Chapter 8- Start of the Fourth Year
Daphne dodged the spell that her father fired at her. They had been dueling for the past thirty minutes.
She had been training with her father from the day she came back. Her father was surprised by what she could do. She could do spells above her level and that made her father proud of her.
" Ventus Maximus!!" She spoke and a strong wind blast hit her father who had lowered his guard as she was on the backfoot.
" Aguamenti!!!" She spoke again and a puddle of water appeared near the man. She pointed her wand at the puddle and conjured a bolt of lightning.
Marcus, suspecting his daughter's intention, jumped away in a bit of panic but fell right into the disarming charm of his daughter.
" Damn!!" He exclaimed while his daughter whooped in joy.
They heard clapping from the door and turned to see Ana and another person standing at the entrance. This person was a very beautiful girl. Forget it beautiful is not a word you can call her. Mesmerizing, stunning, hot and sexy all rolled into a single person. She had long platinum blonde hair. Her eyes were blue and dancing with power. Her full pouty pink lips were eye-catching. Her figure was one that girls killed for. All the curves in the right place, and the woman was like a character from a teenage boys' wet dream.
" That was good Daphne." She spoke.
Daphne smiled and rushed to capture her cousin in a hug. " Hello Fleur. It's so nice to see you. And thank you. I have been practicing a lot." She said with a smile.
" I can see that. You are very good at dueling." She told Daphne. Daphne smiled at her but then frowned.
" Not good enough. Not as much as him." She spoke softly.
Fleur raised a perfectly done eyebrow.
" Who??" She asked and Daphne blushed.
" Uhm… you shouldn't have heard that." She spoke clearly embarrassed.
Fleur smiled mischievously.
" So there is someone. Tell me who it is??" She asked the girl.
Ana laughed at her daughter's plight.
" Fleur, let's get to dinner. You can then plague her with your questions." She said with a smile as she left with the others for dinner.
The Greengrasses and the Delacours sat at the dining table having dinner and their conversations.
There were three new people on the table. The man who sat across Marcus was a tall and well built man with blonde hair and intelligent brown eyes. He had a muscular physique and was a very handsome man.
The man was Sebastian Delacour. The Lord of the Most ancient and noble house of Delacour.
The woman next to him was as beautiful as Fleur. Platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Slim build that many would kill for. Apolline Delacour. Mother of Fleur Delacour and the Lady of House Delacour.
The third girl sitting and chatting with Astoria was the youngest daughter of the above mentioned couple.
Gabrielle Delacour, was a very cute girl who would go on to become as beautiful as her mother and sister.
The three women were Veelas. They were known for their beauty and their ability to manipulate fire. They also have the ability to turn into an avian form when they are angered.
The general view of the public on them was not positive. They were viewed by all these superior pureblood bigots as playthings.
Ana and Apolline were step sisters. But both grew up very closely, just like any other sisters. Their father, who had Veela blood in him, married two women. One was a Veela and the other was a pureblood lady from France.
Hence Ana, Daphne, Astoria though have Veela blood in them but not like Apolline and her daughters.
Contrary to popular belief, many think that Veelas don't give birth to men but that is bullshit. Veela are just like any other woman and could sire a child of any gender, just like any other woman. So the two had received their Veela heritage from their father.
" So, Daphne. Tell me about that boy who you are trying to impress." Fleur asked much to the embarrassment of Daphne and the fun of the family.
" I am not telling you that . And who the hell told you that there is a boy. I am just practicing because I like it." She replied weakly.
" Uh..huh… spill now cousin." Fleur told Daphne.
" It is Harry Potter." Astoria replied with a grin.
" Astoria!!!" Daphne exclaimed but blushed brilliantly.
" Oh. You know Harry Potter??" Asked an excited Gabrielle.
Astoria nodded.
" Yes. He is my friend. He also teaches me many things." She said
Gabrielle talked with Astoria with excitement about Harry Potter.
" So, Harry Potter. The Harry Potter??" Apolline asked.
" Yes. " She nodded.
" He is very powerful. Handsome. Intelligent. Kind and caring. There is nobody like him." She sighed.
" And scary as well. The kid is fourteen but is as deadly as a basilisk with those green eyes of his that glows eerily." Marcus answered with a shudder.
" Surely you're joking, Mark." Sebastian interrupted. " He is fourteen according to yourself. How dangerous can he be??" He asked.
Ana snorted.
" Fourteen. The boy can do things that we haven't even heard of. You should have seen the dressing down he had given to one of the students in the school.
The boy will become more dangerous than Charlus Potter and Arcturus Black." Both the men shuddered in remembrance of the two of the most dangerous wizards to ever live.
" Adding the fact that he is the lord of the Most Ancient and Noble house of Potter and Peverell and also the heir Black, his political power is unmatched." Ana added.
" So he must marry three witches??" Asked Fleur.
" Yes." Apolline replied.
Daphne just shrugged her shoulders when her family looked at her.
" We have grown up knowing that this happens. I have no problem. But that's a long way from now. The boy barely notices me in that way." She said.
" I will meet him in a couple of days then." Fleur said to the surprise of Daphne.
" What are you talking about??" She asked, confusion evident in her voice.
Fleur smirked.
" The International Wizarding Tournament is happening this year in Hogwarts. Many schools from around the world will be coming to Hogwarts this September. We will also be residing in the school with the rest of you." Fleur said to Daphne.
" You seem to have a healthy interest in Lord Potter, Fleur. Trying to catch him yourself are you??" Ana said to the surprise of Daphne and the others.
Fleur gaped at her aunt and coughed violently in surprise.
" Aunt Ana, what …." She sputtered but was silenced with a smirk.
" We will see dear." She smiled as the dinner progressed.
After dinner, they were interrupted by the arrival of a white phoenix in the sitting room.
" Hedwig!!??" Called out a surprised Astoria.
" Who does that belong to??" Asked Gabrielle who was staring at the bird with awe.
" That's Harry's phoenix." Daphne said to the others.
Fleur gasped.
" He has a damn phoenix??"
Daphne smiled. " Told you so." She said as her mother retrieved two letters tied to the bird.
" This one's for you Apolline." Ana gave a letter to her.
The woman read the letters silently. They both looked up as they finished reading.
" Bellatrix has invited us to Potter Manor tomorrow." Ana told the others.
" Well it's been some time since I saw her." Apolline grinned.
" Are you waiting for an answer??" She asked the phoenix who nodded.
Ana wrote an acceptance letter on behalf of the both of them.
Hedwig flew over to Daphne and trilled happily. Daphne smiled at that.
She then turned towards Fleur and scrutinized her.
The phoenix trilled approvingly at her and flashed away.
" What was that about??" Fleur asked but the others shrugged in confusion.
&&&&&--
The Greengrasses and Delacours apparated to the front gates of the Potter Manor. They were greeted by Tippy, the Potter head elf.
" Please follow me. Mistress Bellatrix is waiting for you." The elf squeaked and led the group inside.
" Wow. This place looks impressive." Fleur said to Daphne who nodded.
They saw the spacious gardens, the forest areas, the huge quidditch pitch, horse stables. They gasped when they came across the impressive building.
Potter Manor stood tall and proud and as impressive it has been since the day it was built.
" Definitely impressive." She confirmed it to her cousin.
The doors to the manor opened and they walked in. Three people stood smiling at them as they entered the lobby of the manor.
Bellatrix Black, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
" Bellatrix." Greeted Ana with a smile that she replicated.
She hugged her softly. " It's good to see you." She told Bella. Bella nodded at her and smiled.
" Same here." She then turned towards Apolline. " Still as beautiful as ever, Apolline." She greeted her other friend with a hug as well.
Apolline smiled at her.
" Well you aren't any different Bell. Probably more beautiful than before." Apolline said to Bella.
Bellatrix then introduced the others to Sirius and Remus. Sirius tried to flirt with Apolline until he was slapped on his head by Bellatrix. He had pouted at her that had caused the others to laugh.
They were led into the sitting room by Remus. They all made themselves comfortable.
" Professor Lupin. What are you doing here??" Asked Daphne.
The man smiled at her.
" I was the best friend of Harry's father along with Sirius here. I am his honorary uncle. Harry had threatened me that he would break my bones if I didn't stay here and look after these two. He wants me to stay with him and I had no mind to say no to him." Remus told the others.
Daphne was looking around too much and Bellatrix noticed this instantly.
" What is it, Daphne?? Have you lost something??" She asked. The girl shook her head a little too quickly.
They were interrupted again when another group of people were shown in by Tippy.
The group consists of Robert and Maria Davis along with Tracy . The other three were Angela Zabini and Blaise Zabini.
The last one was a very beautiful young girl. She had golden blonde hair and bright violet eyes. Her slim build and her curves which enhanced her figure perfectly. She was a girl that men would drool over.
" Maria, Angela. It's wonderful to see you two." Bellatrix greeted them and invited them to take seats.
" And this fine young lady must be Elena Zabini. Pleasure." Sirius greeted with a kiss on the girl's knuckles.
" You too, Lord Black." She smiled at the man.
" Call me Sirius, my dear. Lord Black, we point out that I am old over and again."
Sirius grimaced as he said that.
" Still the same old smooth talker Sirius??" Asked Angela.
Sirius could only grin at her.
" Well you look more beautiful than ever Angel," he grinned as she blushed at her old nickname.
" Shut up Black. There are people around here." She growled though her smile told him otherwise.
" Let's have dinner. We can discuss other things afterwards." Remus told the group and they entered the grand dining room.
They proceeded to have dinner and discussions related to small matters.
Sirius, Remus, Marcus and Robert were in their own discussion on certain agendas. The ladies were left alone to their own discussions.
" You must be Daphne. Blaise spoke a lot about you." Elena spoke to the girl.
Daphne nodded.
" Well, he is a good friend." She told the girl.
" Are you coming to Hogwarts this year too??" Tracy asked Elena.
The girl nodded.
" Yes. We are participating as well. I am trying to get selected. I hope I can pull it off. " Elena spoke.
" So you go to Ilvermony??" Asked Tracy to which Elena nodded.
" I am trying to get in as well. It is a lifetime opportunity. I am confident that I will get in." Fleur said confidently.
" Speaking of which, where is Lord Potter?? Asked Robert.
Sirius and Remus sighed.
" You won't be able to meet Harry till probably November." Sirius said to the group.
" Why?? Is he alright??" Daphne entered the conversation suddenly, which raised eyebrows from Remus and Sirius and a knowing grin from Bellatrix and Ana.
" Yes. No… I don't know. He is alive if that's what you are asking??" Sirius told the others.
Remus slapped his forehead.
" Sirius!!" He chided the man.
" Forgive me, Ms Greengrass, but the man is still a child. He has never grown up and personally I think it's his own fault.
Harry has left to do a task. It's one that every Potter Lord must take. He shouldn't have taken it until seventeen or eighteen, but he decided to take it anyway." Remus told the others.
" What is this task you speak of??" Asked a curious Elena.
She too wanted to meet the Potter Lord. Her brother was always moaning about Harry Potter and she wanted to see what was so special about the boy.
" Nobody other than a Potter can know about it. They can't even tell the others about it. It's a closely guarded secret. Only those born Potter or married to a Potter can know about it." Sirius said to the group.
" Is it safe??" Asked a worried Tracy.
" Safe. The trial not be safe young miss.
It is very dangerous. Young master was not supposed to attend it so fast but he not listen to Tippy." Said the exasperated elf.
" Master Harry is just like Master Charlus. Always up to mischief. But master Harry be more stronger than Master Charlus.
He trains harder than Master Charlus did." Tippy told with pride.
" He didn't come and see us for a month. I wondered why and then, I got a letter that he had decided to do so." Bellatrix told the group.
" Master was here the entire month after coming from hoggywarts. Master be dueling every minute with weird eye thingy scary one leg man." Tippy spoke softly looking over her shoulder.
" Scary man be jumping from all over Potter Manor and screaming 'Constant Vigilance' scaring poor Tippy." She exclaimed with a horrified expression.
Sirius choked on his drink.
" Mad eye!! He trained with Mad Eye Moody. He…." He stuttered and the others mirrored the shock on Sirius's face.
" That man is a damn crazy bastard. What was Harry thinking??" Remus exclaimed.
" Harry must have had a very difficult time with that guy. What was he thinking??" Remus questioned frantically.
It was Tippy that silenced the entire group with a statement.
" Master Harry left scary man with many injuries that scary man didn't jump around shouting again."
" What??" Asked Blaise.
" Master Harry and scary man always fighting and Master Harry become scary and scary everyday. He defeated scary man after ten days of fighting and didn't lose again." She told smugly and the occupants dropped their mouths in shock.
" You mean to say, that Harry Potter beat Mad Eye Moody after only ten days of training??" Asked Marcus.
" Yes Lord Greengrass sir. Master Harry is very powerful like master Charlus." Tippy said proudly." Master Harry makes great Lord Potter." She said happily and popped away.
" Well now this is interesting." Elena said softly.
" Interesting?? He trained with one of the best aurors that Magical Britain had ever seen and has bested him many times in a duel and you say it is just interesting??" Snorted Tracy.
" That's Potter for you. The wonder kid." Blaise Zabini grinned.
" But what is the extent of his abilities??" Asked a curious Fleur.
" Now that is a million galleon question Ms Delacour." Sirius interrupted the teenagers.
" I was trained by Mad Eye and believe me, that man was very nasty. I don't know how Harry pulled this off but the kids got balls I'll give you that." He said proudly replicated by his friend and cousin.
" But, how good is he?? I know he is very powerful but to what extent??" Asked Tracy.
" Well I could give you an answer to that question Ms Davis." A new voice spoke and they turned in the direction of the voice to be greeted with the portrait of Charlus and Dorea Potter.
" If you would follow me, I would show you just why my grandson is on a whole new level. Sirius, bring them to the upper floor training room." The man said and disappeared.
" He is still as scary with his voice as he was when we were kids." Marcus gulped.
" Well let's go then. Something tells me that we will have our minds blown away with some revelation." Ana said and followed Sirius along with the others.
They moved through the manor still in awe of the ancient manor and its beauty.
Tippy popped in next to Sirius.
" Yous be going to master Harry's training room. Be careful and don't do anything." She warned the group though the words seem to be meant for Sirius.
Tippy opened the door and the others piled in. The room was huge. Fully facilitated. There were weights, swords, training dummies and other exercising equipment.
There was a round globe like structure which was a device of some kind. A pensive and a hell lot of books.
" This is where Harry trains. When he is home, he will be here for at least for twelve to thirteen hours.
He jogs, learns muggle martial arts, and spells. I will tell you that nobody, not even me, practices like that boy." He told the group.
Dorea snapped her fingers and three dummies got activated.
" Let me challenge you people. Any who can manage to defeat three of those dummies is the winner." She said and motioned for them to start.
The group looked at one another dumbly.
Fleur stepped forward.
" Let me do it. Surely we can fight dummies." She said and Dorea smirked.
" We will see dear. Begin!!" She said and the dummies started to fire spells.
What Fleur didn't expect was the type of spells the dummies fired and the speed of them. They fired borderline dark curses. Bone breaker, bone splintering curse, blood rupturing curse, organ liquifying curse.
Fleur dodged hurriedly. She didn't expect this. The dummies in her home were different. They fired medium range curses and hexes and they were comparatively slower.
She hastily erected a shield and fired back but the dummies moved out of the way. She tried to gain advantage and it didn't
work. She desperately fired and she got one dummy with a blasting hex. She then turned to the other two and was caught off guard by a green coloured spell sailing towards her.
The occupants screamed in horror when the light neared Fleur.
Bellatrix suddenly conjured a slab of granite and intercepted the curse.
" What the hell??" Asked a very scared and furious Sebastian.
" What were you thinking!!? The killing curse!!! Are you out of your mind??" Asked an irate Sebastian.
Charlus glared at the man.
" I would remind you, Lord Delacour, that you are sitting in my house. Even though I am dead, I have the ability to make you a prisoner in this manor without you even knowing that you are a prisoner." He spoke with such power that the man shrunk back.
" I am sorry." He apologized. " But my daughter…" Charlus eyes softened at that.
" I understand. Your daughter was not in danger. The curse was just a green coloured tickling hex. But in a serious fight, you won't know the difference. If caught off guard, you are dead. Full stop." Charlus told the others seriously.
" How was the experience Ms Delacour?? Just dummies??" Dorea asked the young girl.
Fleur blushed but stood her ground.
" Those dummies were created by Charlus to practice his spells and dueling. Charlus used to fight thirty of those at a single time." She proudly looked at her husband.
" Now tell me, you people know Harry. How many dummies could he fight??" Asked Charlus.
" Fifteen." Sirius replied.
" Fifteen." Remus said.
" Twenty five." Bellatrix said.
"Thirty." Tracy said.
" Thirty for me too." Blaise said.
" Around thirty five or so." Daphne said confidently.
" Fifty." Charlus told the group and they froze in shock.
" He used to take on twenty by the start of his third year. That went up to forty by Christmas. After the training with Alastor, he demolished fifty of them. Damn he was impressive." Charlus praised his grandson.
" Well. I was right. It was mind blowing." Ana broke the silence and the others nodded.
&&&&--
A gaunt looking man ducked under the railings as he made his way very slowly and cautiously to the house ahead.
He took extra care to be cautious because if he slipped up now, it would be extremely painful for him.
He held a small rat in his pocket which was making a nuisance and he was getting dangerously irritated.
He stopped near one of the windows and peered in. He grinned.
He then aimed his wand and blasted a nearby garbage bin. He let the rat out of his pocket. The rat scurried away to the side and the man applied a disillusionment charm.
He waited patiently for his target to arrive.
A surly and sticky man arrived with his wand raised and looking around for any sign of disturbance. He looked around keenly to see anything that was off.
The man passed the disillusioned wizard but stopped suddenly and raised his wand but fell down suddenly.
The rat had stunned the man and the disillusioned man bound him. He hit the fallen man with a mild paralysis curse for his confirmation.
He then turned to the rat.
This rat was Peter Pettigrew.
" You did good, Pettigrew. Now get back to the Dark Lord. He would be waiting for your arrival. Tell him that the plan worked without a hitch." The rodent-like face wizard nodded and apparated with a pop.
The standing wizard watched the fallen man.
He laughed maniacally." Well… well...well. So much for vigilance." He snorted.
He gathered the man and leviated him to a trunk and dropped him in and locked the trunk. He took out the strand of hair he had taken from the fallen man and dropped it in a vial of potion.
He slowly consumed the potion and continued laughing maniacally.
&&&&--
Daphne sighed as she sat in the Hogwarts Express with her friends and sister.
It was a very busy past fortnight for the lot.
After coming back from Harry's, they had received an invitation to attend the Men's Quidditch World Cup that was to be held in Britain this year.
Their family along with the Delacours, Blacks, Davis and Zabini were attending it together.
The cup was a very attractive event and the match was exciting as well.
Eventually the most famous seeker in recent times, Viktor Krum the Bulgarian caught the snitch but still ended up losing to the Irish team by ten points.
What was funny though was the way Lucius Malfoy was on the edge around Bellatrix. Daphne found it hilarious when the man flinched whenever he met the woman's eyes.
On top of that , with Sirius annoying him greatly by speaking of masked men, the man looked ready to kill.
It was very pleasant to see Bellatrix and Narcissa Malfoy getting reacquainted. The sisters were conversing for the entire match and probably had a very great time if their smiles were anything to go by.
Midnight brought chaos to the area. Daphne and the others were woken up by her mother and were told that there was a death eater attack.
It was total chaos and people were storming all over the place. It became all the more worse when the dark mark was fired near the area.
The masked men ran away after the mark was put up. The group had returned safely to Potter Manor and had left to their places afterwards.
The next day, Fleur and Elena had left to join their schools that were coming to Hogwarts the day after that.
Daphne and Fleur had become very close with Elena. They had spent a lot of time together talking about certain things that they shared common interest in.
" Well, I guess this year is going to be extremely different." Blaise said suddenly.
The others agreed.
" When will Harry be coming?" Asked Astoria. Daphne had missed Harry. She wanted to spend some time with him this summer but that didn't happen.
" Well, probably at the end of October or beginning of November." Blaise told the girl.
" What kind of training is he doing??" Astoria asked the group who fell silent.
" We don't know Tori. Nobody other than a Potter can know what it is. It's dangerous if that is what you are asking, but other than that, we have no idea." Tracy told the girl.
Astoria looked worried but still nodded. The journey continued in silence.
The door opened after some time and Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger walked in.
" Where is Harry??" Weasley asked them.
" We don't know Weasley. We haven't seen Harry this entire summer." Blaise answered in a soft voice.
" I knew it. They must have done something to him along with that bitch Lestrange. I knew that Harry made a mistake. Look at what has happened now." He ranted. Daphne had enough and hit the git with a silencing charm and banished him out of the compartment.
" Ron!!" Hermione shrieked. " How dare you?? I will go to Profe… She was interrupted by an irate Daphne.
" I don't care about that Granger. Take your boyfriend and leave this instant or else the consequences will be extremely painful." Daphne growled.
The girl paled a bit at hearing that warning. She wanted to say something but thought otherwise and left the compartment very quickly.
Daphne sighed and sat down.
" It will be a very long year." She sighed.
&&&&--
" Well, this will be a long year." Was the first thought that Albus Dumbledore thought to himself as he saw the other students filling in to the Great Hall.
He had opposed but the Ministry had been adamant that it would be good for Wizarding Britain and would also promote international relations with other nations.
But Dumbledore knew better. Fudge wanted to prove he was superior to the others and was known as the minister who reinstated the International Wizarding Tournament and successfully completed it and that would boost his support and would also almost guarantee his success.
The man was a fool and Dumbledore was fed up with him. It has been some time since there was a proper Minister of Magic for Britain Thadeous Nott being the last.
Although the Notts were a very hated family and very dark now and allies of the Dark Lord, the then Notts were extremely fair and reasonable wizards and witches and Thadeous Nott was a force to be reckoned with. The man was a shrewd politician and a good ally to have and completely opposite to the current Nott family.
Bagnold had been a wonderful Minister until the time of her stepping down. She had made mistakes and had put a few innocents to Azkaban. She was not upto the mark to fight someone from the traditional dark families. The pressure had caught up to her in the end and she had to step down rather forcefully.
Then came Fudge. Dumbledore for the life of him couldn't understand how the man had risen to that position. He was a coward, not cunning, not powerful and not smart. He was a fool. The only reason he even stood for these elections was because he was a pureblood and firmly in the pocket of Malfoy and his band.
He had tried with all his might to somehow convince the Ministry that this was a very bad idea but they didn't heed his words.
He smiled as he saw the students take their places at their tables. This irked Dumbledore a bit. He was all for traditions until they started dividing the society. The powerful will always be present in any kind of society but the least people could do was practice equality.
The division of students based on houses is not such a good idea according to him.
Every student most of the time will have all the characteristics set by the founders but who was he to question that.
His colleague Minerva McGonagall led the new first year students into the Great Hall for the sorting.
After another thirty minutes, he stood up.
" For all the new students who have just been sorted, welcome. For the returning students, welcome back.
Another year and another adventure.
This year will be a little extra special. The reason being….." He was interrupted when the doors of the great hall opened with a bang and in walked Alastor Moody.
The man walked to the staff table clunking his leg along the way. The students looked surprised, excited and a bit scared of the legendary ex auror.
Dumbledore shook his hand with his old friend.
" Alastor." The man nodded.
" Albus. Nasty weather." He grumbled. Dumbledore just nodded.
He turned back to the audience.
" As I was saying, this year has been made special by the reinstating of the International Wizarding Tournament after nearly two centuries. " He announced.
The hall broke out into excited whispers and hushed conversation. Students were chatting away furiously with their friends.
" Now without further ado, let's welcome our guests throughout this year." He pointed to the doors of the Great Hall.
In walked students with light blue uniforms.
" The students of Beauxbatons and their headmistress Madame Maxine."
A tall lady entered the hall behind her students. The hall stared at her and then suddenly the attention was grabbed by a girl with silver blonde hair. Many boys were staring slack jawed at the girl.
The girl on the other hand just ignored the eyes and sat near the Ravenclaw table.
This girl was Fleur Delacour.
" Next, the students of Durmstrang and their headmaster Igor Karkaroff."
From the doors entered several thick set young men and women who were preceded by their headmaster.
" Albus." He greeted Dumbledore.
" Igor. I hope the journey was well." Dumbledore asked the man.
Karkaroff nodded and then gestured for one of his students to walk up.
To the surprise of the others, it was the star Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum.
The students went ballistic in seeing Krum.
The Durmstrang students were taken to the Slytherin table.
" Next we have the students of Mahoutokoro, along with their Headmistress Anzu Asami." He announced.
The next in were students who were the shortest of the lot. They also had a mix of Indians and other Asian wizards and witches. They were shown to the Gryffindor table.
" Now, I welcome the students of Uagadou and their headmaster Temba Ntini. " A group of dark skinned students walked into the hall. They looked more tougher and stronger than the Durmstrang boys. Even the female students looked formidable. They sat near the Hufflepuff table.
" Next I want you to welcome the students of Castelobruxo." The next set of students came in and were accompanied by their headmaster Carlos de Silva.
They were shown to the Ravenclaw table to be seated.
" And finally, I want you to give a hand to the students of Ilvermony and their Headmistress Megan Watson." Dumbledore introduced the last of the schools that were made to seat with the Gryffindor students.
" I welcome all the students and their heads to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
I want you all to get comfortable and I am confident that you will enjoy your stay in Hogwarts for the coming year." He wished the students.
" The Goblet of Fire." He pointed his wand and suddenly an old grand silver goblet with blue flames rose from the middle of the hall.
" The students who are willing to participate should have to enter your name into the goblet.
Now beware. This competition is not for the light hearted. Eternal Glory, is what awaits the winner of this tournament along with a prize money of ten thousand galleons." He told the students.
The students started whispering and many were speaking of entering themselves.
Dumbledore though was not finished.
" Now, we have come to a decision that none below the age of sixteen are to enter the names and only older ones are allowed to participate.
I myself will be drawing an age line to prevent the younger students from entering." He said and students started to protest against the judges angrily.
Ron was outraged. He along with Dean and Seamus protested heavily.
His actions were mirrored by many in the great hall until Dumbledore's voice boomed out loud.
" Silence!!!!!!" He roared.
He then spoke normally.
" The decision was taken due to the safety of the students and will stand irrespective of your feelings.
The Goblet will activate on the twenty eighth of October, and the champion selection will take place on the thirtieth of the same month. Now I ask all of you to enjoy your dinner." He said and sat down.
&&&&&--
" This is wrong. How can they do this?? Can you believe it??" Questioned an irate Ron.
Hermione shook her head in exasperation.
" Come on Ron. You don't hope to win, do you?? It will be extremely difficult. They are dangerous as well." She pointed out.
" Who cares??" Ron shot back.
" We would have been rich and famous." He told the girl who just shook her head at him.
" Honestly Ron!!!" She snapped at the boy.
" Excuse me??" They heard a voice and turned to see Fleur Delacour standing behind them.
" Are you finished with the bouillabaisse??" She asked Hermione.
The boys around had gone slack, jawed at her presence and were staring and drooling at the girl.
" Ye...yes. you can have…...it." Ron stuttered. He was the worst of the boys. His eyes had glazed over and he was looking untidy and Fleur felt disgusted.
" You can have this. " A new voice interrupted. Fleur looked towards the sound and smiled when she saw Elena.
" Elena. Hello." Fleur greeted and the other girl smiled at her and greeted her back.
" Hey Fleur. Take this. I am finished." She told the young Veela.
Fleur smiled gratefully at the girl.
" Thank you." She said to her and then frowned.
" Are these the two Sirius told us about??" She asked Elena.
The other girl nodded.
" Yes. They are." She told Fleur with a disgusted expression seeing the red head still drooling.
" Wait!!! Sirius?? As in Sirius Black??" Asked a surprised Hermione.
The two girls nodded.
" Where is Harry?? Why is he not here??" She demanded the two.
The girls stared at the Gryffindor girl with raised eyebrows.
" We aren't obligated to tell you anything girl. And you certainly are not going to demand an answer from us. Who do you think you are??" Elena asked the girl.
She turned back to Fleur. " I will see both you and Daphne tomorrow??" She asked.
Fleur smiled but nodded.
" Of course. We will find you." She said and went back to her table.
&&&&--
The next two months at Hogwarts went on as usual but with the addition of the other schools. The other school students had adapted to life in Hogwarts. The students had been mingled with the others and were taught by the Hogwarts professors.
Fleur and Elena had joined Daphne and her group. They were seen studying together and spending time together.
Daphne though missed Harry. She was waiting impatiently for him to come back.
She wanted to learn further from him and more importantly, she wanted to see that he was safe.
Daphne had continued with her training with the help of Fleur and Elena. Blaise was religiously following the book that Harry had given him. Tracy asked Daphne for help and Daphne would help her with her works as well.
Draco had gone back to his old ways. He had remained silent for the past year after Harry's dressing down but he seemed to have gone back to his irritating attitude this year.
He had taunted and ridiculed Harry in the common room and had made fun of him.
It took all of Daphne's self control to not hex the smug bastard.
They had been studying in the library when Draco had come to their group.
He had sat in front of Fleur and spoke to her.
" Greetings my Lady. I am Draco Malfoy. Heir of the Ancient and Noble house of Malfoy. I wanted to know if you were willing to go to Hogsmeade with me as a date." He asked her.
Fleur scrutinized the boy. She then shook her head.
" Forgive me, heir Malfoy. I am not interested." She said and turned back to her work.
Draco was furious. He was very angry that this girl disrespected him.
" How dare you?? You filthy half breed. You should be honoured that I of such noble bloodline is asking for a date. A white like you should be privileged to spend time with me." He raged.
Fleur flicked her wand and hit the boy with a hex. Malfoy yelped in surprise. He went to take his wand but stopped short when he felt her wand in between his forehead.
" Go on, little boy. I dare you. " Fleur growled.
Malfoy paled at that and put his wand back.
Fleur hit him with a couple of spells which ended up him losing his teeth and he screamed when he felt warts erupt in his face.
" Be careful of what you say little boy. It would be inviting trouble." She warned the boy and she and her group had got up and left. They had disappeared to an isolated place and had laughed heartily at the happenings of the blonde ferret.
Fleur and Elena were approached by many a number of boys but the two had turned everyone down. Daphne and Tracy felt the same way. The boys of the other schools had asked the both of them out but the two had declined all the approaches.
The group had gathered a few more friends. There was Shinzo Takumi, Arnold Dos Santos, Claire Michael, and Robert Ngidi.
" So anybody thinking of entering??" Claire asked the group.
" I am." Fleur replied to them. And Elena informed that she would too.
" We have known that for a long time now. Any others??" Tracy asked and the remaining shook their heads in the negative.
" Well, we would rather be spectators. We will leave all the fighting for those two then." Shinzo told the others with a grin.
" Well, we will be chosen and one of us will win. I hope it will be me." Elena said and Fleur glared at the girl.
Daphne sighed.
" Something tells me that it won't be as simple as that." She spoke softly.
It was shaping up to be an interesting year and she felt that something would happen. Something big. She and the others would wait and see.
TBC--
Hey guys. The next chapter is out. I hope you guys enjoy it. Thanks for the reviews and please keep it coming.
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