AN: To all you Ron fans out there, don't worry. I know he hasn't gotten a whole lot of focus, but that's because he's about to get a ton soon, so keep your eyes peeled. I'd like to thank all of the wonderful followers and favorites who keep coming back. Thanks to the reviewers as well: s-david-m, ArturiusRex8, MrsH, Pirate-Adrian-for-a-week, Macadamia, PardoxVictor, ElsaElphieGinny, Ari989, Love to read books, Majerus, Iwa Shinju, madnessdownunder2, Kairan1979, serialkeller, MuggleCreator, dianaanne, Tellur, ultima-owner, and Fibinaci.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.
The atmosphere in the magically expanded compartment was tense. Parvati, struggling to stay positive after her most recent spat with her sister, chattered on anxiously, tugging at her robes. Lavender typically would've helped her with this sort of thing, but she appeared dazzled by the latest addition to their group. Parvati had never been completely enamored, but even she would admit that Cedric Diggory was a very handsome boy. Unfortunately, the only people who were truly happy to see him were Lavender (who hadn't stopped drooling since he'd walked in) and Lee, who had been the one to bring him in the first place. In the hopes of keeping the peace, Parvati had kept up conversation on a variety of mundane topics. She felt quite proud of herself for doing so too, as everyone else answered her questions with grunts and shrugs. It was rather impressive that she hadn't given up already.
Deciding that there wasn't much more to say about the latest articles being run in Witch Weekly, she searched around for another conversation starter. "Harry, you can go to Hogsmeade this year, right?"
He nodded warily, tugging down on his fringe.
"Oh, great! We can all finally go together then. That'll be nice, won't it?" She paused to allow someone to interject before continuing. "We can show you all these great places, won't that be wonderful? How about the Three Broomsticks? I think you'd like that better than Madam Puddifoot's—"
"Yes," Angelina said suddenly. "I've found that Madam Puddifoot's isn't all it's cracked up to be." Parvati blinked in surprise before smiling. At last, a full sentence out of someone!
"Really? Oh, that's too bad. I always thought it would be a nice place to go on a date."
Cormac and Leann shared dark looks. "I suppose it's not too bad, so long as you're with someone you like," He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So it depends on the company." Diggory spoke for the first time. His eyes, Parvati noted, were a very pretty shade of gray. His face was frozen into a look of intense discomfort.
"Of course it does. Don't you remember?" Angelina tossed a hateful look his way. Diggory began to stutter and turn pink as Angelina steamrolled ahead. "After all, I'm sure you've taken countless girls there during your little escapades."
"Escapades?" He snapped back, regaining his voice. "Why don't you just call them what they were, Johnson—dates? And if I recall, you were more than willing to go with me at one point." Parvati gawked at the two. When had Diggory and Angelina gone on a date? What had happened to create such a big problem? And when had the compartment descended into total chaos?
"Well…" Angelina sniffed imperiously. "I guess things change." She crossed her legs and began bouncing them furiously. George, sitting next to her, had his arm thrown across the back of her seat, and she shot Diggory a vindictive look while leaning into George's side. Diggory glared back.
Parvati grew desperate to calm things back down. "Alicia," She blurted out. "Don't you and Diggory have to go to the prefects' compartment?"
Alicia sighed and got to her feet, eyeing Diggory distastefully. "We really should've left a while ago. I hope we're not late." She was civil to the Hufflepuff, though her voice was frosty. Diggory was relieved to get out of the compartment, jumping up and sliding the glass door open. He stepped aside to allow Alicia to pass through first, and she gave him an odd look.
"Er…ladies first," He offered by way of explanation.
Lavender swooned.
Alicia pursed her lips, but stepped out into the corridor with a cold nod of thanks. Diggory gestured with his hand in what might have been considered a wave to the other residents of the compartment (though he outright ignored Angelina) and quickly set off to the other end of the train. As soon as the door shut behind him, Angelina uncrossed her limbs and punched Lee in the shoulder.
"What was that for?" He snapped, rubbing at his arm. It was, admittedly, not the best question to ask a girl prone to violence with a volatile temper. Then again, Lee had never been the smartest of blokes.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Angelina stood and curled her hands into fists. "Why would you bring Diggory in here with us? Merlin, how stupid can you get!"
"You know Ange, it looks like you're the only one who has a problem with it. Diggory's not that bad of a guy, actually. I'm sure if you got to know him, you'd think the same." Lee shook his dreadlocks out and reclined back on the seat Diggory had just vacated. Briefly, Parvati marveled at his ability to be so completely oblivious to everyone else.
"Not that bad—" Angelina sputtered. "I went on a date with him, if you'll remember! He's an awful, awful person and he—"
"How?" Lee interrupted lazily. He was tossing a small rubber ball up in the air and catching it, focused. "How, exactly, is he an awful person?"
Angelina puffed up like a mother dragon. "He—he's demeaning, and crude, and—and positively misogynistic—" Lavender was still starry-eyed, but she was somewhat less dreamy.
"Misogynistic?" Lee repeated, rolling his eyes. "Like I haven't heard that one before. Alright, lay it on me, Ange. What did he say or do that was misogynistic, demeaning, and—oh, what was that, crude?" Lee bounced the little ball off the ceiling of the compartment and smirked.
Fred and George began to edge away from the pair and closer to the others. Parvati ended up shoved into Dean's shoulder, and she held back a smile as she realized he was wearing some sort of cologne. It was nice—with just a hint of musk. She struggled not to sniff him.
Angelina looked more embarrassed now than anything else. "He…made some inappropriate comments regarding my—my…chest area," She spit out, avoiding the curious gazes of those occupying the compartment.
"Right." Lee said nothing for a moment, bouncing the ball off the wall so that it hit the floor and landed right back in his hand. Parvati turned her head and noticed a scrap of paper in the pocket of Dean's robes. She squinted, trying to make out the figure painstakingly painted on. It was a bright green, different from what she normally saw of Dean's drawings. He tended to oscillate between muted pastels and intense, dark colors.
Katie tugged Leann and Cormac close to her. "Er, Ritchie Coote wanted to show me his new broom. We should go look!" The other two nodded eagerly and followed her out the door.
Angelina had gotten tired of waiting for Lee, at last snatching the little ball right out of the air and taking it hostage. "What do you mean, 'right?'" She was squeezing the ball so tightly that Parvati wouldn't have been surprised to see it burst.
Lee covered his face with his hands and groaned. Parvati got the impression he felt he was wasting time. "Look, how many times did Diggory say something like that?"
"Once, but—but isn't that enough?" Angelina threw the ball directly at his face, and he caught it without looking.
Lee shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But it's been a while, hasn't it? And he could've changed by now, right?" Angelina's jaw was working furiously, but she didn't respond. "Maybe he's turned out to be a good guy. Like Percy—remember what an absolute prat he was? And he turned out alright in the end, yeah?"
"This is different!" Angelina shrieked.
Fred poked George in the shoulder and winked. George nodded gravely and got to his feet. "Ange," He broke in timidly, "I think…I think something's going on. What if Diggory's done something to Alicia?" He touched her softly on the shoulder and pulled her nearer to the door. "Come on!" He urged.
Angelina tilted her head upwards and took a quick breath. "You think so? Oh, I should've never let her go off with him! Who knows what he's done to her…"
"Hang on a tick!" Lee called after them. Angelina moved to turn back, but George kept pulling her to one side of the train. Fred, seizing the opportunity, hastily mumbled something about Pucey and dragged Lee off in the opposite direction. Once all of the sixth years had gone, the compartment collectively exhaled in relief. They spread out again, with a large pile of sweets from the trolley thrown carelessly in the middle of the half-circle they'd formed.
Parvati decided to try for a discussion again. "Um…so how was everyone's summer?" Pause. "Mine was wonderful, thanks." She finally showed a hint of frustration, huffing loudly. What was the point, really, if they were all persisting in acting so uncivilized?
"Gran let me spend sometime in the greenhouses this summer," Neville volunteered after a beat of silence. He had gotten the slightest hint of a tan. "We have a few at home, I mean, and I was only allowed out there if I had supervision, but it was fun." He shifted uncertainly, waiting for a reply.
"That's fantastic, Neville," said Parvati sincerely. She bounced back quickly from her earlier disappointment, already zoning in on a new talking point. "What about you, Dean?" She angled her hopeful expression to the left.
His hand reached inside his pocket to clutch at the drawing. The crinkling of paper could be heard, but no one found it odd, as Dean was prone to carrying his work around and accidentally destroying it. "Er, it was alright. Spent a lot of time drawing. Oh, and there was the Cup—"
Noise exploded in the compartment as they all chimed in with their opinions on the match. Parvati frowned lightly. All it took was Quidditch apparently. She caught Hermione's attention and rolled her eyes. The other girl smiled, bemused.
"I wish I could've gone," Lavender murmured mournfully. "Mum wanted me to spend more time with my family." She made a face and pulled her hair back to reveal long earrings that grazed her shoulders. They shimmered slightly each time she moved.
"Padma and I got into a fight a few days before, so we weren't allowed as punishment." Parvati didn't particularly mind, and she suspected her deeply intellectual sister didn't either. She and Padma hadn't been getting along recently. They'd never been the best of friends, but the bickering was new, and her parents did not like it.
"Ah, it was wicked!" Seamus rubbed his palms together and leaned forward. Parvati braced herself for an excruciatingly detailed blow-by-blow retelling.
"Except for the Dark Mark," Dean interjected grimly. A heavy silence settled over the group.
"You sure know how to kill the mood, mate." Ron tossed aside the box of Every Flavor Beans he had picked up from the center and rested his head against the wall.
"I think Dean's right," Hermione countered. "The Dark Mark is much more important than a Quidditch match. We still don't know who cast it, anyway. No one has any idea."
"I've got one," Ron brooded. "I'll bet you anything it was Malfoy's dad. My dad said he was a big follower of You-Know-Who. He was probably torturing the Muggles, too."
"There are other Death Eaters out there, too. It could've been any of them, not just Malfoy." Seamus chewed on a sugar quill, reclining on his section.
"I think it was Pettigrew," Harry spoke up. "He escaped over the summer, so he could've been there."
Neville was looking ill at the thought of Death Eaters, all pale and clammy. Parvati quickly changed the subject to help him recover. "Harry, what's it like living with Sirius and Lupin?"
Harry grinned. "It's been nice. They talk about my parents, which is great. The whole house is almost done being re-modeled now. I don't think we'll ever finish though." He was not altogether unhappy at the idea of this.
"Why not?" Lavender rearranged a scarf around her neck. Idly, Parvati pondered the reason behind wearing a scarf in September. It looked somewhat lightweight, with a pretty abstract design. It just didn't seem all that practical.
"Well, the last two rooms are Sirius' and his brother's. He doesn't want anyone touching them. Remus said it's for sentimental reasons." Poor Harry looked horribly confused by this explanation, and Parvati wondered if he'd ever had much reason to feel sentimental.
"Sirius has a brother?" Neville had regained some of his color and resumed regular breathing patterns.
"Had," Harry corrected. "Remus told me he died before I was born. I'm not supposed to ask Sirius about it. Did you know he and Professor Tonks are cousins?"
Neville winced. "Gran probably told me. She might've said something about his brother, too, and I just forgot."
"You'll get it someday, mate." Seamus clapped him on the back and handed him a Chocolate Frog.
"Bet you're glad to be away from the Dursleys, eh?" Ron elbowed Harry in the ribs.
"Well…" Harry trailed off. He put his feet up on the empty seat next to him, letting his arms swing down off the side of the seat.
"You are happy with Sirius, aren't you?" Parvati worried. She had thought he would like it there. He certainly seemed to when she went over for a visit. Perhaps she and the others could get him over for visits so that his time with Sirius was limited…
"Oh yeah, I am," He reassured her hastily. "It's only that I'm not exactly away from the Dursleys. I still see them sometimes, I mean." In her cage, Hedwig hooted loudly as if to prompt him to speak.
"What?" Dean asked flatly.
"They're not so bad," Harry rushed on. "Mostly Aunt Petunia, but I talked to Dudley a few days ago, and he's gotten better."
"But, you always said they were awful." Lavender cocked her head to the side, confused. One earring tugged down on her earlobe, and she made a soft noise of pain, reaching up to take it off.
"They are—were—kind of. I don't talk to Uncle Vernon. Actually, he doesn't even know I come over to visit. I think he'd pack up and move if he did. But Aunt Petunia's not like that…usually. I mean she's not a good person, exactly, but she's not a bad one, either. And Dud's a bit stupid, but he's not that bad." Harry was desperate for them to understand, but even Parvati couldn't wrap her head around this one.
Ron shook his head in disbelief. "You're mental!"
Harry tugged harder on his fringe. "They're family, that's all I'm saying. It's just like you and your brothers. You get over some things, don't you?"
Ron slouched in his seat. "Sure," he muttered shortly, avoiding looking at any of them.
Change the subject, Parvati thought furiously. Don't let there be any silence. "Who do you think's Quidditch captain?"
"Probably Ange—"
"You don't mean to tell me that none of you know?" A cold laugh caused them to spin about and stare at the now open door. Draco Malfoy, with his pointy chin and slicked back hair, was smirking wildly, flanked on both sides by Crabbe and Goyle. "Of course, with some of your family backgrounds, I can't say I'm surprised." His gaze flitted from Lavender to Dean to Hermione, contempt clear in every sharp angle of his face. "But I thought at least Potter would—"
"What happened to your face?" Neville blurted out, instantly going red and nervous.
Parvati winced. Along one side of Malfoy's face, partially obscured by a lock of hair he had 'forgotten' to secure, was a think jagged scar, running from near his hairline to just past his ear. It was rather hideous, and she noticed Lavender turn away slightly and grown pale, serving to agitate Malfoy further.
"That's none of your business, Longbottom. Besides, no matter what happens to me, I'll never get so ugly as you." He lifted his chin up even higher and sneered.
Lavender whipped her head back to glare at him. "You're right," She began loftily. Malfoy looked surprised. "You'll always be much, much worse." Neville squeaked loudly and Parvati let out an involuntary snicker.
His face twisted as he took a step forward, yanking out his wand. "Why, you filthy little—"
All the occupants of the Gryffindor compartment shot up and pulled their wands on him. Surprisingly, Neville was right in front, wand arm steady. "We outnumber you." He inhaled deeply and swallowed. "So, if I were you, I—I—I'd leave."
Malfoy threw a scowl over his shoulder at Crabbe and Goyle, who had not yet moved, before storming out. Before he slammed the door, he could be heard berating his goons. "Couldn't even try, could you—"
Neville stood, petrified, a few moments longer, in apparent disbelief over what he'd just done. All around him his friends broke out into cheers. After he'd been given a minute to process things, he was buried under a large group hug during which he almost burst apart due to the combined force of seven fourth years.
"Bloody hell, mate, that was—" Ron was too astonished to even finish his sentence and settled on hugging him again.
"Knew you had it in you," Harry proclaimed proudly, slinging an arm around his shoulders.
"Thank you. That was really brave of you, Neville." Lavender beamed at him. She squeezed his arm happily and gave him another Chocolate Frog.
"I wasn't—I mean—I need to sit down." Neville wore a breathless smile, though he swayed a bit on his feet. "I can't believe I just did that."
"We'll have to tell Burbage. She might cry, she'll be so proud," Dean speculated. He helped Neville back to his seat and patted him on the back.
"Won't she be cross?" Neville whispered dazedly.
Seamus waved him off. "Nah. Bet you she'll be over the moon about it. She's weird like that."
"And no spells were cast, so we didn't technically break any rules," Hermione added comfortingly. "Malfoy would be in the wrong, anyway."
"D'you think I should tell Gran? She might…might be a bit proud of me," He ventured timidly.
Parvati let out a soft laugh. "After that, I don't see why she wouldn't be."
"That's odd," Colin commented worriedly, brandishing his camera about in a manner eerily reminiscent of Lockhart. "My camera doesn't seem to be working correctly."
"Maybe that's because it's wet," Demelza pointed out, bored. "We did get caught in the rain, after all." It was a particularly stormy September first, and Demelza didn't like it one bit. Something about the dreary weather tainted the magical feeling of catching sight of Hogwarts after a long summer holiday.
"But I made sure to keep it dry," Colin muttered under his breath. He gently wiped down the camera with the inside of his robes to be sure. "Mum and Dad wanted me to take a picture of Dennis getting sorted." He shook it lightly, though Demelza wasn't sure what this was supposed to accomplish.
"I don't think the Headmistress would like that very much," Ginny told him matter-of-factly. She had hardly spoken on the train, and the carriage ride had been suspiciously silent. As a personal rule, Demelza investigated any and all suspicious actions, no matter the source. And if Ginny was going to continue acting oddly, then something was going to have to be done.
"Are you alright, Ginny?" Let it be known that Demelza Robbins could be kind and sweet when she needed to be—although that didn't make her soft. Nothing slipped past her…well, not so long as it pertained to the HPFC.
"Hmm? Oh, right. I'm fine, but my family's awfully strange lately. I was just thinking about it." Ginny twisted the edge of her robes absently, craning her neck around to catch a glimpse of the familiar faces filling the Great Hall.
If this sort of quirk was infecting all of the Weasleys, Demelza shuddered to imagine what kind of havoc the Weasley twins would wreak on Hogwarts. Colin quickly abandoned his camera, eager to solve a mystery. "Strange how, exactly?" He inquired.
"Well, I suppose it started with Percy's new job. He works at the Ministry now, and it's turned him back into that stupid smarmy git he used to be. But then he moved out—he's sharing a flat with Oliver Wood, I guess. Mum cried for hours when he told her." Ginny frowned abruptly as a thought occurred to her. "Do you think she'll act the same way when I leave?"
"Indubitably," Colin assured her.
"Certainly not," Demelza said at the same time.
Ginny raised her eyes to look back and forth between the two for a few moments before sighing. "Shall we move on?" At the pair's nervous nods, she continued. "Then, all of the adults—even Mum—started hinting that a big thing was happening at Hogwarts this year."
"Doesn't a big thing happen at Hogwarts every year?" Colin mused, rapidly losing interest.
Ginny cleared her throat. "Yes, but this one's intentional. Next, right after the World Cup, the twins started hiding in their room and borrowing Pigwidgeon all the time—"
"Speaking of which, my mother told me I'm not to use him to send letters anymore. Apparently, last time he scared her so badly she broke one of her good plates." Demelza ran her fingers through her hair while scanning the throng of Gryffindors for Harry Potter.
"That's nice!" Ginny snapped. "Now can I please finish my story?" Without waiting for an answer, she drew herself up and assumed a more dramatic tone. "Recently, Ron's been saying, or rather, not saying, some very peculiar things. He hardly speaks! Trying to engage him in a conversation is like talking to a troll. Obviously, something's afoot."
After waiting long enough to deem Ginny's story over, Demelza stretched and yawned. "That's it?"
"What do you mean, 'that's it?'" Ginny hissed. "Haven't you been listening to anything I've said?"
"It's just that, well, none of it's that strange, is it?" Colin aimed for a picture with his camera but didn't take it. "You've already had two brothers move out, what's different with this one? And maybe Ron's got something on his mind."
"But the twins—" Ginny protested.
"Didn't you say they were trying to make a joke shop? They might be working on that," Demelza suggested offhandedly. This suspicious activity was shaping up to be quite mundane.
"But—but the big thing!" Ginny gestured wildly with her hands, nearly slamming Colin's camera to the ground.
Colin cradled the camera while making shushing noises and shooting her dirty looks. "Again, how is this one any different? The only variation I can come up with that there might be no danger of anyone dying this yea—AAGH!"
Demelza flinched as a few droplets of water splattered on her. Colin, on the other hand, was drenched from head to toe by a water balloon dropped on his head from ten feet in the air. He stared pitifully at his camera, appearing ready to burst into tears.
"Peeves! Oh, Peeves please come down now!" Burbage popped up quickly, pursuing the culprit with a sort of ruthlessness which Demelza greatly admired. She was, admittedly, derailed by Colin's heartbroken countenance. "Oh, Colin! I'm so sorry." She seemed truly upset about it, too. "Here. Siccesco!" The water seeped away from his robes and camera almost instantly.
Colin noticeably brightened. "Thanks, Professor Burbage!"
She smiled warmly down at the trio. "Not a problem. Do be careful with that camera, though, Colin. It looks very—" A scream from the other side of the hall cut her off and she paled rapidly. "Oh dear. Well, I must be off!" And with that, she dashed away, politely excusing herself whenever she bowled students over.
Ginny raised her eyebrows, smiling contemplatively. "Colin, could you go—"
"—blackmail Baddock into getting the Bloody Baron to stop Peeves? On it." He slipped away silently, leaving the two girls alone together for just a brief second.
"Hello," Romilda Vane greeted them coolly, moving to stand directly in front of them.
Demelza gave a short nod in response, but it seemed Ginny's conscience had chosen to kick in at an inconvenient moment. "It's lovely to see you again, Romilda. Listen, Demelza and I, along with Colin, just wanted to apologize for our dreadful behavior at the end of last term. I hope there are no hard feelings?" She smiled widely.
Vane blinked twice before her face quivered slightly, forming what might've been a smile on a more carefree child. "Of course not. I'd like to start over."
Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent. We're so happy to hear that, aren't we Demelza?" She was pinched hard on her forearm and vowed to get revenge on Ginny Weasley (no matter what the cost). Then she nodded robotically and began to plan ways of forcing Vane to like Harry Potter.
Soon the returning students were ushered to their House tables, with Colin sliding in at the last moment. Instead of speaking to the girls, he pushed himself up to see over the heads of the others, struggling to catch a glimpse of the heavy double doors. Demelza laid her head down on the table, avoiding eye contact with Vane. Studying the Head table intently, she noticed three empty spots. One of course was for Professor Sinistra, and one was for Hagrid, both of whom were guiding the first years in. But that meant…she mentally checked each staff member in her head.
"The Defense professor's not here!" She whispered. Vane's face sharpened intently.
"I wonder who it is?" Ginny scanned the table quickly, twirling her ginger hair anxiously. "I wish Lupin hadn't resigned. He was really great," She murmured wistfully.
"Shh!" Colin flapped his hands at them excitedly as the first years filed in. It was impossibly easy to spot Dennis. While all of the first years were absolutely drenched, only Dennis had been given Hagrid's coat to protect him from the cold. He was obviously smaller than the rest as well, making the large coat look more comical than it might've on anyone else. But perhaps the biggest difference laid in the fact that Dennis, unlike his peers, was overjoyed and not the slightest bit frightened at the prospect of being Sorted in front of the entire school. He quickly sought out Colin and mouthed, I fell in the lake!, as though this was an achievement to be proud of.
Demelza didn't pay much attention to the Sorting Hat's song. She was too busy trying to size up the first years and predict who would join the club. A small blonde girl who had Hufflepuff written all over looked like a nice fit, but her more sensible friend was a wild card. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out Ginny doing the same. Meanwhile, Colin was bouncing up and down in his seat and crossing his fingers.
"Ackerley, Stewart!" Sinistra called out.
"RAVENCLAW!" The Hat declared.
"Possibly." Ginny nodded.
"Baddock, Milton!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Demelza smirked. "Malcolm's brother? He's definitely in."
"Branstone, Eleanor!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Ginny leaned forward. "She's a fan if I've ever seen one. It's shaping up to be a good year, Demi."
"Cauldwell, Owen!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Membership might trip—"
"Shh!" Colin glared at them. "Dennis is about to be sorted!" He set his camera aside, deciding it was a lost cause. Then he began chanting quietly, "Gryff-in-dor! Gryff-in-dor!"
"Creevey, Dennis!"
Dennis tripped his way up to the Hat, looking over his shoulder at Colin's tense posture. Then his eyes slid over to Ginny and he suddenly turned green.
"Honestly," Ginny tsked, scowling. "What is wrong with that boy?"
"No idea," Demelza lied, shaking her head at her friend's cluelessness. Vane raised her eyebrows but didn't speak.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Colin leapt out of his seat and hurriedly ushered Dennis to sit next to him. The rest of the Sorting could hardly be heard over the brothers' chatter. Demelza resorted to simply watching the first years and remembering any particular stand-outs to mention to Ginny later. After "Whitby, Kevin!" was Sorted into Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall stood and a hush fell over the Hall.
"Welcome, students," She began calmly, "to another year at Hogwarts. For those of you joining us for the first time, it is important to note that there are now 437 objects explicitly forbidden in the castle or on the grounds. The full list may be viewed in our caretaker Mr. Filch's office." She cast a severe look at the Gryffindor table—specifically, the spot where the twins were sitting.
"In addition, the Forbidden Forest, as the name might suggest, is forbidden to all students. The village of Hogsmeade is not accessible to those in first or second year, and older years must have a permission slip to attend. Students are permitted to visit Hogsmeade only on designated Hogsmeade weekends." She paused, once again narrowing her eyes at the twins.
"Finally, I regret to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Tournament has been canceled for this year and this year only."
Instantly, a clamor arose in the Hall. The loudest protests came from Angelina Johnson, who looked ready to commit murder. Demelza frowned and turned to Ginny. If this was the surprise that all the adults spoke of, it certainly wasn't a good one.
"This is due to a special event being held at Hogwarts this year," said McGonagall, continuing on as though nothing had happened. "It will begin at the end of October, and will occupy much of the staff's valuable time. I am delighted to announce—" Here she stopped to grimace briefly, "—that Hogwarts will play host to—"
The doors to the Great Hall flung open with a bang. Demelza gasped, and Vane looked as though she wished to do the same. There, striding through the Great Hall with nary a care, was the most frightening man Demelza had seen in a long time. His gray hair fluffed out on the sides of his head like a lion's mane, while one of his eyes whizzed around in its socket. Several long gashes decorated his twisted features. In spite of herself, Demelza leaned forward ever so slightly. Every other step he took resulted in a loud clang resounding through the Hall.
One dark eye stayed fixed on McGonagall. The other (an electric blue which reminded Demelza of swimming pools) glanced wildly about, zeroing in on Demelza for a split second before moving on. He clunked up to McGonagall, who had pursed her lips into one thin white line. He held out a misshapen hand to her, which she shook barely once. Her face could've incinerated him on the spot, but he merely nodded toward the empty seat next to her chair and walked slowly towards it.
"Students," McGonagall announced crisply. "Please welcome your new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Moody."
For a long moment no one moved, but then Professor Burbage began clapping softly, and (out of respect for their Head of House) some Gryffindors joined in. They stopped rather quickly, but Moody hardly noticed.
McGonagall raised her hand. "As I was saying," She continued, glaring at Moody, "this year, Hogwarts will play host to two other wizarding schools. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute will both be sending a select few of their students to Hogwarts to compete in the Triwizard Tournament."
"You're JOKING!" Fred Weasley shouted.
The Hall exploded into laughter, and Demelza caught Professor Burbage trying to hide a smile. Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, was not amused.
"Mr. Weasley!" She reprimanded him sharply. "As I'm sure some of you already know, the Triwizard Tournament began several centuries ago as a competition between three European wizarding schools in an effort to see which one was most efficient at preparing students for a world outside their studies. It also forged strong bonds between wizards and witches of different nationalities. Each school selected a champion to compete in three different tasks, meant to judge their mental and magical strength. The…honor of hosting the tournament was rotated amongst the three schools. Eventually, the tournament was deemed too dangerous to allow students to compete in, and the tournament was disbanded."
Demelza was beginning to feel the stirrings of fear in her stomach. She'd always found the Wizarding world to be much more dangerous than the muggle world, and if this tournament was considered too dangerous for magical beings, she wasn't so sure it was a good idea.
"This year, the Departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided to revive the tournament. It has been redesigned to minimalize the risk of mortal peril to any champions. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will bring their students in October, and champions will be chosen on Halloween by an impartial judge. The three champions will compete throughout the school year for glory, the Triwizard Cup, and…one thousand Galleons prize money."
Fervent whispers broke out in the Hall. Ginny was sitting up straight and wiggling around to look at the twins, who had their heads bent together with matching grins on their faces. Vane didn't have any interest in trying for the honor, but she was trying to figure out who would get it. Colin and Dennis were communicating nonverbally through a series of complicated hand movements and emphatic nods.
"However." McGonagall now looked very serious indeed. "There has been one new rule added to the tournament this year to ensure maximum safety of all the champions. If you wish to be selected as a champion, you must be of age, no exceptions. Whatever hijinks you might try, know this: no matter how clever or creative you feel your trick is, it has already been thought of and warded against. I'm sure this won't dissuade some of you, but I'm afraid it will only be a waste of time." McGonagall, Demelza noted, had the uncanny ability of acting as though she were speaking to a large group, but secretly intending her words for two troublemakers sitting at the Gryffindor table.
"You may now eat." And with that, Professor McGonagall sat down. No one felt much like eating, least of all Demelza, who was convinced that something very, very bad would happen during this tournament.
Replies to Guest reviewers below
MrsH: I must admit, I'm a bit offended to hear you call this a 'waste of time,' though I understand the sentiment. Also (just a suggestion) perhaps you should use the filter option so that you only see fanfics which have been marked complete. LU is running up until fifth year, so it might be a while before I'm finished.
Macademia: Everyone has that one fic that they HAVE to keep reading, and I'm so glad to hear that LU was yours. My New Year's resolution is to update more rapidly, so keep checking back. To be honest, I was kind of hoping to end LU on the two year anniversary, and...yeah, that hasn't turned out so well. Still, it's been fun.
ElsaElphieGinny: Don't worry! I love reading reviews the length of essays. The dresses Ginny wears are pretty ugly, yes. And I don't think I'm quite evil enough to give Luna the diary.
Thanks again for reviewing!