Hellooooooo my darlings! Missed me? I have to say, I am in L-O-V-E with this chapter. Seriously. I enjoyed writing this SO MUCH that it was actually done and checked within two days. Yep, TWO days. That's how much I loved it. It's one of my favourite parts of part 4... Because of all the suspension and whatnot. Well, I hope it came out decently and I hope you all love it as much as I do! :p
Oh and guess what? This is, so far, the longest chapter of Part 4. Of course, I doubt anything will beat the combined power of 'The Marauders Special' in part 3, because that was ridiculously long. kkk But either way, YEEY LONG CHAPTERS!
Little Lottie - Hello! Glad to see you back here again! First off, thaaank you! I had loads of fun and it was simply amazing! The whole passing out thing shall be explained, eventually. We've got other things to worry about first, I guess! I can't tell you where Point B is because it's a secret! :o and again, the entire Bill, Charlie & Anna thing shall be revealed. I don't want to give out spoilers (even though I do) because I don't want to ruin the fun! hehehe. DRACOJESS DINNER DATE! I like the sound of that. And yeap, Sirius had been trying to solve things in his head for a while, but he got it right. I really enjoyed writing that bit, actually. Sirius is a REALLY fun character to write about - you can go crazy and say the weirdest things and it'll still make sense if Sirius is the one behind it! :p Karkaroff might be helpful... He might not be... We'll see :p and MUAHAHAHA I shall not say where Anna is or if she managed to meet up with Bill and Charlie... For now :p Hope you enjoy this one too!
Right, let's get to it shall we? I'M SO EXCITED, AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!
Enjoy! ^^
The Goblet of Fire
Cornelius Fudge climbed out of his black car, which parked just outside the black gates of Selwyn Mansion. He pushed the gates open and walked inside. The outside wasn't too different since the last time he saw it, but it was quite obvious there was no longer that lingering trace of Elena Graham's orders. The bushes weren't cut as neatly and the grass wasn't trimmed symmetrically. It was quite obvious that Athos wasn't too fussed at how the house elves did their job, as long as they got it done. Fudge paused by the grand door, contemplating how to start his conversation, before knocking. He wasn't there to deliver bad news, at least, but it was still quite a delicate time for Athos and his family. He didn't want to impose.
"Good evening, Minister. Master Selwyn is waiting for you." The house elf greeted, as she opened the door. Cornelius smiled and allowed himself into the grand Mansion. Inside wasn't different at all – except Fudge noticed there was a new companion at the house. "Ah! Nice to see you've got yourself a pet, Athos!"
Athos looked up from the paperwork in front of him and smiled, somewhat nervously. He'd specifically told Sirius to stay in one of his children's rooms until the Minister had left, but the man had obviously paid no attention.
"He belongs to Remus, actually." Athos said, glaring slightly at the dog. "And he can be quite the pain sometimes."
"Nonsense! Dog's are wonderful creatures!" Cornelius beamed. The black dog eagerly wagged its tail as the Minister scratched his head. "But as you know, I am here for business, so let's get to it!"
"I'm assuming you bring good news, Minister, judging by your excitement." Athos said, as he headed back to his small table in one of the front rooms. Cornelius followed closely behind, still amusing himself with the dog.
"Well, I decided you should be the first to know that I have started to plan my retirement. This time next year, I shall be announcing it to the public and revealing who shall take over." Cornelius said, with an uncharacteristic grin on his face.
"I see..." Athos said, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.
"Naturally, the people need someone who can fight through anything. Someone trustworthy, with a big heart, someone the public already love!" Cornelius continued, as he made his way to one of the armchairs. "The public want to see someone they're used to seeing."
"Are you saying you're going to allow the public to decide?" Athos asked, quite confused. The dog began whining and making weird noises.
"I think even this little fellow has understood what I'm getting at, Athos." Cornelius laughed. "I want you to take my place!"
"M-me?" Athos stammered. Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, wanted him to take over? "Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"Athos... Even after all these scandals with your wife, you've managed to pull through, maintain your title, popularity and my respect. I believe the Minister should be someone determined, ambitious and unafraid. You are the best for the job; I have no doubt about it!" Cornelius beamed – and the dog barked, eagerly.
"What if the public don't agree with it?" Athos asked, worriedly.
"You've managed to convince the Ministry that Sirius Black isn't a mass murderer, that he deserves at least a chance to prove himself, and that the real culprit is Peter Pettigrew – and you managed all that in a short amount of time. I'm certain that you're more than capable of convincing a few minds that you're the man for the job." Cornelius said. "And besides, I am not taking 'no' for an answer!"
"I guess I have no choice then." Athos said, smiling slightly. "Speaking of Sirius, when can we-"
"I've decided to speed up his process a little. Although we have little chance of locating Peter Pettigrew, we have means of getting the truth out of Black – and it seems as though your son is willing to testify in his favour." Cornelius stated, his expression less enthusiastic.
"Yes, I'm aware of that." Athos nodded, though he wasn't too fond of having his children involved in this situation – especially not the most hot-headed of the three.
"If you're lucky, it'll happen next week."
x.x
Jessica had to walk back to the Great Hall listening to Ron drooling over Viktor Krum's presence and Hermione bickering with him over it. So there was a pretty good Quidditch player at their school, so what? She was more interested in the boys that were currently at Hogwarts – a certain Hufflepuff to be more exact. He happened to be the only thing on her mind since her brother told her, not too long ago, that he had been worried. Perhaps Joshua was right – remaining normal was the only way of keeping things flowing smoothly. She could still mope about, but only when no one was watching.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, quite worriedly.
"Yeah, why?" Jessica said, raising an eyebrow.
"You went all quiet all of a sudden. I hope whatever happened to you doesn't happen again. It was quite frightening – and Madam Pomfrey might actually think you've got an eating disorder." Hermione said, with a small chuckle.
"I was actually thinking about Cedric Diggory, if you must know." Jessica said, with a sly smile spread across her face. Hermione gasped at this, and tried her best not to start giggling. "His relationship with Joshua is getting more civilised, which is a very good thing for me."
"I actually think this could get serious, you know? He likes you... You obviously like him back... Just don't take forever to admit it!" Hermione said, with a warning tone to her voice. "If you don't tell him by the end of this year, I might just do it for you!"
The four sat down just as the Durmstrang students arrived into the Great Hall. The Beauxbatons students had already decided to sit at the Ravenclaw table, and Ron was anxious to find out if he'd get the chance to be close to his idol. However, before Ron could even think about calling them over, Viktor Krum led the way towards the Slytherin table. Ron groaned as he took notice of the smug look on Crabbe and Goyle's faces.
"Krum actually fits in quite well with the Slytherins." Dean Thomas stated, making Ginny Weasley giggle.
"Don't even joke about something like that!" Ron said, mortified. "I bet Krum can see right through smarmy gits like Draco Malfoy. I bet he gets people fawning over him all the time... Where do you suppose they'll sleep? Imagine if they could stay in our dormitory? I wouldn't mind giving up my bed for the rest of the year – I'll just sleep on a camping bed or the floor."
"I'm pretty sure they've sorted out the sleeping arrangement already, Ronald." Hermione snorted.
"Well, at least they look happier than the Beauxbatons lot." Harry grinned.
The Durmstrang students were pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling, with expressions of interest; a couple of them were picking up the golden plates and goblets to examine them, apparently impressed. Up at the staff table, Filch was adding chairs. He was wearing his mouldy, old tailcoat in honour of the occasion. When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filling up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime. When their Headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed – but the Beauxbatons party didn't seem embarrassed at all, and only resumed their places once their Headmistress had sat down on Dumbledore's left. Dumbledore, however, remained on his feet and silence soon fell over the Great Hall.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and – most particularly – guests." Dumbledore said, beaming around at the foreigners. "I have the great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The tournament shall officially begin at the end of the feast! I now invite you all to eat, drink and make yourselves at home!"
As soon as Professor Dumbledore sat back down, Professor Snape stood from his place at the staff table and glided down towards his Slytherin students. He easily spotted Draco Malfoy – due to the unmistakable, signature blond hair – and headed towards him. Surely it must've been important, if Narcissa had asked him to hand this letter to Draco as soon as possible.
"Then we could go down to the lake and watch the sunset – or maybe we could camp out! Oh, that would be so romantic, Draco! What do you say? I bet it'll be the best thing ever for us... We haven't spent time just the two of us in ages!" Pansy said, as she shook Draco's arm. The blond seemed quite infuriated with the young girl's presence.
"I have a letter for you, Draco." Snape said, as he stopped behind his Godson. "Your mother asked me to deliver it to you, once I had finished reading. She believes it's important that you know."
Draco stared at him curiously, before accepting the letter. Snape eyed Blaise Zabini before heading back to the staff table.
"What do you suppose Snape just handed Malfoy?" Ron wondered, as he stuffed his mouth with food.
"Should we care?" Harry asked.
"I thought we'd agreed on ignoring him." Neville said, frowning slightly.
"Well, we did – but it's not might fault that he happens to be right next to Krum." Ron stated. "Seems to be a letter – probably not good news, judging by the look on his face."
Jessica looked over at the Slytherin table as Ron spoke. He was right; it didn't seem to be good news at all. Despite their constant arguments and the unexplainable feeling she had towards him, she couldn't help but worry. Draco was and always will be her first best friend – and first crush.
"We're talking about ignoring Malfoy, yet you start staring at him?" Hermione said, waving a hand in front of Jessica's face.
"Something's bothering him." Jessica muttered, mostly to herself. She could tell Blaise was talking to him – or trying to reason with him. Did something happen to Narcissa? Even she would want to know if something happened to Narcissa.
"I really don't see why we need to get involved." Harry said, rolling his eyes.
And then Jessica did possibly the stupidest thing any Gryffindor could ever do. Ignoring Ron's comments on how he hoped Draco's pet dragon had died – not that he owned one – Jessica stood up and started walking. She could hear Hermione questioning her actions – though, she was pretty certain Hermione already knew what she was going to do.
"She can't be serious." Ron said, his anger deepening as he realised just where his friend was headed.
Jessica soon found herself just mere metres away from the blond. Surely enough, the Slytherin's she'd already passed were either staring or exchanging words – they were all more than ready to create new rumours. Some of the Durmstrang students began questioning the Slytherin's, all curious to know what they were all fussing over. Crabbe and Goyle had excused themselves from Draco's side, not too long ago. So, without hesitation – because she'd already made it this far, turning back now would be pointless – she took a seat, next to Draco. Needless to say, everyone who was paying attention was shocked.
"Have you completely lost your mind?" Blaise said, somewhat anxious. "You do realise commotion you may have just created by sitting down."
"Are you okay?" Jessica asked, facing Draco and ignoring the obvious comments around her – except for Blaise. She actually listened to his words, but chose not to acknowledge them for the time being. "I'm fine." Draco said, not taking his eyes off his food.
"I may have just started a war with the Gryffindor's, the least you could do is tell me what's bothering you." Jessica said, in a comforting tone. Blaise choked on his pumpkin juice.
"Maybe you should go back, Jess. I'm sure Blaise and I can take good care of him." Pansy said, rather irritated by her presence. She placed a hand upon Draco's and slightly glared at Jessica – though the raven haired Selwyn didn't exactly realise.
"Can you make it to the tower tonight?" Draco asked, moving to face Jessica and ignoring Pansy completely.
"You know I can." Jessica smiled.
In that moment Jessica felt her heartbeat race. It was kind of like having Cedric Diggory stare intently at her – only stronger. Perhaps it was because of their endless history, or perhaps she was delusional with lack of dessert in her system. She didn't know – but she felt it. Blaise definitely noticed the intense chemistry building up. If only they could both stop being so stubborn and actually give it a chance... And then he noticed Pansy. Pansy looked as though she could murder someone – but thankfully she was taking it out on her chocolate pudding. Seconds later she huffed and stood from her place. She sat down next to Millicent, who was quite a few heads away. Blaise sighed and was somewhat thankful when Jessica snapped out of their little trance first. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought they were stuck in some strange curse.
"You really should get back. I can practically feel Weasley's anger from here." Draco said, trying his best to laugh or snicker. This only made Jessica worry more.
"Is it your mother? Is she okay?" Jessica asked. She wouldn't be able to wait until later to find out.
"Mother's fine." Draco nodded and allowed a small smile to creep across his face. "She said she misses you."
"Well, tell her I miss her too." Jessica grinned. "I'll see you tonight, if I don't get killed by my fellow classmates."
Blaise's eyes were still wide after Jessica left. He silently contemplated whether or not it was an appropriate time for teasing.
"Well, that was interesting... Even though it didn't last as long as I had hoped." He said.
"Put a sock in it, Blaise." Draco muttered, irritably.
"You're angry... Whatever you do, don't vent it out on her." Blaise warned.
"What was going on through your head? Do you realise you just walked over to the Slytherin table, which was full of Slytherin's, sat down next to that git and actually smiled? What's with you lately?" Ron whisper-shouted.
"Ron, you know they used to be friends." Hermione said, trying to reason with him – seeing as Jessica was full out ignoring his comments.
"Exactly. They used to be friends." Harry mumbled. "All he ever does is treat you badly, why would you bother to find out what's wrong with him?"
"Give it up, boys. She's staying silent." Josh said, as he took a seat next to his sister. She grinned at him in response.
"Please tell her that she's lost her mind?" Ron asked.
"Even though they fight constantly, doesn't mean they're not friends anymore. Draco may be a brat most of the time, but he's still got a good side." Josh said, with a slight shrug. He tried not to laugh at the face Ron and Harry made. "I know it's hard to believe, but trust me on this. Even I'm curious to know – especially if it has to do with his mother."
"He said Narcissa's fine." Jessica said, before taking another spoonful of her chocolate pudding.
"Oh, so you are talking then?" Harry said, reasonably amused.
"I'll only start talking to the two of you again, once you stop acting like a bunch of two year olds." Jessica said, sounding much like Hermione.
"You could've waited for dinner to be over, though." Hermione whispered, once Ron and Harry returned their attention to their food.
Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now.
"The moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before bring in the casket." Dumbledore said, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports!"
There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced.
"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament." Dumbledore continued. "And they will be joining me, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts. Right then, the casket, if you please, Mr. Filch."
"What does Dumbledore mean by a casket?" Harry wondered.
"Get ready to be amazed." Josh smirked.
"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman." Dumbledore said, as Filch placed a chest carefully on the table before him. "They have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways... Their magical powers, their daring, their powers of destruction – and of course, their ability to cope with danger."
"I'm in." Fred grinned.
"Not without me." George added.
"It's so wicked." They said in unison.
"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire." Dumbledore smiled as he took out his wand and tapped three times upon the casket. The lid creaked open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been to the brim with dancing blue and white flames.
"Feeling amazed yet?" Josh whispered, excitedly.
"Why didn't dad tell us about this?" Jessica whispered, feeling rather annoyed.
"Probably didn't want to take away the element of surprise." Josh smirked.
"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as a champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete." Dumbledore said. He took notice of the sudden whispers that spread throughout the Hall and decided it was the best time to break the somewhat bad news. "To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line."
"We could easily fool that with an aging potion." Fred smirked.
"Can't you enter? You turn seventeen next month." Jessica said, nudging her brother.
"No idea..." Josh mumbled, looking rather irritated by the sudden news.
"Well, if the aging potion works, then I want to put my name in too!" Ron said, eagerly.
"Rather you, than me." Harry grinned.
"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the Goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."
x.x
Jessica had managed to run past the mass of students that decided to gather round the foreigners on the way out. She didn't need to let her friends know where she was going, because they sort of had a feeling. She could hear a few whispers as she made her way towards the Astronomy Tower. Surely what she'd done hadn't been completely insane, had it? She was just trying to comfort a friend –
Not that they were friends or anything, but they once where...
Or maybe even still are?
"Hey... Snape told us to head outside, because Filch was going to clean up something in the Tower tonight, apparently." Draco said, appearing out of nowhere and startling Jessica from her thoughts.
"Snape knows I've come to speak to you?" Jessica asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, everyone did take notice of the Gryffindor who sat at the Slytherin table – including the teachers." Draco smirked. "I always knew you were crazy, but this is a whole new level."
"Well, I'm not going outside because it's cold. So sit down and tell me what happened." Jessica said, heading towards the stone wall and sliding down it. She crossed her legs and stared up at Draco, waiting for him to do the same. With a sigh, the blond complied.
"Nana Coraline passed away last night. She's been sick for a while, apparently, but no one thought it was a good idea to mention it to me." Draco mumbled. Jessica's mind went blank. Draco had always been close his grandmother – she was a remarkable woman. It was quite hard to believe that she had given birth to a man like Lucius. "It's stupid to dwell over it now, I know."
"No, no it's not." Jessica said, biting her lip slightly. She wanted to give him a hug – but she wasn't entirely sure if she should.
"Mother said she'll come get me tomorrow night, most likely after the Halloween feast. I might have to spend some time at home." Draco continued. Jessica noticed his voice was fading slightly. He wanted to cry... It was almost strange seeing this side of Draco again. It had been quite a while.
"I can ask my dad to let me head over during the weekends, if you want." Jessica smiled, slightly.
"I'd rather not have Potter and Weasley down my neck, thanks." Draco chuckled slightly. Jessica smiled at his choice of words.
"It's okay to feel sad, Draco. You cared about her a lot and you two were very close. She helped you fly, got you interested in potions... And I personally like to think it's thanks to her and your mother that you're not entirely intolerable." Jessica smirked slightly and Draco smiled again.
"Thanks, Jess." He said, quietly.
"No worries. I had a feeling you'd want someone that knew what to say." Jessica winked, before she stood up and reached out a hand for him to grab. "I suggest we don't stay out late and get detention."
"I think I might head over to Snape's office. He wanted to see me, apparently." Draco nodded.
"Ah... I think he might be ready to give you 'the talk'." Jessica grinned mischievously.
"That's disturbing." Draco laughed and rolled his eyes.
"I actually think it would be hilarious." Jessica smirked.
"Yes, terribly, Miss Selwyn." Snape's icy voice echoed through the hallway. "Now, I suggest you return to Gryffindor Tower before I actually do give you detention. You have ten minutes."
"Well, this is my cue to go." Jessica shrugged. "Don't hesitate to come get me if you need me."
x.x
Hermione agreed they could get all their homework and weekend assignments done on the floor of the hallway, just so Ron could watch who was putting their names into the Goblet. It was the only way to keep the boy quiet and focused, all the while practically stalking Viktor Krum. He jumped to his feet every time a Durmstrang student walked by.
"We're going to end up trampled." Harry said, as he narrowly avoided a group of seventh year Ravenclaw girls.
"Which is why I suggested you sat against the wall." Hermione scolded, without looking up from her Arithmancy homework.
The Goblet had been placed in the centre of the entrance hall, on the stool that normally bore the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet wide around it.
"I haven't seen anyone from Beauxbatons put their name in yet." Ron said.
"Make way ladies and gentlemen! We've got a Hogwarts candidate coming through!" Sabrina Carlson, a tiny blonde seventh year Slytherin, and one of Lila's friends, called out as she crossed the hall. Naturally, the younger students granted the seventh year passage. Lila Davis wasn't too far behind from her friend and had the perfect smirk on her face. She wasn't initially going through with this, but after being challenged by Sabrina, she wasn't going to back down. Josh, Fred and George were also making their way down to the entrance hall, but on the opposite side.
"I checked with Bagman and Crouch. Seeing as I turn seventeen in a matter of weeks, I'm legally allowed to place my name in the Goblet." Josh said, stopping before Sabrina and Lila.
"Lila is going to win this, Selwyn. Get over yourself." Sabrina said, in the snottiest way possible, before turning on her heels and heading into the entrance hall.
"May the bravest win, babe." Josh said, holding out his hand.
"I doubt it'll be based on just bravery, babe." Lila smirked.
"Just promise you won't frown too much when my name gets called out." Josh winked and made his way into the hall.
"Are they fighting?" Hermione whispered, curiously.
"Looks more like healthy competition to me." Jessica said, not taking her eyes off the scene before her.
"Hey!" Ron called out, successfully grabbing the attention of his brothers. "Do you have the aging potion with you?"
"We've got more in Myrtle's bathroom." George said.
"But there's no point in trying, baby brother." Fred grinned.
"We've got this." They said together, as they high-fived each other.
"I hate to break it to you, boys, but this isn't going to work." Hermione said, knowledgably. "Dumbledore drew this line himself."
"So?" The twins asked. Hermione sighed and placed her quill on the ground.
"So, a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something as pathetically dim-witted as an aging potion." Hermione stated.
"Ah, but that's why it's brilliant." George grinned.
"Because it's so pathetically dim-witted." Fred added. The two laughed and skipped into the hall.
"Right, sorry Hermione, but I think we need to witness this one." Harry grinned, as he gathered up his things and stood up. Hermione sighed, but quite shockingly did the same.
Josh and Lila placed their names into the Goblet at the exact same time, without taking their eyes off each other. Fred and George waited for them to move out of the way, before pulling out their potion from within their robes.
"Get ready to be amazed, students of Hogwarts!" George called out, making everyone present watch them closely. "Ready, Fred?"
"Ready, George!" Fred replied, eagerly.
The two opened their tiny bottles and gulped down the miniscule contents of the potion. Jessica waited for something to happen – perhaps for a beard to grow – but nothing did. The boys nodded at each other, before jumping over the circled line. When the students realised they were still in one piece, applause broke out in the hall.
"This can't be happening!" Hermione said, dumbfounded.
"Ready?" The two asked each other simultaneously. With a shared nod, they walked up to the Goblet and dropped their pieces of parchment into the blue flames. Ron's mouth was hanging open as they did so, and the entire hall was eager to get a sip of their aging potion.
However, just as the twins were about to step over the line once again, the flames turned bright red, and the Goblet looked as though it was about to explode.
"I told them it wouldn't work." Hermione smirked, triumphantly.
The Goblet spit out the two pieces of parchment and an invisible force roughly shoved the twins away from it. Some students screamed when the two hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Are you two okay?" Josh asked, quite worriedly. However, he had to hold in his laughter once he realised what the twins looked like. Soon enough, the entire Hall erupted with laughter. The twins looked at each other, confused as to what might have happened, and their eyes went wide. Their ginger hair was no longer ginger, but white. They had also grown long, white, Dumbledore-like beards.
"You said it would work!" Fred yelled.
"You said it would work!" George retaliated. With a grunt, Fred launched himself on top of his brother and began wrestling him. Joshua stopped laughing and sighed. It was now up to him, and him only, to separate the twins from their little squabble.
Laughter died down once they realised more students entering the Hall. It was a group of Hufflepuff's, and the one leading them was none other than Cedric Diggory. Hermione poked Jessica on the ribs, making the shorter girl glare at her in response. Cedric's eyes never left Jessica's, and her face went red. She noticed there was a determined look on his face – which only made him look even more handsome.
"Hate to break to all you Gryffindor's and Slytherin's, but Hogwarts champion will be Diggory!" Stanley McMillan, Ernie's older brother, bellowed.
"Dream on, Diggory." Joshua smirked, making Jessica roll her eyes.
"I thought you weren't old enough." Cedric said, raising an eyebrow. Joshua snorted and focused his attention on the twins once again, finally settling with pulling up George first.
Jessica's eyes went even wider when Cedric took a detour from his path and began making his way towards her. Stanley McMillan also stopped, and had a questioning look on his face. Hermione had to purse her lips together, to keep her mouth from dropping. Was Cedric about to do what she thought he was going to do?
"Wish me luck?" Cedric said, with the most adorable smile on his face. Jessica looked up at him, hoping her nerves would remain under control. Why did he have to be so tall? She suddenly wished there was a stool she could stand on, just so she could look at him properly. She then shook her head slightly and smiled – now wasn't the time to zone out.
"Good luck." Jessica said, faintly, still quite shocked by having him so close. Cedric laughed slightly and placed a gentle kiss on the younger girl's cheek. If possible, her face went became an even brighter shade of red.
"Since when are you two together?" Seamus asked, but Jessica didn't answer him. Her mind was solely focused on the handsome Hufflepuff sixth year that just kissed her cheek.
Cedric continued his way to the Goblet, looking quite happy with his accomplishment, and placed his name inside. The students clapped and cheered as he began making his way out of the Hall. Stanley was behind him at all times, muttering words with his other two friends Damian and Carl. If Jessica could peacefully sit at the Gryffindor table and not have people down her neck, then he could easily have a chance of getting a date with her. His determined look only faded slightly when he noticed someone waiting by the Entrance Hall's doors. It was definitely someone he'd wanted to avoid for the time being.
"You're pushing your luck with me, Diggory." Joshua said, calmly.
"I thought you weren't the jealous older brother type." Cedric said, equally calm.
"Only when I feel it's necessary." Joshua shrugged. "Break her heart and you'll have me to deal with – and I can guarantee that I can make my mother seem like an angel."
Cedric watched as the blond Selwyn walked down the hallway. A small part of his brain was telling him to back off before it was too late, but he wasn't going to. He actually did like Jessica – she was pretty, smart, brave and just so extremely likable. He wasn't going to break her heart, he was sure of it.
"Selwyn might not be the best of ideas, Ced. Her mother's crazy, her brother's known to be quite violent at times... They're just bad company. I mean, this could completely ruin you! What's your dad going to say if you told him you're getting yourself involved with her?" Stanley said, worriedly.
"I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing." Cedric nodded.
"Well, that was something." Hermione sighed. Jessica nodded in agreement and tried not to maintain her dreamy expression. "Funny how last year I actually thought you and Harry would get together, and this year you're madly crushing on Diggory while he's madly crushing on Cho Chang."
"Wait, who?" Jessica asked, confused.
"Cho Chang. Fifth year, Ravenclaw... Asian girl..." Hermione said, trying to help her friend decipher who she was.
"Oh!" Jessica said, nodding. She then gasped. "I didn't know he was crushing on her!"
"Well you would if you stopped tuning us out from time to time." Hermione stated.
"Not my fault my brain works in weird ways." Jessica muttered, mostly to herself.
"Care to explain what that was about?" Harry asked, as he approached the two girls.
"Care to explain since when you've had a crush on Cho Chang?" Jessica smirked. Harry's eyes widened slightly and he began to stammer incoherent words. "Aw... You're so adorable when you're in love!"
"Shut up." Harry said, pushing her slightly.
"IT'S HIM!" Ron beamed. Jessica didn't need to ask what he was talking about, because only one person could get Ron this excited – Krum. "He's going to do it! He's going to put his name in the Goblet!"
"If he gets it, then it'll be obvious that this entire thing likes to play favourites." Hermione stated, ignoring Krum's presence completely. She was the only one to do so – the entire Hall fell silent when he entered, and everyone watched him cautiously. Igor Karkaroff stood by the entrance door, with an evil grin spread across his face.
"He'll get it because he's amazing, Hermione." Ron argued.
"And because it'll make good press." Hermione said rolling her eyes.
"I'm pretty sure he can hear you." Harry whispered, once he realised Krum had furrowed his eyebrows and looked in their direction.
Hermione looked up, surprisingly completely unembarrassed. Her eyes locked with Krum's – and she felt her heart flutter.
Strange...
She'd never felt that before. Is this what Jessica felt whenever she saw Cedric? Is this what Lila felt whenever she saw Josh? Was Hermione actually staring at Viktor Krum? That couldn't be... There was absolutely nothing special about him – except, perhaps, his endearing, deep brown eyes.
"Earth to Mione..." Jessica said, clicking her fingers in front of her friends face. Hermione snapped back to reality, only to realise that Krum was long gone. Her eyes widened slightly and she began fidgeting with her books.
"I think I've forgotten something. I'm going to head to library. I'll meet you all later!" She said, in a rushed pace. Jessica stared at her friend as she rushed off, and then she turned to face Harry and Ron. The two boys shrugged, both obviously just as confused as she was.
x.x
It seemed to take forever for the golden plates to be cleared that night. Jessica barely ate anything at all, seeing as it was their second big feast in two nights, and she was quite anxious to know who were going to be the three champions. Although she was practically obliged to be on her brother's team, she couldn't help but want it to be Cedric. Between the two, it was quite hard to decide. Both were great wizards, strong, agile and reasonably level headed in the face of danger. Well, she knew what her brother was like, but she'd never actually seen Cedric in action before. She could only assume. Hermione seemed to be just as anxious as everyone else. Strangely enough, Ron had been talking constantly about Viktor Krum and everything he'd achieved, and Hermione had actually listened. Jessica couldn't help but wonder what came over her friend earlier, and made a mental note to ask her about it later. At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite bored, almost as though he couldn't wait to head to bed.
"It seems as though the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision. I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber." Dumbledore said, indicating the door behind the staff table. "They shall then receive their first instructions."
He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, blue flames almost painful to the eyes.
"Any second now..." Josh muttered, mostly to himself, but the twins and Lee Jordan nodded along.
The flames inside the Goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Then, every student gasped, as a piece of parchment was shot high up in the air. It seemed to take forever for it to come back down again, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned blue once again.
"The Durmstrang champion..." He said, allowing a little suspense to linger throughout the silent Hall. "Viktor Krum!"
"Pure favouritism." Hermione said, though she didn't convince anyone – not even herself. Applause erupted throughout the Hall and she soon found herself clapping along.
"Why are you clapping if you don't like him?" Ron asked, amused.
"I'm clearly being polite." She said, but once again failed to convince herself.
The entire Hall fell silent as the flames turned red once again. Dumbledore smiled and waited patiently for the Goblet to shoot out the next champion. Igor Karkaroff was still looking like a proud father and whispering a few words with Madame Maxime. The students gasped and whispered once again as another parchment shot high into the air. Dumbledore once again caught it and held onto it.
"The champion for Beauxbatons..." He could sense the tension within the Hogwarts students. They were all dying to know who would represent their school – and hopefully win. "Fleur Delacour!"
"It's her, Ron!" Harry shouted, as the Hall erupted with cheers, whistles and applause.
"Who's she?" Jessica asked, as she watched the girl gracefully make her way towards the staff table – her silvery blonde hair flowing perfectly behind her.
"The boys seem to think she's a Veela." Hermione nodded, knowledgeably. "I've already told them that she's not, but they won't listen."
"Well if they're practically drooling then she must be." Jessica said, frowning slightly.
"They don't seem too happy that she was chosen." Hermione said, staring at the Beauxbatons students.
"They're all a bit stuck up, if you ask me." Jessica huffed.
It seemed to take forever for the flames to turn red again, but once they did the Hogwarts students were solely focused on it. Not one student opened their mouth with the anticipation. Josh had his head down and fingers crossed – he really didn't want it to be Lila. On the other side of the Hall, Lila also had her fingers crossed, but her eyes were on the red flames of the Goblet. She didn't want it to be Joshua. The anticipation was so great, that they didn't even gasp when the Goblet shot out the piece of parchment. Dumbledore reached high to catch it and smiled as soon as he read the name in his mind.
"Ah... The Hogwarts champion!" He beamed. Every Hogwarts student who'd put their names forward was just about ready to jump from their seats. Jessica glanced over at the Hufflepuff table. Cedric was staring at his golden plate, looking somewhat nervous. "Cedric Diggory!"
"What?" Joshua and Lila shouted simultaneously, just as the Hall got on their feet to cheer and applaud Cedric.
"I can't believe it's him!" Hermione said, beaming towards Jessica.
"I know!" Jessica grinned, excitedly.
It was quite shocking to see that even the Slytherin's were on their feet, cheering Cedric on. Jessica felt, for the first time, that it wasn't just Gryffindor that she could consider her family. However, no student was more excited than the Hufflepuff's. There was no doubt they'd have a massive party in their common room.
"Excellent!" Dumbledore called, happily, once Cedric was out of sight. "Well, we now have out three champions. I am sure I can count on all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-"
Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him. The Goblet's flames had turned red again and sparks were flying out of it. The fire seemed more vicious, however. Another piece of parchment suddenly shot into the air, making all the teachers gasp.
"That's not supposed to happen." Josh said, with his eyes wide.
Dumbledore held out his hand and practically snatched the piece of parchment from the air. He stared at the name on it much longer than he had done with the previous names. There was a good few moments of silence, in which every student remained focused on Dumbledore's actions.
"Albus..." Professor McGonagall said, worriedly, though it was only audible for the teachers and those in the first few seats. Professor Dumbledore nodded and cleared his throat. It was obvious that he was distraught.
"Harry Potter..."
Harry's eyes went as wide as the golden plates on the table. Surely he must've heard wrong. He didn't even put his name into the Goblet. Heck, he didn't even want to participate. Was this someone's idea of a joke? Well, it definitely wasn't funny.
"Harry, you need to go." Hermione whispered, nervously. Everyone's eyes were on him now.
"I can't... I didn't... You know I didn't..." He said, anxiously.
"There's nothing you can do now. Just go before it gets worse." Josh said, hoping to sound a little bit comforting – even though he was just as dumbfounded as everyone else in the room.
"I can't... I can't go... I just..."
"Come on." Jessica said, standing up. The entire school already thought she was insane, something like this couldn't hurt. Joshua nodded at her before turning to face Harry.
"I'll contact my dad as soon as I can get out of here. Go." He said.
Harry took a deep, shaky breath and got to his feet. He felt as though his legs would give in at any moment, but he suddenly felt reassured when he noticed Jessica walking along with him.
"You don't have to come with me." He whispered.
"Shut up and keep moving." Jessica practically ordered.
"He's a cheat!" Someone on the Slytherin table shouted.
"He's not even seventeen yet!" Stanley McMillan bellowed.
"McMillan, I suggest you shut your mouth before I do it for you." Joshua said, glaring intensely at the sixth year Hufflepuff.
"Same goes for you, Spencer." Lila Davis exclaimed. Joshua turned round to face his girlfriend as soon as he heard her voice. She smirked at him and he smirked back.
"It would take some serious magic to pull this off." Josh said, turning back to face his fellow Gryffindor's. "Whoever did this isn't too concerned about Harry's safety."
"Or maybe he just managed to pull it off." Ron mumbled.
"Shut up and focus. If he'd done this, he wouldn't have been so nervous just now." Josh said, irritably.
"You are all to return to your dormitories!" Professor McGonagall called out, seeing as Professor Dumbledore seemed to be in no condition to speak. McGonagall looked extremely worried and had nearly pulled Harry into a hug when he walked by her.
"Do you think your father could help?" Hermione asked, worriedly.
"I won't know until I try." Josh smiled.
Whoever was behind this was planning something big – and he couldn't help but wonder if his mother had anything to do with it. With a sigh, Joshua got up from his place and glanced over to where Lila was supposed to be. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw her seat empty.
"Keep it moving, babe. We need to talk to your dad." She said, walking up behind him. Josh smiled slightly and took hold of her hand before heading out of the Hall.
Just to clarify, in case it wasn't clear - Josh didn't want Lila to be the champion and vice versa, simply because they were worried for the the other person's well-being. Cause they loooooove each other. :p hehehe.
Right, HOW WAS IT? Am i still the only one who loves this or did I managed to spread the love throughout you lot? I won't take long to get started on the next chapter, hopefully, because I want to make the most of it now that I'm officially on Christmas break! :p XOXO