Triwizard Worldwide

Harry took the cup of coffee Nurse Crawford offered him. He hadn't moved from the seat since they'd brought Teddy up. "Thank you," he said, yawning.

"Has he come out of it again yet?"

"For a second. Just long enough to ask if he'd lost. Didn't even have a chance to explain the…er…situation to him before he passed out again."

Crawford harrumphed as she checked Teddy's injuries again. She'd ranted for an hour straight when she'd first seen him. It was obvious that she really hated this tournament…. "Well, it looks like his bones are almost fully healed. The concussion is getting better, so he should be coming out of it soon. He'll need to take this," she said, setting a potion on the counter, "as soon as he wakes up."

"I'll make sure of it."

"How's Mrs. Tonks?"

"Better. Better than Kyo and James at least. Kyo keeps trying to come up here, and James is ready to kill someone. Namely Matteo."

"As to Kyo, I suppose I could make an exception for him. But Teddy's popular, and I don't want all of his friends in and out of here. Or all in here at the same time. As to James…not to play favorites, but I don't really blame him."

"It's not really a matter of playing favorites," Harry said darkly, looking down at his godson. "Everyone saw what happened."

The nurse nodded. "I'll be back in a moment."

Teddy opened his eyes slowly. His head hurt, along with various other body parts. "Harry? Grandmum?"

"We're right here, Teddy," Andromeda said.

"I feel like death."

"You look like it too, buddy," Jessie said, following Kyo into the room.

"Nurse Crawford tried to make her wait outside," Kyo said, smiling and nodding at Jessie. "But everyone else wants news."

"You lot know more than me," Teddy mumbled. "I lost, didn't I?"

"Er…that's a bit complicated actually," Andromeda said. She handed him a newspaper.

Teddy stared down at Matteo's face. "The Brave and the Wicked. What is this?"

"Read it," Harry said wearily. He wasn't unhappy about the decision, but this meant more press than Teddy would be ready for, and very soon.

"As the last Task of the World Tournament unfolded, it looked like Teddy Lupin would be the winner," Tedd read. "Having dominated the other two Tasks, it was apparent that he would do the same in this one. Though he got off to a slow start, he was able to make it out of the Gollum House quickly. Inadvertently, he helped the other two Champions, Ayira Traore and Matteo Oropeza, escape as well. This didn't matter, as Lupin caught up quickly in the Dementor Cloud. He used a diversionary tactic to make the Dementors follow him, thus lowering the number he had to fight through to leave the cloud. Oropeza, the Caracas Champion, followed closely behind him. The two engaged in a brief duel in midair, which culminated in Lupin being hit with a full body bind. He fell from forty feet, shattering most of the bones in his legs, two in his arms, and breaking two vertebrae. Oropeza was the first, and only, to reach the Triwizard Cup. Traore stopped to help Lupin. As Oropeza was tied in second place with Traore, it looked as if he had won the Tournament. However, there was a problem. Normally, a body bind would be a completely legal curse. Since Oropeza hit Lupin with the curse while in the air, however, it falls into the category of life threatening tactics—which are illegal according to Tournament rules. Thus, Oropeza was disqualified from the Tournament completely. From the letters the judges and papers have received, the public agrees with the ruling completely. People wonder what example we'd set for younger witches and wizards if we turned a blind eye to this ruthless style of competing. Of course, there is dissention. Some think that the entire competition encourages 'By Any Means Necessary' strategies. In any case, the judges awarded the win to Lupin. Since both of the other Champions failed to finish the Task, they awarded based on scores from the first two Tasks. Lupin's condition remains unknown."

"Harry's trying to keep the reporters out," Andromeda explained. "Damn good of him, too. I'd be in Azkaban if I'd had to deal with those vultures."

"Chichi called a friend in Magical Law Enforcement here," Kyo said. "A few of them are stationed outside."

"All the fuss…."

"Well…" Harry started.

"What?" Teddy asked tiredly. He was about to pass out again.

"You've been out for a week, darling," Andromeda explained. "Reporters have been trying to get in the entire time. And it was looking bad for a while. We didn't want to tell them anything too soon. We've updated them."

"I… I didn't… want to win like this."

"Easy," Harry said. "Don't worry about the Tournament. It doesn't matter. Rest."

Teddy didn't need to be told twice. He closed his eyes again.

He knew someone was there. It was the same feeling he'd had before he was kidnapped for the last Task. Glad he'd asked for his wand back earlier, he gripped it tightly beneath the thick sheets.

"Calm down, Lupin. I'm not here to kill you."

Teddy opened his eyes to see Matteo at the foot of his bed. He didn't relax the grip on his wand. "What are you here for, then?"

"To see how you are. Between your boyfriend's bodyguards, your godfather and grandmother, and all of the crazy Americans in your little fan club, I haven't been able to get up to see you. You know I didn't mean to hurt you so bad, right?"

Teddy nodded as much as his sore neck would allow. "I know." It was what made reading the articles—the constant, ridiculous articles—so hard. He knew Matteo wasn't evil, just ready to win at any cost.

"Good. I'm glad." Matteo stood there silently for a moment. "I'll only ever be known as the slug that hurt the Golden Boy."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure my hair was blue and pink at that point," Teddy joked quietly.

"Either way…." Matteo said, smirking. "My dad won't even speak to me."

"Which is so hard, because you did it all for him?" Teddy guessed. He'd heard that sentiment from almost every Gryffindor male for about three years. Quidditch was serious family business apparently.

"No. Actually it's a change for the better. Passive-aggressive bastard was stressing me out. Should've turned into the villain earlier. How hurt are you now?"

"I've got another week in here, according to Crawford."

"Fantastic. Once you get out, the media will be swarming you. They'll leave me alone for a while."

"Saw your interview. You apologize like a Slytherin. Which is to say, you don't apologize at all."

"Why should I? You're the one I hurt, not them. I shouldn't have to kiss the entire world's culo for the rest of my life, when you've moved on."

There were noises outside. One of the MLE members rushed in. "Teddy! Are you alright?"

"Fine. Matteo just wanted to talk."

"I'm leaving," Matteo said.

The MLE man kept his wand on the other Champion as he walked out the door.

"Good night," Teddy said.