Chapter III - From Here to There
The people that gawked at Harry had gotten over their shock at seeing him now. They were facing Malfoy, some with furious or disgusted looks in their faces-- In the wizard world, "mudblood" was an extremely rude title to give to muggle-born wizards or witches.
Hermione knew that the only thing that was keeping anyone from jumping Malfoy right then were his two overgrown cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. They stood on each side of Malfoy, flexing their biceps threateningly as if daring anyone to come closer.
Hermione also noticed that not everyone was being resentful towards Malfoy. There was a bunch far at the back who were sniggering silently at the things he had said. She wasn't sure, but she thought they looked familiar. She guessed they were probably some of the older Slytherins that went to Hogwarts.
Hermione noticed that everyone there was a teenager. Well, of course... Most of them there had to be Hogwarts students... It seemed like there were about 30 of them present. She also noticed that the part of the street they were on was void of people besides them.
Harry and Ron threw back insults at Malfoy, and he retaliated with his own, while Crabbe and Goyle snickered whenever Malfoy made his offense (it was no secret that they were too dumb to make up any of their own).
"Okay, now..." said Mr. Seamson's voice from the front, "Settle down."
They stopped their quarrel but were now glaring at each other.
Just then Hermione felt someone's eyes on her... Not much later, she caught a glimpse of a large black dog from the corner of her eye. When she looked in it's direction, however, it was gone.
"Alright, it's almost time to go." continued Mr. Seamson, "If you will... Into the shop." He was stepping backwards, beckoning them to come inside, "No pushing now."
They all followed him in, into the door, and then tried their best to squeeze their large group through the narrow hallway. They kept following until they reached a much larger circular room. In the center of the room was a stool with some sort of pole on top of it.
"Okay, everybody, crowd around... Don't block the doorway now."
People were conversing all around. Some were talking excitedly about what they would be facing, some bragging about how they'd be the one to win the Firebolt, and others were just talking about a different subject all together.
"So Harry... Where's this Livis friend of yours?" Hermione asked looking around for the most suspicious-looking person she could find.
"Hmm... Now that you mention it, I can't see him anywhere," responded Harry.
"How quaint of him." she said in a dismally sarcastic tone, "Casually giving away information about this and he doesn't even show up himself."
"I suppose this is everyone that's going to come, then..." said Mr. Seamson, "The portkey will be activated in a few moments, so everyone come in closer."
They all tried to edge in to the center of the room.
"Port Key?" asked Harry.
"It's like an item, magically attributed, that some wizards and witches use for quick transport." responded Hermione, "I guess we'll be teleported to wherever we're going."
"Oh," said Harry unassertively. He must have thought that she wouldn't know the answer.
"Everyone up front try to make space... All of you will need to hold on to this," said Mr. Seamson, indicating the pole on top of the stool.
It was horrible... Some of the people in the front had to duck down and get on their knees and the people behind actually had to get on the backs of the front people before everyone could fit.
"AHHHH!" one of the girls shrieked, "Don't grab me there!"
"Ouch!! You're stepping on my toes!"
"And just how long do we have to stay like this?!" Malfoy demanded.
"Shouldn't be complaining, Malfoy." said Harry, who was holding half the weight of Hermione and a boy that looked to be about 16, "At least you're on top."
Ron was also in the bottom, beside Harry. He supported the rest of Hermione's weight and half of Dean's.
The blue-haired American boy, Allan, seemed to be the most unfortunate of the people on the bottom. He had to support most of the weight of both Crabbe and Goyle. He looked almost like he was going to suffocate.
"Come on... How much longer?" asked Ron reluctantly-- It seemed he didn't quite like agreeing with Malfoy about anything.
"Patience," responded Mr. Seamson, "The port key should be transporting you in about one more minute."
Twenty seconds of impatient silence passed by, when Hermione heard footsteps coming from the small hallway. And then a tall, handsome boy wearing rectangle-rimmed glasses burst into the room.
"Sorry I'm late," he said briskly.
"My my..." said Mr. Seamson, "Hurry and grab onto the port key if you don't want to be left behind..."
The boy immediately ran from the doorway, jumped into the crowd, and landed on Malfoy and the other group of Slytherins Hermione had noticed earlier. She smiled inwardly and tried not to laugh.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Crazy bastard!"
"Really sorry." he responded. There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Some people started to laugh.
The silence was completely broken now. The Slytherins lashed out at everyone, including the boy that just arrived. Some of the older participants that seemed to know the older Slytherins were lashing back, insulting them by name. The condition for Blue-hair got worse because the excited Crabbe and Goyle were bouncing up and down. It was pandemonium.
Hermione was staring at the new arrival, who was trying to fend off some of the Slytherin boy's punches with only his left hand as he tried to hold onto the port key with his right. He caught her eye for a brief moment and gave a quick smile and a nod of the head.
"That's him," Harry said in a very silence whisper.
"Huh?" Hermione snapped out and tore her eyes away from the boy.
"Livis! That's him!"
"Wha--?" she said, "Are you sure? ... Well, he doesn't look too bad..."
She saw Ron try to look up at her in disbelief then roll his eyes.
Another 20 seconds had passed by, and then they heard padded footsteps.
Most people became silent and turned around to see who it was this time.
"What..." said Mr. Seamson, "Who's animal is this?"
It was the same shaggy dog that Hermione had spotted earlier. It walked into the room.
"Well?" he said, "Who's is it?"
When nobody responded, Mr. Seamson tried to shoo the dog out. Hermione saw Harry and noticed that he was a bit shaken. She wondered why...
There were only ten seconds until the port key activated, now.
"Go on... Get out of here!" yelled Mr. Seamson.
Nine. Mr. Seamson made a dash for the dog. Eight. The dog avoided him. Seven. The dog ran around the room and Mr. Seamson chased it. Six... five... four. The dog jumped over the same Slytherins that Livis had jumped over, who got even more furious. Three... two. The dog went for the pole. One. The dog grabbed onto the pole with its teeth, Mr. Seamson was cursing loudly, and all the teenagers looked to be confused, surprised, and amused all at the same time. Zero.
***
Hermione gasped as she felt something pulling her up, and the world around her seemed to be moving quickly, downwards. It only lasted for a few seconds...
And then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.
Everyone let go of the pole and fell back immediately falling on the ground, and on top of other people. Some were laughing (They're actually enjoying this!), and others were yelling angrily. The only one she noticed to be calm was Livis... He simply got up and slipped away from the crowd. He then brushed off his robes with his arms and blew out a heavy breath, shaking his head.
Following his example, Hermione quickly crawled away from the bunch and stood up. Harry and Ron followed her and pretty soon, most of the others were doing the same.
Hermione looked around her with amazement. They were in a very large dining hall now. She figured it must have been as big as the one at Hogwarts. But unlike Hogwarts, the walls were not made of stone, but consisted of white marble and blue silk hangings. They must be inside a huge manor.
Many golden chandeliers could be seen hanging from the very high ceiling. There were tall glass windows lining one side of the room. Outside she could see trees everywhere; it was like a jungle. They must have been at one of the higher floors because the trees were so far below. Farther off, she could spot the sea. But the thing that stuck out the most in the panorama was the volcano within the jungle. It gave her the feeling that they were in a remote island somewhere.
The mood seemed more cheery now after that whole chaotic affair had passed by. When everyone had finally calmed down, they all noticed a middle-aged wizard standing a few feet from where they were all gathered.
He was wearing shiny, dark blue robes and a green, star-decorated wizard cap. Three caretakers surrounded him.
"Welcome, competitors..." He started, but he was interrupted mid-sentence. The shaggy black dog that had teleported with them ran for the door behind the wizard, trampling over him in the process. "Wha-what the... What's that dog doing here?"
He looked around at each of their faces waiting for an explanation but nobody answered. The dog went out the door, turned left, and was now out of sight.
"Blast!" screamed the wizard, "Well, what are you waiting for? Catch it, fools!" he yelled at the caretakers.
They obeyed him at once, as the wizard straightened his robes and tried to regain his stature.
"Well, as I was saying... Welcome, competitors, to Gillhelm Manor!" The wizard beamed around the room, seemingly expecting them to be impressed. When no one gave any more than a cough, he continued, "I am one of your humble hosts, Mellard Gillhelm. I regret to say that I must leave you right after my introduction but I must attend to some business about the competition... We shall call upon you when the elimination rounds are prepared. Until then, enjoy yourselves!"
He clapped his hands twice and the small tables that dotted the floor of the room filled up with food. He then left the room to let the competitors convene.
Everyone looked around and immediately went to a table and started eating. Harry, Ron, and Hermione chose a table near the windows.
"Wow," said Ron, "This is turning out better than I expected... I thought the competition would be held somewhere in Knockturn Alley. I never would've thought we'd be staying in a place like this for the night!"
"Yeah, I know," said Harry, "Aren't you glad we came now, Hermione?"
"I suppose..." Hermione said reluctantly. She really didn't want to admit that she was enjoying herself even a little.
She looked around at the other tables as she was eating. A nearby table contained a group in their later teens. It seemed that there was one outsider in the bunch.
"My name is Antonio Gimenez," a boy of about 17 said bowing to one of the girls sitting there. The girl looked at him with a confused expression, as if he were crazy. Despite this, he continued, "I... Search the globe, for the most beautiful women in the world... I hear that Britain carries the best." He bowed even lower, took one of the girl's hands, "and after seeing you," he kissed her hand, then looked up, "I'd have to say what I heard was right."
"Gomen..." responded the girl, "But... I'm Japanese. I come to London for a vacation... But, ah... My name is Narumi Ueda. Erm, nice to meet you." She bowed herself, but she now looked at the boy with an amused expression. The table burst with laughter. Turning red, the boy called Antonio fled from the scene, passing the table with the weird-haired bunch.
They were sitting at another table near them. The two girls seemed to be talking excitedly, while the one named Allan was still rubbing his back, his face distorted in a discomforted look. Hermione could barely hear what they were saying.
"Do you think I should ask him for an autograph?" the one named Mellie asked the other two.
"Eh, I don't see what's wrong with that," said Allan indifferently.
"Why don't we both go, Mellie," said the one named Patricia.
"You don't think he'll brush us off, do you Allan?" Mellie asked.
"Hmm..." Allan was looking up from his plate. He took a quick glance at Harry, "Well, I expect him to do what any normal person would do... So, yeah, I think he'll blow you off." He nodded while saying this and got back to his food. The two girls looked daggers at him.
When Harry took a glance at them, Mellie immediately brushed her long green hair back, while Patricia gave him a small "hello" wave. Harry turned back around quickly.
At another table near the windows, the Slytherin group was talking quietly and they gave a faint laugh every now and then... Probably plotting on stealing the broom or something, Hermione thought.
At a far-off table, she noticed Livis sitting with a group of people that were glancing at him as if he were some unknown stranger... He wasn't eating much, and interestingly enough, he was entranced in a book.
After about 30 minutes, the host wizard from earlier, Millard Gillhelm, appeared from the large doors. He was wearing different robes now, however... Instead of being dark blue and shiny, it was made of brown wool. His cap was also a plain green.
"Attention everyone..." he said tapping a glass with a spoon. Everyone looked up at him. "My name, is Baddock Gillhelm, and I am one of the host wizards for this competition. I'm sure you've met my twin brother, Millard earlier. He is now making last preparations for the elimination rounds, and I have been sent to fetch our dear competitors." He smiled as he looked around.
Twins, then...
"Just so you have an idea of what our competition will be like, here's a brief outline of what you will be doing:
"There will be four rounds to compete in. The first round, as you've already heard, will simply be an elimination round. I regret to say that not all of you will be able to compete in the rounds to come afterwards... I see that there are about 30 of you, but only 20 will be able to go on after this first round is over.
"Four more of you will be eliminated after the second round is over, and another four, after the third..." He paused a moment. "This will leave only 12 competitors left for the final round...
"We shall have the first two rounds consecutively, then have a lunch break. After lunch, we will proceed with the third round. Afterwards, you will have the rest of the day off and our caretakers shall show you to your rooms. You may go explore the manor or the island if you wish, but I warn that there are dangerous magical creatures in the jungle... And I strongly advise you to stay away from the volcano."
He looked around. Hermione could see mischievous faces on some of the teenagers as she too looked at them.
"Early tomorrow morning, we shall have the fourth round, and the victor shall rise above the rest with the prize Firebolt!"
Everyone looked excited now. Some people rubbed their hands together and licked their lips as if saying, "It'll be mine!"
"I see that some of you have brought your own broomsticks, and some don't seem to have one... But not to worry! We shall happily lend you one from our own storage."
Ron and other people who didn't have a broomstick with them looked somewhat relieved. Hermione was indifferent... She didn't even want to compete, after all.
"And now... If you will follow me, we begin the elimination round!"
End Chapter III