"Sherry, wait up!" Mickey ran up to her best friend hurriedly. "Why do you always walk so fast?"

"I have to get to the library to start my History of Magic homework. Professor Binns hasn't given us a night off in two weeks! This time we have to write an essay on the Goblin Rebellions. Argh! I could care less about how Grimwald the Grey-haired defeated Muggo the Slimy. I mean, honestly, what does it matter if they rebel? I'm sure the Ministry of Magic has them under control."

"You know, Sherry, it's just an essay. Nothing to get worked up over." Mickey patted Sherry on the shoulder. "I have to run. Promised to meet Carl in the common room and help him with his Divination homework. Imagine this: Carl's got to write why his hair is the color that it is. S'ppose its got something to do with the planets. C'ya." Mickey left Sherry and went up a staircase to their right and turned left at the top, obviously on her way to the Hufflepuff common room. Sherry headed for the library. She took a particularly large volume titled "Goblin Rebellions, the Truth Behind the Warts" off of a shelf, and opened up to "Muggo the Slimy." She pulled out a piece of parchment, ink, and a quill, and began to take notes. She felt a bump and realized that books were being dropped onto her table. She looked up into the eyes of their owner. It was Harry Potter!

"D'you mind if I sit here?" He asked.

"Erm, no. Sure. Go ahead. Okay." Sherry was slightly taken aback. Why would the famous Harry Potter want to sit with her? Oh well, she thought, he is kind of cute!

Sherry didn't talk to Harry at all during her visit to the library that day. As time went on, she became more and more aware that this was the boy who had saved the world! This boy had saved the world at least four times already! And now he was part of the Triwizard Tournament. His name had been put in the Goblet of Fire and he had been chosen, but he was too young. He was so brave!

Harry packed up his bag and, holding a stack of books, left the library, looking quite tired. He had left one book unopened on the table. Sherry took a peek at its title. He had been looking up the Goblin Rebellions, too! He must have gotten the same assignment as her! Wow! Sherry left the book there, packed up her things, and headed for the Hufflepuff dormitories. She gave the statue of Berny the Befuddled the password ("Chicken Livers") and he stepped to the side, looking quite befuddled. Sherry entered the common room to find Carl and Mickey bending over a sheet of parchment and scribbling furiously with a quill. She sunk down into a large, slightly worn, red armchair.

"Any luck with the Divination?" Sherry asked them tiredly.

"Yea, well, I think (not sure, mind you) that the reason I have brown hair is because Saturn was in line with Neptune on my birthday, and there was a comet heading for Mercury. Not sure though. You just never know with these things, one minute you've got Saturn and Neptune, the next there's. aw forget it, this Divination thing is all a sham anyways, isn't it? Predicting the future, seeing omens, I just can't get the hang of it." Carl shook his head sadly and sat down next to Sherry.

"Darling," Mickey said, imitating Professor Trelawney's misty manner of speaking. "You simply do not have what we call the 'inner eye.' It is utterly impossible that you will ever see anything in my class." Sherry laughed appreciatively and said that she was going to bed. She mounted the stairs to the girls' dormitories and slipped into her four- posted with ease.

The next morning she went to breakfast with Mickey and Carl. They sat down at the Hufflepuff table and Mickey and Sherry waited while Dumbledore got the attention of the entire room by banging his spoon against his goblet. Carl was preoccupied with staring at the Beaxbatons champion, who was sitting at their table looking quite unhappy. Carl, on the other hand, looked blissful.

"As some of you might know," began Dumbledore in a loud voice, "in past Triwizard Tournaments, there has been a Yule Ball. Anyone under fourth year cannot attend unless they are going with an older student. The four Champions will open the ball by having a special dance with their partners. The Yule Ball is approaching quickly, so please find a partner soon. Dress robes are to be worn. Now, please enjoy your breakfast!" Dumbledore sat down in his chair at the teacher's table and picked up his fork and knife. Food sprang onto the golden plates and the goblets in the Great Hall filled with drinks. The foreign students still seemed amazed with this, but Sherry and Mickey were used to it. It really didn't seem that special anymore. Carl was still eyeing the veela girl from Beaxbatons and had not touched his breakfast.

"Come on, Carl, if you like her that much ask her to the ball. Get her before anyone else does." Mickey was getting annoyed with her friend, who couldn't stop staring at the girl. Carl got up wearing a determined smile. He walked over to the beautiful girl confidently. They were too far away from Mickey and Sherry to hear anything, but that didn't stop the girls from watching. He opened his mouth and they could see him looking very nervous. His lips moved cautiously and then he was silent. The girl got a look of disgust on her face and turned her head away from her. Carl walked sulkily back to his seat and sat down. "No luck?" Sherry said in mock sincerity.

"No. She just laughed. I don't know what came over me."

Mickey was still annoyed. "Well she is part veela isn't she? We all saw them at the World Cup. There were guys jumping out of the tallest boxes for them. It's just not safe anymore."

"Quite right!" said Sherry in mock-sarcasm. "In which case we'd better get out of here. You never know where they'll strike next!"

Sherry, Mickey, and Carl got up and left the Great Hall, heading for Herbology. When they reached the greenhouses,