AN: Been a While, sorry for the show updates. likei said i do have finished Chapter ready for proofreading, but I'm struggling to find time in-between my studies. Bear with me as we approach the final few trials before we head off to OtP.
Chapter 48: The Sixth Trial
The four left the castle late on Sunday afternoon and made their way to Hogsmeade following Sirius' instructions. They had each snuck something from the lunch table. Kiba had snatched a flask of pumpkin juice and Hermione a loaf of bread while Harry and Ron stuffed the sack with two dozen chicken legs. They approached the foot of the mountain as Sirius had said and finally spotted the stile at the end of the lane. Waiting for them, with it's front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, shaggy black dog carrying a newspaper in it's mouth. "Hello, Sirius," Harry said one they reached him.
The black dog barked once and sniffed the bag eagerly before wagging it's tail lightly. The dog turned and trotted away from them across the scrubby patch of ground which rose to meet the rocky foot of the mountain. Harry, Ron and Kiba climbed over the Stile quickly, only Kiba remaining behind to offer Hermione his hand to climb over. The four followed Sirius up the mountain quickly out of breath as it was much harder for them to walk along the boulders. Finally, after almost an hour, Sirius slipped out of sight into a narrow fissure. The four squeezed their way through after him and find themselves in a cool, dimly lit cave and where just a moment so was a black dog was now Sirius black slowly straightening himself out as he cracked his back with a grunt. He was still a thin man, but at least his robes were less ragged then when they had seen him last. Of course, Kiba had seen him at 12 Grimauld Place, but even then he still looked like a freshly escaped convict.
Harry opened the bag they had brought and handed it to Sirius, trading it for the newspaper he was carrying. "thanks" Sirius said hoarsely, grabbing a drumstick and tearing off a large piece of meat with his teeth. "I've been living off of rats mostly. Can't steal too much from Hogsmeade, I would draw to much attention to myself" he grinned up at the four
"what're you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asked
"fulfilling my duty as godfather," Sirius replied gnawing on the bone in a dog-like way "don't worry, I'm the towns lovable stray" he looked back at Harry and noticed the anxiety on the boys face "I want to be in the spot. Your last letter… well, let's say things are getting fishy. I've been stealing the paper every time I could, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's worried" he used the chicken bone to point at a stack of yellowing newspapers in the corner.
"What if they catch you, Sirius?" Kiba asked "of someone sees you?"
"the four of you and Dumbledore are the only ones round here who know I'm an Animagus" Sirius said as he tore a chunk from the bread.
"They're making it sound like Crouch is dying" Ron said as he held up a couple of newspapers "mind you, my brother said he's suffering from overwork. He's his assistant" Ron explained to Sirius.
"He did look Ill when we saw him the last time" Kiba noted "when the flame chose Harry"
"getting his comeuppance for sacking winky, isn't he?" Hermione said
"Crouch sacked his House-Elf?!" Sirius asked
"yeah, at the World Cup" Harry quickly explained what exactly had happened from their point of view to Sirius.
"But Crouch didn't show up to the match?" Sirius asked to which they shook their heads. "and your wand, did you have it when you left the top box"
"erm… I didn't check" Harry replied "I had no use for it until we got into the forest. Are you saying someone stole my wand in the top box?!"
"Winky didn't steal it!" Hermione interjected furiously
"she wasn't the only one in the box, was she?" Sirius asked "who else sat behind you?"
"Loads of people" Ron replied "the Bulgarian minister and some of his people"
"Fudge, the Malfoy's" Harry added to which Ron snapped his finger
"Malfoy! I bet it was Draco's dad" Ron said
"anyone else?" Sirius asked
"nope," Harry said
"no one" Ron added
"Bagman" Kiba said "Ludo Bagman. He was the announcer, but he was there"
"And what's he like? I don't know much about him"
"He's alright," Kiba said "he announces all the trials. And he's offered to help me more then once"
"has he now?"
"he said he's taken a liking to me"
"we saw him in the forest just before the dark mark appeared" Hermione said "remember?" she added towards the three boys.
"But he wasn't there long" Ron replied "he went off to the campsite, didn't he?"
"how'd you know where he apparated to, it's more likely he conjured it then Winky"
"don't mind her, she's obsessed with hou-" Ron began but serious silenced him with glance and raised hand.
"When the mark was conjured, and Winky was discovered. What did Crouch do? He asked
"he went into the bushes, looking if he could find someone" Harry replied
"of course, heh, of course he'd want to pin it on anyone but his elf… and then he sacked her"
"Right then and there" Kiba replied before Hermione could but she jumped in anyway
"she refused to stay inside the tent and get trampled, that's why he sacked her" Hermione said
"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf?" Ron asked
"She's got the measure of Crouch better then you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his interiors, not his equals." Sirius got to his feet and ran his hands over his unshaven face before taking a large swig from the juice. "Ask these absences of Barty Crouch's… he goes through the trouble of having his elf save him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate a Wizarding Tournament, and then stops coming to that, too… it's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, ill eat a Dragon"
"do you know Crouch well, then?" Harry asked. Sirius stopped pacing and looked at Harry darkly.
"Oh, I know Crouch all right," he said "he's the one that sent me to Azkaban – without a trial!"
"Ehh?" Hermione squeaked
"What?" Ron blurted out
"you're kidding!" Kiba protested
"I'm not" Sirius said "Crouch used to be the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?" the three shook their heads "he was a top candidate to be the next Minister of Magic. He's a great Wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical – and power-hungry. But never a Voldemort supporter" he added looking to Harry "no he was always very outspoken against the dark side. But then a lot of people who were against the dark side… well, you wouldn't understand… you're too young.."
"That's what dad said too" Ron said "try us, why don't you?"
A grin flashed across Sirius' thin face. "All right, I'll try you," He walked once up the cave, back again, and then said, "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't, you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing ... the Ministry of Magic's in disarray they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere ... panic ... confusion ... that's how it used to be. Well, times like that bring out the best in some people, and the worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning — I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemorts supporters. The Aurors were given new powers — powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the Dementors without trial. Crouch fought Violence with Violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark side. He had his supporters, mind you — plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister for Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened ..." Sirius smiled grimly "Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power"
"Crouch's son was caught?" Kiba echoed
"yep," Sirius said sitting back down "Nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd imagine. Should have spent more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Got to know his own son"
"Is his Son a Death Eater?" Harry asked
"don't know" Sirius replied "folks he was caught with definitely were. But he might've been in the wrong place at the wrong time.. just like the elf"
"And Crouch didn't try to get him off?" Hermione asked
"of course not" Sirius said "all he wanted was to become Minister, he dedicated his whole life to it. And just like with the Elf, it tarnished his reputation. The trial he gave him was nothing more then a formality. And then he was gone"
"off to Azkaban?" Ron asked for clarification
"they brought him in, he was only nineteen. He was in a cell near mine, he was screaming for his mother within the hour, but went quiet By nightfall. They all go quiet in the end.."
"And he's still in Azkaban?" Harry asked
"No," Sirius said with a sigh "he died about a year later. He wasn't the only one. Most go mad and stop eating after a while, when they've lost the will to live. Could always tell when death was coming, the Dementors got excited whenever they sensed it. Barty and his wife came to visit not long before he went, that's the last time I saw him, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died soon after as well, apparently the grief was too much. Barty never returned for the body, I watched the Dementors bury him outside the fortress." Sirius sighed again "Crouch lost it all. One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister for Magic… next, his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored. Fudge became Minister, and Crouch was shunted sideways into the Department of International Co-operation"
"Moody reckons he just wanted to catch one more death eater" Harry said
"might be hoping that it gets him his popularity back" Sirius replied
"It makes sense, that's why he snuck up into Snape's office" Ron said
"it doesn't make sense at all" Sirius said
"yeah, it does" Ron said excitedly
"listen, if Crouch wants to investigate Snape, why hasn't he been coming to judge the tournament? It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Hogwarts and keep an eye on him" Sirius replied
"so you think Snape could be up to something" asked Harry.
"Look, whatever you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape-" Hermione intervened but was cut off again by Ron
"come off it, Hermione." The ginger said "I know Dumbledore is brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever dark wizard couldn't fool him –"
"what do you think, Sirius?" Kiba asked hoping that the adult child defuse the tension between the two.
"I think they've both got a point," said Sirius, looking thoughtfully at Ron and Hermione. "Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was," Sirius added, and Harry and Ron grinned at each other. "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters." Sirius held up his fingers, and began ticking off names. "Rosier and Wilkes - they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges — they're a married couple - they're in Azkaban. Avery - from what I've heard he wormed his way out of trouble by saying he'd been acting under the Imperius Curse — he's still at large. But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater. Not that that means much. Plenty of them were never caught, and Snape's certainly clever and cunning enough to keep himself out of trouble"
"you said your brother is Crouch's assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he's seen him lately?" Sirius asked Ron after a moment of silence
"I can try" said Ron doubtfully
"and try to find out weather they've got any leads on Bertha Jorkins while you're at it" said Sirius
"Bagman said they hadn't" Kiba said
"he said so in this article as well. I knew Bertha, she wasn't a forgetful woman as he claims, quite the opposite actually. She had an excellent mind for gossip, it used to get her in allot of trouble, she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. Maybe that's why Bagman didn't bother to look for her for so long…"
"we've been here quite a while" Kiba noted as he checked his watch and showed it to Sirius as well.
"you'd best get back to school" Sirius said getting up "Listen, I don't want you lot to come sneaking out to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here, I still want to know about anything odd. But no sneaking out, understood?" the three agreed swiftly "I'll walk you down, let's go" he transformed quickly as Kiba quickly grabbed the bag and flask they had brought him and took them with him as Sirius lead them back down to the stile. They all patted Sirius on the head before climbing over the Stile again and making their way towards the Castle. Sirius waited patiently for them to be far enough before running off towards the mountain again. Harry walked ahead of them, his head hung low, deep in thought as Hermione and Ron discussed weather Percy wouldn't acted the same way as Crouch.
"Percy would never throw his family to the Dementors," Hermione defended him
"I wouldn't be so sure, of he thought we were standing in the way of his career, he might… he's really ambitious, you know.." but the argument was quickly over as the smell of dinner filled their noses. "Poor Snuffles," Ron suddenly said as he took a long and deep sniff "he must really care for you, Harry.. imagine living off of rats"
Once again, Kiba stood outside of the Castle waiting to be collected for the Trial. He was keeping an eye on the horizon when he spotted a shimmer in the water of the black lake and suddenly the heads of Five Hippocampi appeared followed by a large silver pod that gently settled on the surface as it was pulled closer to shore. The side of the pod majestically disintegrated before Raya and Oxana stepped out, the headmistress still in her tight suit and cane, but Raya was in robes surprisingly similar to those of Hogwarts. The two waited by the pod for Kiba and Dumbledore to arrive. The greeting was much like that with Durmstrang, Dumbledore and Oxana hugged and kissed cheeks three times as Kiba and Raya clapped their heels before they bowed and transitioned into a firm handshake. But for both of them it felt like they should've had a much warmer greeting, given the fact that they had known each other for close to a year and attended the Celestial Ball together. Kiba was second to last to be collected this time, as the only remaining Champion to be picked up was Viktor.
It didn't take long before they finally approached the school, the Pod was entirely See-through from the inside allowing for a gorgeous view of the Castle that was halfway submerged in the lake it stood on. The five Hippocampi pulled them deeper underwater and entered the castle through a barrier as their mermaid-like tails transformed into the hind-legs of a regular horse and the pod settled on the floor gently allowing them all to depart. "Welcome to Koldovstoretz, our school is still very young, it is nowhere near as old as The Japanese School or The African school, but being a more modern school has allowed for more modern subjects to excel, such as the art of Magical Dueling." Raya explained "as well as a unique version of Quidditch" she added gesturing out of a window where several students played Quidditch above a nearby pitch, but instead of flying brooms they flew complete uprooted trees. "in our schools, students are separated into Four separate courts: Coral, Pink, Turquoise and Amber. I myself am a Pink. We are sorted based on the first creature or plant we summon from the lake on our first day"
Raya lead them all down deep into the castle to seven separate rooms, each with a window to the lake outside. At dinner the evening, Kiba was surprised by how similar it was too Hogwarts as food appeared on the four long tables. There are dough-pockets similar to those on Japan and a mix of soups, potatoes and vegetables. The next morning, Upon Raya's request, Kiba got up early and went on a run with her as she showed him the route she took around the lake. But they were far from the only ones, in fact many students were running or even swimming to get their morning exercise. The day went by quickly and by the next morning, the eight Champions were called to the lake bright and early and as soon as they stepped out through the gates they saw the stage that had been prepared.
In the middle of the lake was a large Circular Stage surrounded by Eight stands each filled with students from one school. The champions were all asked to step onto disks on the shore which began moving, stopping by the edge of the stage. With a noise and a swirl Ludo Bagman appeared in the center, "Welcome, Welcome, to the Sixth Trial of the Teen Wizard Tournament" the Eight disks rotated slowly around the stage as Bagman continued "this trial will consist of a series of One on One duels. The rules are simple, best of Five rounds meaning the first to three points wins the duel, however falling off the stage and touching the Water will result in an instant loss. Teleporting as well as any flying spells are prohibited during the duel as well as any fetal spells. We will begin with the first round, the four losers will continue on the duels in a battles for the fifth to eighth places. Then we will continue with the semifinal and the battle for third and fourth place before we conclude the trial with the Final" another man appeared on stage and announced himself as the referee before he too got on a disk and moved away from the stage. The eight disks moved backwards and towards the stands, bringing each champion into the folds of their schools students, and brought them to two seats at the very front. For many of the others, the second seat was occupied by their headmaster, but Kiba spotted Dumbledore further in the back of the stands.
"We will decide the duels by drawing names. First, Akio Itō against… Fleur Delacour!" Bagman said into his wand, which he used as a microphone, loudly. "please step onto your disks"
"remember that rules can be implemented and changed it necessary" Oxana said loudly as the two champions stepped into the ring "and right from the start, any Animagus transformations are forbidden" she added looking towards Kiba and then Adéwalé.
Kiba watched the two champions duel as his excitement grew, for the first time he felt he was truly prepared for the task. He knew those lessons with Flitwick would give him the edge he needed to at least make it to the semifinal, if not even to third place.. so long as he didn't have to go up against Raya. "pst.. Kiba" he heard a hiss over his shoulder, even without moving his eyes from the duel he recognized Hermione's voice. "don't worry, you can do this" She whispered "you've been training for almost a year"
"I'm not worried, Hermione" Kiba replied "I'm actually rather excited" he added with a smile as Fleur knocked Akio down forcing the referee to step in and stop the duel, awarding her a point.
"oh, well. Alright, just stay focused, fight to your strengths, and Target their weakness" Hermione replied squeezing his shoulder lightly
"I will, thanks"
"and Fleur hits the water hard! That concludes the duel, Akio Itō moves on to the Semifinal and Fleur Delacour proceeds into the secondary bracket" Bagman said. Kiba scanned the stands quickly and noticed that Madam Maxime looked incredibly unhappy. "up next we have.. Alex Mason against… Kiba Scamander!"
"Alex is creative, be prepared for anything!" Hermione whispered as Kiba stepped onto the disk. He grabbed his wand from behind his ear and flashed her a smile as he was transported to the stage opposite of Alex. He placed his free left hand behind his back and extended the right which held his wand towards opponent at he stood sideways, mimicking the stance Flitwick had taught him.
"ready?" the referee asked
"ready." Both of the champions responded.
"Fight!" he called and immediately Alex flicked his wand sending a hex towards the young Wizard. But Kiba was ready and blocked the spell leaving nothing but sparks bouncing off of his invisible barrier, but as predicted he was quick to attack again as several flames curved out of his wand and approached Kiba at several angles. Kiba dove forwards and rolled over his shoulder attacking as soon as he saw his opponent, but even then Alex blocked it but then Kiba spotted the flaw, his barrier was unrefined. Kiba quickly got to his feet from his crouched position and kept his feet moving as both fired their jinxes at one and other. Kiba found his chance and aimed for Alex's head, and he blocked it just as Kiba had hoped. He casted the leg-locker curse and it connected, which Alex seemed to not notice as he fired a spell at Kiba. Kiba spun around his own axis as he dodged the spell before firing another jinx and curving it at Alex who tried to dodge it but promptly fell flat on his face, dropping his wand.
"Enough!" Vladimir stepped in, ready to block any spell Kiba might fire. Kiba lowered his wand and looked around, he saw the entire Hogwarts stand cheering for him, even most of the Slytherins had come around to support him, except the usual group, even Raya still cheered for the young Wizard.
"That's One Nil for Scamander! Time for round 2"
"Ready?" Vladimir asked once both Wizards had taken their stances again.
"Ready" Kiba said
"Ready" Alex also responded with a renewed fire in his eyes. Immediately he had Kiba on the defensive as he ferociously attacked, Kiba had to take a step back every so often trying to find the perfect moment to dodge as he slowly approached the edge of the stage. He knew they were equally matched in speed, but Alex's spells definitely seemed less powerful then his own. Kiba took a chance and reflected His opponents tickling jinx back at him which finally stopped his relentless offense as Alex was forced to dodge to the side, leaving himself open to a counterattack.
"Expelliarmus!" Kiba cried out and promptly disarmed Alex which forced Vladimir to stop the fight again.
"and a well-timed disarming spell gets young Scamander his second point. Two Nil, can Mason recover?" Bagman said "match point for Hogwarts"
"Ready?"
"ready." The two young men replied. This time Kiba took the initiative and attacked first.
"Everte Statum!" He called out first, "Rictusempra! Flipendo!" he continued at he flourished his wand. But perhaps Alex had underestimated Kiba and not taken the first two rounds seriously, because now he was blocking every spell with utmost precision before landing one, near perfectly timed, counterattack. Kiba fell on his back, his wand still in hand but his face feeling as if a million needles were poking his flesh.
"Scamander, are you alright?" the referee asked as he undid the Stinging Jinx "can you continue?"
"Yes, I'm fine" Kiba replied getting to his feet
"Mason returns the favor and gains a point of his own! Two to One, still match point for Hogwarts!"
The fight resumed once again with both Champions giving it their all, but Kiba obtained an edge ever since the Tournament began. With the young man paying more attention to his physical health and going on regular workouts even on his off days his stamina had steadily increased, and this allowed him to stay in the fight much longer. Kiba could tell that Alex was approaching his limit, as during their exchange some of his casts had gotten sloppy, all he needed to do now is out last him.
Kiba blocked another jinx that flew his way and dove out of the way of the next one, firing his own charm "Cunfundo!" he called out just before landing on his side. His spell connected and Kiba looked to the referee if he would step in, but he didn't. Alex was standing unsteadily, dazed and confused as Kiba got to his feet. "Locomotor Wibbly" he said almost in a whisper as he aimed his wand at Alex's legs. The Illvermorny Champion, attempted to step away from the curse, but it was too late.. his legs wobbled like jelly and he fell to the ground. Vladimir appeared on the stage again and checked on Alex before returning to Kiba and raising his hand as he shot colorful sparks from his wand.
"and with a Score of Three to One, Kiba Scamander moves on to the semifinals!" Bagman announced loudly "Alex Mason will join Fleur Delacour in the secondary Bracket!" Kiba returned to his disk, as did Alex and they were both returned to their schools stands.
"you were amazing!" Hermione whispered to him over the cheers of the other students "way to go!" Kiba could only smile in response, his adrenaline was spiking too high for him to speak, and he couldn't wait for his next fight.
"Let us commence with.. Zoe Rodriguez against… Viktor Krum!" Bagman announced. Kiba looked over at Adéwalé who looked angry, knowing that he had to go against Raya next.
"Scamander, sorry I wasn't here before. Have you fought yet?" Moody suddenly growled as he took the empty seat beside Kiba.
"I have, and I won actually" Kiba replied
"every champion gets to have an advisor, it's a no brainer that the other heads have taken that position, but Dumbledore heh, the man's to proud. So he asked me" Moody explained
"Erm.. thanks I guess" Kiba replied at he watched the duel. He noticed immediately of different Zoe and Viktor battled. The Bulgarian had his feet stuck to the ground, barely ever moving while Zoe looked like she was doing gymnastics instead of Dueling. Hopping, twisting, handstands, cartwheels.. if it kept her moving, she did it. But for all her movement and flashy tricks, most of her spells still missed their mark and eventually she was struck with a nasty knockback jinx that send her backwards, bouncing once on the stage and then over the edge.
"down she goes! Zoe Rodriguez has taken a little dive over the edge. Viktor Krum wins the duel and moves on to the semifinals. Miss Rodriguez will continue in the secondary bracket!" Ludo clapped as the two left the stage "now for the final Pair of the Primary Bracket. Raya Kravchenko against Adéwalé Chidubem!" The fight began quickly, and Adéwalé tried his damnedest to quickly get Raya into the water, but Raya.. she was like the perfect mix of every other champion. On one hand standing firmly in place and blocking attacks with ease like Akio and Viktor, but on the other avoiding some with graceful movements and flips like Zoe and Fleur. And not even a few minutes into the duel, Adéwalé was disarmed and knocked down twice in a row. "that's Two Nil for Raya, Match point of Koldovstoretz" Raya pointed her wand to the stage and the wooden pieces began bouncing up and down, not providing Adéwalé with a strong stance as the stage itself tried to buck him off which left him open to Raya who simply flicked her wand once, lifted Adéwalé off of his feet and dangled him above the water before dropping him into it. "Raya moves on to the semifinals and Adéwalé to the Secondary Bracket" Kiba cheered for Raya as she returned to her stands before Bagman continued his announcing. "now the first first of the primary Bracket is concluded, we will move on to the Secondary bracket! Alex Mason against Zoe Rodriguez!"
The two battled and finished with Three to One in favor of Alex before Fleur and Adéwalé fought. The girl let out all her frustration from her first duel on Adéwalé and put him in the water by the second round. Twice defeated Adéwalé was now up against Zoe where they battled an exciting five rounds ending with Three to Two in favor of Zoe. Up next was Fleur and Alex who also faught to the fifth round in which they both tumbled over the edge of the stage, but Vladimir concluded that Alex has touched the water first and therefore lost the duel. "this concludes the placements from fifth to eighth Place. Now let us commence with the Semifinals!" Bagman said, his excitement more audible then ever before "Raya Kravchenko against…"
"please not me.." Kiba muttered
"Akio Itō" Bagman said. The two champions got onto stage and their duel began. Akio was probably the most academically proven wizard among the eight Champions, but Raya had the raw talent and years of perfecting her skill on her side. The first round proceeded with seemingly no end in sight as neither could knock down their opponent. Until, seemingly out of nowhere Raya flourished her wand and Akio stopped dead in his tracks, as if his body were frozen in time. His eyes darted around as he tried to move, but now stuck and defenseless he was sure to lose but just as Raya fired her spell it was blocked by Vladimir. "One Nil to Raya!" the two went at it again not a moment later, but still Raya remained undefeated, soon Akio fell over the edge of the stage, even letting go of his wand in an attempt to hold on, but when faced with Raya standing above him, he had to Choose to let go or get hit by a spell and fall all the same. "and Akio falls. Raya Remains undefeated and heads into the Final and Akio will have a chance to fight for the third place! But let us continue now, who will secure their second place Viktor Krum or Kiba Scamander?"
"remember, Krum's strong but he's slow. Both in his feet and in his mind" Moody muttered as he held Kiba back "keep moving, and don't get hit!" Kiba stepped onto his disk and saw Viktor already waiting.
"Ready?" Vladimir asked
"ready" Both responded and the duel began. Kiba took Moody's advice and immediately began moving, dodging most but blocking the occasional spell as he every so often fired one of his own. But in a moment of carelessness he stopped dead in his tracks and was hit by a spell that felt as if he had been punched in the stomach.
"One Nil for Krum!"
The second round began and Kiba knew he had to get creative, he once again moved around, even implementing a cartwheel much like Zoe or Raya had done, until he found an opening hitting Viktor with a Bat Bogey Hex. The Durmstrang yelled out as the green Bats flew from his nose. "Oppugno!" Kiba yelled immediately after and the Bats launched themselves at Viktor. Flying into him and hitting him with their wings, in response Viktor got low to the ground and protected his head from the attack which was a clear sign that he would forfeit the round to make it stop.
"One One" Bagman announced "they're tied"
The third round began, and Kiba began moving again. He knew the same combination wouldn't work again, and jinxing his legs would do very little because he didn't move.. Kiba wasn't sure what to do, but then he figured it out. A spell that had to be dodged! "Colloshoo" Kiba whispered first hoping that Viktor wouldn't hear it, and then once he had the chance he followed up with his attack "Aqua Eructo!" he cried and immediately a jet of water shot from his wand at Viktor. The Durmstrang realized quickly he had to dodge it, but when he tried to he came to realize that his foot was stuck to the ground thanks to Kiba's prior jinx. The water struck him hard and simultaneously disarmed the champion forcing Vladimir to step in again.
"One to Two for Scamander! Match point for Hogwarts!"
Round four began eerily different then the others as Viktor was now also keeping his feet alive, taking small steps here and there. Kiba was trying to find another way he could win this round, but throughout he couldn't find a suitable plan and was one again struck with the punching spell.
"Two Two, this is getting very exciting. The duel can go either way from here!"
The duel lasted several minutes with no real change from before, as the two blocked and attacked, both trying to find that opening that would get them to the finals. But Kiba noticed that Viktor had stopped moving again, his focus was too concentrated on one thing to do the other too. Kiba blocked the spell, by swinging his wand from right to left, before he moved it down and pointed it across the floor moving it back to his right side as he muttered "Circumrota" immediately he pointed his wand forwards, aiming slightly towards the left of Viktor, just past his shoulder "Depulso!" he shouted. Kiba felt as if time slowed down and all noise disappeared, Viktor raised his wand to block, but realized it would miss and transitioned into an attack, and just then, his previous spell came into effect as the entire stage began rotating counter-clockwise which realigned the spell. Viktor was too late to adjust and the spell struck his chest just below the shoulder sending him flying backwards in a wild spin and off of the stage.
Suddenly all sound returned to Kiba's ears, the cheers from his fellow Hogwarts students now seemingly louder then ever as he heard the splash of Viktor hitting the water. Kiba's hand shot up on triumph as he had now officially secured the second place, he returned to the Hogwarts students to a standing ovation, but when he looked both Malfoy and Karkaroff stared at him devilishly, as if they were cursing him with their eyes.
"you duel well," Moody said to him "maybe you ought to consider a career as an Auror"
"I am sure we are all very very excited to see the final, but first, Viktor Krum and Akio Itō must face off for the third place!" the duel was exciting to watch even though ultimately Viktor went down A third time loosing the duel Three to One. "Akio Itō takes Third place and Viktor Krum fourth! But now it's time for the Final, Raya Kravchenko Versus Kiba Scamander! Raya is of course still undefeated, having beaten her opponents without losing a round.. can the underdog Kiba Scamander break the trend and maybe even take home that Prestigious first place?"
"I won't underestimate you like the others" Raya said as the two took their stances
"wouldn't want it any other way" Kiba replied "otherwise you'd look bad when I win"
"If-" She corrected him "I won't go easy on you"
"Ready?" Vladimir asked
"Ready" Kiba said first
"Ready" Raya replied after flashing Kiba a smile. Suddenly it felt as if Raya had held back against the other champions, as she attacked with incredible speed. Kiba did his best to keep up, but her hexes and jinxes came from so many angles that he quickly ran out of space to retreat when one stunner hit him across the face like a slap.
"One Nil to Raya!"
The referee brought Kiba back to consciousness and put him back on his feet and started the second round. Kiba was on the defensive again, but every so often he managed to get a dodge and a counterattack in. "Verdillious" Kiba spoke launching green sparks at Raya, catching her off guard "Stupefy!" he called out immediately after but Raya had blocked the spell even without looking. Kiba stood, ready to defend himself but Raya didn't attack either. Kiba waited patiently for Raya to shift her weight before attacking again, his jinx of choice was the sneezing jinx and it connected to his surprise. The girl began sneezing uncontrollably and Kiba launched another jinx, targeting her wand and making it slippery, but even though she was sneezing Raya avoided it and instead returned the favor and knocked Kiba down again.
"Two Nil for Raya! It seems Scamander might not be the one to end her streak!"
The third round began, and Kiba was determined to not lose the duel without at least getting one point himself. He attacked first and relentlessly continued, trying to keep Raya back until she made a mistake, she did, almost stepping off of the stage as she blocked the attacks "Obscuro!" A dark mist surrounded Raya's head a she flung a spell blindly at Kiba. The young Wizard dodged the spell and aimed his wand again "Incarcerous" a rope shot from Kiba's wand and hit the Opponent increasing it's own length as it wrapped around her tightly.
"young Scamander has done it," Bagman shouted into his wand "Two One, still in favor of Raya, but finally she has been beaten once!"
"not bad, not bad" Raya said as she got back up to her feet after Vladimir undid the jinxes.
"there's more where that came from" Kiba replied smugly
"Ready?" Vladimir asked again
"ready" they both said and immediately Raya attacked. The round was the longest out of all the others as they went back and forth until something very interesting happened.
"Melofors!" Kiba called out.
"Rictusempta" Raya cried at the same time. Their wand streams connected in a bright flash, Kiba's pumpkin jinx showing up in orange and Raya's Jinx in white. They both held the connection, trying to push the other back, but Raya did the unexpected. Knowing that Kiba's jinx would only summon a Pumpkin around her head she knew she could take it and instead attack him. She let Kiba win the stream, but instantly, before the pumpkin had even appeared she cried out again "Flipendo!" and Kiba was sent back and over the edge of the stage. But Kiba refused to go down like that, he knew teleporting and flying were forbidden, but no one said anything about rope.
"Carpe Retractum!" he spoke aiming at the edge of the stage. A rope of light shot up and immediately pulled Kiba after it, but the pull was stronger then anticipated as he flew past the stage and high above it spinning in the air. He tried to stop his rotation and spotted Raya trying to remove the pumpkin, he flicked his wand hard and cried out once more "Relashio!" Just as the pumpkin came off of her head and she saw the boy falling down to the stage her wand left her grip and tumbled across the stage. Raya dove after it just as Kiba landed on his feet and rolled over his shoulder. "Ebublio" Kiba said quietly as he laid on the stage. Just before Raya grabbed her wand something appeared around her, a pale bubble. She looked back at Kiba with a shocked yet somehow impressed look. Kiba breathed a sigh of relief and let his head drop onto the stage as he breathed heavily.
"I cannot believe it! Two Two! The match can go either way.
The fifth round was on, but Kiba was spent. His stamina low, out of options and no more tricks up his sleeve. Kiba found one opening and fired an unblockable spell "Ventus!" the air burst from his wand more powerfully then Kiba had expected but Raya reacted quickly and raised the wood from the stage which bent to her command and created a barrier for her.
"Tarantallegra" he suddenly heard to his right. Raya had used the wood to also cover her flank and Kiba was too late now. The jinx connected and his legs went out of control as he danced across the stage wildly "Cantis" she added as she subdued her laughter, but once Kiba began singing no one could hold it back, while Kiba technically sung very well, coupled with the odd dancing it wasn't impressive at all. Some people began laughing out of satisfaction of Kiba's embarrassment others because it was truly funny. Even Kiba himself laughed once Vladimir had undone the spells.
"that concludes the duel" Ludo said as he wiped his tears of joy "And we have a Winner!" Kiba had already returned to his disk leaving Raya alone in stage as he cheered for her. "Raya Kravchenko!"
"you were brilliant Kiba!" Hermione said hugging her friend from behind "truly!" she added planting a kiss on his cheek.
"let's review everyone's placements. First place, Raya Kravchenko. Second place, Kiba Scamander. Third place, Akio Itō. Fourth place, Viktor Krum. Fifth place, Fleur Delacour. Sixth place, Alex Mason. Seventh place, Zoe Rodriguez. And Eighth place, Adéwalé Chidubem" Bagman read off of his list
"that concludes this trial!" Oxana announced "Champions please follow Raya to our nurse and get checked out before proceeding to the feast with the others"
"This trial may be over" A tired voice spoke as the One-armed headmaster spoke "but the seventh isn't far. It is time to really find out what you're made of, and find out who is worthy to continue to the Final Trial. Good luck" his mouth curled into a smirk as the dark words sunk in.. some champions wouldn't participate in the final?! "we will collect you on the Eighteenth of May"
Kiba returned to the feast after his visit to the nurse who deduced that he had a minor injury on his shoulder from the large fall. "Mister Scamander! Save to say you exceeded every expectation today!" Bagman came over and excitedly shook Kiba's hand "I mean second place! And you were the only one to win a round against Raya, and that twice!"
"Thank you, Mister Bagman"
"Oh, no need to thank me. You deserve all the recognition!" they parted ways and Kiba finally got to grab some food when he was approached by Rita Skeeter.
"Mister Kiba, a word please?" she asked
"No" Kiba replied trying to walk away but she stopped him
"surely, this Trial has boosted your coincidence after your recent heartache?"
"My confidence is fine, at it always was. The had been no heartache"
"Surely Miss Granger's engagement with your fellow Champion must've stirred up your emotions?"
"Hermione and I are friends, there was never anything between us" Kiba said angrily "now please leave me alone"
Rita was out of sight for the rest of the evening, never even bothering to interview anyone else, and even when they took the Portkey back to Hogwarts, she hadn't shown up again. Kiba laid in bed quietly listening to the snores of the other boys. He opened up his curtain and looked over into his nightstand and picked up the miniature Zouwu that had long stopped moving and remained a motionless statue. He thought about how much the Tournament had changed him, how his knowledge had excelled at quickly and how is outlook on the wider world was effected by people such as Fleur, Akio and especially Raya. Even though Kiba didn't really sleep that night, he wasn't tired the next morning as he wandered to breakfast with his friends being congratulated on his performance whenever someone passed them.
"So, has Percy replied yet?" Kiba asked Ron as he took a bite from his toast.
"not yet, maybe we'll get his today. I mean, it's Easter" Ron said "who wouldn't write back on Easter?"
And indeed the owls began swooping in, one dropping a large parcel and letter by ron, another dropping one by Kiba and about Ten Owl's doing envelopes by Hermione "whoa, what's that about then?"
"mail from your fans" Hermione said as she stuffed them all in her bag "last one I opened has pus in it she held up her hand and pointed to a particularly red spot where one of her boils had been.
"because if the Article that Skeeter Wrote?" Kiba asked "I swear if I could hex that Bi-"
"don't worry about it. You worry about the Tournament. I get back at Skeeter, I vow that I'll find out how she spies in private conversations, and make her regret picking a fight with me!"
"guys! Percy answered" Harry caught their attention as he handed them the parcel "those are from Missus Weasley" the parcel had smaller packed Easter eggs in it, Kiba opened his and saw four large chocolate eggs filled with homemade fudge inside, but when he peeked at Hermione's he saw that her chocolate eggs were rather small compared to those of the three boys that all had eggs the size of Dragon eggs.
"Your mum doesn't read Witch Weekly, by any chance, does she, Ron?" Kiba asked
"yeah, she does" Ron replied his mouth full of fudge "gets it for the recipes"
"Here I'll read the letter" Harry said realizing that Ron was to busy stuffing his mouth "'as I am constantly telling the Daily Prophet, Mr. Crouch is taking a well-deserved break. He is sending in regular Owls with instructions. No, I haven't actually seen him, but I think I can be trusted to know my own superior's handwriting. I have quite enough to do at the moment without trying to quash these ridiculous rumors. Please don't bother me again unless it's something important. Happy Easter' that's it.." Harry read
"well, at least we know that even Percy hasn't seen him. So he might really be pretending…" Kiba said
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AN2: Probably the favorite trial I've written!
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Cheers!
