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(Enchanting Melodies) Chapter 380: The Reluctant Play
🕑 Added 2024-11-24 14:07:57 +0000 UTCChapter 380: The Reluctant Play
21 April 1995, Olympus Academy, Greece
Cornelius Fudge sat in his room in the Olympus, reeling at the sheer disaster that happened. It was like there was some grand entity that wanted to make sure that everything that could go wrong would go wrong. He had a fucking civil war to manage in his own country, and now they had an international incident on his hands. Thankfully, for the first time in a while, his country wasn’t to blame for this. And it seemed like the public had finally figured out what had happened, and Cornelius had used this opportunity to get the Daily Prophet to push things to his favour a bit. He had to admit that he was happy with the result.
Tragedy on Mount Olympus: Secrets, Sacrifices, and Shadows
By Rita Skeeter
Greece – What was meant to be a showcase of magical prowess and international camaraderie turned into a nightmare on Mount Olympus during the Sixth Task of the European School Tournament, hosted by the illustrious Olympus Academy. The quest to retrieve the legendary Golden Apple, revered not only for its unparalleled healing properties but also rumoured to grant immortality, quickly spiralled into chaos and tragedy.
From the outset, the task was marred by unforeseen peril. Unlike other schools that implemented stringent safeguards, Olympus Academy opted for a more perilous approach, thrusting students into the heart of the mountain teeming with extraordinarily powerful creatures. The result? Many young witches and wizards suffered severe injuries, and several lost their lives as the mountain's defences proved brutally unforgiving.
The true horror began when it was discovered that Olympus Academy had concealed a secret entrance to the Golden Apple’s sanctuary—an entry known only to the native Greek students. This revelation left international competitors scrambling, as the brave champions from Hogwarts—Cedric Diggory, Daphne Greengrass, Angelina Johnson, and Eddie Carmichael—managed to uncover one such passage. Their daring entry has since been the subject of intense speculation. Reports suggest that these champions remained within the hidden depths for days, emerging miraculously unscathed, except for Cedric Diggory, who remains missing. Adding to the mystery, only one Greek student, the son of the academy’s headmaster, has returned.
Inside the secret chamber, what transpired remains shrouded in mystery. Speculation ranges from ancient curses to dark magic unleashed by the contest itself. Meanwhile, those who remained unaware of the hidden passage struggled desperately against the mountain’s hostile environment, leading to a staggering death toll as the entire massif began to collapse. The International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) is still conducting rescue operations, but the exact number of casualties remains unknown—rumours suggest it could be alarmingly high.
In a decisive move, the ICW has officially disqualified the entire Sixth Task, declaring it null and void due to the absence of any declared winners and the fact that no one successfully retrieved the Golden Apple—if it even existed. This unprecedented decision underscores the catastrophic failure of the task and raises serious questions about the planning and execution by Olympus Academy. The disqualification also means that the prestigious tournament lacks a crowning achievement for this round, leaving the magical community bewildered and disappointed.
Hogwarts emerges as the school with the most survivors, save for the still-missing Cedric Diggory. In a poignant turn, the Ministry of Magic has extended offers of compensation to Cedric’s grieving parents, which they have respectfully declined. However, this gesture has been overshadowed by the enigmatic cloak of darkness that enveloped the collapsing mountain, disintegrating falling debris and potentially saving countless lives. Yet, this very phenomenon raises alarming questions: Was this a deliberate act? Could the cloak have inadvertently claimed more lives, including those of the very students it was meant to protect?
The controversy intensifies as whispers of a targeted attack surface. What exactly were Olympus Academy’s intentions? Was this an orchestrated effort to eliminate competition or a misguided attempt at securing the Golden Apple’s power? The international wizarding community is abuzz with theories, each more unsettling than the last.
In light of the disaster, a grand funeral is scheduled to honour the fallen students in Greece next week, with subsequent ceremonies planned at each participating school. Delegates are set to return to their institutions in preparation for the final, Seventh Task, which will take place at Hogwarts. However, there is growing chatter about the potential cancellation of this final challenge.
Minister Fudge was conspicuously absent from the public eye, attending to matters in Greece. An anonymous member of his administration has expressed strong disapproval of the current situation, further fuelling the fire of controversy. “The safety protocols were blatantly ignored,” the source revealed. “Olympus Academy prioritized prestige over the lives of young wizards.”
As the wizarding world reels from this catastrophe, the true motives behind Olympus Academy’s actions remain under scrutiny. Was this tragedy a mere oversight, or the dark machinations of a power-hungry institution? Only time will tell as investigations continue and the community mourns its losses.
Stay tuned as we delve deeper into this unfolding story, uncovering the truths behind the shadows that now loom over Mount Olympus and the future of the European School Tournament.
This reporter will continue to follow this story and bring you the latest updates from the heart of the tragedy.
Yes, the Greeks had fucked up royally and Cornelius was more than happy to take advantage of the situation. The last year of interference with the ICW had soured his reputation in his country, and this was a golden opportunity. Sure, when he learned that the Hogwarts champions had disappeared from all observation during the task, he had been hoping to use this to put some pressure on the ICW, but it didn’t seem like he was the only injured party.
He expected the students to be in danger, but he didn’t quite imagine the situation to be dire. He had to repress flinches as he saw multiple students get injured fighting the hundreds of terrifying creatures up the mountains. There were herds of chimaeras, even a few dragons. Hell, the Hogwarts champions fought a fucking Hydra, it was one of the biggest ones in recorded history and they got children to fight them. It was only that Carmichael boy’s quick thinking that stopped his fellow champions from dying out, and even then, he the Diggory boy was missing.
According to the Carmichael boy, Diggory had sacrificed himself for them in the weird maze they found themselves trapped in, and they didn’t know if had survived or not as they ran away. Cornelius wasn’t sure he bought it, but it was better to leave things be. He wouldn’t really gain everything by trying to push things. As far as he was concerned, the less he knew the better.
The main concern was the frankly absurd death rate of the students. It was one thing to have causalities because of some unforeseen security issues – like the whole mess with the Quidditch World Cup – but it was something completely different to knowingly send children to their deaths, ignoring even the pretence of safety. Apparently, it was all the headmaster’s idea, and no one even tried to protest because of how powerful he was. Marinakis, or whatever his name was, was their version of Dumbledore.
Cornelius was disturbed by the comparison. Even if they had kicked Albus Dumbledore out of Britain, it was only after the man tried to kill a student and had also run Hogwarts like his own personal kingdom.
His train of thought was interrupted by a knock. Expecting this to happen sooner or later, he answered, “Come in.”
A familiar figure entered the room. It was a bearded wizard, which he immediately recognized as Heinrich Eberstadt, a Swiss delegate of the ICW. He was glaring at the British minister while holding a crunched copy of the Daily Prophet In his hands, “What is this, Fudge?”
“Oh, I didn’t know you subscribed to British news.”
“This is your doing,” the ICW representative stated, with his eyes practically glowing from fury.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve had my own trouble keeping secrets from Rita Skeeter. I have to say that while I do dislike her dramatics sometimes, she is surprisingly competent at finding stories.”
“You’re making a mistake antagonizing the ICW over this.”
Fudge rolled his eyes at that, “Look, I’m not one for fancy words, but I think that ICW is in trouble enough as it is. Greece is already barely part of the ICW and the death of children, while very tragic, will never be enough for them to give up their headmaster. At most, they’ll fire him and hope that he remains quiet until people forget, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Magical Greece will be able to pay off whatever fees you ask from just the materials they could harvest from the corpses of the hundreds of dead creatures scattered around what remains of Mount Olympus. You need stability and for that to happen, you need my help.”
“The ICW controls Britain.”
“Oh, you foreigners forget how us British think. You have influence over my administration, parts of our task forces, and even our legislation, but you’d be delusional if you thought for one moment that you have any sort of power over the people. Believe me, if I could exert that much control politically, then I’d have done it. It sure beats having to do damage control over one mess after another. They’re constantly fighting, over one mess or another, following some Dark Lord, or joining movements. However, a good way to unite them is by giving them a hero, and if that doesn’t work a martyr. We had the boy who lived before, and now Cedric Diggory is dead. Do you think my people will let you host another task in their home, after what happened?”
The Swiss wizard didn’t seem to like that, “You can’t withdraw from the task. You are contractually obligated to…”
The minister snorted and interrupted the other man, “My dear, do you think some contract is going to convince my people of anything? Let’s not kid ourselves, threats will do nothing here. Instead, you should be focusing more on what you can offer us, not the other way around.”
“What do you want?” he retorted hotly.
“The leash around Britain’s neck gone. The ICW will retreat any military presence after the task is done. You will remove yourself from the Wizengamot. Instead, I will award a single seat to the ICW representative responsible for Britain-related matters. You will withdraw from all departments bare the Department of International Affairs, and you will get to do an audit every five years to see if we’re breaking any laws of the ICW. Finally, you will leave Hogwarts alone. You will not interfere with how it’s run. You’ve already seen the quality of our wizards and witches during the tournament.”
“Anything else?” the ICW representative replied with a sarcastic tone.
“No, that’s it,” Cornelius answered, “I’m being quite reasonable here, to be honest, at least compared to your concessions during the summer. I’m not asking for much if you think about it. Hell, you’ll even be in a better position than you were two years ago, at least in Britain-related matters. The other countries will want their pound of flesh too. Look, if you want to read my concessions properly, then here’s a copy of them.”
Cornelius handed him a large pile of parchments, and continued, “You can look through them for as long as you want but do sign them quickly. I’ve heard a rumour that Rita Skeeter is writing another article due in two weeks. After that, who knows if the general public will let me host the tournament, especially with it being so close to their children.”
The man glared at him and picked up the pile of parchments, before leaving in a huff. Right as he was about to exit, he spoke up in a neutral tone, “You’re using the death of children to get an advantage over the ICW.”
Fudge had to admit that it did rub him the other way but shook his head, “I could say the same about you. After all, didn’t you use the deaths during the Quidditch World Cup to exert your influence on my country?”
With that last word, the Swiss wizard left, leaving a smug and hopeful minister in his room. One day after, a signed agreement reducing the ICW’s involvement in the affairs of Magical Britain was signed, and Cornelius Fudge returned home, with the taste of sweet victory in his mouth. It was a great feeling, one that he had almost forgotten after two years of almost constant losses. He only hoped that his feelings remained, but he wasn’t really optimistic about that.
AN: I’ll be honest, I came up with this chapter on a whim, and I’m not even sure if I should have included it. It felt like I needed to slow things down a bit after the constant action that happened in the previous task. Don’t worry, I’ll go back to Harry in the next chapter, so this isn’t a long string of interludes or anything. I don’t even know if I should keep it, or if I should scrap it altogether and replace it with something else, so, as usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
Comments
athass_prkr
I removed it. It was part of another paragraph that I deleted, and I must have accidentally left this behind. Anyway, thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate the help.
Vortex
“Greece remains unstable, grappling with the return of the dark You-Know-Who and relentless Lycan attacks that have terrorized the nation.” That needs a fix
Afterdark230
Great filler chapter, lots of foreshadowing even if it is slight. Fudge will get screwed over I am sure. Looking forward to the next episode.
Monzter E
Well done Fudge! This is politics! No small amount of immorally can stop change! Now what will ICW do? Idt I'll cow over the demands without some leverage or hidden angle for round 2... all am predicting is that all this ICW meddling is a perfect distraction for the world at large or the macro side of the world!
Gummyking2
I hope Harry punishes the headmaster of Olympus for setting this up
