Karkaroff stared intensely at the screen, as if afraid that damned Potter would do sothing to sabotage Krum.
But the thing he feared was never going to happen.
In fact, by the ti Harry smoothly made his way to the rpeople's village, greeted them warmly, and took Gabrielle away, Krum was still wrestling with the Grindylows.
By the ti Harry brought the little girl back to shore, Krum had only just reached the village at the bottom of the lake.
The situation was far from ideal.
At least, that's how it looked to Krum.
Underneath the rfolk statue, there was only one empty, swaying figure—his "treasure," bobbing slightly with the water.
It made him even more anxious.
The odds were already against him. Other school heads were doing their best to support their champions, but his own headmaster was different—Karkaroff was actively dragging him down.
From hundreds of supporters to just a dozen, all thanks to Karkaroff.
But that was off the battlefield.
When it ca to the competition, real skill was what mattered.
Harry beating him to rescuing his "treasure" was understandable—he had anticipated that from the start.
But Fleur? That arrogant, naive "little princess" had also managed to rescue her "treasure" before him?
He hadn't even caught up to her yet?
Impossible.
At the start, he had left her far behind.
Doubt crept into his mind.
At first, he had believed that he was only second to Harry Potter. And what kind of figure was Harry Potter? You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone like him in all of wizarding history.
But now, Fleur seed more capable than him…
The audience laughed.
The gap was too obvious—Harry had gone back and forth twice, while Krum had only completed half the task.
Now, he was facing the rpeople's "challenge."
To retrieve his treasure, he had to battle an elite rperson.
These "underwater dominators" were far more dangerous than the audience assud.
Harry had easily handled dozens of rpeople, making it seem like they were no trouble at all—just wave your wand, cast a spell, and they'd be bound by Transfiguration, completely immobilized.
But Krum's spells weren't as effective as Harry's.
The net he conjured was fragile, easily torn apart by the rperson.
His spells hit only a few tis, but the water resistance weakened them significantly, barely pushing the rperson back a few feet.
Krum's shark-like face twisted with frustration.
Underwater, a wizard's wand wasn't as reliable—at least, not for soone like Krum, who had only undergone a little over a month of underwater training.
So he simply abandoned his wand and bit down.
As a professional athlete—even as a Seeker, the leanest position on the team—his physical strength and close combat skills were far superior to the average wizard.
With one last up-close "Stupefy," he took down his opponent.
The rperson collapsed, eyes wide in disbelief.
You little wizard—
You have no sense of chivalry!
They had all co to a mutual understanding—not to use magic. And yet, this sneaky little human launched a surprise attack!
The other rpeople were displeased by Krum's tactics but didn't intervene.
This only reinforced their view of wizards—weak, yet devious and cunning. 1
This only reinforced their view of wizards—weak, yet devious and cunning.
Even goblins weren't as sly as them. 1
Even goblins weren't as sly as them.
Exhausted, Krum dragged his "treasure"—which was bigger than he was—through the water, struggling to the surface.
He collapsed onto the shore, too drained to reverse his partial shark transfiguration. Madam Pomfrey had to step in to prevent him from suffocating on land.
He turned his head and saw Harry and Hermione sitting by the lake, looking as if they were on a vacation, both perfectly dry.
And Fleur, cradling Gabrielle and soothing her.
His eyes dimd.
So, he really was the slowest.
Ludo's voice rang out, "Our final champion has surfaced!"
"Krum showed the resilience expected of a true champion—he fought bravely to the very end!"
"However, he exceeded the ti limit, taking one hour and five minutes to complete the task."
Krum's heart sank further—not only was he last, but he was over ti.
"And now, let's score our champions!" Ludo took a deep breath and waved his wand toward the three massive screens. "We'll begin with the first to finish—the lovely Fleur Delacour!"
Krum looked at Fleur in disbelief.
Just what was going on with this Veela girl?
Was she really that powerful? Even faster than Harry?
Fleur lowered her head in sha, oblivious to the gazes directed at her.
"Although Miss Delacour was unable to complete the competition, being eliminated just fifteen minutes after the start," Ludo said regretfully.
His words cleared up Krum's confusion.
No wonder Fleur finished so quickly—she hadn't finished at all.
But a new question arose in his mind.
If Fleur didn't complete the task… then how did her treasure get saved?
"Nonetheless, Miss Delacour still displayed her grace—erm… a very fine Bubble-Head Charm!"
Ludo struggled to scrape together words of praise.
On the screen, Fleur's only highlight replayed—her standing by the lake, casting a Bubble-Head Charm on herself. 2
On the screen, Fleur's only highlight replayed—her standing by the lake, casting a Bubble-Head Charm on herself.
Mada Maxi's face turned an ugly shade of green.
Fleur buried her head even deeper, wishing she could just dig a hole and sink into it.
There was no need to humiliate her this much.
"And now, let's score Miss Delacour! Mada Maxi, you first."
Ludo swiftly passed the problem on to soone else.
Maxi hesitated for a long mont, then sighed heavily and raised her wand. A large "6" appeared in the air.
She still had so sha—unlike Karkaroff, she wasn't willing to be that biased.
Umbridge was next, coldly raising her wand and displaying a "3."
She didn't even complete the task. No amount of flowery words could change that.
Ludo raised his wand, producing a "6"—a consolation score.
Dumbledore followed suit.
A failure still deserved so comfort. Fleur was already guaranteed third place—there was no need to rub salt in the wound.
Karkaroff, however, had no such rcy. He shot a "3" into the sky, letting it hover for an unnecessarily long ti.
The fact that he didn't give a zero was his version of generosity.
This, of course, enraged the Gryffindors.
You bastard!
Harry completed the first task spectacularly, yet you only gave him a four. But Fleur perford the worst this round—didn't even finish!—and you still gave her a three?
What the hell?!
Ludo cleared his throat and announced, "Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons—final score: 24 points!" 1
Ludo cleared his throat and announced, "Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons—final score: 24 points!"
"Not a particularly impressive score, I must say. Miss Delacour, you'll have to be careful."
"And now, let's move on to Hogwarts' champion—Harry Potter!"
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