Because of a Dungbomb flying out of who-knows-where, the entire Quidditch Pitch instantly turned into utter chaos,
Karkaroff conjured clean water with his wand, furiously rinsing out his mouth, but it didn't help much.
The new version of the Dungbomb had absolutely fixed the flaw of being easy to wash off, hugely boosting how stubborn the smell was—no detergent could get rid of it, let alone just washing with water.
Karkaroff was both anxious and angry, but every time he tried to open his mouth to speak, the stench would hit him so hard he almost blacked out, leaving him mumbling and unable to get out a complete sentence.
"Oh, what did you say?" Dumbledore very obligingly stepped closer by two paces.
Karkaroff clamped his mouth shut, struggling to express what he meant.
"Yes, you're absolutely right, it really is out of line."
Dumbledore turned around and announced to everyone, "Professor Karkaroff asked me to pass on a message: next time you come to watch Quidditch, no bringing dangerous magic tools like Dungbombs, in case they explode in the crowd."
"Mmm… mmm…" Karkaroff groaned, neck stiff.
He'd just said to find that student and punish them severely—how did that get turned into such a casual warning coming from Dumbledore?
"Mr. Karkaroff, try this, it might help." Someone squeezed in through the crowd.
Filch shoved a big bottle at Karkaroff and said, "This is Mrs. Skol's Miracle Universal Stain Remover—just what you need to wash your mouth."
Wash his mouth with detergent?
Karkaroff felt utterly insulted, shaking with rage as he glared furiously at Filch.
But of course, Filch didn't catch on at all, and kept enthusiastically raving about how useful this remover was.
"It's got such a fresh fragrance! I usually spray a bit in the bathrooms—it works wonders."
Karkaroff's face got even gloomier. He flung the bottle aside, grabbed his wand, and was about to write out what he wanted to say.
But just then, Dumbledore happened to announce that everyone could disperse.
"Everyone leave in an orderly fashion, no shoving," he called out, his voice just loud enough to drown out the whimpering behind him.
"Remember, let our guests go first… Oh, Minerva, could you please go notify the kitchens? The first task was a great success—I think it calls for a feast."
"Of course, Headmaster." Professor McGonagall nodded. "I'll go right now."
So, under Karkaroff's incredulous gaze, all the students poured out toward the exit, laughing and joking as they went.
Fred and George were the first to dash off, weaving nimbly through the crowd, and swiftly vanished down the passage.
"I meant to hit him with it, you know."
Once they left the Quidditch Pitch, Fred glanced back and couldn't help but laugh, "Who'd have thought he'd open his mouth…"
George's shoulders were shaking too. "I reckon he probably won't be able to eat anything for a couple of days."
"Or maybe a whole week…"
Their eyes met, and they burst out laughing all over again.
Meanwhile, Kael, Fleur, and Krum—the three Champions—were being ushered back to the same changing room from before.
"You all did very well." Ludo Bagman came in, looking not particularly pleased—he seemed pretty distracted.
"Right, well, I have a few things to say.
"The second task will begin at 10 a.m. on February 27th. Until then, you'll have quite a long break.
"But we have a little something for you to think about—the stones you received contain clues for the second task… Figure out the riddle, and you'll be able to prepare yourselves before the tournament starts.
"That's it. All clear? Right then, you can go celebrate."
...
Kael left the changing room.
Maxime was waiting right outside; Fleur had no sooner emerged than she was whisked away.
Krum was escorted off to the Hospital Wing by a Durmstrang student—he'd need some time to recover.
Kael found Conna not far away. The two made their way back across the grounds, chatting non-stop the whole way.
They'd barely set foot inside the castle when someone came hurrying toward them.
"I can't believe the tournament tasks are so dangerous," Mrs. Weasley said, her voice trembling and looking thoroughly shaken.
"Mum, Kael handled everything perfectly," Charlie Weasley said, stepping up with a grin. "Don't forget, he's the top-scoring Champion so far—almost a full score!"
"Yes, you're absolutely right…" Mrs. Weasley hugged Kael. "You did so well, I knew you'd pull through… But I still think the tasks they set are just too dangerous. Fire Dragons… You're all just children, for goodness' sake."
Charlie opened his mouth. He really wanted to tell Mrs. Weasley that even before Kael was in fourth year, he and Mr. Scamander had already faced down dozens of Fire Dragons together.
But seeing how rattled Mrs. Weasley looked, Charlie thought for a moment and decided it was probably best not to freak her out any more.
He stepped forward to give Kael a hug as well, then let out a sigh.
"What a shame—I thought I might actually get to help a bit."
"What?" Kael didn't quite get what he meant.
"The Swedish Short-Snout."
Charlie said, "When it came time to choose the dragons, I made sure to pick one you and Mr. Scamander had nursed back to health. I figured it might help you out a bit."
Kael looked surprised. "You mean you picked the Swedish Short-Snout on purpose?"
"I just made a suggestion. They wanted to go with two Hungarian Horntails to begin with," Charlie said. "But it doesn't really matter now. Judging by how that Short-Snout behaved, it didn't seem to recognize you."
"No, you're wrong." Kael glanced around, lowered his voice. "It helped a lot."
"Oh?" Charlie's eyes lit up.
Just then, a crowd started to file into the Auditorium from outside.
Charlie immediately fell silent and dropped the subject.
"Congratulations on finishing your first task, Kael."
He patted Kael on the arm and put on his best nothing-to-see-here face, raising his voice: "I'll try to make it for the second task—if I can get the time off, anyway."
He then turned to Mrs. Weasley and said, "Mum, I have to go."
"Already?" Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Can't you stay for a meal? It really won't take long."
"I'm afraid not," Charlie said. "The Fire Dragons were already getting cranky earlier—their moods are pretty unstable, so we have to get them back as fast as possible."
Right on cue, a roar sounded from outside the castle.
"Oh no, looks like I'll have to run." Charlie waved to Mrs. Weasley and dashed out the castle doors.
In the entrance hall, Mrs. Weasley chatted with Kael for a little longer, gave him some final reminders, and then headed up the stairs.
Since it was so rare for her to come to Hogwarts, before heading home she planned to pop in on Ginny and Ron as well.