Note: This is probably the longest action sequence I've ever written for a fanfic! I hope somebody enjoys it!
This chapter is dedicated to Natalie2701, who asks very awkward questions...! :-)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
10: The Qualifier
The arena itself, flanked on all sides by towering tiered seating from which the spectators were already cheering and shouting enthusiastically, was somewhat smaller than a Quidditch pitch. It was, Carrie saw once she and Remus had taken their seats amongst the rest of the Order who had come to watch, entirely empty, it's floor covered in a generous layer of sand. Lines had been drawn, one down the middle, dividing the arena in two, whilst at either end a small box had been traced into the sand.
Carrie frowned deeply.
"Why sand?" she asked, leaning sideways so that she could speak loudly into Remus' ear in an attempt to be heard. "Why not...grass or floorboards? It's like we just had a mishap with a time turner and ended up in Ancient Rome!"
"Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant!" Remus recited with a grin. "Hail Emporer, we who are about to die salute you!"
Carrie's frown deepened and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." the muggle muttered, and the werewolf let out a chuckle as the large doors at the side of the arena slid grandly open. The crowd let out a deafening roar as a burly wizard dressed in black robes came striding to stand in the very centre of the arena. Carrie watched him draw his wand out from his pocket, pointing the tip at his throat, and quite suddenly his voice boomed out around the stands.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to this afternoon's qualifier matches for this year's National Duelling Championships!"
The crowd let out an earsplitting cheer as the wizard thrust his arms up, turning around to beam up at all of them.
"The National Duelling Association wishes you a spectacular afternoon! And it certainly will be spectacular! Our first match is between Great Britain and Switzerland!" As the crowd's screaming cheers rose Carrie almost struggled to hear the announcer observe: "That's right! It's Britain's first match on home soil for over FIFTY YEARS! Who's ready for it?"
All around the stadium, a sea of witches and wizards swathed in Union Jack cloaks and splattered with red, white and blue face paint leapt onto their feet, cheering wildly. Opposite her, Carrie could make out a large crowd of Swiss supporters who were busy waving flags enthusiastically, the beginnings of a chant brewing in their midst.
"Let's get started, then!" bellowed the announcer. "Please welcome into the arena the Swiss National Duelling Team! Endrit Seifert! Fisnik Acklin! Lukas Hlasek! Margrit Lautens! Petrus Rausis! And their captain today, Serge Zubriggen!"
As the Swiss supporters whooped and cheered wildly, the rest of the crowd reduced to polite applause, Carrie watched the Swiss team enter the arena, coming to stand in a long line in the middle of the arena. Comprising of five men and only one woman, they were dressed in snowy white robes, the bright red Swiss flag emblazoned upon their backs. As the last in the line let out a command-like shout they all stood to attention like soldiers. Their expressions were deadly focused, and they all turned to look back at the doors they had come through as the announcer called:
"Now please welcome the British National Duelling Team! Jasmine Wickes! Albert Diggory! Xander Pikket! Burton Hayes! Hale Grover! And their captain today, Nymphadora Lupin!"
Carrie jumped to her feet and whooped and cheered for all she was worth as the British team filed out into the arena, coming to line up opposite their opponents. Unlike the Swiss team, Britain's duellers took a moment to wave at the surrounding crowd in greeting, all save for Dora, who gazed around at the stands searchingly. No sooner had she caught sight of the familiar black-cloaked Order members and the fiery banner that they held aloft between them, the metamorphmagus turned back to look at the Aurors stood opposite her, gaze scrutinizing. As the crowds' cheering began to die down, Carrie heard the Deputy Head of Aurors snap:
"Eyes front!"
And with a stamp, the British Aurors stood to attention, staring across at those opposite them.
"Captains Zubriggen and Lupin will now shake hands." the announcer informed the crowd, and the two Aurors obediently stepped forward, reaching to grasp one another firmly by the hand. A few words were exchanged, Carrie could see Zubriggen appeared to be smiling and as he and Dora parted he reached to slap an amiable hand down upon the witch's shoulder. Once returned to their places, the announcer requested: "Duellers, draw your wands!"
The crowd watched in silence as the twelve Aurors drew the wands from the holsters upon their belts, holding them down by their side. Upon instruction the two teams bowed to one another, before turning to retreat to their designated end of the arena. The announcer disappeared back through the arena doors, and a few minutes later, once both teams were each clustered inside the small box that had been drawn in the sand, the announcer's voice boomed from somewhere amongst the stands:
"Please take your starting positions!"
There was a moment of jostling down at Britain's end as the Aurors seemingly took some time to decide who ought stand next to who. They settled on Albert Diggory and Hale Grover, the handsome hook-nosed young man, each standing on an end. Dora and Jasmine were next, leaving the burly Burton Hayes and Xander Pikket with the scar upon his face to stand in the middle. Oddly, Carrie saw, Hayes reached to grasp hold of Dora by the hand, and beside him Pikket did the same to Jasmine. Dora flung her wand arm up into the air, and at the opposite end of the arena the Swiss captain did the same...
The floor was moving.
Carrie dropped back down into her seat in alarm, grasping hold of the edge of the chair as the whole entire arena began to tremble, a deep rumbling noise rising up into the air, and to the muggle's astonishment, down upon the arena floor great boulders and enormous shards of rock were slowly breaking free from underneath the sand, rising up into the air, high and higher until they towered above the Aurors. The arena, so barren before, was completely transformed into a labyrinth of rocks. At the centre, the last to rise from the sandy veil, was a flat rock upon which lay a large square of black material, the crossed wands emblem Carrie had seen out in the reception area embroidered in it's middle.
"Capture the flag." Remus observed, and now that the cheering and formalities were over Carrie felt her stomach twist into knots.
"Today's task is capture the flag!" the announcer's voice boomed, and Carrie rose slowly back onto her feet to peer back down at the British team to see their reaction to this news. Carrie could not help but think they perhaps weren't paying a whole lot of attention, for they appeared to be talking rapidly to one another. Jasmine was grinning quite manically, but Dora was frowning deeply.
"The first team to return the flag to their base will be declared the winner!" bellowed the announcer. "Are you ready?"
The crowd let out a whooping cheer and the two captains once again flung their arms up into the air.
And with that, a deafening horn sounded, signalling the beginning of the match.
The Swiss Aurors bolted forwards towards the middle of the arena, and Carrie watched to see the British do the same...
"What are they doing?" she shouted to Remus, who had dragged himself out of his seat to peer down at the team.
"I have no idea..." Remus admitted, frowning deeply.
Hayes and Pikket had jumped back to stand behind Dora and Jasmine, and Carrie watched in bemusement as they each reached to grasp hold of a witch by the hands, bending their knees...
And Carrie watched in astonishment as the wizards shouted:
"GO!"
The two witches jumped, kicking their feet back to strike against their partners' legs, and at that precise moment the two wizards straightened up, there came a flash of magic and as if they were upon a pair of human springs the two witches were catapulted up into the air...
"Oh Merlin..." Carrie heard Remus wince, and the muggle's eyes widened in shock as the crowd audible gasped...
Once high above the arena, both Jasmine and Dora took somewhat clumsy aim and bellowed their chosen spell, no sooner had two jets of golden light shot from their wands, the two witches succumbed to gravity and began to plummet back down towards the arena floor...
They'd snap every bone in their bodies, Carrie was certain of it!
She reached a blind hand sideways to grab hold of Remus by the arm, but the werewolf didn't move a muscle as he watched his wife fall faster and faster towards the ground...
Only for both Albert Diggory and Hale Grover to take precise aim, and above the crowd Carrie just about heard them bellow:
"ARESTO MOMENTUM!"
Grover's spell struck Jasmine square in the back and immediately her descent slowed until she hit the floor with only a minor bump...
Diggory manage to hit Dora in the shoulder, and Carrie winced in anticipation as the witch's fall slowed, only for her legs to fall faster than her torso, yanking her feet first towards the ground. She struck the floor as if she might land upon her feet, only for her legs to crumple under the sudden weight, her ankle visibly twisting as she promptly collapsed to the floor with a groan.
OOOW! the crowd cried as the Deputy Head of Aurors promptly curled herself up into a ball with a hiss of pain, only for the crowd's attention to be diverted by a sudden flash of light.
The streaming golden lights that Dora and Jasmine had sent shooting across the arena had exploded into a solid wall of glistening golden magic, stretching across the arena near the Swiss base. As the barrier materialised, Carrie watched one Swiss Auror skid to a halt in an attempt to halt himself from colliding with him, only to stumble a step too far...
The crowd let out an almighty cheer as the wizard was flung backwards off his feet. The barrier gave a slight shudder at the impact, before returning to normal, humming ever so softly.
Back down the British end of the arena, Albert Diggory had rushed to Dora's side, only for Xander Pikket to demand:
"GO! JUST GO!"
Casting one last regretful look down at the injured witch, Albert Diggory turned his back on the scene, and together he and Grover set off towards the middle of the arena at a sprint.
"Merlin, look at them go!" Carrie breathed as the two young men darted away, but Remus didn't seem to notice, he was much too busy watching Pikket and Hayes reaching to drag Dora roughly back onto her feet. Jasmine had barely scrambled up onto her feet herself before she found Dora half-flung into her arms, and the two wizards set off after Diggory and Grover, only for one to fork left and the other right, heading up the very edges of the arena. Left alone with their casualty, Jasmine stumbled over to the nearest large rock formation, and practically dropped Dora down onto the floor behind it.
"D'you think she's alright?" Carrie asked Remus as Jasmine dropped into a crouch to examine Dora's ankle, and the werewolf admitted:
"She's in major trouble if it's broken."
Diggory and Grover were nearing the flag, and Carrie was just feeling her heart leap excitedly in her chest at the sight of them, the Swiss Aurors having regrouped to fling spells at the golden barrier causing it to shudder and ripple...
"There!" Remus observed, raising an arm to point, and it was at that moment that Carrie caught sight of a white figure creeping up one side of the arena. As the Swiss Auror flattened himself against a boulder, leaving Hayes to rush straight past him, Carrie wondered:
"How did he get past the barrier?"
"He must have slipped past just before it formed."
"He must've been very quick!"
"Indeed...he's headed straight for the British base."
"Jasmine'll get him!" Carrie decided confidently, only to look back to see Jasmine had darted off after the rest of her team, leaving Dora alone slumped back against the rocks. As the crowd let out a deafening cheer as Diggory snatched up the flag, covered by Grover from behind and Pikket and Hayes from the sides, Carrie found herself watching the lone Swiss Auror as he hurried closer and closer toward's Dora hiding place.
Dora, meanwhile, was busy stamping her foot somewhat gingerly upon the floor, testing...
"Get up!" Carrie found herself pleading. "GET UP, DORA! GET UP!"
Apparently satisfied by her little assessment, Dora reached to grasp hold of the boulder beside her and used it to heave herself up onto her feet, one leg wobbling unsteadily under the weight upon it for a moment before she slowly straightened up. She took a few wobbly steps sideways...
Bang!
No sooner had she stepped out from behind the rock, the approaching wizard sent a hex shooting through the rocky passageway towards her. Catching sight of it out of the corner of her eye, the witch managed to fling herself back behind cover, face contorting somewhat furiously as she narrowly avoided hitting her head against the rock.
It was at that moment that there came a dazzling flash of golden light and Carrie's gaze snapped over towards the Swiss end of the arena, where Britain's barrier had at last been breached, exploding in shower of glittering golden shards.
"Here it comes..." Remus murmured, and within the blink of an eye the British team, retreating back towards their base with the flag, suddenly found themselves bombarded with spells.
They were forced to scatter, taking cover behind whatever cover they could find, and as Jasmine interrupted her rush to join them in order to drop to the floor behind a rather meagre looking rock, another, smaller explosion of spells broke out somewhere behind her...
Dora had stepped back out from behind the rock, and she and the Swiss Auror were duelling furiously, hurling spells back and forth at one another in such a dizzying display that Carrie could barely follow the flashes of light. They moved back and forth almost as if it were a dance and Carrie could almost picture Dora back home in the garden...
Two, three block...step left, attack...one, two, dodge...
It was so much faster than Carrie could ever quite imagine, so much so that when Dora halted abruptly, deflecting an attack with a swipe of her wand as her ankle seemingly gave way, causing her to drop down onto her knees the sudden stall in the movements made Carrie jump...
The muggle opened her mouth to exclaim something suitably horrified as the Swiss Auror's face lit up triumphantly and he took fresh aim...
Dora lunged forwards and as she landed flat upon her stomach, his latest spell streaking mere inches through the air above her head, the witch thrust her arm forward and above the roar of the crowd Carrie heard her cry:
"STUPEFY!"
She struck her opponent square in the face.
And so it was that Fisnik Acklin became the first Auror to be knocked unconscious.
Burton Hayes became the second half a second later.
The British team, still clinging stubbornly onto the flag, had retreated off to one side of the arena. Hayes took a hex to the cheek as he had made to move and join Jasmine defending the primary entrance to their make-shift stronghold.
In retaliation, Jasmine had popped out from behind cover and send a stinging jinx zig-zagging down the pathway, striking the Swiss team captain in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
"LITTLE HELP?" the red haired witch shrieked over her shoulder, and Grover darted forward to take Hayes' place.
Behind them, crouched down behind another boulder, Diggory, the flag tucked securely under one arm, and Pikket were having a rapid conversation, no doubt attempting to decide how best to get out of their current predicament.
Back over by the British base, Dora had once again dragged herself up onto her feet. Leaning heavily against a nearby rock, the British captain reached to point her wand at her throat and a moment later her voice echoed loudly around the arena.
"POSITION!"
On command Diggory and Pikket shot red sparks up into the air.
Dora gazed up at the sparks, frowning deeply, and with that she set off towards them, creeping from rock to rock.
The battle raged on and though Grover managed to land a curse upon one opponent's shoulder, leaving the Swiss Auror to back off behind a low boulder, a deep slash seeping blood all over his pale robes, it was not long before Jasmine and Grover retreated behind another set of boulders. The Swiss team were slowly closing in on the flag...
"They're trapped!" Carrie observed as Remus, tired from standing, sunk back down into his seat.
"Tonks'll buy them time." Harry reasoned from the werewolf's other side. "Give her a second, she'll hit the Swiss in the flank!"
No sooner had this hopeful suggestion been announced, the crowd booed loudly to see a stray hex rebound with a swipe of one Swiss Auror's wand, whereupon it caught Jasmine in the arm, knocking her off her feet and sending her wand soaring off into the air. As behind, Pikket dived to retrieve it, narrowly avoiding being hit by a curse himself, the Swiss team were startled by one of their number taking a hex to the back, making him stumble sideways into the captain. As both Aurors fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs, Dora stepped out from behind a rock, taking fresh aim...
The crowd went utterly wild. The single female member of the Swiss team darted froward to protect her fallen teammates as they hurriedly scrambled up onto their feet, and amongst the chaos Pikket darted forward to hand Jasmine back her wand. Grover took the opportunity to advance again, back to his original position, and Pikket and just dashed after him when the Swiss Aurors, back on their feet, set about a fresh attack.
Dora meanwhile had backed off round a corner, limping heavily and Switzerland's
Margrit Lautens had rushed after her. The two witches stood facing off against one another in a narrow passageway and Dora backed further and further away until they were quite separate form the rest of the conflict. As a vicious duel broke out between the two of them, back round the corner Jasmine risked running to join Grover and Pikket, and the three set about retaliating so fiercely that four remaining Swiss Aurors at long last retreated back a few meters.
As Dora succeeded in striking Margrit Lautens in the knee with a rebounded curse, causing the witch to stumble, Carrie began to hear a chant rising amongst the crowd.
"KNOCK HER OUT! KNOCK HER OUT! KNOCK HER OUT!"
"That's brutal!" the muggle shouted to Remus disapprovingly, only to find the werewolf didn't appear to be listening.
Carrie turned her back on the arena to find the werewolf sat back in his chair, eyes distinctly glazed as he frowned deeply. He had grown suddenly pale, despite the heat in the arena, his face distinctly green-tinged.
"Are you alright?" Carrie shouted to him as she leant forward to scrutinize him more closely, and he looked up at her, nodding feebly. As Harry also turned his attention away to look at Remus worriedly, the werewolf let out a spluttering cough.
"I'm...I'm fine..." he insisted, sitting a little straighter in his chair, just as the crowd let out a shriek of excitement and Carrie glanced back to see Margrit Lautens crash back against a boulder with a cry, head bouncing off the rough surface in a manner that made Carrie wince. Triumphant, Dora stumbled back a few steps, seemingly disorientated by the fight as she turned to stare around at the cheering crowd...
"Hide him!" Harry's voice demanded abruptly, and Carrie felt the Head of Aurors reach to grab hold of her by the wrist. "Don't let Tonks see him looking like that!"
Before Carrie could jump sideways to shield Remus from view, the werewolf lurched abruptly forward in his seat, retching...
And as Carrie glimpsed Dora at last managing to pick her husband out in the crowd, the Auror froze to see him cough up bloodied bile, the crimson mess splattering down onto the floor at his feet. As another cough left a bloody stain smeared upon Remus' lips, Carrie watched Dora tense in horror...
"Get him out! Get him out!" Harry demanded, reaching to sling an arm around Remus, yanking the werewolf up onto his feet. "For the love of Merlin...Ron, help me!"
"Is he alright?" Carrie cried, voice high in alarm, but she was ignored as Harry and Ron hurriedly bundled Remus towards the nearest exit.
Dora stood, entirely motionless, staring as her fellow Aurors shoved their way through the crowd, dragging Remus after them as he stifled his gruesome splutters into the sleeve of his robes. Where Dora's face had grown flushed from duelling, even from a distance Carrie could see the colour drain from her cheeks...
It was then that Carrie caught sight of the Swiss Auror who had come running to Margrit Lautens' rescue, and the muggle's stomach gave a panicked jolt to see him turn to face Dora, about to take aim at her back...
"BEHIND YOU!" Carrie shrieked at the top of her lungs, but her shouting was lost amongst the crowd and she flinched in anticipation as the Swiss dueller sent a stunning spell shooting forwards.
It missed Dora's shoulder by mere inches, and yet as it flew past and exploded against a nearby rock, the witch didn't seem to notice. Eyes still fixated on Harry and Ron as they dragged Remus through the crowd, it was as if she had quite forgotten she was in the arena, as if she were lost to the world...
Her attacker leapt back a step into a defensive stance, no doubt expecting her to whip round to face him and retaliate, and a split second later it began to dawn on him that his assumptions were entirely wrong. He took fresh, precise aim at the dazed witch's back and Carrie reached to clamp her hands over her mouth in horror...
"NYMPHADORA!"
At the stern, furious voice bellowing from somewhere to Carrie'd right, the muggle looked sideways to see Robert Wilde, who appeared to have jumped up to stand upon his chair, waving his arms around quite madly, and as Dora finally glanced at him, the Auror demanded at the top of his lungs: "CONSTANT VIGILENCE!"
It was as if a switch had been flicked inside of Dora's head, and she threw herself towards cover, dodging an incoming spell by mere inches. No sooner had she dived out of the way, the witch sprung back out again, such abrupt movement catching her opponent off guard, and he soon found himself struck by a hex to the chest, causing him to stumble. Dora was just about to fling another spell in his direction when both duellers paused at the sound of an almighty booming sound...
The enormous rock face separating the trapped British Aurors from their base had exploded in a enormous crowd of dust, fragments of rock raining down upon both teams who all threw themselves to the ground, burying their heads in their arms in an attempt to shield themselves.
Albert Diggory lowered his wand, surveying his hazardous handiwork for just a brief moment, before setting off across the remaining rubble at a sprint, slipping and sliding upon the debris as an enormous cheer rose from the crowd. The young Auror was heading straight for Britain's base...
Dora recovered from her astonishment first, gaze snapping back towards the Auror stood ahead of her and she hastily sent a stinging jinx shooting towards him...
Within a split second the Swiss dueller seemed to realise that he was, at that moment in time, the only member of his team upon his feet, and he darted back towards the scene of the chaos, Dora's spell catching him on the shoulder and causing him to stumble sideways, narrowly avoiding tripping over the unconscious form of Margrit Lauters in the process. But he managed to keep his balance, skidding out into the open and thrusting is wand desperately forward...
His spell hit Diggory square in the back, and the crowd booed to see the flag-bearer fall flat on his face amongst the rubble.
The other Aurors were just beginning to return to their senses, and as the standing Swiss dueller made to run to retrieve the flag, Jasmine Wickes managed to scramble to her knees, fumbling for her wand before catching him in the back with a stunning spells, knocking him out cold.
"GET UP, BERTIE!" Jasmine shrieked as she heaved herself up onto her feet, only to fling herself to the ground again when the Swiss captain, also making to stand, shot a curse in her direction.
But Albert Diggory merely rolled onto his side with a moan, and squinting down at him Carrie could see a series of deep grazes upon his face. He clung hopelessly onto the flag, face contorted painfully.
"GET UP!" Jasmine pleaded as she crawled back towards Pikket and Grover, pausing to kick Grover sharply in the side in an attempt to bring him to his senses.
Carrie watched, heart hammering in her chest as Dora stumbled around the corner into the open, gaze snapping to Diggory lying upon the floor...
The Swiss captain, Zubriggen, had at last risen to his feet, his gaze also fixated upon the flag...
The two captains glanced from the flag, then at one another, and then back to the flag...
"She'll never get there first!" Carrie heard a witch observe fretfully from behind her, and yet it seemed to Carrie that Dora seemed willing to try...
Both captains set off towards their target at a sprint.
Though Dora was somewhat nearer, Zubriggen's pace was by far the quickest and Dora's ankle was making her progress distinctly wobbly, as if she might trip at any moment...
Before long the pair were running side by side, so close that their teammates behind them did not dare to attempt to take out their opponent...
All save for Albert Diggory, who had rolled onto his back to discover the pair running full pelt towards him.
The young Auror took easy aim at Zubriggen, sending a stinging jinx flying towards the Swiss captain, and the crowd drew in a collective breath, ready to cheer...
Only for Zubriggen to throw a sudden arm sideways, grasping hold of Dora by the shoulder and with that he lunged sideways, yanking the witch into the speeding spell's path.
Carrie winced, only to let out a shriek of triumph when Dora managed to swipe her wand upwards, deflecting the spell and causing it to veer sideways into a boulder. Zubriggen had succeeded in unbalancing the witch, however, and she promptly fell to her knees.
Dodging another of Diggory's attacks, Zubriggen dashed forward and snatched the flag from the young wizard's grasp, causing a raucous cheer to rise up from the Swiss supporters.
Back towards the centre of the arena, the remnants of both teams seemed suddenly rather oblivious to the flag changing hands, for they were embroiled in a sudden stale mate, flinging spells at one another and doing their best to defend themselves. Seemingly forgetting Dora, who was keenly watching his progress, Zubriggen turned and began to sprint back towards the Swiss end of the arena, heading for cover in the side passage in which Dora had duelled Margrit Lauters and the other hesitant Swiss wizard...
And Carrie watched Dora observe the Swiss captain's progress for a split second, eyes calculating, before she wet her lips and raised her wand...
The muggle became suddenly sure that she knew what would come next. She'd seen it before many years previously during her trip to the Six Sisters' Vale...
Crack!
Unlike the previous person Carrie had witnessed have their lower leg bone snapped like a twig by Dora Lupin, Zubriggen did not scream in agony. He did, however, collapse to the ground with a shout that Carrie suspected was a Swiss swear word of one form or another.
One of his companions made to turn and run to grab the flag, only for this distraction to prove fatal as a stray hex shooting over from Britain's remaining Aurors hit him in the arm, causing him to stumble. The remaining Swiss Aurors took this as a sign to retreat back a good few meters, taking refuge behind an assortment of boulders.
Jasmine, Pikket and Grover leaped forward, bombarding the retreating Aurors with spells, and as soon as the Swiss team had taken a second to duck down behind cover, Hale Grover dashed daringly forward, demanding:
"COVER ME!"
As his fellow teammates continued to put pressure upon their opponents with a shower of weak yet rapid hexes, the auburn haired Auror snatched up the flag from Zubriggen's weak grasp, turned and sprinted towards the British base, the crowd screaming and cheering him on.
"RUN HALE!" Dora shouted as she began to stumble over towards Diggory, who appeared to be bleeding somewhat heavily from a wound upon his cheek. Dora collapsed down beside the young Auror, reaching to press her sleeve to his face in an attempt to stem the bleeding, and the remaining Swiss Aurors were just beginning to cause Jasmine and Pikket to turn and flee after the new flag-bearer when Hale Grover leapt triumphantly into Britain's starting box, there came the blast of a horn to signal the end of the match and the arena exploded into cheers.
"Great Britain win!" the announcer's voice boomed, as if there could possibly be any doubt judging from the crowd's reaction, and the remaining British Aurors whooped and cheered in triumph...
All save for Dora, who looked round to see Jasmine Wickes' enthusiastic prancing to shout:
"Jasmine! Pull yourself together!"
"Alright Capt'n!" Jasmine shouted back, and with that she dashed over to check on the unconscious figure of Burton Hayes.
Dora continued to bark out orders until Grover and Pikket had come to help drag a still bleeding Albert Diggory to his feet, though the young Auror was grinning broadly. The Swiss team also set about gathering together their unconscious and wounded members until the two teams were, in one form or another, clustered back in the middle of the arena. Those who were still fit enough to do so offered one another a gracious bow.
"Congratulations to the British National Duelling Team! And commiserations to their gallant opponents! This has been without doubt our most exciting and furious contest yet!" called the announcer. "Great Britain will continue through to the second round!"
No sooner had the announcer moved on to the arrangements for the crowds leaving the arena the two teams were joined by an array of lime green-clad mediwitches and mediwizards. Those who were relatively unscathed headed for the exit.
Carrie watched Dora hurriedly wave away the approaching help, dodging clumsily past a mediwitch before dashing for the exit.
No doubt she was headed straight to find Remus, and as the mediwitch stared after the Auror somewhat worriedly, Carrie turned and set about pushing her way towards the nearest exit, intent on doing the same.