Chapter Five: Round Three
-----------------------------------
Although he'd seen many things in his life, Harry Potter had to admit that this was perhaps the strangest. A crowd gathering to watch two idiotic teenagers fight over a girl. It was ridiculous. (Little, of course, did he know, that far more ridiculous things were being shown on television all the time, calling themselves, "Reality TV.") However, despite how ridiculous it was, it was also quite enjoyable for him to play the host. Even though he knew he wasn't very good at it.
"Yes, Round Three," he said, "will be played now. It will be played the same way as Round One."
Ginny announced, "Hermione, here's your quill and some more parchment. Wingardium leviosa." Hermione snatched the items from out of the air. "Here is the question: You have a pet. What type of animal is it?" Hermione wrote the answer down and dropped the quill. It bounced off of Harry's head and into his lap.
"Here are your quills, contestants. And here is some parchment," Harry said as he distributed the items. "Now, here is the question again: What type of animal is Hermione's pet?"
The boys didn't looked fazed by this question. It was simple, after all. Especially considering the pet in question could be spotted in the crowd, curling around people's legs and purring. Once each contestant had written their answer on the parchment, they returned the quills.
Harry said, "Hermione, your answer was...?"
As she revealed her answer, Hermione stated, "A cat."
"Viktor, now you."
Viktor looked a little surprised that the order had been changed. However, he turned the parchment around so that it could be seen to read, "Cat." Twenty points were added to his score, so that is read: KRUM–50 points.
Ginny said, directing the statement toward her brother, "Ron. What answer did you come up with? What type of pet does Hermione have?"
If the smug look of Ron's face was any indication, he had gotten the correct answer. Indeed, when he showed the crowd his answer, the audience laughed. It said, "A hideous, horrifying creature. (A CAT)." Ron's score was boosted to 60 points.
"Both contestants, well done," Ginny congratulated as she sent Hermione's quill up again. "Now, next question: What is Hermione's favorite type of wizard candy?"
Hermione, never much of a candy-eater, took a little longer to answer this question. Finally, she wrote down what she felt was a satisfactory answer. She wasn't sure if it rang true, but she remembered once discussing it with Viktor. She handed back her quill.
"Now, Dimwits One and Two," Harry said, passing out the quills. "What is Hermione's favorite type of wizard candy?"
Both contestants looked thoughtful for a moment. Suddenly, Viktor seemed to realize something, and he wrote his answer down. Ron, however, was still stumped. He resorted to writing down the only wizard candy he could think of at the moment–he was a little panicked.
"Your quills," reminded Harry, and they handed them back. "Now, Hermione what was your answer?"
Hermione showed her answer to the audience. "Chocolate Frogs," she said.
"I love Chocolate Frogs," said Ginny. "The question is, however, do the contestants know that you love chocolate frogs? Viktor."
With a happy look on his face, Viktor showed his answer–"Chocolate Frog." His score was now 70 points.
"Ron."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ron replied, as he revealed that his answer was incorrect. His piece of parchment had the words, "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," scrawled across it.
Harry said, "Sorry, Ron." He genuinely looked sorry. "However, there are still three more questions in the round. Hermione," he continued, making sure Hermione got her quill. "The question is: What school did you attend, before you came to Hogwarts?"
Hermione wrote down her answer, a word–technically, a title–that she hadn't written in years. However, before she had the chance to reminisce, Ginny asked, "Done?" and she was forced to return the quill and pay attention.
The boys wrote their responses to the question, but neither looked too sure about their answer as they tossed the quills towards the hosts.
"Okay, Hermione, I'm sure everyone is itching to know–what school did you attend before Hogwarts?" Ginny said.
"Well, Ginny," said Hermione, mimicking the announcer voice, "I went to–" She flipped the parchment. "–Hawthorne Primary. It was a muggle school, of course."
Viktor, after being asked to show his answer, had apparently known this little fact; for, upon his parchment was the word "Hathorne." Unfortunately, Ron called into question the incorrect spelling, and Hermione was forced to confirm that it was not spelled the right way.
"Neville?" shouted Ginny. "Does the spelling matter?"
Neville called, "No! It's okay." Viktor's score was now 90.
The hosts forced Ron to reveal his answer, which simply said, "No bloody idea." His score remained at 60 points.
"Next question," said Ginny. Hermione, quill in hand, listened as Ginny said, "Why, in her second year, did Hermione miss her classes, over a relatively long period of time?"
Hermione was confused, at first, by the wording of the question. However, she soon realized what Ginny was talking about and scribbled down her answer. The quill was, once again, returned.
Viktor looked worried as he attempted to answer this question. He seemed to have absolutely no idea. He doubted his answer was correct.
On the other hand, Ron was positive that he had responded accurately. He had been there, worried, and he would never forget that time. It was too hard to forget how hard life was without Hermione there, being her know-it-all self, and smiling at him, and insulting Malfoy, and just being his best friend.
After their quills were collected, Ginny said, "Hermione, what was your answer?"
"I was petrified," Hermione responded as she showed her answer to the audience. "Back in Year Two, when the basilisk was loose. Me, and loads of others."
Ginny turned a sort of violet red color at the mention of the basilisk, and it took her a minute–and Harry's comforting words–for her to compose herself enough to say, "Viktor?"
Viktor's answer–"Away visiting relatives"–was received with a few boos from the audience, and an even larger group of people yelling, "Dimwit Number One!"
Ron proudly presented the word "Petrified," and was congratulated with loud cheers. The 60 on his sign changed in a flash to 80. He was now trailing by only ten points.
"The last question of this round, worth twenty points, is: What is the profession of Hermione's father?"
Hermione, obviously not hesitating a moment, wrote her answer and dropped the quill. Neither of the boys seemed nervous regarding their answers, which were scribbled seconds after Hermione's.
"Well, we are about to find out who is in the lead," said Harry. "Hermione, what does your father do for a living? Is he a mailman? A doctor? Please enlighten us."
After taking a deep breath and then releasing it, Hermione said, "My father is...a dentist. Hence the whole 'teeth and magic don't mix' rule."
"A dentist. Wonderful," said Ginny. "Did you have 'Dentist', Viktor?"
Triumphantly, Viktor turned his parchment for the audience to read. It said, in blocky, very masculine lettering, "Dentist."
Ron threw Viktor a hostile glance, and then said, "I had 'dentist,' as well. See?" He revealed his answer. It said, "He is a dentist."
"And," said Ginny, "at the end of Round Three, Viktor is leading by ten. Up next, the Lightning Round!"
Narrowing his eyes at Viktor, Ron felt the Bulgarian didn't look too bright. With any luck, he thought, the git won't be able to think on his feet.
---------------------
A/N: For those who commented on how fast I can update (specifically Auddie) the reason is this–I have no life. There's nothing on televison. And there's only so many times you can reread the Harry Potter books 1-4(I still haven't worked up the nerve to reread OoTP again; I cried way too much the first time).
BTW–someone asked for more Ginny/Harry, but that's not really the point of the story. It is slight Ginny/Harry because I do believe they are meant to be together. Specifically, though, this story is a Ron/Hermione/Krum love-triangle fic. I won't say who wins the competition–OR--sigh--Hermione's heart. You'll just have to read this.
-----------------------------------
Although he'd seen many things in his life, Harry Potter had to admit that this was perhaps the strangest. A crowd gathering to watch two idiotic teenagers fight over a girl. It was ridiculous. (Little, of course, did he know, that far more ridiculous things were being shown on television all the time, calling themselves, "Reality TV.") However, despite how ridiculous it was, it was also quite enjoyable for him to play the host. Even though he knew he wasn't very good at it.
"Yes, Round Three," he said, "will be played now. It will be played the same way as Round One."
Ginny announced, "Hermione, here's your quill and some more parchment. Wingardium leviosa." Hermione snatched the items from out of the air. "Here is the question: You have a pet. What type of animal is it?" Hermione wrote the answer down and dropped the quill. It bounced off of Harry's head and into his lap.
"Here are your quills, contestants. And here is some parchment," Harry said as he distributed the items. "Now, here is the question again: What type of animal is Hermione's pet?"
The boys didn't looked fazed by this question. It was simple, after all. Especially considering the pet in question could be spotted in the crowd, curling around people's legs and purring. Once each contestant had written their answer on the parchment, they returned the quills.
Harry said, "Hermione, your answer was...?"
As she revealed her answer, Hermione stated, "A cat."
"Viktor, now you."
Viktor looked a little surprised that the order had been changed. However, he turned the parchment around so that it could be seen to read, "Cat." Twenty points were added to his score, so that is read: KRUM–50 points.
Ginny said, directing the statement toward her brother, "Ron. What answer did you come up with? What type of pet does Hermione have?"
If the smug look of Ron's face was any indication, he had gotten the correct answer. Indeed, when he showed the crowd his answer, the audience laughed. It said, "A hideous, horrifying creature. (A CAT)." Ron's score was boosted to 60 points.
"Both contestants, well done," Ginny congratulated as she sent Hermione's quill up again. "Now, next question: What is Hermione's favorite type of wizard candy?"
Hermione, never much of a candy-eater, took a little longer to answer this question. Finally, she wrote down what she felt was a satisfactory answer. She wasn't sure if it rang true, but she remembered once discussing it with Viktor. She handed back her quill.
"Now, Dimwits One and Two," Harry said, passing out the quills. "What is Hermione's favorite type of wizard candy?"
Both contestants looked thoughtful for a moment. Suddenly, Viktor seemed to realize something, and he wrote his answer down. Ron, however, was still stumped. He resorted to writing down the only wizard candy he could think of at the moment–he was a little panicked.
"Your quills," reminded Harry, and they handed them back. "Now, Hermione what was your answer?"
Hermione showed her answer to the audience. "Chocolate Frogs," she said.
"I love Chocolate Frogs," said Ginny. "The question is, however, do the contestants know that you love chocolate frogs? Viktor."
With a happy look on his face, Viktor showed his answer–"Chocolate Frog." His score was now 70 points.
"Ron."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ron replied, as he revealed that his answer was incorrect. His piece of parchment had the words, "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," scrawled across it.
Harry said, "Sorry, Ron." He genuinely looked sorry. "However, there are still three more questions in the round. Hermione," he continued, making sure Hermione got her quill. "The question is: What school did you attend, before you came to Hogwarts?"
Hermione wrote down her answer, a word–technically, a title–that she hadn't written in years. However, before she had the chance to reminisce, Ginny asked, "Done?" and she was forced to return the quill and pay attention.
The boys wrote their responses to the question, but neither looked too sure about their answer as they tossed the quills towards the hosts.
"Okay, Hermione, I'm sure everyone is itching to know–what school did you attend before Hogwarts?" Ginny said.
"Well, Ginny," said Hermione, mimicking the announcer voice, "I went to–" She flipped the parchment. "–Hawthorne Primary. It was a muggle school, of course."
Viktor, after being asked to show his answer, had apparently known this little fact; for, upon his parchment was the word "Hathorne." Unfortunately, Ron called into question the incorrect spelling, and Hermione was forced to confirm that it was not spelled the right way.
"Neville?" shouted Ginny. "Does the spelling matter?"
Neville called, "No! It's okay." Viktor's score was now 90.
The hosts forced Ron to reveal his answer, which simply said, "No bloody idea." His score remained at 60 points.
"Next question," said Ginny. Hermione, quill in hand, listened as Ginny said, "Why, in her second year, did Hermione miss her classes, over a relatively long period of time?"
Hermione was confused, at first, by the wording of the question. However, she soon realized what Ginny was talking about and scribbled down her answer. The quill was, once again, returned.
Viktor looked worried as he attempted to answer this question. He seemed to have absolutely no idea. He doubted his answer was correct.
On the other hand, Ron was positive that he had responded accurately. He had been there, worried, and he would never forget that time. It was too hard to forget how hard life was without Hermione there, being her know-it-all self, and smiling at him, and insulting Malfoy, and just being his best friend.
After their quills were collected, Ginny said, "Hermione, what was your answer?"
"I was petrified," Hermione responded as she showed her answer to the audience. "Back in Year Two, when the basilisk was loose. Me, and loads of others."
Ginny turned a sort of violet red color at the mention of the basilisk, and it took her a minute–and Harry's comforting words–for her to compose herself enough to say, "Viktor?"
Viktor's answer–"Away visiting relatives"–was received with a few boos from the audience, and an even larger group of people yelling, "Dimwit Number One!"
Ron proudly presented the word "Petrified," and was congratulated with loud cheers. The 60 on his sign changed in a flash to 80. He was now trailing by only ten points.
"The last question of this round, worth twenty points, is: What is the profession of Hermione's father?"
Hermione, obviously not hesitating a moment, wrote her answer and dropped the quill. Neither of the boys seemed nervous regarding their answers, which were scribbled seconds after Hermione's.
"Well, we are about to find out who is in the lead," said Harry. "Hermione, what does your father do for a living? Is he a mailman? A doctor? Please enlighten us."
After taking a deep breath and then releasing it, Hermione said, "My father is...a dentist. Hence the whole 'teeth and magic don't mix' rule."
"A dentist. Wonderful," said Ginny. "Did you have 'Dentist', Viktor?"
Triumphantly, Viktor turned his parchment for the audience to read. It said, in blocky, very masculine lettering, "Dentist."
Ron threw Viktor a hostile glance, and then said, "I had 'dentist,' as well. See?" He revealed his answer. It said, "He is a dentist."
"And," said Ginny, "at the end of Round Three, Viktor is leading by ten. Up next, the Lightning Round!"
Narrowing his eyes at Viktor, Ron felt the Bulgarian didn't look too bright. With any luck, he thought, the git won't be able to think on his feet.
---------------------
A/N: For those who commented on how fast I can update (specifically Auddie) the reason is this–I have no life. There's nothing on televison. And there's only so many times you can reread the Harry Potter books 1-4(I still haven't worked up the nerve to reread OoTP again; I cried way too much the first time).
BTW–someone asked for more Ginny/Harry, but that's not really the point of the story. It is slight Ginny/Harry because I do believe they are meant to be together. Specifically, though, this story is a Ron/Hermione/Krum love-triangle fic. I won't say who wins the competition–OR--sigh--Hermione's heart. You'll just have to read this.