"I'm not late, am I?" a gentle female voice sounded beside Tver's ear.
He turned around.
Unlike her usual crisp, capable attire, Cynthia had let her hair fall smoothly over her shoulders tonight. She wore a gown that looked deep blue at first glance, yet upon closer inspection revealed an elegant blue hidden within black.
"Well?" she asked, lifting her arms slightly in anticipation.
"You look beautiful. It suits you perfectly."
Tver did not even need to glance around to know that quite a few students nearby had already been stunned.
"Champions, over here please!"
At exactly eight o'clock, Professor McGonagall's voice rang out.
At some point, the doors of the Great Hall had opened wide, welcoming the students inside.
Cynthia quickly slipped her arm through Tver's, and like the other champions, they walked forward as the crowd parted to make way for them.
Tver took the opportunity to observe the other champions' partners.
Harry's partner was Parvati Patil, the elder of the Patil sisters. Honestly, if the two sisters had not been sorted into different Houses, Tver would have struggled to tell them apart at a glance.
Cedric had brought Cho Chang.
Viktor, somewhat unexpectedly, had chosen a Beauxbatons girl.
Tver's gaze shifted instinctively through the crowd.
Wait—
Who was that on Fleur's arm?
Hermione Granger?!
Professor McGonagall let out a helpless sigh. After all, she had agreed to let the two of them attend as partners.
The realization spread through the crowd, and waves of exclamations broke out.
It was hard to tell whether the surprise came from seeing two girls walking arm in arm, or from Hermione herself, who was unusually dazzling tonight.
Her once-bushy hair had been carefully styled into smooth waves. She wore a flowing gown in soft lavender and light blue, and a shy yet confident smile curved on her lips. She looked utterly different from her usual self.
Beside her, Fleur had also dressed with care, deliberately choosing a black gown with a more masculine cut. The two complemented each other perfectly.
The moment they appeared together, they left everyone staring.
Ron, Harry, and the others who knew Hermione well were so shocked they forgot to close their mouths.
It was only after Professor McGonagall called out several times that the students finally began entering the Great Hall in order.
"Wait, how did you two end up… going together?" Tver asked, giving them a peculiar look.
Fleur and Hermione exchanged mischievous smiles before answering.
"I didn't know who to ask," Fleur said lightly. "At first I wanted to invite you or Cedric, but your Professor McGonagall said champions aren't allowed to pair with other champions."
"Then I heard Hermione didn't have a partner, so I invited her," she added, clearly pleased with the astonished reactions around them.
"Professor McGonagall actually agreed to that?" Harry leaned in, wide-eyed.
"Being older does not mean my thinking is outdated," Professor McGonagagall said coolly from behind him, having reappeared without anyone noticing.
Harry flushed and hurried back into position with Parvati.
Only then did Professor McGonagall turn her attention to the ten people standing before her.
"The champions' seats are at the main table in the very center. You'll need to walk through the Hall to get there, understand? And do not wander off toward your friends like fools!"
She shot Harry one final glare before allowing them to line up with their partners and file in.
To spare the shortest champion from too much pressure, Professor McGonagall thoughtfully arranged them by height, from shortest to tallest.
That left Tver and Cynthia at the very back. He watched with mild amusement as Harry, at the very front, endured the collective gaze of the entire Great Hall, managing only a painfully stiff smile.
The Hall had been completely transformed.
The walls shimmered with silver frost, the enchanted ceiling displayed a brilliant starry sky, and hundreds of sprigs of mistletoe and ivy garlands hung overhead.
The long House tables had been removed to accommodate mixed pairs. In their place stood numerous round tables lit by lanterns.
Fortunately, the main table was positioned toward the middle-rear of the Hall, sparing Harry from a prolonged walk of humiliation.
Dumbledore was already there, accompanied by the other two headmasters.
Tver's gaze shifted—and landed on Percy standing beside Karkaroff.
Yes, Percy.
He wore a brand-new dark navy dress robe and was smiling politely while exchanging glances with Penelope not far away.
But why was he here?
Sensing Tver's confusion, Cynthia leaned closer and whispered an explanation.
"The professor's gone missing again. Barty Crouch originally planned to attend himself, but Fudge stirred up trouble, so Percy had to step in at the last minute."
Tver nodded in understanding.
Over the past six months, the pressure their side had been placing on Fudge had steadily increased. He was already close to being politically isolated.
If not for the lack of decisive evidence, impeachment proceedings might have begun by now.
But precisely because he was still Minister, Fudge retained considerable authority to cause trouble for Barty, who was bearing the brunt of it.
The obstacles were not insurmountable, but they were far from easy to shake off.
Even a Fudge who had begun resorting to questionable tactics still had a functioning brain.
With that in mind, Tver led Cynthia to sit beside Percy, drawing his attention away from Penelope.
"Professor. It's good to see you again."
Half a year apart had changed Percy noticeably. He gave a composed nod, a far cry from the young man who had once shouted in Tver's office four years ago.
If Tver hadn't been corresponding with him all this time, he might have wondered whether he had accidentally mentored someone else entirely.
"So, keeping busy at the Ministry?" Tver asked casually.
It sounded ordinary, but Percy caught the underlying meaning immediately.
"There's certainly no shortage of work. Just yesterday, Senior Undersecretary Umbridge proposed raising taxes on merchants. It's already caused quite a bit of opposition."
"Especially from international traders. Many of them have said that if taxes increase, they won't continue doing business in Britain."
"Raising taxes?" Tver looked genuinely surprised. "Is the Ministry short on funds?"
"Not exactly," Percy replied, lowering his voice. "Umbridge, or rather Fudge, received reports that commodity prices have dropped."
"We adjusted the data slightly, so they didn't grow suspicious."
"But the two of them believe that since merchants' profits have increased, they ought to contribute more in taxes."
Tver fell silent.
Raising taxes when profits increase was not inherently unreasonable.
But this was far too soon.
At the very least, they should have waited until the wizarding world had fully adapted to the influx of Muggle goods, until the majority of wizards had clearly benefited.
Instead, these two were already shouting about tax hikes.
It was as if they were determined to make themselves even more unpopular.
Truly a pair of brilliant strategists at the Ministry.
And not in a flattering sense.
...
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