Revenge of the Misfits
Chapter 17
"Urg, I'm so sick of studying!" Sarah complained, throwing her head back over the back of the chair she was sitting in, staring at the ceiling. She threw her book randomly at the same time, recieving an "Ouch!" from across the room.
"Geez, try not to kill me!" Ron whined, rubbing his head. "I'm just trying to help. Here, try and stun me!" He stood up, and Sarah whipped out her wand with a maniac grin.
"Stupefy!" and a red light shot from her wand and Ron fell back through a small pile of books on the floor. Sarah walked over and nudged him with her foot.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," he grunted, crawling off the floor slowly. "At least you didn't knock me out. You know you'll have to concentrate harder to actually Stun somebody, right?"
"I know," Sarah sighed, she didn't want to really stun her friend, she'd feel guilty for the rest of the month. Well, what was left of it anyways. The last task was exactly tomorrow, and Sarah could honestly care less. She even was debating on whether or not to even show up.
Shaking her blonde hair out of her eyes, she walked over to the window and looked at her reflection. She had definately gotten thinner, and her hair was growing longer. Sarah felt tired to the bone.
"How did Harry pass the first task last time?" she called over to Ron with a slightly harsh voice. "The one with the dragons?"
Ron snapped the book shut he was looking through and walked over. "To tell the truth, he knew about it beforehand. All the Champions that year did. Maybe the others now know too."
Sarah's mood darkened at the thought that all the other Champions might know what the task was and she was in the dark. "Wonderful."
"I'm sure you'll be fine," Ron comforted her, giving her a small one-armed hug.
&&&&&&&
Next Day
"Wakie, wakie!" an annoying cheerful voice boomed in Sarah's mind, obviously the ever peppy, muffin bearing Amy. "Eggs and bakie!" With that, she skipped from the room, making Krista, who was passing the door, dodge to the side with a toothbrush stuck in her mouth and stare after her. Across the bedroom, Tian's head arose from the blankets all ruffled muttering "Huh?"
Sarah sighed, remembering what day it was, and then swore violently at her lamp. She grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and jogged downstairs, eating as fast as possiable while Amy babbled on about how exciting the torunament was.
"I'll be cheering you on of course, but I still want Hockeday to win!" Amy called after her as Sarah ran from the room and outside. There seemed to be a mass of people migrating in all different directions, and Sarah suddenly realized she hadn't the faintest clue where to go!
"Oh, man!" she moaned, placing a hand on her forehead.
"Sarah?" a deep, French accented voice asked behind her. "Are you in need of help?"
It was Gregory Bathurst, the French Champion from Grier Academy. He was dressed similarily, and not looking entirely sure of himself either. His black hair curled around his face, and he flashed perfect white teeth to her when he smiled. Sarah nearly fainted.
"Uh...where are we supposed to go?" she blurted out in her equally strong Scottish accent.
"The stadium is dug into the ground, we have to go into another entrance to prepare, I think. I'll show you, if you like."
"Yes, and thank you!" Sarah grinned, following her opponent and joining the masses of people. Students called out their names from all directions with happy faces, which put Sarah on edge more, if possiable. The walk to the stadium was relatively short, and all the other students were descending down stone stairways into a giant indent in the ground. Sarah poked her head over, and her jaw dropped at the sight.
The benches were all made of gray stone, circling down for what seemed like forever and ended about 15 feet above the arena. It had several entrances, and the surface itself was rocky and gray also. Sarah didn't like it in the least bit.
"Come on, let's go!" Gregory urged her in an impatient voice. She quickly followed him to a side entrance that had a staircase to itself. As they descended, voices echoed around them loudly.
"I told you, I don't know where they are, and it's not my fault they can't find the stadium!" a man's voice that Sarah did not recognize bounced off the walls around them.
"Here they are!" the Aussie headmistress gleefully welcomed them. "I told you they'd be here shortly!"
Professor McGonagall came over immediately to Sarah and drew her over to a corner that apparently was where the Hogwarts champion was to stay. The room was rather cave like, dark and cold, with black stone walls and carpets with violent red designs covering the floor.
"Change into this, quickly. They'll be announcing the task soon, though I don't doubt some already know what it is." McGonagall hurridly told her, tossing Sarah a bundle of folded up clothes. "Hurry!"
"But professor, I don't have a clue what the task is!" Sarah whined, but her headmistress shut the door with a snap. Sarah uttered a small scream, and with shaking hands, unfolded her Champion's uniform. It had flexible rubber-like pants, and a red jacket for Gryffindor. There was also a hooded rain jacket made like the pants that pulled over her head. She didn't quite get what was going on, the whole stadium was made of rocks!
Finished dressing, she stepped out with loud, echoing steps while puling on a pair of rabbit fur lined black gloves with the fingers cut out. She chose to sit on the overstuffed couch by the fire, while the rest of the Champions chose to stand. Her favorite professor, Salotti, drifted over and sat next to her, poking her arm.
"You ready?" he encouragely asked, and Sarah shook her head, no longer able to speak. "Hey, they'll be announcing the task soon. Don't be too nervous."
"Easier said then done," Sarah croaked with a raspy chuckle. A thin, balding man who introduced himself as the new Head of the Department for International Relations. His name was Mustafar Jones. Sarah snickered at the last part of his name, totally foreign, yet so...not. He appeared to be from Egypt to her.
"The first task for the Triwizard Tournament is to make your way across a pond we have constructed in the stadium and find a waterproof pouch that is containing a clue to the next task. Of course, there will be many swamp-dwelling creatures in the pond, so be prepared for the unexpected. Good luck." he finished blandly, and walked out into the stadium to announce the task to the crowd.
"Now we draw straws to see who goes first," Deardra briskly informed them, holding out a fistful of equal looking straws. "Shortest goes first."
Harvey Campbell, the Austrailian Champion drew first and pulled out the longest straw. Sarah drew next and pulled out a medium sized one, and then Gregory got stuck with the short one.
"Gregory, dear, you're up," Deardray ushered the French student to the entrance where they waited until Mustafar announced him to wild cheers and applause. Sarah was shaking slightly, and looked to the professor sitting next to her.
"Help me," she moaned, and he shook his head.
"I'm not allowed to. In fact, they didn't tell me the task either. I'm just the extra security in case of an accident. And student body control." he sniggered at his useless position. "Try to remember all the worst creatures you read about that live in the water. 'Cause they'll probably be in there somewhere. And watch your ankles."
Sarah rose an eyebrow at the last part, but Gregory Salotti looked dead serious. "You're kidding, right? Because the worst I can conjure up sure ain't pretty."
"Dead serious." he replied, staring right at her with an uncannily concentrated look. Sarah gulped as the crowd yelled outside the stadium. "I have to go watch on the side now, I'll talk to you later."
Sarah felt all alone now that all the people she knew had left. McGonagall had gone to the stands too, since her student would be appearing very shortly. The cold walls felt as they were closing in on her, and Sarah's breathing quickened as the crowd outside cheered madly. Apparently Gregory had survived. The announcer babbled something, and a ministry official prodded her to the opening.
Sarah took slow, jaunting steps out the shadowed doorway and felt her feet sink into sludge and marsh water. She couldn't see anything quite yet, because the doorway was misty from the contrast of cold and warm air. Her blonde hair was stuck to her head, which was damp from the muggy air. Sarah wanted to hide under a rock, or curl up into an invisible ball at that moment.
"Announcing the Hogwarts Champion, Sarah Turner!" the announcer boomed, and Sarah took a big breath and edged out into the stadium.