Late September in the Scottish Highlands.
Due to the geographical location, by six o'clock in the evening, the sky had already begun to darken.
However, no matter how dim the sky became, it could never dampen the enthusiasm of the young wizards at Hogwarts.
It wasn't clear whether it was intentional or accidental, but Krum was always positioned in the front row of the crowd, only half a body length away from Karkaroff.
Amidst bursts of surprised cheers, Igor Karkaroff, the tall, thin, and goateed headmaster of Durmstrang, was already half-closing his eyes, becoming somewhat arrogant.
"Hogwarts! It's truly impressive here... I really regret not coming sooner." Karkaroff spoke in a long, drawn-out tone.
"It's not too late now! Hogwarts welcomes you! Now, please follow me to the Great Hall. Madame Maxime is already waiting for us."
Dumbledore continued to smile as he spoke, completely ignoring Karkaroff's changing expression, as if a phoenix had no interest in looking down at a swallowtail dog.
The conversation between the two headmasters was difficult for the young wizards to hear, but Karkaroff's arrogant expression was clearly visible to everyone.
Draco found it somewhat distasteful. After a brief moment of thought, he reached into his pocket, and when he pulled his hand out again, a palm-sized flying disc had quietly appeared.
But before he could make any further moves, he found his hand firmly grasped.
"Are you crazy? If you embarrass him here, it'll be us who look bad!"
Ino was a bit exasperated. After spending a few minutes with Draco, he also didn't like Karkaroff's arrogance, but he still maintained basic rationality.
If Karkaroff were to be humiliated here, it would clearly reflect poorly on Hogwarts' hospitality. Whether or not the other party was embarrassed, it would definitely tarnish Hogwarts' reputation across all of Europe.
"I'm not crazy. With the sky darkening, if we do it before he enters the castle, no one will suspect us."
Draco spoke with certainty.
In fact, this was indeed a good opportunity, but Draco had overlooked one person—Dumbledore, who was walking alongside Karkaroff.
Although the exact function of the flying disc was unclear, any traceable object was essentially evidence. Even if Dumbledore chose to ignore it, the appearance of a tangible object would still place the blame on Hogwarts.
With this in mind, Ino took the flying disc from Draco's hand and put it in his pocket, then glanced around... more specifically, he looked towards the Gryffindor crowd.
After a brief delay, he finally confirmed that the only person bold enough to do something like this was Draco Malfoy.
This wasn't surprising. After Marcus graduated, although there were still many young wizards from the Sacred Twenty-Eight families in Slytherin, most of them were either from side branches or from families in decline.
Among those who had the confidence and daring to stir up trouble, there were probably only two left in the entire castle: Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.
Of course, Harry Potter also had the qualifications, but his gaze frequently drifted towards Ravenclaw, and no one knew what he was looking at.
...
Under the night sky.
After feeling his flying disc being confiscated, Draco didn't dwell on it. After all, it was just a whim.
But as he stood there, bored, a familiar voice reached his ears:
"Draco, have you ever thought about becoming a champion? Winning the Triwizard Cup."
For a moment, Ino considered going for it himself, but after thinking about the year-long event and all the associated complexities, he dismissed the idea.
Not everything needs to be done for show, especially when the Triwizard Tournament isn't all that prestigious.
"A champion?" Draco seized on the core of the idea. If someone else had asked him, he would have refused outright, primarily due to the danger.
But hearing the question from Ino made him ponder.
"Don't rush to answer. We can discuss it in the dormitory tonight." Ino patted Draco on the shoulder. The idea had come to him on a whim as well.
After all, being fourth is more humiliating than being third.
In the original story, even Barty Crouch Jr. was able to tamper with the Goblet of Fire using the Confundus Charm. Following that example, Ino could easily add Draco to the tournament as well, satisfying Slytherin's sense of pride.
As he spoke, Ino slowly walked into the castle.
However, it was clear that tonight was not the night for a feast.
Because no one had received any notifications from the professors or prefects, which meant it was free time.
...
Outside the Great Hall.
Ino glanced inside and frowned slightly. He subconsciously looked towards the corridor leading to the dungeons.
"Are you heading back to the dormitory? I can bring you something to eat later!" Draco noticed this subtle change.
"No need to bring food! I have flower cakes." Ino declined his roommate's offer, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.
After Ino left, Draco tidied up his clothes a bit and then strutted into the Great Hall, almost as if he owned the place.
However.
As soon as he entered, Draco saw someone even more flamboyant than himself.
Although it was the Slytherin table, Ron was acting as if he were back at the Burrow, radiating confidence and exuberance.
"Just ten points short!" In the crowd, Ron emphasized again.
"And you can't blame Krum. He did his best! There's a saying: if it's not the fault of the game, and it's not the fault of the players, then it must be the coach's fault!"
As he spoke, Ron occasionally glanced at Krum, and upon seeing Krum smile back at him, his speech became even more impassioned.
"Never mind the coach or the players! Right now, the problem is you!" Draco pushed through the crowd and swaggered up to Ron.
"If I recall correctly, this is Slytherin territory! As for you! The poor... um, the poor sidekick of the scarhead."
Midway through his sentence, Draco seemed to realize something, and he abruptly changed his choice of words.
It seemed Draco had some hidden talent—he used to be able to provoke a whole group of Weasleys with just a few words.
Though his speech had changed, he still managed to provoke multiple people.
With just a single sentence, Harry became visibly angry—not because of the scarhead nickname, but because of the "sidekick" remark.
As he grew older, Harry had come to understand many things. A single "sidekick" was not just a jibe at Ron but an attempt to undermine his friendship with Ron, especially in this setting.
So, before Ron could react, Harry spoke first:
"Poor? Ron's wealth surpasses your imagination! Wisdom, learning, bravery, loyalty, and his family."
Harry's sudden outburst left Draco stunned, and even Ron hadn't expected himself to be so outstanding. For a moment, he was somewhat lost in the moment.
What the boys failed to notice was that when Harry erupted, Ginny's eyes lit up with countless little stars.
"Outstanding? Beyond imagination?" After a brief moment of shock, Draco quickly regained his composure and slowly said:
"In that case, this outstanding redheaded sidekick, and of course, scarhead, dare to make a bet with me?"
Draco's reaction made Harry sense a hint of conspiracy, but before he could think it through, Ron's voice rang out:
"What do you want to bet on! I'll take you on."