Hogwarts: I Am an Exemplary Wizard-Chapter 508 - 506: Are You Really a Hufflepuff?

Olivander came to the open space in the middle and looked at the three people in front of him.

"Miss Delacour, why don’t you start?"

As an expert in wands, he immediately recognized Fleur’s wand as the most unique of all present, naturally arousing his curiosity.

"Alright." Fleur walked over lightly and handed her wand to him.

"Not bad," Olivander brought the wand closer to his eyes, examining it closely, "Nine and a half inches... Maple... The core is... ah, Veela’s hair."

"It’s my grandmother’s hair," Fleur said.

"I see," Olivander said. "Though I find wands made with Veela hair too sensitive and capricious, if you think it suits you..."

He waved the wand.

"Blossoming Orchids!"

A bouquet of flowers bloomed at the tip of the wand.

"Very good, in excellent condition." Olivander returned the flowers and wand to Fleur.

"Mr. Krum, it’s your turn."

Krum stood up and listlessly handed over his wand.

This time, however, Olivander wasn’t as enthusiastic as before.

"Hmm... Grigovich’s work," he said. "Hornbeam... Dragon Heartstring... Ten and a quarter inches... A flock of birds!"

With a loud bang, a few small birds flew out.

"Very well." He returned the wand to Krum, "Now there’s just one left..."

Kael then walked over.

"Oh, this is one of mine, isn’t it," Olivander said excitedly.

If the previous two were driven by interest and work, now he was genuinely pleased.

Having his own creation in the Triwizard Tournament was an honor for him.

It would be embarrassing if only Grigovich’s wands participated and not his.

"Indeed, I remember clearly..." Olivander seemed to reminisce, "I found an exceptionally tall cedar in the center of the Dark Forest. To get a branch from it, I negotiated with those Bowtruckles for several days... and then the Phoenix Tail Feather..."

Olivander told the story vividly, spending more time on it than the previous two combined.

Five minutes later...

"Lumos."

The wand emitted a gentle white light, and Olivander finally returned the wand to Kael.

"Thank you, everyone!" Dumbledore stood up from the judges’ table, "You may now return to your classes... or it might be more convenient to go directly to eat, as you’re about to be dismissed anyway."

Afterward, they took group photos of the champions and a few individual ones before finally leaving the room.

The judges headed to the Headmaster’s Office upstairs, while Kael and Fleur prepared to go down to the auditorium for lunch.

However, just as Kael reached the stairs, a hand that felt like a claw suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Ms. Skeeter, what do you mean by this?" Kael frowned.

"Just a few small questions, dear... for the Daily Prophet." Rita Skeeter had a clearly fake smile on her face.

"I think I already made it clear; I won’t accept your interview," Kael said.

Yet Rita Skeeter still didn’t let go, looking even more excited.

Her crocodile-skin handbag was already open, and inside, a flashy quill was quickly scribbling something on a piece of parchment.

"The young and handsome champion has finally found his true love at Hogwarts, completely enchanted by Fleur Delacour’s stunning beauty, wanting to stay by her side almost every moment..."

"Ignore that quill, Kael," Rita Skeeter said. "Can you tell me why you wanted to sign up?"

"Let’s go, Kael, don’t pay her any mind," Fleur said.

"No, I’ve changed my mind," Kael smiled. "I’ve decided to accept Ms. Skeeter’s interview."

The speedwriting quill in the handbag started jumping again.

"He is eager to boost his fame, not even the Merlin Knight Order satisfies him. To become more known, he even gave up a date with Miss Delacour..."

Kael took a deep breath, relieved that due to the angle, Fleur couldn’t see the words on the parchment.

Then, after saying a couple of words to Fleur, Kael walked into an empty classroom nearby.

"How do you feel about the upcoming competition?" As soon as they were inside, Rita Skeeter eagerly asked, "Excited or nervous?"

"A bit of both," Kael casually found a seat. "But more than anything, I’m grateful; I feel quite fortunate."

"Oh?" Rita Skeeter asked curiously, "Because you were chosen?"

"No, because you came," Kael looked her up and down, "You brought me the perfect excuse."

"Excuse? What do you mean?" Rita Skeeter felt a bit lost, a rare occurrence in her career.

"Of course, an excuse for failure," Kael stretched lazily, smiling. "I’ve read your articles... To be honest, calling them trash would be a compliment."

"You..."

"Don’t hurry, Miss Skeeter, let me finish."

Kael waved his hand, ignoring the speedwriting quill that was jumping rapidly, and continued, "But there is an advantage... because if I perform poorly, I can tell everyone it was your articles that distracted me, leading to my failure in the tournament.

This way, no one will blame me, don’t you think I’m quite lucky?"

Saying this, Kael started laughing himself.

Rita Skeeter also laughed, "You wouldn’t, you’re part of the Merlin Knight Order..."

"No, I would," Kael said. "Like you just said, I’m only fifteen, the youngest among the champions, it’s too difficult to win.

But I don’t want to bear the infamy of failure, and this is the only way to preserve my reputation, isn’t it?"

The smile gradually faded from Rita Skeeter’s face.

"They won’t believe it."

"No, you’re wrong, they will." Kael shook his finger, "It’s an age issue... I’m three years younger than Fleur and Krum, naturally at a disadvantage, so even if I fail, people won’t say much.

But centuries later, with the Triwizard Tournament being restarted, if Hogwarts loses miserably on its own grounds, people can’t just bottle up that frustration."

Rita Skeeter clutched her handbag tightly, and the speedwriting quill finally stopped.

"So I’ve prepared a scapegoat for them... Oh, that’s you, Miss Skeeter,"

Kael didn’t even look at her as he continued, "No one will care about the real reason for my failure or if it relates to your articles; they only need a punching bag.

And you happen to be the perfect candidate."

Kael stood up and bowed slightly, "Thank you again!"

Rita Skeeter’s face was as gloomy as water.

As someone known for manipulating truths, she knew better than anyone... no one cares about the truth, they only care about what interests them.

The blame for the Triwizard Tournament’s failure would be too significant... if Kael really did as he just described, she would be doomed.

Rita Skeeter breathed heavily.

She had come having researched Kael, Hufflepuff, a good reputation, a model student in the eyes of the professors.

Her characterization of Kael was that of a Dumbledore-like student.

Yet... looking at Kael’s smiling face, Rita Skeeter felt she was terribly wrong.

"Are you really a Hufflepuff?" she asked hoarsely.

"Genuine as can be," Kael stood up and pushed open the classroom door.

"Oh, by the way," he turned and said, "After the Triwizard Tournament, I’ll compensate you. How about one hundred Galleons?"

"Aren’t you afraid I won’t publish this article?" Rita Skeeter asked.

"I don’t think you would," Kael said. "You’re famously undeterred by authority; how could a few words from me make you give up on publishing an article? That’s not the bold Ms. Skeeter in my mind."

Saying this, Kael left without looking back.

Rita Skeeter stood there, her expression shifting constantly.

She felt a sense of relief.

Though she was wrong about Kael, fortunately, he had made the same mistake.

Rita Skeeter picked up the parchment full of writing and ripped it to shreds, letting out a mocking laugh.

"Just wait and see... You really shouldn’t have told me this."