Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, but my OC's are mine.


Chapter Fifteen

Following their first Defense lesson, Ira followed the class outside to ponder what they just witnessed. Ira couldn't believe it when Moody casted all three Unforgivable Curses on the spider. First, he casted the Imperius curse, which caused the spider to do whatever he wanted. Ira remembered hearing about most of the Death Eaters in Voldemort's army being under the Imperius curse. Or so they say. She wondered if her father was one of them, lying to save his own neck when really, he was all for it.

Second, Moody casted the Cruciatus curse. Watching that insect writhe in pain would make anybody feel something. It was hard to digest that it was used on people. Again, Ira wondered about her father.

Then there was Avada Kedavra—the killing curse—the worst of the worst. And Harry lived through it.

Ira glanced at the boy by her side, his face set in concentrated lines.

Hermione pushed between them. "Hurry up," she said tensely.

"Not the ruddy library again?" Ron groaned.

"No," Hermione said, pointing to the opposite wall. "Neville."

The four of them stopped when they reached the boy's side. He stared off into nothing, a complete absence of emotion on his face. It was as if he was becoming the stone wall he was looking at. It chilled Ira to know the lesson had affected him so much. But how could she forget what happened to his parents?

"Neville?" Hermione placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"Oh hello," he greeted. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm—I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Neville, are you all right?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yes, I'm fine." Neville seemed to have a cheeriness to his voice suddenly. "Very interesting dinner—I mean lesson—what's for eating?"

They heard something clunking against the floor. Turning, they saw Moody walking in their direction. His voice was much gentler than it had ever been when he spoke.

"It's all right, sonny," he said to Neville. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on...we can have a cup of tea..." He looked at Harry, who looked pale. "You all right, are you, Potter?"

Harry stiffened, "Yes."

Moody observed Harry as if contemplating his blatant lie, looking back at Neville. "You've got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you've got to know. No point pretending...well...come on, Longbottom, I've got some books that might interest you."

Ron finally spoke when the two were out of earshot. "What was that about?"

Ira sighed, clutching her books closer to her chest. "Neville's parents…they were tortured into insanity with the Cruciatus curse by Death Eaters. The said Death Eaters are now serving time in Azkaban for their crimes."

"Good for them," Ron said, picking up his pace towards his next class.

"Wait, guys, I owe you all an apology," Ira said, watching them slow down. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have blown up like that, especially with Ron and Harry. It was childish of me and I…I just have some things I need to sort out before I can explain further."

Harry smiled. "It's okay, Ira."

Ron snorted, and Hermione smiled faintly at the display.

"Maybe I'll see you guys later tonight?" Ira offered.

"We're finishing our Divination homework," Harry said, shaking his head. "You're welcome to join us in the library, though."

"I've already finished mine, actually—"

"Oi, Ira!"

The girl looked over her shoulder to see Theo and Blaise calling for her from the other end of the corridor. She gave her Gryffindor friends a quick goodbye before joining up with the boys, walking to their next class together.

"I still don't know why you're friends with them, Soares," Blaise mused.

Ira rolled her eyes. "I'm friends with you, aren't I?"

Theo chuckled. "It's only because she has a crush on Potter."

She blushed. "Theodore Nott!"

Blaise snickered. "Don't worry, Soares. Everyone knows already, except for Potter himself."

"What do you mean everyone knows?" Am I that transparent?

Theo and Blaise shared a look.

"Am I that easy to read?" Ira asked hotly, walking into their final class of the day and taking a seat.

"Kind of," Theo shrugged. "I mean, you're pretty confusing as far as some people go."

"What people?"

Theo and Blaise shared that look again.

"Whatever. Keep your secrets and me in the dark. I'll find out eventually what those looks of longing mean," Ira grinned.

The boys just glared.

Later that day, Ira and her friends met up in the Great Hall for dinner—minus Theo. He seemed to have fallen off Ira's radar after Astronomy. He probably took off in search of his damsel in distress, who went back to their dorm to pout over that day's antics. Being turned into a goose would challenge anyone's emotions. But since it was Daphne, Ira couldn't care less. The only person she cared about in that moment was Lily, who pushed her potatoes around her plate without much of an interest in eating them.

"If you're not going to eat them, I will," Ira offered, taking her fork and stabbing one.

Lily dropped her utensils. "I'm just not hungry."

"Had a big lunch, eh? Because I know I didn't," Ira said, glaring playfully. She piled on the food when she first took her seat.

"I'm sorry for making you babysit with Mal-foul," Lily said. "It was only fair."

"No, you're right. Actually, Draco wasn't that bad."

The girls stared at her, their mouths slightly open.

"What?"

Sally leaned forward, as if to tell the most secret of secrets. "You just called Malfoy 'Draco'."

"That's his name, isn't it?" Ira asked again, feeling her face get hot for the second time that day. "I don't hear you guys calling him by his last name all the time."

Ira hadn't referred to Malfoy by his first name in a long time.

"Well, that's because we aren't you," Sally pointed out. "It's like the 'Ira Code' not to say someone you hate's first name."

"Unless she doesn't hate him anymore," Lily joked, finally taking bite of her food. The teasing seemed to help her.

"Ooh, what happened in that common room today?" Sally asked eagerly.

"Nothing happened! We argued and that was it."

Sally gave Lily a pointed look. "Mhmm, 'argued'."

"You two are impossible," Ira concluded.

Sally laughed. "We're just picking. We know you'd never stoop so low as to get into cohorts with Draco Malfoy. You two are just…incompatible."

Lily followed, "And you can't forget they hate other."

"That too." Sally groaned suddenly. "Oh, speaking of Malfoy, look at him and Parkinson."

The three of them glanced at the other end of the table, where Pansy whispered sweet-nothings in his ear. Unlike this morning, he savored her attention, giving it back by whispering in her ear as well and earning shrill giggles. It was like nails on a chalkboard.

"I wish my eyes were cursed shut forever," Lily cringed.

Sally and Ira nodded. "Agreed."

Dinner quickly ended, and the girls rushed to the dungeons for some much-needed relaxation. They had a busy day and deserved to take a load off. Just as they assumed their night would continue smoothly thereafter, they were handed another problem for their day when they ran into Theo standing by one of the couches in the common room. He stood there, eyes narrowed when he saw they were the first ones in. Daphne sat nearby. She had puffy eyes and mascara running down her face.

"You guys transfigured my girlfriend into a duck?" he asked.

It was almost laughable the way he said it. Ira would've chuckled if it wasn't for the steam coming from his ears and clenched fists at his sides. His glare tore through the three of them. It was the most anger they ever witnessed from him.

Ira crossed her arms. "If we're being technical here, it was a goose she was turned into."

"Shut up, Ira," he snapped.

Ouch.

Finally, the rest of their house made it just in time for the show to reach its peak.

Lily hissed, "Theo, we can talk about this when you calm down—"

"No! I'm not going to calm down! You hate her so much that you result to transfiguring her. That's completely mental! I thought you guys were done with the immaturity and games! I thought you finally accepted that I'm friends with people who aren't you. Yes, they may loathe you but at least they don't turn you into animals! Merlin's beard, Lily, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about Sally! Did that mindless slag tell you that she turned her hair green? I doubt she did."

When the word 'slag' came out of Lily's mouth, the whole room seemed to gasp. Well, if she was about to get expelled the next day, she might as well go out with a bang.

"Don't you dare call her that," Theo warned. "And what's this I hear about Sally also threatening to kill Daphne?"

Sally glowered. Her cap remained in place on top of her head, fearing the worst if she took it off and revealed the stunning truth that her hair was in fact green.

Ira stepped forward, feeling a surge of confidence come to her senses. "Let's talk about people bullying others, Theo, since you obviously haven't been in the loop as much as you make it out to be. Where were you when your so-called friends of yours bullied us for three years here at Hogwarts? Hmm? Oh right, still sticking by their sides and turning the other cheek. How about the time Malfoy and Parkinson cornered me in second year and made my hair disappear from my scalp? Or the time Greengrass here and, of course, Parkinson again, hexed Sally for the fun of it? Thankfully, Lily wasn't attacked because they were afraid of her, and for good reason, too. I mean, look at what she was capable of."

"It still isn't right to stoop to their level, Ira," Theo pointed out. "I thought you guys were better than that. Apparently, I was wrong."

Lily sighed. "I'm not going to try and deter you into believing us, Nott. Clearly your loyalties have always been with them." She glared at the group of kids consisting of Draco, Pansy, Millicent, Blaise, and Daphne before taking off to the girls' dorms.

Ira and Sally remained, each of them trying to come to terms with what was exactly happening.

"For the record," Ira started. "Lily was always okay with the idea of you having other friends that weren't us."

"It was me that had the most problems," Sally admitted. "I didn't want to lose you, but it seems…it seems that I have to move on."

Theo paused. "Maybe that's for the best."

For once, Sally didn't appear all that sad. Her face drained away any emotion, leaving her as a blank canvas for her to paint as she pleased. She finally removed her hat and allowed her green hair to be free of its confinement. People gawked. She didn't care, following up the stairs to where Lily had gone.

Ira stayed for a moment. Oh, Theo. He knew her better than her own brother did. He understood her in a way the girls didn't. He was trustworthy and honest, complete with intelligence and humor that could put a smile on any of their faces. Although he chose to be more closed-off about his personal life and regularly roamed as an independent person, he allowed the girls into his life as his best friends for the past three years. Who knew that right then, it could finally come to an end. It wasn't the first time they fought. In fact, they fought a lot but always managed to find a way back to each other in the end. But how could he choose between two groups of people that influenced him in such a strong way? Right now, Ira stared into cold blue eyes that lacked in sharing any thoughts with her.

The stubborn side of Ira would've continued to scream at him for being so crass. However, she couldn't shake her thoughts that told her he was completely right.

Don't do this, her eyes pleaded, watching his own roam her face. Don't shut me out.

Theo's eyes told her to go.

Instead of going up to her dorm like the others, Ira turned on her heel and walked into the corridor outside. The tears threatened to make their appearance, but Ira couldn't let herself feel weak over this. It was a normal fight that they'd reconnect over afterwards.

But why did this time seem different?

Ira chalked it up to Theo's undying love for Daphne being in the way of his reasonable thinking. Choosing the girl over his best friends? That was a bad move on his part. Hopefully it dawned on him by morning how stupid he was being.

For now, Ira wanted to forget about what happened. She was good at that—avoiding the problem and finding something better to fit in its place. She could go to the library and meet with her Gryffindor friends, but she could also avert human interaction at all costs. Look at what happened when she opened her mouth and started speaking—exactly what just happened in the Slytherin common room. Deciding on the latter, Ira took off outside to the Quidditch pitch to blow off some steam.

It'd been awhile since she got a few rounds out on the pitch. With the Triwizard Tournament replacing their Quidditch season that year, it was unlikely she was going to find herself out there much. She enjoyed Quidditch and would miss it until next year.

The air felt cool around Ira's face as she took off on her broom into the air. A few laps were all she needed, feeling the adrenaline pump through her veins the faster she went. By the time her fourth lap was over, something tittering from below got her attention.

Ira was the only person out there, so unless a teacher came to punish her for being outside after-hours, it made no sense as to what that noise was.

Quickly surveying the grounds, Ira found something blue hanging in the air. A feeling of déjà vu rattled her bones. She flew closer to it, finding a hummingbird waiting. It stared at her, just like it did the night the Death Eaters came through their camp at that Quidditch World Cup. What was it doing at Hogwarts?

Ira's eyes pinched together to inspect it before it glided away from her, leaving a path of blue glitter behind.

"What are you?" she asked, more so to herself than the bird.

It waited for her to get closer. It wanted to take her somewhere, she realized.

Moving faster than before, the hummingbird headed in the Forbidden Forest's direction. Ira pulled her broom back instantly, staring at the darkness emitting from the trees. It was called the Forbidden Forest for a reason. Ira only ventured there a couple times under adult supervision, mostly Hagrid's supervision. She wasn't about to go in there alone.

The hummingbird waited.

Ira shook her head furiously. I should turn back.

That would be the smart thing to do, but it seemed like Theo, Ira was full of stupid decisions that night because instead of listening to her gut feeling, she followed the creature into the forest.

Besides the blue light coming from the hummingbird, it was completely dark in the forest. Lighting her wand, Ira followed close behind as fear trickled down her spine. As they inched deeper into the unknown, Ira grew impatient and reached out to grab the hummingbird, only for her hand to go through it. She wobbled on her broom and fell off, pummeling to the ground. It brought back memories of her first time in the air. Malfoy's laughter cackled somewhere in her mind.

Her face ached, and she felt blood rushing from her nose. All too familiar, indeed.

Ira sat up and grabbed her wand, pointing it directly at her face. She wasn't going to suffer with a broken nose for the remainder of her time in the forest.

"Episkey," she casted, feeling the bone pop back into place. She let out a small scream at the sudden movement.

The hummingbird was still there.

"Thanks for the help," Ira spat, wiping the blood away from her face with the back of her hand.

Ira picked herself up from the ground and grabbed her broom. She wasn't going to stick around any longer knowing the little translucent bird only led her to nothing.

"Ira," a voice whispered. "Ira."

Her eyes flicked between the trees, trying to come up with a conclusion as to where the voice was coming from. Turning around, she found in the hummingbird's place a woman standing there, watching her with a blank stare. Soon, her mouth turned upward.

"Mum?" Ira asked.

It was her mother, standing there looking as healthy as ever—and alive. Something was off.

"Run."

That word alone caused every hair on Ira's body to stand on end. Heeding the unspoken warning, Ira turned and darted off, completely forgetting the broom she'd left behind. All sense left her mind, the only thing she could think of was to run as fast as she could through the forest to safety. What was she running from? Was that Pierrette's hummingbird that helped lead her there? Why take Ira into the forest only to warn her to run? There had to be more to it.

Ira's running only faltered as the ground got thicker with branches and vines. Pretty soon, her foot got caught and brought her down. Again, it was all too familiar.

As soon as her head met the ground, Ira bolted awake under a star-filled sky completely disregarded of trees. She blinked away the fog that clouded her mind, finding herself on the bleachers of the Quidditch pitch. She fell asleep without realizing it. Too lazy to march up to the castle, she must've fallen asleep outside instead.

Ira sat up. Judging by the sky, it was still nighttime, and people were already fast asleep in their warm beds while she got kinks in her back from a wooden bench made for sitting, not sleeping.

She touched her nose for good measure and searched her clothes for any lone blood that could've splotched. Thankfully, everything that happened was a dream.

There had to be more meaning to it. She was just too tired to comprehend it.

After placing her broom back in the shed, Ira walked up to the castle with her cloak pulled tightly against her body. She made sure to be extra careful walking through the corridors. Filch could be lurking about, or that ruddy cat of his.

Ira slipped into the common room without a sound, tiptoeing to the girl's staircase before stopping short.

Draco was still there. He was sound asleep, but he sat upright in the leather armchair facing the common room entrance.

Had he been waiting up for her?

Ira shook her head at the impossibility of it. Though flattering, it wasn't a Draco-like move at all.

She didn't ponder it. Sleep was the only thing she could think about, and for that remaining three hours before breakfast, she basked in it while she could.


The following day proved just as bad as the recent.

Ira quickly moved into her new dorm with Daphne, Pansy, and Millicent just before dinner. The three girls weren't so happy about Ira's presence, but their insulting jabs and heated glares wouldn't change the fact that it was their arrangement for the rest of the year. It wasn't like Ira was happy about it either. The only thrilling part about it was moving her bed and trunk farther away from them.

"Make sure you put up a Muffliato before bed," Pansy reminded snootily. "I don't want to hear any snoring while I get my beauty sleep."

"I don't snore," Ira pointed out. You do, though.

"Just saying, I don't want to make Daphne turn your hair green too."

Ira rolled her eyes and ignored Pansy and Millicent's obnoxious cackling.

In the Great Hall, Ira got back with Lily after her meeting with Dumbledore, her parent's, and the Greengrass'. The good news—she wasn't expelled. The bad news—

"I have detention for a month," Lily informed sadly.

Ira gave her a sad smile. "At least you aren't leaving."

"But this will completely ruin my record! It's been spotless for three years now!"

Ira allowed the girl to feel upset, watching as she pouted. "What are they having you do as punishment?"

"I'm watching the Blast-Ended Skrewts with that oaf Hagrid whenever I'm not busy. But guess what, I'm always busy!"

"First, Hagrid's not an oaf. Two, the Blast-Ended Skrewts aren't that bad." Well, they kind of were. "And three, at least you have detention with Hagrid and not someone like Snape. He'll go easy on you, trust me. Maybe you'll even like spending time with him."

Lily groaned.

Besides the advancement of drama between Theo and the girls, the days passed normally after that. Schoolwork was all anyone could think about, and the Triwizard Tournament. Until those days came, the students worked hard on writing papers on goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century for History of Magic, researched poison antidotes for Potions, and tried their hardest to turn their hedgehogs into pincushions for Professor McGonagall. The most exciting class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Moody eventually took turns on each student with the Imperius curse. No matter how frightening that sounded, Ira was the first one to raise her hand to participate. Sally and Lily gave her both equally dumbfounded looks as she walked into the center of the room under the watchful eyes of her classmates.

"Soares," Moody grumbled. "I knew you'd somehow have an aptness for this kind of thing."

Ira didn't know whether to be flattered or not.

Before she could think about it, Moody had his wand out and casted, "Imperio."

Her body tingled. It was brilliant the way the spell took away her entire thoughts, leaving her with a dopey smile on her face that didn't have much context.

Moody's voice crawled into her mind, invading her thoughts. Take that chair and throw it across the room.

But why would she do that? Her hand reached out instinctively towards one of the chairs pushed away from the clearing, stopping short when she realized what she was doing.

Her hand froze in midair, that smile on her face now wiped away.

Do it now!

I don't want to make a ruckus, Ira thought. What if I injured someone?

Throw it!

A burst of pain came from somewhere in her head, and she grabbed the chair before it could get any stronger. She tried to fight it, but ultimately, she pushed the chair away from her instead of throwing it.

Somehow, this gained a round of applause from the class when she came back to her senses.

Moody grunted in approval.

Over the course of those few weeks, the student's workload continued piling up. To add to their coursework, Care of Magical Creatures was one of them. With Lily's help, the Blast-Ended Skrewts grew at a remarkable pace that caused them all to cringe when they got a good look at them during their lesson. Hagrid proposed a project for them to do—one that involved coming down to his hut every other day to observe the creatures.

"I will not," Draco opposed quickly. "I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks."

Hagrid's smile fell from his face.

"Yeh'll do wha' yer told," he snapped, "or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book...I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy."

Everyone but the Slytherin's—not including Ira, Sally, and Lily—laughed at that.

The lesson ended, and the girls walked back up to the castle with a bounce in their step, remembering how Draco's face fell after Hagrid's jab. It was quick and witty, and completely unexpected.

"Maybe Hagrid's not so bad," Lily commented when the reached the entrance hall. "He's been friendly enough during detention. I think he's just happy someone's there to help him with the Skrewts."

"I told you," Ira smiled.

They were forced to stop in front of the marble staircase as a large group of students milled around it. From where they stood, there was a sign erected for everyone to read. Since Ira and Sally where so short, they were unable to read it and nudged Lily forward to get a good look.

She read aloud:

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY. STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOMING FEAST.

Sally snickered, wrapping a strawberry blonde lock around one finger seductively. Sometime over the past month she managed to turn her hair back to its original hue. "Ooh, the Durmstrang boys."

Ira rolled her eyes.

"What? You don't dream about having some tall, dark and handsome man candy on your arm?" she asked with a bat of her long eyelashes.

"Not really."

"Oh right, you like them blon—"

"Only a week away!" Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff stated, pushing from the crowd with eyes filled with excitement. "I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him..."

Lily looked at the girls. "Cedric Diggory is entering the tournament?"

"Must be," Ira stated.

"What an idiot," Sally said, nose in the air. "He is a Hufflepuff, after all."

Since finding out that they had a week until their new guests made their appearance, the castle was in hysterics with gossip from who would be entering the tournament to what the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were like. Sally was overly excited to meet the boys from Scandinavia, somehow always bringing them up in conversation.

"Maybe he'll sweep me off my feet and into his arms," Sally said wistfully over breakfast the morning of the thirtieth.

"Who?" Ira asked, completely confused.

"I don't know, whichever one is the most handsome, I guess!"

Ira and Lily shared amused looks with each other at the statement.

Nobody took much notice in classes that day. With the arrival of their guests that evening, it was hard to stay focused in class. Once classes commenced a half hour early, Ira, Lily, and Sally deposited their stuff in the dungeons before hurrying back upstairs into the entrance hall.

Snape ordered his students into line, barking orders between students over the most ridiculous things. He wasn't at all concerned with the three of them, though, leaving the girls in high spirits until their new guests came.

They stepped outside in an orderly fashion as dusk fell upon them, the moon already high above the Forbidden Forest.

"This is so exciting!" Sally cheered, only to be shushed my McGonagall a few feet away. The young girl glared in response.

The minutes ticked by and nobody showed up yet. Ira tapped her foot impatiently, feeling the chilly air billow under her cloak. Any day now.

Dumbledore's voice came from a few rows behind the Slytherin's. "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

Everyone moved their heads to see what he was on about. Nothing was in sight.

"There!" a sixth year yelled, pointing at the sky above the forest.

Something was closing in from above.

"It's a dragon!" a first year shrieked.

"Don't be stupid...it's a flying house!" Dennis Creevey stated.

Dennis was almost right on the mark with that one. As it drew closer, it was as big as a house, but not exactly one. It was a beautiful powder blue carriage pulled by dozens of flying horses. Everyone gawked, watching as it stopped with a loud bang that sent Neville Longbottom backwards, right into Sally.

Sally pushed him away rudely, earning a faint glare from Ira. She only shrugged.

The carriage opened and out stepped one of the biggest people Ira ever saw. Well, besides Hagrid. The tan woman wore robes of expensive-looking satin with opals and pearls around her neck and wrists. She seemed very intimidating besides her unnatural size.

At once, they all applauded at the entrance. She smiled.

"My dear Madame Maxime," Dumbledore greeted. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dort," Madame Maxime said in a surprisingly deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," Dumbledore said.

"My pupils…" she waved a large hand towards the group of students congregated behind her.

The boys and girls gave Hogwarts a once-over with apprehensiveness. They looked too pretty and elegant to be there with their bodies draped in the finest silks. They stuck out like a sore thumb around the rest of them.

"As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," Dumbledore said. "Would you like to wait here and greet him, or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," she said. "But ze 'orses—"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," he continued, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other—er—charges."

"My steeds require—er—forceful 'andling," Madame Maxime said doubtfully. "Zey are very strong..."

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," he reassured.

"Very well," she bowed. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

"It will be attended to," Dumbledore said, also bowing.

"Come," Madame Maxime said to her students.

The Hogwarts students parted ways for them to walk through.

People all around questioned how Durmstrang would be arriving. It had to top Bauxbatons entrance.

The only thing they heard for awhile was Madame Maxime's horses. Then—

"The lake!" Lee Jordan yelled. "Look at the lake!"

There was a loud rippling sound coming from the lake below them. From where they stood, they could see the solid black waters come to life as something emerged from beneath it. It was a huge ship that looked as though it was centuries old. It was magnificent, though, and all the student's mouths dropped when it finally anchored at the shore.

Tall, dark, and handsome—Sally had been right when she described the beefy Scandinavians that walked upward to the castle. The only one that seemed skinny in compared to the students was the headmaster, who greeted Dumbledore fondly with a smile.

"Dumbledore!" the headmaster called. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

When he got into the light, he appeared pale in comparison with white hair, completely different from the others.

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore smiled.

"Dear old Hogwarts," Karkaroff said with a yellow smile. It didn't reach his eyes. "How good it is to be here, how good...Viktor, come along, into the warmth...you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."

Viktor? Why did Ira know that name from somewhere?

Sally beat her to it and punched her in the arm.

"Ouch!" Ira winced, finding it remarkable that Sally could hit so hard.

Sure enough, Viktor Krum was one of the few students to come from Durmstrang's group.

"It's Viktor Krum!" Sally beamed.

"Obviously," Lily snorted.

"He's a famous Quidditch player! I didn't realize he was still so young."

The Hogwarts students started to move back inside.

Ira jerked her chin in the direction of a few girls searching their pockets. "Maybe if you ask nicely, he'll give you an autograph."

Sally began searching her own pockets feverishly. "Do any of you have a quill?"

Lily and Ira both shook their heads.

"Blast it!"

They all made it to the Great Hall for dinner. Bauxbatons sat with the Ravenclaw's and Durmstrang picked seats out with the Slytherins. A few lookers sat across from Lily, Sally, and Ira. One of them was Krum, who choose to sit beside Malfoy. The ferret took this opportunity to lean in and speak to him.

Sally couldn't keep her eyes off the boys to the point where Ira had to elbow her in the ribs. "Ouch!"

"It's not polite to stare," Ira reminded.

"Oh, right, right." Sally's eyes remained on her plate and goblet.

Lily was too busy staring up at the High Table with interest. "Why is Filch pulling out five chairs?"

"No idea," Ira shrugged.

When the rest of Hogwarts found their seats, the staff took their place at their table. Karkaroff and Madame Maxime sat on either side of Professor Dumbledore. Bauxbatons leapt to their feet when their headmaster made her appearance, which was a little odd for the students of Hogwarts. Unabashedly, the girls and boys dressed in blue silks didn't care.

Dumbledore continued to stand after the two headmasters took their seats. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and—most particularly—guests," Dumbledore remarked, glancing at the new students gracing the hall. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

Their plates filled with food instantly. The house-elves did an amazing job with dinner, because not only did they cook original dishes they had every night, they also put together some unfamiliar foods that probably catered to their new guests. Ira took the easy way out and piled her plate with the usual.

"You're not going to try this?" Sally asked through a mouthful of food. "It's delicious!"

She was pointing at a plate that had round dough-like puffs filled with meat on it. Ira shook her head.

"Kroppkaka," a deep voice said.

Ira glanced across from her at the boy who offered her the name of the dish. He had striking features; a sharp jawline, crystal blue eyes, and dark hair that ended at his shoulders. A side of his mouth quirked upward when she acknowledged him.

It was Sally's turn to nudge her, giving her that look that if Ira wasn't going to say something, she would.

Taking the hint, Ira stumbled to find the words. "Oh—um—nice."

She could imagine Sally's disappointment without even looking at her. Ira didn't know what to say when someone like him was looking at her. He was handsome, so much so that Ira had to shake her head before regaining sense. Now, she kind of understood what Sally was talking about.

"Neils," he said through his thick accent.

"Err, what—?"

"It's his name, you twit," Sally told her as if she were dumb.

Neils seemed to enjoy Sally's coaching, earning a perfect white smile in Ira's direction.

"Oh," Ira said in realization. "Ira."

"Ira."

The way he said her name made her blush.

Lily sighed. "When you girls are done drooling, you'll see who just arrived at the High Table."

Sally was the first to look, her jaw dropping slightly. "Ira, isn't that your father?"

Ira's eyes peeled off Neils to find that it was, in fact, her father shaking hands with Professor Dumbledore before taking a seat next to Barty Crouch.

"What is he doing here?" Lily asked.

Ira felt her appetite diminish when she got a good look at her father. He was still pale, but somehow, he regained some color to his features since the last time she saw him. His black hair was pulled away from his face, a smile beaming from ear-to-ear. Ira hadn't seen a smile like that on him since before Pierrette passed, when life was better and full of color.

Something was up, and it wasn't anything good.

"Maybe her dad helped organize it?" Sally wondered.

"I don't think this is his kind of thing, though," Ira pointed out.

The tables cleared, and Dumbledore took to his feet again. "The moment has come, the Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket," he paused, looking at the guests on his right and left side. "Just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation"—applause—"Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports"—even louder applause—"and Mr. Sigrid Soares, Head of International Magic Office of Law."

Ira was surprised when people clapped for her father. He looked too intimidating and stern to even deserve applause, but she found that his plastic smile must have won them over.

"Mr. Bagman, Mr. Crouch, and Mr. Soares have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore said, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

Everyone went still at the mention of 'champions'.

Dumbledore smiled. "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Filch came forward with a large chest encrusted with jewels. People watched it with excitement.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman, and Mr. Soares," Dumbledore continued while Filch placed the chest on a table in front of them, "and 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 prowess—their daring—their powers of deduction—and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

Lily grew pale at the final word.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on, "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."

Taking out his wand, Dumbledore tapped the chest three times, the lid cracking open. He reached inside and revealed a wooden goblet filled with blue-white flames. Placing it on top of the now-closed chest, everyone in the Great Hall could see it for what it was.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," Dumbledore said. "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.

"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.

"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 before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Goodnight to you all."

The spell had broken, and everyone stood up from their tables to reach the Great Hall doors. Ira was halfway there when a large hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Ira, darling," Sigrid greeted.

Ira told her friends she'd meet them in the dungeons. For now, she had to deal with her unexpected father.

"Hello, father."

Some kids watched the display with interest.

"Come, lets take a walk," he suggested, finding the observant eyes of the students too nosey.

They started off in the opposite direction from the Slytherin common room. It was silent for awhile until Sigrid finally began.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing here."

"Yeah, kind of," Ira said flatly. "You could've sent a letter, informed me that you were going to be here."

"I like to keep things under wraps, Ira, you should know this."

Sigrid was a private person, and Ira knew he loved keeping secrets.

"So, what are you doing here, then?"

"Well, Barty and Ludo wanted to see it through that the Triwizard Tournament would work, especially in the legal side of things. They hired me to make sure no blood gets on their hands—just in case."

"So, you're just here to make sure nothing goes wrong, but if it does, to take care of it legally?"

"Precisely," he smiled.

Ira crossed her arms. "Who's handing the office while you're gone?"

"Rhys."

Surprise, surprise. "Are you sure he's able to handle it? He's only an intern."

"I wouldn't give him this temporary job if I knew he wouldn't be able to handle it," Sigrid reassured. "Your brother's come a long way."

"Good for him," Ira said, again, in a flat voice that came off as annoyed.

"Your time for greatness will come soon," Sigrid chuckled, and there was a hint of something sinister in his voice.

Ira wanted to ask what he meant by that, but a memory popped in her head that she hadn't thought of for years. It was the conversation Ira eavesdropped on between her mother and father the day she got her Hogwarts acceptance letter. They talked about Ira and the 'duties' she'd have to uphold in the future and how something made her special. Did her visions make her special? Was that what that conversation meant all those years ago? It made her stop, staring at her father as if he was a stranger.

Sigrid sighed. "I guess you should get off to bed then. I'm sure your day will be full of excitement tomorrow. You'll need the rest."

Ira nodded and watched Sigrid walk away in his perfect black suit and polished loafers, his black cloak rippling behind him. He always did look so put-together. Ira guessed he had to be considering the attention he got from the media and his cushy job.

Feeling the need for sleep taking over her body, she hurried to her dorm. Once her head hit her pillow, Ira found that her body had other plans for her. With thoughts of her father and the past, she couldn't work her brain into shutting off for the night.

Sleep wouldn't come easy.


Writer's Note: Thanks for sticking around! xx