Chapter One
"MORSMORDRE!"
"We are going to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
September flew by for Harry in his excitement for the Tournament to come in October. The highlights of his first week back at school had to be the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, when the new, gruff and tough Professor Moody performed all three Unforgivable Curses, and Harry was able to fight off the Imperius Curse. That made him proud, but what made him laugh was when Moody Transfigured Malfoy into a snow white ferret—a scene that Ron had dubbed, Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret. The incident had earned Malfoy the nickname of Ferret, or Ferret-Boy among his enemies.
At last October came, and the time for the Tournament arrived. Luckily for the students, classes would end a half hour early so that they could have time to "look presentable" when the delegations arrived.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had Potions last thing that day, with their least favorite teacher, Snape, who loathed them equally in return.
"A half hour less of Snape!" Ron exclaimed. "Thank Merlin for the Triwizard Tournament!"
Harry and Hermione laughed. The three were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, all dressed up, waiting for someone to call them out to the grounds to greet the other schools.
At last, a prefect arrived and called, "Everyone line up by year! Quickly, quickly! First years in the front, seventh years in the back!"
They marched out of Gryffindor Tower, down to the grassy cliff outside the front doors that overlooked the Black Lake. All four houses, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin, were lined up into a four corners fashion. The staff member stood in a straight line at the back of the students.
For about five minutes, the entire school stood silently in anticipation. Then Dumbledore's voice cut through the quiet:
"Ah, now, unless I am mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons is approaching!" This caused the students to break into chatter, searching for the arrivals.
A first year shrieked, pointing at the sky. "It's a dragon!" she cried.
"Don't be stupid," another said. "It's a flying house!"
The flying house was pretty close. It was actually a gigantic, powder blue carriage, drawn by 6 massive palominos with wings, soaring gracefully through the sky.
Well, gracefully until its landing. It bumped down with a colossal crash, causing the students to scream and scatter. Harry glimpsed a coat of arms—two golden wands crossed, with three stars coming off like sparks from the wand tips—before the carriage door was flung open, and a young boy leaped out. He held the door open.
Out stepped a woman, and immediately it became clear why the carriage was so large, because this woman was huge.
"Blimey, that's one big woman," Ron whispered. Harry nodded his agreement. The woman was so tall, the only other person Harry had ever seen that compared was Hagrid.
She was clothed in black silk and pearls, with short, dark brown hair and olive skin. Her black eyes swept across the rows of students in a regal fashion.
Dumbledore applauded, and the school followed his lead. The woman smiled.
"Professor Dumbly-dore," the woman greeted in a heavy French accent.
Dumbledore smiled at her. "Madame Maxime," he said, kissing her hand. It was comical, the way tall Dumbledore was dwarfed by Madame Maxime.
Madame Maxime nodded. "My pupils," she said, extending a hand to the carriage. About a dozen students filed out, all around 17 or 18. Harry heard a lot of wolf whistles and murmurs, and could clearly see why.
About eight of the students were girls—very pretty girls. In fact, they were absolutely gorgeous.
Ron ogled. Hermione tsked.
The Beauxbatons students were very poised and polite, each greeting Dumbledore with a proper sounding "'ello."
"It is an honor to have you and your students here, Madame Maxime," Dumbledore said.
A shout from the back of the Gryffindor area came out. "Look at the lake!"
The usually glossy black surface of the Black Lake was distorted with rough, choppy ripples. With a noise like a toilet plunger, the hull of a huge ship rose out of the water. It had a resurrected look to it.
"It's Durmstrang!" yelled Lee Jordan.
An enormous anchor dropped, and a plank was extended out to shore. Twelve boys and girls stepped off the ship and onto the grounds. They were dressed in blood red robes and cloaks of heavy black fur.
One man, obviously the Headmaster, stepped forward and embraced Dumbledore like a brother.
"Albus," he said warmly, smiling, though his smile didn't reach his steely silver eyes.
Dumbledore nodded. "Wonderful to see you, Igor," he said cheerfully.
He turned to the Hogwarts students as the other man acknowledged Madame Maxime. "Hogwarts, please welcome Professor Karkaroff and his students from Durmstrang!"
Hogwarts cheered, though the Durmstrang students looked rather awkward and uncomfortable.
Hermione giggled. "Look at his beard!" she whispered.
Harry and Ron checked, then burst out laughing. Karkaroff's goatee was blowing up into his face with the wind, which he impatiently pushed down continuously.
Karkaroff gave up, then turned to Dumbledore and said, "Albus, would it be alright if my students and I go inside to warm up before the feast? Viktor has a slight head cold, you see...Viktor? Come, let's go inside..."
A bulky figure stepped out from the Durmstrang students. Harry recognized the face from the Quidditch World Cup over summer.
Ron smacked Harry's arm. "Harry, it's Krum!"
Harry nodded. Ron continued. "No way, I had no idea he was still in school!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well if he's only eighteen, like you said before, then he should still be in school," she said matter-of-factly.
Ron opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Dumbledore. "And that is our cue! Come, let's all get inside, we have a feast waiting for us!"
With that everyone on the grounds went on a rampage, headed for the Great Hall. Harry was pushed around.
"Hey!" he protested as he was elbowed in the ribs.
Then he was separated from Ron and Hermione. "Harry!" he heard Hermione call.
Harry continued to get pushed around, not quite able to find his footing, when—WHAM!
He was blown aside. He felt himself ram into someone, heard that person shriek, then felt himself collide with the grass. He groaned in pain and massaged his ribs.
Harry froze. There was something—someone—under his shoulders.
He heard a feminine groan. Harry looked down, then leaped up to his feet. "Oh, no, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"
He had landed on a girl, about his age, and she was lying on her back with her eyes closed. She groaned again, then opened her eyes and sat up groggily.
She studied him. "You know, for a smallish kind of guy, you can really knock a person over!"
Harry laughed nervously. "Yeah, I'm so sorry about that, other people were pushing me around."
"Huh," went the girl. Harry noticed that nearly everyone had gone in already. Ron and Hermione were probably wondering where he was.
The girl stood and brushed herself off. Harry realized that this girl was a Beauxbatons student, with her blue robes. Hers were a darker blue, more of a light navy, than the powder blue of the others.
"Are you entering the tournament?" Harry asked, curious.
She shook her head. "I'm a fourth year. I only came along because my cousin is entering, and she's one of Maxime's prized students. Giselle managed to convince her to let me come." She poked around in her robe pockets before locating her wand, examining it, and putting it back.
"I'm in fourth year too," he said, extending his hand. "Harry Potter."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Harry Potter, huh?" Her eyes shot to his forehead, making Harry feel self-conscious. She shook his hand, and two things happened at once.
Harry felt his scar burn, just a flash, so that he barely noticed it. But it was enough to make him have to swallow hard and rub his forehead.
She introduced herself. "Jez Riddle."
Harry tensed, and yanked his hand away. "Riddle, you said?"
She nodded. "I'm half-blood, if you were going to ask." Harry nodded slowly, and removed his hand from the handshake.
Jez seemed to take no notice of his sudden wariness, she just turned towards the front doors and began walking. She glanced back at Harry.
"Aren't you hungry, Potter?"
Harry's mind was racing. The only Riddle he knew was Tom Riddle. And Tom Riddle became Voldemort. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, and the name Riddle was more common than he'd thought. But it couldn't be a coincidence that when she shook his hand, his scar flared.
"Potter, are you alright? The feast has probably started..."
Harry looked at her. She seemed harmless. Then again, so had the diary.
"Right behind you," he replied.
"You will not believe who I just met," Harry said, taking his seat beside Ron.
"Harry! Where have you been?" Hermione gave him a worried look.
"I just literally ran into a Beauxbatons girl—" ("Wow!" went Ron) "—and she introduced herself, and her name was Riddle." Their faces were shocked.
"Riddle?" Hermione asked in a small voice.
"Tom Riddle," Ron said grimly. Harry nodded.
"Do you think she might be related somehow?" asked Hermione.
Harry took a drumstick from the platters. "It's possible that she isn't, but listen to this: when we shook hands, my scar burned for about a second."
The other two gasped. "Harry, we should talk to Dumbledore about this," Hermione said.
"Maybe I will, but she didn't seem all that bad. I think we should just wait it out, see how she acts," Harry said, thinking of the way she reacted to meeting him. It was just like everyone else: look at his scar.
"Maybe, mate, but I'm worried," Ron said, taking an éclair from the desserts platters.
Hermione craned her neck, surveying the Great Hall. "Where is she, Harry?"
Harry looked to the Ravenclaw table, where the Beauxbatons students were sitting. Pretty girls...guys...Cho Chang...he didn't see Jez Riddle. "She's not at Ravenclaw," he said, and switched his gaze to the next table over, Hufflepuff.
"Harry, there's a girl by that Greengrass girl at Slytherin who I've never seen before, and she's wearing Beauxbatons robes. Is it her?"
Harry searched for who Ron was pointing out. Daphne Greengrass... "That's her."
She was having an animated conversation with Greengrass, and her eyes were lighting up.
"Harry," Hermione said suddenly. "Did she mention knowing Malfoy?"
Harry shook his head, and was about to ask why when he saw: Malfoy had snuck up behind her, and tickled her in the ribs. Her shriek was lost among the hum in the Hall, but the Trio watched as she smacked Malfoy playfully on the shoulder, then gave him a hug.
"She hugs the ferret?" Ron asked. "She has to be related to You-Know-Who."
(Jez POV)
"Jez, you still need to tell me how you managed to convince Maxime to let you come!" Daphne gave me a begging look, making me laugh.
"Well, my cousin Giselle is part of the delegation, and she's one of Maxime's prize students, along with Fleur Delacour. Elle knew that I would probably go mad if I had to stay at that boring school all year, all alone, and that if I came I would see you and Draco. So, she pulled a couple strings, and got Maxime to let me come!" I took a bite out of the delicious chocolate ice cream provided, and closed my eyes in contentment.
I heard Daphne giggle, and was about to ask her what was funny when I was tickled.
"OI!" I yelled, nearly leaping out of my seat. Daphne burst out laughing, and I heard a familiar chuckle from behind me. I felt my entire mood lift as I turned to face my other best friend.
"Draco Malfoy, you're a devil child!" I laughed, slapping his arm.
His grey eyes lit up and he laughed. Daphne looked shocked. "That is no way to greet a long-time friend, Miss Riddle," he said, mockingly shaking a finger at me.
I rolled my eyes and gave him a hug. "You're ridiculous."
Daphne coughed. "Um, Malfoy?" She seemed really confused.
Draco turned to her and gave her a curt nod. "Greengrass."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why so cold, Malfoy?"
"Um, we don't really talk to each other—like, at all, Jez. Our only connections are pretty much you and Slytherin." Daphne sounded awkward. "And, um, I've never heard Malfoy laugh before."
Draco shrugged. "Nothing here gets me laughing. Only Jez and sometimes Blaise can make me laugh like that."
"And he has to keep up the mean, superior Malfoy act, too, right?" I said, poking his chest.
"Exactly."
(Back to Trio)
"Harry, she made Malfoy laugh," Ron said in wonder.
"She knows Malfoy...and her name is Riddle..." Hermione hinted.
Harry watched as Jez waved goodbye to Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass, and then stood and walked to the Ravenclaw table. She talked to a honey-haired girl before leaving the Great Hall.
"Let's keep a close eye on her," Hermione said with finality. She pulled a book out of her bag and immersed herself in it.
Harry and Ron exchanged those "oh, that Hermione" looks before settling and helping themselves to more dessert.
I'm realizing that I've been page-break-happy this chapter. Sorry if that bothered you :)
What did you think of Jez? And her relationship with the students?
Please let me know what you think of the story! Any predictions?
Preview of next chapter:
My eyes flew open. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? I already told them my name, at least if I knew I could have said Greensward, and pretended I was Elle's sister or something! Oh, shit, they know, they know, they know..." My heart stopped with another realization. "Shit, Harry Potter knows!"
THANK YOU SO MUCH to sua chiwowa for favoriting my story, it makes me feel reaaally good to see that people are actually reading this:) Thanks!
(even that anonymous hate reviewer...thanks...? :)
By the Way, the reason why all the numberings of the chapters are off is because there was a really bad chapter before this one that I deleted. I still have it saved, so if anyone wants me to put it back up :} I might...