Chapter 344: The Final Match
Chapter 344: The Final Match (Please subscribe, favorite, and vote)
As June arrived, the atmosphere in the castle became tense and exciting once again. Everyone was looking forward to the final Tournament, which would take place a week before the holidays. Hermione and the others would finish their exams on the day of the third task. They should have been focusing on their revision, but they spent a significant amount of time helping Liam and Harry prepare, especially Harry.
"Will this interfere with your exams?" Harry asked, feeling a bit guilty. Since the others had exams, spending so much time with him did seem to take away from their study time.
"It won't. When you practice alone at the end of each day, Liam and Hermione help me and my brother catch up. I think I've reviewed better this semester than last", Ginny said, wiping the sweat from Harry's forehead with a handkerchief. Ever since Harry and Ginny started dating, Ginny had become much more mature, displaying a sense of being a good wife and mother. It's no wonder Harry eventually chose her, even overlooking her past relationships.
"Ginny's right", Ron said, pausing to keep a small bee suspended in mid-air with an Impediment Jinx. "I think helping you practice and the extra tutoring from Liam and the others have made my studies more solid this year."
After facing Voldemort, Harry's mindset had become much more stable, which significantly improved his practice.
Professor Mcgonagall often caught Liam and the others practicing all over the school. As the Head of the only House with a Champion, she provided them with an important help: allowing them to use the Transfiguration classroom during lunchtime.
Harry quickly mastered several new spells, such as the Obstacle Charm, which could block attackers; the Crushing Curse, which could destroy solid obstacles; and the Point-Me Spell, which Hermione found and taught him, making his wand point north, helping him navigate the maze.
However, he hadn't fully mastered the Armor Charm, which could create an invisible barrier around him. During a Combat Training session with Liam, Liam exploited a weakness and hit Harry's arm with a Softening Curse. Harry's right arm immediately went limp, and his wand fell to the ground. Fortunately, the recent training had sharpened his reflexes, allowing him to dodge Liam's next Stinging Jinx. His right arm, however, remained paralyzed until the end of the training session.
Ginny looked concerned, but this was all Harry's own request. He wanted Liam to train him as if it were a real combat situation, knowing that these skills would be crucial now that Voldemort had returned.
The other Champions from the other schools were also learning spells that might be useful in the final Tournament. Liam, however, continued to spend a significant amount of time studying Alchemy and the Magic from the "A Song of Ice and Fire" worlds.
The Magic from the "A Song of Ice and Fire" worlds was indeed less powerful due to the limited supernatural power in those worlds, and the casting process was somewhat crude due to the small number of practitioners and researchers. However, many of the unique knowledge and techniques were highly valuable, and Liam was trying to integrate them into his own spellcasting system.
On the day of the Tournament, the Gryffindor breakfast table was bustling with activity. As usual, a screeching owl delivered the morning Daily Prophet to Hermione. She opened the paper, glanced at the front page, and immediately choked on her pumpkin juice.
"What's wrong?" Liam asked, gently patting her back.
Hermione coughed loudly and passed the paper to Liam. He saw the headline: "Harry Potter — Troubled and Dangerous. The Boy Who Defeated the Dark Lord is Emotionally Unstable and Potentially Dangerous. Recent shocking evidence of Harry Potter's strange behavior raises doubts about his suitability for the Triwizard Tournament and even his place at Hogwarts..."
"Let me see, the report by special correspondent Rita Skeeter. This woman never has a good word to say, Harry. Don't let her get to you."
"It's fine, I'll get through it", Harry said calmly as he folded the newspaper. After facing life and death, Harry had indeed grown a lot. In the past, he would never have handled such a situation with such composure.
"Is that guy sticking his hands into the School again?" Liam whispered something into Hermione's ear. Hermione's face showed shock at first, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded.
As they were having breakfast, the others gradually left to take their exams. Liam and Harry planned to spend the last few moments reviewing in the Library before the event.
Professor Mcgonagall approached their table along the Gryffindor row.
"You two, the Champions, gather in the meeting room next to the Great Hall after breakfast", she said.
"But the Tournament doesn't start until tonight!" Harry accidentally spilled scrambled eggs on himself, thinking he had the time wrong.
"I know, Potter", Professor Mcgonagall said, "the Champions' relatives have been invited to watch the final, so you can meet them. By the way, Liam, you have relatives coming as well."
Liam was stunned. He didn't think the School would invite his Muggle parents to watch the Tournament. So who could be coming?
After finishing breakfast, the other Champions headed to the meeting room, and Liam followed. As soon as he entered, he saw Viktor Krum talking rapidly in Bulgarian with his dark-haired parents, who had passed on their hooked noses to him. Harry was standing by the fireplace, talking with Sirius Black, who seemed to be giving him some last-minute advice. The two French families were standing at the other end of the room, chatting in French.
Liam was surprised to see Mrs. Weasley and Bill standing by the fireplace, smiling at him.
"Surprised, aren't you?" Mrs. Weasley said warmly. "I thought they might not allow your parents into the School, but you've helped us so much. It would be too bad to let you face the Tournament alone, so we came." She hugged Liam.
"It's great to see you again", Bill said, shaking Liam's hand with a smile. "Charlie told me you used Alchemy to defeat a Dragon. That's amazing."
Liam noticed Fleur Delacour looking over her mother's shoulder, clearly intrigued by Bill. It was obvious she wasn't bothered by his long hair and spiked earrings.
"Really, thank you so much", Liam said sincerely, expressing his heartfelt gratitude to the Weasleys. The members of this family were indeed the best kind of friends to have.
After meeting up with Sirius Black and Harry, they began wandering around the grounds. Mrs. Weasley and Sirius shared many stories from their school days.
At lunch, the Weasley children were delighted to see their mother at the table. However, Ron was less fortunate. When Mrs. Weasley asked about his exam, he casually mentioned, "I couldn't remember all those rebellious Goblin names, so I made a few up. It's no big deal." This earned him a few stern lectures.
In the afternoon, the Champions' relatives, at Sirius Black's invitation, went to Hogsmeade. Liam helped Harry quickly review the material they had learned, using the last bit of time before the event. The others seemed to be preparing as well, and it wasn't until dinner that the six Champions reappeared in the Great Hall.
(End of Chapter)
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