Chapter 933: Scoring
Chapter 933: Scoring
Sirius Black, who had been anxiously waiting by the shore of the Black Lake, immediately dove into the water as soon as he saw Harry resurface. He pulled the exhausted Harry out of the lake.
Furong also broke free from Mrs. Maxime's restraint and jumped into the water to save her sister, Gabrielle.
Ron, who had just come to his senses and spit out a mouthful of lake water, was still dazed and floundering in the water. Seeing Harry and the silver-haired girl being rescued, he could only swim to the shore by himself and was eventually pulled out by Fred and George.
"Well done, Harry," Sirius said, gently tapping Harry's shoulder with his wand to remove the water and the chill from the lake. He then patted Harry's shoulder encouragingly.
"I... I wasn't able to complete the hostage rescue," Harry said, feeling a bit disappointed. Despite all his preparations, he hadn't expected to fail in rescuing the hostage.
"It's alright, Harry. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters," Sirius reassured him gently. "You really don't need to worry about the outcome of the task."
"But..."
"Mr. Anderson returned with the hostage in just fifteen minutes, and I dare say no other champion will be able to surpass that. So, don't bother thinking about the scores, it's just a source of unnecessary worry," Lupin said, patting Harry's shoulder as well. "Perhaps, you should reflect on what you gained from this task. Compared to the scores, the experience itself is far more interesting, don't you think?"
Harry looked up at Albert, who was talking to a pretty red-haired girl, and fell silent. Lupin was right; there was no need to fret over those things, it was just causing him unnecessary distress.
Harry wanted to be the champion, to prove himself before Zachari, to show that he was better than Cedric Diggory. But this Triwizard Tournament already had a champion.
Yes, the champion had been predetermined long ago, and his name was Albert Anderson.
What was even more terrifying was that almost everyone thought the same, and the other champions had all but given up on vying for the championship.
"The second task has finally come to a perfect close," Albert said, handing a thick blanket to George, who wrapped their younger brother up snugly.
"How is this considered a perfect close?" Fred asked in confusion.
"No one drowned in the Black Lake, so it's not a perfect close?" Albert countered, handing a cup of potion to Fred. "Have him drink this quickly to prevent him from catching a cold."
"That's true. At least, Harry's situation is much better than Krum's," George said with a mischievous smile as he forced the potion into Ron's mouth, watching his ears steam up.
"Cough, what happened to Krum?" Ron asked, choking a bit.
"He seemed to have encountered a large number of Grindylows on his way, and the situation was quite dire," Fred commented softly. "I'm surprised Krum was still able to persist and complete the task, it's truly incredible."
Ron looked in Krum's direction and saw Madam Pomfrey treating his wounds with great astonishment, while Hermione kept Krum company. As Ron withdrew his gaze, he happened to catch a glimpse of Furong kissing Harry's cheek, seemingly to thank him for saving her sister.
For some reason, this sight made Ron's heart feel sour.
"They should be announcing the results soon," George said, turning to Albert. "Can you understand the language of the merpeople?"
"No, I haven't specifically learned it," Albert replied, watching as Dumbledore knelt by the water's edge, deep in conversation with the merpeople chief. He couldn't help but admire the elderly wizard.
Without the aid of the skill panel, he certainly wouldn't be able to learn the merpeople's language.
"It's rare to find a language you don't know," George teased.
"It's normal to have languages I haven't learned!" Albert retorted.
With the skill panel, learning the merpeople's language wouldn't be a difficult task for Albert if he wanted to.
"By the way, the fireworks earlier were fantastic. You should consider selling them to Hogwarts. After all, they'll need celebratory fireworks once the Triwizard Tournament is over, won't they?"
"That's a great suggestion," Fred and George said, their eyes lighting up with excitement, but they soon calmed down.
"Do you think Professor Dumbledore would be willing to buy fireworks from us?"
"You can try pitching your festive fireworks to Professor Dumbledore. After all, these opportunities need to be seized, and it's rare for opportunities to come knocking on your door," Albert advised.
"What fireworks?" Ron asked curiously.
"It has nothing to do with you," Fred and George said in unison.
Just then, the five judges on the panel finally finished their deliberations.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Dumbledore's magically amplified voice rang out, startling everyone. "Chief Merperson, Mergus, has told us everything that transpired at the bottom of the lake. The judges have decided to award scores out of fifty points to each champion."
"Mr. Albert Anderson used gillyweed and the Bubble-Head Charm, and also demonstrated remarkable ingenuity by using the Transfiguration Spell and basic motion spells to create a propulsion device for underwater movement, achieving astonishing results.
"There was a slight pause in Dumbledore's tone before he continued, "He was the first to return with the hostage, completing the task in just fifteen minutes. We award Mr. Albert Anderson fifty points, a perfect score."
Izabel leaned her head on Albert's shoulder, playfully winking as she said, "I bet you surprised everyone with that."
"I was just worried about your safety and wanted to get you out of there as soon as possible," Albert replied.
A deafening cheer erupted from the stands, drowning out their quiet exchange, as the students of Hogwarts proudly celebrated the genius of Albert Anderson.
Only a handful of radical Slytherin students watched with cold eyes, seeing the triumph of a Muggle-born as an embarrassment to pure-blood wizards, but such extreme views were held by a minority.
Under a large tree by the lake, Professor Moody, leaning on his cane, applauded for Albert, but his gaze was somewhat gloomy, and a malicious smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he looked at Albert.
Moody, or rather, Barty Crouch Jr., eagerly anticipated the death of Hogwarts' genius in the Triwizard Tournament maze, curious to see the expressions of the students who were now cheering for Albert.
It took over a minute for the cheers and noise to gradually subside, and when they did, Dumbledore finally spoke again. "Fleur Delacour displayed excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, but she was attacked by Grindylows while approaching the target and failed to rescue the hostage. We award her twenty-five points."
Fleur, being a calm and collected individual, didn't mind receiving the lowest score among the participants. She quietly conversed with Gabrielle, comforting her sister.
"Viktor Krum used Transfiguration, albeit incomplete, but still effective. He was the second to return with the hostage, far exceeding the one-hour time limit. We award him forty points."
"Harry Potter also used the Bubble-Head Charm," Dumbledore continued, a satisfied smile on his face as he looked at Harry. "Although he ultimately failed to rescue the hostage, the Merpeople chief informed us that Mr. Potter was the second to locate the hostage. He chose not to return immediately and instead ensured the safety of all hostages before attempting to surface. Unfortunately, this caused the Bubble-Head Charm to reach its limit, and he could not resurface in time. Most of the judges felt that this demonstrated noble moral character, so we award Mr. Potter forty points."
"He may be a bit foolish to do that, but not many people can make such a choice," Albert commented to Izabel beside him.
"Yes, it was foolish and heroic at the same time. But I like that about him," Izabel whispered, snuggling closer to Albert. "Still, I wouldn't want you to do the same."
As she finished, she joined in the applause for Harry.
Everyone was stunned into silence.
It wasn't until a few judges began clapping that people snapped out of their daze. Fleur, realizing what was happening, also clapped enthusiastically, and Krum, seemingly unbothered by sharing a score with Harry, joined in the applause as well.
Led by the champions themselves, the audience gradually followed suit, and the applause spread throughout the stands.
Harry stood there, mouth slightly agape, his expression complex. He hadn't expected to receive such a good score, nor had he anticipated that his impulsive decision would be acknowledged and encouraged.
"So, you weren't being foolish after all," Ron shouted. "Well done, Harry!"
Dumbledore smiled gently at the surrounding cheers and applause. Once the noise died down, he spoke again. "The third and final task will take place on the evening of June 24th. The champions will be informed of the details of the task one month in advance."
As Dumbledore finished speaking, Lee Jordan took the lead in shouting, "Let's celebrate! We should hold a banquet in honor of our champions!"
Students from other houses protested, as only Gryffindor Tower had hosted a celebration after the first task, leaving those who couldn't attend feeling dissatisfied.
"Maybe we should hold the banquet in the Great Hall this time," someone suggested.
"Let's go," Albert said, looping his arm through Izabel's. "I think you should take a hot shower, change into dry clothes, have something warm to eat, and get some rest."
Izabel agreed, as soaking in the lake hadn't been very pleasant.
However, before the two could leave, Madam Pomfrey insisted on escorting each of the champions and hostages back to the castle to change into dry clothes and receive care in the infirmary to prevent any illnesses from prolonged exposure to the cold lake water.
But along the way, Albert and Izabel quietly slipped away. Albert had no interest in being fussed over by Madam Pomfrey, especially since he hadn't sustained any injuries. Instead, he figured they could enjoy a hot shower, a warm meal, and some much-needed relaxation.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
