Arthur had barely rested when the judges approached him. Karkaroff's face was thunderous, Madame Maxime looked deeply concerned, and even Dumbledore's expression was more serious than usual. Percy Weasley, apparently standing in for Mr. Crouch, clutched a thick rulebook to his chest with an officious air that screamed self-importance.
"This is outrageous!" Karkaroff shouted, flecks of spittle flying from his mouth. "Using lake creatures to gain unfair advantage! Hogwarts champion is cheating!"
Dumbledore raised a calming hand. "Igor, please. Let us discuss this rationally, shall we?"
"There is nothing to discuss!" Karkaroff spat. "This boy has made a bloody mockery of the tournament!"
Dumbledore turned to Arthur, his blue eyes twinkling despite his serious expression. "Mr. Hayes, perhaps you could explain how you managed to enlist the giant squid's assistance? It's most unusual, I must say."
Arthur shrugged casually. "Nothing complicated, Professor. I made friends with the squid over many mornings while jogging around the lake. Once I knew from the golden egg what the task would be, I simply asked if it might help me. It agreed in exchange for a few treats."
"You are very resourceful, Mr. Hayes," Dumbledore replied with a small smile. "Always thinking of unexpected approaches when I know full well you could have completed this task in much easier and less controversial ways."
Arthur just smiled back. "Where would have been the fun in that, sir?"
Madame Maxime's large, handsome face was set in a frown. "This is unfair advantage to ze Hogwarts champion, Dumbledore. And is asking for third-party help allowed? My students would never sink to communicate wiz zee squid."
Dumbledore turned to Percy. "What do the rules say, Mr. Weasley?"
Percy straightened importantly, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses before flipping open the rulebook with practiced precision. "Right then. There is a rule that champions cannot ask help during the task from other wizards, witches, pets and familiars, and also cannot bring help from outside the venue." He looked up with a slightly pompous air. "But the giant squid lives inside the venue itself, so technically it's within the rules. Bit of a grey area, that, but since Mr. Hayes is unharmed, it appears he hasn't broken any explicit rules."
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said mildly. He turned back to Arthur with a knowing look. "You knew this already, I presume, Mr. Hayes?"
"I've read the rule book line by line," Arthur confirmed, not bothering to hide his satisfaction. "The creatures inside the venue can be enemy, neutral, or ally. I simply turned one into an ally."
"This is unfair!" Karkaroff nearly shouted, his accent thickening with rage. "First using a puny hat as hostage instead of actual people like the rest. Easier to swim up with. Now this unfair advantage. I object most strongly!"
"I did not make these decisions alone, Igor," Dumbledore reminded him gently. "You were present for all our planning sessions. I can hardly be blamed for Mr. Hayes doing his best to surprise us."
"Glad you liked it," Arthur replied with a barely concealed smirk.
The judges continued their heated discussion as they returned to the platform, Karkaroff still gesticulating angrily while Percy consulted his rulebook with furrowed brows. Arthur watched them leave without any worry. He didn't think he would get fewer points since the people stricter for rules like Dumbledore and Percy would give him good points, and the rest might be convinced to be fair. He went back to watching the calm waters of the lake.
Nearly thirty minutes later, just as the audience had begun to grow restless again, there was another disturbance in the water. Fleur Delacour burst to the surface, alone and clearly distraught. Her silver hair was tangled with weeds, her face scratched and bleeding. Several officials rushed to help her from the water.
"Gabrielle!" she screamed hysterically, struggling against those trying to assist her. "Ma sœur! I must go back! She is still zere!"
"Miss Delacour, please," Madame Maxime tried to calm her student. "Ze hostages are perfectly safe—"
But Fleur was inconsolable. "Ze grindylows, zey attacked me! I could not get past! Gabrielle is still down zere!"
Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, she broke away from her headmistress and rushed directly to Arthur.
"You!" she said, grabbing his arm with desperate strength. "You 'ave returned so quickly—please, can you 'elp? Can you save my sister?"
Arthur regarded her calmly. "Calm yourself, Miss Delacour. Nothing will happen to your sister," he assured her. "The headmasters have taken every precaution to ensure the hostages' safety. Besides," he added, glancing towards the center of the lake, "There's a certain knight in shining armour in the water who won't leave her alone. She'll come up safely, I promise you."
The last statement confused Fleur so much that she even forgot she was anxious about her sister.
"What do you mean by zis?" Madame Maxime asked, her large brow furrowed.
"Harry Potter has what I call a 'saving people thing,'" Arthur explained with a slight smile. "I would bet everything I own that if Harry reaches the hostages and sees some still remaining, he'll foolishly think they're in genuine danger. Only when he's certain everyone is safe will he return to the surface. Since he won't see you down in the lake, Miss Delacour, he'll almost certainly bring your sister up himself."
Both women looked shocked by this prediction, and Fleur seemed to calm slightly, though she continued to stare anxiously at the lake's surface, her hands clasped tightly together.
The hour limit expired with a loud magical gong sound that echoed across the water. A few minutes later, a splash announced Viktor Krum's return. The Bulgarian's shark head transformed back into his human features as he surfaced, one arm wrapped protectively around a confused-looking Hermione Granger. They were helped onto the platform amidst cheers from the Durmstrang contingent.
Fleur's anxiety visibly intensified as the official time limit expired with no sign of either her sister or Harry Potter. Then, just a few minutes later, a disturbance in the water heralded another arrival.
Harry Potter burst through the surface, gasping for breath, with not one but two people in tow—Ron Weasley and a small, silver-haired girl who could only be Gabrielle Delacour. They were surrounded immediately by officials helping them onto the platform.
Fleur let out a cry of relief and joy, rushing to enfold her shivering sister in a tight embrace. Then, to everyone's surprise (and Ron's evident delight), she turned to Harry and Ron in turn, planting grateful kisses on their cheeks.
"You saved 'er!" she exclaimed to Harry. "Even though she was not your 'ostage!"
Arthur watched the scene with detached amusement, noting several entertaining social dynamics playing out simultaneously: Hermione fussing over Harry while praising his heroics; Krum watching this interaction with poorly-disguised jealousy before drawing Hermione's attention back to himself; and Ron's ears turning as red as his hair from Fleur's unexpected display of gratitude.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore conferred quietly with the Merchieftainess who had surfaced nearby. After a few minutes of discussion, the judges huddled together. Finally, Ludo Bagman stepped forward, his voice booming across the now silent lake.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision," he announced. "Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions."
"Fleur Delacour demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm but was attacked by grindylows and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."
Polite applause followed this announcement.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and returned with his hostage five minutes outside the time limit. We award him forty points."
The Durmstrang contingent roared their approval, stamping their feet rhythmically.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, well outside the time limit. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was second to reach the hostages after Mr. Hayes, and that his delay was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not just his own."
"Most of the judges," Bagman continued, with a significant look at Karkaroff, "feel this shows moral fibre and deserves full marks. However, after discussion... Mr. Potter's final score is forty-five points."
The Gryffindor stands exploded with cheers and whistles.
"Finally," Bagman said, building dramatic tension, "Arthur Hayes demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness, planning and innovation in his approach to the task. There was some discussion among the judges regarding his method—" Here, Bagman glanced nervously toward Karkaroff, who was scowling deeply. "—but as no rules were broken, and his performance was undeniably effective, we award him the same forty-five points!"
The response was noticeably muted compared to the reaction for the other champions. A smattering of applause, mostly from professors and a few Slytherins, barely registered against the awkward silence from the majority of students.
Arthur maintained his impassive expression, accepting the score with a slight nod. The lack of enthusiasm hardly surprised him.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," Bagman concluded, his voice regaining its characteristic enthusiasm. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support!"
As the crowds began to disperse, Arthur headed back toward the castle alone. The second task was done and dusted. Now only one remained, and he was a little excited to see how it would unfold. How would the imposter Moody deal with him and his unexpected ways while ensuring Harry reached the graveyard? This would be interesting to see.
Arthur was also patiently waiting for his detection charms and artifacts to do something. He expected the Kree-empowered Carol Danvers to crash-land somewhere in the next few months and hoped it would be before the third task. There were four months before the final challenge—plenty of time for the whole Captain Marvel incident to happen.
As he walked, a slight smile played on his lips. The wizarding world and its petty competitions seemed increasingly irrelevant with each passing day. Soon, he would witness the beginning of something far greater—the dawn of an age of heroes and cosmic powers that would make even the most powerful wizards seem like children playing with sticks.