"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere,
I want it more than I can tell…
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand,
I want so much more than they've got planned" – Belle (reprise), Beauty and the Beast
"I can't believe I'm going to England, Papa!" Viria Beauchamp clung to her father, beaming, "I'm not even old enough to enter the tournament, I don't know why they've chosen me – "
"Because you deserve it" Frank said firmly, planting a kiss on his daughter's forehead, "Go on, now, or they'll leave without you. Write lots of letters!"
"Of course I will" Viria moved to her mother with less enthusiasm, accepting the traditional French kiss on both cheeks. Giselle embraced her in a cloud of heady perfume.
"Do be good, my dear, you want to make a good impression – Viktor Krum goes to Durmstrang, and I'm sure he'll be there, so you must be absolutely charming – "
Viria grimaced, "No thank you! I don't think much of Viktor Krum" she detached herself from Giselle and kissed her father again before moving towards the giant horse-drawn carriage.
It reminded her of something out of one of those Muggle fairy-tales, and even more so once she stepped inside it. Within the carriage was an almost exact replica of Beauxbatons Academy, right down to the delicate glass staircases and elegant Gothic architecture.
The eleven students that were to be her only Beauxbatons companions eyed her with disdain when she entered, dragging a giant rucksack patterned with multi-coloured owls. One girl even sniggered. They were all much older than her, and Viria was sure that she had only been chosen to attend because her mother was on the board of governors and on excellent terms with Madame Maxime. They all seemed to know that, too; only the beautiful Fleur Delacour deigned to smile at her, and this was only fleeting. But Viria was all too used to being alone – half-English and half-French, she had never quite fit into the elitist culture at Beauxbatons, never acted like one of the snobbish rich kids she was schooled with. Yet, Frank had promised her big things from Hogwarts, his old school. She could only hope that she would finally find a friend there.
Fred Weasley sighed as he scribbled out their last sentence, "We can't say that, it sounds like we're accusing him – "
"But we are accusing him!" his twin, George, cut in with an indignant huff, "He gave us leprechaun gold, Fred, we were conned!"
"I know that, but he'll just end up hiding from us if we keep on at him" Fred screwed up the parchment and turned it to ashes with a flick of his wand, "Anyway, we'll see him soon"
"Tomorrow" George put in, grinning somewhat demonically in anticipation, "The delegations from the other schools arrive tomorrow, he's bound to be here for that"
"Let's hope so" Fred rose from the table and looked around the long-vacated common room, "Tomorrow, you said? That's good. We need a bit of excitement around here"
"It'll get even more exciting when we've entered and won a thousand galleons!" George replied cheerfully, "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, coming to a store near you!"
"Honour and glory for the rest of our lives" Fred added wistfully, "And we might meet some new girls while we're at it"
George hesitated on the step up to the boy's dormitories – Angelina Johnson was just coming down from the girl's dormitories to look for some misplaced item.
"Oh, I don't know" he said thoughtfully, grinning over at Fred, "They don't make them so bad at Hogwarts"