AN: Almost wasn't sure I was going to get this one out on time, between work and just writing this chapter as a whole. I've written a lot of this story ahead, but adding the extra tasks was something I came up with later in order to help take this away from cannon and develop certain characters. Hopefully everyone enjoys the extra tasks.
GreengrassRebel - Yeah, too many bashings get old. Sometimes it works for a story, but some people just seem real bitter towards certain characters. Yeah, I really like Remus and Tonks too, though I'm not hot or cold on their relationship either. I feel like Remus gets bashed too much in fics, which is a bummer, and I feel like Tonks is generally underused.
That is a really interesting idea. It does kind of make sense and really does add another dimension to magical equality. I might have to think about bringing that up in this story. Rather brilliant thought.
scrappy8 - Thanks!
Mando-Vet - Oh, I definitely agree. Time for some change.
stars90 - Yeah, it might be Harry's focus, but Tonks is a major part of this story and I'm not going to neglect her.
ulttoanova - Thanks! Yeah, I certainly did pull from/adapt from modern military schools. I'm in the army myself, and I figured it would make sense that they would have some of these capabilities, though they would be different from muggles.
draconic skysong - Yeah, Neville will get some love in this story.
RegulusCetus - Glad you like the pairing. Multis aren't normally my thing either. Prior to this story I never thought about writing one, but it just worked here. Ginny was my original intent, but Katie just became too fun. Based on the future stories I have planned, I doubt I'll do it again, but I who knows, I guess.
Chapter 35
Harry awoke the morning of the Second Task, not quite as nervous as the First Task, but still concerned. Last time, he'd known he'd be facing a dragon, a terrifying prospect. Now, though, he might be putting his friends in danger, something much worse.
He hadn't been the only one who found sleep the night before hard to find. He'd heard Ron and Neville tossing and turning as well before all three boys finally drifted off, and when Harry made his way down into the common room, having woken his two other friends who would follow eventually, he found all of the girls already waiting for him, all of them also looking like they hadn't had a particularly restful night.
Still, he got confident smiles, and once the remainder of their team made it down to the common room, they moved down to the Great Hall for breakfast, keeping the conversation light. They had their plan and there was little they could do now. Only wait and see.
The day crawled by with Harry seeing his anxious or somewhat frustrated expression mirrored on his friends faces as he saw them throughout the day, but finally it was dinner time and then dinner seemed to fly by.
"Will the Champions and their chosen companions please rise and make your way into the Entrance Hall. Everyone else, please remain seated. Once the champions and their companions have been given the last instructions, the teachers will guide you out to the stands for viewing the Second Task."
Harry glanced at his friends as they rose, and he saw all their determined faces and the supportive looks they threw at him, and then they glanced around at their competition. The Beauxbatons team had only a handful that Harry had ever talked to. There was Fleur of course, and she had picked her four good friends, Liah, Mael, Esmerelda, and Annika. Then, as he'd heard her complain, she had to pick five others, three of whom were some of her fiercest critics, a boy named Zacharie, another boy named Antonio, and a girl named Margot. It was easy to tell who was Margot, being the only female not of her friends, but he had no idea which of the unknown boys were the others.
Her friends had warmed up a little bit over the months, with Mael being the most laid back of the group. He was dating Liah, who was probably the next most laid back of them. It was funny to Harry that Fleur, likely due to the bias against Veela, had found herself friends among the non-French students at Beauxbatons, with Annika being Swedish, Liah from Switzerland, and Esmerelda being Spanish. Mael was French, but he was the lone supporter from her own country.
Still, he didn't know much about the French team, other than Fleur was supposedly a French dueling champion. If her friends were helping her train like Harry's were with him, then he could expect them to all be somewhat competent as well. The rest though? It remained to be seen how they would stack up, especially if they were as catty as Fleur sometimes complained. If they were, she might see some infighting, especially if her rivals want to make her look bad or want some glory for themselves. Depending on their abilities, they might not have trained much with her either, if they thought highly of themselves and lowly of Fleur.
In that regard, he thought his team was probably the strongest. There weren't any on his team that he felt would seek glory above the plan, especially when working with the plan would hopefully bring them all the glory they might want.
Directly across was the Hufflepuff team . . . which he noticed seemed to be a mix of Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws . . . and even what seemed to be two Slytherins. The Hufflepuffs were definitely the predominant with half of the team being Hufflpuffs, but with three Ravenclaws and two Slytherins, whether Cedric intended it or not, it certainly painted the picture of Hogwarts against Harry and Gryffindor, or it painted a picture of just how much more popular and social Cedric was. Perhaps he simply was good friends and recruited good people, but the possibly unintended messages were still there.
Harry definitely didn't recognize all of Cedric's team. He had recruited Marina of course, and Harry noted Cho Chang and Roger Davies as well. Somewhat surprising was the inclusion of Susan Bones to the team, but perhaps her skill and reputation, possibly combined with her family, had helped earn her a spot despite her age. Harry didn't recognize the other three Hufflefpuffs, though the oldest girl, a seventh year, based on her robes, looked somewhat familiar. He did recognize one of the two Slytherins: the girl Haley Quentin. She was in Katie's year and was one of Daphne Greengrass's group of generally neutral Slytherins. The boy also was a fifth year, but Harry didn't know his name.
Honestly, Harry was surprised at how many non-Newt students Cedric had included . . . but perhaps he'd run into the same issues that Harry had: lack of interest and not wanting to be embarrassed or in danger during the Task. Perhaps though, Cedric's team was more similar to Harry's than he thought. Maybe Cedric had picked based on skill along with a good team dynamic.
Lastly was the Durmstrang team. Harry didn't know a single member of the team other than Krum. Krum's team consisted of seven men including himself, and three women. He had to give the stereotypes of Eastern Europeans some credit. All ten, including Krum, certainly gave off dark and dangerous vibes though he was sure that most of them were probably decent people . . . or at least he hoped so.
They all made their way into the Entrance Hall, and grouped into four distinct segments for each team, and he saw some looks thrown at Astra, who was by his side before the judges all came out.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" Bagman said jovially, looking just as excited as he had before. "I hope you're all ready for a fantastic match. Now, a little recap from before, especially for your companions who have joined you champions for this event. This is a good old four team match of Capture the Flag."
Harry glanced at McGonagall and Sprout who both moved forward and handed off banners to him and Cedric each, respectively, while Maxime and Karkaroff did the same to their opponents.
Each banner had their school's respective crests as well as House crests in the case of Harry and Cedric, but Harry noticed other crusts also on each banner. His banner had Hades and Athena's symbols. Fleur had the symbols for Aphrodite and Apollo on hers, the goddess of love, beauty and passion, and the god of the arts, oracles, archery, and who was also a medicine god and one of the gods of the sun. Considering she was a Veela, or at least a partial one, he suspected Fleur's fire spells were things to be wary of. Cedric had Heracles and Krios's symbols, the god of athletes, sports, one of the protectors of heroes, and several other things, and the god or titan of leadership and constellations. Krum, it seemed, had Boreas, Skirion, and Kaikias in his corner, the gods of the north wind, northwest wind, and the northeast winds respectively.
While he felt it made sense that someone like Krum would have favor with a wind god, he was surprised to see that Krum had gained favor with three wind gods. In theory, you could gain all their support by getting favor from Aeolus or Zeus, but Zeus's favor did not always come with the wind gods' support, and Aelous was known to only give his support after you had gained the favor of the other wind gods, so perhaps that was Krums goal, to collect all eight wind gods and then earn the favor of the Master of the wind gods. Still, he'd have to watch out for Krum, especially since he now suspected that Krum had some wind elemental abilities. He'd be a fool not to have started work on the element with three wind gods in his corner.
Fleur too might have elemental abilities, and he knew that Cedric knew of Harry's own abilities, and with Marina, there was a chance that she or Cedric had put in some work. He didn't feel like a complete arse knowing that if they had started work in the past year, then they were behind the curve against him, since he was approaching mastery, but that didn't mean they couldn't be very dangerous, especially to his friends. Besides, just because Marina hadn't used anything against him before didn't mean she hadn't already known some. If she was a water elemental, for instance, she probably wouldn't have used it against him at the Dueling Circuit . . . but out near the lake . . .
Regardless, it meant he wasn't the only one with godly support in his corner, and he might not be the only one with elemental abilities, though hopefully he was the only shadow user, especially since it would be dark out there and perfect for his element.
"Now," Bagman continued eagerly. "Each of those flags holds a clue for the Fifth Task, which will be held in April. The hints are not the same, and you will keep whatever hints you have at the end of the day, including your own, if you retain it. Now, let's take this a step further!" Bagman clapped his hands eagerly. "Each of your hints focuses on a key aspect of the fifth tournament. Mr. Krum's will help provide clarity on the physical dangers you will face. Ms. Delacour's will help you figure out the magical dangers. Mr. Diggory's will help you figure out the location, and Mr. Potter's will help you figure out what the task might entail."
Harry and his friends exchange startled glances while all around him the other teams were doing the same. With what Bagman just said, people might be revamping their strategies. Their original plan could still work, but now they had to weigh possibly targeting a specific team early and hard in order to get a specific clue. The clue Harry had in the staff in his hand was priceless in his mind, and he had no doubt the others were thinking the same thing. Magical and physical dangers could arguably be prepared for without prior knowledge, but being able to brainstorm the actual task was a whole different beast.
"For this task, there were no rules put in place for items to be brought, so I hope you all kept your minds open! The boundaries are as such," Bagman continued, with Dumbledore conjuring a large map of the Hogwarts grounds. "To the North and East, your boundaries are 800 meters into the treeline of the Forbidden Forest. Professor Dumbledore has conjured a barrier that will prevent you from going any further and you would be unwise to try and cross that boundary. Everywhere else, the boundary wall is your borders. Everywhere within Hogwarts grounds, including the Quidditch Pitch and the lake are fair game. The castle itself is out of bounds. The spectators will be watching from raised platforms here at the school to give them a good view of the grounds, and we have four dedicated large screens for them as well. Each screen will be dedicated to one team and will follow your exploits. I give you this as a slight warning," Bagman said, wagging his finger almost teasingly. "I'm sure you are all aware of what is illegal in this Tournament and this match, but be careful about some of your other spell choices as well. The people will be watching and you might not enjoy the court of public opinion after the event."
"Let's get on with this Ludo," Crouch said curtly, sounding a touch impatient. "You have thirty minutes from when you are released from here to gather whatever preparations you have made and change your clothes, should you wish to do so. Just outside are five tents, one each for your teams, and one that is the Champion's Tent. After that, each team will be gathered back at the Champions Tent, where you will all be released. Upon being released, there will be twenty minutes where no combat is allowed. This will be your time to set in your locations for your flag, set up whatever defenses you have thought up, and take a lay of the land so to speak. Whatever location you settle in will be your rally point."
"After those twenty minutes, the game is on!" Bagman exclaimed. "You will have one hour to capture as many flags as possible. At the end of the hour, whatever you have is what you keep. It must be in your possession for you to keep it however, so if at the end of the hour, you've left your flag somewhere hidden and were unable to retrieve it yourself, then you forfeit the clue, and no person can hold more than one flag at a time."
Harry's eyes widened at that and he saw some grimaces appear in the Beaxbaton's team.
"Your score at the end will be based on how many flags you have captured . . . that is not how many flags you hold," Crouch said curtly, and he saw a lot of frowns.
"If I take a flag from Harry and make it back to the rally point I established at the beginning, then I get credit for a capture even if I don't have that flag at the end of the match," Bagman offered helpfully. "However, your score is also affected by how many flags are in your possession at the end as well."
"You will also be graded on your leadership, overall strategy, the number of enemy combatants that you neutralize -"
"- which is scored just like the flags!" Bagman interjected excitedly to Crouch's annoyance. "Taking down an opponent permanently or semi-permanently might make capturing flags easier, but it also means that you can't get extra points for incapacitating the same opponent several times."
"You will also be graded on your team and individual spellwork and overall teamwork," continued Crouch with a glare. "The more impressive the magic, the better the scores will reflect of course. Now, are there any other questions? No? Then your thirty minutes of preparation start now."
Harry glanced at his friends, and then down at Astra.
"Hey girl, can you go get the trunk? We'll meet you out in our team's tent."
Astra yipped before melting away, and he saw the other teams look at where Astra disappeared with some mounting horror, and he realized that many of them hadn't considered that she could be used for this Task.
"Alright, let's go," Angelina said, with her game face on and as a team, they moved out to where the tents were and saw the one that had a flag matching their banner and walked inside finding a mostly open space with some benches and lockers, just like the Quidditch locker rooms, but with a set of curtains that could split the room in half, likely to allow boys and girls to change in peace.
Only a half minute later Astra appeared, her mouth around the handle of a spare trunk that Harry had acquired and that they'd put everything they'd prepared for the Tournament inside.
First Harry handed out their dueling robes. Harry had loved what Lexie and Alexis had given him for Christmas, but he figured his friends should also have something for the Tournament, both for their protection and comfort, but also as a thanks and so they would look like a team.
Sirius had agreed.
His friends had protested, but he'd been firm and nobody had been favored above anyone else, so eventually they all accepted their gifts. Now though, he thought they were looking like a proper team with all of them having gotten into their dark, spell resistant robes and the padded armor helped make them look more intimidating, in Harry's opinion.
"These do feel comfortable, and damn don't we look good," Katie said, grinning and looking around.
Alicia and Angelina snorted.
Harry put his sword and dagger on his back, ready for use and then belted his throwing knives around his waist. Fred, George, Neville, Alicia, and Ginny pulled small backpacks out of the trunk that they slung over their shoulders. Fred, George, Ginny, Katie, Angelina, and Alicia also pulled out brooms from the enlarged trunk and slung them over their shoulders as well. Ginny was using Harry's and the rest of them had their own brooms.
"Fifteen minutes left," Katie remarked, looking at her watch.
"Well, I guess we could head over to the Champion's Tent early, or we could just stay here and relax for the next ten or so minutes and find our center," Harry said.
"Let's head over," Hermione said. "We can maybe see the other teams and start trying to get an idea of what they might have planned or how they work together."
There were murmurs of agreement at that and they shut the trunk, moved it under a bench and then made their way into the Champion's Tent, finding that they were the first back. However, they didn't have to wait long before Fleur's team joined them. Not long after was Cedric's team, and the Krum's team joined them last.
The tension in the tent was high. Harry couldn't help but notice that a fair bit of the looks they were given were calculating or cold, and some even hostile. With the clue that Harry's team carried, it made sense. Add that he wasn't supposed to have been in the Tournament and yet was tied for first, and arguably should have been in first place without Karkaroff's bias, and it made sense that some of his competitors were looking to target his team.
There were some friendly looks. Fleur herself certainly looked ready to go, but her gaze wasn't hostile. She smiled, looking almost feral at Harry and his friends . . . her friends as well . . . and he knew that she was looking forward to a good match and wasn't going to underestimate them. Cedric's team seemed surprisingly non-hostile, but he could tell that they were going to gun for his team, but not because of any bad blood, but simply to prove themselves the best Hogwarts team. Marina, Cedric, Cho, and Susan were all smiling eagerly, and Harry couldn't really see any of the nerves that had been present for the First Task on his fellow Champions' faces.
"Alright champions!" Bagman said once they were all gathered and the time had expired. "I hope you are all ready for this! Professor Dumbledore will now cast the spell to link you all to the viewing screens and then we will begin. May the odds be in your favor."
**HP**
Dora was busy playfully glaring at her old friend, who was wearing a Hufflepuff shirt that supported Cedric Diggory.
"How could you, Penny?" Dora asked with mock betrayal. "How could you do this to Harry?!"
"Sorry, Tonks," Penny said with a grin. "Bea got recruited so I have to support my little sister just as you have to support your little brother."
"Bah," Chiara said. "Bea's not even a Champion. Root for her, but root for Harry's team."
"Oh, I will cheer for Harry too," Penny said with a firm nod, "but I must support my sister and my House."
"It's okay, love," Lexie said, shooting a mock glare at Penny. "Harry's got plenty of real support."
Boy did he. Of course Harry had his family: Sirius, Dora, Remus, and Mad-Eye had joined them, bringing Hagrid and McGonagall with him so she could support her House just as Sprout was doing with hers, and so Hagrid could cheer for Harry's team. Beyond that were the Aurors: Kingsley, Lexie, Hestia, Alexis, and Siobhan and Aisling had come with Savage to show their support. Next were the teammate families: Madam Longbottom, Molly, Arthur, Percy, and even Bill, and then Jamie and Sarah Spinnet. Lastly were Chiara and Oliver Wood. Nobody could say that Harry hadn't found support, and that didn't count his House which was cheering loudly.
Dora was going to keep up the barbs when she was cut off.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" Bagman's voice echoed through the night. "Welcome to the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament. For this Task, we will be watching a match of Capture the Flag with all four Teams playing at once and against each other. Tensions are high, let me tell you folks, for each flag holds a clue for the Fifth Task."
Bagman went on to briefly explain the rules while they all listened in interest before the four screens started to light up.
"Good, now, Professor Dumbledore has just completed the spell and if you look at the screens you'll see each of the four teams off on their way to set up their rally point!"
Dora was happy to note that the screen closest to where they were all located was the screen for Harry's team. Harry's screen was a bit bigger than the rest of his teammates, but each of the others had a decently sized screen so that you could watch each person. As she was watching the screens melded showing that all of Harry's team was currently together, giving a large picture, and Dora realized the boxes that she had seen is what would happen once they separated.
She glanced at the other screens and noted the same thing. Krum's team had all taken to the sky and were flying fast over water and Dora could just barely see them moving through the dark sky. She was sure they were heading for the small island in the lake, which would be quite defendable, though she wondered if they might struggle to return there at times, and if they lost their brooms, they could very well be stranded unless they were willing to face the cold water for a swim, which would not be wise.
Fleur's team was on foot, and she noticed them skirting the lake and it looked like they were heading towards the old boat house or at least the dock, though it was too early to confirm for sure, but it did make her wonder why she picked that spot.
Cedric's team was also on foot, and it looked to her that he was heading to the Quidditch Pitch. She could see the benefits and downsides to that location. If they placed their flag in the center, they could post watchers in the stands and they'd always have the high ground when people went for the flag, but it would be hard to hide there.
Harry's team finally started moving out, but their method of doing so got a gasp from the crowd and a couple cries of cheating because Harry's team was in groups of three, grabbing onto Astra and then shadow traveling away. Dora focused on where they were ending up and realized they were somewhere in a small cusp of trees up against the boundary wall. With the trees hiding them from view, making things dark, and with there being no way to trace where they went, Dora had to give them a slight edge as those that remained watched the other three teams leave before Astra finally retrieved them.
Since Harry's team was the first to reach their destination, they were also the first to start preparing defenses . . . and they were also the first to trip an added obstacle from the game committee. Ginny, Fred, and George both unslung their backpacks and started pulling out various things that Dora knew would help create traps or early warnings for the defenders.
The crowd gasped and Molly whimpered as Ginny suddenly had her feet pulled out from under her slamming her into the ground, and everyone finally noticed the devil's snare that had snuck up on where Ginny had been placing an early warning system.
"Ooh, the match hasn't even started and a trap has already been sprung!" Bagman announced. "Hopefully someone helps Ms. Weasley before she gets too hurt."
Thankfully, Molly's worry was for naught as Katie rushed over and conjured light that forced the plant to loosen its hold on Ginny, and Angelina summoned Ginny away, allowing Katie to back off and let the planet return to its starting spot.
"That was close," Chiara muttered
"Why aren't they destroying it?" Arthur asked with a frown as Ginny returned to near the plant and set up a new warning system, but did nothing to finish off the old trap.
"They're going to let it work for them," Kingsley said, looking impressed. "Now they have double the chance of catching someone if they come from that direction."
They watched as Ron climbed a tree and then planted the banner about halfway up, which would be hard to find from either the ground or the air, and the rest of the group placed some other muggle and magical traps.
The other groups seemed to also be setting in nicely. Krum's group had indeed claimed the small island in the lake and were slowly turning it into a fortress, conjuring barriers from which to shield themselves from, though Dora wondered if that might bite them later since conjuring items like that took a lot of energy, and if the walls got blasted apart, it could put the defenders out of action.
Fleur's group had taken shelter in the boathouse and was also setting up traps to get anyone who tried to enter, though Dora could see some tension in the group. Fleur had been directing them to be careful, which one boy ignored, and he became the second victim of the game's committee's traps when he tried to pass through a doorway and was blasted back into a wall, looking stunned. One of Fleur's other teammates rushed to revive and check on the boy while Fleur worked and decided to cancel out the trap. Still, more mistakes like that might cost the French beauty.
Cedric's team had taken the Quidditch pitch and planted the banner in the middle, though they had set up a veritable minefield of traps around the banner and several of their teammates were claiming spots in the stands, giving them good locations to curse or hex anyone that tried to claim the flag, though distance would certainly affect their accuracy and speed.
It was interesting to note, at least in Dora's opinion, that all of the teams had settled to the south and west of the castle. She wondered if people had been hesitant to go into the Forbidden Forest, or if maybe they'd all felt someone else would, so they wouldn't do so.
"Three more minutes and the preparation time is up!" Bagman said gleefully. "The cannon blast will let them know that the game is on."
They all waited with baited breath as the time counted down while all of the competitors continued to prepare before finally Filch lit off the cannon and the large blast echoed through the evening sky and all the competitors stopped what they were doing when they heard the blast.
"So it begins," Sirius muttered.
"This should be a lot of fun to watch," Siobhan said, "and hopefully less nerve racking for you all compared to him fighting a dragon."
"It depends on what other traps the game's committee might have planted out there," Dora said grimly.
"It also depends on the other teams," Remus said. "We don't know how far some of them might be willing to carry things."
"I think the only team we should really fear taking it too far is Durmstrang," Dora said.
"They do have the worst reputation," Molly agreed nervously, "but surely Dumbledore will stop anything too bad from happening?"
"He can't," Mad-Eye said grimly. "Unless they do anything illegal, even by Tournament standards, which are much less restrictive than law, then Dumbledore can't intervene."
Molly looked worried at that, looking back at the screen and her four children that were helping Harry compete.
"They'll be okay," Dora said confidently. "They've been training with Harry and I'm sure they're going to give a good showing."
**HP**
"I definitely saw someone peeking out from the Quidditch stands," Katie said. "That was also the direction we saw Cedric's team heading for."
"I'm not sure we want to go directly for their position though," Angelina said. "Because of Astra, nobody knows we're here. They'll have to find us themselves, so we shouldn't hit them too soon because then they'll have an idea of how close we are. Besides, do we really want to strike too early when their whole team might still be there?"
"Angelina's right," Alicia said. "Diggory's team is too close. If we go there, we're just asking to fight them all, and that won't work."
"Except Krum's won't be easy to get to though," Ron said. "We'll have to expose ourselves to fly to his island."
"No, we could shadow travel there," Harry said. "It would just be risky since we don't know how many are left on the island and Astra can only take three."
"We can skirt this thin patch of forest and follow the wall down far, going towards the boat house and then we could try and fly from there or shadow travel," Ginny said. "That way they won't know where we're coming from, plus we can minimize the amount of time we're in the sky."
"I worry about that direction as a whole though," Hermione said. "Fleur's team was heading down towards the boat house. They might be there, but they also might have taken up residence in that exact patch of woods you're talking about."
"Wait, we might want to change up our plans," Harry said, interrupting the debate. "I can see Krum's team on brooms flying towards the Quidditch pitch. They're going for Cedric's flag, and it looks like there are six of them."
"Well, then what if we go take Krum's flag while we know his offensive unit is away?" Katie asked.
"What about trying to hit Krum's offensive unit in the back after they've mopped up Diggory's people?" Ron asked. "Or, we take out whoever remains of Diggory's people if Krum's people lose?"
"Then we could get Diggory's flag, which is the next best hint," Ginny agreed.
"What about some variation?" Fred asked.
"We get both Krum's and Diggory's flags," George said.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Harry said with a smirk. "But we'll layer this to help us out later."
"How?" Alicia asked, looking interested. "You've got something planned."
"The twins are right, we might be able to get both flags, but this is also a good opportunity to confuse our opponents," Harry said. "What I think we do, and we have to do this fast, is Astra shadow travels most of us over to where Ginny was thinking. Ginny, Katie, Ron, Fred, and George hop on their brooms and fly fast towards the Quidditch stadium. Hopefully you'll arrive in time to mop up whoever the survivors are."
"And at the same time, Krum's people and maybe even Fleur's will think that we're over there," Hermione said, eyes widening. "When they go to retaliate, they'll be in the wrong location."
"Exactly," Harry said.
"And after we've flown over the island, drawing Krum's people's attention, you, Astra, and Angelina can shadow travel to the island, beat Krum's people and take the flag," Ron said, looking impressed with the strategy.
"It's brilliant," Alicia said.
"Let's do it," Angelina agreed.
**HP**
"What are those kids doing?" Sarah asked as they watched Harry's team be slowly transported away, five of them carrying brooms.
"They're obscuring their position and trying to keep the others from knowing where they are," Alexis said admiringly.
"Where are they going?" Oliver asked as three of his former Quidditch teammates and the two youngest Weasleys hopped on broomsticks and started flying fast, evading some spellfire from Krum's people on their little mini fortress.
"They're going to mop up whoever wins the fight between Diggory and Krum's teams," Savage said with a wide smile.
"Quite smart," Siobhan said, looking over to the other screens where a fierce fight had broken out between Diggory's and Krum's teams. Krum's team was outnumbered, having struck before Diggory's team could move out anywhere, but they had some advantage in that they'd come in fast on brooms and managed to incapacitate two of Diggory's people before they'd been able to fight back, and half of Krum's people seemed to be superb flyers, while the other half had quickly moved to the ground and were engaged in a fierce battle with those they encountered.
"Ooh," the crowd basically said as a whole with a grimace as one of Diggory's people suddenly had bat bogies coming out of his nose as he screamed and tried to bat them away.
"That's always been a nasty curse," Remus muttered. "Quite well done though. Poor Mr. Belby."
"Indeed folks, he'll be feeling that one for a while!" Bagman said, sounding ecstatic. "Oh, now look at Ms. Witcher moving in for the victory."
Bagman was right as Marina fired a volley of lightning fast spells which her opponent was unable to shield and he was blasted off his feet, his wand removed and then she bound him and stunned him.
"The fight is not going in Krum's favor," Kingsley said. "He should have waited for them to send out some of their people. He underestimated them."
Krum was down two of his six people, and sure his people had effectively taken down four of Diggory's, but it still meant it was six to four.
"He's going for it," Lexie said as the remaining four Durmstrang students ran for the banner, with half of Diggory's team trying to rush to intercept, but in Krum's favor was that three of Diggory's remaining members were up in the stands, and while they could cast spells, they weren't very accurate, meaning it was really a three vs three battle on the pitch with Krum and one of his male and one of his female teammates trying to bash their way through Diggory, Witcher, and who the Aurors and Remus all identified as Susan Bones. In the stands was Penny's sister, Beatrice Haywood, Cho Chang, and who Remus identified as Byron Miller, all of whom were casting spells with urgency, except for Beatrice who was running for the stairs, clearly intending to go down and assist on the ground.
Unfortunately for both teams as the balance was shifting with Susan being stunned, Harry's team came flying in and Cho Chang was hit by a rather impressive stunner from Katie, and Byron Miller took a disarming charm and a tongue-tying charm from Ginny and Ron, while Beatrice was forced to dive for cover to avoid Fred and George.
The five continued flying down towards the banner unleashing a volley of spells at the five remaining combatants, taking out one of Krum's and forcing the remaining four of both teams to dive for cover.
"Oh, my, look at this!" Bagman exclaimed. "We've got a three way slugfest going on at the Quidditch pitch, and it looks like Potter's team is striking elsewhere as well! And Delacour's team is on the move!"
Dora grinned as she watched Harry, Angelina, and Neville get shadow traveled onto Krum's island and immediately stun one of Krum's four defenders. Things were getting interesting with Fleur's team moving swiftly on brooms towards Krum's island.
**HP**
Harry swatted the stunner away and sent a banishing charm at his opponent who dived out of the way, ending up next to his companion who was in a fierce duel with Angelina. Harry glanced over to see Neville was slowly losing his duel against his opponent, but he was doing an admirable job.
"Neville, get to the banner!" Harry ordered. "Astra will get you out."
Harry cast a strong shield charm in front of Neville who ran towards the banner while Angelina put up a strong shield to protect her and Harry from their two opponents, but she gasped as a bolt of dark energy blasted the shield apart.
Harry conjured another shield just in time for Neville to grab the banner and then get tackled by Astra who melted into shadow, but Harry's shield was soon destroyed again by another shadow bolt.
Harry glanced at who had been Angelina's opponent who was glaring hard, but also eyeing Harry with a hungry look.
"I vanted to face you," the boy said. "You know how to use Shadow, but I am better, and I vill show Lord Hades that I am, and I vill take your hound."
Harry's eyes narrowed at the boy. Angelina and Harry glanced at their three opponents, knowing that their position wasn't great, but confident in each other's abilities. Angelina fired her first set of curses at their separated opponent while Harry shielded her back, conjuring a shadow shield to take the other two's spells, and then Harry shifted in front of Angelina, allowing her to focus on their separated opponent.
Harry removed his shield and started exchanging spells with the remaining two. The shadow user kept up a steady volley of elemental spells, using bolts, cutting curses, and sleeping charms, but Harry skillfully dealt with them, while using his own elemental shields to counter both the elemental user as well as the other boy, and he could see his opponent's frown growing as Harry's spells and shields continued to be stronger.
Finally, Harry lashed out at the non-elemental user and hit his mark and the boy dropped onto the ground, his eyes in horror and he started screaming as Harry's fear spell started causing him to panic. Harry put him out of his misery with a quick sleeping charm, and then he grinned at his now wary looking opponent, who tried to match Harry's attacks, but was now faltering as Harry started manipulating the darkness to create a cage around the boy. He tried to use his powers to fight Harry's magic, but Harry was far stronger and he slowly condensed the cage until the boy was forced to crouch, now desperately looking at the condensing cage with fear. He never noticed the stunner come flying through the bars knocking him out, and Harry grinned at Angelina who had finished off her opponent.
"Nice job, Lina," Harry said and Angelina grinned back before she was blasted towards him as behind her a volley of concussive spells hit the island, and Harry ran over to a groaning Angelina, putting a shield up and looking to see Fleur and four of her people flying in fast.
"Astra!" Harry called and his familiar quickly appeared and before his shield was blasted apart, the three of them faded into darkness, reappearing back where Alicia and Hermione had remained to defend their banner.
"Angie," Harry said in concern.
"I'm okay," she muttered, shooting him a pained smile. "Just a bit battered."
"Harry, what happened?" Alicia asked, already moving over to start taking over healing Angelina's bruises and scrapes.
"Got the rest of Krum's team, but Fleur arrived," Harry said. "I need to get over to see how the fight on the pitch is going. Neville, watch over Leash, Lina, and the banners with Hermione."
"You got it, Harry," Neville said with a nod.
**HP**
"That's devious," Siobhan remarked, watching the Beauxbatons screen where Harry and Angelina had just disappeared from.
"Brilliant though," Alexis agreed.
Fleur's team was moving the four unconscious Durmstrang students off their little island and was stealing their brooms, making it hard for them to return to help defend their stronghold in the event that Krum returned with a banner. Fleur and one of her compatriots were also placing magical traps on the island, making it likely that Krum's team would face some losses when they returned. They also were placing traps around the four unconscious students, ensuring they'd be knocked back out as soon as they woke up, earning easy points for Fleur's team.
Dora looked at the screen, seeing Harry arriving at the pitch with Astra's aid and immediately stunning Cho Chang before Astra traveled him down to the ground where Katie and Ginny were just barely holding off an assault by Marina while Krum and Diggory exchanged fierce blows. Krum's last compatriot was body-bound, and Dora had to wonder what would happen if Krum's entire team was stunned or bound. Harry's team was only slightly in better shape. Katie and Ginny were struggling against Marina, Fred and George were both stunned, and Ron had been trying to shield himself and the two girls from the spellfire from Beatrice and Chang.
With Harry's arrival though, Ron managed to focus on just keeping Beatrice pinned while Harry, Katie, and Ginny started putting Marina on the defensive, though Dora had to admit the Witcher was living up to her family's legacy and doing remarkably well in the face of such daunting odds.
"If they take Marina down, they might be able to wipe out both teams," Savage said.
"Yeah, but should they take the risk?" Alexis asked. "If Beatrice can revive Cho, or if any of the others awake, since they were stunned a while back, then the odds can swiftly turn against them. Better to take the clue and run."
"Looks like Harry agrees with you," Dora said, pointing to Ginny backing off and grabbing Astra before they disappeared, appearing next to the banner, which she quickly grabbed.
Harry and Katie continued their duel with Marina who was barely holding on, while Krum and Diggory both tried but failed to stop Ginny and Astra disappearing with the banner.
"Harry's taking the fight," Dora said, as Katie backed off and rushed to get Fred and George back into the fight and provide backup to Ron.
"He's gotten much better since the Dueling Circuit," Kingsley remarked, "but so has Marina."
"They'll both be ones to watch in a couple years," Lexie agreed. "Harry's going to be giving us all some trouble, and I think Marina will too, if she keeps this up."
"Even some of Harry's friends are going to be real competitive if they keep working with Harry," Alexis pointed out, getting nods of agreement from her fellow duelists.
"Ah, they're pulling back," Arthur said with approval as Astra moved in, grabbed Fred, a still unconscious George, and Ron, and traveled away, leaving Ginny, Katie, and Harry, who was breaking the duel with Marina and the three of them started making their way away, shielding as they went.
"It seems Krum and Diggory are doing the same thing," Percy said. "I was rather interested to see if anything would happen if the entire team wiped."
There were a bunch of nods of agreement as Krum started reviving his teammates and they rushed to hop on their brooms and leave.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, our youngest champion is about to find out what happens when someone holds three banners!" Bagman said with a hint of mischief, and everyone gasped as a beam of light shot into the sky, clearly telling everyone where Harry's team had set up their rally point.
"Oh no, they're going to get swarmed," Remus said, eyes wide.
He was very likely to be right as Diggory's team was all being revived and with no banner to guard they all were mobilizing to move towards Harry's position. On Fleur's screen, her team had just finished off the traps around the unconscious Dumrstrang students and was now flying towards the light. Krum's team had been in the process of returning, but quickly redirected towards Harry's position.
**HP**
"What did we do to piss them all off?" Fred yelled out, dodging a volley of spells as concussion spells rained through the trees from above.
"I think it was stealing their flags," George yelled back from where he was hidden behind a tree that was being struck by spells.
Everywhere Harry looked his team was pinned down by spellfire from all directions. The other three teams seemed to have come to an agreement to decimate Harry's team and then fight it out for the banners afterwards, with Fleur's team raining spells from the sky and trying to move in from the south, Krum's teams also attacking from above and on the ground from the east, while Cedric's team tried to penetrate their defense from the south.
"Harry, we can't hold out much longer!" Hermione called out. "It's only been 20 minutes, and there's no way we can survive another forty minutes of this."
"We need a plan," Ron called out in agreement.
"We need to get the hell out of here," Ginny yelled.
"They're going to get points from constantly hitting us with spells and the banners won't even matter!" Angelina pointed out, which was only enhanced with Neville having to revive Katie who had taken a stunner.
"Oh, 'Arry!" Fleur's voice rang out through the woods, and he glanced out from where he was shielded by cover to see Fleur and two of her teammates which had been firing at them from the ground, out in the open. Fleur had a predatory smile on her face. "Per'aps you would 'onor me with a duel?"
Harry glanced at Alicia who was patching up Hermione, who had taken a bludgeoning hex to her shoulder, and next to her was Katie, providing cover, ready to make up for being stunned. The two girls looked at him and both shook their heads and he shrugged ruefully.
"Might buy us some time," Harry said, and he stepped out only to have to quickly shield himself from two stunners sent by Fleur's bodyguards and she laughed as he glared at her.
"All es fair in love and war, mon ami," she said with a shrug and a bright smile. "I had to try to take you out because I do not doubt your abilities. 'Owever, I will 'onor that duel now."
"We'll keep her honest," Alicia said, Hermione stepping out with her and both firing spells at Fleur's compatriots, starting their own duels.
Fleur fired a bludgeoning hex, rapidly followed by a stunner, and to Harry's surprise, a rather nasty cutting curse. Harry stepped out of the way of the first and second spell before slapping away the third spell, and he retaliated with a stunner, a disarming charm, and a blasting curse.
They continued to exchange spells, and he couldn't help but enjoy it. Fleur was good, very good, and she wasn't holding back, but at the same time, she had a smile on her face, looking like she was having just as much fun as he was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alicia defeat her opponent, and turn to start assisting Hermione with hers. Finally, Fleur dodged and spun away from a volley of his hexes designed to knock the wind out of her, and she smiled.
"You are truly a great duelist, 'Arry," Fleur said, and she beamed at him, and he felt his skin tingle. "Now why don't you be my greatest friend and give me the banners?"
"Er, wha -?" Harry said in confusion, feeling his head getting sort of fuzzy.
He saw Hermione's eyes narrowed, but Alicia was smiling kind of dopily, giving Fleur a look of longing. Hermione shielded herself from her opponent.
"Please, 'Arry?" Fleur pleaded. "It would mean so much to me. Per'aps I would even reward you for your 'elp."
Harry stumbled back slightly, trying to fight off Fleur's aura, but he was finding it harder and harder. She looked gorgeous with her beaming smile and focused completely on him. He was slowly losing the fight against her.
"Confringo!"
A blasting curse zoomed past Harry and impacted the ground right in front of Fleur, and Fleur let out a light shriek as she physically shielded herself from the debris. Two more blasting curses forced Fleur to dive back.
"Sorry, Fleur, but you're not taking advantage of Harry while I'm around," Angelina said in a sardonic voice.
Harry winced, feeling the effects of Fleur's allure fading away.
"That's a dirty trick, Fleur," Harry called out to his friend, glaring at her.
"You use your shadow magic, I use my allure," Fleur responded with a smirk. "You have your skill, I have mine! You know how much I wish to win."
Harry couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Evil!" he called back. "I'll remember that, my friend."
"Krum's unit is pushing through!" Ginny called out. "Marina and Diggory are coming in fast as well."
Harry glanced back grimacing to see Neville, Katie, and Fred barely holding off Marina and Cedric, with George and Ron trying to fight off Krum and two of his people, and clearly outmatched.
"We need to get out of here," Harry called out. "Angie, grab Alicia, Fred, and George and get Krum's banner and fly out of here. See if you can't outrun these guys, and hopefully pull some pressure off this area. Ron, Hermione, and Neville, grab our banner once those four are gone. Astra will get you out while Katie, myself, and Ginny buy time. Head for the Forbidden forest. We'll head to the first location we talked about earlier and we'll see if these things still glow when they're separated."
**HP**
"And now to see if Potter's gamble has paid off!" Bagman shouted as they all watched Harry's group splitting off based on his direction. Angelina, Alicia, Fred, and George were now in a high paced race, trying to avoid spellfire from both Krum's and Fleur's teams
"Not enough are pulling away," Dora said, watching as Ron, Hermione, and Neville disappeared with Astra's assistance, leaving Katie, Harry, and Ginny in a bind as Cedric's team, and half of Fleur's team, including Fleur herself continued to put pressure on the remaining three.
"It was his best bet, but he should have sent away his own banner," Mad-Eye growled out. "That banner's worth more than Krum's."
"Yeah, it's also harder for them to get to it, with where Ron put it," Sirius agreed. "One of the flyers should have grabbed it on their way out."
"Considering what they've been going through, they are giving a stupendous showing," Siobhan said as she smiled down at her cheering daughter.
"Shit, Harry's down," Kingsley said as they watched Harry, who was trying to help Katie and Ginny, take a stunner from Marina Witcher.
"Ah, considering the odds against him, he did fantastic," Lexie said. "He's got some odds stacked against him with Marina Witcher, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour gunning for him."
"Katie and Ginny are in real trouble," Sarah said with worry. "They just can't get out of there."
"Witcher's going for it," Alexis said, and they watched as Marina ran forward while her team pinned Ginny down, who was trying to get Harry's body behind cover, while Katie fought a defensive battle against Fleur and her teammates. The only thing Katie had going for her was that one of Fleur's teammates got tripped up by the devil's snare that had gotten Ginny earlier.
Marina showed some impressive athleticism as she quickly reached the tree that the banner had been placed in and quickly climbed it, and retrieved the banner. Ginny, Katie, and Fleur and her team all tried to strike at Marina when she made it back to the ground, but with Marina's team covering her, she made it back to them, and even managed to catch Ginny with a stunner, forcing Katie to prioritize cover and safety.
"Well, at least nobody is trying to finish Katie off," Jamie said. "She can revive Ginny and Harry."
"And then they'll get to chase after the other teams," Chiara finished.
"Separating the flags seems to have been what was needed though," Savage said. "None of the flags are glowing anymore."
"Hey, look, Krum's other four have found Delacour's base!" Penny pointed out, and they all glanced at Krum's screen.
His four had finally woken up after being hit by Fleur's team's traps, and seemed in a particularly foul mood. They had indeed stumbled upon the boat house and were exchanging spellfire with Fleur's three defenders.
They watched as two of Fleur's people fell, taking two of the Durmstrang people as well, but forcing the last defender to flee into the boat house. Krum's people revived their other two and the four stormed the house, two of them triggering traps, but the remaining two managed to overwhelm their remaining opponent, seizing Fleur's banner.
The spectators all continued to rotate their gazes between the four screens. Angelina, Alicia, Fred, and George were in a dangerous three way aerial duel with four of Fleur's people and six of Krum's, who were desperately trying to retrieve their banner.
The four quidditch players were giving a good showing, and most of Fleur's and Krum's people weren outmatched on brooms, but the problem was Krum himself, who was masterful on a broom, and was showcasing elemental abilities, having already blasted one of Fleur's people off their brooms, forcing another teammate to rush to catch and save their teammate.
Harry, Katie, and Ginny had rushed after Fleur and Diggory's teams, and had come up behind Fleur's team, catching one of Fleur's people in a crossfire with Diggory's people who were shielding Haley Quentin who was running for the Quidditch stadium, being shielded by her teammates.
Neville, Ron, and Hermione had successfully evaded being found when Astra transported them away, though there had been a rough moment when Ron triggered some sort of illusion spell that caused him to pass out and almost got Neville before Hermione summoned the two boys to her rather than try and undo whatever the trap was. Now though, they were in a battle with Krum's four, who had walked back to the bank, and shot up sparks, probably to signal their compatriots, but which had drawn the other three to them. A quick ambush and two of Krum's four were down before they could even return fire, though the remaining two were fighting hard against Neville, Ron, and Hermione.
"Fleur's flyers are bugging out," Kingsley said, grimacing as they broke from the fight, fleeing Krum's and Harry's team's superior flyers, all four flying towards where Krum's people and Ron, Neville, and Hermione were fighting.
They continued to watch for nearly thirty more minutes enjoying the fast paced action, which was clearly wearing down on the participants, as could be easily observed on the screen. Harry's people lost all his banners at one point, with Fleur's people taking Cedric's banner and reclaiming her own, and Krum reclaiming his own banner, but it wasn't long before Angelina's group and Ron's group joined forces with Astra's assistance and hit Fleur's compound, retrieving both banners, though in the escape they lost Fleur's banner, which Krum's team reclaimed.
Krum himself fell victim to Fleur's traps when he and two of his flyers returned to their island, reclaiming his flag. His other people hadn't even realized what was happening, three of them trying to take Harry's banner from Cedric, and the other four having been working to take Fleur's banner. He was out for nearly fifteen minutes, in which time his team's banner was taken by Cedric's team, though the loss was made up by his team's taking of Fleur's flag.
Fleur also fell victim to her team's lack of communication and unity when her position defending from Diggory after claiming Harry's flag was overwhelmed, with Cedric being the one to stun her, while Susan Bones and Cho Chang took out her compatriots.
Harry and Katie managed to find a bit of self-redemption when they managed to take down Marina, while Ginny claimed back their banner, though their victory was short lived when the rest of Diggory's team showed their unity by concentrating all of their efforts of Ginny, who was unable to protect herself against the onslaught.
**HP**
Harry was in another exhausting duel with Fleur who had ramped up the fire spells and was keeping Harry on his toes, his elemental magic being the only thing he really had to counter her, when a loud cannon blast sounded off and all around the grounds, combat stopped.
"Champions, please return to the tents," Bagman's voice boomed. "The time limit has been reached and no further points can be earned."
Harry sighed in relief. He'd honestly had a lot of fun, but he was bone tired. Running around and using so much magic was draining. Around the grounds, he could see everyone else also showing signs of relief.
"You are a brilliant duelist, 'Arry," Fleur said, stepping up to him and he smiled at her.
"You too, Fleur," Harry said. "Dirty trick hitting me with your allure though."
"All es fair en love and war," Fleur said impishly. "Es it my fault zat you find me attractive?"
Harry chuckled, blushing a bit.
"No, I guess it's not."
She chuckled throatily.
"I deed not zhink that my allure would affect Alicia so badly though," Fleur said, grinning wickedly. "Zat was a pleasant surprise. Now, though, I might have to stress she more familiar with Annika."
Harry snorted.
"Playing matchmaker, huh?"
"Oui," Fleur said, beaming.
They continued to chat as they made their way to the tents and then they were guided over to where the judges were with the spectators on raised platforms that had not been there when they had first entered the tents.
It wasn't long before Harry's whole team was present and he exchanged hugs with his friends, and they talked lightly about what had happened after they all separated while they waited. Soon though, it was time for the Second Task to end.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please give all of our Champions and their chosen companions a round of applause!" Bagman exclaimed happily, and the crowd cheered. "Now, I think we can all agree that we have just witnessed quite the event!"
"How many think we're going to get to hear from a bunch of people in the coming weeks how they would have done better or avoided more spells?" Angelina whispered and the rest of them chuckled, knowing it was true.
"Now, for the scores!" Bagman continued. "Points are assigned out of fifty, just like in the First Task. The grading criteria was opponents vanquished, flags captured, magic and athleticism displayed, traps avoided and penalties for traps triggered, flags in possession at the end of the Tournament, and the overall strategy and leadership displayed over the course of the event."
The crowd cheered, screaming for who they thought deserved the top scores.
"Now, we'll start with Mr. Krum. Mr. Krum and his teammates picked the safest location of all the champions, however, their location also hindered their abilities to capture flags and their location was used against them. Mr. Krum's team managed one capture, still has one flag in his possession, though it is not his own, and managed to subdue seventeen opponents throughout the event. Mr. Krum is therefore awarded thirty seven points."
The crowd was cheering, and Harry and his friends exchanged interested glances. After the First Task, they had all been very close. Harry and Krum were tied in first with 40 points, while Fleur was in third with 39 points, and Cedric was in fourth with 38 points.
"Next, Ms. Delacour. Ms. Delacour's team had one capture, reclaimed their banner, and has one banner in their possession though it is not her own. Her team subdued sixteen opponents, managing to successfully place and utilize the most traps of any team, and has been awarded thirty nine points."
Harry and his friends clapped for Fleur's team, and he smiled at her, knowing she was happy that she was now one point ahead of Krum.
"Now we'll get with Mr. Potter," Bagman boomed. "Mr. Potter's team picked the best hidden place, but the least defensible location. His team showed some of the greatest versatility in working together, and they achieved two enemy flag captures and hold one flag in their possession, though it is not his own. They had the second greatest number of subdued opponents managing to subdue an impressive twenty-one opponents. Mr. Potter's score is forty-one points."
Harry could hear Dora cheering loudest of everyone and he smiled around at his friends who were all looking proud of their overall performance.
"Great job, everybody," Harry said.
"Lastly, Mr. Diggory! Mr. Diggory picked the most open location, but one of the hardest to actually siege. His team stayed together for most of the event, racking up an amazing twenty-three opponents subdued, showing stalwart teamwork in defending against multiple assaults from multiple teams. Diggory's team had one captures and has one flag in their possession, though like his fellow Champions, it is not his. Mr. Diggory was also the only champion to not be subdued in this trial. He is therefore awarded forty-three points and first place for this task!"
The cheering from Hogwarts was deafening.
"The current standings," Bagman continued after the applause had died down a bit. "In four place, with seventy-seven points, Mr. Viktor Krum of Durmstrang! In third place, with a score of seventy-eight points, Ms. Fleur Delacour of Beauxbaton! And tied for first, with a score of eighty-one points, Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter of Hogwarts!"
Cheers rang out and Harry was swarmed in a group hug by his friends, as they all cheered him on, maintaining being in first place through the first two tasks, even if he'd been tied in first for both events.
"Now, the banners hold clues for the Fifth Task which will be held in April. The next task will be held next month and we should all hope the Champions have figured out their clues from the First Task. Thank you for coming to support and have a great evening!"
Before Harry knew it he was being swarmed by Dora, Sirius, Remus, and those that came with them. Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George were swarmed by Molly, Arthur, and even Percy to an extent. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie took large hugs from Jamie and Sarah.
He and his friends happily and eagerly talked with the large group of supporters, enjoying the compliments from the many aurors. Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Fred, George, and Harry were all really surprised but happy to see Oliver showed up to support. Harry was sad that he apparently missed Penny, but she'd run off to congratulate and talk to her sister, which was the girl Harry had thought looked familiar, and Cedric and the rest of his team, but he was happy to take a hug from Chiara, Siobhan, and little Aisling who was excitedly babbling about the event.
Two Tasks down. Five to go.
