Feast, Screams, and a Golden Egg
The battle had ended only a few minutes ago, but Harry didn't get the chance to stay and hear the judges' verdict.
The moment he stepped out of the arena, Madame Pomfrey appeared and practically dragged him all the way to the hospital wing.
Harry tried to protest.
"I'm really not that bad. I'm just a little poisoned."
But the nurse had absolutely no intention of listening.
"You keep quiet and walk."
So he ended up lying on one of the beds, although, honestly, he felt pretty good.
In fact, the potion ingredients he had swallowed during the trial, mixing them directly inside his stomach, had been far more dangerous for his body than the fight against Terra in her Titania form.
Even so, Pomfrey insisted on checking him from head to toe with her usual seriousness, as if she expected to find half a dozen organs out of place.
Because of that, Harry missed the official score announcement.
Though that didn't last long.
Not long after, the hospital wing door opened and his friends rushed inside, bringing with them far more noise than actual concern.
Since the trials had been completely different from each other, the judges had to evaluate them according to the general rules of that particular task: avoid harming the creatures, demonstrate understanding to calm them, obtain the key, and use as little magic as possible.
Under that logic, practically everyone could have received the maximum score, since they had all completed their trials following those principles.
But...
Using that very same logic, Karkaroff and Crouch took the opportunity to deduct points from Harry and Draco, since both of them had not only used a large amount of magic, but had also directly confronted their guardians. Well, in Draco's case he had tried to chain it to contain it. Meanwhile Harry had actually fought Terra, or more precisely Terra in her Titania form.
Which, of course, earned plenty of discontent.
Not only from the audience, but especially from Sirius.
Maybe it was even worse than that. Perhaps those two men were simply using the opportunity to vent the rather obvious hatred they felt toward Sirius. And the tournament had given them the perfect excuse to do it in front of everyone.
With that, the scores ended up like this: 46 for Fleur, 46 for Luciel, 41 for Viktor, 41 for Marton, 39 for Draco, and 39 for Harry.
And yes, just as Karkaroff had deducted points from Draco and Harry, Sirius deducted points from Marton and Viktor in return, causing another round of complete chaos. This time their argument ended up giving the winning score to the Delacour cousins.
"They're incredibly childish for headmasters. Both Sirius and Karkaroff. They each gave one point to Durmstrang and Hogwarts respectively. Their fight is dragging what are supposed to be impartial judgments into this mess. And that idiot Crouch only gave Harry and Draco three points. Is he stupid?" Hermione said, strangely furious.
But it was obvious she couldn't stand seeing her friends receive fewer points, even if they were technically competing against her own teammate. Hermione had always believed competitions should be fair and free of tricks.
Well… that rule didn't necessarily apply when it was between them.
But outsiders were a different matter.
"It was fun seeing Krum's face. His own headmaster is dragging him down," Daphne said with amusement, smiling as she lightly tapped the bed where Harry was lying.
Everyone stood around him while he remained stretched out on the hospital bed. Honestly, he looked perfectly healthy and was listening to everything with an interested smile, as if the whole matter had nothing to do with him.
"At this rate they'll probably kill each other before the tournament ends and the whole thing gets suspended," Draco added, shaking his head.
"In any case, the scores aren't really the most decisive thing when it comes to who will win in the end," Harry said calmly, not seeming particularly bothered by his lower score.
"Well, that's true. Still doesn't make it any less annoying," Hermione replied immediately, still sounding irritated.
"Shouldn't you be happier that Fleur beat them? That means you're closer to winning the competition," Draco said, glancing at her.
"Yes, but I want to defeat them fairly. That would be far more embarrassing for you," Hermione answered calmly.
"She's not wrong," Daphne added, immediately supporting the idea.
Harry and Draco simply rolled their eyes slightly.
"Harry, we came to see if you're still alive," a voice suddenly called from the entrance of the hospital wing as Tommy and Billy walked in.
From Billy's front pocket, Terra suddenly emerged, looking like she had rested enough after a short nap.
The moment she came out, she flew straight toward Harry and began pinching his nose with a clearly annoyed expression. Then she made several gestures with her tiny hands before finally pointing directly at him with a serious, almost accusatory look.
"Yeah, sorry. I won't burn the plants again," Harry said immediately with a small smile, seeing the little fairy's anger. "But in my defense, I had to finish everything quickly before the first potion poisoned me."
Terra glanced at him sideways.
She narrowed her eyes while staring at him, clearly unimpressed, but in the end she let out a small huff, like someone looking at a troublesome child who simply wasn't worth scolding anymore, and flew back toward Billy's pocket.
She still seemed a little tired, so she just stuck her head out and let Billy carry her.
"Still, that was awesome, Terra. You should transform more often," Tommy said, still excited about the tournament.
"It's not that simple, idiot," Billy said, giving him a small shove to move him aside. "Harry's wand is dangerous. Terra could only do that because Mom helped her."
"Oh, really?" Tommy said, scratching his head slightly. "Oh, right," he added, suddenly remembering something before looking back at Harry. "Mom said you'll be safe today so you can celebrate with your friends. Whatever that means."
When Harry heard that, the half-smile on his face disappeared almost instantly, and a very visible concern appeared in his eyes.
"So where's the egg?" Tommy asked with interest.
Harry pointed beside the bed, where the golden egg was resting on the small table.
Without hesitating, Tommy ran over and leaned closer to examine it carefully.
"Is another animal supposed to hatch from this too or something?" he asked, noticing it was obviously much larger than the previous eggs.
"No. Ludo already explained that it's a clue for what we'll face in the next task, on February 24th. The hinge on top is how you open it," Draco explained calmly.
"This one?" Tommy said as he touched the small hinge.
The moment he did, the egg snapped open.
One second later...
A sharp, completely unbearable sound burst out from inside.
It was so loud that everyone covered their ears instantly.
The noise vibrated through the entire hospital wing as if someone were screaming directly inside their heads at the same time.
At the same moment, the nearby window panes began to tremble.
Then they creaked.
And finally shattered one after another.
Tommy quickly slammed the egg shut again, looking completely disoriented after the noise had hit him head-on while standing right in front of it.
For a few seconds, nobody said anything.
Everyone simply stared at the golden egg in silence.
Right at that moment, Madame Pomfrey rushed into the room with a truly furious expression when she saw that several potion bottles and some of the windows had been completely destroyed.
...
Maybe it was Pomfrey's fury.
Or maybe the anti-venom potions Harry had taken had already finished curing him completely.
Either way, the result was the same.
Harry, his friends, and his brothers were immediately thrown out of the hospital wing.
Literally thrown out.
Which, to be honest, wasn't really that bad.
Harry was actually quite hungry and had no interest in spending the entire afternoon lying there recovering. And honestly, he wasn't that injured anyway.
Poisoned by his own potions, yes.
But not injured.
Harry and the others walked toward the Great Hall, where the entire school seemed to be waiting.
The moment they crossed the doors, they were greeted by loud applause and excited cheers shouting their names.
Aside from a few Slytherin students who didn't seem to be present, practically every Hogwarts student was there, cheering enthusiastically.
Banners with their names hung from the walls, along with large banners displaying the Hogwarts crest everywhere, the house colors set aside for the night.
It was as if the entire school was celebrating the two Hogwarts champions.
No house divisions.
"Finally! Our champions have arrived! We were starving!" Fred Weasley shouted from the Gryffindor table with a wide grin.
George, meanwhile, was blowing what looked like some kind of whistle that sounded more like a trumpet.
Which made some students laugh while the ones standing too close immediately covered their ears.
Farther away there seemed to be something that looked like an old jukebox, operated by a large crank, playing a lively tune that made the whole place feel even more festive.
The tables were covered with every kind of food imaginable.
Meat, pies, juices, cakes, fruits, bread... practically anything anyone could want.
There was even an actual mountain of desserts already prepared.
Party hats occasionally shot confetti into the air, and more whistles kept sounding, each one different from the last. Some sounded like animal roars, others like strange screams or bizarre noises that only made the celebration even louder.
It looked like the not-so-secret party that had started in the kitchens after the first task had now grown into something much bigger and had moved to the Great Hall.
And from the subtle gazes Harry could feel from different corners of the room, it was quite clear the professors were aware of what was happening.
Or at least silently approving it.
They were probably watching from the shadows, not showing themselves too much so they wouldn't ruin the mood, but still making sure the students didn't take things too far.
In reality, Harry had the feeling that this whole "celebrating the champions" thing was just a convenient excuse.
The moment they saw them, everyone cheered and greeted them.
And then, immediately afterward, everything became completely chaotic.
Draco didn't pay much attention to the cheering and simply sat down to eat.
Although, just in case, every time he grabbed something to eat or drink he glanced sideways at Daphne before trying it.
Just to make sure nobody had decided to slip a transformation potion into the food.
Daphne, meanwhile, seemed to be arguing about something in secret with the Weasley twins, clicking her tongue when she noticed Draco being so cautious with his meal.
Hermione was talking with Ginny, Luna, and Astoria, probably analyzing the task with the same enthusiasm other people were using to discuss the food.
Harry, holding a glass of juice, moved toward a corner where he could clearly feel someone watching over the entire hall.
"You're the headmaster. Aren't you supposed to stop them from behaving like this?" Harry asked while watching the students dancing, shouting, and throwing things into the air, completely forgetting whatever the original excuse for the party had been.
"Hey, you have no idea how much I would've loved to have a party like this when I was a student at Hogwarts," Sirius's voice replied from behind a nearby door where he had clearly been hiding. "Back then everyone was too scared, and the houses barely mixed with each other. Seeing them come together this quickly during my short time as headmaster... Well, I won't lie. It makes me feel a little proud."
"That's why you keep fighting with Karkaroff, right?" Harry said calmly. "So the whole school has a common enemy to hate. Meanwhile, you look like the headmaster defending his champions at all costs... showing you'd defend the students too."
It was almost as if he understood perfectly the logic behind the public arguments Sirius kept having with Karkaroff.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe it's just a coincidence. I simply hate all of them equally," Sirius replied..
But judging by his tone, he sounded slightly proud of himself.
"Hmm," Harry murmured, glancing toward the door for a moment. "Still, I have to get my revenge sooner or later. So you'd better be ready."
"Ugh... can't you just forgive me? I only did it so you'd have fun," Sirius said with an exaggeratedly melancholic tone. "And it looks like you really are enjoying it."
"It is fun," Harry replied with a small smile. "But I don't do things halfway."
Harry smiled slightly before walking back toward the noisy party.
Sirius opened the door a little wider from where he had been hiding and looked out into the Great Hall.
He watched the chaos of students laughing, eating, dancing, and talking together.
Gryffindor students chatting with Ravenclaws.
Hufflepuffs arguing with Slytherins.
Houses that normally wouldn't even look at each other now sharing the same table.
Sirius let out a small smile.
Maybe, after all, things really were changing at Hogwarts.
Then he quietly closed the door, turned around, and walked away down the hallway in silence.