A/N: Hello readers and welcome to the conclusion of The Slytherin Heart. This is the final chapter of the story, but it will be followed by an epilogue to truly conclude the tale and answer the final questions. Let's just say the epilogue is set a bit more than 19 years later... Thank you for reading and enjoy! :)
Chapter 48. Fifty-Sixth Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
The Enchanted Garden that hosted the Wizarding Schools Potions Championships was accessible only by portkey. Its exact location in the world was known only to the upper echelon of the Potioneers Council who hosted the event, though nearly everyone in the potion-making community attended to scout the up-and-coming talent. Most of them now crowded around the Uagadou and Castelobruxo representatives, eager to meet the presumed top contestants of the championship.
Elnath's nerves were a jumbled mess as Professor Flamel chattered away to her about various potioneers and alchemists he saw in the crowd and introduced her to any that stopped to say hello to him. This was a fair amount of people given his notoriety. She glanced at Arlo, who stood nearby with Professor Hipworth, and was glad to see he looked as nervous as she felt. Praise was being showered on Professor Hipworth by nearly every wizard and witch who saw him for his finalized invention of the Pepper-Up Potion. Its foolproof healing qualities made it an immediate success worldwide.
"Ah, I see they have let the general public in. It should not be long now until it begins." Flamel noted as family and friends filed into the raised seating that overlooked the potion-making platform at the front end of the garden where they stood.
Grogan made his way to Elnath and Flamel, greeting them warmly.
"If you are nervous, I cannot tell." he said to Elnath.
"You are an attractive liar." she teased.
They kissed for a moment before he pulled away to wish her luck.
"Thank you. Though I fear you may need more luck than me today." she said eyeing her approaching family.
"Elnath! We are so excited to see you win." Nerodia gushed as they arrived. She appraised Grogan, "And who is this?"
"Mr. Grogan Stump, mother. And this is Mr. Nicolas Flamel." Elnath replied, gesturing to both men. "Grogan, Professor, these are my parents Mr. Castor Black and Mrs. Nerodia Black, and Rigel you have met."
"Pleased to meet you, M. and Mme Black. Your daughter is my shining pupil. The best I have witnessed in decades." Flamel said.
"I expect no less." Castor declared, an uncharacteristic look of pride in his eyes. He turned to Grogan with a frown, "And you, who is your family? I do not recognize the name Stump."
"My family founded Stump Supply, sir." Grogan explained.
"The largest supplier of magical wood in Britain." Rigel added.
"Yes, we have also expanded to the Americas. Business is very good." Grogan explained brightly before leaning closer to Castor. "In fact, I am glad we are finally meeting because I may have a business proposition for you."
"How old are you anyway?" Castor raised a severe eyebrow and Elnath's heart thumped.
"Twenty-two, sir."
Castor's eyes narrowed, "What business proposition?"
"Miss Black mentioned how much land you own in Oxfordshire, sir, and I know the soil there historically to hold magical properties. There may be something worth leasing for Stump Supply."
"You are suggesting to plant a magical forest on my land?" Castor asked, intrigued.
Elnath looked at Rigel questioningly to see if he had given Grogan this idea, for she certainly had not. Rigel shook his head subtly and they marveled at Grogan's level of research and preparedness in regard to their father. Both had certainly expected to do more heavy lifting than this.
"We would survey it first, of course, and work out an arrangement for the profits." Grogan said then waved his hand easily. "All just an idea based off your daughter's astute knowledge of the Black estate. We can discuss more fully another time."
"Yes, we should." Castor said.
"Mother, perhaps you could host Mr. Stump for dinner this summer when he comes by to survey the land?" Rigel suggested.
Nerodia looked at her daughter for approval, who smiled brightly at her, so she said, "Yes, that is an excellent idea. You simply must come when your schedule permits, Mr. Stump."
"I would be delighted, Mrs. Black." Grogan said.
"The championship starts soon. You ought to get settled in the stands." Elnath suggested, relieved and a bit awed at how well this first meeting had gone.
Her family wished her luck and Grogan gave her a wink. As he strolled away beside her father, she heard him ask, "Tell me, sir, who is your Quidditch team?"
Only running into Septimus was of sufficient importance to pull Castor away from his detailed conversation with Grogan about the dismal state of English Quidditch.
Septimus was not alone. Willa sat between him and Octavia, and Quintus sat on Septimus' other side with Catherine Avery next to him. In the row behind them sat Dipsas with Byron. A brunette witch who was Arlo's mother, Rachel Potter, sat on Byron's other side. Braxton was beside her, bouncing an excited Bathilda on his knee, and Clement sat beside the Bagshot children.
Rigel settled beside Clement as his father launched into the kind of unctuous greeting Willa had warned him Septimus hated.
"Yes, it is nice to see everyone at this type of event, Castor. I am excited to see how your daughter performs! My fiancé insisted we come in full numbers to support her and Mr. Potter." Septimus replied, squeezing Willa's hand that featured her engagement ring.
Castor glanced at Willa as if only just noticing her presence.
"Hello, uncle." Willa smiled.
"When is the wedding, Willa?" Nerodia asked.
"Oh, we have not set a date. There are so many weddings already this summer." Willa laughed.
"I see you have met Mr. Stump." Septimus continued to change the topic off their wedding, which they had agreed not to discuss until after Quintus' wedding in late July. "Therefore, you must know by now that he saved my life just a fortnight ago."
"Is that true?" Castor asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, he is quite gifted." Septimus smiled at Grogan, "In fact, I know of an opening for someone with your skills, if you are interested."
"With the Wizengamot?" Grogan asked.
"No, with the Ministry. It would require some travel, likely you would be stationed in Egypt after the first year." Septimus said.
Grogan looked between him and Willa, the latter giving him a knowing smile so he would feel comfortable that this was all rather planned.
"That sounds intriguing, sir. We should talk more on it later." Grogan said.
"Certainly! Today is not a day for business anyway." Septimus said with ease and gave Grogan and the Blacks a nod.
No sooner had they sat in the row in front of the Malfoys, then Bertok's voice rang out, "Braxton? Willa?"
"Bertok!" they both exclaimed, leaping up to greet him.
"What are you doing here?" Braxton asked. "I did not think I would see you for another week."
"Hildegard is the contestant for Durmstrang. I have come with her parents to support her." he explained. "I will introduce you later, Brax."
"Yes, and my father would like to thank them as well." Braxton nodded.
"Which is Hildegard?" Willa asked, searching the platform for a girl who resembled Bertok's portraiture. "Ah, yes, there she is. More beautiful in the flesh."
"I agree." Bertok beamed. "You are certain you cannot join us this summer? We plan to visit Hildegard's relatives who live in a massive castle in the Austrian Alps! Schloss Nurmengard, they call it."
"It is tempting, but I sit for the N.E.W.T.s in three weeks and then begin my apprenticeship with Artemisia Lufkin." Willa explained, distracted by a squirming Bathilda who wrestled her way out of Braxton's arms towards her. "Here, let me take her."
Braxton handed her over, and Bathilda immediately reached for Bertok.
"You must be the infamous Bathilda Bagshot." Bertok said playfully to the baby who giggled gleefully in response.
The Championship's host began to speak aided by the Sonorous charm and Bertok hurried back to the Brandts, calling, "We will catch up more later!"
"Welcome to the Fifty-Sixth Wizarding Schools Potions Championship!" the host boomed, and the crowd applauded. "We are pleased to have every school represented this year to compete for the coveted golden cauldron. Additionally, the grand prize includes a scholarship to the illustrious Egyptian Centre for Alchemical Studies. Please join me in giving a show of gratitude to the Egyptian Centre for such a generous prize!"
More applause followed, especially from the Uagadou spectators, as the Centre's chancellor stood to wave and bow.
"To begin the championships, each contestant will be given exactly one hour to complete an established potion with an Advanced difficulty rating and prove its effectiveness to the judges' satisfaction. Those incapable of accomplishing this task will be eliminated. Those continuing in the contest will then be presented with a particular problem and given the remaining five hours to create a potion that will solve it. The resulting potions will be judged on effectiveness, efficiency, and ingenuity. The winner will be declared by the judges at the conclusion."
"Five hours?" Rigel muttered to Clement.
"You knew what you were signing up for." Clement rolled his eyes.
"Now, please join me in welcoming our contestants!" the host rang out excitedly.
The students filed across the platform to their cauldrons and the host began to introduce each of them. When they announced the Ilvermorny student, Willa let out a soft "Oh." The American witch was the Quidditch player from Thunderbird who Ciaran had tried to pursue his fourth year.
"Contestants, to your cauldrons! At the blast, you will begin brewing the Laughing Potion. Your potions will be tested on a Banshee at the conclusion of one hour. Good luck to you all." The host said.
A bang went off from his wand and Elnath, Hildegard, and the Uagadou and Castelobruxo contestants hurried into garden to forage for their ingredients. Arlo and the representatives of Koldovstoretz, Ilvermorny, and Mahoutokoro stood at their cauldrons wondering why they had only been supplied a razor and horseradish powder.
"This one should be simple for her, assuming the Knarl is easy to stun." Grogan said to the Blacks who nodded with composed enthusiasm.
About ten minutes later, the Castelobruxo representative floated up from behind a hedge row wearing an elated expression, eliciting a few gasps, followed mostly by laughter from the crowd.
"Billywig sting! Their wings are used in the potion." Septimus chuckled.
"You can brew Laughing Potion?" Willa asked him.
"I happen to have earned a N.E.W.T. in Potions, thank you very much." he said, and Willa gave him a quick peck.
"Look, she returns!" Rigel said as Elnath hurried to her cauldron with a bucket of water and her brewing apron bunched into a bag.
"Arlo finally figured out he has to go get his own ingredients. Merlin, took him long enough." Octavia muttered.
"Do you think they will use a real banshee on them? What if Arlo dies?" Clement blurted out.
"Clement!" Braxton hissed, glancing at Mrs. Potter whose face had gone sheet white at Clement's utterance.
"They used a test toad when I competed." Grogan assured him and Mrs. Potter.
"You competed?" Castor asked.
"Yes, the last Championship I represented Hogwarts. Did as well as the current Hogwarts contestant, I am afraid." he laughed. "Luckily it meant I could better prepare Miss Black."
"You helped her? That is cheating!" Octavia protested.
"Not cheating, Malfoy rules. What do you think, Quintus?" Willa smirked.
"Elnath will do whatever it takes to win, which means she would not do anything that would jeopardize her eligibility." Quintus shrugged.
"Malfoy rules, then." Catherine laughed.
"The rules regarding outside help only apply during the actual championships." Grogan added. "Besides, Miss Malfoy, your Mr. Potter did not seek out my help as Miss Black did."
Castor and Nerodia exchange a pleased look and Willa glanced back at Rigel who was smirking.
"He is not my Mr. Potter anyway." Octavia rolled her eyes in a huff, flaring red as Mrs. Potter's eyes fell to her father's questioningly. Septimus merely shrugged.
By now Elnath was stirring her potion vigorously, only to giggle at it moments later.
"What is she doing?" Dipsas wondered.
"It is part of the brewing process." Septimus assured her. "She is performing quite efficiently, in fact."
Elnath made use of the supplied razor to shave the Puffskein she caught, scattering the hair over the surface of her potion. She traded the hand sized puffskein for her stirrer and continued to cast Fire-Making spells to apply high heat to the cauldron. A moment later she laughed loudly and uncontrollably. The Uagadou and Durmstrang representatives began to laugh similarly as well, but the Castelobruxo student was a couple steps behind them due to how long it took to come down from the Billywig sting.
Arlo and the others who had a late start were still stirring their alihosty leaves, though it was clear the Ilvermorny and Koldovstoretz students stirred too fast for the leaves to maintain their mirthful properties. Their potions were unlikely to work.
"Just the horseradish powder now." Grogan said with a proud confidence.
Elnath sprinkled some in, stirred and heated the potion a final time, then waved her wand over the cauldron to finish it.
She, the Uagadou student, and Hildegard all stepped backwards five paces to indicate they were finished. They were followed shortly after by the Castelobruxo student and the four other students went into a comical panic in which they had to snigger and laugh uncontrollably in quick succession in order to make time. Ultimately only the Ilvermorny and Koldovsoretz students stepped back five paces and Arlo and the Mahoutokoro student were still shaving their Puffskeins when time was called.
"Hogwarts and Mahoutokoro are eliminated." The host announced.
Arlo glanced at their group with a face full of disappointment, but it soon turned to fear like all the other contestants' reactions as the banshee made its way onto the platform stage under the control of a Potioneers Council-wizard.
"No, no, no." Nerodia and Dipsas both wailed. Willa had never seen her aunt look so terrified, and only seen her mother this scared a handful of times at Ardan's hand.
"It is all right, darling. They have put up a barrier. The banshee cannot hurt you here." Castor soothed his wife more sweetly than Willa had ever seen him behave.
Willa turned to pacify her mother, finding Byron holding her tightly and deciding he had it under control. Clearly something had happened with a banshee in the Gaunt sisters' childhood in Dublin.
"Remaining contestants, please drink a draught of your potion only when your school is called." The host said.
He handed out a pair of dragonhide earmuffs to each contestant. They secured them over their ears as Arlo and the Mahoutokoro student were ushered off the stage and to the other side of the sound barrier where the stands were located.
"They will be the test subjects?" Grogan cried out, aghast.
"Miss Black's potion making technique was nothing short of flawless. She will be fine." Septimus reassured him.
Still, the entire crowd fell to a hush as everyone seemed to be holding their breath. A banshee's scream was fatal to the ear, and while the earmuffs were meant to prevent death in case of faulty potion, no one felt entirely confident now that they might actually be put to the test.
"Beauxbatons!" the host called.
Elnath stepped forward to her cauldron, through the second sound barrier put in place to protect the students from their competitor's banshee test. She scooped out a cupful of Laughing Potion and consumed it. She continued to where the banshee floated. Its skeletal face had a greenish tint and its floor length black hair cascaded over its tattered cloak in a way that reminded Elnath of the Veil.
"I cannot watch." Nerodia buried her face in Castor's robes.
Grogan looked like he might be sick at any moment, and when Willa turned to check on Rigel, she found him crying silently while Clement held his wrist since he could not hold his hand in such a public arena.
She dared a glance at Quintus, who met her eye with a warm, confident smile. Willa relaxed, trusting his powers to know Elnath's potion was indeed working. Septimus gave her hand a squeeze and she snuggled against him as her cousin stood to face the Irish dark spirit.
"We are all ready to test Beauxbatons' potion?" The host confirmed with the judges.
At their nods, the Council-wizard stepped behind the sound barrier and released the banshee with the flick of his wand. The banshee approached Elnath slowly, stopping several yards away and opening its mouth. Its screams were so loud they could be seen in soundwaves but not heard through the sound barriers.
Elnath's hair stood on end, but no true harm befell her due to her potion's effectiveness. She laughed. It was a mirthful, rolling one that became louder and fuller as it went on. The banshee became incensed as its screams had no effect on Elnath. It screeched louder, moving closer to her. Elnath shook her head at it wearing a ludicrous grin.
The judges held up their hands to indicate the evidence was sufficient that Elnath's Laughing Potion worked, and the Council-wizard reclaimed control of the banshee.
Everyone now watched the judges, except for Grogan whose focus remained on Elnath. They scored her as passing the preliminary round and she let out a wide smile and curtsied to them.
Willa led the cheer from the crowd, followed quickly by Grogan, Rigel, and Quintus and then by the Blacks as Castor exclaimed, "Nerodia, you can look now! She has passed this round!"
"Oh, thank Merlin!" Nerodia cried, spinning to beam up at her sister. "Look, Dipsas, she has beat the banshee!"
"I see! It is wonderful!" Dipsas grinned widely as well.
Castelobruxo was up next, the tan-skinned student looking more nervous than Elnath had. Quintus let out a concerned noise and Willa looked to him for clarification, but he was paying attention to Catherine who seemed overwhelmed.
The process followed the same, except this time when the banshee screamed, the student passed out and the Council-wizard immediately reclaimed possession of the dark creature. Gasps and murmurs went up across the stands. The Castelobruxo supporters vied for a better view of the happenings on the stage as the mediwizards carted the student off to the medical tent.
"Durmstrang!" the Championship host called.
Hildegard Brandt strode to her cauldron, scooped a draught to drink and hurried to face the banshee. Willa shared a nervous look with Braxton but turned back to face the platform as the banshee was released.
Hildegard wasted no time laughing. The banshee did not stand a chance and Miss Brandt looked more gleeful than a thestral receiving a slab of raw meat. The judges deemed her as passing and Bertok's loud hoots could be heard immediately after.
She curtsied to the judges and returned to her spot even with Elnath, who she cast a competitive look towards only to be met by Elnath's cool sense of indifference.
The Ilvermorny and Koldovsoretz students suffered the same fate as the Castelobruxo one, and the Uagadou student passed as easily as Elnath and Hildegard. The sense of relief across the spectators was tangible once the banshee was out of sight.
They lowered the barriers and the host went to his Sonorous charm, "Let us congratulate the contestants from Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Uagadou for making it to the final round of the Fifty-Sixth Wizarding Schools Potions Championship!"
Tentative applause rang out until the host continued, "I am happy to report that the earmuffs of all contestants whose potions failed were fully intact and they are recovering in the medical tent. Therefore, we can move on happily to the final round!"
Cheers burst from the remaining contestants' friends and families and the potion-making community, as everyone felt comfortable to celebrate knowing no one had died.
The host smiled and turned to the remaining contestants, "Now, you three must create a potion to solve the pre-determined problem. You will have five hours to complete your potion. Should you require any tool, such as the razor from the last challenge, or any ingredient not readily available in the garden, such as the horseradish powder, please let me or my fellow Council-wizard know. Are there questions before we reveal the problem?"
The three remaining contestants shook their heads.
"The problem to be solved with the potion of your making is the ability to walk unscathed through fire. This will be tested on both regular and magical fires, excluding Fiendfyre." The host proclaimed. "On my mark!"
A bang shot off from his wand and the Uagadou student and Hildegard hurried into the garden. Elnath sat in her assigned chair, seeming to meditate.
"What is she doing? She is falling behind the others!" Castor protested.
"No, she is thinking through the problem to develop the most efficient solution. You can relax, sir, she will prevail." Grogan said.
"Even so, she may need more time than she allows herself once she has her solution." Castor protested.
"I have always found that thinking things through proves most beneficial." Grogan replied.
Arlo made his way to their group, finding his mother who huddled him into a maternal embrace.
"Well, at least you did not have to face that dreadful banshee." Rachel said.
"I wish I had! I did the potion right, I just ran out of time. Why did they not tell us we had to forage for our ingredients?! That seems wholly unfair." Arlo said.
"Exactly what I said!" Octavia chimed in, standing to join them. She added more quietly, "It seems Mr. Stump helped Elnath out on that front."
"How would he know?" Arlo asked.
"He was the Hogwarts representative in the previous championship." Octavia shrugged.
Arlo glared at the back of Grogan's head.
"I thought you gave it a fine effort." Byron said to Arlo.
"Thank you, sir." Arlo smiled. He noticed Willa's mother and gave her a nodding bow, "You must be Mrs. Gamp."
"I am. You did well and should be proud of yourself for qualifying. The benefits of being on that stage at all in front of all these important potioneers… you will have guaranteed work upon graduation, mark my words." Dipsas smiled at him.
"I do hope so." Arlo said.
"I am certain you will, darling. You are so much like your father. A whole line of potioneers in our family." Rachel said, pulling Arlo in for another hug.
He shook it off after a couple moments and Braxton asked if he wanted to come with him and Clement to meet Hildegard's parents.
"Oh, I want to come with you for that." Willa chirped.
"Sure, all right." Braxton shrugged.
"Can I come as well? I can still watch Elnath from their seats. We have five hours after all." Rigel said.
"Of course you can come." Clement replied.
The group stood to leave, and Octavia followed alongside Arlo, who did not protest.
"The Brandts are one of the oldest wizarding families in the world, are they not?" Octavia asked as they descended their stands stairwell to head for their section.
"That is what my step-mother said, I have never met them." Braxton said.
"Our parents are not married yet." Willa said.
"It is days away." Braxton shrugged.
They soon reached the Brandts, and Bertok began introductions. Willa felt the severe looking couple resembled eagles in how they held their heads. Both wore clothing and jewelry that flaunted their power and wealth. They all exchanged niceties and it was clear the surnames Gamp, Black, and Malfoy were known and spoken of by the couple. After a brief conversation, all but Braxton returned to their main group.
"What did we miss?" Willa asked, sliding beside Septimus. Elnath was nowhere in sight on the platform.
"Miss Black appears to have conceived a potion idea and is now foraging for her materials." he explained, leaning in to kiss her lightly.
The Uagadou student returned from the garden and set down several materials, calling over the Council-wizard for assistance. They furnished him with a cage and several glass jars. He began to pulverize what Grogan determined to be an unforgettable fire iris and stored its powder in one of the jars. This continued with other herbs until all the jars were full, and then he returned to the garden.
"Oh, Elnath returns!" Nerodia said with excitement.
Elnath went directly to the Council-wizard, who furnished her a small cage, a funnel, and a glass jar.
"What is that in the cage?" Castor asked, squinting to see better.
"Looks like a Fire Salamander." Grogan said.
Elnath pulled some dormant bursting mushrooms, their caps a vivid red with white spots, as well as a handful of bright green berries from her apron and set them on her workspace.
"Are those Wartcap berries?" Septimus asked, mainly to Grogan.
"They appear to be." Rachel replied.
"Yes, I agree." Grogan nodded.
"Curious…" Septimus frowned.
"Only three ingredients?" Castor protested. "Will this be considered complex enough to win?"
"They are judging on efficiency not complexity, dear." Nerodia reminded him.
Elnath cast aguamente and lined the interior sides of her cauldron with water. Quickly she cast a Freezing charm on it, creating a thin a layer of ice.
"Wow, she is really good." Rachel murmured.
"Thanks a lot, mum." Arlo groaned.
"Well, she is talented. That does not take away from your own talents." she said.
Elnath took the salamander from its cage and began to bleed it into the glass jar with aid of the funnel. Hildegard returned from the garden, her hair singed a bit, and started to adapt her materials to a usable form. The source of her burnt hair quickly became apparent when she wrangled a Fire Crab into a cage.
"Are those not protected?" Grogan gasped.
"Only in some places." Septimus said.
Elnath healed her salamander, returned it to the cage and began to slice the bursting mushrooms. She lit a fire underneath the cauldron. Once the ice melted, she added the mushroom slices and stirred clockwise, stopping when the potion turned blue.
Professor Flamel and Professor Hipworth had stood by now and were craning to see into the cauldron from their seats in the sponsors section. They conversed quietly to one another, excited for Elnath's progress.
The Uagadou contestant returned again from the garden and began to prepare his new materials. Hildegard had started brewing, and to Grogan's relief, it seemed she only needed some saliva from the Fire Crab.
Elnath added her salamander blood and stirred counter clockwise until the potion turned green. She shelled the berries to reveal beige Wartcaps that she crushed in her pestle. She added the Wartcap powder to the potion and stirred clockwise until it turned red. Then she cast the Fire Freezing charm on it to finish the potion. She took a sip of it, waiting a moment for it to take effect, and then put her hand into the fire heating the cauldron. A smile spread across her face as nothing happened. She hurried to cast Bluebell flames and touch them. Still nothing.
Elnath cast a protection charm over her cauldron so nothing would tamper with it. She released the salamander back into the garden, then informed the host she was finished. He informed the judges and she sat to wait.
"She is done?" Castor asked.
"This is incredible." Grogan laughed.
"Really impressive work, you should be very proud." Septimus said to Castor and Nerodia.
Three hours remained in the allotted time. After the initial awe wore down to boredom, Willa suggested they take Bathilda somewhere to play. She and Septimus went alone, everyone else deciding food was more pressing. They wandered along a pathway until they reached a beach.
"Where do you think we are?" Willa asked, looking out over the pristine waters.
"It is warm, so northern hemisphere. Probably an island near Egypt given the Potioneers Council's headquarters are there." Septimus shrugged. "Are you sure you do not want to spend the summer with your friends in Hungary and Austria? I feel I am holding you back from such a holiday."
"You could never hold me back. On the contrary, I am ready to start my life, not be on holiday." Willa said. "Besides, you and I will have plenty of time for future holidays."
"Yes, those will be fun. We can show our children the world." Septimus smiled longingly, teasing Bathilda's tiny hand with his finger as he spoke.
"Should we take her for July to give my mother and Byron a proper honeymoon?"
"That would be very kind to offer. Hobney will be pleased, too. He loves children when he can prepare for them." Septimus laughed.
They passed most of the hours there, Bathilda toddling towards the lolling waves only to squeal and hurry backwards when the water reached her feet. They dried her and went for some food before the time expired, finding everyone returned to their section upon their arrival.
"There she is!" Braxton reached for his sister. "Did you have fun?"
Bathilda clapped excitedly.
"Time is up!" the host boomed.
All the contestants were sitting, completed in their work.
"Beauxbatons!" he called.
Elnath stepped forward and drank more of her potion, her veins filling again with an icy sensation. The Council-wizard cast a corridor of various flames, normal and magical, and motioned for her to test the potion. She walked through them all unscathed, an eruption of applause coming from the crowd.
Hildegard was next, her potion turned out only to be effective against the magical fires and she screamed in pain as she jumped hurriedly away from the regular flames. Mediwizards hurried to help and the host declared Durmstrang eliminated.
The Uagadou student's potion worked as well as Elnath's and the crowd buzzed in anticipation as the judges deliberated. Elnath felt numb. She reminded herself she did everything she could and was one of the top two in the world. When the head judge stood to give her edict, Elnath's mouth went dry.
"We have come to our decision." The head judge announced. "While both potions were successful in solving the given problem and both demonstrated ingenuity in the various simple ingredients used, the Beauxbatons potion—with its three ingredients and twenty-minute brewing time—easily outshines the Uagadou potion in efficiency. Therefore, the winner of the Fifty-Sixth Wizarding Schools Potions Championship is Beauxbatons' Miss Elnath Black."
Elnath swelled with relieved joy. She had done it. She shook the Uagadou wizard's hand as he congratulated her and she commended his skills. The judges swarmed her, shaking her hand until the head judge presented her with the golden cauldron.
Elnath held it high in the air and the crowd erupted into cheers. She found Flamel and Hipworth nodding at her proudly, then scanned to her personal fan group. Her parents waved at her, Grogan beaming at her from beside her father. She waved to them. Her eyes flittered over the entire group, Willa and Rigel each on different rows. The whole of them represented her family, a unit of love. She thought back to Willa's first day in Black Manor last August, how different they all were then, and wondered how much more would change once everyone went their separate ways.