.

~~{ *(o)*(o)*(o)*(o)*(o)* }~~

The Triwizard Tournament was certainly taking up almost everyone's time these days. Primarily, the application to be in it. Fleur was quite gobsmacked to find quite a few of her newfound friends were attempting to bypass the age restriction in one creative way or another.

This included Bob.

"Bob?" said Fleur, "Are you sure about this? You...want to participate in the Triwizard Tournament?"

It took him five seconds to reply, and he looked up from staring at a fork in confusion and jumped a little, "Oh...heyyy...Floor?"

Fleur smiled, "It is Fleur. FLEA-UHR."

Bob stared at her, then shook his head, stared at her, blinked, and then shook his head some more. "Uhhh...wow...can I just call you Floor? You have way too many first names. Huh-huh! It's funny!"

"What is?"

"I never met no one with so many funny first names. Huh-huh!" he had a self-satisfied grin.

"No, I..." Fleur shook her head, as she was getting off track, "Yes, Floor is fine...so, you really want to participate in the Triwizard Tournament?"

"D'uhh...what's a Triwhatsit Turducken? Is that lunch?"

"Merde...why...did you put your name in that burning goblet over there?"

He looked at her, then slowly turned to look at the Goblet of Fire. Then he chuckled after a moment in that weird way of his.

"Huh huh! Ohhh yeaaah!" said Bob, "Dat was funnee! Everybody been puddin' them names in it! Hey, did yuh know I could write! I didn't! Huh-huh! I done put my name in it!"

Fleur blinked a few times, and her head promptly crashed to the table. A few creative comments coming out in French.

"What's she saying?" asked Ron as he wolfed down a chicken drumstick like tomorrow was never coming.

"Will you please slow down?!" asked Hermione, "And I can't translate what she's saying in any way that's remotely polite."

Gabrielle looked up from her meal at that and smiled, her lips parted, and it was clear she was going to translate everything Fleur had just said, but the latter, without even lifting her head up from the table, slapped a palm over her sister's mouth, "Mmph!"

"No translating." growled Fleur.

Gabrielle kissed at the palm and pulled it off, "Okay, then speak English. It is rude not to while we are here."

Looking down at the eight-year old, Fleur not for the first time wondered if the fates hadn't somehow planted an old soul in Gabrielle.

"So, I assume you put your name in?" said Hermione, looking straight at Fleur.

"Oui...I mean...yes, yes I did...I hope I don't get picked." said Fleur, her shoulders sagging.

"Why not?" asked Hermione.

"I...I was asked to participate...but I rather not."

But the chances of her not being chosen were fairly slim, she knew. Due to her first three years being as hellish as they were, Fleur had become a prodigy by necessity, and that never really stopped, even if life was relatively more peaceful since, she'd remained alert, and her habits, developed over three years, didn't die out, so she remained one of the top performing students of Beauxbatons. Unless Some of her peers abruptly caught up to her in skill, knowledge, and abilities, Fleur was likely going to be selected.

"Well, how remarkable," said Hermione, "Did you hear that, Ron? Harry? Fleur, seventeen-years old, didn't want to participate if she had a choice...but you two, and your brothers, Ron, you all want to participate? Harry, I thought you wanted a quiet year?"

"Fat chance of that happening now, isn't it?" retorted Harry, "Might as well get ahead of it."

"Yeah," said Ron, "besides, we did better than Fred and George, didn't we?"

Fleur couldn't entirely disagree with that. After all, she'd seen the twins try to get across the age line with an aging potion and threw their names in. Their names and they got hurled out, and with impressive white beards that rivalled the Hogwarts Headmaster's, who had passed by the Hall, took a look, and grinned, then went on.

But Ron and Harry figured they didn't have to cross the age line at all. Instead, using the simple charm of Wingardium Leviosa, they merely floated their names and dumped it in the fire, where it remained.

"All right, I'll give you that," said Hermione reluctantly, "but say your name gets picked, are you really prepared for all the trials and challenges? You're both fourteen! And you have to do it all on your own, and you'll be up against a seventeen year old from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons! And..."

Hermione was clearly working herself into a lecture, but Harry gave Fleur a knowing look then said, "Hermione! Yeah, we know...but what do you think are the chances Ron or me are gonna be picked?"

"Ron or I," said Hermione tersely, "And really? REALLY? You, Harry Potter, asking what are the chances? Oh you can be so stupid sometimes, and that is after I factor Bob into all this!"

"Huh-huh!" said Bob, but he wasn't paying attention, and instead laughing at his own face in the reflective surface of the golden spoon he held. The Gryffindor witch gestured at him whilst staring at Harry.

All the students that had been in the classroom before were now seated together at the Gryffindor table, and while many gave the students odd looks, no one said or muttered anything, and besides, they cloistered Fleur and Gabrielle away from everyone else. So much the better, Fleur assumed they thought.

No one from Beauxbaton's was complaining, for sure.

"You're crazy." was Neville's remark, stating the obvious.

"So, theoretically," said Ron, "s'pposing one of us does get picked...you wouldn't help us? Not in the actual stuff, I mean, but like, would you help us with figuring stuff out? It's...a learning experience."

"Oh now you find a loophole," muttered Hermione, "it's not like I have a choice, do I? I don't want to see you squashed or killed. And I'm sure it will be that dangerous."

Ron paled a little as it really sank in. "Harry, y'think it's maybe too late to retrieve our names?"

Fleur never quite found out what Harry had said in reply, because today was the day the champions would be chosen, and now that dinner was winding down, Dumbledore was calling for quiet, and the students from all three schools had gathered close to witness the choosing.

"Good luck," said Harry in a whisper next to her, and he added, "in not getting chosen, I guess."

She smiled, appreciating his gesture. But the chances of that were slim. It was truly ironic, that she was the one person who didn't want to be chosen, and she'd submitted her name, out of obligation.

Viktor Krum gave her a look and nodded, seemingly conveying good fortune to her and anyone else. Ron had asked her in awe if she was close friends with Viktor, but she stumped him when she asked how to tell if she was close friends with anyone when she'd had no friends before, until meeting The Classroom Twenty-One, which was the way the twenty-one students had come to calling themselves, including Fleur and Delacour.

In any case, it was still something of a wonder to both herself and Gabrielle that they went from having no friends, to having nineteen people that had sworn to protect her and her sister and their secrets, and also being their friends. She'd of course written to her parents right away and told them all about it.

Now, she was surrounded by these nineteen even as the flames shifted and flared and a piece of paper appeared, floating down to the Headmaster's waiting hand, and he read out the name in a clear voice, "The champion for Hogwarts is Cedric Diggory."

Thunderous applause and cheering came from the entire Hogwarts school, but none louder than the Hufflepuffs, including Hannah and Susan, who cheered for their housemate near Fleur. The other schools gave polite applause.

Now it was Beauxbaton's turn. The fire flared again, and Fleur immediately recognized her piece of paper, which was circular in shape and folded like a swan origami. It fluttered much like a bird and perched in the Headmaster's palm, he looked at Fleur and smiled, "The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour."

To her surprise, her schoolmates cheered and applauded much more loudly than she imagined possible. Her sister smiled and hugged her, wishing her good luck and congratulations though offering a sympathetic look at the same time.

With a soft sigh, she stood up, smiled, curtseyed and started walking towards the same place she saw Cedric going. She took her own sweet time about it, and heard Viktor Krum's name being announced by Dumbledore. Well, that was no surprise, and the cheering and applause came from all students. Viktor had lots of fans.

She was near the door when Dumbledore was giving his closing speeches when the Goblet of Fire made an almost explosive noise and all went silent. Fleur faltered in her step and turned around, as did Viktor, then saw two pieces of paper had shot into the air and slowly descended towards the Headmaster.

"What...?" started Fleur, and Viktor followed with, "...in..."

Cedric poked his head out the door and finished the sentence with, "...the world?"

Dumbledore grabbed the two pieces and read the names, then looked up, "Harry Potter...and...Bob."

"I told you!" Hermione said loudly.

"Huh-Huh, 'e called me! Guess I get a Triwhatsit Turducken!"