
seemed to be the chief merperson, a particularly wild and ferocious-looking
female. He was making the same sort of screechy noises that the merpeople made
when they were above water; clearly, Dumbledore could speak Mermish. Finally
he straightened up, turned to his fellow judges, and said, "A conference before we
give the marks, I think."
The judges went into a huddle. Madam Pomfrey had gone to rescue Ron from
Percy's clutches; she led him over to Harry and the others, gave him a blanket and
some Pepperup Potion, then went to fetch Fleur and her sister. Fleur had many
cuts on her face and arms and her robes were torn, but she didn't seem to care, nor
would she allow Madam Pomfrey to clean them.
"Look after Gabrielle," she told her, and then she turned to Harry. "You saved 'er,"
she said breathlessly. "Even though she was not your 'ostage."
"Yeah," said Harry, who was now heartily wishing he'd left all three girls tied to
the statue.
Fleur bent down, kissed Harry twice on each cheek (he felt his face burn and
wouldn't have been surprised if steam was coming out of his ears again), then said
to Ron, "And you too-you 'elped -"
"Yeah," said Ron, looking extremely hopeful, "yeah, a bit -"
Fleur swooped down on him too and kissed him. Hermione looked simply furious,
but just then, Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed out beside them,
making them all jump, and causing the crowd in the stands to go very quiet.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus
has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore
decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows. . . .
"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head
Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to
retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."
Applause from the stands.
"I deserved zero," said Fleur throatily, shaking her magnificent head.
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with
his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour."
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Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd; Harry saw Cho give Cedric a
glowing look. "We therefore award him forty-seven points."
Harrys heart sank. If Cedric had been outside the time limit, he most certainly had
been.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was
nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him
forty points."
Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned
last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess
informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his
return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his
own."
Ron and Hermione both gave Harry half-exasperated, half-commiserating looks.
"Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, "feel
that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However . . . Mr. Potter's score
is forty-five points."
Harry's stomach leapt - he was now tying for first place with Cedric. Ron and
Hermione, caught by surprise, stared at Harry, then laughed and started applauding
hard with the rest of the crowd.
"There you go. Harry!" Ron shouted over the noise. "You weren't being thick after
all - you were showing moral fiber!"
Fleur was clapping very hard too, but Krum didn't look happy at all. He attempted
to engage Hermione in conversation again, but she was too busy cheering Harry to
listen.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June,"
continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely
one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."
It was over. Harry thought dazedly, as Madam Pomfrey began herding the
champions and hostages back to the castle to get into dry clothes ... it was over, he
had got through ... he didn't have to worry about anything now until June the
twenty-fourth. . ..
Next time he was in Hogsmeade, Harry decided as he walked back up the stone
steps into the castle, he was going to buy Dobby a pair of socks for every day of
the year.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - PADFOOT RETURNS
One of the best things about the aftermath of the second task was that everybody
was very keen to hear details of what had happened down in the lake, which meant
that Ron was getting to share Harry's limelight for once. Harry noticed that Ron's
version of events changed subtly with every retelling. At first, he gave what
seemed to be the truth; it tallied with Hermione's story, anyway - Dumbledore had
put all the hostages into a bewitched sleep in Professor McGonagall's office, first
assuring them that they would be quite safe, and would awake when they were
back above the water. One week later, however, Ron was telling a thrilling tale of
kidnap in which he struggled single-handedly against fifty heavily armed
merpeople who had to beat him into submission before tying him up.
"But I had my wand hidden up my sleeve," he assured Padma Patil, who seemed to
be a lot keener on Ron now that he was getting so much attention and was making
a point of talking to him every time they passed in the corridors. "I could've taken
those mer-idiots any time I wanted."
"What were you going to do, snore at them?" said Hermione waspishly. People
had been teasing her so much about being the thing that Viktor Krum would most
miss that she was in a rather tetchy mood.
Ron's ears went red, and thereafter, he reverted to the bewitched sleep version of
events.
As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their
hands and faces every time they went out onto the grounds. There were delays in
the post because the owls kept being blown off course. The brown owl that Harry
had sent to Sirius with the dates of the Hogsmeade weekend turned up at breakfast
on Friday morning with half its feathers sticking up the wrong way; Harry had no
sooner torn off Sirius's reply than it took flight, clearly afraid it was going to be
sent outside again.
Sirius's letter was almost as short as the previous one.
Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and
Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much
food as you can.
"He hasn't come back to Hogsmeade?" said Ron incredulously.
"It looks like it, doesn't it?" said Hermione.
"I can't believe him," said Harry tensely, "if he's caught. . ."
330
"Made it so far, though, hasn't he?" said Ron. "And it's not like the place is
swarming with dementors anymore."
Harry folded up the letter, thinking. If he was honest with himself, he really
wanted to see Sirius again. He therefore approached the final lesson of the
afternoon - double Potions - feeling considerably more cheerful than he usually
did when descending the steps to the dungeons.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door
with Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls. All of them were looking at
something Harry couldn't see and sniggering heartily. Pansys pug-like face peered
excitedly around Goyle's broad back as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached.
"There they are, there they are!" she giggled, and the knot of Slytherins broke
apart. Harry saw that Pansy had a magazine in her hands - Witch Weekly. The
moving picture on the front showed a curly-haired witch who was smiling toothily
and pointing at a large sponge cake with her wand.
"You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!" Pansy said loudly,
and she threw the magazine at Hermione, who caught it, looking startled. At that
moment, the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron headed for a table at the back of the dungeon as usual.
Once Snape had turned his back on them to write up the ingredients of todays
potion on the blackboard, Hermione hastily rifled through the magazine under the
desk. At last, in the center pages, Hermione found what they were looking for.
Harry and Ron leaned in closer. A color photograph of Harry headed a short piece
entitled:
Harry Potter's Secret Heartache
A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of
adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise
of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his
steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know
that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already
littered with personal loss.
Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards
that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum,
Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has
been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the
devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the
summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl."
However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have
captured these unfortunate boys' interest.
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"She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year
student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think
that's how she's doing it."
Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore
will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potters well-wishers
must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate.
"I told you!" Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down at the article. "I told you
not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you out 