The House Cup

Live House Standings: (Author's Note, I am planning on having a Live House Standings at the start of every chapter.)

Slytherin: 41

Ravenclaw: 32

Hufflepuff: 27

Gryffindor: 14

-----

The end of the third-year bouts marked the end of Friday's competition. The following day, Saturday, saw the fourth- and fifth-year students compete. These competitions involved much more powerful magic and saw an increase in serious injuries. Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey, in particular, were very upset with the rate of injury. Professor Snape was upset, because his potion stocks for the wiggenweld potion were diminishing at an alarming rate, while Madam Pomfrey was seriously worried about well-being of the students. Nevertheless, the competition continued, and preliminary rankings for the fourth and fifth years were made.

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Fourth-Year Preliminary Ranking

1. Violet Camellia (Ravenclaw)-Half-blood

2. Rose Vance (Gryffindor)-Pureblood

3. Adonis Waiters (Gryffindor)-Half-blood

4. Reed Anderson (Hufflepuff)-Muggle-born

5. Atticus Fletcher (Hufflepuff)-Half-blood

6. Florent Grass (Hufflepuff)-Muggle-born

7. Canna Hyacinth (Gryffindor)-Muggle-born

8. Iris Rozier (Slytherin)-Pureblood

9. Myrtle Vorpal (Slytherin)-Pureblood

10. Zahir Frange (Ravenclaw)-Muggle-born

---

Fifth-Year Preliminary Ranking

1. Andromeda Tonks (Hufflepuff)-Half-blood

2. Olena Trouche (Ravenclaw)-Pureblood

3. Dara Nott (Slytherin)-Pureblood

4. Clode Plythe (Gryffindor)-Muggle-born

5. Bane Danvers (Gryffindor)-Muggle-born

6. Ashe Lux (Ravenclaw)-Half-blood

7. Skye Auxatia (Slytherin)-Pureblood

8. Bron Anence (Hufflepuff)-Muggle-born

9. Chantal Riviera (Ravenclaw)-Half-blood

10. Celestine Lucre (Ravenclaw)-Pureblood

----

With the completion of the fourth- and fifth-year tournaments, Saturday's competitions came to a close. The last set of tournaments would take place the following day, with the sixth-year tournament taking place before lunch and the seventh-year tournament taking place after lunch. The end of the tournament weekend would extend into an additional day off for recovery. So, the Start of Year tournament ended up being a four-day weekend for the students.

----

I look on, with some slight dread, as the sixth-year students filed into the dueling hall. I do not like seeing my students get injured, which has been a common occurrence throughout this weekend. I swear if I have to listen to Severus ask me for more funds one more time, I might ask him to 'duel me*', so that we can demonstrate what the peak of the wizarding world looks like.

*Note that I think McGonagall is stronger than Snape until Dumbledore dies. I think, the shock of Dumbledore's death combined with her age (she turns 100 when Harry starts his second year at Hogwarts) allows for Snape to surpass her. So, I'm implying that McGonagall would beat Snape up.

While listening to Flitwick repeat the same spiel for the sixth time in the three days, I can't stop myself from thinking about the whirlwind the last nine months have been. After our collective embarrassment at the second IWSI, massive reforms were made. At first, I was quite skeptical with the changes the young headmaster decided to make, but after this last month, there is no denying his brilliance. The students are more engaged in lessons, and the increased competitive atmosphere, which I thought would lead to greater inter house conflicts, has allowed for students to bloom at an accelerated. Furthermore, the dueling class allows for a safe place where students can settle differences, without the repercussions. I was stirred out of my musings when six students, the group the I will be supervising, approached my dueling platform. 

Briefly, I took a glance at my list and decided to conduct a brief roll call to ensure that the students came to the proper platform.

"Allison Cooper"

"Bradley MacDougal"

"Dervin Manger"

"Jessabel Louvrex"

"Liam Mulciber"

"Violet Orpington"

I was pleased to see that the students had found the right platform.

"Very good, our first match will be Mr. Mulciber versus Mr. MacDougal. Our second match will be Ms. Orpington versus Mr. Manger. Our last match of the first round will be Ms. Cooper versus Ms. Louvrex. Would Misters Mulciber and MacDougal please take the stage."

Once I saw that the two young men were ready, I shot a small red spark from my wand, signifying the start of the match. As soon as the match started, Mulciber immediately went on the offensive, while MacDougal, slower to react, was forced to dodge and defend. I was particularly pleased to see the exquisite transfiguration used by Mulciber. He was doing a great job transfiguring the floor to restrict the area MacDougal could move around in. This restriction allowed for Mulciber to eventually land an expelliarmus, winning the match. 

"Very good gentlemen, excellent transfiguration, Mulciber." I said as the two young men walked off the stage.

I then cast a transfiguration spell on the platform returning it to its original state. 

"Ms. Orpington and Mr. Manger, would you please take the stage."

The second match was a complete blowout, with Ms. Orpington dispatching poor Mr. Manger in three swift spells. The third match, however, was very scrappy Ms. Cooper, while less powerful than Ms. Louvrex, showed her Ravenclaw ingenuity through the use of niche spell combinations, which ultimately allowed her to beat Ms. Louvrex.

"Very good children, our next round of matches will be "Ms. Orpington versus Mr. MacDougal, followed by Ms. Cooper versus Mr. Mulciber, and lastly Mr. Manger versus Ms. Louvrex."

Ms. Orpington once again showed her dueling prowess swiftly dispatching Mr. MacDougal with a four-spell chain of Expelliarmus-Confringo-Expelliarmus-Expelliarmus. I found it interesting that Ms. Orpington opted for a quick victory rather than a sure one. (Author's Note, Expelliarmus is known for a being a fast spell, but not as powerful as Bombarda or Confringo)

The following match saw Mr. Mulciber use 'gray' spells that led to Ms. Cooper being severely injured and likely the poor girl's tournament, as she will be in the ward recovering for a week. 

I descended upon Mr. Mulciber with righteous fury. 

"That is enough Mr. Mulciber, 5 points from Slytherin, and Professor Snape and Headmaster Gage will hear about your use of extreme force and dangerous spells!" I raged.

"Whatever do you mean?" Mulciber said arrogantly, "I used spells perfectly within the rules of dueling, and it is not my fault that the Mudblood was so weak, she should have warned me beforehand."

"We do not allow the use of that word Mr. Mulciber, as such you will have a week's worth of detention, I will discuss with Professor Snape who will be in charge of the detention. 5 more points from Slytherin, and if I see such use of force again, I will disqualify you from the tournament." I said sternly. "Now off the platform with you."

The match after the debacle, was much smoother, with Ms. Louvrex dispatching Mr. Manger through the use of charm spells.

"Due to Ms. Cooper's injuries, she has unfortunately withdrawn from the tournament, as such anyone matched up against her will receive an automatic victory for that round.

The next round's matches will be Mr. MacDougal versus Ms. Louvrex, Ms. Orpington versus Mr. Mulciber, and Mr. Manger gets an automatic victory over Ms. Cooper," I announced.

The match between Mr. MacDougal and Ms. Louvrex saw Ms. Louvrex use her charm spells to convince Mr. MacDougal to step off the stage, giving her another swift victory.

The following match, between Ms. Orpington and Mr. Mulciber, was rather brutal. Ms. Orpington, arguably the strongest witch in her year, was also a Ravenclaw. She did not take kindly to seeing her housemate get so severely injured. She unleashed spells with great power, leaving Mr. Mulciber with no way to defend. Once she broke through Mr. Mulciber's defenses, rather than using a rather harmless Expelliarmus to declare her victory, she cast Diffindo severing Mr. Mulciber's wand arm winning the match. I swiftly used a wiggenweld potion to reattach Mr. Mulciber's arm. 

"With the automatic victory of Mr. Manger, we will continue to the next round of matches, Mr. Manger versus Mr. Mulciber, Ms. Orpington versus Ms. Louvrex, and Mr. MacDougal gets an automatic victory over Ms. Cooper."

I made sure to give Mr. Mulciber very little rest between his two matches, as a way to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with what he did to poor Ms. Cooper. Mr. Manger, while weaker than Mr. Mulciber, was much more rested. This quickly became evident, as Mr. Mulciber was noticeably sluggish, which allowed Mr. Manger to land a diffindo on Mr. Mulciber, once again severing his wand arm. I quickly reattached his arm, but it was clear that Mr. Mulciber had lost his fighting spirit and was significantly paler due to loss of blood. Nothing a few potions couldn't solve, but the revenge the Ravenclaw students gave to Mr. Mulciber was swift, calculated, and ruthless. 

The following match, between Ms. Louvrex and Ms. Orpington was a swift affair, as Ms. Louvrex's charm spells do not seem to work on the same sex. Seeing her charm spell fail to take hold, Ms. Louvrex opted to surrender rather than take a beating from Ms. Orpington. 

The last round of matches were all swift affairs, as the weakened Mulciber quickly fell into Ms. Louvrex's charm spell and walked off the stage, while Ms. Orpington had an automatic win over Ms. Cooper, and Mr. MacDougal used an excellent bit of transfiguration that caught everybody off guard and knocked Mr. Manger off the platform.

McGonagall's Group Results:

Violet Orpington - 5-0

Jessabel Louvrex - 3-2

Dervin Manger - 2-3

Liam Mulciber - 2-3

Bradley MacDougal - 2-3

Allison Cooper - 1-4

-----

My first set round robins went well, I won 5 straight victories. However, I knew that my next grouping would be rather difficult, as I would be matched up with other students who were 5-0 and 4-1. I am confident that I can beat anyone in my year, so I am not particularly worried. The only people who might have a small chance of beating me are Violet, Mulciber, Louvrex, and Callum Roberts. Violet is the most powerful witch in our year. Mulciber fights dirty and has lots of gray spells. Louvrex is a seductress. Callum has significant spell resistance and can tank spells others normally cannot. 

I heard, however, that Violet, Louvrex, and Mulciber were placed in the same group. From which, only Violet finished with 5-0, and Mulciber even had a losing record.

Callum was in my previous group, and I defeated him with much effort and a little bit of luck. I was fortunate that I got to fight him in the first round, if I had to fight him in the later rounds of the round robin, I would have struggled a lot more than I already did. His endurance is insane.

Luckily, or unluckily, Callum and I will not be matched up again, as we have already been in the same group.

My final grouping was Me (Gryffindor), Violet (Ravenclaw), Braden Prewett (Gryffindor), Yasmine Glorfindel (Ravenclaw), Gabriel Prescott (Hufflepuff), and Quenton Quinzel (Gryffindor).

I have a bittersweet feeling when I see so many Gryffindors in my group, because this means that they did well in the initial grouping, but unfortunately, I will have to beat them if I want the sixth-year crown.

There was a clear gap in dueling talent when Violet and I are compared to the rest of our peers, as such we both dispatched our competitors with ease. I noticed, however, that Violet had to try a lot harder to win compared to me. This is likely due to the fact that she had a really tough initial grouping and then had to deal with Braden and Quenton fighting her extra fiercely in attempt to ensure I had the best chance of winning the whole tournament. Braden and Quenton gave me help, which while appreciated, was not needed, as I am confident in my own strength.

Fittingly, the professors made sure that my bout between Violet was the last bout of our group and year, so all eyes were on us. Just as the room began to heat up,

"I surrender," Violet announced.

"Why!?" I scream, my blood was boiling, and I was excited to fight a worthy opponent. 

"I am in worse shape than you, so I would not win, as such there is no point in fighting when the result is already clear. Therefore, I surrender. I will challenge you for your spot when I am ready, we have all year after all." She replied calmly.

I nodded understandingly, "I will be waiting then."

Like that, the sixth-year tournament ended uneventfully.

----

Sixth-Year Preliminary Ranking

1. Charlie Weasley (Gryffindor)-Pureblood {10-0}

2. Watson Rookwood (Slytherin)-Pureblood {10-0}

3. Callum Roberts (Hufflepuff)-Half-blood {9-1}

4. Violet Orpington (Ravenclaw)-Pureblood {9-1}

5. Tenebrius Lock (Gryffindor)-Muggle-born {9-1}

6. Gloria Gentry (Gryffindor)-Half-blood {9-1}

7. Colin Harte (Ravenclaw)-Muggle-born {9-1}

8. Kelsey Merryweather (Hufflepuff)-Muggle-born {9-1}

9. Hope Weaver (Hufflepuff)-Muggle-born {9-1}

10. Paige Payne (Slytherin)-Half-blood {9-1}

...

15. Yasmine Glorfindel (Ravenclaw)-Muggle-born {8-2}

....

40. Jessabel Louvrex (Ravenclaw)-Pureblood {7-3}

41. Braden Prewett (Gryffindor)-Half-blood {7-3}

...

65. Gabriel Prescott (Hufflepuff)-Pureblood {6-4}

66. Dervin Manger (Ravenclaw)-Muggle-born {6-4}

67. Braden MacDougal (Hufflepuff)-Pureblood {6-4}

68. Quenton Quinzel (Gryffindor)-Pureblood {6-4}

....

111. Liam Mulciber (Slytherin)-Pureblood {4-6}

...

147. Allison Cooper (Ravenclaw)-Muggle-born {1-9}

148. Benjamin Fringe (Hufflepuff)-Half-blood {0-10}

149. Greta Sockdolager (Gryffindor)-Pureblood {0-10}

150. Daniel Radfoot (Gryffindor)-Muggle-born {0-10}

----

After the injury riddled and anticlimactic end of the sixth-year tournament, the seventh-year tournament took place. There were significantly fewer major injuries during the seventh-year tournament, and over the 7 tournaments only Allison Cooper had to withdraw from the tournament entirely, as she was the only hit with a dangerous curse.

Seventh-Year Preliminary Ranking

1. Silas Shafiq (Slytherin)-Pureblood

2. Teresa Chrisley (Hufflepuff)-Muggle-born 

3. Theodore Waters (Hufflepuff)-Half-blood

4. Thomas Macmillan (Hufflepuff)-Pureblood

5. Simon Lowe (Ravenclaw)-Pureblood

6. Samantha Good (Gryffindor)-Muggle-born

7. Lucia Liria (Gryffindor)-Half-blood

8. Mary Prewett (Slytherin)-Half-blood

9. Joseph Blanc (Gryffindor)-Half-blood

10. Jeremiah Blanc (Gryffindor)-Half-blood

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Live House Standings:

Ravenclaw: 47 (5 from first place {4th year}, 3 from second place {5th year}, 7 from top ten placements {1 4th year, 3 5th years, 2 6th years, and 1 7th year})

Hufflepuff: 46 (5 from first place {5th year}, 3 from second place {7th year}, 4 from third place {6th year and 7th year}, 7 from top ten placements {3 4th years, 1 5th year, 2 6th years, and 1 7th year})

Slytherin: 46 (-10 from Liam Mulciber's ruthlessness, 5 from first place {7th year}, 3 from second place {6th year}, 2 from third place {5th year}, 5 from top ten placements {2 4th years, 1 5th year, 1 6th year, and 1 7th year})

Gryffindor: 33 (5 from first place {6th year}, 3 from second place {4th year}, 2 from third place {4th year}, 9 from top ten placements {1 4th year, 2 5th years, 2 6th years, and 4 7th years})