So, this is my first Harry Potter fic I've decided to put online, so it may not be the best.
And praise be, I've finally find out how to make page breaks!
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Harry Potter, Hogwarts, or any characters related to the two. But I do own those I've created.
Amelia sat at the Ravenclaw table, impatiently waiting for McGonagall to be finished with her speech. She was starving, she hadn't been able to eat anything that morning, she had been too excited about her sixth year at Hogwarts. Sixteen was the year she'd been waiting for, the year she was sure would be the best. Nothing, not even her rumbling stomach could bring her down right now. A wide smile spread across her face as she looked around. Her best friend, Lenore, sat to her left, paying close attention to what McGonagall was saying. Lenore had always looked up to McGonagall, even though she had been the head of Griffindor, not Ravenclaw, and Amelia could see why. McGonagall was an excellent Headmistress, second only to Dumbledore. To her left was Natalia, another one of her friends. The three had been together since their first day at Hogwarts, when they had met on the train. With a quiet sigh, Amelia smiled and turned towards the front of the room to look at the Headmistress.
"Now, I have a very important announcement to make!" McGonagall said in her commanding voice. There was a general stir of excitement in the Great Hall. "There was an event at this school a six years ago that I'm sure many of you have heard of. There was a tournament held here that resulted in a tragic event, the loss of one of our students at the hands of Voldemort." A few students still gasped at the sound of the name, even though the Dark Lord had been killed at the hands of Harry Potter a few years before. Amelia barely noticed this though, she felt cold, as though she'd just passed by a Dementor, though she knew one hadn't been seen near Hogwarts since the Battle two years previously. All traces of her appetite were gone. She knew the real cause of this terrible feeling, and she stared at McGonagall, willing her to go on, but terrified of what she would say next.
"The Triwizard Tournament was banned after this tragedy, but in recent years, since the death of Voldemort, there has been talk of reinstating the tournament, with more restrictions and rules, of course. This year, the Ministry and the schools asked to participate have all agreed." McGonagall paused for a moment before continuing, "The Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year."
Amelia felt her head spinning, and the excited chatter of the students around her faded into the background. All she could hear were McGonagall's words echoing in her head. "The Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year...The Triwizard Tournament...The Triwizard Tournament..." She felt herself tilting backwards, but she could do nothing about it. She vaguely heard Lenore call her name, worried, and felt a hand brush her arm before she hit the floor and everything went dark. The last thing she heard was a student nearby calling:
"Someone get Madame Pomfrey, Amelia Diggory's fainted!"
"Amy? Amelia? Wake up, please!" Amelia's eyes opened a sliver at the sound of someone calling her name, but she shut them quickly. Her head pounded as if someone was hitting her with a hammer. She groaned, lifting a hand to her forehead. The voice called out again: "I think she's coming around!" There were hurried footsteps and Amelia recognized the soft voice of Madame Pomfrey.
"Oh, good. Oh, dear, she really took a knock to the head. She fainted in the Great Hall, you say?" the woman said, and Amelia finally recognized the other voice as Lenore's.
"Yes," Lenore said, "She hit her head on the floor before anyone could catch her." Madame Pomfrey sighed. Amelia felt a warm cloth on her forehead and tried to open her eyes a little more.
"There you are, Miss Diggory. You've come around at last, gave some people quite a scare back there." Amelia groaned again, the pain in her head still to intense for her to form a complete sentence. "Here you go, dear. Drink a little of this." Madame Pomfrey held a small bottle to Amelia's lips, pouring a little bit of the bitter liquid down Amelia's throat. It burned for a moment, but after swallowing, she instantly felt the pain in her head dull considerably. She opened her eyes the whole way, pushing herself up into a sitting position.
"Th-thanks..." she said rather shakily. Madame Pomfrey nodded, smiling, and turned to Lenore, who was sitting in a chair by the bed Amelia was in.
"Help her back to your common room, won't you dear? I've got a first year who managed to Bat-Bogey himself a few beds over." she said. Lenore nodded and turned to Amelia as Madame Pomfrey shuffled away.
"Are you all right?" Lenore asked, still looking worried. As she swung her legs off the bed and stood up, Amelia got the feeling Lenore was worried about her for a reason other than the knot on the back of her head.
"I'm fine, Lenny. What happened back there? I remember McGonagall talking and then..." her voice trailed off as she started to remember the events that had led to her fainting. She sat back down on the bed, looking at the floor. Dread filled her as those words returned to run through her mind: The Triwizard Tournament...the loss of one of our students...The Triwizard Tournament...
"Amy? Are you sure you're okay?" Lenore asked again. Amelia looked up trying to shake the words from her head.
"Lenny, what happened in the Great Hall? Did McGonagall say..." she trailed off again, unable to say the words she'd hated for so long. Lenore looked around nervously, not wanting to say anything. "Len, just tell me!" Amelia said, praying that it had all been a terrible dream.
"They're holding The Tournament here, Amy. I'm so sorry!" Lenore finally sputtered, hugging Amelia, who simply closed her eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening, she was just starting her sixth year here. It was supposed to be her best. The Triwizard Tournament ruined all that. Why? Why did they have to hold it here, why did they have to hold it at all? The Tournament had haunted her since that day six years ago when she'd been told that her brother, the person she'd looked up to since before she could remember, was dead. He had died in that tournament, the one that was now coming back to Hogwarts.
Amelia sat in an armchair in the circular, domed common room she usually shared with the other Ravenclaw students. It was nearly midnight and the room was currently empty, save for herself. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was staring intently at the flames in the fireplace, lost in her own thoughts. How could they do this? How could they bring back something that had caused so much pain for so many people? Did no one remember the death of her brother? If it hadn't been for this tournament, perhaps he would still be alive. But he wasn't. Cedric was dead.
Amelia blinked furiously, forcing the tears she could feel coming on back, not permitting herself to cry again. She'd done enough of that in last five years. As she looked around, the large, empty room seemed much smaller than usual. She needed to get out of here, to take a walk, clear her head, not just sit here and dwell on her anger. With a shaky sigh, she stepped toward the large, wooden door and pushed it open. She walked swiftly down the spiral stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. There was a large possibility that she would get caught, she knew, but the punishment couldn't be too bad, and it was worth it to get away from her own thoughts for a while. She turned off the stairs and into a larger hallway. There were no lights, she finally noticed, and pulled out her wand.
"Lumos." she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. It was kind of exhilarating, breaking the rules. It wasn't really her thing, she'd always been a pretty good student, and she had definitely never been this alone in Hogwarts this late at night. It was kind of eerie. She walked down the hallway, slower, now, that she had been walking before. She reached a corner and turned, half expecting to run smack into some ghastly creature, even though she knew full well that Hogwarts was known for it's safety and there were no terrible creatures roaming around freely. She continued, staying on the strip of carpet that ran along the center of the hall so as to muffle her footsteps. At least, she thought, her thoughts were certainly not focused on her anger, but more on her safety in these creepy halls. She made a few more turns without running into someone, or something, before a thought struck her: how would she find her way back to the Ravenclaw tower? A wave of panic washed over her and she cursed under her breath, turning around quickly. To her surprise she ran smack into someone, and let out a yelp of terror, as did the person she ran into.
"Petrificus totalus!" the person cried, sounding scared, and Amelia felt her arms snap to her sides and her entire body stiffen. She fell backwards, thankfully on the carpet. She could see the person bending over her carefully, looking at her face. It was a boy, she saw, with brown curly hair, in a set of red and yellow pajamas. He looked her over once and sighed, relieved. He waved his wand and she felt the body-bind curse being lifted; she sat up instantly.
"What the hell was that?" she hissed, backing away from the boy as she looked around for her wand.
"Sorry! I'm sorry!" he sputtered, "You frightened me, I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't hurt you, did I?" He kneeled down beside her, looking worried. Amelia softened a little, the boy really did seem to be concerned that he'd hurt her.
"I'm fine, really." she said, standing up and retrieving her wand from where it had landed when she'd fallen. The boy smiled a little, before extending his hand.
"Lucas Lancaster, Head Boy." he said. Amelia took his hand, shaking it firmly. Her father had always told her that a handshake was the first chance to make a good impression.
"Amelia Diggory, Ravenclaw. And let me guess," she continued with a smirk, "You're in Griffindor?" She gestured to his red and yellow apparel. Lucas nodded sheepishly, seeming to realize that he did look rather comical. Even in the dim light, Amelia could tell he was blushing.
"So, what exactly are you doing out of bed at this time of night?" he said, seeming desperate to change the subject from his clothing.
"I needed to take a walk," Amelia said, wondering if he would report her, "Didn't realize I'd have to find my way back to tower until a few minutes ago." She crossed her arms, trying to look older than she was. "What about you?" Lucas shrugged, putting his wand back in the pocket of his pajamas.
"First night Head Boy duties," he explained, "I have to make sure no first years decided to wander the halls. And I think if you go that way," he gestured down the hallway, "And take two rights and left you'll find yourself back at the tower." Amelia raised her eyebrows at his knowledge of the Ravenclaw tower location. "I have to know these things. It's not good to find a lost first year if you can't tell them where to go." he said, seeming to understand the look she'd given him.
"You've got a point. Thanks for the directions." Amelia turned and started to walk the way he'd told her.
"Not a problem." Lucas said, turning in the opposite direction.