Chapter 502: Front Page Headline
Kyle passed through the side door behind the main guest seating area and entered a small room adorned with portraits of wizards lining the walls. Among them, he noticed Fleur standing behind a house sign, accompanied by another wizard, peering around curiously.
"I heard your name earlier," Fleur said, walking over from the fireplace. "What a cheer. I didn't realize you were so famous at Hogwarts."
"Just the home-field advantage," Kyle replied. "If you were at Beauxbatons, you'd get far more cheers than me."
"I don't know about that," Fleur said, shaking her long, silver hair.
Kyle glanced over at Krum. The legendary Seeker looked exactly as he had in every match Kyle had ever watched. Krum gave Kyle a simple nod before resuming his position by the mantelpiece, hunched over and deep in thought. His demeanor suggested that being a Champion brought him little joy.
Outside, an indiscernible conversation carried on, accompanied by prolonged cheers that refused to subside. During this time, no one else entered the room—neither Dumbledore, Chris, nor Bagman—as if the three of them had been completely forgotten.
Krum remained silent by the fireplace, his brooding posture unchanged. Fortunately, Fleur and Kyle, being on familiar terms, managed to strike up a conversation to pass the time.
After about ten minutes, the door finally opened again from the outside. A figure darted in, clearly panicked, drawing everyone's attention.
"What's going on?" Fleur asked, her gaze fixed on the thin figure. "Do they want us to go back to the Great Hall?"
"Oh... ah, yes." After a moment's hesitation, Harry stammered, quickly looking away from Fleur's face and nodding. "The Daily Prophet is here, and the headmaster's been talking to them. Oh, and the Minister of Magic—he asked me to tell you to return to the Great Hall."
"Cornelius Fudge?" Fleur frowned.