Chapter 319: Competition Results
Chapter 319: Competition Results
Not only Harry, but also the merperson Licky, was brought ashore by the giant squid.
Even while being held by the tentacles, Harry did not give up struggling, but all his efforts were in vain. In the end, he was forcibly dragged to the shore.
Professor Mcgonagall and Professor Sprout helped pull Harry onto the shore. Snape's face had returned to its usual cold, expressionless mask, but the noticeable relaxation of his fists clearly showed his internal relief.
"Tell everyone what happened, Harry", Dumbledore said with a serious expression, showing no intention of keeping anything hidden.
Harry took a couple of deep breaths on the shore, his eyes darting anxiously to both sides. Instead of answering Dumbledore's question, he said urgently, "Please go and rescue Ron and Gabrielle, Professor Dumbledore! They are still bound by the merpeople!"
At that moment, two merpeople emerged from the Black Lake, bringing Ron and Gabrielle, who were still under the effects of a Stunning Spell.
It was clear that as the competition was ending, the hostages would be safely brought to shore without any risk to their lives.
When the two merpeople who had returned the hostages saw Licky bound and restrained on the ground, their faces showed shock.
"What are you doing? We have been following our agreement! Dumbledore, why have you bound Licky?"
One of the merpeople said angrily.
Dumbledore waved his hand, showing no impatience. He calmly asked these two merpeople to stay, to serve as witnesses and help clarify the situation.
Seeing Ron and Gabrielle returned safely, Harry let out a deep breath. He then recounted everything he had experienced underwater to all the judges, without any concealment.
After Harry was safely brought ashore, the Hogwarts students, who had been spectators, were organized by Professor Mcgonagall and the Prefects to return to the castle. Those who remained to learn the truth were all adult wizards, including Harry as the witness.
After Harry finished his account, the two merpeople who had stayed shouted in shock and anger.
"Impossible! Licky had no reason to do such a thing! When he took the student, he said it was all part of your plan, Dumbledore!"
No one except the merpeople believed this statement.
Unless Dumbledore was being impersonated by someone else, he would never have given such an order.
As Harry was recounting the events, Sherlock had already approached the bound merperson named Licky. Frowning, he drew his wand and lightly tapped Licky's head, quickly reaching a conclusion.
"It's the Imperius Curse."
Sherlock's words caused a chorus of gasps from everyone except Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, and Snape.
Professor Flitwick, who had just returned from the lake and was drying his robes with a spell, stared in disbelief and said, "Someone actually used an Unforgivable Curse within the castle."
Sherlock cast a Stunning Spell, knocking Licky unconscious.
The Imperius Curse, being one of the three Unforgivable Curses, has no counter-curse and only wears off with time. He had to control the merperson's actions first.
"The key point is that the person who used the Imperius Curse was trying to kill Potter!" Professor Mcgonagall's face was still pale, her lips trembling with anger. "Who would do such a thing? In this castle!"
As she asked this question, Harry, who had been silent like a good child after recounting the entire incident, secretly glanced at Snape.
When his eyes met Snape's, he found that Snape was staring at him with his emotionless eyes, which startled Harry.
He had every reason to suspect Snape. Not only had the Old Bat always been at odds with him, but the conversation he had overheard in the middle of the night recently provided ample reason to suspect him.
However, Harry did not voice his suspicion. He had already told Sherlock about his findings and thought that the school might not have taken any action against Snape yet because of some grand plan. Speaking out of turn might ruin everything.
At this moment, Karkaroff's somewhat impatient voice broke the silence.
"I don't care who did this in Hogwarts. I just want to know if the competition results still count."
Bagman frowned and replied, clearly dissatisfied.
"I believe that with such a sudden incident during the competition, the specific results should be reconsidered."
Karkaroff's face darkened.
"How many unexpected incidents have there been since the start of the Triwizard Tournament? Initially, when Hogwarts had two champions, you said it was acceptable, and neither I nor Maxime had any complaints. Now, when something unfavorable happens to you, you want to reconsider the results. What's the point of the competition then? As long as the final trophy doesn't end up with Hogwarts, you'll claim it was an unexpected incident and demand a redo!"
He was trying to pull Madame Maxime into his camp, but she remained silent throughout.
After all, Fleur's performance in this task was not good, so she could accept the results either way.
Percy, who had taken Crouch's place as a judge, wisely kept quiet. He had no real authority and knew better than to speak up in such a situation.
Bagman seemed ready to argue further with Karkaroff, but Dumbledore intervened.
"The competition results stand. The rules of the Triwizard Tournament are clear: no matter what unexpected events occur, the final results will not change. Let's begin the scoring now."
Naturally, the scores were not surprising. Krum, who returned first, received the highest score, followed by Cedric. Fleur and Harry tied for the same score.
This was partly due to Bagman giving Harry a slightly higher score than he deserved; otherwise, based on the time taken, Harry would have placed behind Fleur.
After the scores and rankings were confirmed, Karkaroff and Madame Maxime left without further ado, taking their students back to their respective quarters.
As Karkaroff departed, Sherlock watched him board the ghostly ship that remained anchored on the Black Lake, a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he had just realized something.
(End of Chapter)
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