bioinnovel Chapter 339 A Vengeful Spirit
Chapter 339 A Vengeful Spirit
Chapter 339 A Vengeful Spirit
give up?
That's impossible!
Even if Belvina were to turn to ashes now, she would still smear Kakarov's face with it.
This is no longer a simple matter of rating the Warriors; it's purely a personal feud.
Diplomatic implications and international standing are irrelevant; no one can stop Belvina from settling her personal scores.
"Alright, let's give Cedric Diggory a score," Belvina said with a helpless tone. "He was the first hero to bring hostages back to shore."
Mrs. Maxim looked at Belvina suspiciously. What kind of trick was she up to now?
It was already surprising enough that he gave up defending Potter just now, so what's with this helpless tone now?
Mrs. Maxime's perception of Belvina was similar to Snape's perception of her: vengeful and extremely protective of her own.
Her current submissive demeanor and words full of compromise are completely inconsistent with the image of Belvina in Mrs. Maxim's mind.
Something's not right, nine out of ten things are not right. What happened to your past arrogance? You need to straighten yourself out!
Igor Karkarov was also surprised, feeling a sense of unease alongside his astonishment.
Whether it was the meeting held at the Ministry of Magic in the summer or the several encounters after the start of the Triwizard Tournament, Karkaroff was unable to gain the upper hand against Belvina.
Now, Belvina has suddenly changed her tune and adopted a yielding attitude, which makes Karkarov feel at ease.
"That crazy woman is definitely up to no good!" Professor Karkaroff thought to himself.
At that moment, Buddy Crouch stepped forward and was the first to voice his opinion.
He said, "Mr. Diggory finished the race first, but given that he exceeded the time limit, I gave him nine points."
This is a very high evaluation, and it is well-founded. The 1 point deducted was only because Cedric exceeded the allotted time and failed to finish the game on time.
The underwater conditions of Black Lake are complex, the light is dim, and there are all sorts of small water monsters blocking the way, such as Greendylo, who caused Hibiscus to capsize in the ditch.
However, the biggest challenge of the second project is actually how to avoid getting lost underwater, and how to quickly and accurately find the mermaid village at the bottom of the lake when you lose your way and your vision is obstructed.
Only Harry accomplished this; he was the first brave warrior to find the mermaid village and the first to rescue the hostages.
However, Harry was deceived by the lyrics of the mermaid song, and his noble behavior caused him to miss his chance to return to shore within the allotted time.
"Barty is right," Dumbledore said. "Cedric was the first to finish the race, but he got lost underwater and couldn't return within the allotted time."
Dumbledore looked at Karkaroff and continued, "So I also give Cedric nine points, the same as Batty."
The Hogwarts headmaster's piercing gaze made Headmaster Durmstrang feel uneasy.
Since the first warrior to finish the race exceeded the time limit, what about the second warrior who returned to shore with the hostage?
Even Cedric, who finished first, didn't get a perfect score. If Karkaroff had any shame, he wouldn't have dared to give a perfect score to Krum, who came in second.
Following the Hogwarts headmaster, the Beauxbatons headmaster also gave a score of 9, citing the exact same reason of exceeding the time limit.
After today's competition, Mrs. Maxim has given up on the idea of helping Furong win the championship.
Fleur Delacour is an excellent young witch whose mastery and application of magic surpasses that of many of her peers.
However, when Fleur met the outstanding Cedric and Krum, Fleur didn't stand out as much; her performance was even worse than that of the younger Harry.
Therefore, Mrs. Maxim has let go and no longer insists on winning the championship. She now regards the three-way competition as a rare experience in Fu Rong's life, hoping that Fu Rong can transform and become even better after the competition.
Mrs. Maxim can let it go, but Karkarov can't; he's counting on the Triwizard Tournament to save his life!
Mrs. Maxim was able to let go because she cherished her school and hoped her students could become better.
Karkarov couldn't let go of his position as principal because it was in jeopardy. All he wanted was the championship in the Triwizard Tournament, even if it meant using despicable means and being despised by others.
As for Durmstrang's warrior Viktor Krum, whether he would be despised or go from being admired to being condemned by everyone, Karkarov, preoccupied with his own troubles, couldn't care less.
"Miss Black, what do you say?" Karkaroff looked at Belvina and kicked the ball away.
"Nine points, the same as everyone else," Belvina said helplessly. "It's an indisputable fact that I couldn't finish the race within the allotted time, and I can't refute that."
After saying that, Belvina and the other judges looked at Karkarov, waiting for him to give the final score.
Professor Karkaroff frowned, his fingers constantly fidgeting with his beard, occasionally pulling out a hair that made him wince in pain.
The situation is dire for teacher and student Karkarov and Krum. Cedric has already scored 36 points, and it is almost impossible for Krum to surpass him.
At the end of the first event, Cedric was 4 points behind Krum. In the second event, Krum not only failed to close the gap, but the gap widened further.
Thinking of this, Karkarov felt a growing sense of resentment towards his beloved disciple.
Why are you so disappointing? Why can't you get first place?
If you always fall behind, what's the point of scheming? You might as well just surrender and lose half!
Karkaroff's complexion grew worse, and his brows furrowed more and more. He couldn't help but curse Krum in his heart, "I can't carry him, I simply can't carry him!"
Hermione Granger, Krum's dance partner at the Christmas Ball, also fell victim to Professor Karkaroff's wrath—that damned Hogwarts slut!
"Professor Karkaroff, everyone is waiting for you!" Belvina reminded them, "It's getting late, the warriors need to rest."
Belvina's silence only fueled Karkaroff's anger, and he mentally unleashed a torrent of abuse upon her.
That damned madwoman from the Black family! That damned Hogwarts bastard! That despicable lackey of the Ministry of Magic!
It sounds harmless, but it's actually not as loud as a fart.
Even if Karkaroff were to unleash all his innermost thoughts, Belvina would simply laugh it off; such vulgar language wouldn't even qualify to tickle her.
"Igor, don't keep everyone waiting too long," Dumbledore urged. "There's another warrior waiting behind us."
It was already noon, and although the sun was high in the sky, the temperature on the shore of Black Lake was not very pleasant.
The brave rescuers huddled inside tents, wrapped in layers of blankets to keep warm, and even the spicy-tasting cold-dispelling medicine became a best-selling drink.
The spectators in the stands were shivering in the cold wind. They had no blankets or medicine, so they could only huddle together for warmth and wait anxiously for the referees to announce the results of the match.
"Eight points, I give it eight points," Karkaroff said. "It was overtime, and the Bubble Head Curse was unoriginal, so I give Diggory eight points."
This is an astonishing score; it's the highest score Karkaroff has given, aside from his own Krum.
Mrs. Maxim was shocked, Dumbledore was quite surprised, and even the absent-minded Barty Crouch glanced at Karkaroff a couple more times.
A breeze blew across the lake, dispelling Karkaroff's determination to catch up, but it couldn't dispel his gaze toward Belvina.
Professor Karkaroff's gaze was rather strange; he seemed to harbor some kind of expectation towards Belvina.
"So, Cedric Diggory's score in the second event is forty-four," Belvina said. "And lastly, it's Viktor Krum."
Belvina looked at Dumbledore and continued, "Professor, would you like to go first?"
"Eight points." Dumbledore immediately gave the score. "Viktor's Transfiguration was excellent, but he was the second to finish the match."
This is a reasonable judgment. Krum finished the race over time and was the second to return to shore with the hostage, so deducting two points is perfectly reasonable.
But this seemingly reasonable score was like a knife to Karkarov's heart.
"Eight points," Barty Crouch followed up, absentmindedly not even bothering to give a reason.
Although Crouch did not explain why he gave it an 8, Karkaroff felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart again.
Belvina glanced at Barty Crouch, who seemed different today; he wasn't targeting Karkaroff.
Soon, the third knife plunged into Karkarov's heart: the indifferent and unambitious Mrs. Maxim also gave him a score of 8.
With this, Viktor Krum has 24 points. If he can get two more perfect scores, he will tie Cedric.
"Ten out of ten," Karkaroff said first. "I give Viktor ten out of ten."
Igor Karkarov gave Viktor Krum a perfect score, and no one was surprised by the result.
Even if Krum withdraws from the competition midway like Fleur, Karkaroff can still find a reason to give him full marks.
It would be surprising if Karkaroff didn't give him a perfect score.
Now only Belvina has not been scored yet, and the three principals' eyes immediately focused on her.
Mrs. Maxim wanted to know if Belvina had truly compromised, Dumbledore wanted to know where Belvina's bottom line was, and only Karkaroff's eyes were filled with eager anticipation.
In the first project, although Karkaroff's rating of the Hogwarts champions was extremely outrageous, Belvina's rating of Krum was relatively fair.
Compared to 5 points and 1 point, 7 points can be described as shining with the brilliance of humanity.
For this reason, Karkarov concluded that Belvina wouldn't dare go too far; even if she harbored many grievances, she would still consider the consequences.
I dare not give a score that is too low.
This is why Karkarov gave Cedric an 8; he wanted to earn a satisfactory score through a fair evaluation.
I don't aspire to a perfect score; I just want to maintain consistency with the other judges.
This gives Viktor Krum the opportunity to score 42 points in the second event.
Although they couldn't catch up with the leaders Harry and Cedric, the point difference wasn't too large and was barely acceptable.
"Mr. Krum used shapeshifting to gain the ability to breathe underwater, but—" Belvina said slowly, "his shapeshifting, while effective, is incomplete."
Karkarov nodded; everything was still under control.
"Like Mr. Diggory, Mr. Krum also exceeded the allotted time," Belvina continued.
Karkarov nodded again; even someone as shameless as him couldn't say that Krum had finished the match within the allotted time.
"Another one"
Karkaroff's eyes widened. Where was the "other"? Shouldn't they be giving scores?
Mrs. Maxim, standing to the side, looked up at the sky. Sure enough, there was no way Belvina would back down and compromise!
Dumbledore turned to look at the dark lake. He didn't know how low Belvina's score could be, but it was definitely beyond everyone's imagination.
"Furthermore, Mr. Krum got lost underwater, which is very inexcusable," Belvina said. "Getting lost during a race is forgivable, but..."
What should he do if he loses his way in life?
Karkarov took a deep breath, a torrent of profanities churning within him, something he had to get off his chest.
Mrs. Maxim looked up at the sky, barely suppressing a laugh, her broad shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
The phrase "lost on the path of life" doesn't just apply to Krum, but also to Karkaroff's failed life.
Dumbledore, gazing at the lake as if lost in thought, twitched at the corner of his mouth. He was wondering if he should try to stop Belvina if a fight broke out later.
Filled with rage, Karkaroff took another deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Viktor isn't the only one lost underwater; Digory is lost too."
"Yes, Mr. Diggory did get lost. He wandered around underwater for a long time before finding the mermaid village," Belvina said, readily admitting that Cedric had also gotten lost underwater.
"Digori wasn't penalized by the referee for getting lost underwater!" Karkarov gritted his teeth so hard they almost broke.
"You didn't mention it!" Belvina said matter-of-factly. "You didn't mention he got lost, so why are you deducting points from his score?"
This time, not only Dumbledore and Mrs. Maxim, but even the absent-minded Barty Crouch was about to lose his temper. He had never seen anyone so unreasonable and yet so self-righteous.
"you!"
Enraged, Karkarov pointed at Belvina, a torrent of profanities about to erupt from his lips.
"What do you mean, 'you'? I haven't finished speaking yet!" Belvina retorted. "It's very impolite to interrupt others."
She continued, "This is also evident in Mr. Krum; he received help from Mr. Potter when rescuing hostages in the mermaid village, but he didn't thank Mr. Potter!"
Despite not engaging in any physical activity, Igor Karkarov on the lakeshore was panting heavily, his rage having consumed all his reason.
"And another thing, Mr. Krum clumsily tore at the straw rope with his teeth, completely forgetting that humans have long since learned to use and make tools," Belvina continued, making Krum sound utterly worthless.
Karkarov glared at Belvina with eyes blazing with fury, his body trembling uncontrollably, his teeth grinding together.
"Therefore, I give Mr. Krum—" Belvina paused, "zero points."