Meh….I may have lied. I had to split this chapter into two chapters. The first task is in Chapter 8, and the Yule Ball is in Chapter 9.
…
Chapter 7: Ernest Skeeter Isn't So Earnest
"I can't believe it!"
"There it is, right in front of me."
"Wow, it's the real one!"
"Let's hope that nobody curses it this time."
"Are you gonna put your name in?"
"No way! It's suicide."
"Headmaster Fu said that it's safe, but I bet you that's exactly what Dumbledore told Cedric before he died."
"Am I the only one who expected it to be more, I don't know, flashy? It's not even made out of gold."
"The real question is who's going to put their name in first."
"Is anyone going to put their name into the Goblet of Fire?" Alya loudly asked. "Everyone's just been staring at it for the past ten minutes."
"We volunteer as tributes!" Zack Johnson declared.
"What is this, the Hungry Games?" Adrien mumbled.
"Hunger Games," Nino corrected him.
"We thought long and hard, and we finally decided that we should be the first sacrifices," Abby Johnson dramatically sighed.
Each of the Gryffindor twins whipped out a quill and a few pieces of parchment.
The scribbled what seemed like multiple names and marched to the Goblet of Fire.
Abby saluted to no one in particular and blew her nose into a handkerchief before dropping her slip of paper into the wooden cup's white-blue flames.
Her brother did the same.
They stepped away from the Goblet of Fire and started cackling for no apparent reason.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Adrien frowned. "What did they do?"
"It may have something to do with the gigantic argument that Alix and the twins had last night," Marinette said. "I couldn't get any sleep."
"What was the argument about?" Adrien asked.
"Abby and Zack really want Gryffindor's champion and the champion of whichever-house-we're-paired-up with to win. They told Alix that everybody from the Quidditch team should put their name in because we're the most athletic, but she said that she doesn't want the Triwizard Tournament to distract us from Quidditch. So- oh no. Oh no. Nononononono! This is not happening! Please tell me this isn't happening!" Marinette panicked.
"Oh, it's happening, alright," Alya grinned.
"Wait a second, what's happening?" Nino asked.
"Mari's name is in the Goblet of Fire and there's no way that she can take it out," Alya smirked.
"Why'd you say it?" Marinette groaned.
"Don't worry, I'll put my name in to make you feel better," Adrien reassured her. "And I'm sure that Nino and Alya will, too. Right?"
"Are you nuts?" Nino choked. "If I'm chosen, I'm dead! Even if you gave me a million Galleons, I wouldn't-"
Adrien elbowed him in the ribs.
"Fine, I'll enter," Nino sulked.
"So will I. Why not?" Alya shrugged.
"It's not like I'm actually going to win, anyway," Marinette calmly said. "Everyone's putting their bets on some Gryffindor third-year named Carlos. He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts student in his class! It's either Carlos or Riley, that one fourth-year girl who's not afraid of anything. When that Boggart got loose on Halloween, it stopped right in front of her and completely disappeared!"
"Maybe she's terrified of ants?" Adrien guessed. "Kim's already putting his name in, look!"
Kim took a deep breath and gently placed a piece of paper into the Goblet of Fire.
Many other students stepped up and followed his example, including Adrien, Alya, and a very hesitant Nino.
Adrien had to literally carry him onto the pedestal where the wooden goblet stood.
At the end of the day (according to Max's watchful eyes), two hundred fifty-nine Gryffindors, two hundred fifteen Hufflepuffs, one hundred eighty-seven Ravenclaws, and two hundred sixty-four Slytherins were officially nominated for the Triwizard Tournament.
The next day, the everyone in Hogwarts practically plowed the door down, trying to see how the Ramhorns students would arrive.
"Do you think that they're going to take the Beauxbatons approach and use flying carriages?" Marinette excitedly asked.
"Maybe they'll use a gigantic ship!" Nino said.
"In A History of Wizarding Schools, it says that Ramhorns is the ideal breeding grounds of-"
Alya was cut off by a sudden shout.
"Hey, what's that?"
"Where?!" dozens of students yelled.
"In the sky!"
Everybody looked up, craning their necks to see the students of Ramhorns.
"Are those really…...did they tame…...no….." Adrien whispered. "Dragons."
Flashbacks poured into his mind.
"Daddy, what's that?!" Adrien asked, pointing to a large creature in the sky.
"It's a Hungarian Horntail! Oh dear, I'll alert the Ministry of Magic as soon as we get home!" Gabriel nervously said. "Mr. Purcell, we need to Apparate!"
Mr. Purcell (their chauffeur), Adrien, and Gabriel stepped out of the limousine.
It was the first time that Adrien had experienced Side-Along Apparition.
They stood in front of the Agrestes' mansion.
The Agrestes' burning mansion.
An intricate symbol, the mark of the Firestorms, had been carved onto a pillar.
Without a doubt, the dragon that Adrien had seen was one of the Firestorms' dragons that were specifically trained for magical arson.
"AVERY!" Gabriel cried.
He dashed into the flame-engulfed building and searched for his wife.
Ministry officials had to drag him out of his house.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Agreste, but-"
"NO!" Gabriel roared. "NO! AVERY'S NOT GONE! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY! AVERY IS ALIVE, AND I WILL FIND HER, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? DO I?!"
"Adrien."
"Dude, are you okay?"
"Adrien!" Marinette said. "You look really pale."
"I'm fine," Adrien hyperventilated. "Completely fine. Why wouldn't I be? I'm just really scared of dragons."
"The dragons from Ramhorns are tame. There are only four of them, anyway," Alya said. "Joltcastle's dragon is Thunder, a Romanian Longhorn. Vorrsteel's dragon is Odin, a Ukranian Ironbelly. Twynebud's dragon is Druid, a rare cross between a Peruvian Vipertooth and an Antipodean Opaleye. Mystrik's dragon is Avalanche, a Hebridean Black. Impressive creatures, aren't they?"
The Ramhorns students slid down the dragons' backs and took in their new surroundings.
A thin old man hopped off of Odin's back.
Headmaster Fu, who was a good two feet shorter than the man, strolled over to greet him.
"Hello, Headmaster Freeburrow," Headmaster Fu cheerfully said. "How was your ride?"
"Quite a thrill," Headmaster Freeburrow chuckled. "Though, I'm not sure that the Twynebuds would agree."
A young Twynebud girl was currently vomiting behind Druid, while the others were struggling to hold in their suppers from the night before.
"Please, come inside. I have the Room of Requirement prepared as lodging for your students," Headmaster Fu said.
The two gentlemen walked inside, leading the grand procession of students from both schools.
Marinette's predictions were correct.
The Joltcastles, wearing black robes with aquamarine and turquoise trimming, took an immediate liking to the Gryffindors; the Vorrsteels, their trimming orange and metallic gray, to the Hufflepuffs; the Twynebuds, their trimming ivory and copper, to the Ravenclaws; the Mystriks, their trimming purple and silvery-blue, to the Slytherins.
Right before lunch, Headmaster Freeburrow rang a bell to get everyone's attention.
"When I call the champions' names, please stand with Headmaster Fu and me," he said.
He took four slips of paper from his pocket.
The Ramhorns students already knew who their champions were, for they had been called for the journey to Hogwarts along with eleven others from each of their houses.
"From Twynebud, we have Samantha Lakewood!" Headmaster Freeburrow said.
The Twynebuds politely clapped as a second-year girl with black ringlets, olive skin and hazel eyes walked up to Headmaster Freeburrow.
"From Vorrsteel, we have Christopher Sterling!" Headmaster Freeburrow continued.
The Vorrsteels cheered while a tall African American fourth-year boy who could easily bench press his own weight followed Samantha.
"From Mystrik, we have Eve Hendriksen!" Headmaster Freeburrow said.
Not a word was said as a fourth-year girl with long, wispy caramel-colored hair, fair skin, and gray eyes followed Christopher.
"From Joltcastle, we have Nicholas Orchard!" Headmaster Freeburrow finished.
A third-year boy with brown eyes and spiky hair that was half neon green and half bright blue stood up and practically skipped next to Eve.
"Eve and Christopher shall be partners for the Triwizard Tournament, as well as Samantha and Nicholas," Headmaster Freeburrow grinned.
"The Hogwarts champions shall be similarly paired up," Headmaster Fu said. "Hufflepuff with Ravenclaw-"
The two said houses shrugged, as realization sank into the other two.
"-and Gryffindor with Slytherin."
Scowls, snarls, and angry shouts of dismay filled the Great Hall.
"Before you ask, the champions are not allowed to change partners," Headmaster Fu said.
He tapped the Goblet of Fire with his wand.
The wooden cup's white-blue flames turned red and a scorched piece of paper shot out of it.
"From Hufflepuff, we have Daisy Trillkey!" Headmaster Fu announced.
The Hufflepuffs cheered as a third-year girl with short mousy-brown hair, eyes the same color, and black glasses beamed and skipped to Headmaster Fu.
The Goblet of Fire spat out another piece of paper.
"From Ravenclaw, we have Richard Weller!" Headmaster Fu continued.
A good-looking fourth-year boy with shiny auburn locks and blue eyes followed Daisy.
Many Sickles were passed under the Ravenclaw table, as Richard had the most bets for the Ravenclaw champion.
A neat, folded piece of parchment with beautiful cursive letters gently floated out of the Goblet of Fire.
Headmaster Fu straightened the piece of parchment out and raised his eyebrows in amusement.
"From Slytherin, we have Adrien Agreste!"
Adrien was so surprised that he started to choke on his own spit.
He scrambled from the Slytherin table, accidentally stepping on Kim's foot as he scrambled next to Richard.
Adrien being chosen as the Slytherin champion sparked a change amongst the Gryffindors.
The Gryffindor girls were on the edge of their seats, all of them wanting to be Adrien's partner in the Triwizard Tournament.
One last slip of paper drifted out of the Goblet of Fire.
"From Gryffindor, we have Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Headmaster Fu said.
"What?!" Marinette shrieked.
Alix looked like she wanted to rip Abby and Zack's throats out.
She probably would've if a couple of fourth-years hadn't held her back.
"Marinette's gonna get seriously injured! And then who'll play Seeker? Who?" Alix scowled.
Marinette gulped and walked over to Adrien.
"So I guess we're partners, huh?" Adrien grinned.
I have compete in a suicidal tournament with the love of my life, Marinette numbly thought. I have to compete in a suicidal tournament with the love of my life. I have to compete in a suicidal tournament with the love of my life. You won't die, just calm down, calm down, calm-
That was exactly when Marinette fainted.
…
"Look, she's waking up!" a distant voice said.
But I don't want to, Marinette sleepily thought. I just want to rest in this meadow forever, away from everyone, away from responsibility, away from, life. The flowers smell so nice…..
She blinked a couple of times and rubbed her head.
"Where am I?" Marinette groaned.
"You're in the hospital wing," Madam Pomfrey calmly responded. "You've been through a tough ordeal-"
"You were out cold for almost three hours!" Alya worriedly said. "It's already eleven o'clock!"
"I had the craziest dream," Marinette laughed. "The students of Ramhorns arrived on huge dragons! Dragons that were bigger than the entire Quidditch pitch!"
"Mari-" Alya interrupted.
"Sounds weird, right? Well, it gets weirder!" Marinette rambled. "After we went inside, they announced the names of the Ramhorns champions and there was a guy with blue and green hair, but other than that, everyone else looked completely normal. So Headmaster Fu told us that Slytherin and Gryffindor would be paired up for the Triwizard Tournament. Then Adrien was chosen as the Slytherin champion!"
"Mari-"
"I mean, it makes sense," Marinette continued. "Adrien's the most perfect guy in the universe, so of course he'd be chosen. But here's where it turns into a nightmare. Headmaster Fu called out my name, and I started freaking out, because I would be doing tasks that meant imminent death! With my crush, no less! I think it was the weirdest dream I've ever-"
"Marinette!" Alya snapped.
"She's just in a state of denial," Madam Pomfrey said.
Marinette blinked. "Denial?"
"Yes, sweetheart," Madam Pomfrey reassured her. "None of that was a dream."
"But that guy! He had bright green hair!" Marinette protested.
"Nicholas is a Metamorphmagus, honey," Madam Pomfrey said. "You just need to get over the initial shock of being chosen for the Triwizard Tournament. Do you want a Chocolate Frog? I'll get you a Chocolate Frog. They always make me feel better."
For the second time that day, Marinette lost all consciousness.
Alya sighed.
…
Marinette woke up (again) in an hour, just in time for lunch.
She ate a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of tomato soup, and snuck in some chocolate chip cookies for Tikki.
"What happened while I was asleep?" she asked her friends while they walked to Defence Against the Dark Arts.
"Alix got detention. Let's just say that the Johnson twins are in the hospital wing now. I'm not going to go into all the details," Alya shuddered.
"Headmaster Fu and Headmaster Freeburrow told the champions that the first task is on November 24th, and the Weighing of the Wands is on November 17th," Adrien said. "The headmasters will be judging the Triwizard Tournament, along with Chloe's father and Mr. Wood, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He used to be a Keeper for Gryffindor. We also have an interview with Mr. Skeeter before the Weighing of the Wands. He's interviewed me before."
Adrien's forced smile told Marinette that Mr. Skeeter wasn't exactly an honest journalist.
"Mr. Skeeter…..Why does that sound so familiar? Oh, I know! Ernest Skeeter, the most bogus writer for the Daily Prophet that ever existed!" Nino laughed.
"I've read a few of his articles. He's trying so hard to stir things up, and the worst part is that most people actually believe him," Marinette said.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Alya sighed. "He always brags about how his aunt, Rita Skeeter, was 'friends' with Harry Potter. I'm so sick of the gigantic column that he gets in the newspaper when there are interesting stories that only get a paragraph."
"The worst part is that Mr. Skeeter is wrapped around Chloe's perfectly-manicured little finger. Somehow, someway, she's managed to convince him that we're star-crossed lovers. There are fifteen articles about our so-called 'romantic relationship.' My father has bought and demolished most of the copies, but there are still some of them out there," Adrien said.
They finally arrived at the DADA classroom, where there were only two other students, two unfamiliar first-years from Ramhorns.
"Who are you?" Marinette asked.
"I forgot to mention, these two are going to be part of our class for the rest of the school year," Alya said.
The girl, a Joltcastle, looked almost exactly like Marinette.
Her pigtails were a darker shade of blue and much longer, and her eyes were the same shade as her hair.
"Hi, I'm Bridgette! Bridgette Xiao! Nice to meet you," she giggled.
The boy, a Mystrik, sighed.
He had pale skin, pale blond hair that was neatly cut, and cold blue-gray eyes.
"Felix Bösedrachen," he boredly said.
The other students flooded into the classroom.
Mylene had barely sat down when Professor Timmonds Apparated into the room, bringing the smell of burnt chicken with him.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I see that we have two new students. Welcome to Hogwarts, Felix and Bridgette. Your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher from Ramhorns sent me a letter on your knowledge, and it seems that you two are on the same level as the rest of the class. We will not need this classroom today. Please follow me," Professor Timmonds said.
He briskly walked outside of the poorly lit room, and the students had to run to keep up with his lengthy strides.
He paused at a room that was completely empty, except for a large oak cabinet at the back.
"We are going to learn about Boggarts. They hide in dark, cramped places, like this cabinet. Nobody knows the true form of a Boggart. They take on the form of your worst fear, but getting rid of them is easy. You have to turn your worst fear into something so absurd and laughable that it's no longer scary. After you have that image in your mind, point your wand at the Boggart and say 'Riddikulus!'" Professor Timmonds said.
Marinette closed her eyes and thought of her worst fear.
Lethifolds.
Black, shroud-like creatures that could murder you and swallow you whole in the dead of the night.
Monstrous shadows that were impossible to escape.
Suffocation was inevitable.
There was one that had attacked a nearby section of Paris when she was in third grade.
Five sets of parents, innocent Muggle parents, woke up to find their child missing.
Marinette only remembered the name of one of them.
Skylar was a quiet girl who never talked much unless she had to answer a question from the teacher.
She would read a new book every day, until a Wednesday in April.
Skylar was never seen again.
But how could Marinette possibly turn Lethifolds into something cheery?
A dress! Marinette thought. I'll just turn the black cloak into a pretty ball gown.
"Are you ready?" Professor Timmonds asked.
"Yes!" most of the students shouted, while Adrien stayed silent.
Professor Timmonds opened the cabinet.
Because Kim was at the front of the group, the thing that crawled out was a huge Acromantula.
Kim (femininely) screamed and pointed his wand at the Boggart.
"Riddikulus!" he shrilly said.
Loud music from the 1950's started to play.
"You put your left arm in, you put your left arm out!" a woman sang.
The Acromantula attempted to follow the lyrics' instructions.
The result was that it tripped on one of its legs and landed on its face.
Some of the students began to chuckle.
"You're doing great, Kim!" Professor Timmonds said.
Kim grinned as the Boggart moved onto its next target, Chloe.
The dancing Acromantula turned into a swarm of rats.
"VERMIIIIIIIN!" Chloe shrieked. "Save me, Adrikins! Riddikulus! Riddikulus! Make them go away!"
The rats turned into adorable golden toy poodle puppies.
"Awwww!" Rose cooed.
"I'm more of a cat person," Adrien grumbled.
The puppies jumped in front of Nathaniel and turned into a deranged version of Professor Mendeleiev.
She sneered and waved some of his best drawings in his face, then ripped them into shreds.
Nathaniel took a deep breath and shouted "Riddikulus!"
Professor Mendeleiev started to honk like a goose, earning a barrelful of laughter from the students.
Each of the students confronted the Boggart.
Alya's clown became a tulip.
Nino's man-eating headphones (it was a childhood experience that he didn't like to talk about) turned into a bunch of bubbles.
Mylene's Boggart, the darkness, was sucked up by a vacuum.
Ivan's Inferi turned into zombies, which were still terrifying for everyone except him.
Juleka's mermaids (the fish-like ones with razor-sharp teeth) that swam in a tank became harmless goldfish.
Lila, who was afraid of fire, turned her flames into balloon animals.
Rose's huge viper turned into pink butterflies.
Sabrina's wasps became sparrows.
Alix was afraid of mummies (which was ironic, considering that her father was the manager of a museum), and the mummy's bandages turned a hideous shade of neon green.
Bridgette's odd slime-monster vanished into a puddle of water.
Felix's rabid mountain lion shrank into a kitten.
Everybody laughed at Max's worst fear, ducks.
"Anatidaephobia is completely rational! Riddikulus!" he yelped as a duck chased him.
The duck turned into a rubber chicken.
Marinette's Lethifold wrapped around her and she turned it into a beautiful blue dress.
Although it was weak, the Boggart preyed upon Adrien.
It turned into a massive Hungarian Horntail.
Adrien froze.
"Mommy, Mommy, where are you?" Adrien screamed. "Daddy, where's Mommy?!"
The dragon stared at him.
Adrien shivered and his knees wobbled.
"Adrien, are you-"
Professor Timmonds' voice was the last thing he heard before he shoved the door open and sprinted out of the room.
…
Adrien hid inside the bathroom for the remainder of the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.
The next class was History of Magic, the most boring period of the day.
Well, except for the black owl that landed on Adrien's desk while Professor Binns droned on and on about some goblin war that nobody really cared about.
The owl released a red envelope from its talons and flew away.
Adrien didn't need to see the fancy signature on the Howler to know who sent it.
He opened the envelope and a voice started to speak.
The voice wasn't angry, it was just loud.
"Meet me in my office, right after class."
After Professor Binns finished rambling about goblins, Adrien knocked on the door of his father's office.
"Come in," Gabriel said.
Adrien pushed the door open and stepped inside the room.
"Father, do I have a new modelling appointment? Or-"
"You know exactly why I called you here," Gabriel interrupted. "You do understand that I can't allow you to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, right?"
"Why not? It's a good thing that I'm representing Slytherin. Headmaster Fu told us that the tasks aren't life-threatening. My partner is one of my friends. The Triwizard Tournament could heal the rift between Gryffindors and Slytherins," Adrien argued.
"I care about your health more than an old house rivalry. No son of mine will ever participate in such barbaric practices," Gabriel simply stated.
"'Barbaric practices?' Father, this is a friendly contest between schools! It's going to be fine, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself during the Triwizard Tournament," Adrien protested.
"What spell or potion did you receive to make you do something so insane as to put your name into the Goblet of Fire?" Gabriel asked.
"I wrote my name of my own accord! You're not even proud of me for being chosen! Mom would've been proud of me!" Adrien yelled, tears streaming down his face.
He stormed out of his father's office.
Gabriel ran after him.
"I LOVE YOU, ADRIEN, AND I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU LIKE I LOST YOUR MOTHER!" he yelled back.
Adrien stopped and looked at his father, his green eyes slightly red.
There they were, Avery's eyes again.
The same emerald eyes, filled with laughter, radiance, and summer days.
The eyes, the hair, the living memory of Avery, a memory that Gabriel couldn't afford to lose.
Adrien turned away from him and continued his journey to the Slytherin Common Room.
….
The following week passed by faster than a Firebolt.
On November 17th, Ernest Skeeter and his cameraman arrived to interview the champions of Ramhorns and Hogwarts.
The cameraman was dressed in normal black robes, but Ernest's choice of clothing caused everybody to look away from him.
His gleaming golden robes had a bright blue flame design, presumably to match the Goblet of Fire.
His matching top hat clashed horribly with his blond hair.
The journalist led the eight students to a lavish room with five black leather sofas.
Four of them had two pillows, each with different colors: red and green, blue and yellow, turquoise and ivory, and purple and orange.
The students sat on their designated sofas while Ernest plopped down on the pillowless one.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng from Gryffindor, Adrien Agreste from Slytherin, Daisy Trillkey from Hufflepuff, Richard Weller from Ravenclaw, Nicholas Orchard from Joltcastle, Eve Hendriksen from Mystrik, Christopher Sterling from Vorrsteel, and Samantha Lakewood from Twynebud. Is that correct?" Ernest asked.
The champions nodded.
A garish neon yellow Quick-Quotes Quill that was hovering next to Ernest wrote a few (mostly untrue) paragraphs.
"Adrien, how's your romance with Miss Chloe Bourgeois doing?" Ernest continued.
"For the last time, we're not a couple!" Adrien scowled.
"Oh, Adrien, my dear boy, the cat's out of the bag!" Ernest laughed. Your relationship isn't a secret anymore, you can tell Papa Ernest everything! And speaking of relationships, a little birdie told me that you had a very beautiful one with your mother. Will you please tell me who-"
"No," Adrien grimaced. "Stop bugging my father and me about the identity of my mom. And I'm not illegitimate, either. So stop spreading that rumor, too."
"But the world must know the truth! It's only a simple detail, and it would be a shame if you kept it from us. Next we have Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the daughter of bakers. You didn't choose to be a champion, did you, sweetheart?" Ernest grinned.
"No, I didn't," Marinette said. "I became completely calm once I realized that I had to participate. Now I'm confident that we'll win! Errrr, sort of."
"Any juicy secrets?" Ernest impatiently asked.
Well, yes. I'm Ladybug, Marinette thought.
"I want to become a professional robes designer, and I still have to complete my Potions homework," she deadpanned.
"Interesting! Very interesting!" Ernest chuckled. "And Daisy Trillkey, you're a Muggle-born pony enthusiast."
"Why is blood status so important around here?" Daisy mumbled.
"What did you say, sweetheart?" Ernest asked.
"Oh, I just said that my favorite horse is named Rushbank, a brown Clydesdale. His mate, a black mare named Swiftheart, died last week," Daisy quietly said.
"How tragic," Ernest sighed. "So, this pony, Dashbank, is your soul, your life, your only source of happiness? And Speedheart, the love of his life, died? How tragic, indeed."
"Rushbank and Swiftheart," Daisy corrected him. "Rushbank will get over it. He's a tough stallion."
"Dashbank sounds like a wonderful pony. And Richard Weller, the golden boy. Best of his class. Son of a Muggle male model and a witch model," Ernest grinned.
"I'm not really the best, you should see Carlos defeating Dementors all by himself, and then there's Matt, who's great at Potions," Richard hastily said. "But I'm pretty decent in my classes. I'm no 'golden boy,' though."
"And there are at least twenty girls who fawn over you. Which one do you love the most?" Ernest asked.
"I don't love any of them because I already have a girlfriend. Tara's the nicest person I've ever met. She cares about my personality more than my looks," Richard said.
Ernest waved his hand dismissively and turned towards Chris.
"Chrissy! You look strong and muscular. Are you ready for the Triwizard Tournament to begin?"
"My name is Chris, and I am prepared for the first task, thank you very much," Chris said.
"Not much of a speaker, eh?" Ernest sighed.
"I own five Crups. Are you satisfied?" Chris smirked.
"I'll see what I can do with that tidbit of information," Ernest muttered. "Eve, you can-"
"Yeah, I can sing. So what? Move onto Samantha or Nicholas, please," Eve hissed.
"So, Sammie-"
Samantha rolled her eyes. "I like reading books, solving riddles, and I'm good at kicking people in the shins if they get on my nerves. That's all you need to know. Don't call me Sammie, either."
"A feisty one! So, Nicky, my pal," Ernest continued. "We only have thirty seconds before we have to take pictures, but-"
"My-name-is-Nicholas-Carter-Orchard-I-like-drawing-and-playing-Quidditch-and-running-and-walking-my-dog-and-cooking-and-playing-the-guitar-and-juggling-and-woodworking-and-making-soap-sculptures," Nick rambled. "I also like to come up with limericks."
"That's the spirit!" Ernest grinned.
The cameraman took at least fifty photos of the champions before he and Ernest left.
"Mr. Skeeter's…..a strange one," Daisy commented.
"You have no idea," Adrien sighed.
Headmasters Fu and Freeburrow, Mr. Bourgeois, Mr. Oliver Wood, and an old gentleman entered the room to begin the Weighing of the Wands.
The judges greeted the champions, and the elderly man (the original Mr. Ollivander's son) gestured towards their wands.
Mr. Ollivander examined Adrien's wand first.
"Eleven inches, pine, phoenix feather core, smooth and swishy. Regularly polished. Orchideous!"
A bouquet of black roses sprang out of Adrien's wand.
Mr. Ollivander handed the roses and the wand to Adrien.
He examined Marinette's wand next.
"Eleven inches, cherry, dragon heartstring core, rigid. Rarely polished, but decently enough. Orchideous!"
Marinette's wand produced a bouquet of red tulips.
Mr. Ollivander gave the tulips and the wand to Marinette.
He ran his slender fingers over Richard's wand.
"Thirteen and three-quarter inches, hickory, dragon heartstring core, rough and swishy. Polished once a week. Orchideous!"
A bouquet of hydrangeas bloomed out of the wand.
Mr. Ollivander proceeded to check the other champions' wands.
By the end of the Weighing of the Wands, each of them had a bouquet of flowers.
Adrien had black roses, Marinette had red tulips, Richard had blue hydrangeas, Daisy had daffodils, Eve had purple orchids, Nick had wildflowers, Samantha had scarlet tiger lilies, and Chris had white crocuses.
"Make sure that you keep those flowers for the second task in February. No matter what happens, don't lose them. Have a good day!" Headmaster Fu smiled.
He, Mr. Ollivander, and the other judges left the room.
"Why on earth would we need flowers?" Adrien wondered. "Unless we have to brew a potion or something."
"Maybe the scent makes you see visions. Maybe the petals have healing powers. Maybe it's a communication device with aliens," Nick suggested.
"I doubt that it's going to be the last one," Eve frowned, sniffing one of her orchids.
"Forget the second task, we need to focus on the first task! Does anybody have any clue whatsoever what we have to do?" Marinette asked.
Everyone shook their heads, except for Chris.
"Last night, I looked out a window and saw the headmasters levitating a gigantic metal crate that was wrapped in chains. It was shaking, too. Then I saw a huge paw come out of it, and the creature that was in there scratched the Care of Magical Creatures professor," he somberly said.
"Is Otis okay?" Richard asked.
"After he was scratched, Headmaster Fu told him that the first ones are the least dangerous. There are twenty in all," Chris said.
"'The least dangerous,'" Samantha echoed.
She started to murmur a list jinxes and protective charms to herself.
Richard, Daisy, and the Ramhorns champions went to the library to research as much as they could about the possible beasts the crate(s) could contain.
As long as they don't have dragons, I'll be fine, Adrien thought. But if they do…..
He suddenly grabbed Marinette's arm.
"Marinette!" Adrien panicked. "What if there are dragons? You'll have to….I can't…"
He began to hyperventilate.
"Adrien, I'll be there for you. If there are dragons, I'll protect you. We can win the Triwizard Tournament, but we'll look out for each other along the way," Marinette said.
"Promise?" Adrien asked.
"Promise," Marinette nodded.
…...…
Numerous rattling crates were seen over the following days.
Every student had become curious about them, but Otis refused to answer any questions.
The nineteenth crate, which was bigger than a Graphorn, arrived in the middle of Marinette and Adrien's next Care of Magical Creatures lesson.
"Otis, where did you get that scratch?" Nino asked, trying to feed a slab of raw meat to his griffin.
Otis rubbed some sort of salve on the large gash on his right arm.
"None of your business," he grumbled. "Kim, leave the crate alone!"
Kim was trying to see what was in the metal box.
He reluctantly returned to Marinette, Adrien, and Rose, whom he had been grouped with for their griffin-feeding assignment.
"What'd you see?" Rose whispered.
"Something big and furry with red eyes," Kim whispered back. "If this is for the first task, the judges are insane."
"If it's dangerous, it's definitely for the tournament," Marinette sighed.
"Whatever they're hiding from us…..I have a feeling that the twentieth is the worst," Adrien solemnly said.
The next day, the last crate showed up, along with the large crowd of students that surrounded it.
Riley, a Gryffindor fourth-year, peeked into the crate's small slits.
She screamed and froze in place, like a statue.
"I knew this would happen!" Madam Pomfrey huffed, pushing through the crowd.
She poured an antidote down Riley's throat.
"What did you see?" Adrien shouted.
"It was green….and scaly…..its golden eyes…...its fangs…." Riley shuddered.
Marinette's eyes widened with horror, and she uttered the creature's name before Riley could.
"Basilisk."
…
What evil thing am I planning for the first task? You'll have to wait! Oh, and the champions aren't going to be too happy when they read Ernest Skeeter's interview...