Okay guys - I'm currently on my way to the airport, so I can just about upload this - I won't be back for about... two weeks? Anyway, I'll try to respond to e-mails as often as I can but I can't promise anything. So, there's a deadline for characters: the 10th July. I'm going to try to incorporate as many as I can, especially since... well, you'll find out what happened to some characters from the first installment. So, the form's on my profile, but read this chapter first - it is VITAL. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: A Long-Standing Tradition...
"I swear, they get smaller every year..." I grinned at Dom's comment, then clapped along with the others as we received another first year Gryffindor. "So, how was the summer for you?"
"Rainy." I shrugged boredly, resting my face on my hand, watching the Sorting ceremony. I flickered my eyes towards Dom. "Yours?"
"Fine - spent most of it around Sadie's." I looked over at Sadie, who was busy catching up with Lydia Stafford and Rinée. "Speaking of, how's you and Rinée?" I hesitated, thinking about how to word it.
"Her dad's a bit of a tosspo-"
A thunderous clap came from the Hufflepuff table as they received a first year.
"I'm not surprised." Dom muttered. "You're dating his daughter." I rolled my eyes with a groan, dragging my face away from my hand and sitting up straight.
"Okay, it seems that's all my life has revolved around for the last few weeks - can we please just focus on something else?" Dom grinned in response. Looking up and down the table, I realised something - a number of Gryffindors weren't at the table. "Hey, where's Cody... and where's Daniel? Where's Lila and-"
"I have no idea. They weren't on the train." I frowned in thought - I had been looking forward to seeing them again. "I'll write to them later." I nodded.
"Yeah, I'll-"
Almsdeeds finally approached the large golden eagle podium and began to speak - it was all the usual stuff I had heard five times before - I had missed his introductory speech last year. He was still clad in his half-moon spectacles and tri-corner hat, which no one quite knew the origins behind.
As Almsdeed's speech came to an end, we all turned towards our plates to eat, as we had all done multiple times before. However, no food appeared. I looked at Dom, confused.
"Is it broken?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This year," Almsdeeds continued speaking, ignoring the confusion of the entire school, "our fine establishment shall act as host to the most legendary tradition in the history of wizarding education..."
"Is he taking the piss?" Dom asked me, looking at Almsdeeds with narrowed eyes; Dom had a point, since Almsdeeds was talking with noticable disdain for whatever this tradition was.
"...I have the pleasure to introduce the fine young ladies from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and their Headmistress, Madame Fortis."
"Isn't that our Charms-" I lost words as I examined the girls entering the Hall.
A year's worth of girls all sauntered through the rows of tables with a noticeable degree of class and enchantment, their hips swinging as they clutched their hands behind their waist. Each girl was clad in oceanic skirts and blazers, with a small cap tilted slightly to the side in a casually-charming appeal.
They were followed by a woman, clad in similar robes, only they were trimmed with silver and gold, giving her a more authoratative presence over what must have been her students.
The girls performed a number of cartwheels and backflips and ballet-esque types of moves until they made their way to the front of the Hall. I was, along every other boy, leaning on my table, standing up slightly to get a better view of them. I felt a tugging at my sleeve and looked around to an unimpressed Rinée, eyebrow raised.
"What?" I asked innocently.
I noticed our Charms teacher, Madame Fortis, kiss the Headmistress on each cheek. It was only then that I noticed the incredible resemblence between the two.
"Is that her sister?" I asked Dom.
"Who?" Dom was slightly drooling at the sight of the girls. Sadie just grinned at him.
"In your dreams..." She muttered.
Almsdeeds made his way back towards his podium.
"And now, it gives me great pleasure to announce the arrival of the sons of the Durmstrang Institute, along with their Headmaster, Ræf Dirkin."
Before he could finish announcing the name, a thunderous parade of young boys walked in, each one stamping a staff onto the floor, which exploded with a small amount of sparks and fireworks. They all grunted as they slammed their staffs into the floor, before placing them on the floor and sprinting forwards through the tables. Each was clad in fur and woolen jumpers, some even managing to wear a fur coat that reached down to their ankles.
As their Headmaster, Dirkin, marched after the boys, mimicking their militaristic posture and stance, I looked over to the a trio of boys at the front, each one down on one knee in front of Almsdeeds, blowing a series of fiery dragons from their wands before killing the flames in the stone slabs.
Dirkin shoved one of the boys out of his way with his staff, making his way to Almsdeeds, and shaking his hand firmly, the two sharing a moment of tense eye contact.
"God, it's almost like me and Vreyair..." I muttered lowly. Dom snickered while Rinée just hit me lightly in the arm again. "Y'know, this qualifies as abuse-"
"Many of you may know what this long-standing tradition is. Others may not. For all of you, it is my... pleasure," he said the word with dead eyes "to introduce the re-instatement of the Triwizard Tournament."
"No way!" I half-shouted along with numerous others.
"What's the Triwizard Tournament?" Sadie asked me.
"You get three tasks to complete and the winner gets a gold badge." Rinée said simply.
"Eternal glory." I corrected her. "It's not been done since, like, thirty years ago. And a guy died then."
"Jesus..." Sadie looked towards the front, where a large rock was being placed at the front of the Hall.
We all waited in silence for Almsdeeds to continue talking. He didn't say a word, but simply brought his wand down beside the rock, melting it away and allowing a carved bronzed cup to take shape. A young man with light, thin blonde hair stepped forwards.
"That's Hamish Mitchell." Rinée whispered to me. "His dad's in charge of magical games." I nodded.
"I remember him from the World Cup." I replied quietly.
Mitchell came towards the podium.
"The Triwizard Tournament consists of three tasks, each one designed to test a Champion's courage, intelligence, resourcefulness, and magical ability." He spoke with a frail voice, matching his sickly complexion. Mitchell paused to cough into a hankerchief, then resumed speaking. "Only one champion from each school may compete. Therefore, anyone over the age of seventeen-"
"What?!" I heard a yell from down our table, to see a boy in the year below me standing up. "You've got to be seventeen?"
"Well-" Mitchell tried to respond, wiping his shining forehead.
"That's not fair! That's discriminating us just because we're younger!" Shouted a Ravenclaw fourth year.
"It is for your own protection-" He pushed back the floppy white fringe.
"That's rubbish!" Shouted another Gryffindor.
Almsdeeds held up a hand, and everyone fell silent. He then pointed his wand towards the cup and a blue flame ignited from the rim of the cup, burning loudly and echoing throughout the Hall.
"The Goblet of Fire." He said simply, looking out amongst each of us. "Anyone wishing to compete will write their name on a slip of parchment and throw it into the goblet before the end of the month." I felt his eyes fix on me. "Anyone entering the tournament must understand that to do so, they do so alone."
I grinned to myself as I looked at the azure flames dancing brilliantly, flickering and dazzling in my eyes. I was seventeen, soon to be eighteen - I was legally able to compete. And just imagine the glory - Aiden Shanks, Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, Dueling Champion, Founder of the Order of the Phoenix and winner of Triwizard Tournament.
My thoughts were cut off as we were all summoned off to our dormitories. I walked off with my greatly decreased number of Gryffindors to the Common Room.
How many of you saw that coming? Anyway, that was why I needed to hold off on applications - because I need Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students to be champions as well.
I've already figured out a couple of the tasks, I'm just focusing on one more... they're highly original and have never been done (to my knowledge) - I spent quite a bit of time researching them and am not going to give them away at all - you'll have to wait to read them.
Anyway, this will most likely be the last update for a while so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
P.S. Check out Aiden the Augurey - a small piece I wrote, but I'm pretty proud of it.
Rouge.