Good lord, it has taken me waaaay too long for me to write a new chapter. I'm sorry. I had a terrible mental block for some reason. Every time I wanted to sit down and write, it was like my mind just blanked on me and I couldn't write anything. I've rewritten this dang thing (Not this chapter, but chapter 85) like 4 times trying to get something that felt remotely decent. Hopefully with this chapter done, I've now gotten over my writer's block and can function normally again.
(Word Count: 1,452)
The next few days were spent watching the other matches. He had free entry because he was a part of the competition, so might as well watch! There wasn't a whole lot else to do anymore, because they had already done a thorough exploration of all of the places they were interested in here.
Just like the first day, there weren't a lot of matches that really interested him. However, as the days of the first round passed on, there were a handful of contestants that looked promising. The most stand out ones were a young Italian boy named Allesandro Cagliostro, and, of course, Fleur Delacour.
Harry had paid attention to Cagliostro's match because, if he managed to win, he would be Harry's next opponent.
"Next up, we have Edgar Bennet! At only 14 years old, this is his second year here! Last year, he managed to reach the fourth round, so we expect some great things from him this year!" The announcer girl gave Bennet a playful grin. "No pressure!"
"His opponent is Allesandro Cagliostro! At only 11 years old, this is his first time here! However, the Cagliostro name is well known all over Italy! They're a long line of adventurous wizards that explore the unknown, so don't count him out yet!" The announcer hopped off the dueling table as the two boys took the stage.
Allesandro Cagliostro was a small kid, even for an 11 year old. Despite that, he strutted confidently onto the stage, his wand at the ready. Bennet on the other hand was tall and lanky. He looked at the small kid facing him and gave a cocky grin.
"You've got bad luck, kid. I'll be winning this match," Bennet said in French.
"Non sono sicuro di cosa hai appena detto, ma dalla tua brutta espressione sono sicuro che fosse qualcosa di stupido!" Allesandro said something in Italian. Harry didn't know Italian, so he wasn't sure what he just said, but from the snarky tone and the handful of people in the audience that laughed, he was sure that it wasn't the kindest thing to say.
Bennet didn't seem to know either, but he caught the last word, "stupido" and glowered. "Are you calling me stupid?"
"Alright boys, that's enough! Come to the center and bow to your opponent!" The announcer called.
They bowed and quickly returned to their starting positions.
"Let the match begin!" The announcer started the fight before they could say anything else.
Both boys immediately fired off their own spells. Bennet fired a stinging hex, "Aculeo!" While Cagliostro fired off a blue sparks charm, "Azullious!" Both duelists needed to use their wand movements so cast.
Neither spell hit. Bennet sidestepped the sparks with relative ease, while Cagliostro jumped out of the way. They began trading spells, and it was obvious that Bennet was by far the better duelist. Still, Cagliostro had some potential. He was only 11 years old, the same age as Harry, yet he wasn't taken out immediately. Most 11 year olds would be caught flatfooted and get hit by the first spell fired at them.
Soon enough, Bennet landed a stinging hex.
"Point to Bennet!" The announcer called out.
"And the first point goes to Bennet!" Canards said enthusiastically.
Moments later, the two duelists were back at their positions and the match started back up. Cagliostro tried firing off an Expelliarmus, and a tripping jinx, but Bennet returned with his own spellchain and the momentum was taken back. It was all Cagliostro could do to not get hit again. Slowly but surely he was losing ground.
"Look at the confidence from Bennet!" Quentin Canards called into his microphone, voice echoing across the stadium and out over the wireless. "It looks like our first year has some spunk, but Bennet's slowly pushing him back towards the end of the table!"
"Quite right," Judge Gaseling agreed. "He's not giving Cagliostro a chance to breathe. I don't think he'll be able to hold out for much longer."
"Young Cagliostro's style is unpolished, but he has quite the potential. I'd love to see him return next year," Madam Fahmy noted, leaning forward.
Bennet kept the pressure up until Cagliostro was all the way on the edge of the back table. Cagliostro nearly slipped off the back edge, but pinwheeled his arms to try to keep balance. Bennet's wand snapped up. "Expelliarmus!"
The red bolt streaked straight at Cagliostro's chest, someone from the crowd cheered, already certain of Bennet's victory. If the spell hit, he would win. If Cagliostro lost any more ground and dropped off the back, he would win.
Cagliostro paled at the spell coming towards him and threw himself sideways, clean off the side of the stage. The disarming spell passed harmlessly through the space where he had been standing.
"Point to Bennet!" The announcer called out.
"Mon dieu! Did you see that?" Canards shouted into his microphone excitedly. "Ladies and gentlemen, I thought Cagliostro was done for, but instead of taking the hit young Cagliostro leapt off the table to save his wand!"
"Yes, Bennet gains a point for forcing him off the stage," Judge Robards confirmed. "But it's better to lose one point than the entire duel."
Judge Arjun laughed. "I like this kid! He's got some ba—er, I mean, he's quite decisive. Most duelists would never choose the guaranteed point loss."
Most of the crowd up until this point thought it was going to be another quick duel, and watched on somewhat apathetically. However, seeing Cagliostro willingly dive off the side of the table to stay in the fight, it got everyone paying attention. It seemed like everyone agreed with Judge Arjun. After a string of boring matches, everyone was now cheering for the underdog.
Harry laughed. He had to agree as well. This kid had some fire to him. Still, the match was 2-0 against him. It didn't seem likely that he would win, but who knew? Anything could happen.
The referee reset them both at their starting positions and the duel resumed. Once again Bennet pressed the attack.
Cagliostro, however, seemed to only grow more animated. He jumped around dodging spells, firing off his own whenever he could, and the crowd seemed to love it. He had a certain bouncy energy that made him fun to watch. Though Harry imagined that it was quite annoying for Bennet. Indeed, Harry could see from here that he was getting angrier and angrier as the frustration was setting in.
Bennet angrily thrust his wand forward again. "Expelliarmus!"
Allesandro, panting, made his boldest move yet. Instead of dodging to the side, he dropped flat onto his stomach, the red bolt whizzing over his head. From the floor, he leveled his wand upward with both hands, gave it a quick twirl, and shouted.
"Expelliarmus!"
The wild move was so unexpected that Bennet didn't have the time to react. His wand ripped free of his grasp and spun high into the air before clattering across the stage.
"Disarmed! The match goes to Allesandro Cagliostro!" the referee declared.
The crowd was stunned silent for a brief moment, before they erupted into a cheer!
"Remarkable!" Canards cried. "Cagliostro managed to turn it around and sneak out a win! In a wild gamble, he dove onto his stomach to dodge, and landed the disarming charm! What a finish!"
Judge Arjun laughed again. "He's got the heart of a true duelist!"
Allesandro Cagliostro climbed to his feet, grinning ear to ear as the referee returned Bennet's wand. Bennet accepted it stiffly, still scowling, but gave the younger boy a curt nod before leaving the stage.
Cagliostro, however, was basking in the praise. He threw his arms wide to the audience as if he had just conquered the entire tournament, his tiny frame almost vibrating with pride. "Grazie! Grazie!" he shouted in Italian, his voice carrying just enough to draw laughs. "Sarò qui tutta la settimana!"
The crowd roared, half in cheers, half in laughter at his dramatic posturing. Allesandro soaked it in shamelessly, blowing kisses into the stands and bowing with theatrical flair until the announcer had to gently herd him offstage for the next match.
Harry clapped along with the rest of the crowd. Of all the matches so far, this one was by far the most entertaining.
Sirius nudged him with a grin. "That's your next opponent, pup. Looks like you'll have your hands full."
Harry grinned. "It should be fun. He's got spirit," He paused, watching Allesandro Cagliostro still waving at the audience as he entered the locker rooms in the back, "…and a flair for drama."
He wasn't worried though. Cagliostro may be an outside-the-box thinker, but that's what Legilimency was for.