(Gilderoy Lockhart)
"Now, before the task officially begins," Bagman announced, his magically amplified voice booming across the arena, "allow me to introduce the judges for this year's Triwizard Tournament!"
The crowd applauded politely.
"First of all, the esteemed Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Madame Olympe Maxime!"
Madame Maxime rose gracefully from her seat, massive even while sitting down, and inclined her head regally as the Beauxbatons students erupted into elegant applause.
"Next, the Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, Igor Karkaroff!"
Karkaroff stood with a smooth smile, one hand over his chest as the Durmstrang students clapped heavily against the wooden stands, several of them stomping their feet for emphasis.
"And of course," Bagman continued dramatically, "the beloved Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry… Albus Dumbledore!"
That received the loudest applause yet.
Even many of the foreign students joined in.
Dumbledore simply smiled serenely beneath his half-moon spectacles, looking entirely too calm considering there was currently a nesting dragon less than a hundred metres away from him.
"When the Ministry decided to revive the tournament," Bagman continued, "they also decided to keep a closer eye on proceedings this time around. Therefore, we have two additional judges!"
Amos Diggory adjusted his glasses already looking tired.
"Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Amos Diggory!"
Amos gave the crowd a short nod that was followed by polite applause.
"And last but certainly not least…"
Bagman puffed up proudly, clearly preparing to introduce himself with maximum grandeur.
A deafening BOOM suddenly echoed through the arena as the cannon beside the field exploded with smoke.
Several students screamed in fright, and even Rosmerta jumped slightly beside me.
Little Gienah squealed excitedly in Aurora's arms and began clapping her tiny hands as though explosions were the greatest entertainment ever invented.
Meanwhile, Bagman froze mid-pose.
Slowly, very slowly, he turned toward Filch, who stood beside the cannon holding the firing mechanism.
The old caretaker shrugged far too innocently.
"Oh dear," Filch rasped. "Must've slipped."
It absolutely had not slipped.
I had never seen a more deliberate "accident" in my life.
Bagman's eye twitched slightly.
"…Right," he said tightly. "Well. It seems the first task is beginning already."
Filch looked deeply satisfied with himself.
"And I'm the last judge, by the way," Bagman added irritably before immediately forcing his enthusiasm back into place.
Honestly, admirable recovery.
"Now then!" he boomed. "Let's see which champion shall go first!"
As Ivan emerged from the champion's tent, the Durmstrang students began applauding immediately.
"Oh! It's Ivan Karkaroff of Durmstrang!"
And to my growing displeasure, the boy looked perfectly calm.
Like a man going for a casual afternoon stroll rather than approaching a fully grown Welsh Green.
"Look at him!" Bagman exclaimed. "Walking forward without a shred of fear!"
Indeed, Ivan walked toward the arena with measured steps, one hand resting casually behind his back.
The dragon noticed him instantly and its enormous reptilian eyes narrowed, smoke curling from its nostrils.
The crowd collectively held their breath.
And then…
Ivan stopped.
He simply raised his wand and pointed toward the ground near the nest.
But when nothing appeared to happen, Bagman blinked.
"…It seems his spell failed?" he said uncertainly.
Ivan lowered his hand and turned around calmly before walking away.
The audience erupted into confused murmurs immediately.
"Has he surrendered?" someone shouted from the stands.
Bagman sounded equally bewildered.
"Er… apparently Mister Karkaroff is… leaving?"
Even the dragon looked confused.
Then suddenly, the ground beneath the nest burst upward.
A gigantic stone hand emerged from the earth directly beneath the Welsh Green.
The crowd gasped.
The dragon roared furiously and snapped downward, but it was too late. The stone fingers had already closed around the golden egg.
With surprising speed, the massive hand sank back underground.
The Welsh Green lunged after it, claws tearing trenches through the dirt.
Too slow.
Near the exit, the earth split open again as the stone hand emerged once more.
Its fingers opened.
And Ivan casually plucked the golden egg from its palm without even breaking stride.
For one glorious second…
The entire arena went completely silent before chaos erupted.
"He's got the egg!" Bagman shouted so loudly his voice cracked.
The crowd exploded into noise.
Half the audience cheered.
While the other half sounded personally offended.
"What?!"
"That counts?!"
"He didn't even fight it!"
"That was brilliant!"
I leaned back slightly in my seat, genuinely impressed despite myself.
"…Clever," I admitted.
Aurora nodded while bouncing Gienah gently in her arms.
"That was actually amazing."
Rosmerta huffed beside me.
"Bit unfair, honestly."
"Efficiency," I corrected loftily. "A hallmark of intelligence."
The dragon, meanwhile, looked absolutely furious.
It roared at the empty ground as though personally insulted by geology itself.
Bagman turned helplessly toward the judges' table.
"H-Headmaster Dumbledore!" he called. "Could you perhaps explain exactly what just happened?"
Dumbledore stood gracefully, his robes fluttering lightly in the wind.
A quick Sonorus Charm carried his voice throughout the arena.
"Well," he said pleasantly, amusement twinkling in his eyes, "it seems Mister Karkaroff chose to work smarter rather than harder."
Ivan inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment as the dragon handlers did their best to calm the dragon.
"What he did," Dumbledore explained, "was use Transfiguration to create a stone construct beneath the arena floor. The construct retrieved the egg from underneath the dragon before transporting it safely through the earth to Mister Karkaroff."
He smiled faintly.
"Simple, elegant, and effective."
Bagman opened and closed his mouth twice.
"…It could be done like that?"
"Yes," I muttered under my breath. "That tends to happen when tournaments forget that the participants can think."
Aurora snorted beside me.
Bagman recovered quickly enough to continue.
"Well then! Let us proceed with the scoring!"
Madame Maxime rose first.
With a graceful flick of her wand, a glowing number seven appeared above her head.
"It was effective," she admitted in her rich French accent. "But perhaps… too simple. I would have liked to see more."
Karkaroff immediately scoffed.
"More?" he repeated disdainfully.
He raised his wand sharply and a glowing ten blazed in the air above him.
"He accomplished the task flawlessly," Karkaroff declared proudly. "Fast, efficient, and completely unharmed. That is what matters."
Clearly unbiased…
Dumbledore chuckled softly before lifting his own wand.
Another glowing ten appeared.
"It was exceptionally ingenious," Dumbledore said. "The purpose of the task is to retrieve the egg, not necessarily wrestle the dragon personally."
That earned loud approval from the Ravenclaws in particular.
Amos Diggory raised an eight without much ceremony.
"Very effective spellwork," he said professionally. "Though I do believe the spirit of the task involved a slightly more direct confrontation."
Reasonable.
Then came Bagman, who raised his wand dramatically.
When the glowing six appeared overhead, the crowd immediately started booing.
Bagman looked offended.
"What?" he protested. "It lacked showmanship!"
"It lacked brain damage," I murmured.
Rosmerta laughed hard enough to clutch her stomach.
Bagman ignored the complaints and announced loudly,
"With a total score of forty-one points, Ivan Karkaroff takes the lead!"
The Durmstrang students erupted into thunderous cheers.
Ivan merely nodded once and walked calmly toward the champions' tent carrying the golden egg beneath one arm.
Still perfectly composed.
…