... "My boy Severus".
Snape walk. "Headmaster. Are there attacks in the World cup? It's all over Daily Prophet. I do believe Miss Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are there too".
"Death Eaters". Dumbledore nodded his head. Yes, the Death Eaters are attacking. "Barty .."
"Yes Severus. Do not worry they're fine under Arthur Weasley protection. They should be here any moment and continue their studies without fear as long as I'm here".
Snape mouth hanging open, he takes a step forwards to Dumbledore desk, hands clasped. "I'm afraid of Miss Granger safety Headmaster".
"I understand. You're afraid of Mr. Potter's safety too, aren't you, Severus?" Both men stare, then Dumbledore nods his head. "You will see her again my boy".
Train corridor. Students hang out compartment doors, talking, laughing while an old woman pushes a candy trolley up to Ron and Hermione's compartment.
Harry, Ron and Hermione are seated on a train. A voice calls out.
"Anything from the trolley? Anything from the trolley?"
The lady appears at their door. Harry and Ron leap up, while Hermione continues to read the Daily Prophet. Over a photograph of the Dark Mask, a headline screams: TERROR AT THE WORLD CUP.
"Anything from the trolley dears?"
"Packet of drewbals and a liquorice wand". Ron digs into his pocket, frowns. Ron sees he hasn't enough money. "On second thought, just the drewballs".
"It's alright I'll get it".
Ron firmly to the lady. "Just the drewballs, thanks".
Ron takes his gum, quickly ducks back into the compartment. Harry frowns, feeling guilty, when a sweet voice sounds. Cho Chan walks up to the trolley.
"Two pumpkin pasties please".
Harry turns, finds a very pretty dark haired girl standing by the cart. Sensing Harry's gaze, she looks up and smiles.
"Thank you". Taking her treat, she heads off.
"Anything sweet for you dear?"
"Oh no thank you I'm not hungry".
Harry watches Cho's lithe figure retreat, watching until she slips into a compartment and is gone.
"This is horrible, how can the ministry not know who conjured it? Isn't there any security?"
Harry turns, sees Hermione shaking her head darkly behind the Prophet's screaming front page.
"Loads.. according to Dad, that's what worried them so much. Happened right under their noses".
Hermione snaps shut the paper, stares at him, and sees Harry rubbing his head. "It's hurting again isn't it, your scar".
Ron, full of gum, stops chewing, eyes Harry with trepidation.
"I'm fine".
"You know Sirius will want to hear about this. What you saw at the world cup, and the dream".
Harry has written a letter, he marks Sirius Black on an envelope and gives it to an owl, Hedwig.
Hermione folded the Daily Prophet, laid it beside her, and waited for their arrival at Hogwarts.
Later that. Hogsmeade Station. Up the window, Snape saw a smoke out from the train.. Stop. He knew Hermione and others were arriving at the station. He wants to see her, ask her how she is doing. How's the Quidditch world cup she sees on top of the stadium seat?
The attacks? Death Eaters? Did they hurt her..?
From far, he saw Hermione walking up towards the castle with Harry and Ron. Snape smiles a bit.
Snape turns from the window, he walks in the corridor, and stands waiting for her in the courtyard. Students walk past him until..
"Good evening Miss Granger?" Her feet stop, eyes meet him. Harry and Ron stop on track, confused. Snape clasped his eyes on Harry and Ron. "Go on.."
Harry and Ron rush, running inside the castle. Hermione hears them muttering something that she likes to hear from Ron.
Bloody Git.
She is about to walk but Snape stops her. "What is it Professor? Can you wait until tomorrow in the potions classroom".
"You didn't answer my question earlier, Miss Granger. So I ask you again.. Did they..."
"I'm fine.." She stares at him. "Can I go? People are watching".
Snape nodded his head as he let her pass him, Hermione went straight to the dormitories. His eyes wandering for a while, decided to walk back to the dungeons then to the Great Hall for dinner.
"School hasn't started yet and git is already trying to take our point house".
Harry waited for Hermione. When the door swung open, Hermione stepped inside.
"What?"
"What does Snape want?" ask Harry.
"Nothing. Second thought he wasn't trying to take our point house. He'd just ask that's all".
Ron snorts. "Since then Snape has liked to know better than Dumbledore".
"Honestly I don't know. I want to rest a bit.. I'll see you at the Great Hall then".
Ron watches her. "I knew something was not right between Snape and Hermione".
"Don't be forced. She could hit us if you ask her more about Snape".
Courtyard. The next day. Students Harry , Ron and Hermione among them crowd the parapets, buzzing with anticipation. Far below, Dumbledore has assembled the staff as a kind welcoming party.
Suddenly a rumble fills the sky. We see four flying horses flying through the air pulling a carriage coming in to land at Hogwarts.
The crowds cheer.
Just then, great bubbles roil the glassy surface of the Black lake and a long black mast pierces the water rising higher and higher.
A black ship rises out of a great rushing whirlpool of water, looking skeletal ghostly in the half-light.
Great Hall. Night. A group of girls dressed in blue dance up the aisle and release butterflies into the air. They bow and everyone applauds.
"And now our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and the high master Igor Karkaroff".
A series of older boys walk up the aisle brandishing bo staffs, twirling them around and periodically stabbing them into the ground with a spark effect.
"Blimey it's him, Viktor Krum!"
The boys breathe some fire. Igor and Dumbledore.. embrace each other.
Everyone feast as they welcome the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to Hogwarts. Harry eyes the Ravenclaw table, where the Beauxbatons girls sit and Fleur converses with Cho. Ron stuffs his face and stares at Krum, who sits with the Slytherins.
"Brilliant, isn't he?"
"He's eating".
"Why'd You suppose they've been put at the Slytherin table?" ask Harry to Hermione.
"Birds of a feather. Durmstrang puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts".
Thunder roars overhead, rain begins leaking through the roof and screams break out. A stitch of lightning flashes across the enchanted ceiling and the torches along the walls flicker, casting the Hall into an eerie semi-darkness.
A strange man stands in the doorway, he casts some magic upwards and seals the roof. Peace is restored..
"Bloody hell, it's Mad-Eye Moody".
"Alastor Moody? The Auror".
"Auror?"
"He was a catcher. Half the cells in Azkaban are full thanks to him. He's supposed to be mad as a hatter though these days".
Mad-Eye Moody enters the room and begins walking. We see Harry through his mechanical eye. He limps, breathing heavily as he goes.
"My dear old friend, thanks for coming".
"Stupid ceiling!"
Moody and Dumbledore exchange whispers and a handshake then Moody takes the one remaining seat at the Tall Table. The staff eye him in mute disbelief. Mad-Eye takes a drink.
"What's that he's drinking, do you suppose?"
"I don't know but I don't think it's Pumpkin Juice".
Barty Crouch blinks, turns back to the stunned students. Consulting a parchment about the Tri-wizard Tournament rules.
"After much deliberation the ministry has concluded that for their own safety no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the tri-wizard tournament. This decision is final".
The crowd is unsettled, people are booing. "That's rubbish! You don't know what you're doing!"
Dumbledore says this so forcefully the result is absolute. "Silence!" Dumbledore casts magic over a box which melds into a goblet containing a blue flame.
"The goblet of fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely writes their name upon a piece of parchment and throws it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back. As of this moment the tri-wizard tournament has begun".
Hermione shakes her head. At the high table Snape is eyeing her. She jolted, feeling weird and weird about Snape behavior as she grew beautifully.