiskey?" Connor asked.
"Of course not," said Hagrid. "They'll still eat the grass here, and I'll bring some fresh rue in the evening... That's what Madam Maxime said."
For no apparent reason, Hagrid suddenly laughed.
"What's wrong with you?" Kanna asked. She always felt that Hagrid was weird today.
In particular, he seemed to have applied a lot of lubricating oil on his hair, making it look shiny and greasy. As for the effect... it was hard to describe, so Kanna decided not to comment.
"No, nothing." Hagrid said in a panic. "Would you like some tea? Come over here."
After saying that, he took two quick steps and took Kyle and Kanna back to the cabin not far away.
It was almost the same here as the last time I came here, with a huge wooden bed, a quilt made of rags, and an equally huge wooden table and chairs in front of the fire.
Hagrid started to make tea, but Kyle noticed a piece of clothing hanging on the wall. It was Hagrid's best... and also his ugliest, a furry brown coat.
Next to it is a yellow and orange patterned tie.
Kyle had never seen this magical combination anywhere else.
Kanna noticed it as well, and the two looked at each other, tacitly not expressing any opinions.
In fact, they had mentioned that when Hagrid first became a professor last year, he was wearing this suit, and Kyle had advised him more than once to go to Hogsmeade to change into another suit. The proprietress of the Fengya wizard clothing store had a good eye and could always match styles to suit everyone.
But after so long, Hagrid still likes this set the most, and he will take it out on important days.
Well, even though I don’t understand, I just need to respect it.
Besides, these are not for them to see.
It is not easy for Hagrid, who is over three meters tall, to meet someone of similar height and weight. Coincidentally, Ms. Maxime of Beauxbatons is one of them, and she is even half a head taller than Hagrid.
As people of the same type, perhaps they have some common aesthetic tastes and think this combination looks good... It's not impossible.
……
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 504 Bomb-tailed Skrewt
Around ten o'clock in the morning, it suddenly started raining.
As raindrops gently hit the glass windows, Kyle and Connor sat there comfortably, drinking hot pine needle tea and chatting with Hagrid.
The topic quickly turned to the Triwizard Tournament.
"How does it feel to be a warrior?" Hagrid asked curiously.
"It's not clear yet." Kyle said, "But it will probably be very lively in the days ahead...Everyone is so enthusiastic. I think I drank two pints of butterbeer last night."
"Of course, you represent Hogwarts after all." Hagrid said with a smile, "But you need to practice your drinking capacity. It's just butterbeer, but you can only drink two pints. This won't do."
Hagrid said it easily, as if it was a matter of course... After all, when he usually went to the Three Broomsticks to drink, he would start with three pints.
"I drank it after dinner," Kyle said, trying to explain to Hagrid that it wasn't that he couldn't drink, but that he really couldn't drink any more.