CHAPTER WARNINGS: Underage Sexual Experimentation (masturbation)
A/N Also, because there is no reference for what he looks like due to him being cut out of the movies I have imagined Charlie Weasley looking like Richard Madden only with red hair.
Chapter Two. 1994.
Harry woke, not for the first time, with a strangled gasp as he sat bolt upright in his bed within the confines of the heavy red curtains which surrounded in only this time it wasn't because of a nightmare or some horrific vision of Voldemort. No, this time it was because of a very strange dream which had featured the cast and storyline of 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' which Dudley had become so obsessed with over the holidays that even Harry had been forced to watch it on more than one occasion only in his dream Robin Hood had been replaced by Charlie Weasley while Harry had found himself playing the part of Maid Marion.
And, yes, there had been kissing….lots of kissing…
In the dream he'd been kissed by not only Charlie but the Sheriff of Nottingham and, whilst the latter had been very unpleasant and had prompted him to fight back until he could escape his evil clutches, kissing Charlie, a boy…no, a man...had been…nice…really nice…which was so completely unexpected that it took him a good few minutes to realise that a certain part of his anatomy was significantly more awake than the rest of him.
"What…?"
…did this make him…you know?
"Seriously?" he scoffed at himself, glaring down at his crotch for a long moment before throwing off the covers and heading for the bathroom after checking quickly that his roommates were still fast asleep. "You know? What, can't even think the word? Ugh…"
Turning on the nearest shower stall to the bathroom door he stripped off his pyjamas, an old set of Dudley's which were ridiculously huge on him, and ducked under the hot spray.
It wasn't the first time he'd woken up with an erection, he was a teenage boy going through puberty after all, and he knew that it was perfectly normal thanks to the extremely awkward "talk" Mrs Weasley had given both him and Ron during his stay at the Burrow before the Quidditch World Cup. He also knew, thanks to the same awkward "talk" that at they'd had, that waking up from a so called "wet dream" or feeling the need to "touch himself" were also perfectly normal things to experience whilst going through puberty. All of this had been highly amusing to him and Ron after the "talk" was over and done with, to the point where they'd compared what had happened to them, but this latest development wasn't so funny.
He tried to picture Winona Ryder, the actress he had had a crush on for a couple of years after seeing her in 'Beetlejuice' and 'Edward Scissorhands' without the Dursley's finding out he'd watched them given that they were about "freaks" and were therefore banned, but he couldn't get his mind to focus and her face would melt away inside his mind, transforming into that of Charlie Weasley. Eventually he gave up fighting it, allowing his mind to supply with images both from his dream and from the time spent with the older Weasley, and it wasn't too long after he'd given in that he felt the delicious feeling of his climax building.
It had been frightening the first time he'd orgasmed, a word he had only learned during the "talk" much to his embarrassment, but by the second and third time he could understand why people always seemed to make such a big deal about it. It felt amazing, like flying…
He was just coming down off his high when the bathroom door opened with a thud and Seamus stumbled in, rubbing at his eyes sleepily, as he made his way across the room to the urinal where he proceeded to empty his bladder without ever noticing Harry. Much to Harry's disgust his friend didn't wash his hands before stumbling back out of the bathroom.
"Gross…"
Washing himself off as quickly as possible, a habit born from the fact that his Aunt Petunia timed how much hot water he used up which he still couldn't break even though he knew Hogwarts could never run out of hot water due to the fact that it was all done by magic, he used one of the fluffy towels provided to dry himself off, pulled on his pyjamas and returned to his dormitory to get himself ready for the day. Despite the fact that it was nearly an hour before his usual wake-up time he knew better than to try and go back to sleep, knowing that he'd slip into a deep enough sleep that he would then oversleep and miss out on breakfast.
His uniform, bought on a trip to Diagon Alley with Mrs Weasley, fit much better than his pyjamas although as was his habit he purposefully left his top button undone and wore his tie as loosely as possibly, the knot small and tight. Running his fingers through his messy hair he regretted not letting Mrs Weasley cut it before school had started, the long strands even more difficult to tame than usual, but Ron was trying a new style and wanted "a bit of support" so he'd let himself be talked into leaving it to grow out a little bit more. First chance he got, however, he'd be having a couple of inches taken off to help tame the mess.
Originally he'd intended to lounge about the Gryffindor common room until breakfast but he found himself struck by a need to be outside and so, making his silently through the deserted castle, he slipped out of the nearest entrance into the courtyard. From there his feet took him on a meandering walk around the lake, past the Forbidden Forest, down to the building where the magical boats were kept safe, back up passed Hagrid's hut before eventually bringing him to the Quidditch pitch. Once there he walked out onto the grass which felt unusually soft underfoot thanks to the cushioning enchantment which covered the entire pitch to minimise injuries during a fall or a crash, made his way to the centre circle where the two captains were always required to shake hands and lay down on his back with his hands behind his head so that he could watch the colourful morning sky.
There was no sign of the storm from the night before, in fact the sky was unusually bright and clear for the time of year, so Harry was perfectly comfortable until the breakfast bell rang. He could easily picture Ron snorting in his sleep, disturbed by the familiar noise bug unwillingness to wake up as happened every single morning. He imagined that Hermione would have been up almost as long as he himself had been, probably visiting the library.
Unlike Ron who had never bothered to ask her about her regular visits Harry knew that it wasn't just her thirst for knowledge that drew her to the library at all hours of the day but the peace and quiet it offered when compared with the rest of the school, particularly her dormitory where her roommates, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, spent all of their time giggling about "idiotic nonsense" and singing along to both muggle and magical music.
Harry couldn't blame her for finding refuge from all of that as it was bad enough when Dean Thomas got started on his love of football, discussing things at length with Seamus and Harry who were the only ones who understood what he was going on about and then only vaguely, in Harry's case, as they weren't quite do obsessive about the popular muggle sport.
Breakfast passed quickly once he'd joined his friends, filled with the usual comings and goings of owls and the chatter associated with the first day of a new school year. Neville, who always forgot something, had a large package dropped into his lap by his grandmothers owl which turned out to be his uniform jumpers whilst Fleur received a fashion magazine and some makeup, not because she needed them but because she was a spoilt little bitch.
Ron stumbled into breakfast at the last second looking more asleep than awake and proceeded to inhale more food than he probably should in the few minutes he had before they needed to leave for their first lesson of the day which, after a quick check of their schedules, turned out to be Herbology with the Hufflepuff's. It wasn't a challenging lesson, Herbology never was as it was 75% practical with only 25% of the course relying on written work and most of that was done during their one theory lesson a week rather than homework, as they spent the hour and a half squeezing yellowish green pus which had a rather pungent smell that reminded Harry of petrol from 'Bubotubers'. Apparently the revolting pus was the main ingredient used for treating severe acne which was, you know, good to know. The work was more than a little bit disgusting but also inexplicably satisfying.
It was with a sense of trepidation that they headed down to their second subject of the day, Care of Magical Creatures, each and every one of them remembering the interesting lessons Hagrid had organised for them the year before. Once again the Gryffindor's had been paired up with the Slytherin's for the subject and Fleur surveyed their outdoor classroom area with an expression of disgust which only got worse once they found out exactly what they'd be doing – feeding newborn 'Blast-Ended Skrewts' which were about as pleasant as they sounded. Hagrid, evidently, thought it would be fun for them to help raise them and so each of them had been forced to adopt one of the creatures which resembled a pale, slightly deformed shell-less lobster, legs sticking out at odd angles and they smelt of rotting fish.
The males, it turned out, were the ones with the deadly looking stingers whilst the females had been gifted with ominous looking suckers and both had a nasty habit of shooting sparks out of the tips of their tails every now and then, propelling them forwards a few inches whilst burning whatever was in the vicinity. This, unfortunately, included Dean's hand.
"I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive," Fleur sneered, refusing to go anywhere near the creature she'd been given as Dean began making his way back towards the castle in order to visit the Hospital Wing, the burn on his hand rather alarming in both size and severity. "Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting and bite all at once?"
Hagrid had seemed genuinely confused by their lack of enthusiasm for the creatures so after sharing a pointed look with his friends Harry, Ron and Hermione put on a rather impressive performance, giving the illusion that they were not only enjoying themselves but that they thought that rearing the new breed of monster Hagrid himself had bred was a fantastic idea.
Hermione vanished midway through lunch, scurrying off the library much to Ron's continued bemusement as he certainly didn't see the appeal that the library offered, much preferring to spend his entire lunch break stuffing his belly with the delicious food provided.
There were times that Harry genuinely feared his friend's stomach was going to explode…
Following lunch Harry trudged up to the top of the astronomy tower to join the rest of the class about to suffer through three painfully long hours of Divination, the subject he found both painful and pointless and therefore hated that it was one of the double lessons he'd been assigned this year. Honestly, an hour and a half of Professor Trelawney was bad enough but three hours was definitely going to drive him completely and utterly insane.
"You are preoccupied, my dear," Professor Trelawney announced mournfully as the class took their seats, standing over them and blinking down at Harry through her thick glasses. "My Inner Eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas…most difficult…I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass…and perhaps sooner than you think…"
So it was to be the same this year, Harry thought to himself as she moved away to take her seat with her favourite students gathered close around her, Lavender and Parvati taking the pouffes on either side of her chair. Padma, Parvati's twin sister who had been sorted into Ravenclaw, sat as far away as she could get as did Harry and Ron. Throughout his Divination lessons last year Professor Trelawney had predicted death and destruction for Harry and his closest friends and it seemed that she was determined to keep the tradition going this year.
"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars," she announced grandly, sweeping her hands up towards the ceiling which was decorated with images of the constellations. Lavender let out a sharp gasp of excitement. "The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle…"
Harry tried not to take her "predictions" too seriously as most of them had been proven to be complete and utter codswallop but there had been a couple of times when she'd been right, or at least almost right. Could Sirius be in trouble? Could he have been captured? That was, after all, what Harry had been fearing the most recently…although he supposed she could also have been referring to his growing fears about his less than straight sexuality…
No.
She was just making things up to sound mysterious in front of his gullible classmates.
There was no way she could actually see into the future…
"Harry!"
Something jabbed into his side, an elbow, causing him to flinch away and let out a startled,
"What?"
Ron cleared his through, nodding towards the rest of the class who Harry now realised were completely focused on him. Despite the fact that this was an altogether too familiar experience it didn't make it any less uncomfortable for the teenage wizard who sat up straighter in his chair, rubbing at the back of his neck with his hand as Trelawney spoke up.
"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn."
"…born under what, sorry?"
"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!" Professor Trelawney grumbled, visibly annoyed with the fact that he wasn't gazing up at her with wide eyes like most of the class appeared to be. Either they were easily amused or there was something mind-altering in the incense the older woman was burning around her favourite chair. Or perhaps it was a little bit of both. "I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth…your dark hair…your mean stature…tragic losses so young in life…"
"…mean stature…?" Harry muttered to himself. "What the…?"
"I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in mid-winter?"
"No," he answered simply. "I was born in July."
Ron just about managed to hide his snort of laughter behind a loud cough.
For the next two and a half hours the students were forced to complete a complicated circular chart upon which they were expected to record the positions of the planets at the moment of their birth. It was proving to be quite a challenge, one that only a few of them were enjoying and Harry was most definitely not one of them as he found himself faced with the problem of having two Neptune's upon his chart and nowhere left to put Pluto.
"Oh, Professor, look!" Lavender suddenly cried out as the end of the lesson approached rapidly, gesturing to her chart with the feathered end of her quill. Trelawney leaned over to study the page. "I think I've got an unexpected planet! Oooh, which one's that, Professor?"
"It is Uranus, my dear."
Ron couldn't resist snorting just loud enough to be heard by everyone,
"Can I have a look at Uranus, too, Lavender?"
His friends suggestion received a great deal of laughter from everyone but Lavender who huffed loudly, her cheeks flaming brightly with embarrassment, and Professor Trelawney who proceeded to set them in incomparable amount of homework for the first day of term.
"Miserable old bat," Ron muttered bitterly once they'd escaped the stuffy classroom and were headed down to join the rest of the school into the Great Hall for dinner. Not even Lavender and Parvati had been happy about the work. "That'll take all weekend, that will…"
"Lots of homework?" Hermione enquired, almost smugly, as she appeared out of nowhere, joining them on their way down to the Great Hall. She was clutching her books in such a way that it was a miracle she didn't drop all of them. "Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"
Ron huffed loudly,
"Well, bully for Professor Vector…"
As per usual the Entrance Hall was a hive of activity as students began queuing outside the decorative doors which would eventually admit them into the Great Hall where the delicious smells of dinner were emanating from. It didn't take long for Ron to grumble about the wait, claiming that his stomach was eating itself, and Harry was just about to beg his friend to shut up when a piercing voice cut through the general hubbub of the large crowd,
"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"
DeLacour.
Just what they needed…
"What?"
"Just thought you should know that your father made it into today's paper," their arch-nemesis announced, pretending to offer Ron the copy of the Daily Prophet that she held but snatching it back before he could take hold of it. Fleur laughed coldly. "Listen to this!"
FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.
Fleur giggled coldly.
"Fancy not even getting his name right, Weasley," she crowed, smirking over her shoulders at her loyal followers and cronies. "It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?"
Silence had fallen upon the Entrance Hall as everyone listened to what was being said.
Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved with a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ('policemen') over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of 'Mad-Eye' Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.
"And there's a picture, Weasley!"
Ron clenched his fists at his sides, glaring across at Fleur as she showed off the picture.
His neck was starting to turn an alarming shade of red…
"A picture of your parents outside their house," she continued, snorting cruelly. "If you can even call that a house. Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"
Ron began to shake, consumed by his mounting fury and humiliation.
"Shut up, DeLacour," Harry grumbled, taking Ron by the elbow. "C'mon, Ron…"
"Oh, that's right, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you?" Fleur sneered, tossing her picture perfect platinum blonde hair over her shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye Harry caught sight of Hermione fussing with her own less than perfect hair, attempting to get it to lie flat. "Tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"
Now, Harry could put up with a lot from Fleur DeLacour but one thing he would not stand for was listening to the selfish girl insult such a wonderfully kind woman as Molly Weasley.
"You know your mother, DeLacour?" Harry enquired, tightening his grip on his best friends elbow in order to stop the volatile redhead launching himself towards the Slytherin's. Now, how to suitably retaliate… "That expressions she's always got on his face, like she's got dung under his nose? Has she always looked like that, or is it just because you were with her?"
Fleur's delicately pale face flushed unattractively as she choked out,
"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."
"Keep your fat mouth shut, then."
What happened next was something that would live on in infamy within the halls of Hogwarts for countless years to come; a loud bang, followed by the panicked screams of several people as something painfully hot grazed along the side of his face. Fumbling for his wand, tucked securely in his robes, he had only just managed to get hold of it when a second loud bang was heard by all and a booming voice penetrated the shocked screams,
"Oh, no you don't, young lady!"
Harry spun around to face his attacker only to find himself gazing at a pure white ferret, suspended in the air by whatever spell Professor Moody who was stood at the foot of the stairs had cast upon it. No, not it, her, for the ferret had taken the place of Fleur DeLacour.
"I'll teach you to try and curse someone when their back is turned!"
Silence fell upon the crowd as, with a wave of his wand, the unsteady Professor sent the ferret flying up into the air, high above their heads before allowing it to fall freely towards the ground, only catching it at the last possible moment. Next the ferret was sent flying from side to side in the space available, over and over until the Professor tired of this.
"You stinking, cowardly, scummy…"
Harry's mouth dropped out in shock as the ferret was unceremoniously deposited down the front of Vincent Crabbe's trousers, the creature struggling to grip onto the boy's belt in an attempt to stop itself vanishing from sight. It was no good and into the piece of clothing it went, followed quickly by Gregory Goyle's hand as the taller boy attempted to rescue Fleur.
"Oi!" Vincent protested, both at the ferret and the hand down his trousers. "Leave off!"
A titter of giggles spread through the crowd as Gregory removed his hand, blushing furiously, moments before the ferret emerged from the bottom of Vincent's trouser leg.
"Professor Moody!"
The familiar sharp voice of Professor McGonagall rang out over the noise of the entrance hall, silencing the titters and the giggles as she advanced on the spectacle taking place.
"What are you doing?"
Swirling the ferret around on the ground by its tail Professor Moody shrugged,
"Teaching."
Professor McGonagall lost a considerable amount of colour from her cheeks.
"Is that a…" she gasped, obviously shocked. "Is that a student?"
The ex-Auror didn't seem all that worried to be faced with the irate Head of Gryffindor who Harry genuinely suspected even Death Eaters would be afraid of as he responded calmly,
"Technically, it's a ferret…"
Harry wasn't the only one fighting to hide a burst of uncontrollable laughter as Professor McGonagall returned Fleur DeLacour to her rightful state with a flick of her wand and a muttered incantation, the dishevelled girl appearing in an ungainly heap on the floor with her skirt up around her waist revealing her inappropriately skimpy knickers for all to see.
Flushing almost purple with a mixture of rage and embarrassment Fleur scrambled to her feet, fixing her clothing as she moved but the damage was done. Not only would she be remembered for being the girl who was turned into a ferret but she'd also forevermore be remembered as the girl who flashed almost the entire school her pink, lacy underwear.
"We never use transfiguration as a punishment!" McGonagall cried, rounding on Professor Moody once more who reached out to grab hold of the back of Fleur's robes when the Slytherin attempted to storm off with an indignant huff. "Surely Dumbledore told you that?"
"He might've mentioned it…"
"Well, you will do well to remember it."
"I just thought that a good sharp shock –"
McGonagall practically screeched in response to his attempt at justification,
"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House! We don't transform them into…into an animal and torture them in front the student population!"
"Huh…" Professor Moody huffed deeply before grinning broadly. "I'll do that then."
Fleur all but screeched, struggling to remove herself from the hand holding her in place,
"My mother will hear about this!"
"Is that a threat?" Moody roared, shaking Fleur like she was a rag doll. "Is that a threat?"
"Professor!"
"I could tell you stories about your mother that would curl even your greasy hair!"
Fleur seemed equally as insulted by the description of her hair as she was by the slight to her mother, finally succeeding in pulling herself from the Professors grip and storming off.
"It doesn't end here!"
"Alastor!"
Harry thought that, more than anything, Professor McGonagall sounded scandalised.
Beside him Ron wasn't even trying to muffle his laughter, crowing loudly about how Fleur had got exactly what she deserved whilst also complaining that her time as a "flying ferret" hadn't lasted longer. Hermione huffed, predictably disgusted by the redheads behaviour.
"Disperse!" Professor McGonagall ordered the students, using her wand to throw open the doors of the Great Hall so that they could enter the cavernous room. "All of you! Now!"
Harry and Hermione didn't need to be told twice, grabbing Ron and dragging him inside.
"Claude, if you throw up in my room I won't be responsible for my actions," Draco muttered as he manually transferred his clothes from his trunk to the various storage options in his private room upon the carriage which was transporting them to Hogwarts and would then be serving as their home away from home for the duration on the tournament. "I mean it."
Claude's response was to offer him the finger with both of his hands, glaring petulantly.
He had been less than thrilled to discover that they were to travel to Hogwarts in a flying carriage pulled by a dozen winged horses, given how utterly terrified he was of heights, but it was actually the view out of the window that was causing his stomach to rebel. Whilst the interior of the carriage seemed to be perfectly still thanks to a suitable stabilising spell the exterior of the carriage was, in fact, at the mercy of the elements and as such was being flung this way and that. This meant that the view out of the various windows in the different rooms of the carriage which was, of course, bigger on the inside was constantly moving, the fluffy white clouds jerking back and forth across the blindingly blue sky, the sun flashing up once in a while to blind them. Claude wasn't the only one suffering and so most of the elegant drapes had been drawn across the windows, Draco's included, but the damage had been done as far as their friend was concerned, the motion combined with his fear leaving him desperately trying to keep his breakfast down in his stomach where it belonged.
In a repeat performance of their first night back at school Ramona was busy decorating his small room with the colourful drapes, tapestries and magical fairy lights which she had stripped from his room at Beauxbatons before they'd left. This time she was putting the fairy lights up in a large spiral pattern on the ceiling which appeared to be almost hypnotic.
"Why don't you go and lie down for a bit, mi amor?" Javi murmured sympathetically, brushing his boyfriend's hair back from his rather clammy forehead. "I'm sure JJ won't mind hanging out in the common room for the rest of the journey so you can sleep it off…"
Claude groaned, obviously reluctant, but eventually nodded.
Of the twenty-seven students who had put their names up for consideration only sixteen had been selected by Madame Maxime to represent Beauxbatons at the Triwizard Tournament and, as she was selecting the best possible candidates, the final representatives included all of the Senior Prefects for the three houses (Ramona and Thierry for Bellefeuille, Yvette and Claude for Papillonlisse, Adelaide and Javier for Ombre Lune) as well as both the Head Boy (Draco, a former Prefect of Bellefeuille) and the Head Girl (Lara, a former prefect of Papillonlisse). As for the remaining candidates they were some of the smartest students in the entire school, consistently achieving exemplary qualifications in their chosen subjects.
"Be grateful there's only the three of you in there," Ramona muttered from where she was fighting to get a emerald drape to hang just right above the door. "I can tell you now that there aren't enough extension charms in the world to make it comfortable for four teenage girls to share a room. We're already getting in each other's way and it's only day one..."
"Which explains why you're already here taking over my room like it was your own," Draco chuckled as he resigned himself to having absolutely no privacy in his private room, not that it would have been any different back at Beauxbatons. "Who is it you're sharing with?"
"Madame has kept us troublesome Bellefeuille's together," Ramona chuckled, stepping back so as to allow her brother and his boyfriend to slip out of the room whilst also assessing the drape she'd just hung. Eventually she nodded, happy with its placement. "I was already sharing with Josephine so that's no problem. She's even let me change the colour of the drapes around her bed to a beautiful jade green which matches those ribbons she always wears in her hair. Unfortunately I'm now also sharing a room with Skye Dreyer who has already taken over the entire dressing table with her hair products and make-up necessities, not to mention covered almost the entire floor with more pairs of shoes than I thought possible. Desiree Morel, our resident Papillonlisse, is practically a saint in comparison even though she has more clothes than the rest of use combined. At least she asked before she started filling up the wardrobes and drawers with her things. Skye didn't even bother."
It was a struggle for Draco not to start chuckling at his friends "misfortunes" but he managed to control himself, focusing instead of unpacking his various textbooks and organising them in alphabetical order on one of the shelves above his small study area.
"Couldn't you have asked to swap with one of the girls in the other room?"
Ramona scoffed loudly,
"And end up sharing a room with at least one of the 'ettes' if not both? No, thank you!"
There weren't many people that Ramona, a generally friendly and open-minded person, didn't like but Yvette Courtemanche and Odette Poulin (or the 'ettes' as she referred to them) were quite possibly the only people in the entire school that she couldn't stand.
It all stemmed from the fact that both Yvette and Odette had had designs on Draco at one point or another and had seen his close friendship with Ramona as an obstacle to be overcome, neither of them willing to accept the fact that he was completely gay. They had made it very clear that they believed the right woman could help him and he in turn had made it perfectly clear that he believed that the right woman could do the same for them.
Unfortunately they had taken this, somehow, to mean Ramona. They had been convinced for years that he and Ramona were dating in secret and had done everything to make her life as difficult as possible out of nothing more than petty jealousy and, although they had now accepted the fact that they weren't dating, they still envied her for their friendship.
"I would have gone to Madame and suggested that Josephine and I share with Nina and Adelaide were it not for the fact that Skye, Desiree and the 'ettes' trapped in a small space together for any length of time would most probably lead to an outbreak of war," Ramona sighed, using a simple transfiguration spells to transform the flat beige carpet beneath their feet into a ridiculously soft and fluffy expanse of forest greens and midnight blues. Draco snorted, nodding to show his agreement of her simple statement. "So I'm stuck with the lesser of two evils but if Skye carries on as she is she'll soon find her things going missing..."
As far as Draco was aware Nina Rivera was one of the few girls Ramona was actually close with, their Spanish heritage uniting the girls even though they came from different opposite sides of the country; Javier and Ramona coming from Badajoz, a city located closed to the Portuguese border while Nina had spent her formative years in Madrid before moving to Barcelona when her parents had divorced. Ramona wasn't as close with Adelaide Michaud, the smartest girl in their year who had a habit of knocking Draco off the top spot, but she was friendly with the quiet girl as she had been Nina's closest friend since their first year.
"I wonder if JJ will ask Madame to swap rooms at some point given that it seems a little unfair that of the only two couples attending this tournament he and Fabian had been split up while Javier and Claude are together," Draco murmured, placing the last of his textbooks on the shelf before moving on to sorting out the rest of his school supplies. His quills were some of the finest money could buy, at his father's insistence, and were kept in a protective leather roll up case which had his families crest embossed on the outside. It had been his mother who had insisted that he have a personal set of silver inkwells which he could refill as needed, the delicate design of snakes, peacock feathers and roses showing off the quality craftsmanship of the piece. "I can't imagine Jan or Thierry having a problem with swapping."
"Jan won't care, you're right about that, but Thierry might," Ramona pointed out as she continued to alter the colours of the walls, ceiling, window drapes, bed drapes and even the door to create a soothing blend of blue, greens, purples and deep reds. It was…perfect, if he was honest, and it amazed him how well his friend could read him. "Jan will be too busy appreciating the female population of Hogwarts and Durmstrang whatever happens but Thierry…I don't know if he could survive Claude and my brother's exuberant lifestyles…"
Draco hummed softly in agreement.
Thierry Giles was quiet possibly the quietest person he had ever met, speaking only when there was no other option. He wasn't shy, as such, merely preferred the peacefulness of his own company over the liveliness of others. No, Draco couldn't see him enjoying sharing a room with Claude and Javier but then again he was already sharing with Fabian and Jan who were just as lively as the couple were, so he probably wouldn't be too happy either way.
"I suppose it'll probably come down to who he considers to be the lesser of two evils; Javier and Claude or JJ and Fabian," Draco surmised thoughtfully, placing the most recent family photograph on the corner of his little desk nearest the delicate looking lampshade. It had been taken during their most recent 'excursion' to Oahu, the third largest and most densely populated of the Hawaiian Islands which was also home to the states magical community. Ramona giggles softly, putting her wand away as she perched on the bed. "You finished?"
"Yes," she confirmed cheerfully. "My work here is done. My masterpiece is complete."
"And with..." he paused, glancing across at the clock mounted on the wall beside the window in order to find out what the time was. "…forty-five minutes to go until we land."
Draco's last task of settling in was to unpack his large collection of novels and short stories, filling every possible space with his books. He loved to lose himself in the wonderful worlds created in the various works of fiction, most of them surprisingly muggle in origin although he had collected all thirty-eight works by a witch called Ingrid Crawford. It had been his mother who had introduced him to his favourite author, however; the muggle Jane Austen, and as always her much read works were given pride of place on top of his bedside cabinet.
"I still don't know how you find the time to read as much as you do," Ramona admitted, tracing the pattern covering one of the larger books on the top shelf before dropping down onto the bed with enough force to cause her to bounce upon the mattress. "I tried reading those books you recommended over the summer but I…I just couldn't find the time..."
"That's because you spend all your free time designing fabulous interiors and redecorating any room you can get your hands on," he pointed out, dropping down beside her so that they ended up lying side by side, their heads together on his pillow. "You can build a career on that. I can hardly build a career on reading novels and short stories, well, unless I become an editor or a…a reviewer, neither of which hold much appeal if I'm completely honest."
"No, you're destined for something far greater than that, mi gran amigo."
If he were being completely honest Draco had no idea what sort of a career he wanted to pursue following the culmination of his education. His skills on the Quidditch Pitch were such that, should he feel inclined to, he could almost certainly guarantee a successful career on a professional team. However it had also been suggested by his instructors that he should consider becoming a Potions Master/Instructor due to his natural talent in the subject which, although an honourable career, had never rally appealed to him. He might have a natural talent in Potions but his favourite subjects were Transfiguration and Charms so if possible he'd like to find a future career which would utilise his skills in those areas.
Of course there was always the option of following in his father's footsteps who, having turned his back on his family and their considerable fortune, had entered into business with Marcel Devereux, the ageing apothecary who's shop was one of the fixtures of 'Bâtons Croisés' and who sadly had no children to inherit the shop when the time came. Lucius had quickly proven his worth, Draco having inherited his natural talent in Potions from his father, and had taken over the business when Marcel had retired when Draco was thirteen.
His mother had always helped out in the shop when needed, even more so now that Lucius was in charge of brewing the various potions and ointments and couldn't therefore man the counter all of the time, but she had also managed to add to their regular income by creating illustrations for a magical children's magazine, sketching and painting little scenes when they were needed and had even turned her hand to creating humorous cartoons just recently.
Draco had not inherited even the slightest fraction of his mother's artistic talent. This was one of the many reasons Narcissa doted on Ramona whenever she visited, finding her sons friend to be a kindred spirit. They had even disappeared for 'girly-days-out' to art galleries on more than one occasion leaving Draco, whom Ramona was meant to be visiting, alone.
"Students," Madame Maxime's voice echoed throughout the interior of the carriage, interrupting many a contented doze or pleasant conversation. It had already been explained that they were to speak English as much as possible for the duration of their stay and so it was no surprise to hear her heavily accented voice using the language of their hosts and Draco's native tongue. "We shall be arriving at 'ogwarts in t'irty minutes. Please ensure zat you are suitably dressed to represent your school during our presentation. As discussed Mademoiselles Poulin and Morel shall lead the way giving a short performance of their acrobatic skills after which we shall enter in mixed pairs in ascending order of position."
"Fantástico…" Ramona muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes towards Draco who couldn't help but chuckle softly. Odette, Yvette and Desiree were leading members of their schools dance troupe and he suspected that Yvette would be most put out at being denied a chance to perform. "They're going to think we're all complete idiots with those two showing off…"
"Just means we'll have to prove them wrong."
Ramona grunted softly in agreement before letting out a deep sigh, slapping her hands against her thighs as she rolled off of the bed in such a way that she could spring to her feet.
"I suppose that means I have to change into my robes," she huffed, her face scrunching up in annoyance as she thought of the delicate concoction of the finest silk money could buy. Because of her more ample figure she had always hated wearing the light fabric which clung to every curve she possessed but Draco, an impartial observer given his sexuality, had always thought she looked truly stunning in them. "I hope Skye hasn't moved my things…"
Alone for the first time since they'd boarded the carriage Draco took his time stripping off his everyday uniform; a fitted blazer over the top of an equally fitted shirt, worn with a long, thin tie with a blunt end, a pair of trousers which weren't quite fitted but definitely weren't excessively loose around his long legs and a pair of black Italian leather shoes. As far as colours went each article of clothing he wore on a daily basis was a different shade of blue; light blue, sky blue, powder blue, pastel blue with the darkest part of the entire outfit being his tie and the piping around the various edges of his blazer which were both a royal blue.
In fact there were only three parts of his uniform, both his everyday outfit and the robes which he only had to don for special occasions such as this, that weren't a shade of blue. His shoes, of course, were black and every article of clothing which made up his uniform had the schools coat of arms embroidered on it somewhere or other; for their blazers it was located on the left breast pocket, for their shirts (or blouses in the girls case) it was in the same sort of location on the smooth fabric, for their trousers or skirts it was actually located on the belt buckle which came with them and on their robes it was also high on the left breast but hidden from view underneath the stylish cape which barely grazed their elbows.
Finally the last point of their uniform which wasn't blue, or at least wasn't light blue for some of them, were the house pins each of them had been given upon being assigned to their house during their first welcoming banquet which were worn beside the school crest. Draco, as a member of Bellefeuille, wore a pin shaped like a delicate green leaf, the details highlighted in gold. As a Prefect he'd been issued a new pin with a large 'P' in the centre of the design and had he made it to Senior Prefect he would have received one with 'SP' on it such as the one which Ramona now wore. As it was the pin he had been given during the final welcoming feast he would ever experience at the school was slightly larger than either of his previous pins and was clearly marked with the words 'Head Boy' in glittering gold.
Claude, along with all of the other students of Papillonlisse, wore a lilac coloured pin shaped like a butterfly in flight with the detail marked out in a beautiful rose gold while Javier had always been proud of his midnight blue pin, perfectly circular in shape and decorated with delicate silvers stars and a crescent shaped moon to symbolise his house, Ombre Lune.
Unbuttoning his blazer he hung it over the back of his chair rather than put it away in his wardrobe and pulled out his silk robes, slipping them on over the top of his shirt and trousers. The robes were fitted to his waist, secured by exactly twenty-eight minuscule buttons covered in the same light blue silk as the robes, where it then flared out to allow ease of movement. As with the girls robes they stopped just past his knees, leaving the bottom of his trousers and his smart black shoes clearly on display, but unlike the girls robes the cuffs of the sleeves weren't quite so tightly fitted. After fixing the layered collars of his robes so that the sharp points hung as they were intended to he smoothed out the mini-cape and carefully transferred his 'Head Boy' pin to his robes, making sure to use the existing hole in the fabric rather than create new ones witch would make it look unkempt.
Glancing at himself in the mirror he mussed up his medium length platinum blond hair with his fingers, grateful that he had given up wearing it slicked back over the summer, getting it to hang artfully around his face before reaching into his wardrobe for the only part of his uniform he genuinely loathed; his beret. Draco was not now nor had he ever been a hat person and so being forced to wear the light blue "monstrosity" as he often referred to it whenever he went outside in his everyday uniform or wore his formal robes such as now was tantamount to torture, or at least so he thought and told anyone who would listen.
"Students," Madame Maxime's voice echoed through the carriage once more just as Draco had finished fussing with the angle of his beret, grumbling the whole time as he struggled to make it look alright. "Please assemble in ze common room. We shall be landing shortly."
Collecting his wand from where he had dropped it on his bed he glanced one last time towards his reflection in the mirror, grimacing at the sight of the hat upon his head, before slipping out of the room. He paused, passing his wand over the lock in order to secure his room, but then made his way along the narrow passageway to the door which would take him to the largest room inside the carriage; the common room. It was also the first room they had entered when boarding, the exterior door admitting them into the room which could have been plucked out of their school with the intricate wall mouldings, the cavernous painted ceiling, the lush carpet and delicate looking sofas, chairs and even a chaise lounge.
Madame Maxime was perched on one of the chairs looking surprisingly elegant considering the fact that she was a half-giantess and therefore towered over everyone. Beside her Lara, the Head Girl, looked positively elfin as she sat on her own chair, her petite frame and delicate features making her looked significantly younger than her seventeen years.
One by one the students, most of them taking the advantage of the sofas although no one stretched out on the chaise lounge, arrived until finally they were all assembled bar two; Claude and Javier. Ramona, who had moved to stand beside Draco near the exterior door, was dispatched to find them just as the carriage gave a little lurch as they finally landed.
"Monsieur Jordan," Madame Maxime called out as she rose from her seat, brushing her enormous hands across her robes in order to remove any wrinkles from the expanse of fabric. As ever her elaborate robes included a high collar, this one made of fur, which framed her head like she was an Elizabethan Queen. "If you would lower ze steps for us…"
"Of course, Madame."
JJ released Fabian's hand and made his way to the door, nodding politely to Draco in order to move the blond boy out of the way, and then the room was flooded with the orange glow of a distant sunset as he flung open the door and hopped down onto the ground. Unlatch get the magical steps JJ unfolded them before offering his hand to Madame Maxime who had moved to stand in the door play, guiding her down the steps as a gentleman should.
"Thank you, Monsieur Jordan."
One by one the students exited the carriage, taking in their first glimpse of Hogwarts and it was no surprise that most of them seemed rather unimpressed; when compared with the three glamorous looking chateaus which made up Beauxbatons the medieval castle that was Hogwarts looked rather…depressing and…damp. Draco, however, was curious. This could have been his school had his life taken a different path. Would he have been happy here?
Ramona, Claude and Javier climbed out last and door was shut and locked behind them.
"Well, you look a little bit more alive than the last time I saw you," Draco murmured as his friends joined him just before a house elf appeared to lead them inside the building. Claude grimaced, rubbing gently at his stomach. "Good luck if any of your classes are up there…"
His friend blinked up at the high tower on the other side of the castle, whimpering softly.
"If they are I shall be dropping them immediately."
Stepping into the main entrance hall of the unfamiliar school Draco felt as though he'd been transported back in time and not in a good way. Looking upward he couldn't see the ceiling which he knew must be located high above them, the flaming torches adorning the walls failing to illuminate the distant reaches, but he could clearly see that every available wall space had been filled with a magical painting of some kind. There also appeared to be a rather alarming number of suits of armour, some carved out of stone, some made of metal.
"I hope it's not always this cold," Ramona muttered, rubbing her hands together as her eyes glanced across at the grand marble staircase which dominated the layout of the large room.
A murmur of agreement spread through the group.
"Please arrange yourselves by order of position," Madame Maxime ordered, gesturing towards the giant double doors to their right. "Mademoiselles Poulin and Morel shall lead."
Odette eagerly danced forwards to the front of the line, fussing with the layers of stiff tulle which made up the skirt of her baby blue tutu until they sat exactly how she wanted them to. She had laced the bodice of her dress as tightly as possible to give her ample cleavage.
Desiree had obviously spent more time on her hair, pinned in an artful bun high up on the back of her head than on her dress, the lacing not quite as tight or as perfect as Odette's.
As they began limbering up, going up onto the pointes of their baby blue ballet shoes, the rest of them took their places. Formal etiquette was part of the curriculum at Beauxbatons, teaching them all how to properly behave on such an occasion as this, and so it only took a couple of seconds for them to get themselves ready. Nina and Thierry were at the front, the Frenchman stood on the right with his arm offered so that she could rest her hand atop his. Then came Skye, Jan, Josephine and Fabian, all paired up in the same manner. Next came the three pairs of Senior Prefects; Adelaide and Javier, Yvette and Claude, Ramona and JJ.
"Lara?" Draco murmured, offering his arm to the beautiful Luxembourger. "Shall we?"
Lara giggled, tossing her blonde curls over her shoulder,
"We shall."
From the other side of the door they heard a loud booming voice call for silence from the students which had previously been causing something of a racket before requesting,
"If you would all please join me in welcoming the talented young students of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Maxime."
Aided by magic the doors before them swung open smoothly, revealing a large hall with a magical ceiling which appeared to be enchanted to look like the sky above. The room was lit be a sea of candles floating underneath the enchanted ceiling as well as torches placed in strategic places around the walls. Dominating the room were the five tables; four long ones where the students of Hogwarts were sat and one for the staff at the far end of the room.
The Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, was stood in front of his thrown like chair to greet them and Draco was amused to notice that he looked like the muggle version of a wizard; long white beard which was gathered together by a little ribbon or chain, wire-rimmed spectacles, billowing robes with delicate embroidery on the sleeves and a small round hat.
Odette and Desiree sprung into action, making their way along the centre aisle between long student's tables in a series of elegant twirls and flourishes. A murmur of surprise spread through the gathered students, most of them obviously over-awed by the display.
Draco and the others followed at a more sedate pace; heads held high, shoulders back and polite smiles on their faces. Nothing too big or showy, such a display would be considered vulgar by Madame Maxime, but certainly more than an apathetic or indifferent expression.
"Blimey!" he heard one boy mutter clearly as he passed by him. "That's one big woman!"
Arriving at the front of the hall Odette and Desiree performed a synchronised series of pirouettes, magical butterfly's fluttering out from the ruffles of their tutus, before ending in an elegant pose amidst the polite applause coming from the sea of students and teachers.
"My dear Madame Maxime," Professor Dumbledore called out with a seemingly genuine smile, descending from the raised platform upon which the staff table sat in order to press a kiss to the back of Madame Maxime's hand. "Welcome to Hogwarts."
"Professor Dumbly-dorr, my horses have travelled a long way," she responded, smiling approvingly down at the bespectacled wizard. Draco noticed that she was playing up her accent, turning her voice into even more of a purr than usual. "They will need attending to."
"Don't worry, Madame Maxime," Dumbledore was quick to reassure her, gesturing with one of his hands towards a man who looked as though he would be as tall as Madame Maxime as he continued. "Our gamekeeper, Hagrid, is more than capable of seeing to them."
Madame Malkin turned her piercing gaze on the man in question,
"But you know, Monsieur Hagrid they drink only single-malt whiskey."
It was just then, as they were being ushered towards the seats which had been made available to them at the end of one of the tables, that Draco felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, warning him that someone was paying particularly close attention to him.
He made no attempt to be subtle or discreet, pausing in his journey to the table so that he could turn back and seek out the eyes which had fixated upon him. There were, in fact, more than a few people openly staring across at him with varying levels of interest in their eyes, some even with a rather heavy doses of attraction or lust making an appearance, but it took him a moment to find that particular gaze which had caught his senses attention.
A boy, aged somewhere between thirteen and fifteen, with piercing green eyes partially hidden behind a rather unattractive pair of wire rimmed spectacles. He was handsome, there was no denying that, although something needed to be done about his messy hair.
"Come on, Draco," Lara murmured, pulling on his arm. "Time to take our seats."
Offering the mystery boy a quick smile, almost a smirk, Draco turned and proceeded to lead Lara across to the long bench, holding her hand as she took her seat. He then took his own seat, running his fingers through his hair just as Professor Dumbledore called for silence.
"And now our friends from the north," he announced, gesturing towards the doors. "Please greet the proud sons and daughters of Durmstrang and their high master, Igor Karkaroff."
Unlike before, when the doors had opened smoothly and gentle, this time they were flung open with an alarming amount of force so as to admit the representatives of Durmstrang.
It was the boys who led the way, armed with staff's which sparked upon impact with the ground as they performed a manly display of testosterone which left quite a few people, Draco included, a little bit hot under the colour. They finished by blowing magical flames up into the air, shaped like dragons and snakes, just as their female counterparts entered the room, striding calmly through the flames looking both mysterious, glamourous and aloof.
Lastly came a figure that everyone present recognised with several people crying out,
"That's Viktor Krum!"
"Quick! How do I look?"
"Krum! Victor Krum!"
They were right, of course – it was indeed the famous Bulgarian Seeker looking every bit as handsome as he had in the numerous newspaper articles which had been written about him since the final of the Quidditch World Cup. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud but Draco felt his heart give an embarrassing lurch as he gazed upon the handsome wizard, nowhere near immune to the effect that his stoic expression and muscular figure had on them all.
"Igor!"
"Dumbledore!"
As the two Headmasters made a great show of greeting each other the Durmstrang were led across to the table farthest away from where Draco was sat, the boys waiting politely for the girls to take their seats first before dropping down onto the benches alongside them.
"Why did the Slytherin's get to have Krum?" a student further along their table grumbled loudly, earning himself a sharp look from the offended Beauxbatons students at the implication that they were not interesting enough. His friend elbowed him. "I…um…sorry…"
Slytherin.
Draco found himself studying the faces of the many students in that particular table, searching out two in particular, as his mind supplied him with the information his parents had given about their former house; founded by the somewhat infamous wizard Salazar Slytherin the house tended to be composed mostly of Pureblood students, due to its founder's mistrust of Muggleborns, and as such the house was traditionally home to students who exhibit such traits as cunning, resourcefulness, and ambition. It was said that most 'Dark Wizards' had once belonged to Slytherin house although even the simplest bit of research would reveal that that was more of a coincidence than a rule. After all Draco's own parents were proof that being sorted into Slytherin wasn't a confirmation of darkness.
He spotted his youngest cousin first.
Gabrielle DeLacour had been graced with the same delicate looks that Draco himself had inherited from his mother; milky white skin, big blue eyes in her case and waist length platinum blonde hair which was gathered into a long braid and draped over one shoulder.
There was something almost...innocent about her but he suspected that was all an act…
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and – most particularly – guests," Dumbledore called out, offering the sea of faces a smile. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. And now, students of Hogwarts! Let's entertain our friends in the best way we can! All stand!"
Draco was surprised by how quickly most of the students jumped to their feet.
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald,
Or young with scabby knees."
It was an interesting song, to say the least, as it didn't appear to have a tune as such, each student singing it in whatever way took their fancy creating a jumble of words and notes.
"Our heads could do with filling,
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff."
Ramona giggled, sharing a look of disbelief with Draco whilst Claude tried and failed to hide his own laughter by pressing his face into Javier's shoulder. It was such a ridiculous song, the lyrics enough to reduce them to tears of laughter, before the "tune" was taken in account.
"So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
It was because of the school song that Draco was finally able to locate his elder cousin due to the fact that she was one of the few students, even amongst the Slytherin's, who wasn't singing. Fleur DeLacour, just like her younger sister, had inherited the delicate looks that were common place within the Black family. Her hair, an even brighter shade of platinum blonde than either Draco's or her sisters, was cut into a bob and styled into messy waves.
Unlike her sister Fleur didn't look even the slightest bit innocent, not with her cold grey eyes and her pursed lips which were painted a rather vivid red colour. She was alternating between making goo-goo eyes at Viktor Krum and glaring at one of the boys sat at one of the middle two tables, a boy who was blatantly ignoring her as he laughed with his friends.
A boy who, Draco noticed straight away, was rather attractive if a little on the young side.
"The moment has come," Dumbledore announced once the song had finally reached its conclusion and the students dropped down into their seats. "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 which we will be following this year." He paused, gesturing towards the doors which opened to admit two smartly dressed men only one of whom Draco recognised as a former Quidditch Beater. "But firstly, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation and Mr Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."
Both men received a polite smattering of applause from the occupants of the large room.
"Mr Bagman and Mr Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime on the panel which will judge the champions' efforts."
Draco's attention was drawn to the double doors when they once again opened, this time smoothly and silently, to admit an old man struggling to carry a large casket, obviously many years old and made of a combination of metal and wood. The fact that he wasn't using magic to move the obviously heavy casket suggested that the man was probably a squib.
"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge," Dumbledore continued, smiling at the squib as the casket was placed on the raised platform beside where he was standing. A sheen of sweat glistened on the squibs forehead for a moment before it was wiped away with a rag. "Thank you, Mr Filch."
The squib, a caretaker of some sort judging by his clothing, nodded sharply before leaving.
"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," Dumbledore's voice had taken on a deadly serious tone but most students only seemed excited by the prospect of the challenges that were to be set for the champions, particularly regarding the oncoming danger. "As you know, three champions compete in the Tournament, 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 with the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector; the Goblet of Fire."
Draco watched, as fascinated as the rest of them, as Dumbledore drew his wand from within his robes, twirling it around his fingers for a long moment before tapping three times of the top of the casket. Nothing happened for a long moment and then the wood and metal just seemed to melt away, dissolving into thin air to reveal the item hidden inside.
As its name suggested the "impartial selector" was a reasonably large goblet made of heavy hewn wood and appeared to contain flickering blue-white flames rather than a liquid.
"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" Dumbledore announced, gesturing to the flames within the cup. An excited murmur spread throughout the room. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward."
Ramona met and held his gaze.
"Tonight," she murmured decisively, only looking across towards her brother and his boyfriend once Draco had nodded his head in agreement. "Before we retire for the night."
"Tomorrow night, on Halloween, the Goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools," Dumbledore continued with his rather lengthy explanation. "The Goblet will be placed in the Entrance Hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to those wishing to compete. To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation 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 the line."
Personally Draco couldn't understand why anyone under the age of seventeen would even want considering how dangerous and deadly the Tournament was known to be. Truthfully he was amazed that so many seventeen year old, himself included, were willing to risk their lives for the sake of glory (admittedly it was eternal glory) and a bag of gold (a lot of gold...)
"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," Dumbledore's tone turned graver as he gazed out at the excited faces, pressing his point home as clearly as he could. "The placing of your name in the Goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are whole-heartedly prepared to play, before you drop your name into the Goblet."
Was he sure?
No, not really, but would that affect his decision to stand beside his friends?
No, not in the slightest.
After all, there was only a one in sixteen chance of his name actually being selected…
A/N Phew! This chapter took a lot of work – creating a whole new group of characters for Beauxbatons with their own personalities and appearances seemed like such a good idea when I thought up this story. LOL. I've had to resort to saving pictures of all my original characters with notes so that I can reliably describe them every time they appear. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this update. I can't make any promises about how soon the next chapter shall arrive as I've signed up to do a writing challenge for the month of November. Comments & Suggestions are more than welcome. X