HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 195 The Referee's Intention to Cheat

Draco Malfoy's mind finally calmed down after thinking about Blaise's advice the night before. He finally shifted his gaze from the sweet couple's retreating figures in the center of the tavern to the commotion at the entrance.

The others in the tavern were no different—after all, the two who had caused the commotion at the door were Harry Potter, the Triwizard Tournament champion and savior who was currently making headlines in the newspapers; and one of the referees of the tournament, a well-known former Quidditch player and current Ministry of Magic official.

The attention from the public is not something Harry enjoys. He has never liked being overly noticed by the public, but he can't escape it because of his status as the savior.

“Thank you,” Harry responded with a forced politeness to Bagman’s odd enthusiasm, trying to slip away through the doorway. “My friends and I were just about to get a hot drink—”

If you're free, please let me go so my friend and I can go to the front desk to order.

Harry gave him that look in his eyes.

Even a blind man could see that Harry wanted to end the small talk, but Ludo Bagman deliberately pretended not to notice.

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Bagman said cheerfully. “I was just thinking of having a hot drink too, so let’s have one together. Come on, it’s on me!”

Harry's arm was firmly gripped by Bagman's large hand, and he was pulled away.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance and wisely sat down near Fred and George, completely ignoring Harry's pleading look.

“Dear Rosmerta, two butterbeers,” Bagman tugged at Harry toward a corner seat, away from his friends. “I remember it being the most popular drink among students, isn’t it?”

Bagman winked at Harry in a friendly manner, showing no airs of an adult, as if he was determined to become friends with a child Harry's age.

But Harry is no ordinary child—he was raised by a mean-spirited relative from a young age and later served as the savior of the wizarding world for several years, making reading people almost an instinct.

Bagman must have something to say to himself.

Harry, feeling enlightened, picked up his butterbeer, not in a hurry to reveal the truth, but instead glanced at the goblins at the bar.

The goblins all glared at Bagman and Harry's table with menacing eyes.

“These goblins speak English like turkeys, all they do is gurgle,” Bagman said in a low voice, noticing Harry’s gaze. “I really don’t want to talk to them.”

“What do they want?” Harry asked.

“Um…they…they are looking for Barty Crouch,” Bagman explained awkwardly, stammering.

“Isn’t Mr. Crouch at the Ministry of Magic in London?” Harry asked, puzzled. “Why are they looking for him here?”

“This…” Bagman was stumped. “I don’t know either… Crouch isn’t at the Ministry either; his assistant Percy said he’s sick. Okay, don’t tell anyone about this, okay, Harry? That Rita Skeeter is asking around too; we all know she writes terrible news reports—”

Harry nodded; he had already experienced firsthand the ruthlessness of Rita Skeeter, that unscrupulous reporter.

“Listen, Harry,” Bagman glanced around, leaned closer to Harry, and lowered his voice, “I wanted to tell you that if you need any help with that golden egg, I can give you a proper tip… We’re all on the same side, and we all want Hogwarts to win, right?”

Harry stared at Bagman in shock, unable to believe that the referee would try to leak the questions to the contestants.

“The warrior should solve the mystery on his own, shouldn’t he?” Harry said, then, fearing that others would discover his conspiracy with the referee to cheat, he quickly looked around and saw that everyone else was also watching them.

Hermione and Ron, George and Fred, Malfoy and his companions, and... Lyra and Cedric Diggory.

When Harry saw Diggory, who was also a warrior, he shook his head immediately, as if he had been burned by a spark.

“That’s against the rules,” Harry firmly refused, disregarding manners. Seeing that Bagman was still persistent, he quickly changed the subject, “Did you offer the same help to Cedric Diggory?”

“No,” Bagman glanced at Diggory before looking away, frowning as he said, “I…I think you were braver when you were fighting the dragon, and there can only be one champion, right?”

Harry didn't think it was a good thing that Bagman was so biased towards him. He didn't dare to look up at Diggory, let alone with Lyra sitting next to him.

If everyone finds out, especially Lyra, that he colluded with the Triwizard Tournament referees to cheat, what's the point of winning the championship?

Perhaps it was because Harry glanced at Lyra a little more, Bagman keenly noticed, and his gaze also shifted from Diggory to the beautiful dark-haired girl next to her.

“Harry, you should know,” Bagman stared at Harry and smiled meaningfully, “that in any contest, there can only be one winner… The Triwizard Tournament champion is a better match for a pretty girl, don’t you think?”