All of them got up early the next morning, even though as it was a Saturday they would have usually slept in. Calla sent off a letter to Remus about the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students when she got up - "It's seven o'clock, tell that bloody bird to shut up!" Lisa had shouted across the dormitory - and then went on downstairs with Daphne and Padma.
In the Entrance Hall, there were already two dozen or so people milling around and watching the goblet of fire, which still flickered blue. "Turner put her name in yet?" Daphne asked Marietta Edgecombe, who was sitting by the Great Hall doors reading the Daily Prophet - the article on the front discussed security concerns for the Tournament, after what had happened at the World Cup.
"I heard Annabelle Turner put hers in last night," Marietta said. "But I haven't seen Carrel or Henderson yet." Cho Chang came out of the Great Hall then, holding some toast for the two of them.
"Did I miss anything?" she asked them.
"No," said Marietta, taking her toast, "I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts put their names in."
"Even Cedric?" Cho asked, as the other three moved off into the Great Hall to grab some toast for themselves before they went out again. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all just arrived and were looking around interestedly.
"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked as they went over.
"Annabelle Turner, apparently," said Calla. "But I haven't seen anyone."
"Bet some of them put their names in last night," said Harry, and took a piece of Calla's toast. She rolled her eyes at him. "It's what I would have done if it were me. Wouldn't want everyone watching. I mean, what if the goblet just spat your name back out again?"
"Would have happened to me, I bet," Calla muttered, just as there was a loud laugh from behind them. She turned, to see Fred and George running excitedly down the stairs with their friend Lee Jordan in tow, beaming.
"We've only gone and done it!" Fred whispered joyfully to Ron. "Just taken it!
"Taken what?"
"The Aging Potion, dungbrains!" Fred hissed.
"Just one drop each," said George, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "We only need to age a few months each."
"It's not going to work," Hermione sang, rolling her eyes. "Dumbledore will have thought of this you know. He won't be fooled by a simple Aging Potion."
The boys ignored her. "This'll be interesting," said Daphne, smirking a little as she watched.
"Ready?" Fred asked the other two, who nodded excitedly. He took from his pocket a small slip of parchment bearing the words: Fred Weasley, Hogwarts. He went to the edge of the line, hovering there with his toes right by the line, rocking back and forward like he was preparing to dive off of a board. Everyone in the hall was watching him, and as he stepped forward Calla thought for a moment, with a deep breath, that it had actually worked. George let out a whoop of glee and jumped in right after his brother, but not a second later there was a flash of golden light and the two of them were both tossed out of the circle. She shrieked a little as Fred came flying towards her, and she stumbled away as she and George both landed painfully. She stared a moment and then a second later there was a popping noise and their hair went a bright white, and they both sprouted fluffy, identical beards. She laughed, grinning, along with everybody else in the hall, and a moment later, Fred and George joined in and looked at each other, taking in their beards.
"I did warn you," said Dumbledore as he came through the crowd, which parted easily for him. He looked around at Fred and George with his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you two go up to Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett of Ravenclaw, and Mr Summers of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little, too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is quite as fine as yours."
Fred and George set off towards the Hospital Wing, with Lee Jordan howling with laughter behind them. The rest of them were still laughing as they headed in for breakfast, Calla, Daphne and Padma splitting from Harry, Ron and Hermione. The Great Hall, Calla noted upon second entry, seemed to have pulled out all the stops with this year's Halloween decorations. Crowds of bats swarmed around the ceiling, and the pumpkins were bright and orange already, leering from every corner. None of the Beauxbatons students had yet made their way to the end of the Ravenclaw table, but Lucy Burton and Greta Anderson, seventh years, were both having a very nervous, whispered discussion between themselves. They glanced up as the three girls sat down, and Greta smiled tensely before they went back to their whispering.
"So, apart from Annabelle, the Weasleys and Diggory, who has actually put their names in?" Daphne asked.
"Zach said Gwyn Murray and Helen Jones," Calla said. "But I don't know if they actually did or not."
"Same with Carrel and Henderson," said Padma. "Suppose we'll see, though."
"Cassius is putting his name in, too," said Daphne. "Cassius Warrington."
"Slytherin?" Padma asked, glancing over at their table. "Really?"
"Yeah. Suppose it'd be alright if he got in, but I'd rather Annabelle or someone from our house."
Just as she said so, Lucy and Greta both stood up at the same time, grasping slips of parchment in their hands with looks of nervous determination. "Are you two going for it?" Calla asked, and they both nodded. "Good luck!"
"Thanks, Potter," said Greta as she left, looking very nervous. They barely made it to the other end of the table when there was a great, resounding cheer from the Entrance Hall. Calla saw Angelina Johnson, one of Gryffindor's Chasers whom she knew Harry to be friendly with, running into the hall to a round of applause. Greta and Lucy both stilled, exchanged nervous glances, and then determinedly headed out.
Hardly a moment went by before a large barn owl swooped down into the Great Hall, landing neatly just behind Calla's scrambled eggs. She untied her letter quickly, and exchanged a glance with Harry, who was sat at the Gryffindor Table. He frowned at her, and she shook her head, untying the letter. It had the address of the post office in the Muggle town of Aberendie nearby, the name of Calla Potter, as well a Muggle stamp on it, with the picture of the Queen. Daphne looked over curiously. "I still wish she'd move," she said, prodding Queen Elizabeth's face.
"Stamps don't move, Daphne," she said, opening the letter as the owl fluttered away.
To Calla,
I'm so glad you've managed to figure out how to get letters between us. Your school's dead weird for not letting people write directly to you - I'm not fully convinced you're not secretly in some weird gang that gives you the Summers off - but at least we've got it right. That Chemistry teacher (she meant Snape) sounds like a prick. I've got Mrs Worsley for Sciences and she's a bit weird, I don't think she actually knows what she's talking about. This English curriculum is weird anyway, I am sort of glad I've got time to adjust to it. Also, I've met Rosie Tyne and she says she knows you from primary school? She said to say hi, so I guess that's it. Now we know this works (or at least I hope it does), please write back as soon as you can with anything you want to tell me.
P.S.: your aunt seemed very upset about the flowers in her garden the other day. They're wilting, because it's October, which she doesn't seem to appreciate. Thought you'd be interested. She glared at me when I went past.
- Mairi
She grinned. She'd asked around at the start of term to see if anyone knew a way to get post to and from Muggles who didn't have knowledge of the wizarding world, and though they weren't really meant to, she'd heard that the nearest Muggle post office in Aberendie, had a squib who would send letters from there to the Owl Post Office in Hogsmeade. That way, wizards could use owls to send post part the way, and receive post from Muggles, too. It seemed it had worked out.
"Is this from your Muggle friend?" Padma asked, pointing at the letter.
"Yeah," Calla said, grinning warmly as she folded the paper up and put it into her pocket. "I didn't know if it'd work out trying to get the post to her, but it has. I'll write her back later, they won't deliver on Sundays anyway."
"Why ever not?" Daphne asked with a deep frown.
"It's too holy for letters," Calla said, clasping her hands together. "You can't possibly expect post officers to work on the Holy Day."
"I do my homework on Sundays," Daphne grumbled.
"Yeah," Padma said, rolling her eyes, "but that's because you always put it off every other day of the week."
They were almost done with their breakfast when Harry came over with Ron in tow. "We're heading down to Hagrid's," he told the three of them, "if you'd like to come."
"I told Parvati I'd work on the History of Magic essay with her and Lavender," said Parvati apologetically.
Calla, who had already been going to go to the greenhouses with Zacharias and Susan, pondered a moment. "I'll come down but I can't stay the whole time. I'll just tell Susan."
"I suppose I'll join you boys then," drawled Daphne, shaking her hair out. "I haven't seen Hagrid outside of class in ages."
Calla went over quickly to the Hufflepuff table, where everyone was chattering excitedly, most of them clustered around Cedric Diggory. She grinned as she dropped down quickly into a seat next to Zach, who turned around, startled. "Ah, what time are we heading down?"
"I'm going to visit Hagrid for a little bit with my brother and the others. But I'll come meet you two about one o'clock, maybe? It depends how long we are."
"As long as you can help me get my Ogham straight, I don't mind what time we see you at," said Susan with a grin.
"Don't count on me," Calla laughed. "I swear it's still all gone out my head. It makes no sense for e to have more branches than u."
"I know," Zach groaned, shaking his head. "I don't know how Babbling expects us to have it all in our heads and be able to write with them."
"Neither," said Calla as she got up. "Well, I'll see the two of you down there, yeah?"
They nodded and she went quickly to the edge of the hall where Harry, Ron, and Daphne were already standing, peering out into the Entrance Hall. She frowned and peered over, to see Madam Maxime leading her Beauxbatons students through the Entrance Hall. One by one they all dropped their names into the flaming goblet of fire, which spat out sparks of red. "What d'you think'll happen to the ones who don't get chosen?" Ron asked them. "D'you reckon they'll just go back to school or hang around to watch the Tournament?"
"Hang around, I suppose," said Harry, and Calla nodded her agreement. "I dunno, but Madam Maxime is staying to judge, isn't she?"
When all of the Beauxbatons students had submitted their names, they organised back into a line behind Madam Maxime and headed back out into the school grounds. "Where are they sleeping then?" Ron asked.
"The carriage," said Daphne, "that's what Pierre said."
"Pierre?"
"One of the students."
"How'd you talk to him?"
Daphne fixed Ron with a cold glare. "In French."
Ron went red. "That's not-"
"And then English."
A loud rattling noise from behind broke up the conversation. Hermione had just appeared, beaming, and was shaking her S.P.E.W. box excitedly. "You're bringing the badges?" Calla asked with a frown.
"Well, I haven't asked Hagrid to join us yet!" she said. "So I thought this would be a perfect opportunity."
"I'm not really sure you'll persuade Hagrid to join," Daphne told her. "Most people don't agree with what you think at all, you know."
"Well, in that case I'll just have to be extra persuasive," said Hermione defiantly. "Hagrid will see my point, he knows it's wrong to treat people the way house elves are treated."
"So do I," Daphne was quick to assure her. "I'm just saying most people don't. But if you want to try, go try."
Ron jumped down the steps, huffing. "Hurry up," he told them, breaking the small argument. They all went out into the chilly air, and Calla realised Daphne was correct as they saw the Beauxbatons students filtering back into the powder blue carriage that had taken them to Hogwarts in the first place. The massive horses were grazing in a sort of makeshift paddock next to it.
Harry knocked on Hagrid's door, answered immediately by Fang's booming barks. It had felt like ages since Calla had last seen Fang. Hagrid flung the door open and burst into a smile. "'Bout time, too!" he said. "I was startin' to wonder if you lot had forgotten where I lived!"
"We've been really busy, Hag-"
She cut off, having just looked up and noticed what Calla had - Hagrid's rather unconventional attire. He was dressed in his 'best' furry brown suit, along with a hideous checked orange and yellow tie. His hair had been... Well, he'd done something to it at least, though whether with hair gel or with actual grease, Calla wasn't honestly certain. It looked like he'd tried to put it in two ponytails. Calla could tell Daphne was holding back her stunned laugh, as all of them goggled at him. "Erm," said Hermione, as all of them fumbled for words. "Where are the Skrewts?"
"Out by the pumpkin patch," said Hagrid in a cheerful way. "They're gettin' massive, mus' be nearly three foot long now. Only trouble is, they've started killing each other."
"Oh dear," said Calla faintly, hoping that they would not be attending to the Skrewts today.
"Yeah," Hagrid said sadly, looking very upset about it, "S'OK though, I've got them all in their separate boxes now. Still got abou' twenty."
"That's lucky," Ron said sarcastically. Hagrid didn't seem to notice, but Daphne was suppressing a grin. Calla elbowed her gently, shaking her head.
They went to sit down in the hut while Hagrid made them tea. The last time they'd all been there was Buckbeak's trial, a night that seemed so dreadfully long ago now. Calla's mind drifted, as she wondered where Wormtail was now, if Remus and Sirius had made any more progress in trying to find him. But the others didn't seem to care as much, and became quickly immersed in discussion about the Triwizard Tournament. "Oh, Hagrid, you can at least tell us what the First Task is," Daphne pleaded, and she shook his head.
"No, yer not to know. But you jus' wait, though, you jus' wait... It'll be fantastic, an' that's all I can tell yeh. Them champions'll have their work cut out fer them, I know tha'. Never thought I'd live ter see the Triwizard Tournament played out again!"
"I hope one of the Ravenclaws gets chosen," Calla said. "There were quite a few of our girls who put their names in. And did Angelina for Gryffindor?"
"Yeah. And Warrington of Slytherin, though," Harry said with a shudder. "I couldn't stand a Slytherin champion."
"Of course you couldn't," said Daphne with a roll of her eyes. "Warrington's not even the worst of them, he just looks a bit of a brute."
"That's cause he is one," Ron muttered.
They wound up staying at Hagrid's to eat lunch, which meant a beef casserole that Calla was slightly wary of after Hermione found a talon in hers. Daphne seemed thoroughly put off, something which Calla didn't really suppose she could blame her for. They all kept trying their very hardest to get Hagrid to tell them about what the tasks were, and though he wouldn't say a word Calla was sure that it would be something to do with some magical creature, if Hagrid knew so much about what would be done. By the time Calla was thinking of setting off to meet Zach and Susan at the greenhouses, it was beginning to drizzle with rain outside. She watched it fall absently as Hagrid knitted a pair of lurid orange socks and argued with Hermione about house elves - he had, upon being asked and shown the badges, flat out refused to join S.P.E.W..
"Yeh'd be doing them an unkindness, Hermione," he told her. "It's in their nature ter look after humans, it's in their nature, see? It's wha' they like. Yeh'd be makin' 'em unhappy tryin' ter take away their work, and yeh'd be insultin' 'em by offerin' ter pay 'em."
"But Harry set Dobby free," Hermione protested, "and he was over the moon about it! And he has wages now!"
"Aye, well, yeh get weirdos in every breed."
"He can't be the only one, though," Daphne piped up. "Perhaps not all of the house elves want to be set free, because most of them are treated well. But if Dobby can be treated how he was, others might have been, too."
"I'm no' sayin' there's no elf that'll take their freedom," Hagrid said, shaking his head, "but yeh'll never persuade most of them ter do it - no, nothin' doin', Hermione."
"I'm sure there is something, though," said Calla gently. "Why not ask the elves?"
"Ask them?" Hermione frowned, and then her eyes brightened. "Of course, Calla! They work in the kitchens, how do I get in?"
Calla giggled as she stood up. "I'm not telling you unless you promise you won't go in there trying to give them all clothes. I said I'd meet Zach and Susan, but I'll see you all at the feast tonight, won't I?"
"Sure," said Harry, though Hermione was looking rather cross at this announcement (or perhaps at the refusal to tell her where the kitchens was).
She had her cloak pulled over her hair as she made the couple of minutes' journey over to the greenhouses, trying to avoid the rain. She could see the blurred figures of Zach and Susan just inside the glass, behind the great leaves of potted plants, some of which turned and twisted and swayed of their own accords. Someone that looked like Professor Sprout was bustling around with a watering can, followed by Neville.
Calla slipped inside into the warmth and smiled, calling a greeting over to Zach and Susan. They looked up, as did Cedric Diggory, who was sitting looking nervous in the corner. "Ugh, I hate when it's drizzly like this," she said, sitting down wearily beside Zach. "It always makes my hair feel horrid."
Susan chuckled. "So do I. At least it's not a downpour, though, I suppose."
A nearby plant snapped at them and Susan rolled her eyes as she poured water onto it. "Demanding thing. How's Hagrid?"
"Alright," said Calla, "but he won't tell any of us anything about the Tournament. Suppose we shouldn't have expected him to, though. It sounds great besides."
"I'll say," said Zach, looking towards the corner. "Cedric? How are you feeling?"
"Wonderful," Cedric mumbled with a weak smile. He shook his head. "Suppose I'll just have to wait and see what happens. If I get chosen, I get chosen, if I don't, suppose it's not like I've lost anything." But Calla could tell that he certainly wanted to be chosen.
"Well, if it can't be a Ravenclaw, I hope it's you," said Calla warmly. "I'm sure you'd do fantastic."
"Thanks, Potter," said Cedric tersely, and frowned down at whatever diagrams he was looking over.
The afternoon passed rather slowly, as Calla, Susan and Zach worked away at their Ancient Runes homework, eventually becoming bored of it and taking it in turns to stick twigs into Venus flytraps and see how long each of them took to react, until Professor Sprout told them off for it. Neville joined them as the conversation turned to Care of Magical Creatures - he was certainly not a fan of the Blast-Ended Skrewts - and they left at around about five o'clock to go to the Halloween feast. Cedric had already gone, joined by a large crowd of his friends desperate to get him into the school so that he could get a good seat to see the goblet of fire spit the champions' names out.
When the entered the Great Hall, it was already getting full, and lit by gorgeous, soft candle lights. The Goblet of Fire had been moved to stand just in front of Dumbledore's usual seat at the teachers' High Table. "I hope it's Annabelle Turner," said Calla as she went to sit next to Padma. "Isn't Daphne here yet?"
"No," Padma said, glancing around. "She must still be at Hagrid's."
Calla raised her eyebrows. "That's nice." She couldn't remember the last time Daphne had spent such a long time with Harry, Ron and Hermione, especially without her there. It was a little weird and she didn't quite understand why.
The Hall was almost full by the time Daphne arrived, taking her seat between Calla and one of the fifth year guys. "You took your time," Calla said, as Daphne dragged her fingers furiously through her hair.
"We had a nice afternoon," said Daphne, shrugging. "Well, actually, it got a bit dull after you left. Hermione was in an awful mood about the spew thing, I tried to explain Hagrid's position to her but she, er, didn't really like that."
"So Hagrid hasn't joined the cause then?" Padma asked, as the great golden plates filled with food and she heaped chicken pie into it.
"No," Daphne said shortly. "He said it'd be doing them more harm than good."
"It's a shame," Padma said. "But I suppose it isn't surprising."
The feast seemed to take an awful lot time even as they chatted and laughed their way through the evening. Everyone's eyes just kept wandering towards the goblet, which was still bright with its blue fire. People kept standing up, craning their necks to see whether Dumbledore was done eating yet, as if it would make time go faster. If Calla had been excited at first, the atmosphere in the Hall only exacerbated this and by the time she was done it was all she wanted to hear the champions' names out of the goblet.
When at long last the golden plates cleared themselves, the atmosphere in the hall shifted greatly again, the excitement near tangible. The noise level reached an all time high just before Dumbledore stood, and silence descended thickly upon them. Professor Karkaroff and Madam Maxime looked excited and tense by his side, while Bagman beamed around at all the students, winking excitedly. Crouch looked as stern as ever, and almost bored.
"Well," said Professor Dumbledore, "the goblet is almost ready to make its decision. I estimate that it will require one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I ask them to come up to the front of the hall, walk along the High Table and go through into the next chamber." He waved to the door beside the staff table. "There, they will be receiving their next instructions."
He waved his wand extravagantly, sweeping it over the hall, as the candles flickered out. The only light seemed to be coming from the goblet. Calla peered at it interestedly, an excited swooping feeling in her stomach. Everyone was watching at the same time, some checking their watches and muttering. "Any moment now," Mandy whispered excitedly across the table. She was standing up, seeming to bounce on the balls of her feet.
And a moment later, the blue flames in the goblet turned a brilliant scarlet colour, sparks flying and spat from it. A charred piece of parchment cluttered out of it, carried on its own breeze, and everyone in the hall gasped. Dumbledore caught the parchment swiftly and held it up in front of everybody at arm's length so he could read it through his half moon spectacles. Calla held her breath.
"The champion for Durmstrang," he said in a loud, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum!"
"Bloody hell!" Mandy shouted excitedly, clapping furiously. "Krum!"
"Not surprised!" Michael said cheerfully. "Come on, Krum!"
"Sit down, Corner," said Daphne tiredly, though she was clapping too. "I want to hear who our champion is."
Krum rose from his place at the Slytherin table and slouched along the hall up to the High Table, where he strode along and then slipped into the door at the side. "Bravo, Viktor!" Karkaroff's voice boomed across the Great Hall. "Knew you had it in you!"
Gradually, the cheering and applauding died down, and everyone returned their attentions to the goblet of fire, which started to sputter with red flames again. Another slip of parchment shot out from within the flames, flying straight into Dumbledore's outstretched hand. "The champion for Beauxbatons," he said, "is Fleur Delacour!"
Fleur, who was sitting down the end of the table near to Luna Lovegood - who didn't look like she knew what was happening at all and was instead looking intently at the bats up above them - got gracefully to her feet. She shook back her long silvery hair, and swept between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables to great applause. Two of the other girls had started crying, sobbing with their heads on their arms, and Calla saw Pierre pat one of them awkwardly on the arm, looking himself very disappointed.
When the applause died down again and Fleur slipped into the other chamber, the tense excitement in the Hall seemed to reach a boiling point. Lucy Burton and Greta Anderson were holding each other's hands tightly, knuckles white, and Annabelle Turner was kneading her fingers together. The Hall was completely silent, almost stiff with it, as everyone waited. The Hogwarts student was next... Calla looked nervously between the Ravenclaw candidates.
The goblet of fire turned red again, emitting its sparks. Calla straightened up with excitement bubbling all through her, watching and waiting. A flame shot high into the air, and Dumbledore plucked from it another slip of charred parchment. "The Hogwarts champion," he said loudly, "is Cedric Diggory!"
A great roar of cheers went up from the next table as the Hufflepuffs all went absolutely wild. The group nearer Cedric were clapping him violently on the back, as he stumbled to his feet, beaming but seemingly shocked. Annabelle, Lucy and Greta were all applauding politely too, beaming over at Cedric. He beamed as he headed off towards the High Table, walking along proudly as all the professors applauded loudly, and then he slipped into the chamber. The applause didn't even die down then, and Dumbledore had to wait ages until he could be heard over the din. "Excellent, Cedric!" he shouted, as the Hufflepuff table continued to cheer. "Well, we now have our three champions. I hope 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-"
But Dumbledore went quiet. Calla frowned, peering over as the goblet's fire turned red again. Her stomach tumbled. Everyone looked at each other, confused and surprised. "What the hell's going on?" Isobel whispered, and Calla shook her head, hardly daring to breathe in response.
Another giant red flame shot up into the sky, with a slip of parchment borne upon it. Dumbledore took it, his hands seeming to tremble as he did so. He held it out, reading the name written upon it. There was a long, heavy silence as Dumbledore stared at the parchment, and everyone in the hall stared back at him. Then he cleared his throat, and said into the silence, "Harry and Calla Potter."
Author's Note: So the decision to include Calla in the Tournament was one I debated on for ages. As in, I didn't decide for definite until this January, and I started writing this fic in 2017. I promise there is a point to it, and Calla's presence in the graveyard will not only be important to revealing more about her magic and character, but also plotwise - though I obviously don't want to spoil. Anyway, I hope the decision pays off - Calla's approach to the Tournament tasks has been really fun for me to write and now I'm coming to writing the end of fourth year I am happy I chose to go this route instead of one of the other routes I had considered earlier. Hope you all enjoyed reading, stay safe, and I shall update soon!