Obliviate My Heart {Book 2}

22. After The First Task

Gennie started to swear the most colourful swears I had ever heard in my life. "How dare she make Cole break down in tears!" She hissed venomously. "I'm going into that crowd, and slap her right across the face!"

"Gennie!" I shouted, putting my hands on her shoulders. I had never seen her so angry before. "It's not going to solve anything! It'll just push Cole away from us!"

Gennie sighed, and nodded reluctantly. "Sorry... It's just she makes me so mad! Cole seems so... broken."

Madam Pomfrey stuck her head into the tent. "Miss Oswin, the judges are ready to give you their scores."

I nodded, and pulled Gennie along with me to get my scores.  Now that the Vipertooth had been taken away, I  felt calmer, and almost normal. I could see where the five judges were sitting - right at the other end, in raised seats draped in gold.

"It's marks out of ten from each one," Gennie said, and I saw Madame Maxime  raise her wand in the air. What hooked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure seven. 

"Not bad!" said Gennie as the crowd applauded. "I suppose she took marks off for your hand..."

Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air.  Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever.

Ludo Bagman put up a seven. Decent enough.

And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too -five.

"What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Five? You lousy, Bulgarian idiot! You gave Krum ten!"

"36 out of fifty!" I laughed in disbelief. "I can't believe it!"

We ducked back into the tent, and I caught sight of a large dragon being shepherded into the arena. My heart jammed in my throat. Harry was next.

I went up to Madam Pomfrey. "Can I go watch Harry?" I begged.

She shook her head. "You are distressed enough right now." She said firmly. "And that hand needs to be elevated. You will stay here."

I opened my mouth to protest. "I'll stay with you." Gennie said. "Harry won't be long, I bet."

And so the two of us sat on my hospital bed, and I had to listen to the cheers and screams from the arena. I kept picking at my bandage out of worry, and at one point, Gennie tied my hands together with another bandage so I wouldn't cause infection.

Then I saw Madam Pomfrey hurrying to the other end of the tent, and I perked up when I heard Harry's voice. He was alive.

"Un-tie me!" I said to Gennie quickly. "Harry's here!"

Gennie grinned, and un-tied me as quick as possible. "Told you he would be fine!"

Gennie and I skidded out of my cubicle, and made it into Harry's. He glanced up as we entered. Madam Pomfrey was putting some purple liquid on his shoulder, which had a long scratch across it.

"Harry!" I said, my tone relieved. I ran over to him, and hugged his shoulders, and he winced as I touched the injured one. "Sorry!" I exclaimed.

"You couldn't even wait a minute," Madam Pomfrey said, rolling her eyes. "Right, that should heal up just fine. I'll leave you three alone."

"You guys did it!" Gennie grinned. "So, what did you do, Harry?"

Harry explained that he summoned his broom, and then managed to get the egg while still in the air. He also said sheepishly that he was the fastest champion.