Since they'd only boarded the train right before it departed, most compartments were already full... but that hardly mattered.
After walking forward a bit, the group encountered Cedric, who had just stepped out of a compartment and was heading toward the front of the train.
"Oh, Mr. Cedric," Fred announced, coming to a theatrical halt in front of him with an exaggerated bow, "it is truly an honor to see you here."
"A great honor," George added, mimicking Fred's gesture.
Cedric took a wary half-step back. "You two are up to no good again," he said, eyeing them suspiciously.
After years of being at school together, Cedric knew the twins' antics all too well. In fact, from the fleeting grin Fred had flashed upon spotting him, Cedric could already tell whether it was a warm reunion or a setup for mischief—and it was clearly the latter. Such exaggerated politeness was never a good sign.
"The spark has faded, the feelings have faded," Fred sighed. "You used to come over and hug us, but now you're taking a step back."
"We've grown apart," George added, looking theatrically heartbroken. "You were never like this when you were our Prefect."
"No need to go on, George," Fred said solemnly. "Prefect Cedric probably wants to be friends with Percy more now."
"Be friends with Percy?" Fred shuddered, feigning horror. "Then you'll have to keep that Prefects Who Gained Power book forever."
"I'm afraid so," George nodded, equally serious.
"Kyle, you must never become a prefect," Fred said, turning to him.
"Because it would make your life dreadfully dull," George agreed.
Kyle, who had been happily watching their antics, suddenly couldn't laugh anymore. He hadn't even said a word—why was he getting dragged into this? He was only in fourth year, and they were already making plans about him being a prefect next year? Just how much did these two despise prefects?
"What on earth are you talking about?" Cedric interrupted, frowning as he looked at them disapprovingly. "And how do you even know I'm going to be a prefect? I don't remember telling you."
After spending so much time together, Cedric was fully aware of his friends' personalities, and he also knew this wasn't the first time they'd mocked Percy. He'd planned to keep his prefect status quiet for as long as possible and had even kept his prefect badge tucked away when he'd stepped out just now.
"Oh, come on," Fred rolled his eyes. "Top of the year four years in a row—who else would they pick?"
"Besides," George snickered, "there are two pieces of news making the rounds at the Ministry these days."
"Sirius Black's escape…" Fred began.
"And the news that you have become Head Boy," George finished, grinning. "Mr. Diggory's public relations skills are practically on par with The Daily Prophet."
Cedric flushed. "He specifically promised me he wouldn't tell anyone."
Kyle shook his head. Cedric was still too naive. Trying to keep Mr. Diggory from bragging about his son's accomplishments was about as futile as trying to keep Percy from flaunting his Head Boy badge.
"So, are you headed to the Head Boy compartment now?" Kyle asked.
"I wasn't going to," Cedric replied, "but Percy has reminded me three times in the past five minutes that I absolutely have to go."
"Well, off you go, then." George patted him on the shoulder. "And by the way, when you get there, ask Percy if the previous Head Boy also went around telling people he had an incredibly large head."
"And wore it on his chest… Personally, I think it's really a bit ridiculous," Fred added, chuckling.
"What are you all doing here?" Percy's voice cut in suddenly from behind them.
"What was that about being 'ridiculous'…?" Percy asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Nothing," Fred said vaguely. "We just saw someone with a really funny badge... it was hilarious."
Percy frowned. Something about Fred and George didn't sit right with him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"I'm warning you—behave yourselves, or else…"
"Points?" George chimed in.
"Or detention?" Fred added.
"We were just talking in the aisle for a bit," Fred shrugged. "Pretty sure that's not against the rules."
"I'll be watching you…" Percy muttered, a hint of unease showing before he turned his attention to Cedric. "Hurry up, I have an announcement to make on behalf of the professor, and I'm waiting for you."
Cedric merely shrugged, then followed Percy toward the front of the car.
Once they left, Kyle and the others entered the compartment Cedric had just come out of, where Kanna, Cho, Ginny, and Luna were sitting together, poring over The Quibbler. Aside from Luna, though, the other three looked less than interested, and Cho even yawned as Kyle and the others walked in.
"What are you reading?" Kyle asked.
"Some… very interesting theories," Kanna whispered. "This magazine claims that Fudge purposely released Sirius Black so he could secretly eliminate those who don't support him."
"Well, maybe it's true," Luna said, looking up. "Otherwise, why else would the Ministry have been searching for him for a month without finding anything?"
"Here's another one," Ginny added, leaning in. "It says there's some… 'unknown connection' between Sirius Black and Fudge. Apparently, Fudge was unpopular and limited in his influence after taking office, so Black supposedly entered Azkaban voluntarily to win over the worst criminals for him. Now, over the past ten years, he's formed a secret army for Fudge, dedicated to eliminating opposition. But Fudge couldn't bear to leave Black in such a terrible place any longer, so he released him in secret… Their bond might be deeper than anyone realized."
Kyle smirked. What is this, the untold tale of Black and Fudge? Whoever wrote this article had quite an imagination. Black's reaction would be priceless if he ever read this. Too bad The Quibbler wasn't widely circulated; it would've been even more entertaining if this made it into The Daily Prophet.
"But everyone knows that Sirius Black is a Death Eater," Ginny said, frowning. "How could he be working for Fudge?"
"That's just his 'official' role," Luna replied. "The writer suggests Black is the only Death Eater who was never tried—it's possible Fudge is using his authority to influence things."
"But Fudge wasn't even the Minister back then," Ginny pointed out.
"Well, he's the Minister now, and there's no one else standing in his way," Luna added.
Silence fell in the compartment. Oddly enough, it sounded almost convincing. If they didn't already know about Black, they might have even believed it.
Kyle shook his head, recalling an old issue of The Quibbler from years back. That one had claimed Fudge had the Department of Mysteries develop a poison to control his opponents. Diana had been so furious that she nearly grabbed her wand to "have a word" with Mr. Lovegood. And here they were, years later, still connecting everything back to mysterious poisons. So now, apparently, this poison Black allegedly used was created by the Department of Mysteries.
No wonder Chris mentioned that wizards abroad like this magazine, he thought. The tales of hidden romances and dramatic feuds involving the Minister of Magic were definitely fun to read for amusement. And if the minister in question was from another country, well, that just made it all the better. With a bit of distance, they didn't even need to fact-check it—it was just pure entertainment.