Ludo Bagman and Krum chatted for about ten minutes. When he returned, his expression looked sowhat gloomy, and he was muttering under his breath as if the conversation had left him quite unhappy.
Then he hurriedly left the Three Broomsticks, and the goblins stood up as well, following him out.
The goblins looked so fierce that Fred and George didn’t follow to ask for their Galleon but instead huddled together, discussing with great interest.
"Why do you think Bagman wanted to et Krum?" Fred asked.
"Could it be related to the Triwizard Tournant?" George pondered, "As one of the judges, Bagman should know quite a few secrets... including what the second task is."
"Do you think he might deliberately leak information to Krum..."
"I doubt it..." Cedric frowned slightly, "It’s absolutely forbidden for a judge to help a champion cheat. As the minister of the Departnt of Magical Gas and Sports, Bagman surely understands this.
"And if such a thing got out, he’d be finished as a minister."
"I know..." Fred said, "But it’s too suspicious, isn’t it? eting with a champion alone before the tournant starts – that doesn’t seem normal at all."
"I’m sure Krum turned him down." Cho considered, "You saw it too, Bagman looked very upset when he ca over."
"Or maybe he was faking it." Cedric said mysteriously, "They could have planned it, putting on a show for us..."
Kael raised an eyebrow, suddenly slling a hint of jealousy in the air.
Cedric now seed like soone who, having typed the wrong password to the common room, was drenched in vinegar from head to toe.
Fred and George noticed it too, and huddled together, unable to resist comnting.
"Why don’t you go to Madam Puddifoot’s teahouse..." Fred drawled.
"Exactly." George laughed, "That’s where you should go, wouldn’t a cup of syrup be nice?"
"No, it should be coffee..."
"Alright, syrup disguised as coffee..."
And the two burst into giggles together.
Of course, in the end, Cedric and Cho didn’t go to Madam Puddifoot’s teahouse; after leaving the Three Broomsticks, they returned to Hogwarts together.
The group walked through the gates and made their way to the castle, chatting and laughing along the way.
"How strange..." Conna, who was talking with Cho, suddenly said, "Look at that house-elf, its outfit looks different from the ones in the kitchen. Could it be that Dobby?"
"What?" Kael followed her gaze.
Conna was right. Over in the open space next to the castle, stood a house-elf.
And unlike the ones in the kitchen, only dressed in tea cozies and pillowcases, this elf’s outfit was rather fashionable.
Tall boots, a brown leather jacket that made it look like a racer, a cowboy hat, and goggles below it.
"Oh, how cool..." Fred couldn’t help saying, "This house-elf is so unique. Do you know where he works in the kitchen?"
"I don’t know." Cedric shook his head, "To be honest, I’ve never seen him in the kitchen."
Of course not...
Kael’s lip twitched as he recognized the distinct outfit. Apart from Tata from Nicolas Flal’s house, you wouldn’t find a second like it in the Magic Realm, not even Dobby would accept such trendy attire.
But the question was, how could Tata be here? Wasn’t he always at Nicolas’ estate?
Or... had Nicolas co?
Because of the diadem?
Kael’s heart skipped a beat.
Just then, the house-elf walked over and stood in front of them.
"Are you... Tata?" Kael asked.
"Yes sir, Tata greets you," Tata took off his hat and bowed slightly. "Mr. Dumbledore and the master are in the castle, and they asked Tata to find you."
"Oh, Kael, you know this house-elf?" Fred said in surprise.
"I do, he works at Nicolas’ house." Kael replied.
Then he turned to Conna, "Sorry, I might need to see Professor Dumbledore first. See you at dinner, and if all goes well, I might have a surprise for you later."
With that, Kael followed Tata into the castle, leaving the others standing there, eyes wide, staring at each other.
Finally, Fred spoke up first, breaking the silence, "Did Kael just ntion Nick? Nearly Headless Nick?"
"That’s what I heard too." George scratched his head, "Do ghosts need house-elves now?"
"Could you use your brains?" Cho said exasperatedly, "Kael clearly wasn’t talking about the ghost Nick you know."
"I think I know who he ant." Cedric whispered, "Rember that holiday when Kael went to France."
"France..." Fred realized, lowering his voice too, "You an... Nicolas Flal?"
"Should be." Cedric said, "Don’t forget, that house-elf just ntioned the headmaster’s na."
"If that’s the case... that’s quite a significant figure." Fred remarked, "Now I’m curious about the surprise Kael ntioned."
...
On the other side, Kael had followed Tata to the headmaster’s office on the eighth floor of the castle.
In the spacious office, Dumbledore still sat in his usual spot, and across from him was an elderly man with graying hair.
It was Nicolas Flal, wearing a yellow striped shirt with a pocket lined with frog-eye glasses.
"I was just saying you should be back by now." Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Long ti no see, Kael, how have you been lately." Nicolas also greeted him with a smile.
"Not bad." Kael said, "Nicolas, are you here for that item again? Honestly, you didn’t have to co all the way to Hogwarts; a letter would’ve sufficed."
...
Was it an illusion? After saying this, Kael noticed that Nicolas’s expression seed a bit off.
"Oh?" Dumbledore’s bright blue eyes turned towards them, "I bet what we are about to discuss later might not concern the sa matter."
"Ahem, it’s nothing, Albus," Nicolas said, "Kael just once asked to help repair a little trinket."
"I see." Dumbledore chuckled, "Kael always finds so curious little items; I’ve witnessed this quite a few tis."
"Couldn’t agree more." Nicolas Flal nodded in strong agreent.
Ravenclaw’s Diadem, a more intriguing artifact the Magic Realm couldn’t offer — Kael sohow got his hands on it.
"Well, let’s talk about that later." Nicolas switched topics, "I did think about inviting you to the manor again, but Albus said you’re a champion in the Triwizard Tournant now. To avoid distracting you, I thought it better to co personally."
"It’s not necessary." Kael shook his head, "There’s still plenty of ti before the tournant, so no distractions here."
"I don’t think so." Nicolas smiled, "The Triwizard Tournant is a grand event, especially for the champions involved. Every mont counts towards their final victory — not a minute to be wasted."
Kael said nothing, feeling Nicolas’s excuse seed sowhat forced, but since he was already at Hogwarts, there was no point arguing.
"I’m delighted they’ve restarted the Triwizard Tournant; I even saw the first task. It’s spectacular, much more exciting than the last one... You shouldn’t have the event at Durmstrang. They’ve never hosted a good Triwizard Tournant."
Nicolas seed lost in mories, continually talking about how poor the previous Triwizard Tournant was and how unreasonable the arrangents were.
Until, after ten minutes or so, Dumbledore had to interrupt him.
"Even though the history of the Triwizard Tournant is interesting, we should prioritize, Nicolas."
At Dumbledore’s words, Kael seed to sense that Nicolas’s visit to Hogwarts wasn’t about the diadem, but sothing else.
"Alright then."
Nicolas stopped, looking seriously at Kael, "This ti, I ca to borrow sothing from you."
"What?" Kael asked.
"The ashes after the Phoenix Nirvana."
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