The deafening cheers still echoed throughout the arena.
Harry clutched the golden egg, feeling both the exhaustion that followed his narrow escape and the joy of victory.
He stood in the centre of the arena, breathing slightly heavily as he waited for the final scores.
"Absolutely brilliant! An outstanding performance!" Ludo Bagman's voice was still brimming with excitement.
"Now, let our judges score Harry Potter's courageous performance!"
At the judges' table, the Headmasters and representatives began revealing their scores.
Professor Dumbledore, with undisguised satisfaction and approval on his face, raised his placard.
9 points.
It was one of the highest scores awarded so far, showing just how highly he regarded Harry's performance.
Madame Maxime nodded elegantly and gave 7 points.
The Ilvermorny judge awarded 8 points.
Most of the other judges, including the representatives from Uagadou, Castelobruxo, and Kunlun, generally gave scores of 7 or 8.
The Hogwarts students watched the high scores accumulate, their faces glowing with pride and excitement as the applause grew louder and louder.
However, when it was Igor Karkaroff's turn, the gloomy, indifferent expression on his face remained unchanged.
He did not even spare Harry a glance before slowly raising his scorecard.
3 points.
"What?!"
"How dare he!"
"Not again!"
The Hogwarts stands immediately erupted.
The furious shouting almost drowned out every other sound.
The Gryffindor students were red-faced with anger, rising to their feet and shouting towards the judges' table.
Even the usually mild-mannered Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws looked indignant.
"Silence! Please maintain order!"
Bagman tried to calm the crowd, but his voice was nearly lost beneath the loud boos and protests.
Karkaroff ignored the uproar and stated his "reason" in a stiff, cold voice.
"His spells were cast hastily, his movements were awkward, and he completely lacked the composure expected of a champion."
The obvious nitpicking only added fuel to the fire.
"Nonsense!"
"Are you blind, Karkaroff?"
"Sore loser!"
The Hogwarts students' anger was completely ignited, and protests rose one after another.
The Weasley twins even tried to set off some Filibuster Fireworks to express their displeasure, but Professor McGonagall sternly stopped them.
For a moment, it seemed as though a confrontation might break out.
However, under Professor Dumbledore's silent gaze and the prefects' efforts to maintain order, the Hogwarts students were eventually forced to calm down, though hostile whispers and furious glares remained.
In the end, Harry's score was calculated. Although Karkaroff's maliciously low mark dragged it down, he still achieved a good result thanks to the fair scores given by the other judges.
Holding the golden egg, Harry spotted Ron and Hermione waving their arms excitedly at him, wide smiles on their faces.
The small trace of irritation in his heart immediately disappeared.
He had done it.
That was enough.
"All right... a minor interruption."
Ludo Bagman wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead and quickly changed the subject.
"Let's continue the tournament! Next up, from Durmstrang, Viktor Krum!"
A low, rhythmic cheer rose from the Durmstrang contingent.
Viktor Krum, wearing his usual grim expression and characteristic scowl, strode forward.
His appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.
After all, he was a world-class Quidditch star.
The crowd's attention, including the suppressed anger of the Hogwarts students, was temporarily redirected towards the famous player.
People wanted to see how this Durmstrang icon would face his challenge after the failure of their first champion and his Headmaster's recent public outburst.
Viktor Krum, his expression solemn, walked towards the centre of the arena amid the low, rhythmic cheers of the Durmstrang contingent.
He placed his broad palm against the cold Duelling Stone Tablet. The runes swirled, light flickered, and the tablet slowly sank into the ground.
The arena transformed dramatically once again.
The scorching volcanic landscape disappeared, replaced by a lush, verdant bamboo forest.
Tall, long bamboo stalks stretched towards the sky, their leaves rustling gently in the simulated breeze.
The air was cool and damp, carrying the fresh scent of bamboo leaves and earth.
Deep within the bamboo forest, the ground rose into a circular clearing carefully covered with smooth pebbles and soft moss, and at its centre lay the dragon's nest.
Perched upon the nest was Krum's opponent, a Chinese Fireball.
Its body was relatively thin and long, and its scarlet scales stood out sharply against the green bamboo forest.
The Chinese Fireball's head was crowned with a magnificent fringe of golden spikes resembling a circlet. Its snout was short, and the area around its nostrils was covered in distinctive golden scales.
Most striking of all were its eyes, a pair of emerald-green, cat-like pupils that were now carefully studying the intruder.
"Oh! It's a Chinese Fireball!"
Ludo Bagman's voice rang out at just the right moment. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a highly distinctive and intelligent dragon! Look at those beautiful scarlet scales and the golden crown around its head! Its name comes from its unique method of attack..."
As though confirming Bagman's words, the Chinese Fireball tilted its head back slightly. The golden scales around its nostrils seemed to glow, and then it gave a fierce roar and spat forward.
Instead of a continuous stream of flame, it launched a blazing ball of fire, hot and dazzling like molten lava, about the size of a broomstick head, straight towards Krum's position.
The fireball struck the ground not far in front of Krum and exploded with a boom, leaving behind a shallow scorched crater. Scattered sparks ignited several bamboo leaves, immediately filling the air with the smell of burning vegetation.
It was a warning.
A warning for Krum not to come any closer.
"There! Did you see that? An explosive fireball! Extremely long range and remarkably accurate!"
Bagman continued his rapid commentary. "Although it isn't the largest of the dragon breeds, its agility and intelligence more than make up for its size.
"It is said that they can understand human commands to a certain extent, making them one of the easier dragon breeds to train!
"Of course, 'easier to train' certainly doesn't mean it will go easy on Champion Krum today! This is still a very formidable opponent!"
After delivering its warning, the Chinese Fireball did not immediately launch another attack.
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