Over the next several days, there were mixed feelings of relief and anxiety in the castle. While the routine was beginning to return to normal – by Wednesday, students were allowed to resume their extracurricular activities, and by Friday, they were allowed to amble the castle halls unescorted – but for some of the students, the first Quiz Bowl competition weighed heavily on their minds.
Harry, Othniel and Tallulah noticed that Ana was not present for their usual morning exercises. They also saw that someone other than Missy barking instructions. This time, there was a lanky, short-haired Black girl with large square-framed glasses named Priscilla Travers, a sixth-year trustee.
"Listen up, Horned Serpents... Missy Ludwig will not be present this morning," Priscilla explained. "Due to recent unfortunate events, she has been asked to fill the Quiz Bowl vacancy and is currently preparing for tonight's competition with her teammates. I will be conducting today's exercises in her stead. Missy is tough, but you'll find that I'm even tougher… if I or any other trustee catches anyone not pulling their weight, we won't bother with demerits… if you're shirking, you can expect an automatic referral to your respective house head."
She eyed her charges carefully. "After we finish our stretches, the Horned Serpents will form up in the usual section of the proving grounds. We will be doing push-ups, crunches, jumping jacks, squats, and mountain-climbers today. Trustees from all four houses will be patrolling the field to make sure all students are participating and using solid form. Do not give them attitude if they offer corrective advice… as some of you have already discovered, you may get a token of our appreciation for persistence. They can discipline or reward indiscriminately, as their capabilities are not restricted to just their own houses. As Missy stated at the beginning of the term, we pride ourselves on having peak physical fitness – we are truly the envy of the wizarding world. We want you to take the same pride that we have… it's a pride that is truly earned, and not given. Remember our motto…" She raised her voice to a shout. "SOUND BODY!"
"SOUND MIND!" finished the large gathering of students.
Forty-five minutes later, hundreds of utterly exhausted students trudged off the proving grounds and back to their respective dormitories to get cleaned up and changed. "Yeegads," huffed Tallulah. "That was rough… the exercising was tough enough by itself, but having that trustee Tommy Maudsley breathe down my neck like that was dad-gum unbearable…"
"It was definitely a bit easier under Missy," admitted Harry. "It's almost enjoyable under her watch…"
"I'm just glad it's over," grumbled Othniel. "I'm just glad that next time it won't be Priscilla and her drill instructors running the show… trust me, I know… my uncle served in the Marines and he's the toughest son of a gun I know!"
About a half hour later, when the children had cleaned up and changed for the day, they were somewhat surprised to see Ana dolled up in her formal robes as she approached them at the Horned Serpent table in the mess hall. Instead of her hair hanging in loose curls, her lovely medium-brown hair was done up in a meticulous French braid. The light makeup she wore made her pretty hazel eyes pop.
Harry was practically rendered speechless. "Wow, Anastasia," he breathed. "You look, erm, gorgeous today…"
Ana blushed at the compliment. "I can't take all the credit, Harry. Missy lent a hand, you know."
"Missy is a pretty girl herself, so I can see why you'd seek her out for cosmetic and fashion advice," said Tallulah.
"More accurately, she came to me and not the other way around. She knows plenty of beautification charms, but she's a naturally beautiful girl and doesn't necessarily need them," corrected Ana with a small sigh. "I wish I was as pretty as her…"
"You're prettier," Harry blurted. Othniel rolled his eyes, while Ana and Tallulah giggled.
"I think Harry's crushin' on you, Ana," Tallulah whispered in Ana's ear, whose cheeks turned a rosy pink. "I know how he looks at you…"
"I don't know about that," Ana whispered back. "Merlin, I'm twelve and he's just eleven… we're not even teens yet…"
Tallulah snickered softly. "True, but he obviously thinks you're cute." Ana's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink.
Othniel pointed a fork toward Ana. "Are you ready for tonight?" he asked, his cheeks stuffed with bits of onion, pepper, egg, and sausage. "It's your first competition… maybe there's a potion you can take that combats anxiety?
"Ugh, that's disgusting, Othniel," Ana groaned with frustration. "I thought it was common sense not to talk with your mouth full." She shook her head, and offered Othniel a thin smile. "That said, there is the Draught of Peace, but outside of the infirmary, I don't know of any other places in the castle that would have already-prepared vials of it. It's kind of tough to brew… we won't learn it until fifth year, I believe."
"You got this, Ana," Harry assured his friend. "You're the brightest witch I know… Othniel, Tallulah and I believe in you… the real question is, do you believe in yourself?" He looked into her pretty greenish eyes. "Like I said before… you could miss every single question, and it's not going to change the way I think of you. Not one iota. You've proven to many people how amazing you are… countless times over. But, at the end of the day, it's just a dumb competition. Even if the Horned Serpents win, the reward is what, a handful of house points?"
He then sighed. "If you're stressed out, find a happy place. A fond memory, a friendly face… anything." Tallulah looked at Harry, and nodded with firm conviction. She then turned back to Ana, and removed her jade necklace. "Here, take this," she offered. "My great-grandmother gave this to me when I was really little. It helps me find peace when I'm overwhelmed. Maybe it'll help you tonight… just rub the stone a bit, and read the inscription on the back of it."
Ana smiled at Tallulah. "I can't accept this, 'Lu. I know how special it is to you… it was her gift to you; I feel wrong taking this…"
Tallulah giggled. "I'm just letting you borrow it for the competition, you goober." She then adopted a more serious expression, one she rarely used. "Please accept it, Ana… my Great Meemaw would want you to use it for tonight."
"All right," Ana creaked reluctantly. She clasped the pendant around her neck and smiled at her friend. "Thank you… it's lovely."
"You're welcome," replied Tallulah. She then turned toward the boys. "Oh, and don't forget that there's no Astronomy tonight due to the competition." Harry and Othniel high-fived each other.
At seven o'clock that evening, the entire school assembled in the mess hall for the first Quiz Bowl competition of the term. The four long dinner tables had disappeared shortly after dinner, and a set of wooden bleachers formed around the perimeter of the dining area in a general horseshoe shape. All four houses sat in separate sections; the Horned Serpents sat in the area closest to their usual dinner table.
In the center of the mess hall stood a slightly raised platform with a simple brown podium, with four square alabaster tables surrounding it. Each table had seats for five students, and on the sidelines were twelve more students, which Harry guessed were the alternates.
A few minutes later, Mister Floyd strode to the podium in the center of the mess hall. "Good evening, Ilvermorny," he boomed. "Are you ready for the first Quiz Bowl competition of the 1991-92 academic term?" After a smattering of cheers and applause, he shook his head. "Come on, you can do better than that. I said, are you ready for the Quiz Bowl?" The cheers and applause were considerably more raucous this time. Floyd nodded in approval. "All right, all right. That's more like it. Now let's give it up for Senior Professor Goode, the moderator of tonight's event…"
After another round of cheers and applause, Professor Goode approached the podium. She was dressed rather differently than the Start-of-Term Feast; this time she was in billowing purple and black finery, complete with a pointed hat and black Doc Marten-style boots that went almost halfway up her calves.
"Good evening students," she began. "As our caretaker Mister Floyd already mentioned, this is the first Quiz Bowl competition of the term." She clasped her hands together. "For those of you who are not familiar with how the Quiz Bowl works, it is an event that covers academic trivia, consisting of three rounds – the 'toss-up' round where any player from any team may buzz in to try and answer a question, the 'lightning round', where all four houses will take turns in answering as many questions as possible in two minutes' time, and then there's the 'bonus round', which each team may wager as few or as many points as they'd like on a single question."
She then turned toward each table, asking if each team was ready. After each table replied in the affirmative, she addressed the audience again. "Without further ado, let the games begin!"
"There's Ana," Harry whispered to Othniel and Tallulah, looking at the small girl in the middle of the Horned Serpent table. She looked so tiny compared to her teammates – she was nearly six inches shorter than Missy, who was fairly modestly-sized herself. You've got this Ana, he wanted to tell her. You're going to rock it tonight!
Professor Goode began to rattle off various questions in all sorts of fields of academia, from Potions to Transfiguration, and everything in between. "Name three ingredients used to brew a Polyjuice Potion." Ana rang her buzzer, but ran out of time before she could reply. Harry, Othniel and Tallulah all groaned in disappointment, but nobody felt worse than Ana.
"I'm sorry, Horned Serpents, but your time is up," Goode said in an apologetic tone. Ana whispered a particularly nasty four-letter word to herself in frustration, but Missy tapped her on the shoulder and just smiled. "It's okay, Anastasia," she squeaked. "Just relax… you're going to make up for this. I know it."
At the end of the toss-up round, and the cumulative standings were as follows: Wampus with eighty points, the Horned Serpents with fifty points, the Thunderbirds with forty points, and the Pukwudgies with thirty points.
Next came the lightning round. As Wampus was in the lead, they went first. They had answered thirteen questions in their two-minute allotment, giving them an additional sixty-five points. "Oof, Wampus is really, really good," noted Tallulah, as Harry and Othniel nodded in agreement.
Then came the Horned Serpents. Ana took a deep breath, and rubbed the jade charm on the pendant that Tallulah let her wear for the competition. She flipped it around and read the brief inscription to herself:
"You are brave, compassionate, and strong.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.
If you ever find yourself in doubt,
Once I'm between your fingers I'll help you out."
She rubbed the jade stone between her right thumb and index finger, and something most unexpected happened. A distinct, haunting contralto sang the poem while the sound of a pan flute provided a sweet, airy harmonization. She nudged Missy and gave her a quick glance. "Did… didja hear that?" she whispered to her teammate.
Missy shrugged. "Hear what?" she whispered back, with a slightly befuddled expression on her face.
Ana looked at the amulet again, and then back at Missy. "Never mind," she murmured. Moments later, she felt a warm, somewhat tingling sensation work its way down, starting with her scalp, down to her shoulders, her chest, her arms and legs, and all the way down to her feet. It was a very positive sensation, one that gave her an overwhelming sense of peace and relaxation.
Missy tilted her head. "Are you okay, Ana?" she asked.
Ana just smiled. "Never better."
Professor Goode began rattling off various questions. When she asked "Rappaport's Law was originally enacted in 1790 – what was the purpose of this act?"
This time, Ana buzzed in with supreme confidence. "It was in response to Dorcas Twelvetrees' disregard of the International Statute of Secrecy. Rappaport's Law effectively separated the magical and non-magical realms of North America to the degree that witches and wizards were fully exempt from non-magical laws."
"Correct," replied Goode, "and five points will be added to the Horned Serpent's score."
When the lighting round was over, Ana had racked up twenty five points by herself, and found themselves tied with Wampus with a hundred and forty five points each. The Thunderbirds were close behind with a hundred and thirty, and Pukwudgie brought up the rear with a hundred and fifteen. "It looks like we're in for an exciting finish," Goode told the audience. "Every single house is very much in it… it depends on how much they're willing to risk, and to see if they can answer the final question correctly… now, let us all pause for a brief five-minute intermission, and we'll return to the exciting conclusion of this competition!"
Once the intermission had ended, everyone took their places so Professor Goode could present the final question: "Before we proceed, how many points would each team like to wager? We'll start with the Pukwudgies."
All eight Pukwudgie team members huddled for a few seconds, before making their decision. Lydia Smallson, a blonde, halo-braided fifth year, spoke on behalf of her house. "We'll risk one hundred points, Professor."'
"Very good," murmured Goode. "A correct answer would put your house in the lead with two hundred and fifteen points. And a wrong answer would reduce your total to fifteen." She then gestured to the Thunderbirds. "Thunderbirds, how many points are you willing to risk?"
The entire Thunderbird team huddled together for a few seconds, and reached a consensus. Curtis Martin, a seventh-year boy with dark hair and a peanut-buttery complexion, spoke for his team. "We'll go with fifty points."
"Fifty points it is," confirmed Goode. "If you get the final question correct, it would put you in the lead with a hundred eighty. An incorrect answer would set you back to eighty." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Wampus, you are currently tied for the lead with a hundred forty five points. What say you?"
The Wampus house took a fair bit more time deciding than either the Pukwudgies or Thunderbirds – it was nearly a full two minutes before they could come to an accord. Megan Allmon, a baby-faced fourth year girl who wore her dark red hair in a simple ponytail, and wore large, round glasses not unlike the ones Harry Potter had, spoke up. "Professor Goode, we've decided not to risk any points this time."
"Not an unwise decision," hummed the professor. "Either way, Wampus would remain at one hundred forty five. Best of luck to your team." She then gestured toward the Horned Serpents. "And how about the Horned Serpents?"
Ana, Missy, and the rest of their team gathered round to weigh their options. "We ought to risk something," Ana said. "Wampus stood pat, so even if they get their answer right, they won't get any more points. How about eighty? It'll be enough to win it all should the Thunderbirds and Pukwudgies get theirs right…"
"That's an awful lot," countered Ryan Dalrymple, a seventh-year. "What if we get ours wrong?"
"We won't," retorted Ana. "I guarantee it."
"I like your confidence," chimed in Missy. "Is everyone else good with eighty?"
"I s'pose," sighed Ryan. "I just hope this doesn't backfire…"
After breaking the huddle, Missy then spoke up on behalf of the Horned Serpents. "Professor, we've decided to wager eighty points."
"Excellent," replied Goode. "That would give you a grand total of two hundred twenty five points should you get it correct, and the Horned Serpents would come away with the victory. If you get it wrong, it would set you back to sixty five. All right, all teams' wagers have now been locked in… let's proceed with the final question!"
She reached inside her front robe pocket, and produced a small white envelope with no ostensible writing on it. She carefully opened it, which revealed a parchment with just a single question: "The common name of the plant, native to the Mediterranean, that allows its consumer to breathe underwater for a finite amount of time."
Goode then waved her wand, and an hourglass about the size of a coffee maker appeared on the podium. "Teams – you have precisely sixty seconds to huddle up and discuss, and then one representative from each team will hand me your final answer in writing. Is that understood?"
She nodded in satisfaction upon hearing a chorus of "Yes, Professor" from all four tables. The sands began slowly trickling to the bottom of the hourglass while the four teams huddled up to come up with an answer.
"Muffliato," Missy whispered as she beckoned for her teammates to join her. She sighed. "I'm not going to lie, I haven't heard of such a plant… then again, I haven't really had much time to prepare as I filled in the open spot kind of on a last-minute basis…"
"It's gillyweed," Ana offered. "I remember reading about it in a book called Exotic Excursions with Travis Duffelburger a few weeks ago. He took it while diving from the cliffs of Acapulco… he said it even gave his fingers and toes a webbed effect!"
Ryan Dalrymple arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Ana? I haven't heard of this gillyweed, and my aunt is a botanist by trade. She hasn't so much as uttered it once…"
"I'm positive," grumbled Ana. "Look, I know some of you aren't giving me the benefit of the doubt because I'm not an upperclassman… but just trust me this time. Please. This is my chance to prove that I belong on the team…"
"I believe you, Ana," squeaked Missy. "You were put on this team for a reason… you don't need to convince me."
"All right," Ryan replied with a note of reluctance. "I hope you're right, half-pint." He offered her a small smirk. "All things considered, you've done pretty good today. We wouldn't be tied for the lead right now if it weren't for you." He gestured toward Missy. "All right, Missy. Write down gillyweed and give it to Goode."
"One step ahead of you," giggled Missy. It wasn't a moment too soon, as their thoughts were soon interrupted by a familiar high-pitched drawl:
"Time's up," declared Goode. "Representatives, if you'll be so kind as to hand me your final answers…" All four team representatives proceeded to give Goode their written answers. A few seconds later, she shared the final results with the school.
"All right, the Pukwudgies have answered with... knotgrass. Oh, I'm sorry, but that's incorrect. Your running total is now fifteen." The Pukwudgie student section reacted with a chorus of disappointed groans.
"Next, the Thunderbirds have answered with… gillyweed. Well done, Thunderbirds. You're now in the lead with a hundred eighty." The Thunderbird students stood to their feet and whooped and hollered so loudly that the other houses' students gave them sharp looks of annoyance.
"Third, the Wampus house has answered with… gillyweed. That is correct, but as you have not wagered any points, your total will not move either way. As it stands, you are in second place with a hundred and forty five." The Wampus house just looked on impassively – while they were pleased that their housemates got the answer correct, they also were a little frustrated with their conservative wagering.
"Finally, the Horned Serpents have answered with… gillyweed. Very good, Horned Serpents. As you have wagered eighty points, that gives you a new total of two hundred twenty five. If my calculations are correct, you have won the first Quiz Bowl competition… congratulations!"
Many of the Horned Serpent students burst out singing their house's fight song:
On, Horned Serpents! On, Horned Serpents!
Grand old Teal and Gold!
We, thy loyal sons and daughters
Hail thee, young and old! Rah, rah, rah!
On, Horned Serpents! On, Horned Serpents!
A vict'ry's sure today
Stand, Serpents, let us now salute her name!
Along with their housemates, Harry, Othniel, and Tallulah rose to their feet and applauded their team for a job well-done. Missy even wrapped Ana up in a congratulatory hug. "I'm so, so proud of you, Anastasia," she whispered in the younger girl's ear. "You were born for this game. The Horned Serpents will be in good hands for the next six years!"
Even seventh-year Ryan clapped Ana on the shoulder. "Well done, pipsqueak," he said with a friendly wink. "I've had my reservations before, but you've proven your worth tonight. We'd have gotten that wrong if it weren't for you." Anastasia couldn't help but beam from ear to ear.