Harry Potter and the Hidden Treasure (Volume 3)

Chapter 561 The Change Of Hufflepuff

"Marvelous, Ron!"

"Well done!"

"Hey, you should have told us you entered!" roared Fred, looking part annoyed, part deeply impressed. He put his arms around Ron's shoulders and was elated.

"I never expected our little brother to become a Hogwarts champion," George added.

"I have already written to my mother about this, and she will surely exclaim in excitement," laughed Ginny as she approached.

Everyone was laughing and jumping around Ron.

"If it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor!" Angelina also pounced on him.

"We have food, Ron, come and eat..."

Everyone was celebrating as if they were mad.

"Yes, if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor."

Angelina's words echoed the thoughts of all. After the initial shock, everyone accepted the fact that Ron became a champion. Though shocking, wasn't it a good thing, right?!

Gryffindor had its own champion; everyone was celebrating and revealing. This was the glory of all Gryffindors.

Lee Jordan had unearthed a Gryffindor flag from somewhere and draped it over Ron like a cape.

The crowd around him closed ranks, surrounded him, made him take another butterbeer, filled his hands with crisps and peanuts.

Everyone seemed to have lost their minds and entered a state of jubilation. They all asked Ron, wanting to know how he did it, how he fooled Dumbledore's Age Line and got his name into the Goblet of Fire...

There was a constant stream of congratulations and celebrations, and Ron became the center of attention for the first time.

At first, he struggled to adapt, but soon he got involved and thoroughly enjoyed it.

He began to boast to others about it and talked a lot.

Of course, most of what he said was nonsense. He didn't even know how he became a champion, but that didn't stop him from quickly accepting the change in status and enjoying the vanity of the championship.

Hermione glared at everyone angrily for a while, dissatisfied with Ron's behavior. She did not join the party and went straight to her room.

Evan followed her, still pondering the matter.

The party went on for a long time, well into the night without pause.

Fred and George even went to the Three Broomsticks in the dark and returned with plenty of butterbeer.

When Professor McGonagall came to stop them, everyone went back to bed.

The next morning, Evan got up.

He saw Colin sitting there with heavy bags under his eyes, mechanically dressed in his robes.

"What a hectic night we had last night! I still can't believe Ron became a champion!" he yawned. He had deep bags under his eyes. "I took all the photos and sent them to Professor Lupin in no time. This will surely be sensational news. By the way, I think I should ask Ron for a signed photo. My brother wants to collect it."

"Yes, I never thought it would be Ron," said Evan. He had always thought it would be Harry.

As they entered the Great Hall, they noticed everyone was discussing what had happened the night before.

Harry and Ron had not arrived yet, and Hermione was already sitting early in her seat.

"What's wrong with these people?" said Hermione discontentedly, gesturing for Evan to look at the other long tables.

Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin were looking at Gryffindor's long table with suspicion, a look of disdain on their faces, all whispering, most focused on Evan and Hermione.

From their looks, it seemed they suspected Evan had helped Ron become champion.

However, no one dared to meet Evan's gaze. When Evan looked back at them, they all looked away.

"These kids have been pointing fingers all morning!" said Hermione. "As if I were the champion!"

It was not surprising. Everyone knew Evan, Harry, and Hermione were Ron's closest friends.

"Where are Ron and Cedric?" asked Evan, taking a piece of bread for himself.

"They haven't arrived yet, everyone's waiting for them," said Hermione. "I thought about it last night. This fact is too strange. Who would want to frame Ron? It doesn't make sense. If it were you or Harry, it would make sense..."

Indeed, their current enemy was Barty Crouch, hidden in the shadows.

Voldemort needed Harry's blood to regain his strength. He required someone to bring Harry to him. Caresius had already confirmed this point. Making Harry a champion to compete in the Triwizard Tournament should be their best option.

Unless he knew something that led him to choose Ron as a candidate instead...

As for Evan, making him a champion didn't make sense. The three tasks were not challenging for him.

"Ron doesn't realize the seriousness of this matter. He's still too complacent," Hermione said in a serious tone. "I think we should write to Sirius and inform him about this. He might provide us with some advice."

"Let Harry write..." Evan said; he truly wanted to hear Sirius' opinion.

Sirius' current status as an Auror allowed him to be privy to many things.

He could have information they didn't have access to, like details about Barty Crouch.

Even Evan wanted to write to Percy to inquire about Crouch, but Percy would definitely not disclose anything.

Just then, Ron entered the Great Hall, followed by Harry, Fred, George, and others.

The Gryffindor table applauded enthusiastically, while the other three Houses jeered.

"How about going for a walk?" Hermione suggested, holding a stack of toast wrapped in a napkin.

"Why do you want to leave; the atmosphere here is quite good, isn't it?" Ron said, taking a seat.

He seemed to be in good spirits and with a lifted demeanor.

Upon observing him, it appeared that he believed once everyone got used to him as a champion, things would improve.

But Ron might have made a grave mistake. Apart from the Gryffindor students, everyone else thought it was a disgrace.

Not to mention the Slytherins, who had an unpleasant attitude; what was most surprising was the shift in the Hufflepuffs.

They were known to have always gotten along well with the Gryffindors at school.

The Hufflepuff students were not individuals who relished being in the spotlight, and their abilities and achievements were generally quite ordinary. Most of them were students who studied diligently with their heads down but did not achieve outstanding results. They were clearly complementary to the Gryffindor character.

They didn't fare well with the wise Ravenclaws, nor were they inclined to deal with the contemptible Slytherins.

Conversely, many Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students were good friends.

But now, this was no longer the case at all. They collectively showed indifference towards all Gryffindor students.

It seemed like this was definitely a significant issue.