Chapter 892: The First Task Comes to a Close
Chapter 892: The First Task Comes to a Close
Krum's relatively low score stirred dissatisfaction among some of the Quidditch fans, but the collective score of seven from the four judges was final. Unlike Albert, he didn't have as many supporters, and Bagman's explanation about the damaged eggs was reasonable.
After all, Krum had rendered that clutch of dragon eggs useless, and dragon eggs were incredibly precious. It was only fair that some points be deducted.
"And now, let's welcome our final champion, the youngest in history, from Hogwarts, Harry Potter!" Bagman announced cheerfully.
However, as soon as Harry Potter entered the arena, the stands erupted into a chaotic din. Some spectators began to hurl malicious curses at Harry, and a few objects were even thrown into the arena.
If Albert was the most popular champion, then Harry was undoubtedly the least favored.
"Oh dear, please stop!" Bagman screamed, trying to prevent people from throwing things at Harry.
"Since when did Potter become so unpopular?" Albert was surprised by the poor reputation of the savior.
"It's mostly related to Slytherin," Lee Jordan said helplessly in response to Albert's question. "They've been stirring up envy and jealousy towards Harry and even distributed badges that say 'Potter Stinks' for free. They wanted to smear you as well, but you have too many supporters, so they eventually gave up."
When it came to the changes at Hogwarts, no one was more informed than Lee Jordan, who loved to pry into all the gossip.
"Most people aren't that gullible," Albert said, finding it hard to understand the mentality of that group. "Do they just believe whatever they're told?"
"Well, there are quite a few like that," Lee Jordan admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I used to be like that too, but after becoming friends with you, I started to think more independently. I realized that most students are just jealous of Harry and are following the crowd."
On many occasions, students from Slytherin took the lead in causing trouble, including the ones who were throwing things into the arena right now.
A boot landed on the ground next to Harry Potter with a "thud," enveloping the entire arena in an awkward silence.
"A Slytherin student?" Albert muttered. "That's their style indeed. If it were me, I'd probably hang that badge-maker up by his ankles for a couple of days!"
Katrina, watching Harry Potter brandish his wand in the arena, furrowed her brows and asked, "What's Potter doing? Is he casting some kind of spell? It doesn't seem to be working. Is he too nervous that his magic isn't functioning properly?"
"No, it's not that. He just used the Summoning Charm, I believe," Albert replied.
"The Summoning Charm? How do you know that?" Several people around him turned to Albert with curious gazes.
"He's probably summoning his broomstick. I've considered using that tactic myself," Albert said as he fished out some popcorn from the paper cup and popped it into his mouth. Of course, he wouldn't mention that it was his idea to suggest this strategy to Harry.
"Then why didn't you use it yourself?" Katrina asked, intrigued, as she knew Albert was also an excellent Seeker.
The reason Albert had given up on using a broomstick was mainly due to his concern that the Firebolt might not be fast enough. If he had a Fire Arrow like Harry's, he wouldn't mind riding a broomstick to easily get through the dragon and retrieve the golden egg.
"Harry Potter is airborne on his Firebolt!" Bagman shouted from the judges' stand. "As the youngest champion, Harry is undoubtedly at a disadvantage compared to the others, but he makes up for it with his clever mind and plays to his strengths."
As Bagman shouted, Harry deftly dodged the breath of the Hungarian Horntail amidst the exclamations and screams of the crowd.
"Oh my, he's flying beautifully!" Bagman exclaimed. "Did you see that, Mr. Krum?"
In the air above the arena, Harry was executing his plan step by step. He hovered above the Hungarian Horntail, throwing Stunning Spells at it to lure it away from its nest, knowing he would never get close to the eggs otherwise.
The trick was to keep harassing the dragon, as they were known for their short tempers. It would surely become enraged and give chase if provoked, and that would be his chance.
The Hungarian Horntail, goaded relentlessly, opened its mouth once more to breathe fire at Harry, but he nimbly evaded it again.
The furious dragon roared angrily and spread its wings in pursuit of Harry, unaware that it had fallen into his trap.
As the Hungarian Horntail chased Harry away from its nest, he led it on a wild chase through the sky, riding his Fire Arrow. When the moment was right, Harry suddenly accelerated and dived towards the dragon's nest.
As he swooped over the nest, he successfully grabbed the golden egg.
"Look!" Bagman shouted. "Look at that! Our youngest champion has retrieved the golden egg!"
The entire arena erupted into a frenzy, with people shouting, screaming, clapping, and cheering so loudly that it almost hurt their ears.
However, Harry, intoxicated by the joy of his success, failed to realize that the Hungarian Horntail was hot on his trail.
Enraged by the audacity of the thief who dared to steal its egg, the Hungarian Horntail breathed fire, nearly turning Harry into ashes and setting the Fire Arrow ablaze.
This time, Harry paid the price for his negligence. While he dodged the incoming fire, he couldn't avoid the dragon's tail, which lashed out and struck him, sending him and his broomstick flying a good distance.
A long, sharp spike on the dragon's tail pierced Harry's shoulder, and his robe was soaked with blood.
Harry felt a searing pain in his shoulder, but his legs remained clamped tightly around the Fire Arrow, preventing him from falling off. The screams of the audience rang in his ears, and he felt a momentary dizziness before accelerating once more, shaking off the Hungarian Horntail, which was attempting to attack again.
The dragon handlers rushed forward to pacify the enraged dragon.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Hungarian Horntail being restrained by the handlers, and he began to descend towards the entrance of the arena.
He was still shaken by the close call. The wound on his shoulder was deep, and if the injury had been a little higher... He had been too careless, and he wouldn't have been hurt otherwise.
Nevertheless, he had made it through the first task alive.
After Harry landed safely on the ground, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin hurried over to greet him.
"Now, we can talk later," Professor McGonagall interrupted as the others were about to speak. "Potter needs to go to the medical tent to see Madam Pomfrey." With that, she led Harry toward the medical tent near the entrance of the arena.
Madam Pomfrey stood at the entrance of the tent and immediately pulled Harry inside for treatment when she saw his injury.
Madame Pomfrey took only a few minutes to completely heal Harry's severe injury. For healers, mundane wounds could be easily treated with magic; it was the magically-induced injuries that were truly troublesome.
"You did it, Harry," Sirius said as he entered the medical tent. "If only you had been more careful at the end."
"It's alright, Sirius. It's impressive that Harry made it through the first task at all," Lupin interjected, his main concern being Harry's safety.
"I got carried away at the last moment," Harry admitted, examining his healed wound. "I should have been more cautious."
"You did amazingly, Harry!"
Ron and Hermione rushed into the medical tent, relieved to see that Harry was unharmed.
"Now, let's go check your score," Sirius suggested, noticing Madame Pomfrey's gaze. They all headed back to the stands to see the final scores.
"You could have gotten a perfect score, Harry," Ron said regretfully. "But you lost some points because of your injury."
"Did anyone get a perfect score?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Albert did," Hermione said, her face full of admiration. "He effortlessly subdued the dragon in just a few minutes."
"Subdued the dragon?" Harry repeated.
"Literally," Sirius reassured him. "Don't compare yourself to him; that guy isn't a regular student. His participation in the Triwizard Tournament is just plain bullying."
When they returned to the stands, Harry noticed the complex looks people were giving him, but he ignored them and turned his attention to the judges' stand, noticing that Karkaroff was missing.
Noticing Harry's confusion, Hermione filled him in on Karkaroff's despicable actions and the chaos that had ensued earlier.
Harry was astonished that someone would stoop so low for victory, even discarding their reputation. Karkaroff's removal from the judges' stand was a consequence of his own actions.
Harry's final score was 45 points. Bagman gave him a 10, Dumbledore and Crouch gave 9s, and Madame Maxime gave an 8.
"I'm glad the first task is over," Bagman said, clearing his throat. "Now, I'd like the champions to come to the tent. I have something to say to you all."
"Bagman probably wants to talk about the second task," Albert guessed.
He glanced at the golden egg in his hand, remembering that it had something to do with water in order to hear the secret inside.
"Well, I'll be heading back then," Isabelle said, kissing Albert's cheek. "Your school will probably be holding a celebration, so you shouldn't be absent."
"Tell Bit to send the photos to my dormitory," Albert reminded her.
As Albert turned to leave, Isabelle pulled Katrina aside. "Would you mind taking a walk with me?" she asked.
"What's up?" Katrina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We sisters haven't had a good chat in a long time," Isabelle said, motioning for Katrina to walk with her.
Albert was unaware of the McDaniel sisters' conversation as he made his way to the tent, where everyone was already waiting for him.
"Everyone's here," Ludo Bagman said cheerfully. "I only have a few things to say."
"First of all, you all did wonderfully!"
"Also, the second task will take place on the morning of February 24th at 9:30 am," Ludo Bagman continued, taking the golden egg from Albert. "You have a long rest period before then, so we've left you with a riddle. If you solve the clue inside the egg, you'll know what the second task is and can prepare accordingly!"
A riddle?
Harry looked at Albert quizzically, thinking that he probably didn't need to bother with the riddle at all. He could easily find out about the second task by glancing into his crystal ball.
After Bagman dismissed them, Krum didn't leave right away. Instead, he approached Albert directly.
"I apologize for Karkaroff's behavior. That was his personal opinion and doesn't represent Durmstrang," Krum said bluntly, putting all the blame on Karkaroff. "To be honest, many of us don't understand how he became headmaster."
"Well, you won't have to figure that out anymore, because Karkaroff won't be your headmaster for much longer," Albert said calmly.
Krum was taken aback, not quite understanding what Albert meant.
As Albert left the tent, only Sandra was waiting for him outside.
"Where are the others?" he asked.
"They're exchanging currencies," Sandra replied with a smile. "Those three made a small fortune from this opportunity. You look quite dashing."
"Thanks, let's head back."
"Is that golden egg part of the competition?" Sandra asked curiously, noticing the egg in Albert's hand.
"Yes, it's a riddle," Albert explained, handing the egg to Sandra. "It's meant to keep the champions occupied."
"I bet the riddle won't stump you," Sandra said, making a gesture of opening something.
"At the celebration tonight, someone will definitely open one of the golden eggs, and it will surely give everyone a surprise," Albert said meaningfully.
"A surprise, huh? I'm intrigued," Sandra said. Later that evening, at the celebration, Sandra witnessed the surprise Albert had mentioned.
Inside the golden egg was nothing but a terrifying, ear-piercing shriek.
"Is this the surprise you were talking about?" Sandra asked, rolling her eyes as she clinked her drink with Albert's.
"Isn't it a surprise?" Albert teased.
"You knew about this already?" Sandra asked, raising an eyebrow. "What is that sound? A ghostly choir?"
"That should be the song of the Merpeople," Albert replied.
"The Merpeople's song?" Sandra asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "I'd bet no one would hire their singers."
"That's not the point," Albert said, taking a sip of butterbeer. He turned to Hermione and asked, "Is there something you need, Hermione?"
"Is the second task in the water?" Hermione inquired.
"To be precise, it's in a lake," Albert corrected her.
"You're quite generous with the information," Sandra remarked. "I'm sure she'll pass this on to Potter."
"It doesn't matter. They'll figure out the secret of the golden eggs eventually anyway. Everyone's cheating," Albert said nonchalantly. He had actually intended for Hermione to know, as he didn't want Barty Jr. getting his hands on the Marauder's Map.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
