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With the exams over, the students were finally free and able to enjoy their vacation.
Before the final round of the Tournament, the Quidditch Friendship Cup finals had to be held first.
The participating schools had faced each other in rotation, and the two teams with the highest scores advanced to the championship match. One of them was Mahoutokoro, while the other was Durmstrang, led by Krum.
Hogwarts had lost to both schools without exception, leaving them in third place and missing the finals entirely.
When Oliver Wood heard the news, he actually came back to Hogwarts after graduation just to give the Weasley twins, who were serving as Beaters, and Harry, the Seeker, a fierce scolding.
In his eyes, this was nothing short of a disgrace to Hogwarts.
If he had still been the Keeper, things never would have turned out this way.
"I swear Wood cares more about Quidditch than his own life." Hermione hugged a book to her chest as she complained to Tom.
Wood had shown up again today for the finals.
She found it hard to imagine anyone being so obsessed with Quidditch.
It wasn't even some world-class championship match. It was just a school tournament, and the Lume-Lens was broadcasting it live. He could have watched from home.
Yet he insisted on making the trip in person.
"Everyone needs a hobby," Tom said as he walked beside her along the lakeshore. "Besides, weren't you the one who carried books around looking for Lockhart's autograph back then?"
The moment he brought up that embarrassing chapter of her life, Hermione's face flushed bright red.
She smacked him lightly with the book in her hand.
"My mistake, my mistake." Tom quickly caught her hand. Hermione pretended to struggle for a moment before making a strategic retreat.
Then, Tom asked about the progress of her recent "programming" project.
That immediately got her excited. She began chattering away, enthusiastically describing her latest achievements and the problems she'd run into.
However, she refused to accept any help from Tom.
Hermione had always believed that only answers she arrived at through her own thinking truly belonged to her. Answers given by others were merely information.
Unless she genuinely couldn't figure something out, she would never ask Tom for help.
That kind of independence was rare even among adults, let alone a teenage girl.
Tom respected that aspect of her completely and avoided interfering. As much as he wanted to see the finished product she was working on, he was patient enough to wait.
Eventually, Hermione grew tired from walking.
The two sat down on the grass beside the lake, enjoying the gentle breeze. Not long afterward, Hermione leaned against Tom's shoulder and fell asleep.
...
..
The day of the finals arrived.
The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement.
Many students held their iCodex in hand, watching Rita Skeeter's predictions for the tournament's final outcome.
Rita predicted that Daphne would finish in first place, and surprisingly, plenty of people agreed.
Even Gryffindors were supporting her. For the sake of Hogwarts' honor, they hoped Daphne could claim the championship.
Of course, if the Hogwarts representative had been Draco Malfoy instead, quite a few people would probably have reconsidered their loyalty.
The guy was simply too unpopular with Gryffindor.
After breakfast, Professor McGonagall gathered the champions and escorted them away.
Their parents had also been invited to cheer them on.
Only Ariana and Kamio remained without family present.
There was hardly any point inviting their parents. One had died long before this era even existed, while the other's parents had been gone for many years.
Still, Aberforth Dumbledore had come to support his little sister.
Tom also demonstrated his time-management skills by meeting Monsieur and Madame Delacour as well as Lady Greengrass separately, carefully avoiding any overlap.
The tense and excited atmosphere continued all the way until two o'clock in the afternoon.
Then the climax finally arrived. People lined up and stepped into green flames, traveling once again to the Dream Arena.
The final match would be held there as well.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final event of the Tournament is about to begin! Are you ready to witness the end of this legendary Tournament? Are you ready to see who will emerge as the final champion?"
Ludo Bagman's voice echoed throughout the Dream Arena as he addressed both the audience in attendance and viewers watching through their Lume-lenses.
"Let me first announce the current standings."
"Kamio, Ariana, Daphne, Fleur, Jauncey, Nassim, and Quinta."
"Those are the current rankings."
Kamio held a commanding lead. Ariana and Daphne were close behind, while everyone else had fallen significantly behind.
Quinta, in particular, trailed Kamio by a full eighty points.
...
The Dream Arena had been transformed into an enormous and complicated maze.
Spectators could see all kinds of magical creatures, dangerous plants, and various traps scattered throughout it.
At the very center of the maze stood a passageway leading to a single exit.
"The contestants will enter the maze according to their current rankings. Each point of difference grants thirty seconds of head start."
"The contestants must navigate the maze and reach the final championship passage."
"Beyond that passage lies the mysterious City of Magic... Dalaran."
"The final battle will take place there."
A wave of astonished cries swept through the audience.
Ever since the banquet celebrating Astoria's recovery, Dalaran had never appeared before the public again.
No one expected that on the day of the finals, Tom would finally choose to open it to the world.
"The Goblet of Fire has been placed at the highest point of Dalaran. At the top of Karazhan's Mage Tower."
"Whoever obtains the trophy will immediately and unconditionally become the overall champion of this tournament."
Quinta's face turned pale.
A single point meant thirty extra seconds.
She was eighty points behind Kamio. That translated into over forty minutes.
The gap was so large that Kamio could probably take an afternoon nap before she even entered the maze.
"Now, listen for my whistle! Miss Kamio, please prepare yourself!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
Tweet!
The sharp whistle rang out.
Kamio smiled at the other contestants, then walked toward the maze entrance.
The entrance itself was complicated, splitting into seven different pathways.
After a brief moment of thought, she stepped onto the middle routeβpath number four.
...
High above the arena, Tom stood alone in the sky. His gaze swept across the entire maze before shifting toward his city.
Although he believed Voldemort probably wouldn't dare cause trouble, that lingering sense of unease still hadn't disappeared.
Because of that, he had decided to remain here and watch the competition from start to finish. The moment anything unusual happened, he would intervene without hesitation.
.
.
.