Albus Dumbeldore: A Biography

Chapter 5

Albus' penultimate year passed without major incident, though two teachers left, Professor Orthogos left to pursue a quiet retirement, and, the headmistress due to the many complaints from the governors unceremoniously sacked Professor Krispin over his inadequate teaching ability. Naturally these two jobs were offered to the wizarding world and were almost instantaneously filled by Professor Armando Dippet for Ancient Runes and Professor Elia Frankcroft for charms. The result of this being that Dumbledore's already formidable charm-work increased greatly.

In Dumbledore's seventh and final year at Hogwarts, as in his second year, the tri-wizard tournament was taking place.

The first task involved a duelling match between the three students, this took place in the main hall at Hogwarts and the whole school watched as the famed champions took their places.

"Champions, the rules are quite simple," said Madam Knapp, her voice magically amplified. "The headmasters of the schools will judge you based on these three factors: style, skill and stamina. Be warned the purpose of the exercise is to disarm or incapacitate your opponent through use of a wand, physical contact is not allowed. Many of the protecting spells laid on the school have been removed to allow contestants the full range of hexes. However, If the damage inflicted is deemed to be more then is necessary you will be disqualified from this stage of the tournament and thus will loose any chance of gaining points for your school and you will also incur my wrath." She looked round as if daring any of the champions to try.

"Well, er, thank-you Madam Knapp." Said Professor Clarell hastily, "right er, shall we start so er the first match is Polina Schmerzel and Albus Dumbledore."

The two champions rose from their seats and walked to the central circle, their headmasters watching with bated breath. The talking trickled into silence as the students realised that the event had started.

"Incarcerous!" Bellowed Polina, hearing this Dumbledore brought his wand down in a smooth scythe like action cutting through the ropes as they appeared as if they were butter. He then drew his wand in a delicate circular motion propelling the ropes high into the air and transfiguring them into a deep black shadow that enveloped the entire hall.

Polina lit her wand but it was to no avail she was as blind as the rest of the spectators, suddenly, Dumbledore shouted "Azulumos Maxima!" A brilliant blue light flashed and blinded everyone in the hall, Polina fell clutching at her eyes. Seizing upon this opportunity Dumbledore stepped quickly forward and raised his wand to perform the full-body bind but just as he brought his wand down Polina regained her ability to see and rolled to the left.

The spell froze hit and shattered one of the floorboards on the specially erected platform. Polina got up quickly and the two students began to circle one another, always wary of each other's wand arms. The silence grew deeper the slamming rain outside the hall was the only sound to disturb the confrontation.

"Conjunctivus" Yelled Dumbledore, but Polina also shouted at the same time "Serpensortia" A great green snake flew from the end of Polina's wand but Dumbledore's curse hit it even as it hit the floor, blinding it and jarring it backwards. Angry it spun towards it's creator and sank its venomous teeth into her leg.

Dumbledore sensing danger cast the vanishing spell but the damage had already been done, her leg had begun to turn an unsightly green that cast off an unnatural light. Dumbledore turned to the judges to see that they had not recognised that the match had ended, they watched expectantly to see how Dumbledore was going to react.

"Do you honestly expect me to curse her?" He asked, his usually amicable voice ringing with indignation.

"Albus Dumbledore," said the headmaster of Durmstrang in his deep booming voice, "iv you do not fully immobilise your foe then you vil forfeit your match."

"I won't do it," replied Dumbledore incredulously, "its not right."

Madam Knapp positively beamed at him; a rare occurrence, seeing this Mithra Clarell got to her feet and said. "Judges, it is the opinion of my colleagues and I that Dumbledore has indirectly incapacitated Polina through the use of a conjunctivitis curse on the snake. Professor Gallows, if you would be so kind as to administer the antidote to Miss. Schmerzel," whose legs and head were now starting to twitch erratically. "If we could proceed with the judging."

A small dumpy witch propped up Polina's head and dropped a few drops of a yellow liquid into her mouth, instantaneously Polina's eyes opened and though her face was still a deathly white she looked much better.

After a few minutes conferring Madam Knapp stood up to announce the results:

"The judges have finished conferring and the results stand thus: Albus Dumbledore for Hogwarts School has scored 9 for style, 6 for stamina and 9 for skill." This was greeted by tumultuous applause from many of the students thought the Slytherins looked slightly disgruntled.

Madam Knapp cleared her throat loudly to silence the hall again, "Polina Schmerzel of the Durmstrang Institute scored thus: 5 for style, 7 for stamina and 6 for skill."

Again the hall broke into applause, though it lacked the enthusiasm of Dumbledore's congratulation.

"The next match will be fought between Polina Schmerzel and Leo Nabás"

A tall handsome boy wearing a set of perfectly cut blue robes stepped forward, many of the girls in the audience watched with baited breath, clinging onto each others hands and some even giggling stupidly.

Again like with Dumbledore the two circled watching each other, Polina moving slowly on account of her limp while Nabás moved with acute precision. Again, Polina struck first shouting "Expelliarmus", quick as lightning Nabás' wand was in front of him conjuring a golden guard that the spell ricocheted off and zoomed back towards Polina. Building on his advantage Nabás unleashed a barrage of curses and hexes completely bewildering the poor Polina.

As she edged closer to the edge of the podium so her temper began to heighten. Again and again Nabás attacked her, cycling through the impediment jinx, the full-body bind and the bat-bogey hex. It was testament to Polina's wand-work that her shield held up. Just as she moved back to escape a particularly nasty leg-locker curse she fell again, twisting the other ankle as she tripped off the podium, at this all self-control left her, she stepped up quickly and bellowed "CRUCIO!"

Instantaneously every judge shot stunning spells at Polina and Madam Knapp was over her like a rearing horse.

"How DARE you!" she screamed! "How dare you try and use one of the unforgivable curses, this is beyond the rules of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, you will be escorted home tonight."

"Sorry, Madam Knapp?" said Professor Clarell who also had stood up.

"Shame on you! All his spells were legitimate. And you! You had too."
"Madam Knapp, Andraste, please?"

"I will be writing personally to your parents." She bellowed, spittle flying out of her mouth.

"MADAM KNAPP, THAT VILL BE QUITE ENOUGH." Said the headmaster of Durmstrang shooting a green firecracker from his wand, "Polina, ve vill leafe now, I am ashamed to say you are one of my students, hurry up and get up." He said, as she lay there out of breath and crying pathetically. "There is not excuse for what she has done, I hope you can accept a young man's most humble apologies on behalf of this student?" He spat looking at her with disgust.

The headmistress of Beauxbatons looked up from Nabás, "yes I should think so too, Leo, my darling are you alright?"

"Of course he's alright," snapped Madam Knapp, we stunned her before the curse got to him."

"Professors," shouted Professor Clarell, her voice magically amplified, "if you please, we have one more round to finish, we can discuss the repercussions of this later, but now the task must be completed by the remaining two combatants."

"Of course," said Mistress Besson, "Leo, fight well."

"Excellent, so the third match is between Albus Dumbledore representing Hogwarts and Leo Nabás representing Beauxbatons."

The two young men walked to the centre and bowed elegantly, for a third time the contestants circled like animals, exact and powerful. The silence now was absolute both schools knowing the reputation of the competitors rested on this bout.

After what seemed like hours Dumbledore flicked his wand in a fluid movement, Nabás's robes flew round, constricting his movement and binding him to the spot. Eager to break free, Nabás struggled ripping through the sleeves, having got his wand arm free he shot the same bombardment of spells he had used on Polina, but Dumbledore was gone with a swish of his cloak. He appeared behind Nabás and shouted, "Collopulvis!" the floor wobbled for a moment and then became a sort of waxy mass that started to trickle up Nabás' legs, holding him immobile.

Nabás frantically tried to break free and shake the growing liquid off, it was up to his waist and still climbing when he stopped moving, taking a deep breath he pointed his wand at the liquid which now looked like an unearthly stalagmite. Moving his wand in a smooth rhythmic pattern the liquid began to freeze and shatter leaving an even bigger gaping hole in the floor.

"Nice one," he muttered to Dumbledore who nodded in acknowledgement, watching Nabás kick and smash his way free. Again, they started to circle, though, this time it was Nabás who broke the silence. "Impedimenta," he shouted, "Petrificus Totalus," and "Incarcerous."

Each time he tried to use a new spell Dumbledore flicked his wand and sent it spinning out of the arena, he began to walk towards Nabás, his mind a picture of imposed calm as he sent the jinxes spiralling out of control. As he reached the edge of the hole he took another step and rose three feet off the ground, swirling his wand round him to complete the levitation spell. There were appreciative whoops from the audience as he floated over to Nabás who stood dumbstruck and amazed. As Dumbledore began another incantation, a deep rumbling could be heard shaking the firmaments of the castle.

"Bombardia!" Yelled Nabás, at last coming to his senses, his spell hit the preoccupied Dumbledore head on sending him sprawling into the hole created by the floor-thawing charm. A few seconds past and nothing could be heard, a few of the judges had stood up to see if Albus was, as they suspected, knocked out. As if to answer them he floated up, out of the hole to even more cheers from the audience, smiling he rose taller and noble.

Seeing Nabás's shield charm he brought his wand down in a swift chopping movement that shattered the silver shield and left him open to attack. Screwing his face up with concentration he shouted, "TEMPU GELUS"

Time froze. Literally. The spell only affected Nabás but everyone else was so flabbergasted that nothing happened for a few minutes, then, quietly, Dumbledore said, "erm, did I win?"

The enraptured hall broke into wild cheers and whoops, golden streamers flew from many of the older students' wands as their champion bowed from the podium.

It took six purple firecrackers to silence the rowdy hall and a few more spells to separate the many minor scuffles that had broken out between the three schools.

"STUDENTS!" Yelled Professor Clarell, "the results," she paused waiting for quiet, "Polina Schmerzel has been disqualified from taking part in any more of the tasks of the Tri-Wizard cup due to her attempt at using the Cruciatus Curse on Leo Nabás. Due to this the two remaining champions will be judged on only their fight against one-another. Albus Dumbledore for Hogwarts School scored thus: Style 9, Stamina 9 and Skill 10. Leo Nabás for Beauxbatons Academy has scored thus: Style 6, Stamina 10 and Skill 8 making the totals Dumbledore 28 and Nabás 24."

As the students filtered out through the many doors Dumbledore caught up with the Dumb Club.

"Albus you show-off," said Isabella Diodorus, a Slytherin second, year half appreciatively, half jealously, "how long did it take to learn that spell?"

"Well, you know," said Albus his eyes glittering, "maybe a few weeks," he shrugged awkwardly, "but I mean, its my life."

"Hey mate, brilliant spell there." "Yeah really excellent!" said two Ravenclaws as they passed by on their way to the library.

The first-task was inevitably followed by a huge amount of hero-worship from Dumbledore's peers. Many students had also taken Dumbledore's lead and were trying to perfect time-stopping charms sometimes resulting with flies hanging in mid-air though more often then not huge explosions of orange light and singed eyebrows. Nevertheless within a few weeks the spell had been banned throughout the school and new security measures were put in place to prevent anybody from trying to stop time.

Albus' next challenge came unexpectedly before the Christmas holidays and far-from being the second and last task it was something that seemed even more imposing.