"You must have thought of this early on, that's why you wouldn't let us tell Dumbledore about it."
Fred said, his hand slapping Cedric excitedly on the shoulder, "Same Prefect, but you're way smarter than Percy... Though you could've been a bit clearer about it next time."
Is that what I was thinking?
Cedric sensed that they seemed to have misunderstood something—he just genuinely thought they should gather a bit more evidence before going to Headmaster Dumbledore.
After all, one of them was a judge and the other the Headmaster—if they just ran up and accused them of cheating, honestly, who would believe them?
But seeing the two of them so fired up, he decided not to explain.
Besides, Cedric also thought they had a point—since Kael got insider info about the third task, he'd definitely have an edge over Krum by being the first to enter the maze.
So, the three of them exchanged glances, and then immediately started blurting out all the details they'd just overheard.
"The plants Professor Sprout provided are Devil's Snare, Fanged Geranium, and Snake Vine—they're all hidden in the hedges. Be really careful of those when you're in the maze."
"There are a lot of Fantastic Beasts, but that shouldn't be too tough for you."
"The most dangerous creature is an Eight-eyed Giant Spider, and it's on the wrong path, so if you see it, run away. No need to waste your time..."
The three took turns, one after the other, talking the whole time—not a single one of them asked for Kael's thoughts.
A couple times Kael tried to interject, only to get interrupted right away.
He'd meant to point out that even if Krum got all this info, it didn't really threaten him. After all, once in the maze, you could just ask any Fantastic Beast; they'd spill the secrets anyway.
But the three of them simply wouldn't give him a chance to speak...
It wasn't until ten thirty that Fred and George left the Hufflepuff Common Room.
The two of them didn't even try to hide it, just swaggering openly along the empty staircase.
"I bet Bagman will go to see Karkaroff again..." Fred whispered as they walked. "We should keep an eye on him—make sure he doesn't leak more news to Karkaroff."
"Totally agree, that's what I thought too," George nodded. "Can't beat us, so they try to cheat... No wonder grown-ups don't think much of Durmstrang. I used to think it was just because they taught Dark Magic."
"Anyway, they're not getting away with it now." Fred shook a piece of parchment in his hand. "We'll be keeping an eye on Bagman. No more secret leaks for Karkaroff if we can help it."
The two sped up, and before long, they arrived on the eighth floor—just a quick walk down the corridor and they'd reach the Gryffindor Common Room.
"But honestly, Karkaroff actually did us a favor," George suddenly piped up. "Since that cat disappeared from the castle, it's been so much quieter. It's brilliant."
"And Filch," Fred chimed in with a grin.
"Exactly."
George said, "But without them, nighttime wandering just isn't as exciting. Bit dull, really."
The two kept strolling, but as they were about to reach the Fat Lady's portrait, a faint yellow lamp suddenly flicked on around the corridor's corner.
Luckily, both had quick reflexes—they immediately ducked back and cast the Disillusionment Charm on themselves.
Soon, they saw Filch stalking down from another hallway, looking as nasty as ever.
"Who's there? I heard you talking! Come out!" he bellowed, scaring Fred and George so much they hardly dared breathe.
The corridor wasn't exactly wide. If Filch got just a little closer, he'd spot them right against the wall.
One step, two steps... Filch was getting nearer and nearer.
Suddenly, the clang of metal echoed from downstairs, grabbing his attention.
Filch raised his lamp and dashed off in that direction.
...
"That's how it happened—the oil lamp nearly clipped my nose."
The next morning, Fred was describing last night's happenings with dramatic flair.
"That's what you get for being lazy and skipping the Disillusionment Charm."
Kael took a bite of roasted corn. "Filch didn't get fired. His nightly patrols are still in full swing."
"Who would've guessed?" George shrugged. "Everyone knows Filch only comes out once during curfew. We were out super late, right?"
"Maybe he's got his groove back," Conna suggested.
"If that's the case, that's not so bad."
Fred poked his stew glumly. "Actually, we sort of miss Filch."
"Without a nemesis, even sneaking out at night isn't fun anymore."
Was the real fun of night wanderings just outwitting Filch? Only Fred and George could come up with something like that.
"Oh, hold up—Bagman's coming..." George suddenly glanced at the Marauder's Map and blurted it out.
They wolfed down the rest of the food and dashed out of the Auditorium.
Cedric was going to follow, but he'd barely reached the doorway before turning back.
"They used the Disillusionment Charm," Cedric shrugged. "I can't find them anywhere."
...
Over the next while, things like that kept happening.
Bagman had apparently become a Weasley Brothers magnet; whenever he wasn't teaching, the moment he appeared, Fred and George would race over—sometimes dragging Cedric along too.
The day the third task was to start was also when the Hogwarts exams ended. Everyone should've been busy revising, but instead, the trio poured all their energy into keeping tabs on Bagman and Karkaroff.
Kael had told them over and over not to bother, but they just wouldn't listen.
"Don't worry about it, Kael."
Coming back from the Quidditch Pitch one more time, Cedric said, "The sixth-year workload is a piece of cake. We've got less homework than we did in third year. Plenty of time."
"Exactly," Fred nodded, "And who cares about the exams anyway? As long as we've got our O.W.L.s, sixth-year finals don't matter much. Mum won't even mind."
"You sure about that?" Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... I think so?" Fred hesitated a moment, but then waved it off.
"Don't worry, just focus on the third task."
"We're doing this for Hogwarts!" George pulled out what looked like a fake ear. "If we catch Bagman and Karkaroff cheating... Mum will totally understand."
"And if you don't catch them? Gonna go home with a terrible report card instead?"
The pair fell silent at that.
"Well, if it comes to that..." After a pause, Fred said mournfully, "Kael, how about we crash in your attic for a couple months?"
...