Title: Professor McGonagall - Part II: The First Task
Author: Rita Screecher
Author email: ritascreecher@excite.com
Category: Humor/Romance
Keywords: Fourth year, Professor McGonagall
Spoilers: All four books, especially the fourth book (obviously)
Rating: PG
Summary: A retelling of Harry Potter and Co's fourth year, from Professor McGonagall's point of view. Of course, I took a few "creative liberties"...:)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-choo-choo!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This is the second part of a planned five part series, detailing the events of the Triwizard Tournament during Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts, from Professor McGonagall's point of view.
Part II: The First Task
"Dragons?"
"My dear professor, calm down. We have professional wizards standing by to make sure they don't hurt anyone."
"But dragons? I know these are to be difficult tasks, but I thought we agreed we were taking extra precautions this tournament, and especially since we have an underage wizard competing. Couldn't we come up with a different task?"
"Professor McGonagall, really, where were you when we were all discussing what the tasks were going to be?"
"I missed that particular meeting," she faltered, "because...my mother died."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Didn't she die ten years ago?"
"...my step-mother."
"Didn't she die two years ago?"
"...my second step-mother."
"Didn't your father die shortly after your step-mother died? How could he have remarried?"
"...my godmother."
"Minerva..."
McGonagall fell silent; her face flushed a heavy red. "All right, I overslept that day."
"So I presumed."
A pause. Then:
"So you're going to change the task."
"No."
"...No?"
"We cannot baby Harry Potter, or, for that matter, any of the champions. These are supposed to be challenging tasks, for the best students from each school. I believe that all of the champions, including Harry, will survive and complete the task with flying colors."
"You put too much faith in these children, Albus."
"I have to, Minerva."
Another silence.
"Good night, Albus."
"And the same to you, Professor."
***
Tuesday arrived with excited buzzing about the first task. There was much speculation, and during breakfast, rumors flew around about what the champions would have to do.
"Perhaps they'll sic Hagrid's Skrewts on them! Whoever gets out alive wins!"
"Or maybe they have to fly around the Quidditch field without broomsticks!"
"Or maybe they'll have a three-legged race! They have to Transfigure an extra leg onto their body and run around the castle ten times!"
Lessons were to end at midday to give all the students time to hurry down to the dragons' enclosure (Though none will have the faintest idea that there are dragons there, McGonagall thought icily. Dumbledore should have at least told the champions about the task yesterday...it's as though he wants someone to die).
Lunch came quickly. While the rest of the school ate, the judges and the professors headed down to the dragon enclosure, as well as all but one of the champions. McGonagall stuck her head into the tent Ludo Bagman and the champions were gathering in before the task, glanced around, and discovered that it was Harry who was missing. She dashed off to the Great Hall.
"Potter," she said urgently, tapping him on the shoulder, "the champions have to come down onto the grounds now...You have to get ready for your first task."
Harry looked rather green as he stood up and followed McGonagall out of the castle. McGonagall felt rather nervous, too, so in an attempt to calm both Harry and herself, she put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Now, don't panic, just keep a cool head...We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand...The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you...Are you all right?"
Harry croaked, "Yes. Yes, I'm fine."
The tent came into view and McGonagall turned to him quickly, saying, "You're to go in there with the other champions and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there...he'll be telling you the - the procedure...Good luck."
"Thanks," Harry replied, and McGonagall nodded once and left him standing in front of the tent. She turned around and watched his slim form duck into the flimsy structure. Then she headed off to herd the rest of the students out into the stands.
***
Cedric Diggory was the first to emerge from the tent. The crowd clapped and roared as he stepped into the enclosure. He had gotten the Swedish Short-Snout.
"Isn' this exciting?" Hagrid shouted over the din.
"Indeed!" McGonagall yelled back.
"Whom are you rooting for?" Moody shouted.
"We're supposed to be objective!" McGonagall exclaimed.
"Harry!" Hagrid said at the same time. All three professors grinned and turned their attention back to Diggory, who had finally acted and was Transfiguring a rock on the ground into...
"A dog!" Ludo Bagman bellowed, acting as commentary.
The dragon let out a scream and started going after the dog, while Cedric ducked underneath its enormous wing in pursuit of the golden egg. "Ooh, narrow miss there, very narrow -" Bagman shouted as the dragon swung around, still chasing the dog, and its tail nearly lopped off Cedric's head - "He's taking risks, this one!"
Cedric did a funny little twist of his body ("Is he doing the limbo?" Moody shouted, laughing) and suddenly, he was underneath the enormous spiked tail and on the other side of the dragon. However, it seemed as though the dragon had changed its mind, and it turned, ignoring the Labrador and going after Cedric instead. It opened its mouth and let loose a stream of fire. The crowd gasped. Diggory ducked, and the brunt of the fire passed by, but a bit manage to lick at his face. The crowd was now on its feet, and McGonagall could hardly bear to watch.
"He's - he's ducking down - clever move, pity it didn't work - wait, no - he's got it!"
The crowd was beside itself. The cheers were deafening. McGonagall herself nearly shouted herself hoarse.
"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled, and the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"
Fleur materialized, visibly trembling from head to foot. Her wand was clutched tightly in her small hand, and as she entered the enclosure to face the Welsh Green, a crowd of boys in the stands shouted, "We loff you, Fleur!" She seemed to be invigorated by her personal group of cheerleaders, and stood a bit straighter.
"Here she goes!" Ludo shouted. Fleur raised her wand and said something that was drowned out by the crowd, and a beam of light hit the dragon straight in the chest. The dragon bellowed and tried to get at Fleur, but something seemed to be taking it over - she had put some sort of sleep-spell on it.
"Oh I'm not sure that was wise", and McGonagall had to agree with Bagman - the dragon's thick skin would block part of the spell, and it wouldn't work to its full potential. However, Fleur darted forward, jumping nimbly about the dragon's splayed arms and legs.
"Oh - nearly!" Bagman said as Fleur reached down into the nest of eggs to pluck out the golden egg. However, her arms were just too short, and the nest was just too far down, so she tried to climb up and over the dragon's arm, which was curled protectively around it.
"Careful now!" and sure enough, the dragon snorted in its sleep and a jet of flame shot out. Fleur's skirt caught on fire, and she let out a little girlish squeak of dismay. She quickly performed a spell, and a stream of water poured out of the end of her wand, putting out the fire. She turned her attention back to the egg, but the dragon was now struggling to get past the veil of sleep. She made a grab for the egg, but missed. "Good lord, I thought she'd had it then!" Ludo shouted. The dragon was now nearly awake, and it reared its head, preparing for another jet of flame. Fleur made one last desperate grab, and, miraculously -
"She's got it! She's got the egg!" Ludo bellowed, and the crowd jumped to its feet and cheered. Fleur quickly sprinted up and out of the dragon's enclosure, hugging the egg to her chest protectively, and the dragon's flame that was meant for her head hit the dirt ground instead.
The whistle blew again. "And here comes Mr. Krum!"
Krum slouched into view. He nodded towards the judge's table at Karkaroff, and stepped into the enclosure. He raised his wand immediately after entering and said a spell. A jet of white shot out and hit the dragon in the eye.
"Very daring!" Bagman shouted, and the Chinese Fireball shrieked in agony and began flailing around. Krum ducked around the flailing limbs in search of the golden egg. Unfortunately, the Fireball was dancing right around the nest of eggs, and a heavy leg just barely missed Krum. It came straight down with a dull thud onto the nest, and when it raised its foot again, the crowd could see that half of the eggs had been broken. Everyone gasped. Krum winced, but dove straight down into the nest, apparently trying to squeeze in grabbing the egg before the dragon's leg came pounding down again.
"That's some nerve he's showing!" yelled Ludo Bagman, and the crowd held its breath as Krum disappeared from view.
"Yes - he's got the egg!"
Krum's head popped back up and he wriggled up and out of the nest with the egg clutched in his arms, amid cheers from the crowd.
"He was the fastest," Moody muttered.
"But the dragon trampled half the real eggs," McGonagall reminded him. "The judges surely will take off points for that."
The whistle blew one last time and Harry Potter appeared from the tent. The Horntail was already in the enclosure, waiting. The crowd was in an uproar. This was clearly the most dangerous dragon of the lot, and here it was being put up against the youngest champion?
Harry raised his wand, and the crowd grew silent. He shouted something, but the words were lost to the wind. Then he simply stood there, waiting, and the crowd became impatient and shouted at him. McGonagall caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy's smirking face a few stands down and grimaced.
Suddenly a hurtling sound came from the direction of the woods. Everyone's head turned, including Harry's, and Ludo Bagman shouted, "It's a Firebolt!"
The crowd's shouts grew louder. Hagrid was yelling himself hoarse. The Firebolt came to a dead stop beside Harry, and he mounted it and kicked off from the ground. Everyone's eyes followed him as he flew higher and higher, until he was a mere speck.
"I'm not sure what he's attempting here," Bagman cried, "but it looks dangerous..."
Harry plummeted headfirst. The crowd inhaled sharply.
"Is he going for the egg?" Moody asked incredulously.
The Horntail let out a jet of fire, and someone screamed, but Harry pulled out just in time. The crowd began shouting.
"Great Scott, he can fly!" Bagman yelled over the din. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"
They watched as Harry soared higher; even the Horntail was following his every movement. He began circling, and the Horntail followed him with its head. It opened its mouth, and at the same time, Harry dove again. The flames missed him, but the dragon managed to hit his shoulder with its tail spikes. The cloth ripped, and the crowd groaned. Harry seemed to be all right, however; he began to fly back and forth. The dragon followed his progress, its fangs bared at him. He flew higher, and the Horntail stretched its neck to its fullest extent, swaying. Harry rose a few feet higher. The dragon roared and shot fire into the air again. He dodged the flames. The Horntail opened its mouth and reared towards Harry, spreading its huge wings and lifting off, allowing Harry to dive towards the nest of eggs now unprotected.
"He's got the egg!" Ludo Bagman yelled. "Will you look at that!"
Harry was soaring out over the stands with the egg safely tucked under his arm, victorious. The crowd was applauding and cheering. Moody was growling, apparently in satisfaction. Hagrid let out a bawl and buried his face in his huge hands. McGonagall let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding and smiled, cheering along with the crowd. She spotted Snape a few feet away. He was scowling up at Harry, but McGonagall could detect a faint expression of relief on his face.
"Come on!" she said, pulling Moody and Hagrid along with her and down to the enclosure towards Harry. Hagrid pushed a path through the crowd easily.
Bagman was still shouting. "Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"
The dragon keepers rushed forward to subdue the Horntail. McGonagall, Hagrid, and Moody were at the entrance to the enclosure, and they waved Harry towards them, all grinning. They watched as he flew back over the stands and neatly landed on the ground in front of them.
"That was excellent, Potter!" McGonagall cried the second he had gotten off the Firebolt. She pointed to his shoulder. "You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score...Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already..."
Hagrid beamed. "Yeh did it, Harry! Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors' -"
"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry quickly interrupted. McGonagall looked at Hagrid suspiciously, then at Harry.
"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter," Moody growled, and McGonagall forgot about what Hagrid had said.
"Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please..." And she gave Harry a little push towards Madam Pomfrey, who was worriedly standing at the entrance of a second tent.
"Come on," Moody said after awhile, still watching the place where Harry had disappeared into the tent, "the judges are about to give their marks."
The three professors headed back to their seats in the stands. The crowd was still buzzing excitedly, pondering what score Harry would receive. Ludo Bagman was mopping his forehead, busily talking to Dumbledore, who was sitting beside him at the judge's table.
Finally, the judges seemed to be ready. Harry and Ron were standing on the other edge of the enclosure. Ron was chatting Harry's ear off. McGonagall smiled when she saw this, relieved that Ron had come to his senses about Harry being champion.
Madame Maxine raised her wand. A ribbon of silver shot out and twisted itself into an eight. The crowd applauded. Mr. Crouch shot up a number nine. Dumbledore also put up a nine. The crowd was cheering itself hoarse. Ludo Bagman awarded Harry with a ten. McGonagall, out of the corner of her eye, saw Harry saying something to Ron in disbelief. Karkaroff was the last of the judges. He hesitated for a moment, then displayed his number: four. The crowd was indignant, and showed their disapproval by shouting at Karkaroff, who pretended not to hear. Even McGonagall was yelling. Hagrid looked ready to kill. Moody's magical eye was twitching overtime.
"They've tied," McGonagall said when the noise had subsided a bit. "Potter and Krum."
"Only 'cause tha' Karkaroff was unfair," Hagrid grumbled.
"Don't worry, Harry'll pull ahead during the next task," Moody said, his eyes glimmering. "I'm sure of it."
Author: Rita Screecher
Author email: ritascreecher@excite.com
Category: Humor/Romance
Keywords: Fourth year, Professor McGonagall
Spoilers: All four books, especially the fourth book (obviously)
Rating: PG
Summary: A retelling of Harry Potter and Co's fourth year, from Professor McGonagall's point of view. Of course, I took a few "creative liberties"...:)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-choo-choo!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This is the second part of a planned five part series, detailing the events of the Triwizard Tournament during Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts, from Professor McGonagall's point of view.
Part II: The First Task
"Dragons?"
"My dear professor, calm down. We have professional wizards standing by to make sure they don't hurt anyone."
"But dragons? I know these are to be difficult tasks, but I thought we agreed we were taking extra precautions this tournament, and especially since we have an underage wizard competing. Couldn't we come up with a different task?"
"Professor McGonagall, really, where were you when we were all discussing what the tasks were going to be?"
"I missed that particular meeting," she faltered, "because...my mother died."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Didn't she die ten years ago?"
"...my step-mother."
"Didn't she die two years ago?"
"...my second step-mother."
"Didn't your father die shortly after your step-mother died? How could he have remarried?"
"...my godmother."
"Minerva..."
McGonagall fell silent; her face flushed a heavy red. "All right, I overslept that day."
"So I presumed."
A pause. Then:
"So you're going to change the task."
"No."
"...No?"
"We cannot baby Harry Potter, or, for that matter, any of the champions. These are supposed to be challenging tasks, for the best students from each school. I believe that all of the champions, including Harry, will survive and complete the task with flying colors."
"You put too much faith in these children, Albus."
"I have to, Minerva."
Another silence.
"Good night, Albus."
"And the same to you, Professor."
***
Tuesday arrived with excited buzzing about the first task. There was much speculation, and during breakfast, rumors flew around about what the champions would have to do.
"Perhaps they'll sic Hagrid's Skrewts on them! Whoever gets out alive wins!"
"Or maybe they have to fly around the Quidditch field without broomsticks!"
"Or maybe they'll have a three-legged race! They have to Transfigure an extra leg onto their body and run around the castle ten times!"
Lessons were to end at midday to give all the students time to hurry down to the dragons' enclosure (Though none will have the faintest idea that there are dragons there, McGonagall thought icily. Dumbledore should have at least told the champions about the task yesterday...it's as though he wants someone to die).
Lunch came quickly. While the rest of the school ate, the judges and the professors headed down to the dragon enclosure, as well as all but one of the champions. McGonagall stuck her head into the tent Ludo Bagman and the champions were gathering in before the task, glanced around, and discovered that it was Harry who was missing. She dashed off to the Great Hall.
"Potter," she said urgently, tapping him on the shoulder, "the champions have to come down onto the grounds now...You have to get ready for your first task."
Harry looked rather green as he stood up and followed McGonagall out of the castle. McGonagall felt rather nervous, too, so in an attempt to calm both Harry and herself, she put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Now, don't panic, just keep a cool head...We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand...The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you...Are you all right?"
Harry croaked, "Yes. Yes, I'm fine."
The tent came into view and McGonagall turned to him quickly, saying, "You're to go in there with the other champions and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there...he'll be telling you the - the procedure...Good luck."
"Thanks," Harry replied, and McGonagall nodded once and left him standing in front of the tent. She turned around and watched his slim form duck into the flimsy structure. Then she headed off to herd the rest of the students out into the stands.
***
Cedric Diggory was the first to emerge from the tent. The crowd clapped and roared as he stepped into the enclosure. He had gotten the Swedish Short-Snout.
"Isn' this exciting?" Hagrid shouted over the din.
"Indeed!" McGonagall yelled back.
"Whom are you rooting for?" Moody shouted.
"We're supposed to be objective!" McGonagall exclaimed.
"Harry!" Hagrid said at the same time. All three professors grinned and turned their attention back to Diggory, who had finally acted and was Transfiguring a rock on the ground into...
"A dog!" Ludo Bagman bellowed, acting as commentary.
The dragon let out a scream and started going after the dog, while Cedric ducked underneath its enormous wing in pursuit of the golden egg. "Ooh, narrow miss there, very narrow -" Bagman shouted as the dragon swung around, still chasing the dog, and its tail nearly lopped off Cedric's head - "He's taking risks, this one!"
Cedric did a funny little twist of his body ("Is he doing the limbo?" Moody shouted, laughing) and suddenly, he was underneath the enormous spiked tail and on the other side of the dragon. However, it seemed as though the dragon had changed its mind, and it turned, ignoring the Labrador and going after Cedric instead. It opened its mouth and let loose a stream of fire. The crowd gasped. Diggory ducked, and the brunt of the fire passed by, but a bit manage to lick at his face. The crowd was now on its feet, and McGonagall could hardly bear to watch.
"He's - he's ducking down - clever move, pity it didn't work - wait, no - he's got it!"
The crowd was beside itself. The cheers were deafening. McGonagall herself nearly shouted herself hoarse.
"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled, and the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"
Fleur materialized, visibly trembling from head to foot. Her wand was clutched tightly in her small hand, and as she entered the enclosure to face the Welsh Green, a crowd of boys in the stands shouted, "We loff you, Fleur!" She seemed to be invigorated by her personal group of cheerleaders, and stood a bit straighter.
"Here she goes!" Ludo shouted. Fleur raised her wand and said something that was drowned out by the crowd, and a beam of light hit the dragon straight in the chest. The dragon bellowed and tried to get at Fleur, but something seemed to be taking it over - she had put some sort of sleep-spell on it.
"Oh I'm not sure that was wise", and McGonagall had to agree with Bagman - the dragon's thick skin would block part of the spell, and it wouldn't work to its full potential. However, Fleur darted forward, jumping nimbly about the dragon's splayed arms and legs.
"Oh - nearly!" Bagman said as Fleur reached down into the nest of eggs to pluck out the golden egg. However, her arms were just too short, and the nest was just too far down, so she tried to climb up and over the dragon's arm, which was curled protectively around it.
"Careful now!" and sure enough, the dragon snorted in its sleep and a jet of flame shot out. Fleur's skirt caught on fire, and she let out a little girlish squeak of dismay. She quickly performed a spell, and a stream of water poured out of the end of her wand, putting out the fire. She turned her attention back to the egg, but the dragon was now struggling to get past the veil of sleep. She made a grab for the egg, but missed. "Good lord, I thought she'd had it then!" Ludo shouted. The dragon was now nearly awake, and it reared its head, preparing for another jet of flame. Fleur made one last desperate grab, and, miraculously -
"She's got it! She's got the egg!" Ludo bellowed, and the crowd jumped to its feet and cheered. Fleur quickly sprinted up and out of the dragon's enclosure, hugging the egg to her chest protectively, and the dragon's flame that was meant for her head hit the dirt ground instead.
The whistle blew again. "And here comes Mr. Krum!"
Krum slouched into view. He nodded towards the judge's table at Karkaroff, and stepped into the enclosure. He raised his wand immediately after entering and said a spell. A jet of white shot out and hit the dragon in the eye.
"Very daring!" Bagman shouted, and the Chinese Fireball shrieked in agony and began flailing around. Krum ducked around the flailing limbs in search of the golden egg. Unfortunately, the Fireball was dancing right around the nest of eggs, and a heavy leg just barely missed Krum. It came straight down with a dull thud onto the nest, and when it raised its foot again, the crowd could see that half of the eggs had been broken. Everyone gasped. Krum winced, but dove straight down into the nest, apparently trying to squeeze in grabbing the egg before the dragon's leg came pounding down again.
"That's some nerve he's showing!" yelled Ludo Bagman, and the crowd held its breath as Krum disappeared from view.
"Yes - he's got the egg!"
Krum's head popped back up and he wriggled up and out of the nest with the egg clutched in his arms, amid cheers from the crowd.
"He was the fastest," Moody muttered.
"But the dragon trampled half the real eggs," McGonagall reminded him. "The judges surely will take off points for that."
The whistle blew one last time and Harry Potter appeared from the tent. The Horntail was already in the enclosure, waiting. The crowd was in an uproar. This was clearly the most dangerous dragon of the lot, and here it was being put up against the youngest champion?
Harry raised his wand, and the crowd grew silent. He shouted something, but the words were lost to the wind. Then he simply stood there, waiting, and the crowd became impatient and shouted at him. McGonagall caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy's smirking face a few stands down and grimaced.
Suddenly a hurtling sound came from the direction of the woods. Everyone's head turned, including Harry's, and Ludo Bagman shouted, "It's a Firebolt!"
The crowd's shouts grew louder. Hagrid was yelling himself hoarse. The Firebolt came to a dead stop beside Harry, and he mounted it and kicked off from the ground. Everyone's eyes followed him as he flew higher and higher, until he was a mere speck.
"I'm not sure what he's attempting here," Bagman cried, "but it looks dangerous..."
Harry plummeted headfirst. The crowd inhaled sharply.
"Is he going for the egg?" Moody asked incredulously.
The Horntail let out a jet of fire, and someone screamed, but Harry pulled out just in time. The crowd began shouting.
"Great Scott, he can fly!" Bagman yelled over the din. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"
They watched as Harry soared higher; even the Horntail was following his every movement. He began circling, and the Horntail followed him with its head. It opened its mouth, and at the same time, Harry dove again. The flames missed him, but the dragon managed to hit his shoulder with its tail spikes. The cloth ripped, and the crowd groaned. Harry seemed to be all right, however; he began to fly back and forth. The dragon followed his progress, its fangs bared at him. He flew higher, and the Horntail stretched its neck to its fullest extent, swaying. Harry rose a few feet higher. The dragon roared and shot fire into the air again. He dodged the flames. The Horntail opened its mouth and reared towards Harry, spreading its huge wings and lifting off, allowing Harry to dive towards the nest of eggs now unprotected.
"He's got the egg!" Ludo Bagman yelled. "Will you look at that!"
Harry was soaring out over the stands with the egg safely tucked under his arm, victorious. The crowd was applauding and cheering. Moody was growling, apparently in satisfaction. Hagrid let out a bawl and buried his face in his huge hands. McGonagall let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding and smiled, cheering along with the crowd. She spotted Snape a few feet away. He was scowling up at Harry, but McGonagall could detect a faint expression of relief on his face.
"Come on!" she said, pulling Moody and Hagrid along with her and down to the enclosure towards Harry. Hagrid pushed a path through the crowd easily.
Bagman was still shouting. "Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"
The dragon keepers rushed forward to subdue the Horntail. McGonagall, Hagrid, and Moody were at the entrance to the enclosure, and they waved Harry towards them, all grinning. They watched as he flew back over the stands and neatly landed on the ground in front of them.
"That was excellent, Potter!" McGonagall cried the second he had gotten off the Firebolt. She pointed to his shoulder. "You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score...Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already..."
Hagrid beamed. "Yeh did it, Harry! Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors' -"
"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry quickly interrupted. McGonagall looked at Hagrid suspiciously, then at Harry.
"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter," Moody growled, and McGonagall forgot about what Hagrid had said.
"Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please..." And she gave Harry a little push towards Madam Pomfrey, who was worriedly standing at the entrance of a second tent.
"Come on," Moody said after awhile, still watching the place where Harry had disappeared into the tent, "the judges are about to give their marks."
The three professors headed back to their seats in the stands. The crowd was still buzzing excitedly, pondering what score Harry would receive. Ludo Bagman was mopping his forehead, busily talking to Dumbledore, who was sitting beside him at the judge's table.
Finally, the judges seemed to be ready. Harry and Ron were standing on the other edge of the enclosure. Ron was chatting Harry's ear off. McGonagall smiled when she saw this, relieved that Ron had come to his senses about Harry being champion.
Madame Maxine raised her wand. A ribbon of silver shot out and twisted itself into an eight. The crowd applauded. Mr. Crouch shot up a number nine. Dumbledore also put up a nine. The crowd was cheering itself hoarse. Ludo Bagman awarded Harry with a ten. McGonagall, out of the corner of her eye, saw Harry saying something to Ron in disbelief. Karkaroff was the last of the judges. He hesitated for a moment, then displayed his number: four. The crowd was indignant, and showed their disapproval by shouting at Karkaroff, who pretended not to hear. Even McGonagall was yelling. Hagrid looked ready to kill. Moody's magical eye was twitching overtime.
"They've tied," McGonagall said when the noise had subsided a bit. "Potter and Krum."
"Only 'cause tha' Karkaroff was unfair," Hagrid grumbled.
"Don't worry, Harry'll pull ahead during the next task," Moody said, his eyes glimmering. "I'm sure of it."