Chapter 314: Tournament Victory
Chapter 314: Tournament Victory (Requesting Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
"Look at you all, just a while ago you sent the Dragon away, and now you're off to the lake and the forest. I reckon you dried off right after coming out of the lake and went straight into the woods. The damp chill from the lake water isn't good for you, so you should drink some Warming Elixir right away, or you'll be in for a rough time when you get back." Madame Pomfrey said, then picked up a round glass bottle from the table beside her and opened the stopper. Liam and the others could smell the sharp, spicy scent from a distance.
"No need, we already had some anti-chill medicine after we got out of the water", Liam quickly declined, handing the empty bottle he had used to Madame Pomfrey. After sniffing the bottle, Madame Pomfrey gave up on the idea of forcing the elixir down Liam and Harry's throats.
"Liam, seriously, you might consider becoming a Healer after graduation. I think you have a talent for brewing healing elixirs."
"I might be better at Alchemy, but who knows, maybe I'll find new healing elixir formulas from that direction", Liam responded. By this time, Madame Pomfrey had finished examining Ginny's injuries and was applying a green ointment to her ankle.
"That's true, I'll look forward to your future healing elixirs", Madame Pomfrey said, finishing the last bit of ointment on Ginny's ankle and then advising her to avoid strenuous activity for the next few days.
As the two-hour time limit was about to end, the participants from the other two schools finally entered the medical tent, pulling back the curtains. They looked much worse off than Liam's group, and one Beauxbatons hostage was carried in on a stretcher, just like Ginny.
This was a small, silver-haired girl. The open fracture on her left arm showed that her injuries were much more severe than Ginny's, but she was very brave, comforting Fleur even as Madame Pomfrey poured a strong disinfectant potion over her wound, which she endured without crying.
"Oh, Gabrielle, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have walked so fast ahead of you", Fleur said, tears streaming down her face as she watched the red potion bubble up on the wound.
"It's okay, sister. At least we got the Gold Coin", Gabrielle said, like a little adult, stroking her sister's golden hair to comfort her, just as Rose Crystal had comforted Liam. Seeing this, Liam couldn't help but smile slightly.
After everyone was treated, it was time to score. Each Gold Coin and hostage was worth six points. On average, each member of the Hogwarts team scored 42 points. The two Durmstrang students, having been ambushed by Liam's group, didn't have enough time to find more Gold Coins. More importantly, near the end of the tournament, they only managed to find one hostage.
Realizing they didn't have enough time and only had Mr. Gustav's hostage, Krum showed a spirit of camaraderie and handed all the Gold Coins they found to Gustav, so that all their Gold Coins would count. On average, each of them only scored 12 points. Liam noticed Karkaroff looking at them with a hostile gaze.
Finally, it was the Beauxbatons contestants' turn. They had spent too much time battling a group of aquatic magical creatures in the Black Lake, and as a result, they didn't find all their Gold Coins. After the intense fight with Liam's group, Krum and his team lost the Gold Coin that allowed them to see all the other Gold Coins. To ensure their safety, they didn't ambush Fleur and her team at the various Gold Coin points. In the final desperate struggle at the exit, the ambush point was too close to the exit, allowing Fleur and her team to break through successfully.
Thus, Fleur kept all the Gold Coins they had obtained. Six Gold Coins and two hostages gave each of them 24 points.
"Awesome", Liam and Harry high-fived each other upon seeing the final scores, as their scores were now higher than those of the other school students. The stands erupted in thunderous cheers.
"The third and final task will take place on the evening of June 24th", Bagman announced after the scores were revealed. "The champions will be informed of the task details one month in advance. Thank you all for your support of the champions."
"I thought they might add another Tournament event this time because of the large number of participants", Liam said to Harry on their way back to the castle.
"Add another event? Spare me. I feel like I'm about to die just from these three." Harry said with a bit of exaggeration. Today had been a whirlwind, with the lake and the forest. The excitement during the Tournament had kept him from feeling the strain, but now that it was over, Harry felt every muscle in his body aching. All he wanted was to get to bed and sleep.
"Ministry of Magic officials did consider adding one or two more Tournament events", said Alicia, a third-year and Hermione's biggest fan, as she joined them from behind. "My father overheard his uncle, who works at the Ministry, at a family gathering. However, due to budget constraints and the rush to set up new events, they couldn't ensure safety and fairness. In the end, they decided to stick with tradition."
"What do you mean by fairness?" Harry asked, puzzled. "The Tournament should be fair as long as everyone follows the same rules, right?"
"It's not that simple", Alicia shook her head. "For example, the Headmaster of Durmstrang suggested adding a dueling arena, which is easy to set up and keep safe. However, the British side rejected it. A dueling arena is purely about raw power, and for a fourth-year student from Hogwarts, that would be very unfair. Fourth-year students don't have the same magical power or knowledge as adults." Alicia glanced at Harry, her meaning clear.
Harry shrugged, feeling a bit down. It seemed that his lack of skill was a point of contention, though he hadn't wanted to participate in the Tournament in the first place.
After the second event, countless people came up to Liam and Harry, asking about what had happened during the Tournament. Unlike the Dragon Combat, this time everyone in the stands could only enjoy the Scottish Highlands' scenic beauty in the chilly February air. They saw nothing of the Tournament process except for the brief moments when the participants entered the water and ran into the Forbidden Forest.
Liam managed to avoid most of the curious students by spending most of his time in the Library. Madam Pince's feather duster didn't care about the Tournament, but Harry couldn't avoid the trouble that came his way.
Ginny and Ron had a bit of a falling out. Ron felt that Ginny's choice to represent him and Harry's years of friendship was overshadowed by her six months of acquaintance. During a break, he casually complained that Harry was prioritizing romance over friendship. Ginny, being fiery, gave him a sharp retort. Ron, facing his younger sister, could only apologize for his thoughtless words.
"I've thought it through. As long as Ginny is happy, I trust Harry to take care of my sister", Ron told the Weasley Twins during dinner.
At the same dinner, the Weasley Twins approached Liam to ask if he could add a physical defense function to the Bracelet. A customer had complained that the lack of physical defense had put him in danger.
"Do you know who bought that Bracelet? It was Krum. During the Forbidden Forest event, I almost got killed by my own Bracelet." Liam's face darkened as he spoke. "The Alchemy products I create are different from the joke items in your shop. Many are serious magical items. I suggest you verify the identity of the buyer before selling such items. I don't want Dark Wizards using my products for evil."
"That's a good point", Fred said. "We'll try to verify the buyers' identities from now on. I'll write to Krum and turn him down."
"Hold on", Liam stopped the Twins as they were about to run off. "Krum isn't a Dark Wizard; he's just a competitor. Why not make some money? Write to him and tell him you can add physical defense to the Bracelet, but it will cost three times the original price."
"Brilliant!" The Weasley Twins gave Liam a thumbs-up and ran off to prepare their reply.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
