"Come to see me put my name in?"
Flint had approached her on her way to the Great Hall. During the first two months of school, things had resumed mostly per usual aside from her study sessions with Diggory. There was nothing special about it, as Cedric had mentioned, he needed to study harder for the N.E.W.T.s and he wanted an early start. Kiera had upheld her end of the bargain while he also worked on his side. Perhaps Flint had been too self absorbed in himself to even realize that she and Cedric were spending a considerable amount of time together (even if it was only in the library). She was suspicious that he hadn't realized because he never spent time in the library.
"Oh yes, just for you," she drawled sarcastically. A few days ago Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived at the school, making their grand appearances and impressing much of the Hogwarts student body. Her own patience had been tested several times when she ran into Beauxbaton girls who gave her dirty looks when she walked between classes with Cedric. "It's not as if I have others friends who are considering putting their name in."
"Oh right..." Flint said, still blocking her path. "Well, either way, you're here now-"
Not that she wanted to, but they were both destined for the same place, so she followed Flint into the Great Hall. Tables had been removed and sitting at the end of the hall was the Goblet of Fire, which names could be inserted into. Clusters of students waited beside it, as this afternoon was spread across the school in rumor where Hogwarts students should put their names in. Kiera fidgeted with her own slip in her pocket, sliding up beside Cassius and Adrian who were giving her expectant looks.
"You're going to do it, aren't you?" Cassius hissed, gripping her shoulder tightly.
"Ooh, look who it is," Adrian purred, gesturing forward to the Hufflepuff coming down the pathway to the goblet. Kiera subconsciously elbowed him as Cedric was trailed by some of his friends within his own house.
Excitement bubbled amongst the other students as Cedric approached the Goblet and put his name in, the flames flickering before accepting it. Several people started clapping and for a brief moment, Cedric turned to look at her, holding her gaze just a second before he rejoined his friends.
Flint noticed, his heavy brows pinching together before he trapsed over to the Goblet and shoved his name in. The flames flickered and accepted his name. A few reluctant Slytherins offered their applause.
"Go!" Cassius hissed in her ear.
She drew a breath and took a step forward, shedding away her anxiety as she placed her eyes on the prize; the Goblet. If people were murmuring about it, she could not hear them. Passing the age circle, she pulled her name out of her pocket and placed it in the Goblet. The flames flickered and accepted her name.
Turning around, she heard a good amount of applause for her. Cassius was hooting loudly and Adrian clapped insistently, drawing the other Slytherins to also applaud for her. However, it was Cedric and his friends that rallied the rest of the Hogwarts students to clap for her. Cheeks burning, she ducked back between Adrian and Cassius to hide her red face.
"Let's get out of here," she muttered to them, keeping her back to the goblet as they fled the Great Hall. "Tonight right, tonight is when the Goblet selects the Champions? Oh Merlin what have I done? What if I really get picked? Cassius! You put me up to this!" Panic began to wash over her at the thought of having to be Hogwart's Champion.
They had made it out to the courtyard where she was trying to cool down and get her head back on. Pacing relentlessly, the worst thoughts possible began zooming through her brain. "It's too late to be worried about it now," Adrian reminded her.
"It's precisely the right time to be worried about it," Kiera snapped, fussing her hand through her curls and tugging. "I'm... I'm going to go study. The library will make it better. I can always focus there."
Without waiting for Adrian or Cassius, she started down the hall, her robes whipping about her. No one was in the library except Madam Pince, who didn't even bother looking at her. Finding a dark corner, Kiera pulled out her Transfiguration book and set to homework that wasn't due for another week. Who was she kidding? She didn't want to be in the limelight. She'd fooled herself into thinking that she had wanted to impress others and now that she was maybe going to be the Champion, she could only fathom how disappointed most of Hogwarts would be. They deserved a much better Champion than herself.
The chair beside her creaked and when she glanced up, she saw a pair of hands pressed against the back, Cedric leaning his weight against it as he gazed at her. "You entered the Tournament," he said, sounding rather impressed with her.
"I might as well, even though I probably won't be selected. I'm of age, so I thought I should," she explained smoothly, wondering how much time had passed since she had been freaking out. When she glanced down at her homework, she noticed that she only had written 'The' on the page. But the windows a few feet away told her that she'd been having her crisis for hours. "You did too," she reminded him.
"I did... You came here to study after?" he looked toward her open book and then noticed her lack of completed work. "You must've just gotten here."
"Ah... yes, yes I did," she lied.
"Or, you're a bit more nervous than you're letting on," he considered. "Pucey told me where to find you. I think he was a bit worried about you."
"Pucey did what!?" she covered her mouth, realizing she might attract Pince's attention by being so loud. "I'm fine," she insisted harshly.
Cedric pulled out the chair and sat beside her, just as he had during their study sessions after class. "I don't think you would have entered unless you wished to be Champion. You don't strike me as someone who does something without reason."
"How's your progress on becoming an Animagus going?" she shifted the subject suddenly. "I mean, it's been two months now and there have been some storms."
Cedric sighed, smiling slightly at her. "I did want to talk to you about that-"
"Swallow the leaf? I did that a few times."
"Actually, I did it. I registered with McGonagall immediately after... You didn't tell me with needed her permission-"
"Ahhh, that was why McGonagall was glaring at me today," Kiera realized, thinking back to her favorite class. McGonagall most likely hadn't said anything as most students were entering the tournament and she didn't want Kiera to be upset. Either way, she knew she was going to get an earful from McGonagall eventually. "So you did it?"
"Yes," Cedric told her excitedly.
"So what happened? What did you take the form of?"
"Uh uh," he shook his head. "I'm not telling you. We'll have to plan it, near the forest of something. Both of us reveal our Animagus forms... and you're stuck studying with me."
"Oh..." she wasn't disappointed. Cedric was actually a good study partner. He was serious and didn't diverge from the topics or get distracted. In fact, she rather enjoyed how in depth they could get with their work, especially considering that he was fantastic at Transfiguration and Charms. "How about tomorrow morning before class?"
"Down by the lake on the edge of the forest," Cedric agreed. "You should pack up. It's almost time for dinner and the results for the Champions."
"Oh right, how could I forget that?" she remarked, drawing a chuckle from him. She tucked her belongings back into her satchel and exited the library with Cedric. There was an easy comfort around him, as if she didn't really have to hide who she was. She could be technical and indulge in her scholarly side without worrying about boring him. Adrian and Cassius could only tolerate her 'smarty-pants ness' so much.
"So, not to bother you, but I have a girl named Hannah in my house, who really wants an autograph from Viktor Krum. He's been sitting at your table, so I didn't know if maybe you could get her one," Cedric inquired as they hurried down the halls.
"A girl?" she drawled in a mocking tone. "You can't ask Viktor yourself, you have to ask me?"
Cedric scowled at her. "No, not like that. She's sort of like a little sister to me. I mean, most of the lower classmen are. I'm the Prefect, so they just tell me things they're thinking when they get the chance. I prefer it that way, but it is rather cumbersome when it's gossip."
"Uhg, I know what you mean. I loathe gossip, but most Slytherins cannot get enough of it," she shook her head at the idea. "If it'll mean that much to her, I guess I can give it a try. Viktor's rather quiet though."
"Thanks, I'd really appreciate it. I'll try and repay you-"
"Enough with this 'repayment' business," she insisted sternly. "Friends do each other favors. You don't owe me anything."
"Friends?" Cedric arched a brow at her in amusement.
"Well, I sort of guess we're kind of friends now? At least study partners officially-"
"I'd say we're friends," Cedric agreed with a smile. "I just never thought I'd hear you say that."
"Why?" she asked incredulously, feeling her guard rise.
"You prefer that lone wolf sort of reputation."
"I don't 'prefer' it," she insisted. "I just don't get along with most people." Or even better, she didn't trust the intentions of most people. Thus far, Cedric had proven that he was there to pursue better education.
"I don't see why. You're an amazing witch and I don't think you're that disagreeable. You're considerably more honest about your intentions than most," Cedric commended, bringing color to her face from the complement.
"Looks like our ways are part here," she interrupted as they got to the entrance of the Great Hall. "Tomorrow morning?"
Cedric managed a smile at her, offering a hand. "Good luck tonight."
She shook it, just as she had on the first day back at school. "I should be wishing you luck. You're more likely to become Champion than I am."
"I wouldn't say that. You need to be more confident in yourself, because you're just as likely to get chosen," Cedric insisted, letting go of her hand.
They separated as they entered the Great Hall, which was filled to the brim. The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were sitting amongst the four house tables. Quite a few of the Durmstrang students felt most comfortable at the Slytherin table, including Krum. Only when she had sat down near him did she realize how odd it was going to be to try and ask him for an autograph. She wasn't a huge Quidditch person and knew that Adrian or Cassius would inquire as to why she was getting the autograph to begin with.
Dinner was served, her appetite not strong enough that she felt compelled to eat. Her nerves were getting the better of her, so she decided to go ahead and bother Krum. Now was the best time, even if there were other Slytherins fawning over him.
"Hey, uh, excuse me," she cleared her throat, trying to garner his attention.
Even if he had been chatting to others, Krum glanced in her direction, his Seeker ability to notice small details amongst a plethora of distractions turning him toward her. "Ja?"
"I have a friend who wants your autograph, but they're too shy to ask," Kiera began, pulling out a piece of parchment from her satchel. "They're not sitting at this table, but would you mind signing this so I can give it to them?"
A few of the Slytherins that he had been talking to, including Malfoy, shot a glare at her. "You can just say you want his autograph," Draco sneered haughtily.
"It's not for me," Kiera insisted thinly.
"Like you have friends outside this table."
"Maybe it was Diggory. I've heard that Rowle has been around him a lot," Pansy spoke up.
Krum just stared at her. "Ok," he agreed, taking the parchment and signing it. "Who is it for?" His accent was thick and rough, but he glanced up to hear.
"Hannah," Kiera said.
"Hannah? As in Hannah Abott in my year?" Malfoy screeched.
"Sure, what of it?" she accepted the parchment back from Krum. "Thank you," she told him hastily.
"Since when have you been all mushy gushy with Hufflepuff?" Malfoy continued.
"I bet she's trying to impress Diggory," Pansy continued, running away with the tangent. "Really trying a bit hard, aren't you?"
"I have nothing to prove to either of you," Kiera snarked. "Perhaps if either of you got your heads out of your own arses, people outside our house would like you too..."
"I keep hearing of this Diggory," Krum started, glancing between them all. "Who is he?"
"A 6th year from Hufflepuff. He's Quidditch Captain and the team Seeker. I believe he's also a Prefect," Pansy explained quickly, trying to sound disinterested, but she sounded like a rabid fangirl. She glanced at her fingernails offhandedly.
"Oh, the one who put his name in just before me," Viktor realized. "You are his friend?"
"Somewhat. We study together," Kiera informed him.
"Ah, I see. I think I saw you in the library. Hard workers."
"Thanks, I try to keep up with my studies, but I mean... you're a professional Quidditch player. That's amazing."
Krum shrugged. "Maybe. But studies are important."
"I agree," her eyes slid over to Pansy and Draco. "Perhaps you should take a page out of Krum's book. I don't recall either of you being the top of your year."
"We're not nerds-" Draco began, but realized what Viktor had said. "It's pointless trying against Granger. She goes ahead of the text books for fun."
Kiera rolled her eyes, tucking the autograph safely into her bag where she could give it to Cedric in the morning. Perhaps she was being much kinder than she was accustomed to being, but she saw no harm in it. Especially if this Hannah girl got a real kick out of having Krum's autograph. It wasn't long before the food vanished from the tables and the moment everyone had been anxious awaiting was nearly upon them.
The Goblet did not need prompting to begin working its magic. Dumbledore stood up as the Goblet considered carefully who it was going to select. Blue flame leapt up, spitting out a charred piece of parchment, the Great Hall eerily quiet as Dumbledore snatched it out of the air gracefully and unfolded it.
"Fleur Delacour," he announced.
Eyes scattered around the room, as a slender and very beautiful young witch stood up in her silky periwinkle robes. Her hair was like spun gold and her features were delicately hewn. Boys sighed after her as she flounced up toward Dumbledore, who then directed her to go back to the professor's lounge. Applause, clapping, and French encouragement rang through the air at her election.
The Goblet belched again, sending another piece of parchment flying from out of the icy flames. "Krum, Viktor." Durmstrang students beat their feet on the ground rhythmically. From all appearances, everyone in their school had expected that Viktor would be chosen as their Champion. Swaggering up from the Slytherin table, Viktor ignored the accolades and applause to be directed away with Fleur.
For a minute, the Goblet considered much longer than it had been between Fleur and Viktor. Finally, it wheezed out a piece of parchment, the entirety of Hogwarts hanging onto their benches as they waited to hear the name called. "Rowle, Kiera."
"WHAT." Keira's own proclamation echoed throughout the Great Hall as much of Hogwarts reeled from the revelation. Murmurs spread across the hall like wildfire, but it was Slytherin house that erupted in unmatched fervor. Cassius hauled her to her feet and her legs moved on their own toward Dumbledore. Blood pounded as loud as a war drum in her ears, deafening her more than the reluctance of Hogwarts to accept their Champion. Her ears burned hot as she ducked into the back room where the other Champions waited.
Fleur gave her a look over, raking her eyes up and down.
"Study pays off, does it not?" Viktor mused, cracking a smile at her.
His words made her laugh, breaking the extreme amount of nerves she had. "It would seem so," she agreed.
"Drink for the Champions?" a house elf squeaked, coming by with crystal chalices filled with champagne.
Fleur accepted a glass first, smiling sweetly at the both of them. "A toast," she said, her English also accented heavily. "To the champions."
But before Viktor or Kiera had the chance to raise their glasses, Harry Potter appeared in the doorway, his young face twisted in confusion and ghostly white. The silence was almost immediately shattered by the cacophony of teachers and judges rushing in behind him. Professor Snape glared haughtily at the 4th year, but swept across the room to stand beside Kiera like a dark sentinel.
"Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore stood beside Harry, calmly entreating him.
"No," Harry insisted desperately.
Kiera didn't know Harry personally, but she knew that he and Malfoy had it out for each other. The Boy Who Lived; aka someone her brother probably wanted dead. Her own opinion on him was perverted from being a Slytherin. He'd done a lot to make their house look bad since his arrival. Before, Kiera hadn't thought Slytherin was such a bad place until Harry provoked the worst eggs into rearing their ugly heads. That natural prejudice of him was hard to chase away, but she did sort of feel bad as he looked daunted, surrounded by several challenging authority figures.
"Two Champions for Hogwarts," Madam Maxime huffed imposingly. "How do we not know the Goblet had always intended to make out two champions for Hogwarts?"
"There should be a retrial for submissions," Karkaroff hissed furiously.
"I assure you there was no tampering with the Goblet aside from someone putting Harry's name in it," Dumbledore began steadily. "Once a name is called by the Goblet, it cannot be withdrawn. It is an unbreakable contract. Whoever put his name in knew that he would have to compete... perhaps hoping that a young student such as himself might perish in the competition..."
Harry didn't fare much better at those words.
"Only a very strong charm could confuse the Goblet in accepting a submission from a fourth school," Moody hobbled in, placing his opinion on the matter.
"You seem to know a lot about the Goblet," Karkaroff said suspiciously. "Almost as if you'd know exactly how to do it if needed."
"No better coming from your mouth. Need I remind you that I have to think like Dark wizards do?" Moody glared, setting his magical eye on Karkaroff.
Karkaroff opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore stepped in. "It does not matter how this came to be. Harry has been selected and so he must compete. Harry... join the others."
Harry ducked his head down and quickly joined the rest of them. Snape curled his lip at the boy, but remained close to his pupil who had been Hogwart's true selection. A Ministry official approached them, having removed his bowler hat as he looked them all over. "My name is Mr. Barty Crouch and I am supervising the Tournament. The contest will consist of three surprise tasks, the first of which will occur in late November. The first task is designed to test your magical abilities, along with how well you adapt in stressful situations," he explained.
"And we will have no idea of what we will be facing?" Fleur inquired.
"No," Mr. Crouch informed her. "All the tasks are secret until the day of the task."
The champions stood there awkwardly, a quiet, but fierce conversation going on between Maxime and Karkaroff just off to the side. Keira placed her champagne down, still feeling a bit anxious in her position as Hogwart's champion. Did she believe Harry hadn't put his name in? Astonishingly, yes.
"Ms. Rowle," Snape drew from behind her.
She stepped away to address her head of house. "Yessir?"
"Congratulations on your achievement. I know that you shall make Slytherin proud," Snape began, glancing behind her toward Harry and then back to her. "If you need any assistance... any assistance at all, come directly to me."
"Thank you," she told him discreetly. Snape had always given her high marks, even when she didn't think her work was necessarily deserving of it. Potions was one of her favorite classes, but not exactly because Snape taught it.
They were dismissed as the judges and professors wished to confer more about the precarious situation regarding Harry. This left Kiera walking part of the way back to her common room with Potter, the silence between them as loud as an entourage of trumpets. The diverge between their paths came and Kiera turned to him.
"Best of luck, Potter, you're certainly going to need it."
Harry gazed intently at her, his hatred for Slytherin not masked as his green eyes burned on her. "You're just hoping I fail, don't you?"
Kiera had shoved her hands into her pocket. "What? Honestly, I could care less. I only meant that you're young and this is a dangerous Tournament. Whoever did put your name in was probably hoping you'd get yourself killed."
Harry's eyes were still sharp, but he seemed taken aback by her words. "You believe me?"
"What do you have to gain from lying? Moody said it himself, it would take a very knowledgeable person to fool the goblet. Definitely wasn't you or any of the dorks in Gryffindor. I doubt it was a student at all," Kiera answered firmly.
Harry pursed his lips and nodded slowly. "Rowle-" she stopped mid step from descending the stairs, craning her head to gaze lazily at him. "Good luck."
"Luck's for suckers," she retorted. "I'll have my nose between my books for the next month. I advise you do the same... maybe, Granger is it? Get her help if you want a chance of surviving."
Leaving Potter to go up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, Kiera drew in a deep breath and paused down below in the cool dungeons leading to the Slytherin common room. How had this happened? How had she become the Champion for Hogwarts? Pressing her back to the cool slate wall, she tried to collect her thoughts, blatantly aware that most of Slytherin was going to be eagerly waiting for her. Even Snape had been keen on Slytherin getting the position as Champion, leading her to doubt that this hadn't happened frequently before.
She had to own it. She had put her name in the goblet because she wanted everyone else to see her as she felt: real. No more of this quiet Slytherin who was glossed over. Kiera would embody Slytherin's positive traits, her ambition was what had driven her to put her name in in the first place. Thrust into the light, other houses were reminded that she existed. Aside from those in her year, she doubted that many others had any idea who she was.
Drawing up, standing straight and proper, Kiera trailed down the remainder of the hall, giving the password to the gargoyle standing guard, and climbed down the stairs leading to the common room. When the doors opened, cheering erupted and students that Kiera had never spoken a word to, were patting her on the back and clambering excitedly about how easy it was going to be for Slytherin to win the Triwizard Tournament.
Look at them all. Pretending they've known me or that they care about me at all, she thought. They brimmed with Slytherin pride, which she could understand as she had some herself, but they brimmed with it for the wrong reasons.
"You're going to blow Potter out of the water," Malfoy told her, grinning wildly at the idea. "Don't go easy on him. He cheated his way into the Tournament. You were Hogwart's choice."
"I doubt Potter will be much of a challenge," Kiera admitted, though not because it would make Malfoy happy. Harry was 2 years beneath her. Two years of school that he hadn't had the chance to tackle. Two years of inexperience that might cost him his life. Kiera wasn't a sociopath and she didn't hope for the deaths of any of the other students; she just wanted to win.
"It's no wonder why Rowle was chosen," Pansy simpered, hanging around the velvet green chair that Kiera was sitting in. "She's the smartest witch in Slytherin. Clever to boot and embodies what a witch ought to be."
And just an hour ago Pansy was being snarky with her.
"The Goblet saw something in me, that's why it chose me," Kiera informed her stoutly.
"It saw your ambition and drive," Cassius had been hovering nearby, gleaming with pride that one of his best friends had been chosen as the Champion for Hogwarts. "Did you know that Kiera's an Animagus? She accomplished it last year. Dumbledore and McGonagall agreed to it."
"Really? I had no idea," Malfoy's brows shot up. "Seems like Granger isn't the most clever witch. She's got to beat Rowle in Transfiguration before she can take that title."
"Right? And Rowle doesn't go shoving it in everyone's face," Pansy agreed.
"Rowle, our modest Slytherin," Cassius proclaimed.
"Don't go making up stuff that isn't true," Kiera protested, but she honestly didn't mind all the attention she was getting. Finally, it was as if all her hard work and devotion to school was paying off with some recognition.
"Shut up. Rowle spends hours after classes everyday studying. She deserved this more than anyone else," Cassius insisted.
"We'll see if all that studying pays off, though I'm quite certain I'm better prepared than the Veela-Witch and perhaps Krum as well," Kiera remarked thoughtfully. Perhaps she could win the Tournament.
"Fleur is just a pretty girl," Pansy snorted. "I don't think she'll be much of a challenge... Krum might be."
"I've got a month to prepare for the first challenge. It's a secret too. I've got no idea what I should be preparing for," Kiera admitted.
"Don't worry about that," Malfoy waved her away, a slimy smile unfolding on his face. "I'll find out."