Hogwarts' Golden Glory

At noon that day, owls swarmed into the auditorium as usual.

But there are an unusually large number of owls today, an abnormally large number.

Dozens of owls landed on the Slytherin table at the same time, and the wind from their flapping wings almost blew the Gryffindor plates away.

Draco was hit on the head by a pile of letters. He pulled a gold card out of the envelope and read it aloud.

"The Malfoy family congratulates Kane Malfoy on being elected a Hogwarts Champion! A special life-size standee, limited to 500 pieces, is available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be placed on the left side of the entrance hall."

Before he had finished reading, he opened another letter.

"To celebrate Kane Malfoy's participation in the Triwizard Tournament, the Honeyduke of Hogsmeade is giving away free Chocolate Frogs for three days. They can be claimed by presenting the Malfoy family crest."

Open another letter.

"A huge portrait of Lord Kane, twenty feet tall, has been erected at the entrance of Malfoy Manor. Wizards are welcome to come and take photos with him."

Draco looked up at Kane, who was quietly cutting his steak.

"Brother, are you aware of this?"

Kane put down his knife and fork, glancing expressionlessly at the pile of letters. "I don't know."

"Dad said he spent two thousand Galleons to hang banners outside Hogwarts Castle, with your name on every entrance."

Kane paused for a moment with his fork.

"He said the board of directors had the right to arrange the competition venue, so he added Roman columns to the maze entrance, laid a red carpet on the referee's table, and replaced the sofas in the Warriors' waiting room with new ones."

"What color is the sofa?" a Slytherin girl next to me couldn't help but ask.

"Green. Silver trim. Embroidered with the Malfoy family crest."

Kane closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"And another one," Draco said, his voice trembling slightly as he opened another letter. "Dad said the original prize money was five thousand Galleons, which he thought was too meager and unworthy of the Triwizard Tournament. So he personally added ten thousand Galleons. Now the total prize money is fifteen thousand Galleons."

The auditorium fell silent instantly.

Fifteen thousand.

Then it exploded.

"Fifteen thousand? Did I hear that right?"

"Merlin's beard is enough for me to buy chocolate frogs for a lifetime!"

"Have the Malfoys gone mad?"

"Did they already know Kane would win?"

"What do you mean by 'I knew it all along'? The prize money goes to the champion, not Kane. What if Kane isn't the champion?"

The person who was speaking had their mouth covered by the person next to them, and looked at the Slytherin table in horror.

Kane remained expressionless. But Crabbe and Goyle, sitting opposite him, simultaneously put down their chicken legs, their expressions as if they had heard something outrageous.

Draco continued reading the letter.

"Dad also put a hundred life-size cardboard cutouts of Kane in the foyer, one for each house, including Gryffindor."

"Why did he put him in Gryffindor?" someone asked.

"Probably because they were afraid the Gryffindors wouldn't have a chance to see Kane's heroic figure," Draco said subtly.

Kane finally spoke. "Has he considered that I walk past those signs every day?"

Draco flipped through the letter. "He said—'You'll get used to it.'"

Kane picked up his knife and fork again, cut a piece of steak, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

Harry nearly choked on his bread at the Gryffindor table.

"Fifteen thousand?" he coughed. "Did Malfoy add another ten thousand?"

Ron stood to the side with his head down, not saying a word, but his fork fell to the ground.

Hermione's face darkened further. Not because of the bonus, but because of Kane.

She looked at Kane at the Slytherin table, quietly eating his meal, surrounded by piles of letters and packages delivered by owls.

Someone opened a package containing a palm-sized Kane doll that could walk and talk, and its voice was quite loud—"The Malfoy family fights for honor!"

Kane glanced at the doll.

The doll also glanced at him.

Then the doll said, "Go for it, me!"

Kane, expressionless, reached out and turned the little doll upside down on the table.

The little doll's muffled voice came from below: "Let me out, I still need to boost morale."

The Slytherin students nearby were laughing so hard they were doubled over. Draco laughed the loudest, but Kane glanced at him and he immediately stopped.

Outside the auditorium, several students ran in, their faces full of excitement.

"Banners are hanging everywhere! On every single pillar! 'Kane Malfoy—The Pride of Hogwarts!'"

"And there were fireworks! You could see the golden Malfoy crest exploding in the sky even during the day!"

"Did Lucius Malfoy bring the entire Diagon Alley here?"

Someone whispered, "Isn't he afraid of Kane losing and losing face?"

No one dared to respond.

Because everyone knows that Lucius Malfoy never does anything that doesn't pay off.

The fact that he dared to spend so much money shows that his confidence in Kane is even greater than that in the towers of Hogwarts.

Kane finished the last piece of steak, put down his knife and fork, and wiped his mouth.

"Draco".

"Um?"

"Write a letter to Dad. I don't care about the life-size standees, the banners, or the fireworks. But I don't care about that talking doll."

He glanced at the little doll lying face down on the table, still muttering "Let me out," and said, "Don't make a second one."

Draco nodded, suppressing a laugh. "Okay. I'll add one more thing—'Kane said it's shameful.'"

"No need to add it. He knows."

Kane stood up, and Igor flew off his shoulder, its dark golden feathers gleaming in the candlelight of the Great Hall. He carried the plate to the recycling station, his back straight, as if nothing had happened.

The people in the auditorium were still talking about it.

Fifteen thousand Galleons.

Life-shaped standee.

A talking doll.

The Malfoys' extravagance never disappointed.

Days passed, and things were completely different from Kane's.

Harry's situation is very bad.

The whispers in the corridor buzzed like flies, impossible to shoo away or hide from.

"It was him... who cheated to get in..."

"I heard he gave Kane Malfoy a bribe... Kane helped him cast his name..."

"At least Kane has the strength and the money. What does he have? A scar?"

The Hufflepuffs say he stole Cedric's glory...

"Cedric is the real warrior, what is he anyway?"

Harry lowered his head and walked quickly down the corridor.

He didn't want to hear it, but the words just kept going in his ears.

Hufflepuff's students looked at him with the most venomous eyes.

Cedric Diggory was the pride of their college; gentle, excellent, and upright, everyone liked him.

Originally, Hogwarts only had one champion, Cedric.

But now there are two more!

A kid who got in by cheating, just like Harry Potter. He stole Cedric's thunder and Hufflepuff's glory.

There's also Kane Malfoy! Their scramble for him is quite typical of Slytherin style.

Moreover, they knew in their hearts that if Kane were old enough, the Goblet of Fire would definitely choose Kane, even Cedric would not be as good as him.