Chapter 236

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"Krum!" someone yelled from the bleachers, forcing us to pay attention to what was going on.

It turned out that it was Krum who arrived next to the shore. To the honor of the rescued French girl, I must note that she actively and skillfully rowed, helping the Bulgarian champion. The healers and the ministry staff rushed to meet them in order to examine them and verify the time of their return to shore. The spectators expressed their support in every possible way.

"Hey, Max," came a voice from above the bleachers next to where we sat. Looking up, I found smiling and satisfied Dean and Seamus wearing hats and scarves. "Well done!"

The guys waved at us with a smile.

"Stop pushing!" Seamus turned sharply. "What rude people, like at a country fair."

The boys got out of sight, and we continued to watch the events. While the wizards were checking Krum and the French girl, Harry and Ron made their way to the beach in their normal form. They climbed out of the water in an embrace and fell on the stones. Of course, wizards also rushed to them so that the hero of England would not accidentally die. It was also funny that tritons with pitchforks and spears floated behind Harry and Ron, singing some of their marches, or hymns, in general, something marching encouraging, in a rather unpleasant voice on land.

The judges came out from behind their bleachers and went down to the champions, making all sorts of commotion. Some of the students couldn't resist, wanting to get closer to the tournament participants. A few adult wizards came down as well. I recognized the Delacour couple at once, although I had not seen before - next to a stocky, plump man walked a beautiful stately blonde, from whom very, very slightly smelled of charm. Just enough to not leave her without attention, but also not to focus on the woman.

Somehow, all this commotion was drawn to the tent next to where we were sitting, but Dumbledore managed to lead the crowd with his leadership gestures so that everything and everyone could be seen from the bleachers. I also found it amusing that the headmaster left the crowd buzzing, quickly heading over to the mermaid with the crown I'd already seen, who was halfway out on dry land. They talked about something, though it sounded like a simple squeak. Then, after nodding at the received information and saying goodbye to the mermaid, Dumbledore went to the judges and the aquatic inhabitants - back to the bottom.

Personally, I was amused by the fuss around Krum, Harry, and Fleur. And this is just a dozen meters away from us, sitting on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket and quietly drinking chocolate that never gets cold.

Suddenly, Ludo Bagman's magic-enhanced voice rang out, causing some to flinch and the rest to simply pay attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We all saw perfectly well what was going on, but we didn't hear it. Finally, the leader of the mermaids and newts told us what those rare dialogues at the bottom of the lake were about. I remind you that the actions of the champions are graded on a fifty-point scale. So..."

Ludo Bagman picked up the parchment where the judges had already marked their decisions.

"Miss Fleur Delacour demonstrated a remarkable mastery of the Bubble-Head charm and other charms, but she was attacked by the grindylows and failed to rescue her hostage. Therefore, we decided to give her twenty-five points."

There was clapping in the stands.

"I'm not worthy," we could hardly hear her words in the noise, though she wasn't standing that far away.

"Mr. Maximilian Knight has shown excellent mastery of combat transgression, including a more difficult version of it for moving in the water. To save the hostages, he showed ingenuity, knowledge of permissible measures for moving people under the spell of Stasis, and very good skills in creating personal portkeys. Among other things, he did not abandon Miss Delacour's hostage in trouble and risking time in the individual competition, he waited for the rest of the champions, not wanting to leave the hostages to their fate. At the same time, his hostage, like himself, arrived back first and on time. For his skills and personal qualities, we give Mr. Knight the highest score, fifty points!"

The stands erupted in applause, and Hermione gave me a quick kiss on the cheek with a smile, immediately wrapping herself even more tightly in the plaid and snuggled up to me.

"Mr. Krum demonstrated an incomplete transformation, which, however, did not prevent him from completing the task, and he came back second. His score is forty points."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Karkaroff literally glowing with pride, as if he had personally achieved such perfection.

"Mr. Harry Potter made good use of the gillyweed," continued Ludo Bagman. "He successfully reached and rescued his hostage but was the last to arrive. So we decided to award him thirty-five points."

The audience was not stingy with applause for Harry either. After waiting for the crowd in the stands to calm down a bit, Bagman continued:

"The third and final test will take place at sunset on June twenty-fourth. A month before that, the champions of the Tournament will be announced as to what the challenge will be. Thank you all for supporting our champions."