#404 - Chapter 404 The Second Game Ends

Giving the Hogwarts champions team a perfect score, is there any objection to that?!

It would be truly foolish of Karkaroff to disagree.

Ludo Bagman only glanced at Karkaroff before turning his attention back to the three heads bobbing in the water, and shouted loudly.

"The champions of Hogwarts have taken first place, let's cheer for them!"

Accompanied by Bagman's high-pitched shouts, thunderous applause erupted from all around the stands. The audience members, without exception, stood up and raised their arms, chanting the names of Harry, Malfoy, and Cedric.

The shouts rose in waves, as if to overturn the Black Lake, instantly pushing the atmosphere to its climax.

Just then, a few ripples suddenly appeared on the calm surface of the lake. Then, the ripples expanded, and the water flowed as if drawn by some force, slowly lifting Harry, Malfoy, Cedric, and their partners, and sending them towards the dock.

Sebastian had been waiting on the dock for a long time.

He gently raised his wand and tapped the surface of the lake, causing the champions to float steadily from the water, suspended in mid-air.

Then, with a slight flick of his wrist, the group seemed to be guided by invisible threads, gently floating down to the dock.

Before they could even speak, drying charms accurately landed on them.

Accompanied by a warm breeze, the water stains on Harry and the others quickly evaporated, and their originally wet clothes became dry and neat, even their hair returned to its original state.

Cedric and Cho Chang immediately embraced tightly, causing a burst of whistles from the stands.

Ginny glanced at Harry and blushed directly. She lowered her head to hide her shy embarrassment, but she kept holding Harry's hand, refusing to let go no matter what.

Malfoy, pulling Astoria along, strode to Sebastian's side. His eyebrows were raised high, and a smug smile hung on his face.

"Professor Swann, we didn't disgrace Hogwarts, did we?"

"Excellent!" Sebastian's lips curled into a gentle smile, his tone revealing a hint of pride. "Welcome back to land. The judges greatly appreciate your performance, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, you will receive full marks."

"Really?!"

"Quickly put on some clothes and go to the medical tent. Madam Pomfrey and Mia are getting anxious."

Hearing Sebastian's reminder, Malfoy, Harry, and Cedric realized that they were still wearing their diving swimsuits.

Oops, forgot about that!

The three exchanged glances, their faces instantly turning slightly red, and lowered their heads in unison. Then, as if they had agreed upon it, they quickly darted into the changing tent on the dock, and soon emerged wearing neat school robes.

Their expressions returned to their usual composure and confidence, as if the embarrassment just now had never happened.

Outside the dock, besides Madam Pomfrey and Mia, Malfoy's parents, Cedric's father, and Ron and Hermione were all waiting there early.

Without explanation, they pulled the three champions into the medical tent and began to shower them with concern.

"Harry, you guys were amazing!" Hermione said with a happy face. "I was worried about what would happen if you were also captured by the merpeople."

"Ginny, why is your face so red? You didn't catch a cold, did you?" Ron asked nervously. "Here, this is the special cold potion provided by Madam Pomfrey and Madam Swann, drink it quickly."

Malfoy's mother held Astoria's small hand while caring for her in a gentle voice, her eyes full of doting and joy, obviously extremely satisfied with this little girl.

Cedric's father patted Cedric on the shoulder and said with a proud face, "Good job, kid. You truly are my son."

Madam Pomfrey and Mia gave everyone a detailed examination, and after confirming that there were no injuries, everyone was relieved. Soon, laughter filled the tent.

After a while, the champions from the other schools gradually arrived at the medical tent. Although they looked tired, they couldn't hide the excitement on their faces.

Just as the champions were arriving at the medical tent one after another, the judges gathered together to discuss the results.

Apart from Hogwarts, the champion teams from the other schools arrived at the surface at almost the same time. The judges argued for a full 10 minutes before reaching a limited consensus.

The host, Bagman, came to the stage and cast a Sonorous charm on himself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after much consideration, we will now reveal the scores of each of the champion teams."

The champions walked out of the medical tent one after another, waiting for Bagman to announce the final results.

"First, the Ilvermorny champion team. They actively participated in the rescue operation without anyone being captured. Although they were the last team to emerge from the water, we still give them 42 points."

There was applause from the stands, but the three lowered their heads in silence. There was nothing to be done, their swimming speed was indeed slower compared to the other teams.

"Next, the Beauxbatons champion team. Their silent spells were very beautiful, defeating many grindylows, and they emerged from the water in fourth place. Taking everything into consideration, we give them 43 points."

Their performance was good, but they were slightly slower during the cooperation trial, which is why they fell to fourth place.

"Then, the Durmstrang champion team. The captain, Krum, passed through the early stages extremely quickly, and after failing to rescue his teammate, he took the initiative to propose cooperation with the other schools. He was also the first to take the lead when carrying out the decoy mission. Taking everything into consideration, their score is 44 points."

"Krum got a bit of a raw deal," Malfoy said quietly. "He was actually very fast, but it's a pity his teammate was captured. Look at Karkaroff's face..."

"Draco," Lucius gently patted him on the shoulder, "Don't pay too much attention to Karkaroff."

"In second place is the Uagadou champion team. Their human transfiguration is extremely exquisite, the team members cooperated perfectly, and they emerged from the water in second place. Their score is 45 points."

The three Uagadou champions waved their fists and shouted celebration slogans that no one could understand.

"In first place are the champions of Hogwarts!" Bagman shouted at the top of his lungs. "They conquered all the judges with their impeccable performance, so their score is... 50 points!"

Enthusiastic applause erupted from the stands, and various wizard hats and scarves were thrown into the sky by the little ones.

"Finally," Bagman's voice rang out again, "I would like to remind everyone that the final match will be held on the evening of June 24th. We will notify the champions of the specific tasks one month in advance."

The young wizards ran down from the stands, crowding around Harry and the others as they walked towards the Great Hall.

There were still four months until the next match, and what they needed now was revelry.

They chanted Harry's name in unison, waving their arms wildly, fully releasing the exuberant passion of youth.

Sebastian strolled along the corridors of Hogwarts, occasionally looking up at the twilight sky outside the window.

He had originally planned to return home with Mia and enjoy a rare quiet evening.

However, a phone call from Dumbledore interrupted his plans.

Passing through the spiral staircase and walking up the last few steps leading to the Headmaster's office, Sebastian felt a little curious about this sudden summons.

After all, at this time, right after the match had just ended, he really couldn't think of anything that Old Dumbledore would need him for so urgently.

Pushing open the door, a black figure by the window made him pause slightly.

"Oh, Severus, you're here too?"