The Bronze Final began with high hopes for the Gryffindors, who wished to secure the forty-five House Cup points on offer, but their team's morale was at a low after yesterday's defeat.
Except for Charles, the others were clumsy, overly cautious, and nervous, all of which Theodore and his Eagles fully exploited.
When the Gryffindors lost, and the reigning champions failed to claim even a single House Point in the tournament, it felt almost unreal.
Professor Victoire did not admonish the Gryffindors for their clumsiness, but she offhandedly remarked on the importance of a team keeping its confidence and leaving all other thoughts behind once they stepped on the Duelling Platform.
Theodore and his team were then presented with bronze medals, which Professor Flitwick happily placed around their necks while praising their bravery and skill throughout the tournament.
The next hour was a tense one, and the Hall was subdued.
At eleven o'clock, when Professor Victoire called the two teams to the Duelling Platform, the Hall grew even quieter.
Both the Badgers and Serpents calmly took their places, and Damien walked to the centre to meet Nymphadora, exchanging a polite greeting and bow.
Wands at the ready, they both returned to their stations, their footsteps echoing through the Hall.
The audience held its breath as they took up their positions, and this time, the magical hum did not sound immediately.
There was absolute silence for several seconds as both teams stood with wands poised, and sharp eyes could spot the faint tremble in their hands.
The only one who appeared entirely unbothered was Nymphadora, who wore a carefree, playful smile.
Then, the magical hum resounded, and without a moment's hesitation, the Badgers sent four jets of red light at the Serpents, who were only a moment late to respond but managed to block with their shields.
The Slytherins held their breath at seeing how hard-pressed their team was, but none dared to cheer, fearing it would cause distraction.
However, the Gryffindors were not so considerate and were desperate to see the Serpents lose. They cheered the Badgers with even greater enthusiasm than the Hufflepuffs, which left Professor McGonagall somewhat embarrassed.
Altair, realising that the Gryffindors' noise was troubling his team, frowned and clapped once above his lap to create a steady rhythm, almost drum-like.
Soon, every Slytherin in the stands was following his lead.
None of them screamed or shouted themselves hoarse, yet their rhythmic clapping overpowered all other noise.
The Gryffindors were taken aback, and they never regained their momentum.
The battle's tide turned when Gemma covered for Cordelia, who used "Imber Frigoris".
As the two Hufflepuffs focused on defending against the freezing rain, Aurelia seized the opportunity and targeted them with a powerful Knockback Jinx. Nymphadora blocked it deftly and sent one back at her, forcing Aurelia to defend.
"Cover Cordelia!" Damien called, and all three of his teammates gave everything as they protected their companion, who sat down and turned the entire platform into an ice field, enchanting her team's feet so they would not slip.
Once she finished, she intensified the frozen rain and then swapped with Gemma in the defensive line.
The Dumbledore heiress conjured a powerful wave of water, sending it towards the Badgers. It mingled with the blue droplets of rain, freezing after a few moments as the Hufflepuff team worked to defend themselves.
Nymphadora used the very water Gemma had sent to create an ice wall, buying her team a moment's respite. All four Badgers then used the spell "Vorticis!" together.
The audience relished seeing the spell used against the Slytherins, but the Serpents were ready, responding with "Vorticis Aegis", which collided with the vortexes and destroyed them, casting beautiful sparkles of magic all around.
"Gemma!"
At Damien's call, the Slytherin Prefect spun, waved her wand, and pointed it at the enemy station.
The students gasped as several flaming birds burst from her wand and swooped towards the Badgers.
They did not attack directly, but instead circled the station at such speed that the temperature soared, making it difficult for the Hufflepuff team to breathe.
All the ice melted, the freezing rain was dispelled, and the other Serpents launched Knockback Jinxes, which slipped past the ring of flaming birds.
Nymphadora managed to block them, but one of her teammates failed and was sent crashing into one of the flaming birds, which hurled him off the stage.
A moment later, something surreal occurred.
Cordelia, who had been preparing a spell, was targeted by an Expelliarmus that shot from the station under her feet and was eliminated.
Aurelia panicked and worriedly looked down, unaware of the Knockback Jinx headed her way.
Damien had to abandon his plan to save her, and the Badgers managed to disperse the flaming birds and went on the offensive again.
It was truly an onslaught that tensed the hearts of everyone in the Hall, and finally, the young Malfoy's inexperience showed itself. Both Damien and Gemma had to cover for her from time to time, and the Hufflepuffs were deliberately targeting her to get to her teammates.
Seeing how hard-pressed they were and that she was being a burden, Aurelia made a very brave decision and picked a target, even catching her own teammates off guard.
"Resiliverto!"
Suddenly, her target and she were both hurled backwards with considerable force, but she had angled it so that the Badger, on the way off, crashed into his own teammate, rattling him.
Damien did not miss his chance and struck the shaken Badger with Expelliarmus; in an instant, three duelists had been eliminated.
The Hall turned even more silent, deep in shock at what just happened, but they did not get much time to think as the battle was still ongoing.
Nymphadora stood alone against the combined assault of the two Serpents, and yet she seemed completely at ease.
Now that she no longer needed to protect her teammates, she unleashed her full power.
She was holding her ground well until she did something that shocked everyone.
The Head Girl fired a series of rapid Stupefy spells at her own station, but moments later, both Gemma and Damien were busy shielding themselves against those spells that shot out from beneath their own feet.
"Locurum Viridis!"
A magical green whip of light surged from Nymphadora's wand, and Damien pushed Gemma aside only to be caught and bound by it.
He was sent rolling off the station, and the Hufflepuff stand was about to erupt in celebration until they saw the same whip emerge beneath Nymphadora's feet, poised to grab her.
To the students' astonishment, she bounced up, performed a series of acrobatics, eliminated the mirrored attack, and then sent a serpent of water at Gemma, who countered with a serpent of flame.
Steam engulfed the platform, obscuring the two duelists, but a moment later, Nymphadora was thrown off the station. Before she could regain her balance and try to get back up, a blinding light struck her.
"Luxmurex!"
The flash caught her entirely off guard, and she landed on the floor, eliminated from the match.
When the steam dissipated, Gemma was discovered pinned against an ice wall, looking haggard and in pain. However, the smile on her face showed it was all worth it.
Nymphadora climbed the platform and waited at the centre, and after pulling herself from the wall, Gemma staggered to join her, remaining upright.
"You're mad," the Head Girl grinned, holding out her hand, and Gemma smiled back as she shook it.
"So are you. I doubt that would work a second time."
"It won't, but it worked when it counted. Congratulations!"
Their sportsmanship prompted the Hall to break into applause. Everyone seemed to accept the Slytherin victory, except for the Gryffindors, who refused to acknowledge it. Those who did clap only applauded the Badgers, but the Serpents cared little.
"Team Serpents 3 has defeated Badgers 1 and won the Quadrivium Cup 1990–1991 with ninety-nine points out of a hundred!" Professor Flitwick announced, sending the Hall into a frenzy.
"Aurelia Bellatrix Malfoy is the youngest Duelling Cup Champion in Hogwarts history! She is twelve years, one month, and two days old!" Professor Fletcher's voice rang out.
Cordelia and Aurelia jumped on stage to hug Gemma, bouncing excitedly, and Damien, who clearly needed a visit to the Hospital Wing, joined them with a bright, pain-defying smile.
Professor Snape rose and cast beautiful green and silver fireworks in the Hall, making the moment even more special and memorable.
The two teams received their medals from their Heads of House amid loud applause, then Professor Victoire presented the trophy to Damien, who lifted it towards the Staff Balcony as his teammates cheered.
A magical hum filled the Hall as their triumph was forever recorded, though it would only appear on the Wall of Champions the next day, after review from Professor Montclair, who was the Supervisor of this Hall.
With the addition of 160 House Cup points from this victory, Slytherin's position on the leaderboard was unassailable. Ravenclaw were second, 330 points behind, and Hufflepuff were third, only twenty points behind the Eagles.
The Slytherins gathered around the platform, singing "Campio" for their champions, who stood proudly and enjoyed their victory.
Every staff member came to congratulate them, posed for pictures, and then the Champions posed with their housemates.
It took over an hour for things to calm down. Professor Victoire then analysed the duel, explaining to those who had missed it that Gemma had used "Resiliverto" to send herself and Nymphadora off the stage, but had conjured the ice wall beforehand, so she crashed into it and stayed in play.
It was a reckless move, but perhaps the only option against someone like the Queen of the Unforeseen, who looked unfazed while facing both Gemma and Damien by herself.
Reckless, yes, but ambitious, focused, and cunning, and Professor Victoire praised Gemma's determination.
She also criticised both teams for some decisions but was not harsh, knowing nerves were high.
Team Serpents 3's score was just one shy of a perfect tournament, but ninety-nine points still put them second highest in history, an achievement in itself.
Afterwards, the Slytherins rushed to the Trophy Room, where Professors Snape and Tonks placed the Quadrivium Cup with the winners' names on the Slytherin Wall, sealed in a glass case.
Though not everyone had competed, every Slytherin was proud of this achievement. They all cheered when Professor Tonks promised treats after dinner tonight.
At lunch in the Great Hall, Damien, Gemma, Cordelia, and Aurelia received congratulations from all the other Houses. All, except for the Gryffindors.
Later, they visited the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey insisted Damien stay overnight for his fractures and bruises. She also made him drink a very bitter potion and he was fast asleep in minutes.
The girls were less injured, and even Gemma was fine after a potion for muscle aches and some rest.
When Aurelia, Cordelia, and Gemma returned to the dormitory, they laughed at their housemates' continued singing and then sat to recall the most memorable moments of the Quadrivium Cup.
Since they were in their dormitory, no one held back their true thoughts about the Gryffindors' behaviour that day.
When Altair reminded them to focus on their own win rather than those who did not matter, they felt sheepish and changed the subject.
Cordelia shared how scared she had been after her elimination, the others agreed and reminisced on their own nerves.
They praised Aurelia for her timely and well-judged sacrifice, which truly changed the course of the duel, and openly admitted that Nymphadora Tonks was terrifying to face.
They also commended Gemma for her bold plan to end the battle, which she said was a gamble, but as Altair pointed out, it was a clever and calculated one.
She sweetly smiled at him, truly happy in her heart that he was proud of her performance.
Then again, it was all thanks to training with him that she had managed to pull off the win today.
They would have chatted all evening if the three girls hadn't excused themselves to rest.
Tomorrow, life would return to normal, but none of them would soon forget the Quadrivium Cup.