Ron came running breathlessly, only catching a glimpse of Krum's scarlet cloak disappearing around the corner.
"Krum... what's that guy here for?"
He asked, gasping for air, his eyes quickly scanning Hermione.
"He just came to inquire about some news." Vid, who had just returned to the group, said to the others: "Karkaroff should have escaped."
"Escaped?" Harry's eyebrows almost shot up to his hairline as he said angrily: "He definitely knows something but refuses to say, just turning around and running off on his own!"
"But it's impossible to catch him back for questioning now." Michael frowned and said: "The key is... what kind of threat would make a headmaster leave his students and flee overnight?"
Ron, puzzled: "Escaped? Karkaroff? What are you all talking about?"
A group of students ran across the lawn, laughing and totally unaware of the topic being discussed among peers sitting together nearby.
...
The weekend passed in a flash, and for two whole nights, Harry, Hermione, and Ron borrowed the Invisibility Cloak to sneak into the library's Forbidden Book Area to browse through those Dark Magic Books that students were usually not allowed to touch.
One cloak was already hard to completely cover the three of them, so each time Harry had to anxiously go back and forth twice to escort his friends to the library.
After class on Monday, Hermione couldn't help but discuss the content she read:
"Last night I finished reading 'Cursed Skeletons', 'The Art of Sacrifice', and 'Black Magic Origins'."
Hermione lowered her voice and said: "We can't rule out the possibility that the perpetrator might be trying to cast some curse using the skeletons..."
Harry gestured for her to be quiet, then pointed in front: "Look, Durmstrang students."
Two students wearing deep red robes were walking towards the hall, with a few Slytherin students around them, chatting and laughing, appearing very friendly.
"It's really strange," Ron couldn't help but say: "The headmaster of Durmstrang is missing, yet it seems to have no impact on them... I even feel like they are happier."
Harry said thoughtfully: "Karkaroff must have been a very strict person with his students from day to day. Did you see the way he talked to his own students? I think, in his eyes, everyone except Krum seems like weeds."
Hermione sympathetically said: "Not much difference. Even Victor, before gaining fame, Karkaroff was harsh on him too."
Ron glanced at her, and the look of enjoying a good show instantly disappeared from his face.
When they reached the entrance hall, they found it packed tight, with a large group of students standing on tiptoe, trying to see a big notice board erected next to the stairs. The chatter was chaotic, making it hard to hear what people in front were saying.
The tallest, Ron pressed Harry's shoulder and stretched his neck, finally seeing the content above, and said loudly—
"Emergency Notification: To prepare for the third event of the tournament, classes this afternoon are suspended. All students are to assist with setting up the venue and should report to the Quidditch Pitch at half-past three."
"No classes?"
Harry's eyes lit up instantly, but then he frowned again: "Wait... we have to set up the venue?"
For the previous two events, the Ministry of Magic had set up the stands overnight without involving the students at all.
"Anything is better than classes!" Ron said excitedly: "Great! No classes this afternoon, so no homework either!"
Before he finished speaking, all the students who heard the notice cheered loudly—
For the students, anything was more interesting than sitting in class.
"What?" Hermione said incredulously: "Why suspend classes? I even made a study plan! Setting up the venue and all, can't it be done on the weekend?"
But it seemed only she was angry about it; the others were nearly throwing their backpacks in joy.
"Wait, so suddenly..." Harry frowned: "Could it be related to what Vid mentioned?"
Hermione said angrily: "It must be! Maybe the school just needs everyone out of the castle to search easily... but it could still be done on a weekend! Why take my class time?"
Harry felt that Hermione was in a state of being unreachable and silently closed his mouth.
...
After lunch, the students headed to the Quidditch Pitch, and Harry and Ron jumped down the steps with light steps, while only Hermione remained downcast; she even still carried her backpack, with several thick books inside.
"Are you really going to review now?" Ron glanced back incredulously and asked.
Hermione held her head up stubbornly and said: "Who knows how long setting up will take? There might be some free time."
Vid just happened to hear this while stepping off the stairs and once again deeply understood—why Hermione, although not bad-tempered and willing to help others review and improve their grades, still hadn't many friends in Gryffindor.
When they arrived, it was obvious the professors had already started part of the work, turning the Quidditch Pitch into a huge open-air workshop. Professor McGonagall was standing at the entrance, assigning tasks to students.
Upon entering, Professor Flitwick could be seen elegantly waving his magic wand, and the old seats were rejuvenated. More boards floated up, automatically assembling into new seats.
Professor Sprout was also working, with a big basket slung over, from which vines kept flying out, weaving elegantly around rows of seats to form exquisite fences.
Filch slowly dragged a big box of ropes through the center of the field, with students ahead of him quickly making way.
Students like Vid, skilled in Transfiguration, were given the task of decorating the stage. With a light tap of his wand, a carved-up old stool turned into a beautifully carved armchair.
Harry and his group were responsible for cleaning the entire area, with buckets of Magic Cleaner levitated over, filling the pitch with a rich scent of rosemary and mint.
Even first-year students had tasks; they were in charge of hanging streamers, making flags and banners, and arranging Golden Bells as small decorations.
Most professors had to cast Sticking Charms on the transformed seats so that the stands wouldn't revert to their original form due to a lack of magic or collapse from being unable to bear the weight of the audience.
Michael, lazily coloring the intricate carvings on a chair with magic, complained to Vid:
"Such a hassle... why can't they just move part of the Quidditch final's arena here? By the way, how many spectators are there supposed to be at the final? They need to add so many seats—could it be that students from all ten schools are coming to see the match?"
"Impossible, Uagadou alone has tens of thousands of students." Vid said: "They probably invited just a portion, with most being spectators from various Ministries of Magic."
As he spoke, he glanced at Professor McGonagall at the center of the field.
Vid noticed that Professor Snape was not present, and neither was Professor Moody.
Rather than the upcoming match, he was more curious—at such a sensitive time, is the school organizing students to decorate like this just to thoroughly search the castle?