I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
A Taste of Magic
71st Course – Combined Effort
"You seem to be self-medicating more often these days," Pomfrey observed.
Dumbledore looked down at the decanter on his desk and the glasses at the ready. "Hmm, you might be right. This has been a stressful year, which is no excuse. Should I start cutting back?"
"Tomorrow. Share the wealth before then." Pomfrey smiled as the others chuckled, including Dumbledore, and he poured out generous measures of alcohol into each glass. He handed them out, raising his in a silent toast.
"Mmm, wow, this is good," Pomfrey said, looking at her glass. "What is it?"
"Something French," Dumbledore said. "Nicolas came through and moved my things about and replaced a few bottles and things when he was here during the Festival."
"Oh is it the snake wine?" Flitwick asked.
McGonagall coughed. "Snake wine?"
"No, that is at the Hog's Head," Dumbledore laughed. "Drake brought it to Aberforth."
"Is it wine made by snakes?" Sprout asked.
"Made with snakes in it," Dumbledore said.
"No thank you," Sprout shuddered. "After seeing them about in my greenhouses, I'm rather fond of the little things now." She winked at Snape who snorted dryly.
"I am not fond of the taste myself." Dumbledore sipped his drink. "A bit strong for my liking and it does have a very reptilian taste to it."
"Sounds unpleasant," Sprout said.
"Indeed. How are the preparations for the Academic Event?"
"Done essentially," McGonagall said. "The material is ready and the questions prepared. We have a lot of the students from all three, four, schools who put in names to compete." She smiled. "And there is one bit I find truly enjoyable." She fished out a roll of parchment from her robes and handed it to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked at it and smiled. "The UR Team is rather robust, and I highly approve."
"UR Team?" Snape asked.
"The Uncommon Room Team," Flitwick smiled proudly. "They put themselves in as a group to compete together."
Snape looked at the team roster and his eyebrows rose. "Ah, well. That is interesting."
"Five of yours working together with members from every house and all you can come up with is 'interesting'?" Sprout asked sardonically.
"I could be honest and say what I truly thought of it," Snape said. He took a long sip of his glass and said nothing more.
McGonagall rolled her eyes. "Why are they called that, does anyone know?"
"They refer to their workroom as the Uncommon Room," Flitwick said. "A place for them to be outside of their common rooms. A fitting name in my opinion."
"That is a good name," McGonagall said, smiling fondly. "And how are the preparations for the Second Task?"
"Done. We finished the scrying pool work and finished the rune arrays so we should be able to observe them from a distance. The boundaries of the Forest and the Lake have been more or less established and the Tribe and the Village Beneath are ready to play their parts." Dumbledore looked out the windows towards the Forest and the Lake.
"I'm surprised the Tribe are willing to participate. I thought they generally did not wish to be bothered for frippery like this," Sprout said.
"They are willing to trade for their assistance," Dumbledore said. "Since they are now more used to trading, they are willing to do things within reason for equal gain. Which is how I was able to negotiate with the mermaids."
"Harry taught them that," Flitwick said proudly. "Not to mention Gringotts is involved to make sure the deals are fair."
"Indeed." Dumbledore smiled. "At least some things are going smoothly."
-0-
"Hey, Potter!"
Harry stopped and turned, looking about. "Oh, hello," he said, seeing Cedric walk up to him.
"Hey, uh, you got a minute?" the older boy asked. He led Harry to an alcove and looked about. "I wanted to thank you," he said, seeing no one else close by.
"For what?" Harry asked.
"For, well, you know," Cedric said evasively.
"Oh! Sure, no problem," Harry said, understanding.
"You really just told them huh?"
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, no reason not to."
"And you didn't care if Susan told me?"
"No reason to keep her from doing so either."
Cedric snorted. "I'm assuming you're not telling Malfoy."
Harry shrugged again. "No reason to tell him."
Cedric grinned. "Yeah, that's fair. Well I appreciate it a lot. You know, Hannah's wrong about you. I think you're swell."
Harry groaned. "I've barely talked to her! I don't want to be her nemesis!"
The older boy laughed brightly. "Don't take it personally, yeah? Hannah's sweet but carries a grudge."
"Any hope of you helping me change her mind?" Harry asked.
"Hey if your information's good, I'll start singing your praises," Cedric said, waving as he walked away.
-0-
"What's wrong?" Harry asked. He had returned to the Uncommon Room and saw Parvati looking grumpy and Hermione and Padma looking smug.
Lavender's face was red from suppressed laughter. "We're reviewing stuff for the Academic Event and Hermione and Padma are taking Parvati to task when Parvati said she was doing better in class with the extra reviewing we've been doing."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Harry asked. "Doing better in class, not being taken to task I mean."
"Sure is, usually," Lavender said, giggling a little.
"Well I think it's a perk for participating in the Academic Event," Harry smiled. "We can review for classes and get better marks and do well there."
"Hey, that's a great point, Harry!" Parvati said loudly, smiling. "I don't know why I didn't see it that way, you're right!"
"Wait, hey!" Hermione said. "I said that the other day!"
"Huh, I don't recall that," Parvati said, pretending to think hard.
"She totally did and I've been telling you stuff like that for years!" Padma cried.
"No, I'd remember that if it happened," Parvati hummed, looking away.
"You just don't want to admit we're right and you're taking the easy way out!" Hermione shouted.
"You just called Harry easy!" Parvati shouted back.
"What?! I mean, yes, but not like that, and don't deflect!" Hermione gave Harry and apologetic look with flushed features.
"Just admit we're right!" Padma growled.
"Never! Over your fat arse I will!"
The others howled with laughter as a fight broke out between the Patils and Hermione. Things were flung back and forth before the fight turned physical.
"Are you not going to aid her?" Daphne asked with a smile.
Tracey shook her head. "She can handle herself. She's doing just fine," Tracey smiled when Hermione pinned Parvati and Padma walloped her a roll of parchment.
"Harry, help!" Parvati squawked.
"Go on then," Harry said, smiling at Hedwig who had been watching with interest. Needing no further urging, Hedwig lifted the pillow she was sitting on and fell to with a will and a gleeful bark. Hermione and Padma shrieked when Hedwig belabored them with the pillow, chasing them about the room with Parvati following after.
"She pillow fights," Daphne said, watching the scene with wide eyes. "Your owl pillow fights."
"Lavender and her sisters taught her. She's very good at it," Harry said proudly.
"Is there anything she does not do?" Daphne asked.
"We haven't found it yet."
-0-
The usual tables in the Great Hall were replaced by bleacher style seating, benches arranged in ascending rows, arranged in a large U. The students from each school sat apart for the most part, sitting with each other out of choice. A small group on the right-side edge however was a small mix of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang students, a curious mix that attracted the attention of others.
It was the Academic Event day and when a subject was announced, students participating in that subject gathered at the space in the middle of the bleachers and they faced a panel of instructors: the instructors that taught the subject as well as the Headmasters of the schools. The first portion was a contest where questions were asked by the proctor and students were given a chance to wave their wand and shoot a light to be called upon. If they answered correctly, they received a point. If they were incorrect, then someone else would get a chance to answer. Questions ranged from answering with an incantation to a spell, to the history of said spell, and even some light theory.
At first, there was a bit of a complaint when people realized that there were a couple if not a small group of the UR team working together. Dumbledore, with the other Headmasters and Headmistress, said that teams were allowed and that the guidelines were clear about it. They allowed people to try and gather others to their teams if they wished, before proceeding.
By the end of the halfway mark of the event, the UR team were consistently in the top three of the final scores. A Beauxbatons team won the Charms portion and a Durmstrang team won the Transfiguration portion with the UR teams: Harry, Hermione, Padma for Charms and Hermione, Sue, and Daphne, for Transfiguration, took second in each. Harry, Pansy, and Tracey handily won the Potions competition with a fuming Malfoy in third. Ron, Harry, Susan, and Blaise took second for Defense against the Dark Arts, and Neville, Millicent, and Terry taking first in Herbology. Parvati, and Lavender took the Astrology competition with Harry, Ron, and Millicent taking Care of Magical Creatures handily. Hermione, Padma, and Daphne did very well on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Luna and Ginny worked as a duo for their year and did very well in Potions and Charms.
They trend continued for the practical portions of the event. Lavender displayed her charm work and made a beautiful multi-colored quilt that changed shape and color and pattern that the judges very much enjoyed. Harry and Pansy made excellent potions. Neville demonstrated excellent care of different plants, the only student to not be attacked by a particularly irate venomous tentacula. Daphne and Hermione did tricky transfiguration work and Ron and Blaise and Susan did Defense spells well.
At the end of the event, Hogwarts earned the most points overall with the most consistent points earned by members of the UR team. The other three schools were fairly even otherwise with some individual subjects being won by different schools. Sanguis Verus had also been rather consistent, and had deftly mimicked the UR team as soon as they saw that a big team could be made. Quirrell had watched with a superior smile throughout the day but he did spend a fair amount of that time glaring at the UR team, especially when they were outperforming his school's team.
The Event ended with a small awards ceremony with highest scorers receiving a ribbon and accolades given out. A long table was resummoned back to the Great Hall, complete with treats and snacks. As the students broke up to chat and talk about the event, Dumbledore found Harry and patted him on the shoulder warmly. "Very well done!" he praised happily. "You and your team ran the board."
"Thank you, Sir!" Harry said happily. "Everyone worked really hard."
"Yes and it showed. I am quite proud of all of you." He winked. "If you and yours wish to slip away later to the Uncommon Room, I can ask the Elves to escort students back to their respective common rooms if your party reaches curfew time."
"I thought we couldn't break curfew there," Harry said, smiling and whispering.
"I did say obviously," Dumbledore chuckled. He and Harry shared a laugh and he smiled fondly as Harry and his friends left.
"Well, I'm very happy with the results," McGonagall said brightly, as she walked up to him later. "Hogwarts did rather well, if I do say so myself."
"We did," Dumbledore said proudly. "A credit to our teachers and our students."
"It's good to see where we stack up against the other schools," Flitwick said, wearing an expression of satisfaction. "I'm glad to see we're not too far off compared to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang." He looked sourly at Quirrell. "I don't count Sanguis since we're essentially competing against our own there."
"Quite," Dumbledore said, growing more solemn. He shook his head in an attempt to shake the bad thoughts away. "We should not let that tarnish the pride we have for our students. Let us enjoy ourselves now, celebrate their hard work, and then look forward to the next event after the Second Task."
"Ah yes, one that I'm especially looking forward to," Flitwick said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
"Now that one will be difficult to run," Remus said.
"We will have assistance," Dumbledore said. "A professional cadre from the ICW will be here to assist as well as an Auror squad and help from St Mungo's in case something…spirited happens."
"I could probably arrange for some extra measures from Gringotts," Flitwick said.
"Gringotts has their own division for it?" Remus snorted at Flitwick's knowing smile. "Of course they do, why did I even ask that," he chuckled. "But why would they help us for it?"
"Oh the usual reasons apply," Flitwick said. "A chance to prove that their measures are better than wizarding measures, a chance to make money, prestige, forcing magicals to ask them for help, the usual as you know."
"Which they have refused their aid even when given such opportunities," McGonagall said.
"True, but then the new reason would encourage them to offer their aid," Flitwick said knowingly.
"New reason?" Sprout asked.
"Harry, I assume," Dumbledore smiled.
"Really?" Sprout said, looking and sounding surprised.
"Oh yes, many in Gringotts are terribly fond of him," Flitwick said fondly.
"I cannot imagine Harry participating in that event however," McGonagall said. "I do not believe he is so inclined."
"No, but if he asked them because he wants the best for his friends who are participating, then I'm sure they would still do it," Remus smiled.
"No question," Flitwick nodded.
"Ask them if you would," Dumbledore said. "We will make other arrangements as needed and you can never be too careful." He caught Moody's eye who was standing in the far corner. He returned the nod and looked at Quirrell talking to a few ICW members. "Never too careful," he repeated under his breath.
-0-
"Whoooo go us!" Parvati cheered.
"Highest scoring team overall!" Daphne cheered. She clinked her bottle of butterbeer against Parvati's and everyone laughed and did the same.
"You know, I have to admit, that was kind of fun," Parvati said. "You were right, Harry."
"Did I say that?" Harry asked, bemused.
"She's trying to not admit we're right," Padma said crossly, sharing a look of indignation with Hermione.
Harrly laughed. He put an arm around each Patil sister. "Well, fun or not, we did really great and the Headmaster was really proud of us. Good job everyone!" After some more high-fives and cheering, Harry walked to the kitchen side and removed some trays from the large ice box. "And to celebrate, something new and I think everyone's going to love it."
"PIZZA!" Lavender, Hermione, and Sue shrieked happily when Harry whipped the covers to the trays off, revealing large balls of dough.
"Ooh, it must be something wonderful for everyone to react like that," Luna said, eyes shining with anticipation.
"You will adore it," Pansy said warmly. "It is very delicious."
"There's plenty of dough so everyone can make a personal one," Harry said. He rolled out the balls, flatting them out to fill small pizza pans. He revealed a large pot of simmering tomato sauce and pulled out trays of prepared ingredients. The ones who have had pizza before helped the ones who had not and everyone watched and waited eagerly as they were put into the oven in batches.
"Oh, it is something wonderful!" Luna said after her first bite. "I love this!"
"Isn't it great?" Lavender said, chomping away blissfully on hers. "You can put all kinds of toppings on them and create so many delicious ones that way."
"The dough is exceptionally chewy, well done," Blaise praised.
"Thanks! I've practiced a lot with the mixing spell and doing some hand kneading and I think it's really good," Harry said proudly.
"I wonder how long it'll be before this shows up on the tables," Padma smiled.
Harry looked over at Inky and Ebbers and the other Elves gobbling down their pizzas and taking notes as they poked and prodded at one of the balls of dough. "Probably not long at all," Harry grinned.
-0-
The day of the Second Task was cold and sunny and bright. The students assembled at the shores of the Black Lake, sitting together in groups around braziers that kept them warm with crackling flames. A series of large pools of water were set up all over, runes carved into the stones that surrounded the water.
Dumbledore stood beside the Judge's dais and he tapped his throat with his wand. "Welcome everyone, to the Second Task! If you recall, the Champions had to retrieve a golden egg as a part of their last Task. Inside the egg had clues that led them to this Task. Each Champion has been taken to a point deep inside the Forbidden Forest and they will have to find their way through it, navigating the terrain and the natural obstacles within. They should emerge on the opposite of the Lake from us and then will have to cross it to get to us here.
"They will have to rely on their wits and their magical abilities and how well they prepared for this Task to get here. The sooner they do, the better. If they have to be rescued, then they will forfeit points depending how far they made it. They have only their wands and a rune stone that will show us how they are progressing in these scrying pools. At certain parts of the forest, we can see the Champions here and we will be able to follow along more or less until they reach the Lake. Then we can see how they get past it."
He held his wand up. "When I cast my spell, they will start. And now, let the Second Task begin!" The sound of a dragon's roar emerged from his wand, echoing over wood and water. A burst of bright purple flame shot from his wand as well, flying high into the air before exploding like a firework. The watchers cheered and the pools showed the four waiting Champions take off from their starting point and the Task was underway.
-0-
Fleur watched her wand spin on her hand for a moment before pointing north. With a nod she continued on her way, having a reasonable idea of the direction she had to go. She drew her robes about her as she moved swiftly, head moving back and forth slowly. She stopped when she heard movement through the brush. Leaves rustled, twigs snapped, and she heard a low grunting sound. She held her wand at the ready. "I hear you little pig," she said confidently. "You leave me alone, and I leave you alone."
The little pig was actually much larger, to her surprise and horror. The large male boar broke through the underbrush and snorted, stomping the ground aggressively. When she hesitated, the boar lowered his head and charged, squealing with porcine fury. Fleur jumped out of the way and gasped when the boar's tusks gouged the side of a tree, cutting through the thick bark with ease.
She shouted and a blast of wind knocked the boar to the side when it charged her again, making it ram into another tree that was still too close for comfort. More sounds of squealing and squalling were heard and they were getting closer. Without hesitation this time, she ran directly away, thankfully in the same direction that she wanted.
"'They're just pigs' she said," she growled angrily. "'You're used to handling pigs' they said! Curse you Aimee and Colette!" The sound of pounding legs and angry squealing drove her faster and she ducked and dodged through the trees, eager to escape the boars.
-0-
Viktor jumped, swearing richly and summoned a boulder while in mid-air, landing on it and jumping off once more. He had found a rockier part of the Forest and stuck to it, thinking it would be safer than the dense woods of the Forest proper. Unfortunately for him, he was not the only one to think that and he stumped into a rather large grundwyrm that had coiled in the rocks to avoid the cold.
The grundwyrm was apparently a light sleeper and when Viktor disturbed its impromptu nest, it came out with a vengeance. The large fang-filled maw opened wide as the grundwyrm roared and it plowed through the hard ground with ease, claws digging and propelling the large body after the Bulgarian Champion.
Viktor tried to stay on top of rocks and outcrops, thinking the rocks would be obstacles and take the grundwyrm more time to break through them. He looked about, using his wand to blast adjacent piles of rocks and boulders down to further impede the grundwyrm. A few hasty spells had bounced off the pseudodragon beast and Viktor looked about for a way out.
Seeing a curious looking trail, he made for it and was rewarded when he heard another growl and saw glimmering eyes in a dark crevasse. Whirling his wand, he transfigured a rock into a Bludger and sent it flying at the shadowy form within the crevasse. It impacted the thing within bodily and a second grundwyrm came out, eager to attack. A last-minute dodge and a blast of wind to propel him allowed him to narrowly avoid the charging grundwyrm and the two beasts collided and immediately turned their ire on each other.
Viktor ran on and decided the Forest proper might be just a little safer and went into the woods, smiling at the escape.
-0-
"Fuck this!" Cedric ran on, trying to ignore the tide of skittering legs and crunching mandibles. "Why didn't I pay more attention to these things?!"
Cedric had made decent progress through the woods, checking on his position here and there, observing where the sun was in the sky and looking at the tracks on the ground. He grew up near a forest and was reasonably comfortable in them, though granted the one near his home was not nearly as infamous as the Forbidden Forest.
He had happened on a clearing and blanched to hear movement but not see anything. It made him even more nervous when he realized that there was a dead boar there and it was being eaten by something invisible, many things actually. Giving it a wide berth, he climbed onto what he thought was a stable mound and it collapsed underneath him.
He fell in and landed with a grunt and a thump, lighting his wand to look around. He had screamed when he realized he was surrounded by a carpet of crakes and thousands of beady stalked eyes focused on him angrily. He blasted a hole into the wall of the mound and ran out, but not before being pinched and clawed by thousands of claws.
Looking behind, he blanched when he saw that the tide of crakes continued to pursue him, a never ceasing cacophony of clicking mandibles and clacking claws. He mantled onto a fallen log and jumped, clearing a length of space. He incanted swiftly and slashed his wand to one side and a giant ditch appeared on the other side of the log.
The crakes climbed over the log and fell into the ditch, pushed on by the ones behind them. Knowing they could climb out just as easily, Cedric kept running. "People eat those bloody things?!"
-0-
Draco plowed on through the loam and snow and undergrowth. He gritted his teeth, reapplying a warming charm to himself to keep the chill at bay. He had already cast it numerous times already and the ever-prevalent chill was starting to gnaw at him. At first, he had been on a direct course to the castle. However, a clearing that he had stumbled into was full of devil's snare plants. The seemingly peaceful meadow came alive with writhing vines and he had to cut and burn his way through.
Another clearing had a charm trap on it and had spun him around until he lost all sense of direction. He wandered for a while, looking for the faint outline of the castle. Then he noticed smoke, smelling it on the wind. Smoke meant fire and he went that direction eagerly. He had stopped when he heard a stomping sound, like hooves pounding the earth, but decided to press on.
"Stop, go no further."
Draco's eyes widened when he saw figures coming through the trees. Centaurs came through, bearing spears, and one in front held it horizontally, barring the path. "You are intruding on Tribe land and where the unicorns reside. Your goal is not this way," the centaur said.
"Fine, tell me where to go then," Draco said imperiously.
"We will not assist you on your Task," the centaur said coolly, looking down at Draco literally and otherwise. "We have already provided more assistance than we had to. We kept other things from preying on you."
"Likely story," Draco said, standing straight. "Tell me where the Lake is!"
The centaurs murmured between themselves and the sound of derision made Draco grit his teeth. More than a few looked at him disdainfully and the speaker snorted deeply. "No. Count your blessings wizardling, that you will not be harmed excessively."
"You! Tell me where the-" Draco pointed his wand at a younger female centaur. He gasped when she lashed out with her spear, hitting him in the wrist with the butt of it. He dropped the wand and grabbed his wrist with his other hand. "Do you know what you've-"
The next thing he knew he was sailing through the air and he landed on his back, winded. His stomach and chest in pained agony and he gasped, trying to draw breath. Rell stomped the ground angrily and flicked his wand at him with her spear-tip. "Run along, two-legs!" she shouted while the rest of the centaurs hooted and laughed loudly, "when you can breathe again!". The Tribe left, cantering away, still laughing.
"Hmmph!" Rell snorted, shaking her spear. "What a rude little boy!"
Maida chuckled richly. "Indeed. A fine kick, daughter."
-0-
Howls of laughter rang out as Draco was shown flying backwards through the air after Rell had disarmed him and spun to kick him solidly with her hind legs. A few showed concern for his well-being, while a few gritted their teeth and looked down at the pools when they focused on a winded and pained Draco lying on the Forest floor. The majority of people laughed and cheered at the sight.
"Go Rell!" Lavender, Pansy, Parvati, and Millicent shouted.
"What a kick!" Padma laughed.
"That looks like it hurts a lot," Blaise grinned.
"I almost feel bad for him," Harry chuckled. "I've seen the Tribe do kick contests. They can break boulders from kicking like that."
"I told you," Ron snorted. "Don't mess with centaurs. They can really mess you up."
"They're so nice though," Luna said. "At least when they've visited."
"I get the feeling that they generally don't like magicals and humans," Harry said. "I guess we're lucky that they like us."
"Mmhmm, 'we're lucky'," Sue said. She smiled cheerily at Harry's look.
"Oh look, I think someone's about to reach the Lake," Neville said excitedly.
-0-
Viktor reached the Lake first, directly across from where the finish line was, which was where the watchers were. He did some complicated wand movements and then dove into the water. As he did, his physical body transfigured. His head grew and elongated, turning into a large shark head complete with gills. He plowed through the water with purpose.
Cedric and Fleur reached the Lake at the same time, moments behind Viktor. Cedric shucked his robes off and tapped them with his wand, making a makeshift raft out of them. The fabric straightened and stayed stiff; the edges curled up slightly. He transfigured a piece of wood into a paddle and soon he was eating up the distance behind Viktor, paddling his way along the surface of the Lake.
Fleur had started with a Bubblehead charm and was about to swim before seeing what Cedric was doing and saw how far ahead Viktor was. She looked about and flicked her wand, dragging a large flat piece of wood over, about the size of small door. With a cutting spell, she cut a sapling down and stuck it to the wood in the middle with a Sticking charm. Taking off her robes, she stuck the ends of it to the top and bottom of the sapling and knelt on the wood, balancing precariously.
"VENTUS!"
With the Wind charm, she conjured a strong wind that filled her robes and propelled her impromptu vessel across the water. It rocked back and forth wildly and she struggled to remain stable, but she focused on keeping a steady stream of wind, and she soon caught up to Cedric and Viktor. The watching crowds cheered for their Champions, applauding and shouting at the displays of magic and creative thinking.
Cedric saw her catching up. Thinking swiftly, he conjured several large rocks from the air and sent them in front of her, making her swerve and slow as the new obstacles bobbed in the water. She banished a few back at him, making him duck and a large one splashed right next to Viktor. He turned and narrowed a large eye and then dove into the Lake, sinking from the surface. Cedric peered down and then tried to paddle away as hard as he could, yelping when Viktor breached, flying into the air and capsizing Cedric and Fleur.
Fleur unstuck her robes from the mast of her little vessel and cast the Wind charm again, holding onto the ends of her robes tightly and she flew into the air, barely hanging on, sending her skimming along the surface of the lake like a stone. Viktor swam on after her and Cedric cast a Bubblehead charm on himself and followed close behind, but could not swim as fast. Fleur managed to hold on before losing her grip on one end of her robes and they billowed out, losing the wind. She tumbled into the Lake with a squawk and Viktor swam past her, reaching the shore first.
The watchers cheered as he came onto land, making him the winner. He held his arms up in victory as he undid his transfiguration, becoming wholly human once more. Fleur came second, swimming gracefully and clambered onto shore. Cedric came in right after and as he climbed onto land, Draco appeared at the far end of the Lake, ending the Second Task.
"Well done all!" Dumbledore said loudly, beaming at the Champions. Pomfrey had apparated to the far side of the Lake to check on Draco and bring him back. He stood there, face flushed from embarrassment, while the others looked satisfied with their performances. "All of the Champions made their way through the Forest and braved the hazards within. The final race over the Lake was very thrilling with three of the Champions neck and neck with very different modes of transportation. Viktor Krum took first place, followed by Fleur Delacour, then Cedric Diggory, and with Draco Malfoy at the end. The standings going into the Third and final Task are: Mister Krum in first place, with Miss Delacour in second, and with Misters Diggory and Malfoy close behind within points of one another! Well done everyone!"
Later, as the students and the Champions mingled on the shores of the Lake, he nodded happily. "Splendid magic from everyone," he said. "Just what I had hoped to see, as well as our students intermingling like this."
"That was an impressive display from Mister Krum," McGonagall said.
Karkaroff bowed low. "High praise from a Master at Transfiguration," he said, his voice haughty but proud of his student. "It has its risks, as you know of course, but Viktor is strong."
"They were clever in their ways to cross the waters." Maxime looked coolly at Draco to one side, talking to his father and to Quirrell. "Pity we never saw him attempt it."
"Being kicked by a centaur is no small thing," Hagrid chuckled. "Sure hurts."
"Lucius wanted the Tribe sanctioned for it," Dumbledore said dryly. He patted Hagrid who bristled and growled, making the others look up at the big man warily. "I told him he would have to speak to them in person to give them the sanction and he lost interest."
"Pity. I would have enjoyed seeing him be kicked as well," Flitwick said and the others snorted but none disagreed.
-0-0-0-
DOOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - I thought the ending was a lot of fun too. Pansy is right after all. Yeah, I thought it would be nice to show the club being recognized by the efforts of its members, but Harry and his friends deserve a place of their own.
RookRaven - Glad you enjoy it.
The Tantalus Complex - Thank you. I am not really taking suggestions but I do try to include things as they can make sense and be a part of the story at large.
Kaya - Glad you like it.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - The petlings are a part of the group after all. I like the idea that Harry is always hungry, pun intended, for new experiences and new culinary knowledge. He will be pretty eager to learn and try new things. And I think it makes sense for him wanting to keep things fair for the people he cares about. Thanks for reading.
bdwilliams3 - That's one of the main reasons I write. I like knowing I can help brighten someone's day. Hope your days are kinder soon.
odonnellzoo99 - That makes sense for them. They were raised to see profit and advantage so Harry's motivations is very alien to them. It's fun to see them be surprised and grow too.
poka - Same. Would have liked a room like that in high school and college myself. I liked how Harry gave the information too. Just simple and open offering.
alix33 - The gyuveche pots all look pretty too. I like doing that research.
DarkRavie - Thank you.
TimothyB - Thank you. I thought the concept would be fairly simple yet enjoyable.
- Thank you so much.