Chapter 1: The Announcement

April couldn't come soon enough for me. There was always something new and exciting at school. Plus, I would actually get to see my friends instead of hearing about them from letters. Actually, Nya was the one who got the most letters. Jay had wanted to know everything about her summer and told her everything that was going on his life; from his latest invention to the new socks his mom got him.

It was getting really annoying. Jay even asked her to come out to his parents' junkyard to visit, to which I promptly refused. We were going to have to talk when I saw him again. But, on the other hand, he made Nya laugh, so maybe it wasn't so bad. But still, Jay was flirting with my little sister!

"You ready to go?" Nya asked me, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess," I said.

Once outside of Ninjago city, we began to walk toward the mountain. Nya was reading something as we went, and nearly walked off the path as it curved around a rice field. I steered her back on course and looked over her shoulder.

Disgust twisted in my stomach. It was another letter. The worse part about this whole thing is that she would send letters back, so it prompted Jay to write even more.

"What is it this time?" I asked.

Nya looked up in a daze. "What?" she asked.

"What did he say?" I repeated myself.

Her cheeks flushed. "Sappy stuff. Jay said looking forward to seeing me in school."

I sighed. "You really shouldn't encourage him."

"Why not?"

Because it's wrong, is what I wanted to say, but I knew that would just make my sister even more upset, so I said, "Because you're too young, and he's a year older than you. Besides, I don't think he's your type."

Nya stopped walking, and I realize I've said the wrong thing. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Kai," she snaps. "If I like Jay, than I like Jay. You can't tell me what to do."

"I know," I said, and then we started walking again. Now that Nya was thirteen, she thought she knew what was best for her. But part of me still wanted to protect her as my younger sister. I don't think that'll ever change.

We walked the rest of the way to the mountain in silence. Before long, we met up with everyone, including Jay, who immediately started talking a mile a minute to Nya. I sighed, but let them be. I didn't want to pick a fight with my sister.

Instead, I found myself talking to Lloyd, who apparently had a boring summer. I asked him how he felt about having Garmadon as a teacher, and he told me to drop it. Okay then. Touchy subject. So, instead, we talked about annoying babysitters, or in my case, an annoying foster father.

Soon, we were piling into the school, the first years were sorted, and we were settling in for a feast. Lloyd sat with me, even though he technically wasn't a fire wizard. Since he'd mastered all the elements, the second year probably figured he could sit anywhere he wanted.

Master Wu stood up for announcements. I turned with the others and waited for the classic 'Don't feed the koi fish' speech.

"Students, I have an important announcement." the professor began. "The Tri-wizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts this year, and our school has been invited to participate."

Excited whispers broke out across the room. I looked Lloyd in confusion, who shrugged back.

"It's an old contest, I think Uncle Wu mentioned it once," he explained. Not really helpful, but it was the thought that counted. I could always ask Zane about it later.

Master Wu waited for the noise to die down, then continued, "However, only those seventeen or older are allowed to participate, due to the dangers of the tournament."

Groans echoed across the hall. I had no idea what was going on, so I didn't really care either way.

"Silence," Wu commanded. He didn't shout, but the whole school quieted in an instant. "This is a rare opportunity to witness advanced wizardry and learn from other schools. We will all go to Hogwarts in October to watch the tournament."

There were still some discontented grumbles, but for the most part, the crowd was pacified.

"Enjoy the feast," Master Wu said before sitting down.

Right on cue, the food appeared on plates and everyone began to dig in. I didn't feel like touching my fish though. I wanted answers. What was this tournament? Why was this the first time I was hearing about it? What was even going on?

"Did Wu tell you about any of this?" I asked Lloyd. With the Headmaster as his uncle, he should have some inside knowledge about what was going on in this school.

"No. He was gone all break," Lloyd replied, sounding pretty bitter about it.

I guess I was just going to have to wait for Zane. The kid was practically a walking encyclopedia. As I turned back to my fish, an idea popped in my head. Who said I had to wait till after the feast? Why couldn't I just walk over to the Ice table and talk to my friend? It's not like there was rule against it.

So I left plate and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Lloyd whispered, like I did something horribly wrong.

"To talk to Zane," I replied.

Lloyd gave me a look, but didn't say anything else. Now that I had said it out loud, I made my way across the stretch between tables. It felt like I was walking a across a vast, no-man's land instead of just a few feet. I could feel eyes watching me. No one ever bothered to get up from their tables until after the feast. I think I might be the first.

"You there! Get back in you seat!" A voice shouted. I looked around, not recognizing the voice. It was a kid I had never seen before, but pinned onto his red robe was a prefect badge. I guess that meant he was important, but since I had no idea who he was, I felt a little braver.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it's not allowed!" the boy snapped.

"Why not?" I repeated. I felt like a little kid talking back to his parent, but really, this whole conversation was childish.

"I'm just going to talk to my friend. I'll come right back," I added the last bit to make the boy feel better.

The boy's face turned as red as his robe, but he finally backed down. "Alright, but you better come back!"

Jeez. All I wanted was some answers. I scanned the white kimonos for Zane and found him sitting by himself, studying a rectangular sheet of paper. Typical Zane. I sat down next to him, and he didn't even look up. I followed his gaze to a small blueprint of my friend. All of his parts were labeled and marked, down to the last bolt.

I'm guessing he got that from his father.

"Hey, Zane," I greeted him.

"Hello, Kai," he replied.

"So, have you heard of this Tri-wizard Tournament?" I asked him.

Zane finally looked up at me. "Yes, I read about it in A Magical History of—"

"That's great," I interrupted. Zane's explanations tended to be long-winded and I could feel that boy's eyes boring holes into my back. Not that I cared what other people think, but that kid seemed to have some kind of authority and I'd hate to wind up in detention if I could help it.

"Can you tell me a bit about it?" I asked.

"It's a magical competition between the three major wizarding schools in the world: Beauxbaton Academy, Hogwarts, and us. It was shut down due to the increasingly high death count during the tasks."

I swallowed. Deaths? What all was involved in these tasks?

"Thanks, Zane," I said. I got up and my friend's eyes followed me the whole time.

"I'm going to finish my dinner now," I excused myself. Zane nodded, and I walked back across to my seat. I stared at my fish, but suddenly, I didn't feel that hungry. I picked at my food, waiting for the feast to be done with.

"What'd you find out?" Lloyd asked me.

I told him.

Lloyd's eyes widened. "Glad I'm not turning seventeen anytime soon,"

"Yeah," I replied. It was a good thing none of us could compete. An image of Nya and all of my friends lying dead on the ground burned in my mind. We barely survived the Overlord, Great Devourer, and the Dementors. I don't think we can cheat death again.

AN: Here we go again! Thanks for your support!