Chapter 46: The Fourth Trial
While many spent the next morning sleeping instead of attending breakfast due to the long night before, Kiba was not among them however. He was up at around the time that breakfast begun and made his way into the common room when he heard the voices of his friends.
"And Karkaroff, he was worried about something" Harry said
"what could he be worried about?!" Hermione replied
"Snape seems to know, after all he was the one Karkaroff talked to" Ron replied
"Sirius did tell me to be weary around him, he used to be a Death Eater" Harry added "I think it might have something to do with the Dre-"
"Good morning, Kiba" Hermione interrupted him
"Morning, what are you guys talking about?" the boy asked as he joined the three others at the fireplace.
"nothing, really.. just yesterday" Harry said
"Alright then, and what's Karkaroff to do with it?" Kiba asked again. The three others looked at each other and then Harry sighed.
"Ron and I heard Karkaroff talking to Snape Yesterday, and he sounded worried about something" Harry explained "and Sirius told me to be careful around him, because he used to work for Voldemort"
"And I suppose you were going to tell me this eventually?" Kiba replied a hint of anger in his tone
"we were, we were" Hermione said quickly "we just thought, with the tournament and all.. we didn't want you to stress about it"
"point is, since the world cup we've been keeping Sirius in the loop about what's happening" Harry explained "he gave us some insight into what he has heard and about Karkaroff"
"so you're trying to find out why you were chosen by the cup?" Kiba asked, Harry nodded silently
"these aren't coincidences," Hermione said "Harry's dream, The Dark Mark at the World Cup a-"
"Dream? What sort of dream?!" Kiba looked from Hermione to Harry with a concerned look.
"I had this dream last night, about Pettigrew and Voldemort" Harry said explaining what he had dreamed of.
While the holiday atmosphere was a bit gloomy, the prospect of not having class for a few more days cheered them all up significantly.
The first day of classes wasn't far however and while Kiba was excited for another class with Hagrid, the impending dread of the fourth trial that was mere days away was numbing the excitement quite a bit. The Gryffindor and Slytherin students all walked down to the Magical Creature reserve only to find that Hagrid wasn't there at all.
"Sorry I'm late, sorry,!" they heard a woman speak as she made her way through the mass of students "Hello, I am professor Grubbly-Plank. I'll be taking over Care of Magical Creatures in Professor Hagrid's absence" she added as she turned and looked over the class.
"where is Hagrid?" Kiba asked aloud
"that's none of your concern, Mister Scamander. So onto the lesson, Unicorns!" she lead them towards a tree on the edge of the clearing where a large beautiful unicorn was tethered. It stepped out into the light and made the snow seem grey in comparison to it's white fur. "Boys keep back!" Barked the professor "Unicorns prefer a Woman's touch. Girls come closer, gather round.." the girls quickly huddled Around the professor listening anxiously to her before they were allowed to approach the creature.
"What do you reckon is wrong with him?" Harry asked the two boys beside him.
"donno," Ron muttered "maybe a Skrewt-"
"he hasn't been attacked, Weasel-bee, if that's what you're thinking" Malfoy interjected as soon as Grubbly-Plank was out of ear-shot. "he's just too ashamed to show his big ugly face" Malfoy pulled his hand from his pocket and tossed a folded newsprint "hate to break it to you, Potter.." he added sarcastically.
Harry swiftly unfolded it and held it out so the three boys could read it simultaneously 'Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial and near dangerous decisions when it comes to appointing staff for the historic school. Only this September did he hire the jinx-happy, ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody to teach our young wizards and witches Defence Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry, given "Professor" Moody's insane habit of hexing anybody or anything who dares to do a sudden movement while anywhere near him. However, "Mad-Eye" Moody looks kind and responsible next to the part-human our dear Dumbledore has employed to teach Care of Magical Creatures.
Rebeus Hagrid, who has admitted to myself that he was expelled from Hogwarts in only his third year, has been employed in the position of game keeper at the school ever since, a job given to him purely from Dumbledore's "kind heart" has, somehow, managed to secure himself the job of Care of Magical Creatures Professor last year, over the heads of many better qualified candidates.
An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been known to terrify the young and older students alike, to which Dumbledore turns a blind eye.
"I was attacked by a Hippogriff, and my friend, Vincent Crabbe, got a bad bite from a Flobberworm" says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything"
This, however, does nothing to stop Hagrids campaign of intimidation. Only last month, in a conversation with me, did he admit to breeding creatures he calls "Blast-Ended Skrewts" an animal that is a highly dangerous cross between manticores and fire crabs, and bringing them into lessons to interact with students. The creation of new breeds is usually a closely watched act by the Ministry, yet Hagrid seems to disregard these rules all together.
"I was just having a bit of fun" he says before hastily changing the subject.
As if this wasn't enough, this Daily Prophet reporter has unearthed some huge new evidence that "Professor" Hagrid is not- as he has always claimed to be- a pure blood wizard. He is not, in fact, pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa.
A bloodthirsty and brutal race, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring among themselves over the last century. The few giants who remained living were known to have joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and were responsible for some of the worse mass Muggle killings during his reign of terror.
If his antics in and out of his lessons are anything to go by, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature.
Also, bizarrely enough, Hagrid seems to have managed to form himself a very close friendship with the none other than the Boy Who Lived, the boy who brought about You-Know-Who's downfall- therefore, driving Hagrids own mother into hiding along with the rest of You-Know-Who's supporters. It is unknown whether Harry Potter knows the unpleasant truth about his "friend", but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that young Mr Potter and his fellow students are warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants, especially irresponsible, menacing ones like Rebeus Hagrid' Harry crinkled the newsprint slightly as his grip tightened in anger. He looked at the sniggering Malfoy. Kiba grabbed the newspaper from Harry before he could rip it to pieces as he too felt the urge to attack Malfoy. But Malfoy had done nothing, it was that woman, Rita Skeeter, she had somehow found out, but how?
The lesson ended and the four Gryffindor's were headed to the great hall, Hermione was still unaware of the article that had been published about Hagrid and was smiling brightly. "I wouldn't mind her staying a while longer. She's quite knowledgeab-"
"look at this" Harry cut her off handing her the newspaper. Hermione's eyes darted over the page as she scanned the article, her eyes widening the longer she read. She passed the paper onto Kiba as they say sat down who finally had a chance to read Rita's writing himself.
"how did that horrid woman find out? Did Hagrid tell her?" she asked
"no way! He didn't even tell us, did he?" Harry replied. Kiba had flipped the page and found another entry from Rita Skeeter about the Celestial Ball.
'Being a champion in a Tournament such as the Teen Wizard Tournament comes with it's Benefits as well as it's drawbacks. But perhaps no champion had faced a bigger task then finding a suitable partner to the Celestial Ball. Imagine our surprise when the Bulgarian Champion Viktor Krum attended with Gryffindor Fourth-year Hermione Granger, a pretty girl and close friend to Hogwarts champion Kiba Scamander who shockingly attended the ball with fellow Champion, Raya Kravchenko, a Russian Beauty and outspoken favorite to take home the Cup.
Weather Scamander was aware of his friends engagement is yet unknown, though it seems that the Clever girl continues to assist her friend and Fellow Gryffindor by helping him prepare for the tasks.
Furthermore it was announced, at the closing of the evening, that the Fourth trial will be-'
"we ought to go see him" Harry said tearing Kiba away from the article.
"Tonight then?" Ron asked. The others agreed and later that evening, after dinner, they made their way down to the Hut. They saw a dim light from inside and when they knocked they heard the Boarhound Fang Bark loudly.
"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry tried as he pounded his fists on the door "open up!" but he didn't answer and the door remained closed, even though Fang was scratching and whining on the other side.
"what's he avoiding us for?" Kiba said as they returned to the castle, deciding to give up for tonight "surely he doesn't think we'd care about him being half-giant?" but it seemed Hagrid did think they would care, as he remained absent for the next few days as well. While Kiba wanted to help the others in cheering up Hagrid and getting him out of his Hut, he had to worry about the trial which was suddenly only hours away.
Kiba was waiting, as always, by the entrance to Hogwarts waiting for the foreign school to arrive. It wasn't long before they heard the pattering of heavy steps on water, but when Kiba looked to the lake there was nothing to see, until he looked up and saw a carriage being pulled through the sky as a light rain appeared out of nowhere, the creatures pulling the carriage were however being what Kiba had expected. A group of Four large Capybara's pulled the carriage behind them, stepping on the droplets of rain as if they were steps of a staircase descending steadily towards the ground, stopping right before them.
The door opened inward as Enzo Damião stepped out followed by Zoe. She reached her hand out quickly and Kiba took it before they touched cheeks on either side with a light smile Zoe led Kiba and Dumbledore through the door into the larger room inside allowing Dumbledore and Enzo to enter a room towards the front where the champions remained.
Unlike all the other times Kiba wasn't the last to be collected, this time he had been the third as Alex and Fleur were the only others there. Adéwalé was the next pick up followed by Viktor, then Raya and finally Akio before they returned to the school. They were all let out on a stone path on the middle of the rainforest and were lead towards the school. The school itself was an imposing square edifice of golden rock that looked almost like a temple. "to non-wizards our School appears as a mere Ruin, but for other threats both the grounds and the entire school are guarded by the Caipora" Zoe explained as she lead them into the temple-like structure. The inside was flooded with students wearing bright green robes as well as the walls that were covered in numerous different kinds of flora.
She brought them all to a room which had seven adjacent doors, each leading to a separate room for the designated champion. When dinner came around there was a wide selection of South American dishes like empanadas, Ceviche, Pastels along with a variety of meats and vegetables were brought to the tables by creatures that Kiba was unfamiliar with. However it reminded him of Hogwarts, being able to just pile your plate with food and get to eating which Kiba did immediately. But the excessive food consumption didn't ease his nerves for the next day as he continued to contemplate what the trial might be about, he spent the free day searching through the library of the school on any books that Hogwarts didn't offer to maybe get a look at some rarer creatures and plants that appeared locally, and not overseas but found little to no information on the topic.
Kiba got dressed the morning of the Trial, he pulled on the thick black coat with golden stripes that had the Hogwarts Sigil along with his name on the back and above his heart, pulled in his dragon-hide gloves and secured his wand behind his right ear. Kiba, along with the other Champions were guided from the school out into the forest until they reached a clearing filled with people. As always, the other schools and all the spectators arrived bright and early, among them Kiba spotted a red-haired man talking to Dumbledore, it was his Grandfather Newt. He wanted to greet him but upon the arrival of the Champions the crowd Dispersed and filled the stands that stood in a semicircle opposite a large stone archway.
"Good morning, Welcome to the Fourth trial!" Ludo Bagman announced loudly. "today might be your biggest challenge, depending on how well you do with Magizoology! Your objective is simple: find your Creature, Earn it's trust and lead it back here, or simply trap and capture it. Remember, skill and speed Matter both. So do try to be the first to return, but make sure you have secured your beast!" everyone from the stands cheered loudly, "now, Mister Crouch wi- oh, yes if course, right. Now, Mister Percy Weasley will come by our champions, and each must draw their creature from his pouch" Kiba was roughly in the middle of all champions and watched as Percy approached Fleur with a small leather pouch. "inside you will find a miniature model of your creature, prepare yourself accordingly"
"Miss Delacour?" Percy whispered as he opened the pouch wider, urging the worried Fleur to stick her hand in and pull it out right after. On her hand was a pure white miniature model of…
"A unicorn. How lucky that Miss Delacour is a Woman, otherwise this might've been impossible" Bagman announced gladly as he watched closely as Zoe, who was next in line, stuck her hand in and pulled out her creature, a four-legged beast with the head of a frog and some horns along it's head and elbow.
"a Hodag!" Bagman announced. Adéwalé was up next and pulled out his miniature model. At first Kiba thought it was a regular moose but upon closer view he saw it's cloven shaped hooves. "a Leucrotta, a dangerous creature. Let's hope Mister Chidubem doesn't get swallowed whole!" Bagman said. Kiba felt more anxious then ever, so far none of the creatures were even remotely tamable, added to that he knew barely anything about the Leucrotta or the Hodag, making him doubt his own chances. He looked to his right, and saw a small blue sting-bug with wings on top of it's head, finally a creature he recognized.
"a Billywig, let's hope Mister Mason can stay grounded during this trial" Percy now stepped over to Kiba and held out the pouch to him. The young Wizard took a deep breath and put his hand into the dark pouch and immediately felt something bite his finger. He pulled his hand out in an instant sending his miniature creature flying but reacting quickly he caught it and got a chance to look at it. He saw the creature and his eyes shifted to the bracelet he was wearing.
'shit' he thought
"The Zouwu.." Bagman said, sounding less excited then before "probably the most dangerous creature in our roster today" Kiba watched as the miniature on his hands shook it's mane and chased it's tail. Before he was brought back to reality by Bagman's booming voice "an Occamy. Let's see how good Mister Itō is at Hide and Seek" Viktor was up next and he pulled up his hand and it was empty, but a second later an ape-like creature manifested from thin air. "a Demiguise, while not dangerous it's incredibly tricky to capture"
Raya was last to pull her creature from the bag and Kiba recognized it immediately from Newt's basement. "an Augurey, let's hope that it hasn't predicted rain!" Bagman said "now we have our creatures, and it's time to release our champions into the forest. Champions, you have until nightfall to return, with or without your creature. That is up to you"
The champions dashed off, some dropping their miniatures, others like Kiba stuffing it in their pocket. They passed the archway and spread out in different directions in the search of their beasts. In his head Kiba was formulating a plan, while large and therefore not hard to find, The Zouwu would be incredibly fast and most likely would not wait to listen to him if he tried to talk to it. He grabbed his wand from his ear and griped it tight, leaving his head on a swivel as he dashed through the thicket of the forest.
A rustling leaf there. A shake in the tree here. Every sound drew the boys attention like an explosion, but nowhere did he see the creature he was looking for. Deciding to leave the path he was following he made his way through some bushes when he found a clearing and saw prints in the nearby mud. Thinking quickly he put the back of his wand to his mouth and muttered "Appare Vestigium" he spun around himself as the golden dust spewed from his wand, covering the grass and nearby trees.
He looked around at the traces and noticed allot of them all over the clearing but most dominantly at a small patch of herbs. "Dittany.." he mumbled as he identified the plant and checked it's leaves, noticing that some were missing, he placed his wand to one of the stems and revealed the image of a creature, not his own, but a Demiguise. He sighed, and watched as the golden footprints of the Demiguise moved away from him. "why is a Demiguise collecting Dittany?"
Deciding to trust his instincts he followed the tracks and chased down the Demiguise. It was only when he saw a bundle of leaves Bob up and down through the leaves that he found it and heard it mumble to itself 'must help..'
"Help who?" Kiba asked as he caught up to the creature. In an instant the white furred creature revealed himself and looked at Kiba with his big eyes. "what's the Dittany for?"
'For friend' the Demiguise responded holding the leaves out to the boy, showing him how much he had collected.
"your friend is injured?" Kiba asked again. The Ape-like creature nodded "where are they?" the Demiguise ran off on three paws, stopping to make sure the boy was following. Kiba did his best to keep up until they reached a hole at the bottom of a cliff. Kiba stopped and looked up, the Demiguise had disappeared and most likely used it's agility to climb the cliff. The boy weighed his options, he heard a waterfall nearby, but that was maybe a final resort plan to reach the top.. perhaps he should just climb it.. he suddenly felt something grab his hand, it was the Demiguise who tugged lightly as it pointed to the hole.
'in here' it said to Kiba's disappointment. The hole was much to small for him to fit through, no way there was a Zouwu inside. He looked up to the sky and saw the Sun, it was roughly mid-day but time was fleeting. But Kiba couldn't leave a potentially injured creature alone to suffer. He remembered the Dematerialization that Lupin had taught him and turned into a cloud of shimmering white smoke and effortlessly passed through the hole turning into himself once he returned to his body.
"Lumos" His wand lit up the surrounding cave and immediately Kiba recoiled against the wall behind him. Right in front of him, wrapped in it's own tail, was the Massive creature. It emitted a deep growl as it's snout poked through it's tail to show it's fangs, of which there were only three. "it's okay, I'm here to help" Kiba whispered as the nose drew closer sniffing the boy intently
'Liar!' she hissed
"I'm not lying" Kiba replied, the Zouwu drew her nose back at his response "the Demiguise told me you were injured.."
'you.. you hear me?' her tail covered her snout again leaving only her eyes visible peering at the boy.
"where are you hurt?" Kiba asked as he carefully approached her
'stay away!' She growled loudly 'you did this to me!'
"Me?" Kiba asked
'Yes, you.. people' she said 'you attacked me, stuck me in here, confined to a cave to small to hold me' she rose to her feet, showing her impressive size. But Kiba saw the blood dripping from her back leg and ducked past her to have a look.
"It doesn't look too deep.." he said
'what are you-?' she asked turning back towards him
"I can help you, if you'd let me" Kiba said "I've already got the Dittany leaves… I just need," he looked to the Demiguise that had been hiding, fearing a confrontation might be happening. "I heard water when we came here, can you go and collect some?" Kiba asked as he conjured a goblet.
'yes, yes. Water!' the Demiguise said before running off.
'why are you helping me?' the Zouwu asked as she laid down to rest her leg, letting Kiba examine the wound further.
"It's- it's what I do" Kiba replied.
'what about the other people?' She asked 'why did they put me here'
"I don't know, I assume it's for the tournament" Kiba replied as he sat down himself.
'Tournament?!' she retorted, her nostrils flaring up.
"We need to capture or Tame a creature and return before nightfall" Kiba explained. "the Demiguise is supposed to be captured by another competitor"
'and you?' She asked eyeing him suspiciously 'what are you after?'
"you.." Kiba replied with a nervous smile "but I won't capture" he added quickly "I would ask you to return with me, I will not force you" the Demiguise returned with the salt water and watched as Kiba added the leaves to the water and used a nearby rock to crush them and release the essence. "Essence of Dittany, this will help, but it's going to sting" he poured a very small amount of the liquid on the wound and immediately the Zouwu roared aloud. The Demiguise dashed behind Kiba immediately and peeked over his shoulder as the large feline stomped about and thrashed her tail wildly before finally settling down. She examined her leg, where the wound had been was now a patch of bald skin. "the wound must've been a few days old," Kiba said as he touched the spot "how long have you been here for?"
'three nights' she replied, 'I was to weak to break free'
"Hmpf" Kiba scoffed "I'll break this open. Get behind he" he said as he faced the small hole with his wand drawn, the Demiguise still hanging on his back. "Bombarda!" in and instant the wall blew outward, sending a shudder through the surrounding land. He felt the Zouwu get up behind him and take a deep breath. "so, would you come with me?" Kiba asked. Without warning the large feeling pulled the boy into her and nuzzled her nose against his head.
'you saved me, I'll go with you.. just don't let them hurt me again' she replied. Kiba looked to the sun and found only it's last rays shining through the trees. He checked his watch and realized that he had spent much longer in the cave then he expected.
"We don't have much time, we have to get back quickly" Kiba said to himself.
'on you get then' the Zouwu said lowering herself to the ground "just tell me which way" Kiba climbed into her back and held on to her mane with one hand and using his wand to locate the correct direction with a simple navigation spell.
"through there" Kiba pointed, "then just follow the path" he added. The Zouwu roared and shook her mane, sending a few orange sparks flying before she ran at incredible speed. Kiba bent down to decrease the force is the wind against his body causing the Demiguise on his back to climb around and instead hold on to Kiba's chest to avoid flying off itself allowing Kiba to also hold it with his free hand.
It came as no shock to the spectators who had been watching the projection that Kiba arrived just in time riding the back of his beast to the thunderous applause of his fellow Hogwarts students. Well, most of them. Kiba looked around and spotted two other Champions were back aswell. Alex was there with his Billywig that was tied with a string spewing from his wand and a sponge-like material over it's stinger, and Adéwalé was there as well, his left arm tied in a sling. Kiba dismounted the Zouwu and urged her to lie down and rest her leg as they waited for the rest of the champions. One by one they all slowly returned, some empty handed and with low hanging heads.
"The champions have returned, and it's time to reveal the scores" Enzo Damião said rising from his seat "In Eighth place, Viktor Krum for failing to find his Creature" Viktor was eyeing Kiba angrily, or maybe the Demiguise sitting in his shoulder. "in Seventh place, Adéwalé Chidubem, while he did manage to locate his creature, he failed to capture it and was injured in the process. In Sixth place, Fleur Delacour, while she did manage to locate her creature as well, she too failed to capture it. In Fifth Place, Zoe Rodriguez, For capturing her creature within the allowed time, but failing to return before nightfall" Kiba realized that the Headmaster sounded a bit angry, but Zoe seemed pleased as she presented her caged Hodag. "In Fourth place, Akio Itō, while he did not find the creature, he was able to snatch one of its Eggs" Enzo said as Akio held up the large silver shell "while the Occamy hasn't hatched, we have decided to award him points for ingenuity. In Third Place, Raya Kravchenko, for swiftly and effortlessly capturing her Augurey" Kiba clapped as he looked at the caged bird at Raya's feet. "in second Place," Kiba expected his name to be called, and so did Alex as he seemed prepared to clap for him. "Alex Mason, for finding a creative way to avoid the Billywig's sting and being the first to return" Enzo said as the realization dawned on Kiba that he hadn't just made it to the top Three again, he made it to first place.
"as stated, skill was a contributing factor to our decisions, and none here have displayed as much skill as young Kiba Scamander. Not only Successfully Taming a Zouwu, but also befriending a Demiguise along the way. Therefore we grant him a well deserved First Place" the Hogwarts spectators erupted with cheers as the Zouwu swung her mane sending sparks into the night sky with a triumphant roar.
"Yes, Congratulations" Bagman jumped in "best we enjoy the hospitality of Castelobruxo while the night is still young. Champions please linger"
The crowd Dispersed down the road back to the school but Kiba saw someone approach him. "you were Fabulous!" Newt said as carefully greeted the two creatures with Kiba
"Thanks," Kiba said as he saw the case Newt was holding. "Is that the.."
"yes, it's my creature case" Newt replied
"would you happen to have space for a Zouwu in there?" Kiba asked quietly
"yes, of course.. but why?" the man asked
"well, you saw she was injured, right?" Newt nodded slowly "it was done by Wizard Hands, and they stuck her in that cave, for days"
"you want me to smuggle her away?" Newt asked
"Well, I promised her that I wouldn't let them hurt her again" Kiba said as another man approached them.
"Mister Scamander, I have to say I am most impressed" Bagman said shaking his hand "I mean, a Zouwu!" he laughed
"Mister Bagman?"
"Yes, my boy?"
"Is the Zouwu mine to keep?" Kiba asked
"you Tamed it, who else would have a claim?" the man responded before he quickly dashed off to examine the Augurey
"Thank you.." Kiba muttered before turning to the Zouwu "I would like you to meet my grandfather," he said "he works with Magical creatures" Kiba gestured to Newt.
'this man?' she asked
"hello," Newt said as he held out his hand to pet her snout
"He can give you a better home," Kiba said "or release you anywhere you'd like"
"I have another Zouwu," Newt interrupted "he's in here" he held out his case
'another?' she asked with surprise.
"Have you been alone long?" Kiba asked carefully
'I don't exactly remember ever not being alone' she replied sucky
"then go with my Grandfather, you'll be Happy with him" Kiba gestured to the now open case.
'Thank you again, for saving me' she said as she approached the open case and looked inside to where Newt had disappeared.
"I'll come visit sometime" Kiba replied before the Zouwu stepped into the case and disappeared in it. Newt closed the case and retreated towards the school as the champions were asked to gather around.
"Congratulations to you all" the squeaky high voice of the Japanese Headmaster could be heard as he floated in front of them. "the next trial will be held at my school, and much sooner then you might think. We will retrieve you on the Fourth of March, prepare well, the sky is your limit!" he said before ending in a joyful giggle as he returned to the ground.
"So you've decided to stick with me?" Kiba asked the Demiguise that still hung into his back, invisible to the others as they headed for the school.
'I stay' he replied
"here, or with me?" Kiba asked for clarification
'with you' he said. Kiba felt a smile etch into his face.
"well, then I'll have to figure out a name for you.. let's go get some food" Kiba said Hermione again rushed to Kiba as he entered the dining hall. The Demiguise, thanks to it's powers of seeing the immediate feature, or as some say predicting it accurately, was able to drop down before getting squashed in the tight hug from Hermione.
"You were absolutely brilliant!" Hermione squealed as she let go of Kiba, Kiba held his arm down towards the Demiguise allowing him to get back on his back and peer over his shoulder "sorry" Hermione said with a light smile knowing that she had almost hurt the creature.
"Thanks," Kiba replied
"yeah, you're leaving all of us behind," Ron joked "with all those extra lessons you've been getting."
"I'm just lucky I didn't get the unicorn" Kiba replied
"I'm sure you would've managed that too" Hermione said encouragingly.
"Herm-own-ninny, I have some drinks" Krum suddenly appeared near them, attempting to draw Hermione away from Kiba as the older Champion stared at the Demiguise. Hermione looked over to him and back to Kiba, as if she were asking if it's okay.
"Go" Kiba said with a chuckle "you shouldn't ignore your boyfriend" he added. Hermione turned bright red instantly and dashed off, though still smiling as none of the boys noticed Rons dissatisfied look. Kiba talked to several people during the feast as he looked for Hagrid, wanting to introduce the Half-giant to his new creature, but he was nowhere to be seen..
The next morning Most awoke joyously to the announcement of a Hogsmeade weekend, and while Kiba thought of it as a nice day to relax, his friends thought of it as potentially catching Hagrid drinking in Rosmerta's pub. The quartet walked through high street peering into the shops for any sign of Hagrid. The four finally reached the Three Broomsticks where Harry ordered them all a Butterbeer whilst Kiba did his best to hide his face underneath his hood to avoid unnecessary attention.
"doesn't he ever go to his office?" Hermione whispered as she pointed to a mirror behind the bar "look" the three boys followed her gaze and through the mirror saw Ludo Bagman Conversing with a group of goblins in a shadowy corner. It was odd for Ludo to be here, after all the next Trial was neither at Hogwarts, nor had he traveled with them before, but perhaps he was working and in a sort of meeting. But their stares must've sent a tingle down the man's spine as he suddenly turned to look at the bar and hurriedly made his way over to them.
"good day, good day" he said approaching them "how are we all?"
"Fine, thanks" Harry replied
"ah, Mister Scamander, I was hoping to run into you" he suddenly added as he looked closely under the hood of Kiba's jacket "wonder if I could have a quick, private, word?"
"er- Ok" Ron said as he, Hermione and Harry left to find a table.
"Well, I just wanted to congratulate you on your Splendid performance in the last trial" Bagman said leading Kiba to the far end of the bar, away from Rosmerta. "taming a Zouwu, superb indeed. And I assume this bracelet is a memento?" the man asked
"I guess you could say that" Kiba replied looking through the mirror to the goblins following Bagmans gaze "what do they want?" he agreed carefully
"well, ehm.. they're looking for Barty Crouch.. I think. I have terrible understanding them, you see their English.. it's very bad. They keep babbling in Gobbledegook, and I barely understand a word"
"why would they be looking for him here?" Kiba wondered aloud "he's over in London, isn't he?"
"As a matter of fact, I have no idea" Bagman said sipping his drink "he sort of stopped coming to work. Young Percy's been filling in for weeks. He said that Crouch is ill and has been sending him instructions by Owl.. but, erm.. best not tell anyone. That Rita Skeeter is still poking around everywhere she can, and I'm willing to bet she'd work Barty's sickness up to something sinister. Might even say he's gone missing, just like Bertha Jorkins"
"Have you heard anything about Miss Jorkins?" Kiba asked
"no," Bagman said, his expression strained "I've got people looking for her, of course. But it's strange… she arrived in Albania and meet her cousin and then left to travel south to visit an aunt, but vanished on her way there. But if I can see where she's got to.. she doesn't seem the type to elope, for instance." Bagman paused and then smiled "but that's not what I came to you about. I really wanted to ask you" he began lowering his voice as he leaned closer "how are you getting on with preparations for the next trial?"
"I haven't really begun" Kiba admitted, afterall it had only been a few days since the last trial.
"ah, well." Bagman replied distantly before clearing his throat "listen, I feel very bad about all this.. you were thrown into this tournament, you didn't enter your name. And if," he kept getting quieter, forcing Kiba to lean in very close to hear him "if I can help at all.. you know, a prod in the right direction… I've taken a liking to you.. the way you handled the trials so far.. well, just say the word"
"You'd risk your career to help me?" Kiba asked looking into the man's eyes
"well.. well, yes," said Bagman tapping his fingers on his goblet impatiently "but… come on, Kiba. We all want a Hogwarts victory, don't we?"
"well, thanks," Kiba replied getting up from his stool "but I think I've been fine by myself so far" he could've accepted Bagman's help, but he didn't want the man losing his job because of him, or the tournament. Besides, he had Hermione, Ron and Harry to help him prepare. He walked away with the drinks for him and his friends as Fred and George cornered the man at the bar before he hurried off with the goblins in tow.
"What did he want?" Ron asked before Kiba had even sat down.
"He offered to help me prepare for the next trial" Kiba replied
"he shouldn't be doing that!" Hermione said "he's one if the judges!"
"he just wants Hogwarts to win" Kiba replied, "don't worry, I declined.. I've made it this far without his help, I'm sure I can make it all the way"
"and those goblins? Did he mention why they are here?" Harry asked sipping his Butterbeer
"looking for Mister Crouch. He's still sick apparently"
"Maybe Percy's poisoning him," Ron replied "probably thinks if Crouch snuffs it he'll be made head of the Department"
"Funny." Hermione said sarcastically "normally Goblins would deal with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
"maybe they need an interpreter" Harry said "Crouch speaks loads of languages" at that moment the door to the Three Broomsticks Opened and the sound of high heels on wooden flooring Echoed throughout.
"Uh Oh" Harry blurted out
"best not to draw her attention" Kiba whispered turning his head away from her. She ordered some drinks and sat down at a table near them as she rambled on to her photographer about making a story about Ludo Bagman.
"trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry suddenly asked loudly.
"Ah, Harry! And Mister Scamander, would you jo-" she said, beaming, and completely ignoring the accusation.
"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick!" Harry replied "what did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"
"The readers of the Daily Prophet have the right to know the truth, Harry, I'm merely doing my jo-"
"Who cares of he's a half-giant?!" Kiba joined in turning to face the woman "there's nothing wrong with him!" for a split second her bright smile and gleam dimmed before returning as she opened her purse and retrieved her Quick-Quotes Quill that Kiba recognized from their interview
"how about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know, Harry and Kiba? The man behind the muscles?"
"You don't care, do you?" Hermione piped up glaring at the woman as she spoke through gritted teeth "anything for a story, and anyone will do, won't they? Even Ludo Bagm-"
"sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand" the reporter said coldly Staring down on Hermione "I know thing about Bagman that would make your hair curl. Not that it needs it-"
"Hermione, let's go" Kiba said pulling her lightly by her arm. Harry and Ron were already halfway out of the pub as the Hogwarts champion and the fuming girl beside him caught up to them. Many people stared at them as they left and Rita Skeeter's Quill was zooming back and forth over it's piece of parchment.
"she'll be after you next, Hermione" said Ron with a worried tone as they walked up the streets, Hermione with an unusual strut in her step.
"let her try!" she said her hair visibly shaking in rage "I'll show her! Silly little girl, she called me. I will get her back for this, and everything else"
"You shouldn't go upsetting Rita Skeeter" Ron replied nervously "she'll dig something up-"
"pah, she can't scare me into hiding" Hermione said her pace ever increasing, the last time she had been like this was right before she hit Draco the year prior. "and Hagrid isn't going to hide anymore either! He shouldn't let that excuse of a woman upset him! Come on!"
They approached the hut to The loud barking of Fang mixing with Hermione's yells "Hagrid! Open up, we know you're in there! Hagrid! We don't care that your mother was a giantess. Get out here, Hagrid! You can't let that foul, evil, wret-" Hermione stopped her banging and yelling suddenly as the door opened to reveal none other then Dumbledore himself.
"Good afternoon" Dumbledore said with a smile
"we- er- we- sorry, Sir. We wanted to see Hagrid" Hermione said in a suddenly much quieter voice.
"yes, I surmised as much" his eyes twinkled as he looked down at them over his spectacles. "why don't you come in?" the three young wizards entered quickly each giving Hagrid a warm hello to which Hagrid replied in a hoarse tone. Dumbledore closed the door and with a flick of his wand poured them all done tea and magicked some cakes on the table. "You see Hagrid, judging by how these four were trying to break down your door, they still want to know you"
"Of course we do!" Harry said "you don't think anything that Skeeter cow- sorry, professor"
"I've gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said Harry" Dumbledore replied twiddling his thumbs as he stared absently out of the window.
"Honestly, Hagrid, how could you think we'd care what that woman wrote about you?" Kiba said just as two big tears fell from Hagrid's eyes and landed on his beard.
"living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid" Dumbledore said looking at the half-giant with a smile"
"Not all of 'em wan' me ter stay" Hagrid replied covering his face with his large hands.
"Come now, Hagrid. Not a week has passed, since I became headmaster, when I haven't had at least one owl complaining about the way I run it" Dumbledore said "but what should I do? Barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anybody?"
"Come back to teach, Hagrid" Hermione said "we miss you"
"Hagrid, I refuse to accept your resignation" Dumbledore said as he stood up "I expect you back at work on Monday, and I hope you see you at breakfast at eight thirty in the great hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all" with another flick of his wand Dumbledore grabbed one of the cakes and left the cabin. The four children stayed with the man for a while longer as Hagrid told them the story of his parents, how he was expelled from Hogwarts and how Dumbledore had saved him by granting him the position of Gamekeeper and all sorts of things from his time since then "but, you know what I'd love, eh? I'd love for Kiba ter win. I really would. It'd show 'em all.. it'd show 'em Dumbledore's the one who's got it righ', lettin' anyone in as long as they can do magic, eh?"
"right on, Hagrid" Harry said
"a Great Wizard can come from anywhere" Kiba added as a big smile finally replaced Hagrid's saddened facade.
--
