More Than Victory
The crowd in the stands didn't know whether to applaud or remain silent.
What they had just witnessed hadn't been a simple trial… but chaos that had ended far too soon.
Even so, there weren't many complaints. The little they had seen had been a rollercoaster of emotions, just like in the previous two trials.
Still, there was a faint sense of disappointment; this one had ended too quickly, with fewer battles than the others.
But it hadn't been meaningless. They had seen Harry destroy a massive creature, and Luciel form a strange kind of friendship with the giant squid.
They had seen Marton running for his life in complete panic, Viktor moving through the lake with calm precision and strategy, and Fleur struggling to survive. When she was swallowed whole the first time, it drew gasps from the crowd, only for everyone to release a breath of relief when she emerged from the creature's mouth and made a brilliant escape before being saved by Harry.
Each of them had proven, in their own way, why they were champions. And now, all eyes were on Ludo Bagman, waiting for what he would say.
Fortunately, he didn't take long.
The murmurs in the stands faded into silence.
"Ladies and gentlemen, a decision has been made. As you may have noticed, the trial cannot continue. However, we will still assign scores to each champion based on their performance during this task. As one of the organizers, I sincerely apologize for failing to ensure that everything went as planned," Ludo said, his tone directed toward the crowd. "But rest assured, the next task will be thoroughly reviewed from start to finish so that something like this does not happen again."
"Now, to what matters. The judges have agreed to award a general score, even if not all participants were able to complete the task. Considering the danger they were put in due to poor organization, we believe they all deserve it," he added.
"The total scores, out of a maximum of sixty points per champion, are as follows. Mr. Kovac, who was the most unfortunate, as he was unable to even approach the objective, becoming lost and eventually encountering a dangerous creature. Though he managed to escape for a time before being rescued, he will receive a score of twenty-five points."
The stands erupted into applause, though some couldn't help but laugh lightly at the unfortunate champion. He looked calmer now, thanks to the calming potion Madame Pomfrey had given him, but his face was still pale as he forced a weak expression.
"The next is Mr. Krum, who demonstrated a partial transformation and, thanks to it, navigated the lake with relative ease, even coming close to retrieving his most precious item. However, at the final moment, he was forced to retreat due to the appearance of the giant squid. Therefore, he will receive a total of forty points."
At that, Viktor's expression tightened slightly, and he shot Luciel a look, clearly dissatisfied… but said nothing.
Luciel, noticing the glance, met his eyes for a moment and simply offered a friendly smile.
"Now, we move on to the champions from Beauxbatons. These two were somewhat more difficult to judge. Miss Delacour found herself in extreme danger, yet used her magic skillfully to escape and buy enough time to survive. Meanwhile, Mr. Delacour seemed able to form a connection with one of the oldest beings in this lake with remarkable ease… though some might consider that an unfair advantage," Ludo added, briefly glancing toward Karkaroff. "Even so, Miss Delacour was still far from recovering her item. The final scores are forty-five points for Luciel, and forty-one for Fleur."
Luciel smiled brightly at the result, while Fleur didn't seem entirely pleased. She felt she didn't deserve that many points, especially after falling into the creature's trap at the beginning… and, more than anything, because she had ultimately needed to be rescued.
"And finally, we come to the champions of Hogwarts. For one of them, we encountered a slight issue while assigning a score, as the magical image tracking him was lost for a period of time. We are speaking of Draco Malfoy, who can only be evaluated based on what we observed before he disappeared from view. For his use of such an original alchemical item, his perfectly calculated route, tracking clues like a true detective beneath the water, and avoiding danger entirely, much like Mr. Krum, while coming close to retrieving his item before being removed from the lake… he will receive a score of forty points."
Draco said nothing in response, maintaining a serious, almost thoughtful expression, while his mother stood nearby with a cold, unreadable gaze.
"And now, the final champion: Mr. Potter. As we all witnessed, he was the first to reach the merfolk village. However, instead of retrieving his item, he sensed the danger facing one of his fellow champions and, without hesitation, turned back, giving up a guaranteed victory to rescue her. He arrived just in time and saved her with an exceptionally powerful display of magic. The majority of the panel…" Bagman cast another glance toward Karkaroff, this one far less polite "…agrees that this demonstrates remarkable moral character and deserves to be rewarded with the highest possible score. However, Mr. Potter's final score is fifty-five points."
Upon hearing this, even Harry couldn't help but feel a slight hint of surprise, while the people around him applauded with excitement, including the other champions… except perhaps Viktor and Marton, who seemed somewhat downcast at occupying the last two places.
Draco wore an annoyed expression at being fourth, his competitiveness showing clearly, but he was genuinely happy that his best friend had taken first place.
Luciel also applauded calmly, though his smile carried a faint hint of battle instinct, as if he was already looking forward to facing Harry. And Fleur clapped as well, a soft, almost sweet smile on her lips that, the moment she met Harry's gaze, quickly shifted into something more restrained, as if she were only applauding out of courtesy.
"The fourth and final task will take place at dusk on June twenty-fourth," Bagman continued, cutting through the applause. "The champions will be informed of its nature exactly one month in advance. Thank you all for coming and for the support you've shown. We hope you look forward to the next task, which will surely be just as exciting as everything you've seen so far," Ludo finished, turning toward the stands, which seemed genuinely eager to see what would come next.
Even if this last task had been something of a failure, it didn't stop people from enjoying themselves, especially with the small festival that had formed just outside the stands. It helped ease the disappointment of how quickly the trial had ended.
In a way, it prevented the crowd from growing upset, so it could be considered a stroke of luck that Sirius had agreed to organize it.
Madame Pomfrey quickly ushered the champions toward the tents that had been set up for them so they could change into dry clothes. On cold days like this, walking around soaked and in swimwear wasn't exactly ideal… especially after being submerged in the depths of a freezing lake.
Harry changed quickly before stepping out of his private changing area. As soon as he did, he noticed Luciel sitting in the middle of the tent, staring at a photograph with a deeply nostalgic expression.
As Harry approached, Luciel lifted his gaze slightly and gave him a faint smile.
"You change fast," he said.
"Yeah, well… I only need a snap, so…" Harry replied casually before glancing at the photo in Luciel's hand.
It was a cut photograph. It showed a younger Luciel smiling brightly, while a beautiful woman stood beside him, her hand resting gently on his shoulder, wearing the same kind of warm, approachable smile Luciel often had. She had to be his mother.
On the other side, the photo had been cut off, leaving only a man's hand resting on Luciel's shoulder. The rest of him was gone. Most likely his father… Armand Dorian Dominic Duvalier.
"She's my mother, Apollina. She's beautiful, isn't she? This was the last photo we took together before she was murdered by my father," he said, his tone turning cold for just a brief moment before he quickly steadied himself.
Then he looked back at Harry.
"I couldn't help but notice yours as well. It's with Professor Wanda, right? Your mother. We really are a bunch of mama's boys. Even Fleur's is one with her mother," he added with a small, amused smile.
Harry pulled out his own photo for a moment and looked at it. In it, Wanda was holding him gently, both of them smiling brightly, while Harry clutched what looked like a document.
An adoption paper.
That had been the day Wanda legally adopted him in the muggle world. Something that should have been nothing more than paperwork… but for Harry, it had been the happiest day of his life.
"Well, everyone has their own story. And remembering who was there for us while we were growing up… that's not something we'll ever forget," Harry said calmly.
Luciel watched him for a moment before nodding with a small smile.
"Thank you, Harry. For saving Fleur. I'll always be grateful for that. I could never bear to lose even one of them," Luciel added, looking him straight in the eyes, while Harry simply gave a faint smile.
"I'd do it as many times as it took… some things are worth more than winning," he said lightly before turning away with a quick wave.
As Luciel watched him leave, his gaze shifted slightly to the side, where a few strands of platinum blonde hair could barely be seen… along with a visibly red ear.
He paused for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh, already knowing who it was.
"You two are unbearable to watch," he said with an amused smile.