Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

A few minutes later, Harry, with Delacour in his left hand and Krum by his right, finally rejoined the group. The three of them, along with the three hostages, floated towards the surface of the water.

The surroundings gradually brightened, and a pale golden light slowly seeped in, making the water flow softer and revealing a cold, clear quality.

They broke through the water.

On the referee's stand, Ludo Bagman loudly announced using a megaphone:

"The Hogwarts team has successfully completed the challenge! Merlin... I can hardly believe my eyes! They brought back—"

His voice suddenly stopped.

Because he saw the three hostages surfacing.

—Not just Amanta Merlin.

There's also Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons and Victor Krum of Durmstrang.

In an instant, the scene fell silent.

Ludo Bagman stared wide-eyed, unsure whether to applaud or call a halt.

“I…uh…obviously, this game…has taken some surprising turns.”

He swallowed hard, looking at the others in the referee's box. Dumbledore frowned, while Karkaroff and Maxim beside him were astonished, their expressions complicated.

Finally, Bagman shrugged and continued:

"The Hogwarts team has brought back three hostages... This clearly means that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's team have failed in their mission. The second round of the Triwizard Tournament is now over!"

As Bagman finished speaking, the entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers and commotion.

At that moment, the entire Hogwarts was in an uproar.

"Hogwarts!!!"

The shouts instantly resounded throughout the heavens and earth, and the young wizards in the stands by the Black Lake were so excited they almost jumped up.

Beauxbatons and the others froze in place, while Durmstrang erupted in a series of incomprehensible growls and curses. Headmaster Karkaroff also jumped up from his chair, his cloak billowing in the wind, his expression contorted.

In the Hogwarts stands, Hermione Granger was almost the first to stand up from her seat.

"They're out! Oh my god, they're really out!"

She exclaimed, her eyes scanning the people who had surfaced on the lake—Amanta, Draco, Harry, and Julius—with disbelief and eagerness.

"Amanta!" Neville squeezed next to Hermione, trying to get a better look at the lake. "Is she still unconscious?"

“She’s very pale,” Luna said softly, her silver-grey eyes fixed intently on the lake, “but she’s breathing. I can feel it, she’ll wake up soon.”

The students around were already cheering loudly, and some even started waving their magic wands wildly towards the lake shore, launching colorful fireworks and sparks.

"Hogwarts won! Potter! Malfoy! They won!"

"Long live Amanta Merlin!!"

"Look how many people they saved! It's a complete victory!"

A group of fourth-year Ravenclaw students angrily threw Galleons on the ground, arguing around the wizard chessboard and debating whether to place bets on the outcome of the next round.

"What the hell!"

"My Wizard Chess!"

"Haha, see? Don't you regret not listening to me and betting on Hogwarts?"

Meanwhile, a boy who appeared to be an older Slytherin student had quietly crumpled up the bet slip that Durmstrang was sure to win and stuffed it into his scarf.

Meanwhile, unease also arose on the judging panel.

"They shouldn't have brought out other hostages; that violates the rules of the game."

Madame Maxim frowned deeply, her face darkening, while Karkarov's voice could almost be heard across the lake to the hills.

"This isn't fair! Our warrior is still at the bottom of the lake! Krum is our strongest warrior! You can't end the game like this!"

Dumbledore did not respond to his roar. He slightly suppressed his earlier surprise and gazed at the lake, his robes fluttering slowly in the morning breeze, his eyes unfathomable.

"Bobby, go and look after those kids."

Dumbledore nodded to Madam Pomfrey, signaling her to go immediately to attend to the unconscious warrior.

Meanwhile, referee Ludo Bagman on the competition stage tried to adjust his expression from shock back to official professionalism: "Uh... the second round is over! Warriors, please proceed to the rest tents. We will check the results against the scoreboard and announce the second round scores shortly!"

Flags waved and crowds shouted from the wooden platform surrounding the lake; they had never seen such a dramatic match unfold.

*

The tent entrance is not far away.

Harry and Draco each supported the unconscious Amanta on one side, their soaked cloaks clinging to their bodies, water droplets sliding down their hair and dripping down their cheeks into their collars.

Fleur Delacour and Victor Krum had previously been levitated together to their beds by Madam Pomfrey.

Julius, on the other hand, took the last step at a leisurely pace.

His school uniform was clean and tidy, as if the lake water and cold had never truly touched him. His black hair was plastered to his forehead, and his eyes were calm, showing neither pride nor remorse.

Madam Pomfrey was already waiting in the tent. As soon as they entered, she grabbed her wand and shouted, "Sit down, all of you! Quickly, lay her flat!"

“Her body temperature is low, and she won’t wake up immediately, but she’s not in mortal danger,” Madam Pomfrey said quickly, casting several drying and warming spells to dispel the moisture from their robes. Then she cast a cleansing spell to remove the mud and grime from the lake. “Don’t disturb her; she needs to recover.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and finally sat down on the edge of the bed, glancing down to check on Amanta's condition while patting Draco's shoulder:

"Draco, did you see that? That timer?"

Draco frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the tent roof, as if recalling something: "It seems like...seventeen minutes? Less than twenty."

"Seventeen minutes and eight seconds!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, his eyes gleaming with pride. "My God, this is the fastest time ever! We've got this in the bag!"

"But what's the cost?"

Draco lowered his eyes, his voice as cold as frost. His gaze fell on Julius across from him.

The latter remained calmly standing in the corner, as if he had nothing to do with the game.

"What do you think she'll say when she wakes up?"

Draco stared at Amanta's pale face and whispered.

He didn't like this victory—a victory that came at the cost of her possessions and her safety.

This is unsettling.

"You shouldn't talk to me like that."

Julius turned his head and stared at the arc of sunlight cast on the edge of the castle outside the curtain, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

"I'm trying to help you."

Outside the tent, the direction of the judges' panel was still filled with the sounds of arguing and commotion.

The judges are discussing the scoring for this competition.