Bringing out his broom and taking to the sky had been a gamble, and Cedric knew it from the moment his fingers closed around the handle. He was not certain whether the professors would consider this clever improvisation or an outright violation of the rules, even so, hesitation would not help him now, and standing still certainly would not win him the title of Champion.
If it was skill with the wand, by now he had accepted the fact that the two people younger than him were better than him, but that in no way meant he did not want to be a Champion.
After rising a dozen or so meters, Cedric finally glanced down, only to be met with a bolt of orange blasting toward his face, and his Quidditch instincts kicked in immediately. He yanked his broom hard and managed to dodge.
After rising a dozen meters or so, he finally dared a glance downward to reassess the situation below, only to be met with a bolt of brilliant orange magic that tore through the air straight toward his face.
There was no time to think, but fortunately for him, he was a Quidditch player, a very good Quidditch player, and instinct took over immediately. His body reacted before his mind could catch up, and he wrenched the broom sharply to the side.
The spell flashed past where his head had been an instant earlier, close enough that he felt the heat ripple through the air, and his heart slammed hard against his ribs as he steadied himself and climbed higher again.
Cold sweat beaded from the side of his forehead. That was a very close call. His movements did not stop though, and as he finally gained a sliver of breathing room, he twisted just enough to spot the source of the attack, eyes trying to find who had very nearly taken his head off moments earlier.
There was no one. Harry was a given, but what about that second year little witch? While moving, he looked everywhere below, but not one person was in sight when another spell fired from below, seemingly out of nowhere, and he had to dodge again.
He wrenched the broom to the side and avoided it with noticeably less difficulty this time. After all, years of dodging Bludgers had trained his instincts for moments exactly like this. But more importantly, he finally spotted the figure, or rather where the figure would be, judging by the place the spell was fired from.
In the split second after dodging, his wand moved as well and fired back a blasting hex with absolutely no holding back.
Boom! The ground exploded, forming a large crater, but that also meant there were no obstacles, and he had missed. But he was not worried. Invisibility did not mean one did not exist, and now the debris and dust pointed out exactly where this sneaky fellow was. And it was not whom he expected. Rather, it was that little witch again.
Woosh!
He had to dodge to the side again when a red bolt of a disarming hex came from the flank, and without looking he knew it was Harry. But he did not turn. Just a yank and a twist later, he focused on the little witch again and fired a blasting hex of his own.
The tables had turned, and he was now on the offensive.
"If nothing else, the boy is remarkably quick to adapt."
Maverick inclined his head, agreeing with McGonagall's assessment, and his mouth curved into an amused smile. "Care to make things interesting, Professor? Diggory or Miss Gray. Which one do you think gets disqualified first?"
McGonagall turned slightly toward him, her expression sharpening even as her eyes remained fixed on the flashes of spellfire below. "How childish of you," she said, though the faintest hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "That said, I would wager my galleons on Mr. Diggory."
"Oh, then I suppose I will bet on Jean..." Maverick smiled back without looking.
"I bet on Cedric."
"Me too..."
Adrian and Roger chimed in as well, each nodding along with enthusiasm, which earned them an unimpressed look from McGonagall. She rolled her eyes lightly before fixing them both with a firm stare. "No, you will not. No students of mine will be gambling inside the school."
"Strictly speaking, we are not inside Hogwarts." Maverick added, then stopped when he saw the stern look coming from the older witch, though he could not help letting out a chuckle. "Apologies then, gentlemen. No gambling for the two of you."
The two boys slumped their shoulders, sighing in surrender. Since even an Archmage was not willing to argue with her, what could they do?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Ah, looks like it is coming to an end..."
Harry and Jean were no longer invisible, having lost the spell's effect once they were forced to focus on avoiding incoming attacks. With both of them revealed, Cedric suddenly held the greatest advantage of the three.
Harry still outclassed him when it came to raw offense, but Cedric's control of the air and his higher position more than compensated for that edge. Jean, meanwhile, was under the most pressure of all, since she was barred from using her mutant abilities and had no choice but to rely solely on her magic to stay in the fight.
At last, a disarming hex struck true at the very moment she twisted away from a binding spell fired from above, and her wand was wrenched from her grasp, spinning neatly into Harry's waiting hand. From that instant onward, the outcome was clear, and the champions of Hogwarts were effectively decided.
---
Back at Hogwarts.
The room that had been empty when the school's five candidates first stepped inside was empty no longer. It was now occupied by the very people they had expected to find there from the beginning, though not in the numbers they remembered. Each school had entered three students at the start, and yet only two now remained.
Four pairs of eyes, along with the two deans of their respective schools and one Amos Diggory, fixed on them the moment they emerged from the orange portal that opened in the middle of the room.
And not a breath later, Maverick heard that ridiculous name spill from the stupid woman's mouth once again.
"Little Raven, I zee you have also decided on your champions?"
For Merlin's sake... He did not reply, and completely ignoring her, addressed the three kids, Adrian, Jean, and Roger, telling them to head back to their seats.
Their robes were now clear of dust, any minor injuries already taken care of, and no one could tell they had just gone through an epic battle royale moments ago. Moreover, everything had been explained to them, along with a bit of advice and encouragement not to feel bad about failing.
It was a fair competition, testing magic, skill, awareness, and of course, the ability to adapt to situations, and none of them protested. Harry and Cedric were more than qualified to represent Hogwarts, and if anyone dared to argue otherwise, they would be the first to step forward in their defense.
When the curtain doors parted and they stepped out, the low, restless buzzing from the other side washed over them at once. It was obvious that everyone was waiting for what would happen next. In much the same way, the now six now confirmed champions awaited for answers.
From Beauxbatons, the two witches chosen to represent them were Fleur Delacour and Élodie Marchand. From Durmstrang, it was Viktor Krum and Aleksandr Morozov. And from Hogwarts, it was Harry and Cedric.
An extremely tense silence followed after the Hogwarts candidates exited, and all eyes turned to Maverick and Olympe. For some reason, everyone ignored Karkaroff.
"Well then, shall we begin," he, however, was the first to speak. "Dumbledore, would you care to do the honors?"
"Indeed." Dumbledore nodded, then turned toward Amos Diggory. "Though I believe it would be best if you, Amos, were to handle this particular task."
As the man responsible for all sporting matters within the British Ministry of Magic, and the official most closely involved with the planning of the tasks themselves, it was only natural that he should be the one to provide the explanation.
"Me?" Amos blinked, then nodded quickly as he stepped forward. "Ah, yes, the first task." He moved into the firelight and cleared his throat, doing his best to compose himself and appear suitably official, although he was not doing a very good job of it, his wide grin giving him away.
None other than the reason being that his very own son had been selected as a champion to represent Hogwarts, and he wanted nothing more than to give his boy a big hug right now. But given his position, that might not be very professional, nor appropriate.
"I am sorry to say that we still cannot give you a definitive answer," he told them, doing his best to maintain a composed expression. "All we can tell you for now is that the first task is designed to test your daring. For that reason, we will not be telling you exactly what it involves just yet. Courage, you know, in the face of the unknown is an essential quality in a witch or wizard, and a very important one at that..."
"So keep both your bodies and your spirits ready," he continued, his tone steady as he looked from one champion to the next. "The first task will take place on November the twenty fourth, in front of the other students and the full panel of judges. And of course, it will be broadcast live across the continent, and even beyond."
"What you need to keep in mind, and this is very important..." he said, glancing slowly across the six students, "you are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from your teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament..."
"So when exactly will we be told the details of the task?" Harry asked, unable to stop himself from speaking up.
"On the very day of the task, Mr. Potter," Amos replied. "You will also be given information about the second task once the first has concluded." He paused and rubbed his chin thoughtfully before adding, "Ah, one last thing. Given the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, all champions will be exempt from end-of-year examinations."
That, at least, drew relieved smiles from all of the champions. Even Krum, whose face had looked as rigid as a statue allowed a hint of relief to show.
Amos then turned toward Dumbledore. "I believe that covers everything, does it not, Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"I think so," replied Dumbledore, looking back at him with a faint smile. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Amos?"
"No, Headmaster, I must get back to the Ministry," Amos Diggory replied, though reluctantly. He gave another brief glance at his son and then firmed his resolve.
The responsibility of organizing the events rested firmly in his hands, and now that his son was among the champions, he had even more reason to keep his distance. At least in public, that was necessary, because any show of favoritism would only invite questions. The last thing he wanted was for Cedric to end up in the crossfire of scrutiny, with whispers suggesting he had been given some sort of advantage.
And Cedric seemed to understand that as well, or at least it appeared so from the way he carried himself. Not once did he react to his father's presence in any personal way, choosing instead to treat him exactly as he would any other official of the Ministry.
"Ah, how unfortunate. You will come and have a drink before you go, at least?" Dumbledore asked again.
"Uh... sure..."
"And you, Olympe, Karkaroff?"
But the two in question did not seem to be in the mood to drink. Maxime had already put her arm around her two students' shoulders and was leading them swiftly out of the room. Maverick could hear them talking rapidly in French as they headed toward the Great Hall. Karkaroff beckoned to Krum and the other champion of his school, and they too exited, though in silence.
"Professor Caesar?"
"Right... why not," Maverick replied with a sigh. Honestly, he just felt bad for the old man, seeing everyone ignore him.
"Minerva, please take them back," Dumbledore said as he turned to McGonagall, before smiling warmly at his two champions. "And congratulations. I am quite certain everyone is waiting to celebrate, and it would be a shame to deprive them of such an excellent excuse to make an impressive amount of noise and mess."
Harry glanced at Cedric, who was already grinning broadly. Cedric returned the look with an enthusiastic nod, and after falling in step behind the stern witch, they turned and left the room together.
And the moment they opened the curtain and stepped back into the hall, a thunderous wave of applause surged toward them, echoing all around. Cheers and excited voices filled the air, leaving little doubt that the celebration was only just beginning. Indeed, it was bound to be a restless night for the two of them.
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Author's Note:
That, uh, this arc sounded a lot better in my head, but somehow I was not quite able to get it onto the page the way I wanted. Sorry if it ended up feeling a bit bland. Anyways, I hope you are all having a good day, and as always, thank you for all your support.