The location refreshed for the fifth time since the competition began.
In a concealed depression surrounded by thick, entangling vines creating a natural hiding spot where the ground was covered with a soft carpet of low-growing ferns that cushioned their exhausted bodies, Viktor Krum and his two exhausted companions gnawed hungrily on wild fruits they had found in the surrounding trees.
The fruits were bitter and somewhat unripe, but they were food, and that was all that mattered.
While they ate, all three kept their eyes fixed intently on the map board, watching the glowing dots with attention.
The first thing that immediately put Viktor on high alert was the observation that the team which had been cautiously wandering along the edge of the arena for the entire competition had finally begun to show genuine competitive intent.
They were moving in at last.
Judging from the positions displayed on the map, analyzing the distances and trajectories, by the next location refresh they would be entering the hotly contested central area where all the violence had been concentrated.
The timing of their entry was particularly fortunate for them. The tactical advantage was obvious.
Based on analysis of the previous map refreshes, this strategically patient team must have noticed and understood that one team had already encountered two other teams in succession, including Viktor's own.
In the calculating eyes of this cunning team, observing from safety, three badges should already be concentrated in the hands of one or at most two teams after all that conflict.
And after at least two brutal battles, after all that magical combat and physical exertion, the three teams currently in the center of the mapped area must have expended tremendous amounts of energy. They would be exhausted, vulnerable, and surely weakened.
This clever team, which had been deliberately conserving its strength all along while others fought and bled was now preparing to take full advantage of the moment when the other three teams hadn't yet caught their breath. They intended to seize all the badges at once in a devastating strike.
It was a very clever, ruthlessly pragmatic tactic. The person who had thought of it must be an extremely cunning fellow.
They had already encountered Hermione's team. Now, her team's position appeared on the refreshed map at some distance to their flank, seemingly wanting to circle around behind Viktor's position.
Hoping for a true sneak attack seemed unrealistic given the map refreshes, but Viktor couldn't quite figure out the specific intention behind this particular maneuver. What was Hermione planning?
As for that cunning team approaching from the edges, Viktor instinctively felt it was unlikely to be Fleur and her companions.
However, this cunning team probably didn't yet know that there was an additional dangerous force on the field also actively pursuing badges. The Slytherin hunting party.
And most likely, based on their trajectory, they would soon have to face this numerically superior force in confrontation.
"What should we do next, Viktor?" Poliakoff asked after the map darkened once more.
The idea of using transfiguration to create a convincing fake badge had been Viktor's. This little deceptive trick had actually allowed them to keep their real badge when they suffered defeat at Hermione's hands.
This clever thinking made Viktor's two teammates admire him greatly, look up to him with new respect beyond what his Quidditch fame had earned.
The silent Viktor's expression made his already brooding face look even more intense than usual.
A troubling thought crossed Viktor's mind: After encountering us, after taking what they thought was our badge, did Hermione's team get caught by that Slytherin cleanup squad?
If they had been caught, intercepted by Malfoy's hunters, it would mean Hermione had lost the badge in her possession—the fake stone Viktor had given her. If not, if they'd escaped, then she would currently have one or possibly even two badges in her possession.
This was a critical question that needed confirmation before he could plan his next move properly.
"Let's go see what's happening with that team whose position hasn't changed for a long time," Viktor announced after weighing his limited options for a moment.
Although logically speaking, this unmoving team was most likely Beauxbatons and had probably already lost their badge to the Slytherins, but—what if they could somehow pick up an unexpected bargain?
Viktor's two teammates raised no objections to this plan, trusting his judgment. So, they carefully set off in that direction, moving through the forest.
Although their physical stamina had been consumed to a certain significant degree in their earlier battle, overall they had preserved it fairly well compared to teams that had been fighting continuously. Carefully controlling their pace to avoid exhaustion, they trekked for another twenty minutes or so through the dense forest.
Finally they arrived at the banks of a small stream that made its way through the woods, its water was burbling pleasantly over stones.
But when two completely motionless "statues" standing stiffly by the stream came clearly into view through the vegetation, Viktor sighed inside with disappointment.
It seemed there was no bargain to be picked up here after all.
"It's Fleur Delacour and her teammate," Lanquarde observed, stating the obvious. "But why is there only one other person with her? Didn't Beauxbatons send three students?"
Looking carefully at the two frozen girls whose long hair swayed gently in the breeze despite their bodies' complete immobility, Poliakoff suddenly asked with unexpected compassion, "Should we save them, Viktor?"
After brief consideration, Viktor nodded slowly. He muttered softly, "Let's save them, yes. They're not much of a threat anymore. We can afford to show our gentlemanly spirit."
So the three of them scrambled carefully up the slippery upstream side of the creek, deliberately exposing themselves in full view before the petrified Fleur and Triana so the girls wouldn't be startled or think they were under attack.
Viktor raised his wand and spoke the counter-curse.
The petrification spell on Fleur and Triana was immediately lifted.
The two girls who had been standing frozen in place for quite a while immediately collapsed heavily to the damp ground like puppets with cut strings. Their legs had gone completely numb.
But then, demonstrating impressive resilience, Fleur's remaining teammate Triana sprang up from the ground with surprising speed despite her discomfort. She didn't launch a magical attack at the understandably wary Viktor and his companions as they tensed defensively.
Instead, she looked absolutely frantic, her face was flushed with rage. She cried out hatefully, her voice was nearly breaking, "Those bastards! Those Slytherin bastards! I swear on everything I hold dear that I'll make them pay for this humiliation!"
Viktor's trio exchanged meaningful glances. Then Viktor asked with interest, "Was it those Slytherin students who petrified you and left you here? It wouldn't have been Hermione and her team, right?"
"You guessed correctly, Viktor," Fleur confirmed, rubbing her sore, cramping legs wearily with both hands.
"Those Slytherin students took my badge through ambush earlier in the competition. Later we ran into them again by chance, and then I managed to destroy their flying broomsticks. So in retaliation, they petrified both Triana and me here and left us as helpless targets."
The three Durmstrang students immediately looked at Fleur with respect and admiration.
The Slytherin students already had a huge numerical advantage over any individual team. And with flying broomsticks providing mobility on top of that overwhelming numbers, normally no team would stand any realistic chance against them.
"Then we should express our sincere gratitude to you, Fleur," Viktor said warmly, extending a gentlemanly hand to help her to her feet.
"Thank you for evening the odds somewhat."
"Thank you—" Fleur responded.
In the space of a single second, her expression shifted from weariness to something rather charming and flirtatious. Her blue eyes rippled with emotion as they met Viktor's.
"So does that mean the Slytherins took your badge too when you encountered them?"
"Oh, it's actually worse than that," Viktor admitted reluctantly.
Poliakoff and Lanquarde both lowered their heads in shame, unable to meet her eyes. Meanwhile Viktor intentionally avoided Fleur's questioning gaze, all three appearing genuinely ashamed of their performance.
"Before we even ran into the Slytherin students and their hunting party, we first encountered Hermione's team in the forest," Viktor explained with honesty. "They were much, much stronger than we had imagined. We had heard the rumors but—"
He sighed heavily, the sound was carrying real regret. Then his expression returned to composure.
"We were simply no match for them. The fight was over quickly. They took our badge." 'Or thought they did,' he added silently.
With these honest words, the subtle tension that had existed between the two teams vanished.
After all, there was no longer any real conflict of interest between them. Neither had badges to steal from each other.
"Why are you down one person?" Viktor asked curiously, he was genuinely puzzled.
Because of his position in the forest and the timing, he hadn't actually seen the red fireworks that had shot up above the Forbidden Forest canopy at the very start of the match.
"That dark corridor inside the entrance door—" Triana explained huffily, her face was flushing with remembered frustration.
"We barely managed to overcome that obstacle, to push through that awful darkness without breaking completely. And just as we appeared in the actual forest, disoriented and exhausted, we immediately ran into blast-ended skrewts and young mandrakes! Judy completely broke down mentally from all the stress and quit the competition on the spot!"
"Really?" Viktor said with some surprise.
"I thought we were the only ones unlucky enough to face such immediate danger. We ran into two acromantulas and a deadly patch of devil's snare right at our landing point."
Hearing Viktor describe similar initial hardships, Triana didn't feel quite like complaining anymore about their own bad luck. It seemed all teams had suffered some terrible ordeal immediately after landing.
Several people sat down together to rest, forming an impromptu alliance of the defeated.
Viktor generously took out a few more of the bitter green wild fruits from his pockets for Fleur and Triana, which made Fleur beam at him again with gratitude.
However, after tasting one small bite of the unripe fruit, making a face at its bitter taste, Fleur didn't let it near her lips again.
Fleur patted her legs gently and massaged the cramping muscles. "We've all lost our badges now to one force or another. Does Hermione Granger's team still have their badge?"
"We honestly don't know for certain," Viktor admitted, spreading his hands.
"After learning that our badge had been taken by Hermione's team, those Slytherin students went after them aggressively for pursuit. We don't know if they managed to find and catch them. But Cedric's cautious team probably hasn't encountered the dangerous Slytherin students yet, based on their position."
"So that means—" Triana said slowly.
She wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. "All four badges are now potentially in the hands of various Hogwarts people?"
"Mm—" Fleur murmured in agreement, pursing her lips.
Her blue eyes looked up contemplatively at the patches of sky visible through the canopy.
"Cedric's team definitely still has their badge, right? They've been too careful, and cautious to lose it. As for the other three badges, the Slytherins have at least one in their hands for certain. Maybe all three are with them now, if Granger's team encountered them and lost..."
BOOM!
Like a sudden thunderstorm, a deafening roar echoed powerfully through the Forbidden Forest!
The sound was enormous, and earth-shaking.
The five people who had been resting peacefully jumped up from the ground in startled alarm, their heads turned toward the direction from which the massive sound had come.
Viktor suddenly realized that while busy exchanging information and pleasantries with Fleur and her companion, while distracted by conversation, they had completely missed the sixth location refresh!
"Who could be fighting there?" Fleur asked breathlessly.
Having missed several location refreshes while petrified, she was lacking much crucial information about team movements.
"In that direction, if I'm not mistaken—" Viktor's voice trembled slightly.
"It should be the Slytherin students' hunting party encountering Cedric's team!"
"Oh?" Triana's voice rose sharply with sudden excitement.
She looked at Fleur with barely contained enthusiasm. "The Slytherins are fighting? Fleur, looks like our chance for revenge has come!"
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