Chapter 9 Knowing a Gnome
Autumn greeted Durmstrang with a sea of oranges, yellows and reds amongst the trees, along with brisk temperatures, with the exception of the rose garden which remained as colorful and warm as ever. Since a home town wizard was participating in the tournament, The Daily Prophet of London covered the story. Gizelle adamantly refused to interview, while Harry gladly did so. Within a private room at Durmstrang, Harry sat with the reporter sent by The Daily Prophet.
Rita Skeeter, a rather quirky, older blond witch who wore a sunshine yellow business suit, hat and glasses covered the story. Busily, her green feathered quill scribbled the answers to her questions. "Harry, how do your parents feel about your participation in the tournament?"
"They're very proud. As a matter of fact, they plan to watch every event."
"Proud and concerned. However, they are happy about the possibility of having a tournament champion in the family." The quill to scribbled..
"How do you feel about the other champions?"
"They're nice and I wish them the best of luck." Harry noticed the quill didn't notate that answer.
"Competition leaves no room for friendship." The quill scribbled.
"That's not what I said," Harry countered.
"That doesn't matter. Your words need a little pep." Rita seemed quite nonchalant about the entire matter.
Afterwards, Draco entered the tiny classroom to be interviewed. "Spitze Malfoy, are you nervous about the competition?"
The door burst open and Karkaroff grabbed Draco by the arm. "The Durmstrang champion will not be giving any interviews." Then he ushered Draco away.
"How rude," she commented. "The French witch is just so typically snobbish, while the Bulgarian is just rude. I wonder if the Durmstrang wizard is related to the Malfoys who perished years ago in London?"
Outside in the courtyard in front of the institute, the students cheered, wearing colors representing the contestants: Sapphire blue in honor of the Budois family, red with the Hogwarts' symbol for Harry Potter and silver with dragons etched in the flag for Draco. All three contestants stood anxiously waiting, before Karkaroff presented them each with a brown backpack. "You each have four hours to find a treasure map. To begin, touch the silver plate on the front of the backpack. Be aware of your surroundings. You reap what you sow in this part of the competition."
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Each contestant opened their backpack to find a canteen filled with water, a pouch with trail mix and a first aid kit. Touching the silver plate on the front of the pack, they transported into a sea of green, red and golden leaves in a lush forest slightly warmer than the courtyard. Tall trees, mostly pine, , reached to the sky, while ferns and vines covered the ground. A few fallen trees lined the ground. Butterflies and birds in a plethora of colors flew nearby. The chirping of various insects could be heard around the Triwizard competitors. In the distance, a stream gurgled and trickled. Occasionally, a warm mist eerily moved on the ground.
While they scoped their surroundings, all three contestants remained in each other's line of sight. Occasionally, rapid, nearly silent movement in the underbrush broke their concentration. From the amount of movement surrounding them, they surmised that many creatures encircled them. Tiny laughter broke through the sounds of the forest. "Forest gnomes," Draco muttered.
"Time to catch one," Gizelle said. Swiftly, she ran in the direction of one of the chirpings.
"They can run up to 35 kilometers an hour." Draco shook his head as she disappeared in the distance.
"They can run that fast?" Harry crouched down looking for a pointed hat like the ceramic garden gnomes wore.
"They certainly can, which, coupled with their size makes them very difficult to hit when casting a spell." While keeping to the paths, Draco searched around for anything peculiar, widening the gap between him and Harry. Keep to the path; Gnomes have been known to kill anyone harming the forest.
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Pondering Karkaroff's words, Harry was meandering through the forest, when he spotted a white speckled fawn limping. You reap what you sow. Cautiously, he approached the fawn, extending his hand. At first, she seemed skittish but eventually, she let him pet her soft, warm fur. From his backpack, he removed some trail mix and poured the healing potion on it. Hungrily, the fawn ate the nuts and berries. Moments later, she ambled about, completely healed.
In the underbrush nearby, a green pointed hat rapidly moved towards him. "You saved one of our creatures." The chirpy voice came from a two foot tall gnome with red hair and brown eyes, wearing a medieval green tunic and pants, that matched the forest. "As a reward, I will take you to what you seek."
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As Draco hiked through the forest, he inhaled the aroma of the various flora, reflecting on Karkaroff's words. Be aware of your surroundings. Occasionally, he sensed the gnomes observing him. Closely, Draco studied the flora surrounding him: ferns, firs, pines and one lone tall reed type tree with a green powder puff looking top. That's not native. Is that papyrus? Parchment is made from papyrus. Maps are drawn on parchment. Using his wand, Draco commanded, "Mensa!" From the base of the tree, a blank piece of parchment unwrapped itself. There must be a key to get the map to reveal itself.
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Racing through the woods, once out of sight, Gizelle easily paced the gnome. Maybe my blood isn't as strong as my brother's but this speed I can handle. Eventually, the grey haired two foot tall gnome stopped, winded. "You're not an ordinary witch are you?"
"No, I'm not an ordinary witch at all." With a twinkle in her green eyes and a sparkling smile, Gizelle used her charm to its fullest. "Will you show me the treasure map, please?"
The gnome looked at her dazedly and blushed. "As you wish," he remarked.
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After two hours, within seconds of each other, too close to call, each contestant exited the forest amidst cheers of their respective schools. Directly, The Bulgarian Bugle, The Daily Prophet and The French Façade snapped pictures of the contestants. When Hermione saw Draco emerge from the woods, she wanted to hug to him out of sheer relief, but Karkaroff intercepted Draco and ushered him away.
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After potions' class the next day, Hermione bumped into Draco. "Congratulations on the first part of the competition."
"Thank you," Draco replied. "You know, Karkaroff didn't want me to participate, but I did anyhow."
"Maybe he's afraid of losing his top student?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I can take care of myself. See you in Dark Arts."
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A couple of days later, Hermione wished Draco had a guardian angel to protect him, because he needed one outside of the competition.