Round One winner of The Desperate Measures Duel
Group: Fantastic Ferret
Posts: 636
Joined: 2-July 04
Member No.: 170
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For A Good Story
Sirius awoke to a rather fierce head pat from Hagrid. “Come on Elmer, come on. We’ve got a bit to do before the third task today.” Wagging his tail, Sirius jumped from his spot on the floor to follow Hagrid to the door. “Got a few things to get in the forest today Elmer, gotta get them to the Quidditch pitch nice and early, before anyone’s awake. Quite an important job you know, but Dumbledore knows I can ‘andle it. Great man Dumbledore.”
Sirius followed Hagrid obediently into the Forbidden Forest; it was all rather eery, the sun was not yet visible and a few stars still remained.
***
“Hagrid! Hagrid! Open up, it’s us!”
“Come in, come in, quickly!” It was Sirius who answered the door, “Hagrid’s been out since very early this morning, preparing for the third task.”
“The third task ...” but Sirius cut Ron off.
“Sit down, and listen, all three of you, this is very important. The third task as you know will take place tonight, it’s a giant maze.”
“A maze!”
“Ron, shhhh!” Hermione whispered.
“It’s not just a maze, it’s going to be full of spells, and creatures that the champions must all face. The Triwizard Cup is placed at the center of the maze, and the champion who reaches it first is the winner.”
“But what if they get into trouble, I mean ...”
“Red sparks means danger,” Sirius replied, turning to Hermione, “If the champions find themselves in a situation they can’t get around they just need to shoot red sparks into the air, and they will be rescued.”
“Wicked,” Ron whispered. Sirius began pacing.
“What? What is it?” Harry asked.
“I went with Hagrid to, well, round up some of the creatures in the forest early this morning. When we reached the maze, I saw Bagman. He was the only other person around that early.”
“You don’t think ...” Harry paused.
“I do think, he’s got this whole tournament in his pocket. He knows what’s going to happen, and when. This task is the last one, it’s supposed to be the most challenging; Cedric and Krum are going to need a bit more help if they’re going to have a chance this time.” Ron looked up.
“Krum and Cedric?,” Ron said, mostly to himself. "But Fleur .." he continued louder.
"Ohh would you get over Fleur! She's not interested." Ron looked dumb struck at the outburst. "Fleur walked right through the second task, didn't you notice? That would never have been possible with out help.“
"I knew that!" Ron spat quickly. Hermione just turned to Sirius.
Sirius,” Hermione began, “I don’t understand, why Fleur? Why would Bagman choose Fleur?” Sirius paused a moment.
“To win? Don’t take this the wrong way Hermione, but she’s a girl, the only girl in the tournament. I’m betting she had the worst odds, gambling wise, to begin with. “
“So if Bagman put his money on her in the beginning, and she wins, he comes out with the most profit.”
“Exactly,” Sirius said. She was very sharp, Hermione.
“What?”
“Betting Ron,” Hermione said, “Bagman’s got a wager on Fleur.”
“A wager with who?”
“Goblins.”
“How do you know that?”
“Honestly Ron, don’t you read? It was in the paper, small article, in the back.” Ron simply shook his head.
“But I don’t understand,” Harry interrupted, “Krum did better than Fleur in the first task, far better. How come Bagman didn’t help her until the second task?”
“What if he did help her and it just didn’t turn out well?” Hermione asked Harry.
“It’s possible,” Sirius muttered, nodding to Hermione, “But the fact is the stakes are high, and this tournament is getting out of hand.”
***
“And what are we supposed to do?” Ron hadn’t stopped talking to let any of them think since they’d left Hagrid’s. Harry had not wanted to leave Sirius alone, but he had class and it would be far worse for someone to come looking for him and discover Sirius’s hiding place.
“Maybe Bagman hasn’t gotten to Fleur yet, maybe she doesn’t know.”
“Don’t be naive Harry,” Hermione said, “Of course she knows, the task is this evening!”
“What if Krum knows?” Harry asked.
“What?” Hermione stopped walking.
“What if Krum and Cedric know too? I mean, what if we, evened things up a bit?”
***
It took quite a bit of teamwork to get both Cedric and Krum on their own. Ron and Harry had to make excuses to Professor Flitwick so Hermione could talk to Krum, and Hermione and Ron had to distract Cedric’s fan club while Harry spoke to him alone. It took quite a bit of convincing, Cedric for one did not know why Harry was telling him anything, or where his information had come from; but the task was that evening and he was in no position to turn down any type of assistance.
“They were going at it all blind, I mean, they really had no idea?”
“No Ron, they didn’t have any idea! For heaven’s sake, can’t you just believe us? Ouch! Harry!” Hermione stared down the stairs over Harry’s shoulder which she had just walked in to. “What’s going on?” A crowd had formed in the entrance hall below where Mr. Bagman’s voice could be heard booming above all the rest.
“This is an outrage! I say, take your hands off me! Special treatment, illegal gambling, falsified results! I say, you gentlemen do have quite active imaginations!” Edging closer Harry caught sight of four or five ministry officials and a pair of goblins. One of the Goblins holding a letter in his hand.
“Ludo Bagman, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law ...”
***
“Well, I guess we don’t have to worry anymore. I mean, Bagman’s in custody and Krum, Cedric, and Fleur should all be on even footing now.” Hermione sounded right, but something was still bothering Harry.
“Hermione, why now? I mean, why not arrest Bagman before?”
“Well, he’s been betting all along hasn’t he? But I don’t think they had enough evidence he was actually adjusting the tasks you know, and passing information to champions to skew the results. Now, from the looks of things, the goblins had a letter, or paper with evidence and ...”
“But, Fleur, she’s been cheating the whole time, why don’t they disqualify her?” Hermione bit her lip.
“That does complicate things a bit.” Hermione muttered.
***
Hermione was relieved to see Viktor was not in the library that afternoon. He was preparing for the final task she thought, or hoped really. With any luck Rita Skeeter was not badgering him again, she loved to write about Krum, and Cedric. Every free second either of them seemed to find Rita could almost always be found with them.
Needing to get her mind off the chaos of the day she settled down to do her Transfiguration homework. Harry and Ron were still in the common room due to the fact that they “Won’t be able to do an adequate job on any of our assignments due to lack of concentration,” according to Ron. Hermione set to reading about advancements in switching spells.
... in 1137 mass switching spells were introduced in agricultural areas for specific crop changes as the seasons progressed. (More recently switching spells were seen in the high profile Triwizard Tournament, when contestant Andrew Keebler switched a dragon’s teeth for wine gums.)
Scanning a foot note Hermione caught Keebler’s name again:
More on the incidents including Andrew Keebler can be found in Highlights and Mishaps in Great Games and Sports.
Incidents? Hermione quickly got up and scanned the shelves until she caught site of a brown leather book, Highlights and Mishaps in Great Games and Sports.
Sitting down Hermione quickly flipped to the chapter on the Triwizard Tournament.
... despite accusations Keebler was allowed to finish the contest due to lack of evidence. “It wasn’t clear he knew he was being passed information, there’s no proof ...
***
Harry and Ron shook their heads. “You study to much Hermione,” Ron said, “It’s just not healthy.”
“Ron, it doesn’t matter, the fact is now we know why Fleur is still aloud to compete this evening!”
“Good thing too!” George said, coming up behind them.
“What are you two on about?” Ron said scowling.
“Well little brother, we’d lose a lot of profit if a third of our wagers were no good,” Fred grinned.
“We’re not the only ones who’d be out a galleon or two,” George continued.
“Met a few other unhappy blokes, I mean, in the state of things,” said Fred.
“The state of things?” Harry asked.
“Yeah, Goblins mate!” Fred continued.
“Got Bagman dragged off this morning, thought it was a right wonderful idea; but now, they can’t get a knut from him!”
“None of us can afford to refund,” said George.
“Or organize a refund if a champion gets,”
“Expelled you might say,” George finished.
“Interactions at the task tonight will be,"
“Interesting,"
"To say the least,” Fred finished.
***
Sirius paced back and forth near the back of the maze. He wandered near the front only long enough to see that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were safely seated in the stands. Now he waited for the cannon, something was up, something else. With Bagman’s arrest everything seemed not better, but just a little bit worse. If anything went wrong there was no explanation, that’s what scared Sirius most of all.
BANG
With that Sirius clambered on all fours through the hole in the gigantic hedge on which he’d been working all day. If anything went wrong this time, he'd be around to see it. The inside of the maze was like a different world. Sirius felt the fur on his back stand on end. It was oddly silent. Slowly he made his way down the first path.
It was much easier, being a dog, Sirius simply had to sniff his way towards the champions, only the occasional wiff of a certain beast obscuring his way. The way seemed to darken as he went, further, and further, and further. It was a second before Sirius realized what it was that was lying in front of him, but, as was best to do in the maze, he approached it with caution. It was a wand.
Sirius looked up, his ears perked up on the top of his head. Something was wrong. Taking the wand in his teeth Sirius continued forward, silently, cautiously. There was something there, someone there. Approaching slowly Sirius, had his mouth been free to, would have let out a bark. Cedric Diggory was lying motionless on the ground. Poking at him gently with his nose Sirius felt a pulse, he was alive. With a quick turn of his head Sirius, using Cedric’s wand, sent red sparks into the air, and dropped the wand back by Cedric’s arm. He then continued on his way, there was nothing more he could do for the boy.
It took some time before Sirius encountered anymore of the champions. On his way however he had to duck a Hinkypunk, a Manticore, and a Blood Sucking Bugbear. However, when he did reach another contestant they were again in peril. This time it was Krum, the star seeker Sirius had read about in his scraps of newspaper. A gigantic spider, the same one Sirius had watched Hagrid escort to the maze that very morning, was looming over the Bulgarian Quidditch player.
Sirius stood staring right around the hedge, without a wand he didn’t see how he was going to help the boy. He was a Triwizard champion after all, maybe he could handle it. But it didn’t look as if Krum had expected anything like an Acromantula. The beast swung out one leg flinging Krum against a wall. Running around the corner Sirius began to bark, running straight under the spider’s legs. The distraction seemed to be enough for Krum to gather his senses, a spell hitting the spider’s eyes right as Sirius sprinted out from underneath.
There was still a sent to follow, and that couldn’t be good. That meant Fleur was ahead, and perhaps Bagman’s cheating had extended beyond passing information. It was only minutes until the glow of the Triwizard cup, obscured by Fleur’s silhouette, met Sirius’s eyes. Krum had been so close.
He couldn’t interfere, it was over. He’d just come to check the facts, make sure no one played to dirty. No matter what, it was over.
***
The cheering grew as Fleur exited the maze, cup in hand, followed by Krum. Harry clapped politely along with most of the other Hogwarts students. It wasn’t until he caught site of the black dog slinking out of sight behind them that he stood. Poking Hermione he motioned to her, grabbing Ron by the sleeve they made their way out of the stands.
“Sirius!” Harry cried, catching site of the dog behind the nearest hedge. “What? I ...” Sirius did not respond right away; but turned around heading for a group of near by trees, obviously intending for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to follow. “What were you doing in the maze!”
“Shhh,” Sirius hissed, transforming, “When Bagman got arrested this afternoon I got suspicious. It was just, odd timing.”
“You got to see the task in action! Wicked!” Ron was grinning. Sirius glared at Ron, but did not respond.
“What happened?” Hermione urged.
“Cedric and Krum didn’t look like they knew what to expect at all. I sent up the red sparks for Cedric and helped Krum out with a giant spider.” Ron went white, “I don’t think it was just information Bagman was passing.”
“But Bagman’s gone, it shouldn’t matter!” Harry said.
“Well apparently it did matter. The tasks may be over, but I don’t think the tournament has ended yet.”
Sirius was found and led off a few minutes later by Hagrid as the crowd around the maze began to disperse. Harry, Ron, and Hermione however, were under strict orders from Sirius to find out whatever else they could about the tournament results. Catching site of a bandaged Cedric Harry and the others headed off.
“Now, just a few pictures, a few comments, come now.” Rita Skeeter's screeching voice was unmistakable. Harry knew her from an attempted interview before the second task. She had spotted his scar and forgotten almost completely about the champion questioning she was in the middle of. Crouch, Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime were also present with the three champions. Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the group slowly. “Harry!” the voice stung his ears, “How are you!”
“Uh ... fine thanks. Um, congratulations Fleur,” he finished, looking at his feet. Fleur simply nodded in thanks. Cedric and Krum seemed to shoot Harry very dirty looks.
“We were just interviewing for an article about the tournament Harry, perhaps you’d like to comment from a spectators perspective."
“Uh ... I ... I’ll just let you finish with the champions first .”
“Well, if you insist. Boys,” she spat, turning back to the battered Cedric and Krum, “What was it like to be beaten by a girl? I mean, it doesn’t look like you even knew what you were up against in there.” Krum and Cedric looked at each other, but did not respond. “Come now boys, don’t be shy.”
“Ve did not know what ve were up against until dis evening,” Krum mumbled.
“I thought, I thought you told him,” Harry said, turning to Hermione.
“I did,” she whispered.
“What was that Harry?” Dumbledore had taken a step back.
“Sir, it’s just, we ... we warned Cedric and Krum about the maze.” Dumbledore studied Harry a moment. But the slight glimmer in his eye made Harry feel no explanation was necessary.
“What? Did you expect the maze itself to attack you?” Rita continued, laughing. Cedric’s eyes flickered.
“The maze itself? But ... but, that’s what you said!” Rita looked over her glasses at Cedirc.
“Said that? Dear boy what are you talking about?”
“You ... you said that the maze was going to attack us. I ...” Cedric paused and looked at Krum for backup. Krum blinked at Cedric, as if he was trying to work something out in his head.
“Krum,” Harry turned to Viktor, “Do you remember talking to Hermione this afternoon?”
“Yes, but not everything,” Krum replied.
“Krum, you know what the maze was supposed to be like, we told you.”
“Vat?” Krum looked at Harry.
“Harry, darling, what are you talking about?”
“Cedric,” Dumbledore said turning to him, “When did you talk to Ms. Skeeter?”
“I don’t remember seeing you before the task today Cedric,” Rita said smiling, a little to broadly. Harry looked at Hermione and Ron. Dumbledore was looking at Rita.
“Cedric, look at me please.” Cedric turned awkwardly to Dumbledore who waved his wand, its tip alight, in front of his eyes. Dumbledore’s mouth curled slightly. “Modified Memory Charm. Rita?”
“Dumbledore, what are you talking about?
"Cheating Ms. Skeeter."
"What? Who revealed such a thing?”
“You did.” With that, a small misty image exploded from Dumbledore’s wand tip to reveal an image of Rita, Cedric, and Krum, her wand tip placed at Cedric’s temple.
“But why?” Harry said it more to Hermione than anyone else, but it was Dumbledore who answered.
“A good story.”
“A good story! I wouldn’t skew an international tournament for a story!” It was Dumbledore’s turn to look over his spectacles. Rita’s mouth narrowed. “All right, but if you want to know the whole story, it was Bagman who chose.”
“Chose ...” Krum looked confused.
“Yes, chose Fleur to win!”
“Monsieur Bagman!” Madame Maxime looked shocked.
“You cheated!” Karkaroff yelled.
“But zis is a problem! Ve did not cheat! It was Monsieur Bagman!”
"I do not understand Dumbledore," Karkaroff grimaced angrily.
"Why don't you talk to Ms. Skeeter Igor." Rita did not look as if she was prepared to answer, but Karkaroff was up in arms.
"Ludo was in trouble Dumbledore," she began, "He needed a sure win in this tournament, I agreed to help. Whether he lost or he won, I had a story. Goblin gambling skews tournament, or Goblins kill ministry official." Rita smiled, it was a bit scary really.
“Well, I do believe this is a problem for you Barty,” Dumbledore said, turning to Crouch.
***
"Harry Potter," Harry turned around to see Krum behind him, "I want to thank you vor your help. The tournament would have been unfair much more if not for you."
"Uh, you're welcome," Harry replied awkwardly. He felt very small next to Krum. An awkward silence fell over the two as they continued back towards the castle.
"I hear you are a very goo flier," Krum said.
"Yeah ... who said so?"
"Her-my-o-ninee," Krum replied grinning, "I hear you have Firebolt."
"Yes," Harry replied.
"As do I," Krum said, "But I was always liking the old Nimbus."
"I used to have a Nimbus, a 2000 model actually." Krum smiled at this.
"A good model." Harry nodded back. A private conversation with the best seeker in the world, Harry could think of no better thank you for his efforts towards fairness. He did not say so, he doubted Krum would understand; his english was only so good.
***
“So Fleur keeps the title and they split the winnings?” Sirius asked, back at their meeting place in the forest.
“Yeah,” Harry replied, “It was all kind of disappointing really.“
“I don’t think this tournament is going to come around for a long time again.”
“It could come back,” Ron said looking at Hermione.
“It was all very dangerous Ron! I mean, with a memory charm on, Cedric and Viktor could have gotten killed had things gone terribly wrong!”
"But things didn't!"
“Yes,” Sirius broke in, “But everything could have gotten very out of hand, and luckily enough it didn’t. And I’ll be rather relieved if this tournament never comes back.”
“Why?” Ron asked, "It kept things rather exciting." Harry nodded at this, Hermione glowered.
“Because," Sirius began, "A trophy and any amount of galleons is never worth a loss of character. You have to have your limits, and prizes are often to blinding.” That was pretty deep, Sirius thought of himself, failing to add his greatest fear: his fear for Harry's life. If Harry ever found himself involved in anything resembling the Triwizard Tournament, (especially what had transpired this year,) Sirius doubted he would be able to stand the worry.
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Your Mission is to:
Build from Return to Hogwarts
Elements to Include:
red sparks means danger
teamwork solves a problem
Ludo Bagman bagged
Hermione finds a clue in her Transfiguration homework
Goblins and Twins have a run in
A wand is found on the ground
A spider holds up a champion
Rita Skeeter reveals a cheater
Madame Maxime has a problem
A Firebolt and a Nimbus
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I'm condemned by a society that demands success, when all I can offer is failure
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Tri-Ferret Tournament -The Third Task, Submissions
Department_of_Mysteries Tri-Ferret Tournament -The Third Task Nov 21 2005, 12:34 AM
Nov 21 2005, 12:34 AM
