Chapter 503: Don’t Understand, But Respect
When Kyle left the room and stepped into the Hufflepuff common room, the roar of noise that greeted him was so overwhelming it nearly knocked him off balance.
Before he could take a single step inside, a dozen hands grabbed him and yanked him into the room. Judging by the space—or lack thereof—at the door, there were probably dozens more hands itching to do the same.
"Pop, pop, pop!"
The sound of confetti canisters exploding filled the air. Brightly colored paper rained down as the entire common room erupted in cheers and joyous laughter. The volume of their celebration was deafening.
"Welcome, Champion of Hogwarts!" someone shouted.
Kyle turned toward the voice and spotted none other than Fred and George, somehow infiltrating the Hufflepuff common room. They looked absolutely thrilled with themselves, each holding a streamer launcher, one of which they seemed ready to fire again.
"You're something else," Cedric said, appearing through the excited crowd. "Professor Sprout was here earlier, and she was dancing with joy! I've never seen her so thrilled."
"We've got everything ready," Fred said, grinning ear to ear. "Seriously, having the kitchen so close is a game changer."
"And Butterbeer!" George added enthusiastically. "The house-elves grabbed three massive barrels of it from Hogsmeade in just five minutes."
Before Kyle could respond, he was swept up by the crowd and deposited at a table someone had set up in the center of the room. It was piled high with food, enough to rival the Hogwarts feast from earlier. Beside the table were the promised Butterbeer barrels, towering almost as high as Kyle himself.
Kyle opened his mouth to protest—he had already eaten his fill at the feast and wasn't the least bit hungry—but his words went unheard. The crowd's energy was unstoppable. Butterbeer was shoved into his hands, and every voice around him clamored for details about the Triwizard Tournament.