บท 725: The Third Match
บรรณาธิการ: Atlas Studios
If he had cast a Fear Charm on Peeves from time to time over the years, Peeves would have been impressed.
Ivan smiled at the thought. As a child, Alicia was more mischievous than he had ever imagined.
The two of them chatted as they strolled through the sun-dappled grass, before heading to the Black Lake to check on Beauxbatons's luxurious carriage and the massive ghost ship docked there.
After some back-and-forth questioning, Ivan learned that his mother, Alicia, was a year younger than Sirius and Snape, and that she had not had much contact with them during her student years.
Alicia was not particularly keen on the subject, and soon changed the subject to the Triwizard Cup.
Despite the Daily Prophet's detailed report of the results and events of each match, she was nonetheless intrigued by Ivan's victory over the dragon and the rescue of the hostages underwater.
This was especially true of the latter, as, thanks to Rita Skeeter's machinations, Ivan's underwater rescue mission was rendered into a cheesy love story of a love triangle — the hero Ivan Hals and his beloved Miss Granger made love after a kiss at the bottom of the lake, only to encounter Miss Delacour on their way back….
The rest of the story was so melodramatic that Rita Skeeter went as far as to use five lines of text to argue why Ivan preferred to rescue Fleur, a fellow champion, instead of Hermione, a hostage.
After listening to Alicia's story, Ivan wondered if Rita Skeeter was tired of living and would write anything for sales, but under Alicia's probing gaze, he reluctantly explained.
"Mum, I've only met Fleur a couple of times. There's no love lost between us, and I only saved her because Hermione suggested…"
"What about Miss Granger? I read in the Daily Prophet that she was your partner. Was that fake, too?" Alicia asked with a smile.
Ivan was left speechless, and under Alicia's repeated questioning, he only vaguely admitted that she was close to him.
However, Ivan soon regretted his decision, as Isiah was very friendly with Hermione during lunch, and even asked about the witch's family, much to Ivan's embarrassment.
Hermione was also fidgety, her usual sharp-tongued self was nowhere to be found, and she was stammering when she answered Alicia's questions.
In the afternoon, the Great Hall was decorated, with the flags of the three schools fluttering in the wind.
Towards evening, Minister for Magic Fudge appeared in the Entrance Hall with several Aurors, looking grim throughout, and forcing a smile when meeting Dumbledore.
Fortunately, none of this had anything to do with Ivan, who was listening to Alicia's prattle while enjoying the dinner.
Harry was not so relaxed next to her. He was nervous about the match that was about to begin, so he was not in the mood to enjoy dinner even though it was much richer than usual.
When the last wizard had eaten his fill and put down his knife and fork, Dumbledore cleared his throat and stood up from the staff table.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes, I will invite you all to the Quidditch pitch to watch the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Now, if the champions would follow Mr. Bagman to the playing field."
Yvonne rose and walked out of the Great Hall with Harry under everyone's watchful eye, followed by Fleur and Krum.
Bagman was waiting for them in the foyer, and when he saw Ivan, he beamed.
"Warriors, follow me!" Bagman called, leading Ivan and the others to the Quidditch pitch.
Along the way, Bagman explained the rules of the third match in great detail.
The game was played in a giant maze, and the Goblet of Fire, which represented the final victory, was placed in the middle of the maze.
"Mr. Bagman, wouldn't that make the first two games useless?" Harry asked curiously.
Fleur and Krum, on the other hand, were delighted, as they had been behind by so many points in the previous matches that they would have had no chance of winning if the third match had been a point system.
However, before they could celebrate for long, Bagman replied with a laugh, "No, of course it works, the higher the score, the sooner the champion will get into the maze … for example, Hars, who will get in at least three minutes before you!"
Fleur and Krum's faces darkened. Ivan was far more powerful than they were, and they would have too much of an advantage if they entered the maze first!
What's more, Bagman said at least three minutes, which presumably meant that Harry, who was now second in the game, would have to wait three minutes to get in, and they would only have to wait longer if they were even further behind!
Their only saving grace was that the champions would not win the Cup on the spot, and would have the option of intercepting Ivan and stealing the Goblet of Fire!
Understanding this, Krum deliberately fell a few paces behind and turned to Fleur for support.
Krum knew very well that he alone would never be able to take the Cup from Ivan, and that only by joining forces would they have the slightest chance of winning.
Fleur hesitated rather than agree outright. Ivan had helped her a lot during the match, and she did not want to bite the hand that fed her if she had to.
While they were deep in thought, Bagman led them to the Quidditch pitch.
In contrast to the previous days, it was completely different, with a twenty-foot-high hedge surrounding the edge of the grounds, although there was a gap in front of it.
From the entrance, it was pitch-black inside, and one could only vaguely see the intersecting tunnels…
About five minutes later, the students, led by Dumbledore, entered the stands, which were packed and noisy.
Ivan, Harry, Fleur, and Krum stood at the entrance to the maze, waiting for the entire audience to arrive.
A large crystal ball, similar to the one used in the second match, was suspended in the air above the maze, where it was used to relay the performances of the champions to the young wizards and witches.
This was Ivan's final insurance policy, so that Harry would not be swept away in the maze like the original.
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