Chapter 571: Harry Taken Away
Tonight's dinner was much more lavish than usual. As the judges made their way through the side door to the classroom section, the golden plates were just about to reveal a feast of delicious food.
Kyle grabbed a piece of bacon and glanced toward the square where the judges were seated.
Madam Maxime seemed to be in high spirits, smiling broadly. In stark contrast, Karkaroff sat beside her with a sour expression, his stern face betraying his displeasure. Bagman, usually cheerful and exuberant, appeared oddly unsettled tonight, leaning in to speak to Dumbledore with an anxious demeanor. Whatever he was saying, Dumbledore merely shook his head in response, calm and unwavering.
"His dream of being on the front page has come to nothing," came a voice beside Kyle. Startled, he turned to see Fred and George, who had somehow made their way to the Hufflepuff table.
"Don't look so surprised," George said with a grin. "We thought you might be getting too nervous, so we came to cheer you up."
"Thanks," Kyle replied with a small smile. "But what do you mean about Bagman's front-page dream?"
"That's the second thing we wanted to tell you," Fred whispered, leaning in. "The plan to take hostages has been cancelled."
"What?" Kyle asked, his voice low but sharp with surprise.
"It's exactly as it sounds," George said, shrugging. "We found Dumbledore earlier and even volunteered to become hostages ourselves..."
"But the headmaster wasn't having it," Fred interjected. "He said the maze was dangerous enough and didn't want to risk any students who weren't Champions. So, right before dinner—"
"Dumbledore, Maxime, and your father," George continued, "the three of them voted to cancel the plan."