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Chapter 546: Kyle, You Need to Be More Gentlemanly
🕑 Added 2025-02-27 13:12:06 +0000 UTCOnce they reached the shore, Kyle slid off the back of his horse, prompting another round of cheers from the stands. The crowd buzzed with excitement and curiosity, their attention fixed on the Kelpie. Conversations rippled through the audience, marveling at the creature's rare presence.
“Oh, he's so cool, isn't he?” Ron said enviously. “He can actually ride in the water like a knight. If I were him…”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Ron. You don’t think that’s some kind of docile herbivore, do you?” Hermione interrupted, her tone sharp. “The Kelpie is a dangerous carnivorous Magical Creature. Even adult wizards can’t handle it without specialized knowledge.”
“What? It eats meat?” Ron grabbed the Omnioculars hanging around his neck and focused on the Kelpie floating on the water. The creature's two rows of saw-like teeth gleamed ominously.
“I take back what I just said,” Ron muttered, frowning. “There’s no way I’d ride a monster like that.”
Meanwhile, Kyle was helping Kanna and Gabrielle down from the Kelpie. Drawing his wand, he waved it expertly, and their soaked clothes dried instantly.
“Wait a minute,” Kanna said, a sudden thought crossing her mind. “You rescued Gabrielle, but what about Fleur?”
“The Merpeople will inform her,” Kyle explained. “In fact, the Second Task is completed when the Champion reaches the tribe. The so-called treasure rescue is mostly ceremonial, and the Merpeople don’t attack. She just needs to surface for it to count as a success.”
“But what if the judges lower her score because of it?” Kanna asked, still concerned.
“They won’t,” Kyle assured her, shaking his head. “I’m the one who broke the rules, so I’ll be the one docked points... Besides, Madam Maxime won’t allow that.”
Both Kyle and Kanna glanced toward the judges. The five were deep in discussion, but a moment later, Madam Maxime’s face lit up with a satisfied expression.
“You see?” Kyle whispered. “I told you. They won’t let their academy lose.”
Before they could continue, Madam Pomfrey bustled out of the crowd toward them, fretting as usual. Despite their now-dry clothes, she wrapped each of them in thick blankets and poured a spicy potion down their throats. Kyle felt a wave of warmth rush through his body, followed by a peculiar sensation of steam escaping from his ears.
“Well done, Kyle. I’m glad you stayed focused,” Professor McGonagall said, appearing beside him. She leaned in and added in a quieter voice, “A wizard’s wand is the one thing we must trust above all else.”
“Alright, come this way,” she instructed. “You’ll need to wait for all the Champions to finish before the scoring begins.”
“Got it,” Kyle replied, following her toward the judges’ area.
As Kyle climbed the steps, Dumbledore approached, his face alight with a smile. “Excellent judgment and decisive action,” he praised. “The scoring isn’t finalized yet, but I can give you a little preview… perhaps it’ll help you pass the time while we wait for the others.”
Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled as he added, “The hour ended just as you reached the steps, meaning you’ve secured the maximum score for this event.”
“Congratulations, my boy,” Ludo Bagman chimed in, though his smile seemed somewhat forced. Kyle also noted similar strained expressions on Karkaroff and Madam Maxime.
Kyle was then seated at the teachers’ table in the front row. Kanna was meant to sit beside him, but before she could, Snape appeared, dragged her away, and shot Kyle a glare that could freeze fire.
Kyle sighed inwardly. I didn’t make Kanna get into the water—that was Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore’s idea. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with them. Why always pick on me?
Of course, he kept these thoughts to himself, knowing better than to voice them aloud.
Meanwhile, Madam Maxime had taken Gabrielle.
"You're the first to come out."
As Kyle sat down, Sirius, seated beside him, leaned in with a grin. "I knew you could do it."
Kyle kept his voice low. "Where are they? What happened to the other two Champions?"
"They started later than you," Sirius replied. "The girl from Beauxbatons was fine; she began about ten minutes after you. But the one from Durmstrang? He only just got out of the Forbidden Forest five minutes ago."
Kyle nodded thoughtfully. It seemed the Second Task was drawing to a close.
The next twenty minutes passed slowly as Kyle sat in the stands. With nothing else to occupy his time, he had little to do but watch the tranquil surface of the lake. He had to admit, whoever had designed this task knew how to keep the audience waiting in suspense. Fortunately, Sirius was nearby, and their occasional conversation made the wait feel less tedious.
Finally, after what felt like half an hour, ripples appeared on the lake, drawing everyone's attention. This time, it was Fleur who surfaced. Unlike Kyle, however, she was escorted to the shore by a group of Merpeople, unconscious and visibly worse for wear.
The judges rushed to her side, with Madam Maxime pulling out a magic wand at least twenty inches long. She gently tapped Fleur’s shoulder with it. The spell caused Fleur to cough up several mouthfuls of lake water before she slowly opened her eyes.
"Madam Maxime... Gabrielle..." Fleur gasped as soon as she saw her headmistress and the crowd around her. "My Bubble-Head Charm—it was broken by a Grindylow! Gabrielle, she's still—"
"I'm fine, sister," Gabrielle’s soft voice reassured her as the young girl stepped forward.
Fleur froze in surprise before pulling Gabrielle into a tight embrace. "Gabrielle... thank goodness. I thought..."
Her words faltered, but the relief in her tone was unmistakable.
A few minutes later, Krum emerged from the lake as well. He had cast a self-transfiguration spell, transforming his upper body into a shark’s head. With a sharp grip, he bit onto the clothes of the Durmstrang boy underwater and flung him unceremoniously onto the shore. His rough handling of the boy resembled someone tossing a Quaffle rather than handling a valued teammate.
Still, the audience erupted into applause for his dramatic entrance.
Down by the water's edge, Dumbledore approached the Merpeople. Speaking in their high-pitched language, he communicated effortlessly with them before turning back to the other judges. "Let's have a meeting first," he announced, his voice carrying across the crowd.
The judges gathered in a tight circle to confer. Meanwhile, Madam Pomfrey attended to Krum, treating the scrapes and bruises left by his unconventional method of transportation.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Fleur broke away from the crowd and made a beeline for Kyle’s section of the stands.
“I heard everything Gabrielle said...” Fleur’s voice trembled with excitement, her breath quick and uneven. “You saved her life again. That’s twice now!”
“Not really,” Kyle replied with a modest smile. “Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t have let her be in real danger. The Merpeople would have brought her up even without me.”
“Thank you... she must have been so scared...” Fleur continued, seemingly oblivious to his words. Her voice was filled with emotion, and as she spoke, she instinctively leaned closer to him.
For a split second, Kyle’s mind went blank. It was as if an alarm blared in his head, every nerve on high alert, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Acting on instinct, he leaned back slightly and hurriedly said, “It’s nothing. I was just worried you might not make it in time, so I brought her up with me.”
Fleur froze mid-motion. Her gaze locked on Kyle, her expression unreadable. Then, carefully, she asked, her tone deliberate, “What do you mean... you thought I might not make it?”
Kyle met her eyes and replied evenly, “The way things turned out—weren’t you brought to shore by the Merpeople? Doesn’t that prove I was right to worry?”
Fleur’s eye twitched, the muscles in her jaw tightening visibly.
“So, from the beginning, you assumed I wouldn’t be able to complete the Second Task?” she said, her voice sharp.
“Well... not exactly,” Kyle said, fumbling slightly. “It was just... in case.”
Fleur sucked in a sharp breath. Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed off, her long silver hair whipping past Kyle’s face as she left.
“Hey, you should be more gentlemanly,” Sirius interjected, frowning with disapproval. There was a note of exasperation in his voice, almost like he couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed. “Honestly, is that how you talk to a girl? And she’s such a pretty girl too... You’ve got a sharp head, but why are you such a blockhead when it comes to this?”
“You don’t understand,” Kyle said, shaking his head.
Though he wasn’t entirely sure if Fleur had been about to thank him with a kiss on the cheek, he wasn’t willing to take any risks. He cast a quick glance back toward the stands and saw Kanna still engrossed in conversation with Snape. That sight gave him a small sense of relief.
Sirius, however, didn’t let it drop. “I don’t understand?” he said, raising his eyebrows in mock offense. “You’ve got no idea how popular I was when I was at Hogwarts...”
