The moment Harry Potter stepped out of the arena, he was besieged by a mob of frenzied and somewhat hysterical healers that began examining him without considering his annoyance. However, there were a few who looked tense and unwilling to approach him more than necessary - smart people, those ones. The healers might have had excellent luck or maybe Lady Fortune was in a good mood because the boy's friends took him away before anyone was injured, despite the medics' complaints, which were quieted by a glare from Professor Kowalski.

"Glad to see you in one piece," Viktor tried to joke, though the worry lines still marred his face.

"What you did there, no one else could even come near that level of destruction or raw magic," Cedric said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder and guiding him towards the couches.

"It was nothing impressive," Harry answered in a dismissive tone, taking deep breaths in order to regain control of his fluctuating temper.

"Well, maybe it is because you were the one experiencing it instead of seeing it from the perspective of a normal mage," Fleur said, pouring a cup of tea and offering it to him.

"Should I feel insulted?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl's words but accepting the tea nonetheless.

"Not at all," she denied, taking a seat near him. "It is just... The way you control magic is... unbelievable," she tried to explain, stumbling with the words and getting frustrated at her lacking vocabulary.

"Fleur is right," Cedric muttered, saving the girl more frustration. "The wall wasn't meant to be destroyed, but you did it either way... Well, Viktor also managed it."

"Barely," the boy in question added. "After three bombardas and an exscindo, a spell that my mother created," he clarified, glaring at the ground.

"I told you it doesn't matter. I'm fine already," the Hufflepuff champion said with an overly cheery tone.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked, frowning when he noticed Cedric was favouring his right arm while the left one was resting over his lap.

"Not much, just a little scratch-"

"Sprained ankle and dislocated shoulder," Viktor interrupted with a slight growl. "I blasted the wall and made Cedric fall from the top of it."

"But he was the one who interrupted my fall and doesn't want to believe me when I say that I managed to injure myself while fighting the harpies," Cedric retorted with equal irritation.

"You two stop it," Harry ordered, not having the patience to deal with the childish problem. "Whether your spells made Cedric fall or not, the thing is that he wasn't damaged in any significant way," the young champion told Viktor, who lowered his gaze. "At least we now know we need more time to practice our teamwork and also try the limits of our spells, so stop squabbling over it."

After scolding his friends, Harry ignored them and closed his eyes. His temper was flaring and that never had positive results, especially considering his magic tended to leak and cause detrimental and quite painful results. Whilst Harry was busy controlling himself and the other boys were wallowing in shame, Fleur was rummaging within her brain to find a way to dissolve the tension without provoking the anger of the youngest champion.

"Well, aside from that, I must say that I am offended," the French girl huffed, surprising her friends with her sudden outburst. "Valerie got stuck and you helped her," she accused Harry, poking his side.

"Were you expecting me to leave her there?" asked the bemused champion.

"Actually, I was expecting you to push her in," was the innocent answer of the girl, who was directing a mischievous smile to him. "I could almost feel your desire to do so."

"Ah, I won't deny that fact, Miss Delacour," Harry agreed, wearing a charming smirk. "However, I am a gentleman at heart."

"Liar," she grumbled a tad too loud. "You have no consideration for any lady while duelling."

"Therein is how I stress this trait," the young champion explained as he felt is anger vanishing thanks to the distracting conversation. "Miss Delacour, a real gentleman will never treat a person as inferior. Respect and politeness are basic to how a decent human lives," Harry explained, smirking at his scowling friend.

"But you helped Valerie because you have a reputation to maintain," Viktor commented, winking at the still scowling Fleur.

"Indeed," the accused acquiesced with a heavy sigh.

The French champion huffed and proceeded to ignore her friends while grumbling about annoying teenagers that were too intelligent for their own good and annoying brats that kept creaming her during duels. Her not so silent complaints lifted the mood of her friends, who were amused at her antics. Their interaction was interrupted when a limping Iwan collapsed on a nearby couch, looking ready for a long nap.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked the exhausted male.

"Got burnt by harpies and almost kissed by an ogre," was the Bulgarian's sullen response. "Though Fleur protected my maidenhood, the healers took care of the burns and only the trauma remains," he added in a jolly tone and the group wondered if he suffered a concussion as well.

"What harpies?" the youngest champion decided to ask instead of dwelling on Iwan's mental stability... or lack of thereof.

"Of course, you didn't see them!" Cedric exclaimed while smacking his forehead. "They were at the top of the wall. Now I thank Professor Flitwick for his dodging exercises; the things teamed up against me and tried to see how flammable I was... I'll apologize to him for all the bad thoughts that invaded my mind while he forced us to learn the aguamenti charm. Thanks to that, I'm not a roasted champion."

"I got annoyed by the idea of having to climb the wall and tried to blast it instead," Viktor explained, much to the surprise of the newcomer.

"But it regenerates," Iwan said.

"I noticed," the Durmstrang champion muttered. "It took quite a lot of power to create a space wide enough to pass."

"How did you deal with the Roubreang?" asked Fleur to no one in particular.

"Well, I really didn't-"

Whatever Cedric was trying to explain was forgotten when a fuming Valerie stormed into the room, a flock of healers behind her. The first thing the girl did was glare at Harry with so much anger that any other person would have wilted under her gaze. The boy, on the other hand, only raised an eyebrow at her and wasted no time ignoring her. Before the animosity between the champions could escalate, two teachers approached the group.

"Congratulations, to all of you!" Professor Munter exclaimed, clapping Iwan on the back. "Although you could have finished the task without being so amorous with the ogre," the man said, making his usually stoic student blush a bright red.

"Anyway, now that you're all here, you'll have to wait until the judges deliberate and have your scores ready," Professor Kowalski explained, saving her mortified student further humiliation. Iwan noticed the woman's efforts and sent her the most grateful look he could muster, trying to erase from his mind the traumatic events from not so long ago.

"While we wait, we want you to explain how you crossed each obstacle," the male teacher announced, taking a seat on the remaining couch.

"Then, we want a written analysis of how you could have done better. Benedict, Flitwick, and I will be available in case you have any questions. You have a week to present it," Isabelle said, sitting on the armrest of the same couch. "Mister Diggory, you may begin."

"Well, the first obstacle wasn't hard," the boy in question answered, looking thoughtful. "Though it would have been if I was alone. Viktor and I decided to transfigure stones into a simple bridge. We both blasted the rocks and Viktor held them in place while I transformed them."

"Oh yes, that was an excellent idea, not to mention the advanced wand work," Benedict congratulated his students.

"Mmm, I guess so... We crossed the obstacles without much trouble, though I will never complain while training again. What gave us problems was the slide."

"Yes, we tried many things but were unable to cross it. Then I saw the runes at the base of the slide and we deciphered them," Viktor added.

"Yeah, I stared while he did the entire job. Runes make my head ache," Cedric admitted a bit sheepishly. "Viktor was the one to discover the small compartment where the ropes and anchors were. We managed to put those together though it took time to make the rope go around the pole."

"So that is why a pole was at the top of the slide," Fleur said, her eyes lighting in understanding.

"Yup, then we had the ogre. We panicked until Viktor noticed the runes on the floor signalling that we could use our wands again."

"And Cedric transfigured a rock into a dog and animated it. The ogre was too focused on it to notice us," Viktor retorted. "The mountain was perhaps the hardest part. We wasted so much time and energy on trying to blast the door open before we noticed it was a puzzle... Then we wasted even more time solving it. Also, we would have never left that room had Cedric not lost his patience and thrown the bronze key at the door."

"A surprising way of finishing that part," the professor agreed.

"Then we had to cross the fire barrier, but we noticed that there was only one vial that contained enough liquid for one person," Viktor explained as if he had never been interrupted.

"I used the aguamenti charm to surround us while Viktor created a shield... Then, like the idiot I am, I decided that it was better to climb over the wall instead of following him," Cedric muttered with a grimace. "I charmed rocks to stick to the wall and was welcomed by harpies. One pushed me over and Viktor managed to cast a levicorpus before I broke something."

"I still say that my spells were the ones to destabilize you," the Bulgarian student muttered but continued explaining. "Then the Roubreangs approached us... I knew it was not real because my mother is not here, but I followed it for a few moments, until I glimpsed the golden sphere and scared off the creature."

"I would have followed it had you not dragged me out," Cedric admitted.

"Neither of you should worry about being affected," Professor Kowalski began explaining, "Roubreangs have a particular type of magic that allows them to penetrate even the most experienced Occlumens' mind. They aren't powerful, but there's no defence against their capabilities."

"I must add this," the other teacher muttered, his visage being marred by an accentuated frown. "Both of you had excellent teamwork, though that's not what we were expecting. I don't know how the judges will react, but I want to tell you that you did an excellent job," the man said, smiling at his students.

"Miss Delacour, your turn," the woman said.

"I transfigured a rock into a broom, and then charmed it to fly," Fleur said, containing her pride at the amazing feat. "The obstacle course was easy for me."

"Being that strong is not natural," Viktor muttered under his breath, low enough for no one to hear him.

"Ah, about that," Professor Kowalski interrupted, "I was wondering how you managed to get up the slide."

"Being part Veela has a few advantages," was Fleur's answer. Valerie scoffed at this, but the French girl ignored her classmate. "I placed an illusion around the ogre... Sorry for that Iwan," she apologized looking abashed.

"No worries, you only have to pay for my therapy," the boy said with a shrug. "Although you managed to save me from it and helped me go up the slide, so I think we can forget about it."

"I will buy you something," the girl decided, dismissing the boy's words. "Where was I? ...Ah, I climbed over the mountain and crossed the fire obstacle and-"

"How did you manage to do that? It was an impressive display," the female teacher complimented.

"Veela are immune to fire, so I trained in the ability," she explained with a shrug. "I climbed up the wall, cursed some harpies, burned a few others... The Roubreang brought me problems, though. I am not sure I would have broken the illusion had Iwan not squealed for help."

"I do not squeal," Iwan answered, the throbbing vein on his forehead being quite visible.

"Whatever, the thing is that I went back to help him and charmed the ogre to sleep. Then I finished the task."

"Well, while your tactics were unexpected, they were effective," Professor Munter commented. "Mister Bobkov, your turn."

"Nothing impressive in comparison," the boy sighed. "Charmed a flat rock to levitate and crossed the chasm, got stuck on the obstacle course, almost fell into that foul stuff," the boy mentioned in an almost lackadaisical way. "I used the holes that Fleur left on the slide to climb up, broke a finger, an ogre almost took advantage of me, solved the puzzle, got trapped, solved another puzzle, got burnt, broke another finger, got burnt again... Then I almost followed a creature to its cave, until I remembered that my sister would rather die than hold my hand and finished the task."

"That was quite a specific and vague explanation at the same time," Cedric muttered, his brow furrowed in confusion at how much the boy seemed to have gone through.

"You did well, Mister Bobkov," one of the professors congratulated. "You have the third-best time of the champions. Mister Potter, your turn."

"I jumped over the chasm-"

"Oh, yes! That was an amazing thing to see," Professor Munter gushed, earning a 'subtle' glare from his colleague.

"Please, continue," the woman ordered and willed the other teacher to remain silent with a simple look.

"The obstacle course wasn't hard, though I could have done without my olfactory receptors being so horribly attacked," Harry said, only his slight scowl showing how much he disliked the task. "I confess that the stench got on my nerves and I had no patience to ponder about how the judges wanted the tasks to be solved, so I did it in the way that would take the least amount of time."

"Are you also part Veela?" Valerie asked, using her usual acerbic tone. "You left holes in the slide."

"Ah, I'm afraid I don't share Fleur's heritage," was the boy's gallant response. "However, my mother was a breathtaking woman, so perhaps your theory isn't that farfetched. Although I didn't use any kind of special power, I simply used augmentation magic on myself."

"Brilliant!" the man exclaimed, looking quite excited. "While magic was contained inside the body thanks to Nina's array, you used the magic within your body. To think that you did that without a wand-"

The man's outburst was cut short by an ominous smile from the woman sitting beside him. If betrayal took human shape, it would emulate the professor's expression at the moment. Professor Kowalski, on the other hand, looked as calm as always.

"Please, continue," the woman ordered and Harry complied without comment, knowing better than to try to understand the complicated female mind.

"I was about to confront the ogre when I heard Valerie and decided to help her," the boy explained, not even looking at the girl. "Once she was out of peril, I went back and transfigured a few stones to resemble precious materials, then transfigured a rock into a donkey and charmed it to distract the ogre. Copper and tin are the main components for bronze, so it was easy to deduce the puzzle solution."

"How did you know this? Only alchemists tend to have knowledge about metal mixtures," Professor Munter inquired.

"You may not know this, but I continued studying a few Muggle subjects that caught my fancy. Muggles have this fascinating subject named chemistry... Thinking about it, alchemy and chemistry are closely related," Harry answered, looking lost in his thoughts. "Ah, anyway, the next obstacle was simple. Every kind of fire is extinguished if the aguamenti is powerful enough-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but how did you know it would work?" the woman asked. "I saw you decipher the puzzle and find the potion, so why did you use the charm instead?"

"I have an aunt - she's a Potions Mistress," he began explaining, "She taught me to never trust a potion unless it carries the certified seal, you brew it yourself, or it was brewed by someone you trust with your life. Perhaps Minister Bones trusted her brewer, but I was taught potions are a delicate matter and that lesson will not be forgotten. Besides, aguamenti has the elemental superiority over fire; only Fiendfyre would be a threat and I doubt the actual organizers would use that curse."

"I agree with your reasoning, Mister Potter. That's a lesson that should be taught to all students, please continue."

"I could have climbed the wall but had no motivation to do so, therefore, I decided to blast it. Beforehand, I cast a praesidium summa, instead of a simple protego, to avoid any kind of damage. The confrontation with the Roubreang wasn't hard. I knew the person it was trying to impersonate wasn't here and, while the similitude was uncanny, it was unable to emulate a few crucial traits. For some reason, it dropped the disguise."

Harry's explanation left the teachers speechless for multiple reasons. Neither could believe such a young student was able to cast that complicated shield, but what bothered the professors the most was the curse the young boy used and did not mention.

"May I know what spell you used to destroy the Roubreang?" Professor Kowalski asked with caution.

"Of course, it was a simple obfensus jinx."

"An obfensus jinx would have not caused it to disintegrate," one of the teachers retorted.

"Here," the boy said, giving his wand without even being asked. The kind of act only an innocent would be willing to do... an innocent, or a brilliant mastermind.

The woman took the wand, examining the boy's face and finding nothing other than indifference and a bit of apathy. Isabelle cast Proigoumeno Xorki, deciding to be thorough even though she had no real reason to suspect the boy aside from the cruel way in which the creature was dispatched. 'Obfensus' was the word that appeared, along with a few others spells for transfiguration. The woman felt a devastating shame for doubting such a gentle boy for no other reason than her own doubts and paranoid nature.

"I have no idea how the Roubreang disintegrated," Harry said.

"Maybe it did not like the feeling of being judged," Fleur commented, smiling at her friend.

"Anyway, I apologize, Mister Potter."

"No need, it's your job."

"Miss Aguillon, your turn."

"I charmed two rocks to cross the chasm," the girl began glaring at the floor. "I slipped during the first part of the obstacle course and was unable to climb back until Potter helped me," she spat the words as if the boy offended her in some way. "The obstacle course was hard for me, though I managed to climb the slide," she did not mention it was because of the holes Harry left, though her burning cheeks revealed that she was not proud of her performance. "The ogre was too busy growling at a donkey so I had no problems there. The puzzle was doable... There was still a small hole in the wall so I went through it," she muttered, her face contorted as if the words caused her physical pain. "The Roubreang was not hard to defeat... My mémé never wears the same outfit twice so the illusion did not affect me."

"Excellent, now we will deactivate your crystals and wait until the judges have come to a verdict."

Harry only raised an eyebrow at the woman and contained a smirk that threatened to surface. Isabelle Kowalski was not a simple teacher, of that the boy was sure. There was a reason why the woman was in Hogwarts and he doubted that it was because of her profession.

The boy knew the reason why the crystals were being deactivated after the champions' explanations was that the judges were watching them, analyzing their responses. He thanked his magic once again because, as useful as his wand was, it would never be able to surpass the innate power Mother Magic had blessed him with. Thanks to that, the Roubreang disintegrated. He only wished the creature to suffer for its impertinence and it was done, no need to use his wand, though he still cast the jinx. Harry Potter was many things, but reckless was not one of them. Overly cautious and prudent were words that defined him, so, if possible, he always had a plan for every probable scenario.

"Harry, we are being called," Fleur whispered to him, breaking his focus.

"Where to?" he questioned once he noticed the room was empty.

"There is a room across the hall where we can see the judges' scores through a projection mirror and, in return, they will be able to see our reaction."

"Lead the way; though remind me to speak with Marcus today."

The French student nodded and the duo walked in silence until they reached a plain room, which was definitely not decorated by the Potter elves, for the decor would have horrified every single one of them. Harry eyed the couches in distaste and decided that he would rather stand up - he was not the only one.

"Okay then, in that mirror you will be able to see the judges," Professor Munter began explaining. "The crystal that you see here will move from person to person to capture your reactions."

Harry sighed at the superfluous paraphernalia regarding the event. Did they think that everyone had the time? Considering how much free time commoners seemed to have, it was a possible and likely answer. Yet, every second of his time was precious and the only reason why he remained in the room was because Madam Bones had earned his respect... That, and because he did not fancy hearing Marcus whining the whole evening because he left early.

Therefore, rather than paying attention to the banal speech the commentator was giving, Harry was making plans for the Court during Yule Holidays. Many important events would be taking place. Viktor Krum, he was part of the Hogwarts Court, which meant he was under Harry's protection, who had decided it was time to free Svetlana Krum. Although, he did not know whether his Bulgarian friend would agree with the methods the Court used to deal with their problems.

Harry, contrary to popular opinion, was a simple individual. He made logical choices that would bring more benefits or less trouble in the future. With this reasoning, he helped his friends to be free from their families and it was his duty to do it once more. A simple overdose of the draught of the living death, an accidental fall, or even a Death Eater attack and Iker Krum would no longer be a problem. The problem lay in his friends, in whether or not they were ready to accept not everyone could be saved and few deserved a second chance. Were they ready to go to the great lengths the previous Guild went to? The only way to know was by acting, telling the new members how far they went and how much further they were willing to go.