To Frisk's relief, things settled down after that weekend. She was grateful, as it offered her the chance to catch up on her homework. Also, at least as importantly, she caught up on her sleep as well.

As the calendar slipped into October, the conversation among the older students in the common room turned to the Triwizard tournament. Frisk herself didn't care that much, she didn't really know anyone who might compete, other than Ginny's twin brothers, if they managed to find a way to sneak in.

Asriel and Chara were starting to practice magic in earnest. They had one night when they both sat entranced, just keeping the feather in air for at least an hour. Frisk grinned to herself as she worked on her herbology essay. She had some memories of doing that herself last year.

On Saturdays, at Opal's insistence, they did their now traditional laps around the castle before getting their chance to do get in some extra flying practice. The weather was starting to turn cool, a reminder that the snows of winter would be on their way eventually. But in the meantime, Opal convinced the others to start throwing the Quaffle around, and while Asriel didn't think he was ready to that just yet, Chara took to it with gusto. She wasn't at Ginny or Opal's level, in Frisk's inexpert opinion, but considering she was a year or two behind them, she had time to catch them.

"You have some talent, Ms. Chara," Madam Hooch observed as they landed to go in for the day. "But don't get cocky, you haven't tried flying around the bludgers yet."

"Those are the balls that that get hit into you, right?" Asriel asked, as they trudged back up to the castle for a late lunch. Frisk and Steve exchanged glances, as Opal and Ginny promptly launched into not just a description of bludgers at the beater position that controlled them, but the strategy around them.

Then, on Sundays, Frisk spent a couple of hours with Madam Pomfrey working in the medical wing. She never knew what would be waiting for her, one main ailment was a sixth year who had been caught from behind by a venomous tentacula, and gotten some serious looking bites.

"They're not called venomous for nothing," Madam Pomfrey grumbled, as Frisk measured out the antidote. "Why Madam Sprout insists on letting students work with it, I don't know. They're dangerous."

"It's a NEWT level course," the sixth year said. "It was my fault."

This admittance of guilt didn't improve the healer's opinion of the situation any.

It was about the middle of the month that Professor Moody announced that he was going to put the imperius curse on each member of the class. He looked around at the wide eyes of his second year students, and Frisk squirmed under his gaze. "This lesson has been specifically requested by the headmaster," he told them. "There's not many people who can both perform the curse and know what it's like to be under it. So, I need a volunteer."

Not a single hand went in the air.

Moody's magical eye roamed the class, and it paused on Frisk for a moment before moving on. "Mr. Schmidt," he said, pointing at Gregory. "Let's try you first. Do your best to resist it. It's possible, because I've had to do it."

But Gregory didn't manage it, he sang the school song without blinking an eye. Frisk had never heard it before. A certain part of her hoped she never had to hear it again.

Romilda Vein repeated a couple of limericks that she would have been mortified to repeat had she been fully awake.

Keith Masterson did a standing backflip that he would never have been capable of normally.

Then it was Frisk's turn, she felt the butterflies in her stomach as she went up to the front of the class. There was an odd look in Moody's normal eye as he studied Frisk, a hesitation before he pointed his wand. "Imperius!" he commanded.

Frisk's mind when momentarily blank. She could see the others in her class, but it was through a film. Not so much a fog, but like looking through a glass of not quite clear water. Her thoughts, her fears, were wiped away, and she felt simply content. She stood there, just smiling, as a large figure slid in the corner of her vision. It almost felt like she had just woken up, like from a fall. "Turn towards me," that figure said.

She did so, obediently, bringing the figure fully in front of her. It took another second, but it finally registered back that she was looking at Professor Moody. "Now hit me."

Frisk had balled her hands into fists before hearing a voice in her head. This voice, which sounded rather like Toriel, asked her what she was doing. Frisk froze, trying to remember the answer that question. Right. It was because the nice man had asked him to.

Hitting a teacher? Won't that get you in trouble?

"I give you permission. Don't I deserve it? Aren't I a murderer? Strike me!"

She pulled back her arm, but just as she was about to swing, another voice came into her head. I thought you said even the worst person could change.The second voice, which sounded like Chara, caused Frisk to try to abort her swing, and she toppled over in an undignified heap at the foot of her professor.

There was silence in the classroom, as Frisk's mind came back into focus. As her eyes opened to the world again, she realized she was lying on her side on the floor, staring into Moody's peg leg. She had a slight headache, and she might have bruised her shins again. "What just happened?" Frisk asked, trying to make sense of it.

"You fought it!" Moody crowed. His magical eye roamed the classroom, making sure everyone was paying attention while his normal eye was locked onto Frisk. "You fought it, and I thought you were going to beat it! Did everyone see her eyes? That's where you can really tell someone is being controlled. The contrast in the eyes will show you what at target is actually thinking!"

"Professor?" asked Wendy, raising her hand. "Is there a way to free someone from the imperius curse if we know they're being controlled?"

"Sometimes they can be broken free by a shock to their system, splashing them with water, or through pain." Moody said, as Frisk picked herself on the floor. "Hold on, Frisk," and he put a hand up, as she was about to head back to her desk. "A better way is to find the person controlling him or her, and give that dark wizard a shock to their system."

Frisk looked warily up at Moody. "Professor?" she asked.

"Only a handful of my older students could resist the charm. A fourth year managed it. I'd like to see if you can throw it off completely." His normal eye glittered in anticipation. "Are you up for the challenge?"

Frisk stepped back. She didn't really want to go through that again. But still, some part of her wanted to take up that gauntlet. She wanted to prove that she wasn't going to be controlled like that, not by Moody, not by anyone. She gave a slight nod, and her most determined smile. "Okay. I'll do it."

And while it took a few more tries, and it was harder if he wasn't ordering her to strike him, she was able to throw it off completely. On the success, where she barely flinched, the other students broke into tentative applause. Moody looked at her warily, then clapped along with them. "Very good. Even someone really trying will have a hard time controlling you. I can think of a number of wizards who would be very envious of you right now."

"Thank you, professor," Frisk said, finally able to return to her desk.

As Laura took Frisk's place to be subject to the curse, Frisk had to wonder if Moody was going to repeat this lesson with the first years.


Chara was felt like she might be sick going into defense that afternoon. Frisk had mentioned what she had gone through earlier that week. Professor Moody was right about one thing: Chara was extremely envious of Frisk throwing off the imperius charm.

Professor Moody went through the attendance, his magical eye going to each of them in turn. When he was done, he looked up. "At this point, I suspect the rumor mill has told you what we will be doing today..."

Chara didn't hear the next bit. She was too busy replaying the scene in her mind. She was on the slope of Mt. Ebott, having been apparated there by her parents. Her mother had put the imperius charm on her, and told her to climb the mountain. She had done so. It had been the last Chara had seen either of them, she had fallen to the underground. Did they know that she'd 'survived'? Would they be happy? Or was it the thing they had been trying to prevent.

She was jabbed back to the present by a furry hand. "Volunteer," Asriel whispered to her. "Get it over with."

Chara, startled, looked up, directly into both eyes of Mad Eye Moody. He grinned at her. "Chara. You can be first,"

Chara froze in her chair, her hands gripping her desk tightly, staring at Moody. "no," she whispered. "I don't need to know, I..." she stopped, afraid to admit that she'd been through it once. Moody's eyes were a weird dichotomy of inhuman stare and very human curiosity.

"I won't make you do it," Moody said. "But that's today's lesson. The door is over there. You do need to know. For yourself, and for others." And he let that threat hang in the air.

"Get it over now," whispered Asriel. "I believe in you." Moody's magical eye glanced over to Asriel, but he didn't say anything.

Very slowly, Chara rose to her feet, and took a spot in front of the class. As she turned to face Moody, she caught a glimpse of Asriel to the side giving her a broad smile. But when the curse was put on her, she acted like a chicken, just as she was asked.

"Total control," Moody whispered as Chara came back to herself, slinking back to her seat. The other students, other than Asriel, were laughing. He reached over and pounded his desk, and everyone was quiet. "I can, and will, have someone sing for us, someone do acrobatics. But," his magical eye wandered the class. "I could just easily have someone try to curse their best friend. Or," he pointed at the window, "Jump directly through the glass, and fall four floors to the ground."

Chara broke, the tears starting to come, and the magical eye focused on her for several seconds. She didn't pay much attention to the rest of the lesson. Asriel had to tell her as they were packing up that nobody was able to shake the curse, and that Moody said he hadn't expected anyone to, not at first year. He was still really surprised a second year had managed it.

"Ah, Ms. Dreemurr," he said, just after the bell rang. Chara and Asriel were one of the last to leave. "You took that hard, though I'm glad to see you made it through. Would you, and your brother, like a cup of tea, to relax a bit?"

Chara was all set to to decline, but Asriel had piped up first. "I think that would be good, professor." So, with wide eyes, the three of them headed out of the classroom down to Moody's office on the second floor. The office itself was decorated with all sorts of objects, mostly magical. The most apparent was what appeared to be a mirror, hanging on a side wall. What made it different was three dark silhouettes, moving around in the glass, apparently at some distance. "What's that?" Asriel asked.

Moody gave his barking laugh, aiming a charm on a teakettle, causing it to glow red. "That is my foe glass. I don't have to worry until I see the whites of their eyes." He indicated some chairs, and the Dreemer children sat down, then he went to fetch cups and pour the warmed tea.

The tea was palatable. Chara hadn't quite picked up the Dreemurr's taste for the drink, but it had a hint of sugar, so it wasn't bad. She still would have preferred coco. Asriel sipped it deeply. "Are you feeling better, Ms. Dreemurr?" Mr. Moody asked.

"I think so, professor, thank you," Chara told him. And it was true, she was feeling better. She wasn't sure she'd ever get over what happened, but it had led her to finding a true family, one that only wanted the best for her. And Asriel, sitting right there, had helped her with that.

"Do you want to talk about anything that happened?" Moody asked. "It was clear that something did."

"No," Chara said. "I really don't."

"I'm sorry professor," Asriel said before Moody could open his mouth to speak again. "I'd really like to have a chance to visit the library before dinner tonight. But thank you for the tea."

"Ah," Moody said. "Well, before you go, I remember hearing from Hagrid how good all three of you are with animals. You ever see a dragon before?"

"No," Chara said, looking up. "Why?"

"Well. I have a book that I picked up at Flourish & Blotts over the summer. Thought you might like to take a look at it," he said, handing it over for Chara's inspection. It was called 'The Muggles Guide to Dragons'. "And, well, it might come up, say, later this year?" He smiled at the them, "But you didn't hear that from me."

"Wait," Chara said, comprehension dawning. "Do you mean there will be dragons... here... for the triwizard tournament?"

"Didn't you just say you wanted to get to the library?" Moody asked, winking his normal eye. "Get going, then." Chara and Asriel left, eagerly discussing the book, and trying to figure out how to let Undyne and Alphys know that dragons might be coming.

Moody watched Chara go, his brow furrowed.


On Friday morning, the day the other schools arrived, Frisk noted Hermione prowling around the common room before breakfast, and made a beeline to the portrait hole. The fourth year was getting more and more adamant about S.P.E.W. Having met a few house elves last year, Frisk really didn't know what to think about them, but was pretty sure Hermione hadn't actually met any herself. So she was to be avoided. "Did you get past her safely?" she asked a badgered looking Asriel, when she'd reached the Great Hall.

"No. There were a few of us on the stairs together," he reported, "But I was the one she cornered. It's not like we get any pocket money to spend here. Why she goes after us, I have no idea."

He poured a goblet of orange juice, and drank half of it in one go.

Chara sat down next to her a few minutes later, completely exasperated. "House elves don't want to be freed. I knew a few of them. Except maybe... well, his. Are there any crumpets this morning?"

Mail came during breakfast, and the three Dreemurr children each received another letter from home. Along with the usual well wishes and admonishments to keep up with schoolwork, there was the following directive. "On November 22nd, the first Hogsmeade weekend, we'll be coming up to the Hogwarts area. We've been invited to have dinner with the Centaur Herd of the Dark Forest, a first meeting between monsters and Centaurs. We want our full family there, so we'll be meeting you at the castle that morning."

"What's that?" Ginny asked, sitting down on her other side. "You're going to meet the centaur herd? I've never seen a centaur before, I'm envious."

"They're not the most social creatures I've met," Frisk told her, relating her previous experiences. "But if it helps Mom and Dad, I'll look forward to it." But there was something more immediate to look forward to. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs were arriving that day.

They were excused from the last class about half an hour early, and joined the throng of fellow Gryffindors in depositing their school things and taking their heavy cloaks. Professor McGonagall was sorting them all into a line, "First years in front, that better include you, Frisk, you'll want to see." When they were organized to her satisfaction, the students trooped into cool autumn night.

"You alright there, Dennis?" Asriel asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I hope Colin has his camera, this is so exciting!" he said, eagerly scanning the sky for any hint of the arriving foreign schools. Frisk stared at the positively giant carriage that landed in front of them, drawn by pegasuses (pegasi?) that were all the size of small elephants. The large woman, who must have been their chaperone emerged, to Dumbleodre's polite applause, joined by the rest of the students.

When Madame Maxine and the students headed for the main doors, the students had to part to let them pass, this left Asriel on a corner of the crowd. Many of the passing Beauxbaton students stared at him, and a few of them stopped in surprise, causing the ones behind them to stumble into them. There was one boy on the end of the line that gave Asriel a very brief nod and smile as they passed. Frisk frowned, did she know him?

Then came the ship, looking remarkably like the Black Pearl from that Pirate movie. If there had been skeletons crewing it, Frisk wouldn't have been surprised. Disturbed, perhaps, as it would have meant monsters were free elsewhere, but not actually surprised.

"Wait," Dennis said as the students emerged from the Durmstrang ship. "Is that Krum?" It was Krum, the seeker of the Bulgarian national team. Frisk could hear Chara trying to find some sort of quill in her pockets, only to realize she'd left them all in Gryffindor tower. But Frisk was looking at the other students from the delegation, while Krum was getting personalized treatment from their chaperone, the others looked rather grumpy, and somewhat lost.

They all crossed into the great hall, with the Durmstangs, including Krum, settled on the Slytherin table on the other side of the hall, while the Beauxbatons were two tables away with the Ravenclaws.

The dinner that appeared in the Great Hall was even more of a feast than even Hogwarts usual standards. There were several dishes that were undeniably foreign. "Wiener schnitzel," said Walter, pointing at one pan fried meat. "Austrian. My parents took me on holiday there last summer. It's pretty good." Frisk tried some, and she had to agree, it was pretty good.

After dinner, and introducing Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman, Professor Dumbledore gave the overview of what would be happening for the Triwizard Tournament. "All these preparations?" complained Keith Duncan, from somewhere up the table, "And they're not even something we get to participate in?"

Frisk had to give him that. It was kind of disappointing. Since there seemed to be a crowd at the end of the hall, they stalked for a while, waiting for it to clear. When it finally did, they reached the door with some of the students from Beauxbaton. "At least it will be warm there," said a girl with silvery long hair.

"A moment, Madam Maxine?" said one boy, as he noticed Asriel. "That is Asriel Dreemurr, the monster of the British underground. He came and introduced himself to me and my sister at the world cup this summer."

Asriel suddenly lit up. "Gerald!" he exclaimed, holding our a paw to shake.

"Oui," he said, smiling, clasping the paw momentarily. Some of the other students had turned to stare.

"So this is the monster Dumbly-dore decided to get in such a fuss over," Madam Maxine said, looking (a long way) down at Asriel. "I hope you are proving his trust is well given!" She was only the second person Frisk had met that was taller and larger than Dad, and it was rather intimidating. "It is good to see you, but it is bedtime, students. We must get back to the carriage!" And that was fair, it was time for their bed as well.

Frisk slept late the next day intentionally. She didn't really care about the Triwizard tournament. Though, when she did get down to breakfast, she did see Fred and George Weasley sporting some fascinating long white beards on their way to see Madam Pomfrey.

Frisk decided, in advance, that this is one of the things that Pomfrey probably did not need her help with.

They got their flying practice as the other members of their group discussed who might enter the tournament from Hogwarts. "I know Angelina is entering," said Ginny.

"So did Warrington," confirmed Steven. "From my house, you've seen him. That big chaser on our Quidditch team. He's not that bad. Anyone from Ravenclaw, Luna?"

"Maybe," she shrugged. "I don't really know."

"Penelope Clearwater did," said Opal, causing Ginny look over in surprise. "So did Marcus Collins. He's a prefect."

"I remember him," said Frisk. "He helped me to the hospital wing when Cormac broke my shin." Steven looked down for a moment, not liking the memory. "Anyone from Hufflepuff, Opal?"

"Cedric Diggory, the seeker on our house team," Opal said. "And I hope he gets it. I thought we had a real chance of not finishing last after we beat Gryffindor, but we lost so badly to Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

They packed up early as rain started to fall, mulled around in the great hall for a while, then broke up to do homework. After dinner, the excitement was palpable, and even Frisk got caught up in it, though perhaps not as fiercely as other people.

There was rather enthusiastic applause when Victor Krum's name was announced, though the rest of the Durmstrang delegation was too far away to see their reaction. When Fleur Delacour's name was second, there was a round of politer applause, though she could see the disappointed looks on some of the Beauxbatons. Then there was a loud roar, especially from the Hufflepuff table as Cedric Diggory's name was announced. Frisk didn't think there was anyone louder than Opal, sitting directly behind her. Frisk was momentarily deafened.

Then Harry Potter's name came fourth and the hall went silent. The three headmasters, Barty Crouch, Mad Eye Moody, and Ludo Bagman all disappeared after Harry, leaving the hall in a state of confusion. Frisk was painfully aware of how angry the majority of the hall sounded. Opal stared at the Gryffindor table with a look of pure disgust and stalked off towards the door.

Frisk tried to follow, but lost her near the stairway, and since she had no idea where the Hufflepuff common room was, had to give up the chase. She headed up towards the Gryffindor common room instead. Fred and George appeared soon after (without their beards) with food and drink, appearing ready for a party. The common room filled up with other Gryffindors all excited that they'd gotten their very own school champion.

But when Harry appeared, Frisk could tell he didn't look excited. In fact, the more she studied him, the more despondent and terrified he looked. On the pretense of handing him a bottle of butterbeer, she took his hand, and tried to drag him away from the others. "Harry?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Harry looked her right in the eyes. "I think someone's trying to kill me," he whispered back.