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Katya ran away.
To be precise, while the "Babbling Curse" effect still had at least thirty seconds left, he ran away. His speed was so fast that everyone present was stunned for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, he had dashed out of the Great Hall's side door.
The Great Hall fell into a brief silence.
"See, I told you that you couldn't take a joke!"
Lynn cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted toward the direction where Katya had disappeared: "Remember to come sign up early! I won't be going anywhere before tomorrow night; I'll be right here—waiting for you~"
In the distance, Katya, who had already reached the corner of the corridor, stumbled noticeably.
In the Great Hall, dozens of gazes simultaneously swished onto Lynn.
Lynn lowered his hands and waved at those shocked or admiring gazes. "Carry on with your business. I'm just watching."
Everyone: "..."
Everyone looked at each other.
Well, the show's over.
And so, the queue continued. The rustling sounds resumed, and the hall gradually returned to its original bustle.
The line moved forward.
Finally, it was their turn.
Edgar clutched his parchment, took a deep breath, and marched toward the golden Age Line with his head held high.
And then—
"BANG!!!"
A dazzling light flashed, and Edgar was launched into the air, tracing a standard parabola before landing with a solid "thud" on the floor three meters away.
His parchment drifted down and landed right next to his forehead.
William pushed up his glasses and, with a calm expression, was also sent flying. Ollie stepped forward taciturnly, crossed the golden line taciturnly, was ruthlessly bounced back taciturnly, and landed taciturnly next to his two roommates.
The three of them lay in a row on the floor like three salted fish.
A round of uncontrollable snickering echoed through the entrance hall.
Edgar rubbed his backside as he climbed up, showing not a hint of embarrassment. He was thick-skinned enough to take all the mocking looks in stride, even waving at a few Gryffindors who were laughing the loudest.
Then, he spotted Lynn busy in a corner of the Great Hall nearby. To be precise, he saw Lynn squatting on the ground, hammering tent stakes into the floor.
Edgar: "..."
Well, here's someone even more thick-skinned.
He walked over, squatted next to Lynn, and remained silent for a long while before speaking: "Are you... really not going back tonight?"
Lynn didn't even look up, nodding as if it were a matter of course. "Nope." He tightened the last knot, clapped his hands in satisfaction, and added, "I hold grudges."
After a pause, he continued, "Besides, it's nice here. Eat and sleep, sleep and eat, no stairs to climb, close to the Kitchen, and close to the goblet of fire. Nothing bad about it."
Edgar opened his mouth to say something but felt that anything he said would be wrong. Finally, he gave up thinking.
"...Uh, as long as you're happy."
...
Night, the Principal's office.
"This is a serious, unacceptable, and deliberate provocation!" Karkaroff slammed his palm onto Dumbledore's desk.
"A Hogwarts student—that boy named Lynn—obstructed our Mr. Volok from signing up seven consecutive times tonight! Seven times! Not once, not twice, but seven times! He's like... like a vulture circling over the goblet of fire! Whenever Mr. Volok approaches, he—"
Karkaroff was panting heavily, momentarily unable to find words strong enough for his accusation.
"—He burns the slips of paper?" Dumbledore helpfully finished the sentence.
"Yes! He burns... it's not a matter of burning paper!" Karkaroff was nearly led astray and shook his head vigorously. "It's a matter of attitude! It's Hogwarts' hostility toward our students! It's an intentional disruption of the normal order of the Triwizard Tournament! Dumbledore, you must handle this matter severely! That student must be isolated, transferred, or at least forbidden from appearing near the goblet of fire!"
Dumbledore listened quietly, sighing inwardly.
If you're so capable, go fight him yourself.
You could even have a duel with him.
If you win, I'll clean up the mess; if you lose, I'll call the school nurse for you.
You're the Headmaster of Durmstrang; what's the use of complaining to me?
Of course, Dumbledore wouldn't say any of this out loud. He simply maintained a smile while his mind raced through potential solutions.
Deduct points?
Does Lynn care about points? The answer was clearly no.
Detention?
Where to put him? The Forbidden Forest? That was his backyard. The Kitchen? That was his second home. With Filch? Filch might not survive until the end of the detention. Dumbledore was even a bit worried about the safety of the detention room itself.
Expulsion?
He didn't even dare think about it.
Dumbledore fell silent for a long three seconds.
Then, he proposed a solution that sounded extremely reasonable: "Perhaps... Mr. Volok could apologize to Mr. Lynn?"
Karkaroff's expression froze.
He stared at Dumbledore with wide eyes.
Why do you think I came to you in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Why do you think I left my warm Headmaster's suite to slam your table?
It's exactly because I don't want Katya to apologize!
"Is there... no other way?"
Dumbledore shook his head regretfully, thinking, Why are you pushing your luck? Be glad there's any way at all.
"Or, I could ask Professor Moody to come and discuss this together? He is very experienced in these matters and might have a better—" He made a move to stand up.
"That won't be necessary!"
Karkaroff practically jumped up to stop him, his goatee twitching violently. "I think... on second thought, Katya indeed acted inappropriately. Young people are impulsive and speak without thinking. An apology is due, very much so."
He swallowed dryly. "I will go and have him... apologize to Mr. Lynn right away."
...
Time was nearing midnight. A few persistent students were still scattered around the goblet of fire, repeatedly trying to break through the Age Line.
Lynn had just seen off the Weasley twins, who had turned into old men, and was leaning against a chair back in the Great Hall, idly stroking the Niffler in his arms. The little creature was purring comfortably, its eyes narrowed into slits.
The Great Hall doors opened once again.
Lynn looked up and saw Katya standing at the entrance, his face still looking rather grim.
"Oh?" Lynn arched an eyebrow. "Back again? This must be the eighth time, right? You really are persistent."
Katya's mouth twitched, but he didn't respond.
He stood where he was and took a deep breath, as if gathering some sort of courage.
Then—he bowed ninety degrees.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong."
His voice was muffled.
Lynn's hand stroking the Niffler paused for a moment.
He stared at Katya in silence for two seconds, then set the Niffler down. The little creature let out a dissatisfied sniff.
"Seen the light?"
Katya maintained his bowing posture, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth. "...Yes."
"Hmm... your voice is too quiet. Haven't you eaten?"
Katya's spine stiffened for a moment.
In the Great Hall, several Ravenclaw students who were pretending to discuss things simultaneously pricked up their ears.
Katya closed his eyes, then opened them, completing a difficult mental adjustment.
"I'M SORRY! I WAS WRONG!!!"
His voice was loud and full of vigor, echoing throughout the entrance hall. The Ravenclaw students rubbed their ears.
Lynn nodded in satisfaction. "Well, that's more like it. But... your expression still seems a bit defiant, eh?"
Katya took a deep breath, and when he looked up again, a "sincere" smile was plastered on his face. "I'm sorry. I was truly wrong. I solemnly apologize to Mr. Lynn."
Lynn stared at him for three seconds. He didn't consider himself someone who would refuse to let things go once he had the upper hand. "Heh~ there we go!"
He slapped his thigh with a bright smile, changing his expression so quickly that Katya wondered if the aggressive guy from a moment ago was a different person.
"Alright, I won't keep you then." Lynn stood up and started walking out of the Great Hall. "Take your time signing up."
Seeing this, Katya wasted no time in throwing a large piece of parchment into the goblet of fire. The flames surged half a foot higher with a "whoosh," seemingly choking for a moment, but ultimately swallowed the entry materials.
It was done.
Katya stared at the flames as they returned to calm, his chest heaving violently.
Then, he turned his head and opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something. Perhaps a victory declaration, perhaps a belated comeback, perhaps—
Lynn suddenly turned back.
Across the entrance hall, their eyes met.
The words that had just reached Katya's throat performed an emergency brake, made a U-turn, and retreated back into his stomach.
His face instantly switched to a smile full of sincere gratitude. "Take care, Mr. Lynn."
Lynn was once again left speechless by the sheer audacity.
Then, he gave a thumbs-up. "Alright, you've learned fast."