Hey guys. I decided I wanted to update kinda quick.
Chapter Nine: The Goblet of Fire
Percy POV:
He woke up with a sore neck and fuzzy vision.
His eyes eventually cleared, but wow. He did NOT like lucid dreaming. Groggily running a hand through his hair, he pushed himself up on one elbow and used his free hand to search under his pillow for whatever caused the crick in his neck.
His hand came out again holding a stick.
Well, it was a fancy stick, with carvings on it and stuff, but it was still a stick.
Wincing a little as he moved too fast, he swung his feet over the side of his bed, untangling the sheets as he did. He sat there for a moment and blinked the remaining sleep from his eyes. Harry was still asleep, his back to Percy as his chest rose slowly up and down. It was hard to picture him killing a dark wizard, or worse, being killed by one.
He remembered the prophecy Hecate had told him about, and made a silent promise to Harry that he wouldn't let him die. He was a good kid, he didn't deserve that.
Padding to the end of his bed on silent feet, he opened the trunk that had appeared during the night, courtesy of a certain magic goddess. But as he opened it, he froze.
Was he seriously expected to wear a vampire cape to class? Sighing in exasperation, Percy cursed whoever came up with the dress code.
He changed quickly, wanting to get down to breakfast early. No one in the dorm was awake yet, or maybe they were faking. You never know. Well, unless you get really close and listen to their breathing, but he really didn't want to have to explain that scenario to anyone this early.
He opened the door to the stairwell and made his way through the common room to the portrait hole. He got lost several times, which was exactly why he wanted to leave early.
He eventually found the Great Hall, and only a few other students were awake, so he sat down in the middle of the empty Gryffindor table.
Time Skip, one week
Hogwarts was fun. But he still didn't know why the name was so weird. No one seemed to know who'd come up with it.
He'd already learned a ton of stuff about magic, and could actually cast a few spells. Mostly because his fancy new magic stick did all the work for him, but he didn't tell anyone that.
Hecate's memory wipe had worked, and now everybody thought he'd transferred there from Ilvermorny, which was apparently a magic school in America. When he got back, he had to find it. He had no idea it even existed, and wizards would make great allies.
Hermione had laid off all the questions about his background, which he was grateful for. It was hard enough to be there without Annabeth, let alone lie to everybody's faces. Ron still didn't like him, for whatever reason.
Harry didn't remember the conversation they'd had that night, which was kind of disappointing. They'd sort of bonded. What were the odds that both of them had a nightmare at the same time?
Neville still sat with him at meals, and Percy had gotten to know him pretty well. He'd also figured out the reason he'd been crying in Defense Against The Dark Arts. Apparently his parents were driven crazy by the Cruciatus Curse, which sounded pretty terrible.
Today, the other two schools were coming for the Triwizard Tournament, and everyone was really excited.
Before dinner, everyone gathered outside in the courtyard to welcome the visitors, who were apparently going to make a really dramatic entrance. Sure enough, after about ten minutes of uncomfortable waiting, a speck appeared in the sky. It grew larger and larger until it turned into a giant carriage pulled by even gianter (that probably wasn't a word) pegasi. Percy was a little homesick after seeing the flying horses, but he pushed the thought out of his mind.
Hagrid, the groundskeeper, guided the carriage down to the ground and was rewarded by almost getting smacked in the head. He ducked just in time though, getting relieved sighs out of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The giant coach landed gracefully, which was impressive for something so big. The door opened and a bunch of pretty girls in blue stepped out, followed by a really big lady in a giant coat. She and Dumbledore started talking, and she gestured to the flying horses on the carriage.
The newcomers hadn't even reached the courtyard yet when the surface of the lake started to froth, bubbling until the top of a ship's mast was visible. Even from far away, Percy could feel the ship entering the lake through some kind of underwater portal.
The rest of the ship surfaced, and to be honest, he wasn't super impressed. The Queen Anne's Revenge was bigger, and this one had an autopilot setting, he could sense it. That was cheating.
A gangplank extended from the side of the ship until it reached the shore, and a bunch of boys in fur coats made their way across it. Their principal (he assumed, although they were called headmasters there.) started talking to Dumbledore. As they walked towards the courtyard, Percy got a better look at all the students Hogwarts would be hosting for the next couple months.
Next to him, Ron gasped.
"That's Viktor Krum!" he whisper-shouted at Harry and Hermione. Percy decided to jump into the conversation, just because he was curious. "Who?"
Maybe he would open up a little.
Ron gaped at him, but forgot to be his usual grumpy self to answer the question.
"Who's Viktor Krum? Only the greatest quidditch player the wizarding world has ever seen! Well, maybe not the greatest, but really, really close!"
Then Ron remembered that he didn't like Percy and turned away, but it was progress.
He continued talking about Krum to Harry, who just nodded at everything like he'd heard it all before.
At dinner, Ron was extremely disappointed that Durmstrang chose to sit with the Slytherins, and equally disappointed that he didn't get to meet any of the girls from Beauxbatons.
"It's not fair," he grumbled while picking through his mashed potatoes.
"We know." Harry and Hermione said in unison.
Percy ate quietly, barely containing a smile.
After the feast, Dumbledore stood and made a toast to great friendships and stuff. Then he got to the interesting part.
"The champions for each school will be chosen by an ancient artifact, one that has withstood the test of time and seen many champions come and go."
He paused for dramatic effect, and Percy had to admire the guy's storytelling skills. He could've been a descendant of Apollo.
"I present to you…. The Goblet of Fire!"
The box to his left began folding open, layer by layer, until a giant cup was revealed. The room filled with whispers of astonishment, but Dumbledore interrupted the growing noise.
"One champion," he said loudly, to get everyone's attention. "will be chosen per school. If you choose to put your name into the goblet…"
He continued talking, but Percy didn't really listen. Dumbledore had already briefed him on pretty much everything, and besides; why would he enter a super dangerous and potentially deadly magical tournament, when a bunch of wack-job immortals were already trying to get him killed?
Like I said, filler chapter.
WOW. Ten reviews in a day? Thank you guys! I've said it before, but I love reading them over and over, just for a self-esteem boost!
Well, that's all for today, wish me luck on volleyball tomorrow! (The team we're playing is undefeated, so... yeah.)
Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!
Peace out,
LadyHW
Shoutouts:
FanficObsessed0238: Thank you!
Cat Nari: Thank you for the good luck! (We won, and we have another game tomorrow.) Actually, since Percy is technically a transfer student, he'll probably be a champion for Hogwarts. But I guess you'll have to keep reading...
SamairaKhan: Thank you! I had a lot of fun writing that part, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
PineconeFace1222: Thank you for the good luck! We won, but we have another game tomorrow against an undefeated team. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Guest: Yeah, I didn't really think about that. Whoops. I guess they won't be as cool as the Argo II. :(
Leo is a god: Wow, thanks for you enthusiasm! I really enjoyed reading you reviews, they made my day!
Jinglebells852: Thank you! I am definitely planning a few surprises. *laughs maniacally* (And I totally get the school thing. I've had four essays this semester already.
Covid-20: Okay, I'll try. Thanks for the review!
