Sunday, December 11, 1994
The Quidditch Stadium, Commentary Box
14:35 PM
Mason Timpson's and Alaric Spinster's POV
"Welcome witches and wizards as we await for all the champions to join the judges, organisers, and headmasters in the arena. A platform has been set up with all the key adults waiting for the ceremony to start. We are currently waiting for Teams 5 and 6 to get their final check-ups before joining everybody in the middle. Alaric, your opinion on today's event. How do you think it went?" Mason asked.
"Overall, it went well. We had some upsets, some very rememberable moments, and some key takeaways. For one, we need to make more notes beforehand so that we don't just twiddle our thumbs in sheer boredom. And here they are. The champions from Teams 5 and 6 are now leaving the tent and joining everyone else. Now, let's switch over to the judges," Alaric said.
Third-person POV
The six champions joined their competitors in the arena as the crowd roared in excitement. Their faces beamed with pride as they walked towards the centre stage, basking in the applause and cheers of the audience. The judges, impressed by their performances, eagerly awaited the announcement of the final results of the competition. Each one of the champions soaked up the acclaim as they all waved to the crowds. The crowd got even louder.
Ludo Bagman put his hand near his throat as he cast the sonorous charm. Bagman stood at the front of the platform as he waited for the crowd to quiet down.
"Are you not… entertained?!" Ludo Bagman spoke proudly as he stretched his arms out and slowly turned to see the whole crowd. The crowd went from utter silence to a bunch of hooligans in a matter of moments. The sounds from the arena were deafening, to the point where some of the little ones were disturbed by the noise. Ludo Bagman placed his wand near his throat as he again waited for silence.
"You know, I had no idea if my crazy and stupid idea would work. I spent countless hours agonising over whether I should go to the minister with this. Its good to know the hours of agony were worth it," Ludo Bagman said as the crowds made some noise once again. "But I could not do this without you, the spectators," the crowd cheered. "The schools," the students in the stands stood up. "And finally, the champions." The champions stood up and bowed as the crowd continued to cheer.
"A few bits of housekeeping before I pass over to the judges. First of all, congratulations to the champions. An excellent performance to show each of your brilliance. Thank you for putting on such a show. Second, prizes," Ludo Bagman said as a ring of 'oooo's went around the stadium. "All champions, regardless of their position, have earned themselves 50 galleons. Third place will receive an addition of 200 galleons. Second place will receive an addition of 450 galleons as well as an artefact from one of our sponsors of their own choosing. First place will receive an addition of 950 galleons, an artefact of their choosing from one of our sponsors, and a dragon in their name at the Romanian National Dragon Sanctuary. And finally, the next task is to be done in pairs. As mentioned before, the table will be put in surname order. Your partner will be the number that your position needs to sum to nineteen. In simpler terms, the first and last will be paired together. Seconds and second last will be paired together, and so on. To make the next task as exciting as possible, the champions in the bottom half will do the heavy lifting. Miss O'Brien, over to you to announce the results."
"Thank you, Mr. Bagman. That was exciting, wasn't it? I got literal chills watching it. I got worried a few times for the champions, but it turned out well. Team 1 consisted of Florentina Abramovich, Adrian Bohr, and Hinata Nakamura as they faced the Chinese Fireball. Your method of play was to brute force your way through the challenge. And brute force the way you did! Team synergy was excellent, your communication was fantastic, and your performance was exhilarating. However, you came a little too close for comfort in terms of time. After tallying up our scores, we have awarded Team 1 88 points! Congratulations. Lieutenant Major, Team 2, if you'd please," Olivia O'Brien said.
"Thank you. I never thought that in my retirement I would experience such a spectacle. This has reignited a flame that I thought had burned out decades ago. But I'm not here to tell you old war stories from my past; I'm here to judge. Team 2 consisted of Harriet Potter, Nicholas Raine, and Kaito Yukaghir as they faced the Blue Eyes White Dragon. It was, in the most polite words possible, an utter disaster. You not only failed to complete the objective, but you also destroyed two dragon eggs and are responsible for the hospitalisation of a handful of tamers. After the horrid performance, the judge came to the consensus of allocating points based on what you could have achieved with what you had shown us. We would then take 15 points for breaking the eggs and another 10 for not completing it within the time frame. After tallying up the scores and the point deduction, we have awarded Team 2 37 points! Madame, would you like to take the next one?" Lieutenant Major Gromov asked.
"It would be my pleasure. Good afternoon to all of you watching. Today has been a day filled with ups and downs, but I enjoyed every moment of it. Team 3 consisted of Viktor Krum, Alexis Castle, and Percival Ebonwood as they faced the Red Eyes Black Dragon. As some of you may know, I excel in charms, but that does not make me any less knowledgeable in curses. The curse chain used by Team 3 was modified specifically for this event. You had used your preparation time wisely. Most of you won't know, but this team was the one that made us change the rules of what was allowed into the arena. I am glad we have some intelligent champions that could give us an intellectual challenge and discussion. Your performance was excellent; however, we have decided to deduct 5 points from you. This is because, without the rule change from the mistakes of the previous team, your recklessness would have destroyed a few dragon eggs. But you did not. That is why we have awarded you 89 points! Congratulations! Professor, are you next?" asked Madame Bae Muller.
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"Yes, it is me next. Congratulations to Team 4 for your very successful attempt. Team 4 consisted of Fleur Delacour, Andi Larson, and Kenzie Joelle as they faced the Hebridean Black. The ritual you performed was heavily modified, just like the previous team. You had used your preparation time very wisely. The use of Veela hair from Miss Delacour was ingenious, and the fact that you all had Veela hair wand cores helped you pull off such a successful attempt. After tallying the scores, we have decided to award you 97 points! Congratulations again. Who's up next?" Professor Tawana Sinistra said as she sat back down.
"Teams 5 and 6 did really well. Very well, in fact. The Peruvian Vipertooth is one of the most deadly dragons. The poison they produced could put a Ukrainian Ironbelly to sleep. Team 5 did very well to not get any on them. And to use stealth against them was quite well thought out. Apart from the small mishap at the start, you three did really well. You were less reckless, and your approach did the least damage. We have decided to award Team 5 84 points!" Newt Scamander said this as Olivia gave him a little nudge. "Oh yes. Team 5 consisted of Naomi Ward-Prowse, Michael Cappelli, and Athaliah Stankov. Team 6 consisted of Yuna Kenshin, Cedric Diggory, and Millie Macklemore. Team 6 faced the Common Welsh Green. A particularly docile breed of dragon. You handled yourself very well. The pregnant dragons in this species are more open to talking to humans and asking for help. You used this and your gifts to your advantage. We have decided to award you 86 points! Congratulations!"
Ludo Bagman then stood up and walked to the centre of the platform. "Witches and Wizard, Thank you for attending, and please exit the stadium calmly at your own leisure. As we hand out the prizes to the champions, our two excellent commentators have one more announcement to make."
"To the students of: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, The Durmstrang Institute, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mahoutokoro, Queen Maeve's College, School of Spiritology and Demonology, and finally The Mitford Foundation.
The organiser of the Tri-Wizard Tournament hereby officially invites you to the Yule Ball set to be held on Saturday, December 24.
The ball starts at 18:00, and festivities will carry on until the early hours in the morning. A five-course meal will be provided. All you need to do is turn up with your partner, looking your best.
We hope you will enjoy the Yule Ball.
Sincerely
Tri-Wizard Tournament Organisers."
The Quidditch Stadium, Champion's Tent
14:55 PM
Percival Ebonwood's POV
"Don't bother getting comfortable. This'll take a few minutes," Ludo Bagman said as he was followed in by the judges. "Some more information about the second task and the Yule Ball. Miss O'Brien will put up the official standings near the entrance so you can see who your partner is. Each pair needs a golden egg, as it is a clue for the next task. To make this easier on us, can the champions from Team 1, 3, and 4 collect an egg from over there if you don't have one? If you have an egg you shouldn't, pass it along to some who should."
Fleur and I didn't need to get up as we both had the eggs we retrieved from the task. Once everybody who needed an egg had an egg, Ludo Bagman continued.
"The Yule Ball will open with a dance from all of you. I hope you know how to dance, because your opening dance will be recorded and broadcast worldwide. Professor McGonagall is doing some dance lessons, so I recommend seeing her sooner rather than later. You will walk out in reverse order. So last first and first last. If you are taking another champion as your partner, you will walk out as late as possible, according to your placement. We will also be making—what do the muggles call it? A scrapbook? Well, whatever it is, it will be a collection of recordings and photos from all of the tasks and events linked to the Tri-Wizard Tournament. You will each receive your own after the final task. Champions from Teams 1, 2, 5, and 6 can collect their prizes from the table near the entrance. You are dismissed," Ludo Bagman said, as now only six champions remain.
Barty Crouch Senior walked into the tent with a few old people, each holding a bag. They took stuff out of their bags and waited by the tables.
"These are the artefacts that our sponsors have decided to award you. There are only four on offer, and you may pick one. After, go to that table over there, collect your prize, and enjoy the rest of your day," Ludo Bagman said as he showed the judges towards the exit. Barty Crouch stayed near the old people.
Fleur and I waited for the other champions to head to the table, and both of us stood up.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Fleur.
"Tired. I used way too much magic today," Fleur replied as we headed towards the table. "I feel bad about Team 1, as they overcharged every single spell. I wonder how they're still able to walk."
"Madam Pomfrey gave them some potions so they wouldn't feel the pain. They slept through the other teams and woke up before the closing ceremony," I said as we looked at the first artefact. "What is this, and what does it do?"
"This is a tie clip. After you put on your suit, you put this on. This artefact then takes the shape of the best tie clip for your suit based on the pre-selected defaults. They also tidy you up so you look your best," the old man replied as he picked up the next artefact. "This earring also works in a similar fashion. Usually you pay a steep price of 199 galleons for this, but all of these items are on the house."
"I already have two of those. Come on, let's check the next one," Fleur said as she moved on to the next item. I gave the old man a small smile before following Fleur. "What is this?"
"This is our most advanced ritual knife. Made from a proprietary metals for the best magical conductivity for its size. It has the ability to keep your hands steady and give you a cool head. Although most rituals are banned in the UK, the ones that are still legal, this is the best knife for it," the old man said, putting down the knife before picking up the final item. "This is our most advanced potions set. Although I do not have it to hand, if you do pick it, we will send it to you as soon as it goes public. The retail price of these items is 249 galleons and 599 galleons, respectively."
"I don't really want any of them," Fleur said as the other champions started to leave the tent. "I'll take the potions set."
"Good choice," the old man said as he handed Fleur a form to fill out. "What about you, young man?"
"Would it be possible to get the schematic for the ritual knife instead?" I asked.
"That would be a little difficult," the old man replied.
"I can swear an oath or sign a contract that I won't give the schematics to others," I said.
"Take the knife. I'll talk to my superiors, and see what I can do," the old man said as he handed me the knife and took Fleur's form. "Thank you for your patronage."
Fleur and I walked over to the second table, where we collected our winnings, looked at the standings, and left.
####
Individual standings-
1. Fleur Delacour (97)
2. Andi Larson (97)
3. Kenzie Joelle (97)
4. Alexis Castle (89)
5. Percival Ebonwood (89)
6. Viktor Krum (89)
7. Florentina Abramovich (88)
8. Adrian Bohr (88)
9. Hinata Nakamura (88)
10. Cedric Diggory (86)
11. Yuna Kenshin (86)
12. Millie Macklemore (86)
13. Michael Cappelli (84)
14. Athaliah Stankov (84)
15. Naomi Ward-Prowse (84)
16. Harriet Potter (37)
17. Nicholas Raine (37)
18. Kaito Yukaghir (37)
School standings-
1. Beauxbatons (91)
2. Durmstrang (87)
3. Ilvermorny (85)
4. Coalition (77)
5. Hogwarts (74)
6. Mahoutokoro (70)