"The hell is she playing at?" Miranda groaned. "We already have three extra books to read for Charms! How are we supposed to read this textbook tonight? When are we going to sleep?"

"We're not going to," Willow sighed. "Why isn't there a spell that allows me to learn this in two seconds?"

"There probably is, we're just not allowed to learn it," Lisa said.

"And I cared about rules when?"

Lisa shot a look at Miranda. "Since it could get you expelled."

"Aw, Lisa, don't tell me you'd miss my sarcastic comments," Miranda teased.

Lisa suddenly blushed. She accidentally dropped her wand, and Miranda caught it before it could clatter to the floor. Lisa was red as a tomato when her hand brushed Miranda's as he handed it back. "Um – sorry – I'm such a klutz – I should– I should get McGonagall – to check on us– "

Lisa stood up and hurried away. Willow cocked an eyebrow at Miranda, and he leaned back in his chair.

"Huh. I didn't know she fancied me."

"How did you figure that out so fast?" Willow spluttered. "It took me two years to know that Paige and George had an eye on me!"

"I'm very intuitive. Common sense is a thing, too, that you lack."

Willow rolled her eyes. "I know, I know, it's a typical Gryffindor thing. What are you going to do about Lisa, anyway? Do you fancy her as well?"

It was Miranda's turn to go scarlet. For a moment, he lost the ability to speak, then he cleared his throat and smiled evenly at Willow. "Okay. I was not expecting that. Have you always been this straightforward?"

"Forward, not straight."

"God, you're even getting better at bisexual puns."

Willow folded her hands and leaned over her desk. "Well? Do you or do you not fancy her?"

"I've never actually considered it, but...I don't know, maybe?"

"The amount of blood rushing into your cheeks screams otherwise." When Miranda deadpanned at her, Willow laughed. "You do fancy her! I knew it!"

"How does me looking at you constitute an answer?"

"It's all in your face."

"I thought you had zero emotional intelligence?"

"Well, I just got some." The bell rang, and Willow grabbed her books. She gave Miranda a giddy grin. "I'm convening with the Gryffindor Sisters later on the best way for you to ask Lisa out. There's no backing out of it now."

"I hate you."

"I love you, Miranda!"

Willow practically skipped to her next class. The prospect of making a pair of her friends over-the-moon happy vaulted her mood above the clouds. Not even an extremely challenging Potions hour could put a damper on her spirits. Draco forced his way to her side and made a point of not speaking to her for the entire class. Willow and he worked in tandem: her preparing all the ingredients, him brewing the potion, and each finishing their tasks right in time for the other. It was rather pleasing to Willow that Draco worked so well with her; it evidently ticked him off, as he couldn't find anything to berate her on for an entire class period. His spending the majority of his Potions classes with her in an effort to create chaos had now backfired in his face.

They finished the potion early, per usual, and Willow meandered her way over to Cypress's workstation. The Slytherin was so zeroed in on slicing a lump of what looked like fish guts that he nearly jumped when Willow said hello.

"Don't scare me like that when I've got a knife in my hand!" Cypress cried. "This thing could cut off your whole hand in a heartbeat!"

"Why do you keep your knives that sharp?" Willow countered.

Cypress shrugged. "For fun."

"For fun. Ah. Yes. That clears everything up." Willow avoided an elbow to the ribs. "More violence! I'm hoping your homicidal tendencies mean you're in full science mode?"

"Of course it does! I'm closer than ever to finishing this color-changing potion!" Cypress finished cutting up the lumpy, oozing substance, then threw it in his cauldron. He sighed when the bubbles turned blue. "Great. I'll have to break into Snape's private stores again...where's the Metamorphagus? I need a strand of his hair."

"You'll see him in Care of Magical Creatures next."

"But I want a strand of his hair now!"

"Cypress, patience is a good virtue– "

" –that I don't possess and is highly unnecessary when I'm in the middle of finishing a potion for Oliver. Now, if I could just find that dragon liver, and those fairy wings, I might be able to get started on another component of– "

"Wait, this potion is for Oliver?" Willow interrupted.

"Yeah, why?"

Willow folded her arms, smirking at her blonde friend. "So that's why you're making such a fuss about it. It's for his new plant, isn't it? He said something about wanting to change the color of the leaves to blue or purple."

Cypress shot her a look. "I swear to Merlin, if you tell him– "

"Cypress, it's obvious you fancy him. Why not make a move?"

"I'll make my move when the time is right. And right now, it's time for me to finish this potion before Oliver has Herbology tomorrow."

Willow took a step back, shaking her head. "Wow. Two pairs of my friends are into each other already. Before I know it, the love bug is going to ensnare us all in its deadly trap."

Cypress's head snapped up. His eyes sparked with icy blue electricity. "Wait, who else?"

"First off, you just admitted that you're into Oliver. Second, it's Lisa and Miranda."

Cypress gasped. "Oh. My. God. We have to get them together. When should we plan their first date? Oh, and they have to have a ship name! Liranda? No...Mirlisa? Yes, I like Mirlisa the best!"

"Don't worry, I'm asking Lavender and Fay the best way to help Miranda tonight."

"Beautiful! Let me in on that when you're done, will you?"

Willow promised Cypress all of the details. The bell rang soon after, and they headed off to Care of Magical Creatures together. Cypress somehow snuck up behind Miranda and yanked a hair off his head without the Ravenclaw noticing. He even managed a normal conversation with him afterward, and Miranda didn't suspect a thing. Willow seriously wondered if Cypress wouldn't end up being a great auror someday.

Throughout Care of Magical Creatures, Willow attended to all of her friends as they dealt with the blast-ended skrewts. Even though the creatures were downright ugly, they were growing on her. She gently handled them and avoided getting stung by the surlier of the bunch. Sam looked ready to pass out when one attached itself to his leg. Mia and Fay downright refused to feed them. Only Oliver, Neville, and Cypress managed to get through the lesson without so much as a hint of complaint. It wasn't until the bell rang to signal lunch that Willow noticed Sally was missing once again.

"Sam, where's Sally?" she asked.

"In the hospital wing. She's got a nasty cold again," Sam groaned. "Coughed so hard it gave her a bloody nose this morning."

"Ouch. I hope she gets better. Maybe we should visit her later today?"

"You're on your own with that. I'm not catching the plague." Sam shielded his eyes with his hand and peered up at the castle. "What's with the crowd in the Entrance Hall?"

Willow ran up the hillside with Sam hot on her heels. They managed to shove their way to the front of the throng of students, where they found a new notice on the bulletin. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would be arriving on October 30 at six in the evening. Willow could hardly contain her excitement as fervent whispers broke out among the students. She pushed her way back through the crowd and found Dean, Seamus, and Neville on her way into the Great Hall.

"Can you believe it? We're really going to meet students from other schools!" Dean cheered. "They're staying here, at Hogwarts! I wonder if they'll give up a few secrets while they're here?"

"Doubt it. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are as secretive as it gets," Seamus said. "The locations of their schools are some of the closest guarded secrets they hold."

"I've heard Beauxbatons is notorious for veela girls," Sam remarked. "I hope they bring some with them."

Willow slapped Sam. "Don't wish that on yourself! You'll be drooling over them instead of doing your homework!"

"Since when have I done my homework?"

"That's a fair point," Neville said.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Alright, smartarse, it's your funeral. Am I allowed to laugh when you forget how to speak in front of the veela? Wait, I should take embarrassing photographs to keep as blackmail!"

"Now that's just cruel."

They found their seats at the Gryffindor table, which was already filling with excitable students. The prospect of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students had sent the Hogwarts students into a frenzy. Over the next few weeks, the castle was scrubbed clean, Filch terrified first years into hysterics over tracking in mud, and the professors went crazy over covering up their worst students' lack of talent. McGonagall was more strict than ever. She snapped at Neville more than necessary for his failures in class and became a sort of vigilante over Gryffindor students' choices of dress.

When October 31st came, classes ended a half hour early, and Professor McGonagall ushered all the Gryffindors into the Entrance Hall. Willow fought her way to the Gryffindor Sisters and handed her cloak to a shivering Parvati. Sally was missing once again, but Willow figured she'd gotten jostled to the side by the hundreds of students around them. The biting late October air felt good on Willow's skin. She hoped McGonagall wouldn't see her standing there in shorts and a t-shirt and give her a month's worth of detention.

First to arrive was the Beauxbatons carriage. Palomino horses the size of a small house landed on the Hogwarts grounds, tossing their heads in all their magnificence. The size of the Headmistress, Madame Maxime, explained the need for such an enormous mode of travel. Willow was certain she was half-giant, the same as Hagrid. She never thought she'd see one in her life, let alone two, but the wizarding world was crazy, after all. Maxime's students were plainly the opposite of her: small, lean, and rather frail. They drew their silken garments closer to themselves and muttered about the freezing temperature. Willow couldn't help but giggle under her breath. Wait until January gets here!

Durmstrang was next to arrive. After a few minutes of tense anticipation, a worn pirate-like ship rose from the depths of the Black Lake. The students donned heavy fur coats and seemed rather unaffected by the cold. Willow assumed they were from somewhere up north, maybe Norway. None of the boys struck her as remarkable aside from their muscular, heavy builds. The girls, though, were a different story. Most sported the same athletic body types, but their sharp eyes told of deep intelligence and strong beliefs. Their Headmaster greeted Dumbledore in a strong accent. Willow automatically distrusted him because of his wicked-looking smile.

The students from all three schools were herded into the Great Hall, where every Hogwarts house clambered for the new students to sit with them. Ron Weasley was going positively mad because of the presence of Viktor Krum among the Durmstrang students, but was disappointed when he sat with the Slytherins. Miranda, Lisa, Sue, and Padma glowed with pride when the Beauxbatons students chose to seat themselves alongside the Ravenclaws. Sue was already conversing in broken French with one of the girls.

She knows French, too? Does she know how to speak everything? Willow wondered.

Dumbledore quickly commenced the welcoming feast, and the Great Hall filled with the sounds of happy chatter. Willow noticed that several new dishes had been prepared tonight, no doubt to make the new students feel more welcome. Sally appeared out of nowhere and dared her to try every new French cuisine. Willow was happy to comply. Why would she pass up more food? She found that not only was the French food good, but the heavier Northern dishes, too, thanks to Lavender, Fay, and Mia's dare. When dessert appeared, Willow took advantage of all options present, and her Gryffindor Sisters goggled at her as she put away an inhuman amount of sugary sweets. She wondered if she would be able to eat for the next week as she finally finished.

"Good God, are you trying to out-eat Ron?" George asked, slipping into a space to her right.

"Or have you realized you're underweight again and need to bulk up for soccer?" Paige said, appearing beside George.

"Blame it on my roommates. They dared me to do it," Willow protested.

"Hardly! You ate all those desserts of your own accord!" Hermione said. "You're lucky they end the feast at some point before you can find more room!"

Willow grinned. "Eating is my specialty. Oh, that reminds me..." She stuffed a few rolls and a treacle tart in her pocket. When George and Paige shot her a funny look, she tapped her video watch, and they nodded in understanding. Sirius.

"Excuse me, are you Willow Guerrero?" a voice said politely.

Willow whipped around in surprise. A boy, likely from Beauxbatons, considering his silken garments, stood behind her. He looked younger than his age of seventeen, and his blue eyes twinkled kindly. His hair blonde hair was swept back into a short, curly ponytail, reminding Willow of an old English style of dress. She realized she was staring and awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Sorry, yeah, I'm Willow."

"Your friends Padma and Sue have told me much about you, and that it would be worth meeting you. Do you mind if I sit by you?"

"Oh, not at all!" Willow made room for the boy, who gracefully sat down, like he bent the wind to his command. He'd obviously been through some etiquette classes. "What's your name?"

"Benigno. I'm from France, but my mother is English, so I am bilingual. Sue tells me that you are very talented at both Spanish and English?"

"She forgot sarcasm," Willow snorted. "I'm very fluent in that, too."

"Ah, so are my friends. Fleur Delacour is very witty with the professors." Benigno glanced beyond Willow, and she noticed for the first time that George and Paige were watching the French boy very intently. "Have I done something to upset you?"

"Oh, no, they're just curious," Willow explained, shooting a glare at them. "Benigno, these are two of my friends, George and Paige. They're in the sixth year. I daresay they're some of the best pranksters this school has ever seen."

"They do pranks? Oh, I love it when students prank the professors, especially Madame Maxime!" Benigno quickly looked over his shoulder at his Headmistress, then turned back. "Don't tell her I said this, but the best one was when a sixth year slipped a shrinking potion into her drink, and she was eight inches tall for a whole day!"

"You're joking!" Willow said. "They must have gotten expelled!"

"Thankfully, Madame Maxime is a forgiving woman, even if she does not have the best sense of humor."

Dumbledore stepped up to his podium, and the Great Hall began to dial down. Benigno looked for a moment as if he were going to get up and leave, but in the end, he apparently decided it would be too embarrassing to move now. The Gryffindor Sisters sitting across from Willow finally noticed Benigno and gawked at his sterling appearance. They kept motioning for her to flirt with him, but she was absolutely disgusted by the idea and encouraged them to do so. It was them who were flipping out over him, after all. Benigno must have noticed them, judging by the pink tint to his cheeks, but didn't say anything, instead allowing them to scheme behind his back. Thankfully, before any chaos could begin, Dumbledore called the attention of the Great Hall.

At the Headmaster's bidding, Flich brought out an old jewel-encrusted casket, from which Dumbledore pulled out an old wooden cup. Only the blue flames sprouting from the top of it impressed the importance of the object on Willow. It was the Goblet of Fire, the selector of Triwizard Champions. She listened intently as Dumbledore further explained the Triwizard Tournament.

Students over the age of seventeen were welcome to put forth their name. The Goblet of Fire, the impartial judge, would select a champion from each school to participate in the Tournament. Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman had worked hard to create three difficult tasks that would most likely not involve the death of a champion. They would be on a panel, along with the Heads of the three schools, to award points to each champion after every task. At the end of all three tasks, the champion with the most points would win. Dumbledore warned once again, however, that once a student put their name in the Goblet, they were bound by a powerful magical contract to participate and see the Tournament through to the end if chosen. The danger was real. The Triwizard Tournament was meant to test a student's character down to the grittiest fiber of their being.

I still wish I could do it, Willow lamented.

Dumbledore announced that students had the next twenty-four hours to enter the Tournament. To prevent underaged students from entering, he would draw an age line around the Goblet. No one under the age of seventeen would be permitted to enter it. Willow sighed as Dumbledore abruptly ended his speech with another warning and dismissed them to bed.

"Is it sad that the age line makes me want to enter even more?" Willow said.

"No, it is truly tempting to enter such a Tournament," Benigno said. "I only turned seventeen a few days ago. I'm lucky I get to enter at all."

"Well, good luck to you all the same. I hope you get chosen. I'd definitely cheer for you from the sidelines."

"That is very kind of you." Benigno looked up at the same time as Willow to see Lee, Fred, George, and Paige huddled together and whispering in low voices. "There are four of them?"

"Five, actually, since they rope me into their pranks the majority of the time. They use me as a test subject for their new pranks them come up with, too. I've gotten sent to the hospital wing my fair share of times. They always make up for it, though, smuggling butterbeer into the castle and such. They're my biggest fans in quidditch."

Benigno's eyes shone. "They sound wonderful."

Willow noticed her Gryffindor Sisters pushing through the crowd, giggling their fool heads off. Her eyes widened, and she tapped Benigno on the shoulder, nodding in their direction. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Whatever are those girls doing?"

"That would be my roomates," Willow groaned. "They're a bit...much, at times. They get over excited to meet pretty strangers. I think Mia has a thing for blondes. You may want to make a run for it – well, a walk for it, in this crowd – while you can."

"Ah. I understand." Benigno politely kissed the back of her hand. "I hope to see you again, Willow. You are very kind."

"Good night, Benigno."

Willow made sure he was well on his way to the Beauxbatons carriage before returning to her Gryffindor Sisters, who were frantically looking around for the French boy. She quickly ushered them up the marble staircase and toward Gryffindor Tower before they could cause too much of a scene. They peppered her with questions about Benigno, practically swooning over the mere memory of his face. Willow refused to say a word until they got back to the common room. She was attacked before she could protest, thrown into an armchair, and surrounded by the Gryffindor Sisters.

"What was his name?"

"Does he fancy you?"

"What is his accent like?"

"Are his eyes sky blue or ocean blue?"

"Guys, hold up! I literally just met the guy!" Willow chuckled. "His name is Benigno. He has a French accent, yes, but he's bilingual. No, I do not think he fancies me, and why do you need to know what shade of blue his eyes were? I wasn't looking that closely."

"Oh, he's just dreamy!" Mia said. "You're so lucky, Willow! No one that beautiful would ever talk to me!"

"The only reason he did was because Sue and Padma sent him my way. He's very kind, and I think he's looking to make some friends. He's seventeen, though, so don't get any bright ideas. For all I know, he's got a girlfriend."

"Yes, but still!" Lavender sighed. "Why does Willow get all the hot friends?"

"Um...because they find me, I guess?"

"Save it, Willow, we all know you're the most beautiful one here," Hermione said. She patted her on the shoulder. "And you don't need to worry about love, anyway. You've already got two people chasing you like lost puppies."

"Paige and George don't– " Willow blinked. "Alright, they kind of chase me everywhere, but at least they're still great friends to me! They don't fight over me or push me to be in a relationship or any of that! They just...act like amazing friends."

"Huh. Maybe that's the secret to a relationship," Sally said. "Becoming friends first? Time consuming, but probably worth it."

The Gryffindor Sisters dissolved into a calm discussion on the best tactics for getting someone to notice them. Willow found her moment to escape and made a beeline for the staircase, only to be caught around both arms by her favorite pranksters. She rolled her eyes as Fred and George dragged her backward, into a secluded space of the common room, where Lee and Paige were already waiting. They sat Willow down closest to the wall so she couldn't escape.

"We're brewing an aging potion tomorrow morning," Fred explained, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Lee and George have agreed to split the earnings three ways if we get in and win."

"You're entering? I'm not surprised," Willow chortled. "I hope it works. Why isn't Paige participating in these shenanigans, then?"

"I've got my fair share of danger in life," Paige said lazily. "Don't get me wrong, glory sounds amazing, but I don't need to draw extra attention to myself, considering my heritage."

"Good point. Do you need help with the potion?"

"Nah, it's one of the easiest ones we've learned," Lee replied. "We should have no trouble with it. The only part we might have trouble with is a teacher catching us in the act."

"So that's why you've kidnapped me to a secret meeting. You need a bodyguard."

"Er, not a bodyguard, but something the likes of that," George admitted. "We can't have Professor McGonagall giving us detention for trying to bring glory to Gryffindor, now, can we?"

"Oh no, we can't have that. I'm in," Willow said.

"Great! Now then– " Fred leaned forward, crossing his arms– "who is this Benigno I've heard about?"

Willow groaned and slumped back in her chair. She shot deadpan looks at George and Paige. "You're seriously caught up about him? I literally just made a friend from another school."

"Friend?" Lee said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Friend, yes. I speak clear English. Do you not hear well?"

"Of course we hear well. We have eyes, too, you know," George said bitterly.

"Benigno's quite the flirt, and you're falling right into his trap," Paige added, equally unimpressed.

Willow exhaled slowly. "Wow. That's sad. I literally talk to one person from another school for less than an hour, and you think something is happening? That's the epitome of pathetic. Have you not met me? I only fancy people who have been my friends for a long time. Years, usually." Willow sat up and crossed her arms defensively. "You should be happy that I'm actually being social for once."

George and Paige exchanged a dark look. Willow wondered what was passing between them, but a silent conversation was definitely taking place. After a few moments, they finally turned back to her and slapped smiles on their faces.

"We're happy for you Willow."

"Good." She yawned. "Great, I'm falling asleep sitting here. I bet get the package to our special friend before Iris takes off for the night."

Fred, George, Lee, and Paige bade her goodnight, and Willow headed up to her dormitory, which was still mercifully empty. She opened and window and whistled. Minutes later, Iris swooped into the room, a feather fluttering onto Willow's bed in the process. She let Fidget play with it while she tied the bundle of food to Iris's leg. The tawny owl nipped her finger affectionately, then took off into the night. Willow watched her fly until she disappeared from sight.

I miss you, Sirius.

Willow turned out the lights, then helped Fidget into his little twig nest that she'd built for him over the summer. He curled up and let out a contented sigh before falling asleep. Achelous vibrated when Willow pet him. She smiled softly at the sight of her happy little creatures as she climbed in bed.

Someday. Someday, I'll make myself as happy as I make you guys.


GRACE, NO!

Avada...Kedav–

"GOD DAMN IT!" Willow hissed. She sighed. "I refuse to have nightmares after a good day. Just...no."

Willow checked her watch and groaned. It was only four in the morning. She wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon, so she threw off her covers and quietly slipped out of the dormitory. She entered the secret room and tossed a treat to a very sleepy Griffin. Phoebe moaned agitatedly because Willow was interrupting her beauty sleep. She rolled her eyes at the funny demiguise and patted her head. Seeing as her creatures were too tired to function, Willow noiselessly climbed into the rafters and launched herself out the window.

The shapeshifting was becoming second nature to her by this point. Willow relished the whipping of the wind through her feathers, the whistling in her ears, the sights and smells of the night. To be totally honest, she still hated night, and was downright terrified of the dark, but at least it provided a private sanctuary for her to be alone from time to time. Willow shifted from bird to dragon to other magical creatures one right after the other, enjoying her wide range of abilities. It reminded her after some time that she had a date coming up with Cebba to get rid of half of her pesky powers. She was more the ready to relieve herself of the terrifying visions during Divination.

When she'd nearly exhausted her powers, Willow landed in the thestral clearing, where some of the magical creatures were already up. She headed into the Insomniac Shack, as she and Luna had dubbed it, and grabbed a book off the shelf, opening to page she'd left off on. Willow grew a fresh patch of soft grass and got to reading. The younger thestrals popped in every so often, sometimes nosing Willow when she didn't pay them any heed, and she read a few pages from The Return of the King out loud to them. When she grew tired of reading, Willow walked into the clearing and played with the baby thestrals, the majority of which went nuts with all the attention.

"The Grey Lady told me you would be out here this morning."

Willow paused mid-play-fight to see Luna standing at the door to the Insomniac Shack. Her grey eyes perceptively picked up Willow's dual expression, and certainly did not miss the bags under her eyes.

"You have refused to sleep again. You are frustrated that you cannot ward off the nightmares with good days."

Willow sighed. "How are you so good at that?"

"I do not know. You are very easy to read."

"Isn't that inconvenient," Willow snorted. She tossed a branch across the clearing, and the thestrals ran after it. "What's keeping you awake at five thirty in the morning?"

"I believe it was the absence of wrackspurts. They seem to have left me alone for a few hours, and I woke up because of it."

"Huh. Wish I had those in my head. I might forget all the crap that I'm dreaming about for a few hours." Willow shook her head. "But who cares, right? I've dealt with it this long, I'll deal with it now. How are you doing, Luna?"

"Well. I discovered a new potion with Ginny and Colin yesterday morning. I think it might help in my search for nargles. They're infesting the castle lately."

"Nargles?"

"They hide in mistletoes, but I believe they have found hiding places in other plants around the castle."

"Ah. I see. I'll keep an eye out for them."

"Your friends are troubled by the Beauxbatons boy, Benigno. I could see their jealousy from a table away. Benigno is very handsome. But you only make friends with new people. Have they not discovered that yet?"

"No, unfortunately not," Willow sighed. "They cornered me about it yesterday evening. I told them the truth, that I'm not interested in pretty boys that I've just met. I think they'll get over it soon, but who knows? Us Gryffindors can be obstinate to a ridiculous level."

"They will see it soon enough. Benigno is not your type."

Willow spluttered. "You think you know my type?"

Luna smiled dreamily. "You fancy the adventurous, fiery spirits."

"Merlin, you know me better than I know myself. I guess that is my type, now that I think about it."

"You should talk with Benigno more. He seems very shy around most people, but he opened up with you. Maybe he just needs a blunt yet accepting person to help him be himself."

"Blunt and accepting just about sums me up, alright." Willow shot a glance at Luna. "You're a really cool person, did you know that?"

"I am not cold, but I am 'cool', I think."

"Okay, now I know you've been spending too much time with me," Willow said. "My sarcasm is contagious."

"Sarcasm can be a contagion?" Luna said, her smile bordering on a smirk.

"Nooo! I've corrupted Luna Lovegood!"

The rest of the morning passed with light-hearted back-and-forth talk. When the sun peeked over the horizon, Willow and Luna said goodbye to the thestrals and headed back to their common rooms. The Gryffindor Sisters were still conducting a snoring symphony by the time Willow returned to her dormitory. To her surprise, however, Sally was missing from her bed. She never got up early. Willow peered into the bathroom, but Sally wasn't there, and she hadn't been in the common room, either. Her forehead wrinkled as she tried to come up with an explanation for her absence. What was so important that Sally had to get up early and sneak out to do it?

"Willow! Psst, Willow!"

All thoughts of Sally were driven out of Willow's mind. Paige had cracked the door open and was frantically motioning for her to hurry out. The potion! Willow quickly scrambled down the stairs after the older girl, where she found Fred, George, and Lee already waiting by the portrait hole. They shared mischievous smiles as they silently made their way through the corridors and to their hideout. Willow noticed as she climbed the ladder that a cauldron and a slew of ingredients had already been set out and readied for brewing. Lee and Paige got to work right away.

Apparently, the twins had been colluding with Cypress to get the best aging potion possible. Willow had a feeling Cypress was working with the behind the scenes all along, especially when it came to some of their joke products, but she didn't say anything as she helped the older students perfect the potion. She took up her position as a guard and enhanced her senses to listen for intruders. Fred and George watched with curiosity as the other three stirred and cut and added. Willow knew that potions was one of their worst subjects by far. She quietly explained to them what Paige and Lee were doing, then finished off the concoction with a tap of her wand and the perfect words. Lee drained it into two tiny vials.

"That should do the trick! Go on, take them!"

Fred and George clinked their vials, then simultaneously downed them in a single gulp. Willow laughed at their priceless faces. The potion must have tasted awful. Within a few seconds, though, both were grinning from ear to ear.

"How are you feeling?" Willow asked.

"Older," Fred and George chorused.

"That's what I like to hear," Paige said. "Now go and enter that Tournament, will you? Someone's got to bring Gryffindor glory without quidditch this year."

Willow, Paige, and Lee hurried after the twins. They struggled to keep up with their excitable pace. Several students were already in the Entrance Hall by the time they arrived. They turned to look at the five when they paused near the Goblet of Fire, sizing up the thin golden ring surrounding it. Fred whispered excitedly to George, then bravely walked to the border, all eyes on him. He teetered on the edge for a few moments, and finally, with a courageous leap of faith, crossed the age line. Nothing happened to him. George gave a victorious cry and quickly followed his brother.

"Did it work?" Lee whispered.

Just then, there was a loud sizzling, and an invisible force hurled Fred and George out of the circle. Willow clapped a hand to her mouth as they landed painfully on the castle floor. Moments later, there was a loud pop!, and the twins sprouted gloriously long beards. Willow, Lee, and Paige howled with laughter along with the rest of the students in the Entrance Hall. Dumbledore appeared from the Great Hall and complimented the twins' beards before sending them off to the hospital wing. Lee and Paige immediately followed them, but Willow hung back, noticing the Beauxbatons delegates walking across the grounds.

"I'll catch up with you guys later! Take a picture for me!" Willow said, tossing Paige her camera.

The older girl saluted her, then took off after Lee and the twins. Willow leaned against the wall and waited for the Beauxbatons students to arrive. Led by Madame Maxime, they gracefully entered the hall and lined up, placing their names in the Goblet one by one. Willow noted that the majority of the Beauxbatons students seemed aloof to the stares of other students. She couldn't tell whether it was arrogance or practice, but either way, she wished she could ignore so many eyes on her. Willow shook her head to clear her thoughts when Benigno found his way to her.

"Congratulations, Benigno! You're officially a contender for the Triwizard Tournament!" Willow chirped.

"Merci," Benigno said sheepishly. "I doubt I'll be chosen. My best friend, Fleur, has been quite the magical force since her first day at Beauxbatons. My money's on her."

"Don't put yourself down like that! I'm sure you're just as capable! Besides," Willow added, eyeing some of the Durmstrang contenders, "I bet you've got more brains than all those burly boys combined. Karkaroff really went for size over intelligence, didn't he?"

"He must have," Benigno shrugged. He smiled radiantly at Willow. "You would have made quite the Champion yourself. Sue hasn't stopped raving about you all morning. She makes it sound like you're the most powerful witch in all of England. Is it true that you've taken on Ministry officials twice and won?"

"Yeah...it's a long story. But I had help. Sue and the rest of my friends are just as formidable." She led the way to the Great Hall, where most of the student body was beginning to gather for breakfast. She spotted some familiar faces gathering at the Gryffindor table. "Speaking of my friends, I haven't properly introduced you. Benigno, this is Lavender, Mia, Fay, Parvati, Sally, and Hermione. They're my roomates."

The Gryffindor Sisters whirled around with wide eyes at the sound of Willow's voice. Lavender and Parvati furiously whispered to one another, and a few squeals of delight were shared among the girls. They all giggled and said hi to a very confused Benigno. He looked between Willow and her roomates several times before saying, "Your roomates are most unlike you."

"I get that a lot." Willow took a seat across from her Gryffindor Sisters and motioned for Benigno to do the same. "There's a lot of names to remember, so don't worry about it. I've got a lot more friends than just my roomates. Actually," Willow waved to Ginny and Colin, "there's two more Gryffindor friends now. They're a year younger than me. And down at the end of the table are Dean, Seamus, Neville, Sam, Ron, and Harry. They're the Gryffindor boys in my year."

"That's Harry Potter, is it not?" Willow nodded. "He looks much...skinnier than I imagined. Is he not an international celebrity?"

"He is, but not to his aunt and uncle. They don't care much for the wizarding world. I have to send sweets to him half the time just to keep him healthy. And you'd never know it until you meet him, but he's the most sarcastic person I've ever met."

"Really?" Benigno shook his head. "I've imagined him all wrong!"

"I'm sure some parts are close to the truth. He's a downright prodigy at quidditch – youngest and best seeker the school's seen in years – and he's saved the school twice now. He almost died three times in his life now. I think he could teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at this point, too. He's a very powerful wizard."

"He deserves a happy life after the sacrifice his parents made," Benigno remarked.

"I only wish he'd get some peace and quiet for once," Willow sighed. "And the same goes for me as well."

"You have had a rough life?"

"That's the understatement of the year," Willow snorted. "I don't usually talk about it, but basically, I'm cursed, and I think the world is doing its best to crush me."

"Well, for the record, you look remarkably unscathed for facing down the forces of the world, so you must be winning."

Willow half-smiled. "Thanks."

All of a sudden, the Gryffindor Sisters surrounded Benigno, whispering and giggling to one another. Willow tried to signal for them to leave, but they waved her away, instead imploring Benigno to allow them to give him a tour of the school. He graciously accepted their offer and left the Great Hall with them, but shot a quizzical glance over his shoulder at Willow. She motioned for him to just go with it and she'd rescue him later. The moment he turned the corner, Paige and George appeared in his place, grinning too brightly for such an early time in the morning.

"Was that your doing?" Willow questioned.

"Was what our doing?" George said innocently.

"Okay, you did it, there's no hiding it now. Stop smiling like idiots, it's unnerving." Willow crossed her arms and stared down her friends. "Did you seriously get my roomates to separate Benigno and I so that you could spend more time with me?"

"What? No...I mean...what kind of awful person would do such a thing?" Paige said. Willow shot her a withering look, and the older girl put her hands up. "Fine, that was us, but we were only trying to help out your roommates! They wouldn't shut up about Berto or Banjo or whatever his name was."

"Benigno. And when will you get it through your thick skulls that he's just a friend?"

"It might take a few days. My skull is pretty thick."

"Well maybe this will get through it: until you stop being petty over Benigno, I'm going to ignore your presence entirely."

"You wouldn't do– " George paused when Willow went back to eating her breakfast. "Willow? Willow. I literally just got a magical beard removed, and now you're going to put me through this? This is abuse!"

"Ginny, do you hear that buzzing noise? I think it's a pixy," Willow said.

Ginny giggled upon seeing her brother's flabbergasted face. "I think so. Maybe you should hex the sound just in case?"

"You're right." Willow poked George's leg with her wand, and then Paige's arm, both of which ceased to function immediately. "That should do the trick!"

"Willow, seriously? We know you can't hold a grudge for more than a few seconds!" Paige pointed out.

"Colin, do you hear it again? I think I missed!"

"The jelly-legs jinx should fix it!" Colin chirped, a conspiratorial grin on his face.

"Thanks, Colin, I knew I could count on you!" Willow sent both Paige and George into a slight panic by turning their legs to a jelly-like state. She struggled not to cackle hilariously when they fell into the Gryffindor table. "You were right! The noise is gone! Thanks, guys, you're the best!"

"This isn't over!" Paige cried as Willow got up to leave.

Willow simply smiled to herself and went to rescue Benigno. The jailbreak proved rather tricky, as the Gryffindor Sisters were clinging rather tightly to his side. She managed to distract them long enough with a glimpse at another Beauxbatons boy to drag Benigno out of their grasp. He gratefully followed her out to the grounds. They enjoyed a fun morning of chatting about each other's schools, the different teaching styles, and even the soccer teams in their respective countries, as it turned out that Benigno was muggleborn and a big fan.

After lunch, Willow managed to sneak Benigno into the Gryffindor common room while her roommates were out. He enjoyed the color schemes and the comfortable furniture. It was most unlike his house back at Beauxbatons, Bellefeuille, which had a green theme. Benigno explained that his house valued bravery, sensitivity, loyalty and love of nature. Willow in turn told him what Gryffindor was all about, bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry. She related some information about the Hufflepuff house as well, and thought that Bellefeuille was kind of a combination of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.

After Benigno went on about the types of projects he'd been doing with magical creatures, Willow decided she could trust him just this once with a peek at her creatures. She quietly smuggled him into the secret room, and his jaw dropped at the sight. Griffin came running over to Benigno and sniffed him all over, and when he came to the conclusion that he was a good person, he flapped his wings and nuzzled his head against the French boy. Phoebe meandered over and climbed onto Willow's shoulders, though she begged to get closer to Benigno to comb through his hair. Benigno looked like he was ready to cry happy tears when V, Felicity, Patch, the fire-dwelling salamander, and Fidget all made an appearance around his ankles.

Willow would be lying if she said she didn't glow with pride.

Sooner than they anticipated, they had to leave the creatures behind to attend the Halloween Feast. Benigno took in the festive decorations, whispering about the magical creatures all the while. Willow was pleasantly surprised to see him sit with her once again instead of joining his Beauxbatons friends at the Ravenclaw table. As the Great Hall continued to fill up, more of Willow's friends came streaming through the doors, and her out-of-house friends took seats around her as well. They shot quizzical glances at Benigno as he chatted with Willow.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I have a few more friends to introduce you to, believe it or not," Willow said. Benigno raised a brow. "Don't look at me like that. I don't have this many friends by choice. This is Cypress from Slytherin, Oliver from Hufflepuff, and the rest you kind of know from Ravenclaw: Miranda, Sue, Lisa, and Padma."

"H-Hi!" Oliver squeaked, his cheeks going pink.

"Damn, they said blonde French boys were hot, but they didn't tell me they were that hot," Cypress commented.

"Cypress, I will slip your own potions into your pumpkin juice!" Willow threatened. She turned back to Benigno. "Sorry, he always does this with new people."

"I can speak for myself!" Cypress protested.

"Not another word!"

Cypress grumbled to himself and quieted down. Oliver struggled to regain the ability to speak, and the four Ravenclaw girls teased him to no end about it. Benigno smiled at Willow's friends.

"You are kind, yet you can scare them. Gryffindors very are interesting."

"Yep, we're all kinds of stubborn and crazy. Ooh, yes, the food's here!"

For the second night in a row, Willow managed to out-eat all her friends. Benigno laughed at her on multiple occasions for pretending to pout when Sally stole her bread rolls. Oliver continued to blush and drop things whenever Benigno looked his way, and even Cypress and Miranda fumbled with their words every once in a while. Willow was glad when the feast ended and all attention was turned to Dumbledore and the Goblet of Fire at the other end of the room. Dumbledore dimmed the candle lights so that the Goblet's blue-white fire was the brightest thing in the Great Hall.

The moment they'd been waiting for was finally here. Willow sat on the edge of her seat. The Goblet's flames burned red, then with a spout of flame, a single slip of paper shot into the air. Dumbledore caught it and announced that the Durmstrang Champion was Viktor Krum. The Durmstrang students exploded into applause. Next came Beauxbatons. Willow tensed up as Dumbledore scanned the name written on the parchment. To her and Beningo's lament, but not to their surprise, Fleur Delacour became the Beauxbatons Champion.

"Well, at least you have a higher chance of surviving to the end of your magical education," Willow said.

"There is always that consolation," Benigno agreed.

At long last, the Goblet spat out one more name. The entirety of the Great Hall was buzzing with anticipation. Hundreds of Hogwarts students waited with bated breath for their Champion to be called. Dumbledore held the simple piece of paper in his hands for a few seconds, then called out the name Cedric Diggory. Willow's jaw dropped. The Hufflepuff table nearly imploded. Willow had never heard such an ear-shattering cheer in her life. Oliver was screaming and hugging Cypress with joy. Hufflepuff was finally getting the recognition and glory it deserved! Cedric humbly walked to the back of the Great Hall and waved to his friends with burning cheeks before disappearing into the briefing room. Willow sincerely hoped he would win.

All of a sudden, to everyone's shock and amazement, the Goblet burned red once more. Dumbledore even looked taken aback when another parchment piece popped out of the flames. He snatched it out of the air and read it aloud, and when the name reached Willow's ears, the blood froze in her veins.

"Harry Potter."

"No," Willow breathed. "No. No, no, no! A fourth Champion? Is this even possible?"

"I'm afraid that the Goblet can't go back on any of the decisions it's made," Benigno said. "He's bound to participate now."

Willow felt like she was going to throw up. Harry was fourteen. Someone had entered him into the Triwizard Tournament without his permission, someone who was powerful enough to hoodwink the Goblet.

And that someone most likely wanted him dead.