Lost for Words

Eli quickly retreated beyond the arena and raised the Golden Egg high. Applause rolled through the stands in wave after wave.

Looking at the exhausted, furious Hungarian Horntail, Eli planted his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly. "Heh heh heh heh... cough, cough..." No, he couldn't laugh like that. It was bad for his life expectancy.

Staff stationed around the arena rushed forward to calm the dragon before it hurt a Champion or anyone in the audience.

"Unprecedented! Absolutely unprecedented!" Ludo Bagman was so excited that he stood up. In his ill-fitting old team uniform, he looked like a fan shouting from the sidelines.

"No injuries, no damage to anything that shouldn't have been damaged. The score can't be low... I mean, it shouldn't be."

Amid the roar of the crowd, every eye turned to the judges.

Judging was serious business, and everyone waited for their verdict.

All five judges took their time: Maxime, Barty Crouch, Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, and Karkaroff.

Three of them were headmasters of competing schools. They had to weigh every point carefully, seeking an advantage for their own schools without being unfair.

Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged. Barty Crouch wrote and scribbled on the parchment before him.

Ludo Bagman looked excited. He glanced from side to side, though the judges clearly weren't supposed to confer before awarding their scores.

The staff had already led Eli away from the arena. A tent had been set up outside for the Champions to rest and receive treatment.

As soon as Eli entered, he saw the familiar Madam Pomfrey.

She looked furious. After a quick glance up and down, she asked, "Another dragon?"

"I'm actually fine..." Eli tried to put up a little resistance.

But Madam Pomfrey's reputation was well earned. She gave Eli no chance to explain and made