10 Before the First Task

Jake entered the room and saw Harry, Fleur, Victor, and two other students. He figured the new faces were probably the new Champions chosen to even out numbers since Hogwarts had two because of the busted goblet.

"Jake, you're the last one! Welcome, welcome! Now, let's get this ceremony started. It's important for you to see the weighing of the wands. We have to ensure that all the Champions are competing on an even playing field. What's more, it's good to meet the press so that the magical community worldwide can get to know you a little better and make more informed bets," Ludo Bagman spoke up as Jake entered the room.

"People bet on this tournament?" Harry asked, surprised, while Fleur and Victor didn't look pleased with the revelation.

Ludo scoffed, "Why, of course! Betting is an integral part of the tournament. How else do you think we get all our funding? It brings a lot of money to our country." Ludo's pride as a degenerate gambler was shamelessly evident, despite his heavy debts.

Jake nodded along before turning to the two newest champions from their respective schools. "So, who might you two be?" He asked.

"I am Sergei," the well-built Bulgarian mage replied. "I look forward to defeating you all and proving that it should have been me as the champion." He declared proudly.

"I am Luis," the French boy said. "I am here to win the tournament and look fabulous while doing it," he added, his uniform shimmering with sparkles, catching Jake's immediate attention. Clearly, this guy liked to stand out…

A blonde woman with thick glasses and a fashionably questionable outfit entered the room. "Hello, everyone, and hello, Champions. I am Rita Skeeter, journalist for the Daily Prophet, and I'm here to interview each of our Champions before the first task. Who would like to go first for their interview?" she questioned. "Oh, but before that, I almost forgot. We need to take a group picture with all the Champions for the front page."

The six Champions sighed in annoyance as they lined up for Rita to start taking picture after picture. Finally, after about 10 minutes of repeating the same shot, she claimed to have captured the perfect one, or perhaps she was just tired of torturing them by dragging out such an unnecessary thing.

"Okay then, why don't we have the official Hogwarts champion, Jake Gremory, go first?" Rita asked in a sickeningly sweet tone. Jake knew this wasn't going to go well. He had read the first article that the Daily Prophet had written about him after he was chosen as a champion, and it wasn't exactly flattering. If anything, it read like anti-American propaganda.

"Sure... okay," Jake said reluctantly as he followed Rita into another separate room.

They both sat down, and Rita pulled out a quill and notepad. "Okay then, Jake," Rita said, "let's get started. My first question is, being from an inferior magical country such as America, how do you feel you stack up against the superior combination of British and European wizards and witches?"

Jake sighed. One question in, and he already hated this. It was going to be a long interview...

---

Finally, after what seemed like an hour but was probably only 15 minutes of nauseating and demeaning questions, Jake made it back to the main room where the other Champions were waiting for their turn for interviews.

Harry looked up at Jake expectantly. "Hey, Jake, how did the interview go?"

Jake gave Harry a look that conveyed he had just witnessed all the world's evils, and Harry immediately understood. It did not go well. "Well, Harry, unfortunately, it's your turn. Good luck," Jake said as he grabbed Harry by the shoulders and pushed him into the room where Rita was waiting for the next interview.

The other four champions watched Jake's shenanigans, shaking their heads. "So, what's up with you guys? Did you all go through the Weighing of the Wands ceremony already?" Jake asked, curious.

"Indeed we did, young man. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Garrick Ollivander, the finest wandmaker on this side of the ocean," Garrick introduced himself proudly, though the other champions seemed unimpressed with his work and attitude. "Anyway," Garrick continued, "I just need to check out your wand last, Jake, and then the Weighing of the Wands ceremony will be complete."

Jake shrugged and replied, "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I don't actually use a wand." His statement left everyone in the room shocked. The other four champions couldn't believe it. What kind of wizard didn't use a wand in this day and age? Could he even cast spells without one? They had thought he was just boasting about winning the tournament, but now they questioned his abilities.

Garrick himself looked mortified at the concept of someone not using a wand, as if Jake had insulted his entire family legacy.

Without wasting any more time, Jake headed towards the door. "Well, since I don't have a wand, I don't actually have to be here. Good luck in the tournament, everyone. I'll see you all there tomorrow. You all best bring your A-game and don't make it too easy for me," he said jokingly before he left the room.

—---------

The next day, Jake was filled with excitement. He had a hearty breakfast and loaded up on carbs. Today, he would face an epic battle against a magical monster. Was he nervous? Of course. But the excitement within him couldn't be contained because, by the end of the day, he would become a real monster hunter!

As he made his way toward the stadium to compete, Jake was intercepted by Serafall, the new girl and his future date. "Hi, Jake!" She exclaimed. "I'm glad I caught up to you before the competition. I just wanted to say good luck," she said sweetly.

Jake smiled back at the gorgeous girl. "Thank you, Serafall. I appreciate that," he replied. However, before he could continue on, Serafall moved into his personal space and planted a kiss on Jake's cheek.

"Good luck," Serafall said slyly, giggling as she walked away. Jake couldn't help but watch her go, his eyes fixated on her gorgeous figure and swaying hips.

He touched his cheek where she had kissed him. "Wow, what a girl!" He said to himself, a grin forming on his face, before continuing on to the stadium.

Eventually, Jake arrived at the competitors' tent, where he was once again the last one to arrive. It wasn't intentional, but it seemed like he had the punctuality of a shonen protagonist.

"Jake, glad you made it!" Ludo Bagman exclaimed, standing alongside Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey. "We can't start this event without the star of the show," he added. Surprisingly, Ludo got close to Jake and spoke to him in a pleading tone. "Jake, I'm here begging you. Please survive this first task, no matter what you have to do," Ludo pleaded, leaving Jake puzzled.

"Huh?" Jake replied, confused. "What do you mean, survive?"

Dumbledore spoke up, addressing Jake's confusion. "It appears that news of you not using a wand, or even having one, has spread all over Britain through the newspapers. Because of that, no one believes you're going to survive the first task."

Ludo chimed in with excitement, "The betting odds are 1 to 100 that you'll survive! And the bets are being backed by Gringotts Bank itself, so they have to pay out! It's not just me who bet on you either. Apparently, a lot of witches and wizards from all over Britain have thrown in a few galleons on you, on the off chance that you survive. They'd all make a small fortune!" Ludo explained, his voice filled with glee. "I've put 100 galleons on you, Jake. You need to survive no matter what!" He added, emphasizing the importance. Jake was about to save him from all his debts in one go…

Jake nodded along, shocked by the betting odds. "Okay... so apparently, me not using a wand was a bigger deal than I thought," he mused to himself. "Oh well, apparently Gringotts Bank is about to lose a whole bunch of money for underestimating me so much. But they're a bank, so they should be fine, right?" He chuckled inwardly. Jake lamented the fact that he was essentially penniless and couldn't participate in the betting frenzy. The grand prize of the tournament was 1000 galleons, but Ludo was about to make 10,000 off him today! And what about everyone else!?

As Jake pondered to himself, feeling a bit dejected, Harry, who had been eavesdropping, couldn't contain his excitement. "I have to go tell Ron and Hermione to place bets immediately!" He shouted with glee before racing out of the tent. Harry and his two friends were the only ones who had witnessed Jake's incredible magical abilities. They knew he was an absolute monster in terms of magical power! They were going to be rich!

"Wait, Harry, we have to have you pick the creatures you'll be facing before you go... and he's gone," Dumbledore sighed, shaking his head. Not that he could blame young Harry. Albus had also placed a few hundred galleons on Jake surviving. After all, Albus knew exactly who Jake's family was. There was no way Jake wasn't going to survive! If anything Dumbledore was surprised the goblins would ever offer such odds in the first place. That wasn't like them at all.

The remaining two French and Bulgarian champions in the room watched on, still pondering if English and American wizards were all just plain crazy.

"Well, I suppose you five can just select your opponents now, and Harry will get whatever is left," Ludo suggested, pulling out a squirming sack. "Just reach your hand in, and whatever monster you pull out, you'll be facing. Except, you know, bigger," Ludo said with a mischievous laugh. "Oh, also, Jake, since you're the big draw of this stage in the tournament, you'll be competing last. We want to milk it for all it's worth. But to make up for that, why don't you pick the monster you'll be facing first?" Ludo held up the squirming sack, offering it to Jake.

With a sense of excitement, Jake reached his hand into the sack and pulled out a miniature... Hungarian Horntail dragon. The tiny creature squirmed in his hand, its scales glistening under the tent's light. At full size maybe it would look ferocious, but small replica in his hand was frankly adorable…

Jake looked at the miniature dragon and grinned. "Well, it seems I'm going up against a Dragon!" he announced.