Students congregated in the Entrance Hall, surrounding a single sign.
"Well?" Rebekah asked Theodore, he was the tallest and could see the best over everyone else's heads.
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.
"We've got double Potions last that day," Rebekah mumbled after Theodore read it out.
"Snape's not gonna be happy," Daphne said.
Pansy snorted and jabbed Daphne in the ribs playfully. "He's never happy!"
"Who'd you think is gonna put their name in?" Tracey asked as they sat in the Slytherin common room. Over the summer, the common room was extended to look like what it did during YuleTide. The group summoned some beanbags and sat before one of the fireplaces as they watched the tiny fish in the lake swim by.
Daphne placed her cup of pumpkin juice on the low rising coffee table before them, an array of tiny snacks sat there too. "I heard that Warrington will. Have you two heard anything?"
"Yeah, Warrington said he was going to try," Draco shrugged. "No one else from the Quidditch team will though, they want to live."
"Zimmer is trying, I think," Rebekah hummed, fiddling with the side of her iced tea. "I heard from her that some of the boys will try, Zacker, Cellio, Sparrow. Not many of the girls though, Zimmer said that they want to focus on their NEWTs instead of the tournament."
"Merlin, I can't believe only the Of Age students are allowed to do it," Blaise complained with a slightly glazed look in his eyes. "Can you imagine eternal glory?"
Rebekah smiled and lifted a hand lazily. "Girl-Who-Lived. Eternal glory isn't all it's cracked up to be. Remember Lockhart?"
"Oh, yeah," Blaise snorted and made the group frown in confusion.
"What about Lockhart?" Pansy asked.
"Blaise, you explain," Rebekah nodded to him.
And he explained his point of view, with Rebekah adding in little details that gave the tale life. They had a good laugh as Blaise told them about how Lockhart erased his own memories using Rebekah's wand.
"Why did your wand backfire?"
Rebekah's grin was slightly sad but she couldn't tell why it was. She flicked her wrist and her wand manifested in her left hand, bringing up to the light to watch the dark wood almost glow.
"Loyalty."
Rebekah watched a large ship slowly appear from the distance, it crept its way closer to her dorm window and a large anchor was thrown, almost hitting her window. Some people in the lower ship area waved through their little windows at her. Of course, she would be quite angry, but she was more concerned about Paladin and his little adventures into the lake.
"Fidele, tell Paladin to stay within the Chamber for the time being. Get him to look after Vibora. We don't know how long these people will stay," She stormed up the stairs and past all of the students.
"Professor Snape!" She called. The Wizard turned away from the group of approaching foreign students and waved her closer, clasping a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"What is it, Miss Potter?"
"Which school has the ship?" Her eyes glanced between the two different schools, one wore pale blue silk and velvet whilst the others had vermilion cloaks and furs. She already had an idea of which school it was.
"Durmstrang Institute." Snape almost spat the words out. "Why? What is wrong?"
"Their ship is in front of my dorm window and when they put their anchor down, it scratched it!" Rebekah spat as McGonagal came over when she saw the angry Rebekah. "Can they move their ship? I want to be able to look out of my window and not see the sleeping quarters of their students. I want my own privacy and I can't get it if that ship is there."
Soon enough, the two professors got Dumbledore's attention and explained the situation. The Headmaster of Durmstrang was summoned over.
"What is the matter, Dumbledore?" The Durmstrang Headmaster said, his accent thick but his words were clear.
"One of our students is being inconvenienced by the placement of your ship," Dumbledore mentioned, gesturing to Rebekah with a nod. "Is that right?"
"Yes. My dorm is in the dungeons and I have a window that looks into the lake. The ship's placement is obscuring my view and my privacy is being impacted on."
"And you are?" Karkaroff gave her a hard look and was surprised when she didn't cower before him like his students did.
"Rebekah Potter," Rebekah said snarkily. She didn't like this man.
He paused, looking at her eyes without blink before he broke away. "Fine. it will be moved before tonight,"
"Thank you," Rebekah said politely.
"Miss Potter, change and come to the feast." Snape turned to her, already knowing she would try and get out of the feast if she could. "Not attending is not an option again,"
"Sure." She rolled her eyes as she went back to her dorm.
Rebekah wasn't very hungry and so spent the next two hours doing some more homework, before going back in time for those two hours to get to the feast. She didn't need Snape on her, complaining and threatening to take her Time-Turner if she didn't eat. He did that a week before and only gave it back when it was for lessons or studying.
It was a very short week for Rebekah.
Rebekah came back to find the Great Hall full of black, red, and blue. Durmstrang Institute sat with the Slytherins and for some reason, her group sat on one side of the tables but left a gap for her. From what she could see, Viktor Krum and a small group of his friends sat across from hers.
"Where were you?" Draco turned his head, glancing down at her new outfit. She wore her short black skirt and white short-sleeved blouse with her tie loosely done. "Changed?"
"Got hot. Move your arm," Rebekah said and motioned with her hand for him to move his elbows. She sat down and saw that food wasn't yet served. "Has Dumbledore done his speech yet? I'm hungry."
"Not yet," Daphne said from Draco's other side. She passed Rebekah a very small bowl of grapes. "Talpey brought me these for you, said that he knew you were hungry."
"Talpey?" Viktor Krum asked from across Rebekah. She turned her head as she ate a grape, smiling when she finished.
"House-Elf," She reached over and held her hand out for him to take. "Rebekah."
"Viktor," He said and shook her hand, albeit awkwardly. "Is zhis normal for your school? So many students eat at once?"
"Yes, for the most part. Some people may skip a meal but feasts are never skipped, no one is allowed to skip them," Rebekah said and nudged Draco when he gave her a funny look. "What's that look, dragon breath?"
"It's the look of pure horror at you being actually nice," He said and the group agreed.
"Shut it, ferret-face" Rebekah smiled as she ate another grape. "Dumbledore's about to begin and that means the food's coming soon."
"You and food," Pansy snorted and rolled her eyes. Rebekah just grinned at her before eating a grape again.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and, most particularly, guests," Dumbledore said and smiled at the unfamiliar students of the foreign schools. "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!"
The House-Elves went out of their ways to accommodate the new students. New dishes appeared and Rebekah was hesitant to reach for some of them. She made Draco taste some of the dishes because she wasn't sure if they had meat, fish or any other animal, in them.
"Don't eat that, that, that, this, that and that," He said after a minute. Rebekah nodded in thanks and reached for a dish but he took it from her. "And this."
"What can I eat?" She said after looking over the array of food she couldn't eat, or really, she wouldn't eat.
"Grass,"
"Eat dung, Draco," His shit-eating grin made her shove his shoulder and he almost fell back, the girls catching him in time. "Talpey, can you put food that I can actually eat onto my plate?"
Rebekah's golden plate was suddenly full of delicious and steaming dishes with a side of salad and a large goblet of water. She dove in without hesitation. She was polite enough to use her manners but she ate without mercy. Eventually, she became too hot and also took off her robe to lay it across her lap before diving in again
"You eat like Aleksandar here," Viktor said, slinging an arm around the slightly less burly boy next to him. They both grinned. "No end to stomach."
Rebekah shrugged, rolling her sleeves up before reaching for a caramel apple she knew she could eat. "Can't disagree. I need the energy for Quidditch."
"You do Quidditch?"
"Yeah, she's the Slytherin Seeker," Draco nudged her to pull the apple away, causing it to crash into her lips more.
"Yes, thanks for that, Draco," She said and wiped her mouth before turning to the Durmstrang students. "I am. I've been on the team since I was eleven, first as a Chaser until he took that position and I took Seeker."
"Vat broom do you use?"
"Firebolt,"
"Yes? That broom is expensive,"
"It was and then I had it customised," Rebekah said and gave a pointed look to the High Table. "And then they decided to cancel the whole bloody Quidditch Cup."
"You're still salty about that?" Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I spent all summer working out and practising and now there isn't even Quidditch to look forward to," Rebekah sighed sadly. "I mean, we can't even compete in the tournament. So this year is more or less wasted for me."
"See if Snape can give you more work,"
"Vill you go pro?"
"I don't think so," Rebekah said, shaking her head. "I can't see myself as a professional Quidditch player. Probably an Unspeakable or a Hit Witch, maybe," She turned to Draco beside her. "That reminds me, when do we have Quidditch practise? Montague changed Friday to Saturday morning, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did," Draco said. "I swear he changes it every other day."
"If he changes it without telling me again, I'll see about getting him replaced early," Rebekah said and glanced down the table to find Graham Montague with his friends. "Hey, ferret-face, are you going for a run with me before practise?"
Draco snorted, "Merlin, no, I'm not getting up earlier to run. Never again with you."
"Suit yourself," Rebekah finished three helpings of everything and had a simple ice cream dish for dessert.
"The moment has come," Dumbledore said after the dinner was cleared away. "The TriWizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket. 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 and Mr Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."
Rebekah gestured to Crouch with a subtle wave. "I don't like that man."
"Mr Bagman and Mr Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts.
"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "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."
"Fun," Pansy snickered.
"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the TriWizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."
Dumbledore tapped the casket three times and allowed the lid to open. He reached inside and pulled out a wooden cup filled with blue and white flames that danced. It was placed on top of the casket, letting everyone see it as Dumbledore continued.
"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. 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," Dumbledore said, "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. Good night to you all."
"Eh, are you trying, Rebekah?"
"Hahahah, no," Rebekah said like it was obvious. She then gestured to her shoulder. "I've got this. I don't need the fame this would bring me. I've got enough of that to last a lifetime. I don't need any more scars, thanks."
Just as Rebekah said that, Dumstrang's Headmaster Igor Karkaroff walked to the Slytherin table and stood right behind Viktor Krum. he placed a hand on the older boy's shoulder.
"Viktor, how are you feeling? Did you eat enough? Should I send for some mulled wine from the kitchens?"
Viktor shook his head before he and the rest of the school pulled on their fur robes.
"Professor, I vood like some vine," The boy to the other side of Aleksandar said hopefully,
"I wasn't offering it to you, Poliakoff," Karkaroff snapped, disgusted. "I notice you have dribbled food all down the front of your robes again, disgusting boy."
Rebekah stood up and her group followed, they made it to the doors at the same moment that the Durmstrang students did with their Headmaster. She stopped to allow them to pass through first.
"Thank you," Karkaroff said then glanced at her. He froze as his eyes went down to her exposed collarbone. He traced the scar from her throat, across her covered shoulders, and down her bicep to see it barely peek out of the shirt.
All of his students froze behind him, also glancing her down. Some of them understood but others were confused.
Rebekah scoffed and pulled at her collar, showing off more of the scar. Some of them gasped but Rebekah rolled her eyes and stalked off with a flick of her hair.