The train that they had to travel on was definitely intimidating, it was probably the newest, shiniest thing Harry had ever seen in his life, not counting things he had seen on the screen of course. He felt at home on the bright red steel monster in a way he never had at the Dursley's - and the food! Never had he even imagined such a feast, not even on those long winter nights locked in his cupboard, where he had no extra game and the plants were all dying. He was dangerously close to forgetting that it wasn't the best thing that had ever happened to him but a glance at the ashen-faced Minerva and ice-cold exterior of Katie made him remember pretty quickly that this wasn't just a game. That he, Harry wasn't a pawn of the capital. That he was here to try and win, then to go home, no matter how impossible that task seemed.
Rita seemed overjoyed with their restraint while eating, Katie's because she was almost an adult and had come from a shop family, in the town area of district 12, Harry because he had tried to make himself better than his relatives in every way. Apparently she wasn't used to tributes that knew what a knife and fork were and was currently marveling at how civilized they were. Both Harry and Katie did however know hunger, constant and gnawing as it was most often in the coal district and were about ready to bite her head off at her constant harping about manners of all things - people were dying back home! Didn't she care?
Apparently not, all too soon the plates had disappeared and the venerable mountain of food had been taken away. When Harry asked where it went Rita just scrunched up her nose and told him that they wouldn't be eating that again - silly child it will be in the bins now! She either didn't notice her tributes declining mood and the way they glared hatefully at her monstrous pink wig or garish glittered red talons or she didn't care. Harry thought she seemed to self absorbed to see anything beyond her ridiculously over sized neon green glasses, or maybe just too stupid.
Though maybe she was a better judge of atmosphere because just seconds after they lapsed into a morbid silence (with Minerva hiccuping every few seconds) she lept up and dragged the unresisting Harry and Katie into another carriage exclaiming how the footage of the other reapings was just to die for. Harry thought it might of been hilarious in another situation 'Er, Rita we were going to die for it' - but at that moment all Harry could feel was dread. Before he never expected he would win, but he never actually thought about his death either, but now he was, because if he didn't kill them first one of these teens would get him.
It was District 1 first shown, as always and now that he wasn't hyperventilating in a crowd he could see clearly how much better the tributes were than him. Older. Bigger. Stronger. They were both Careers, volunteered for the honor to fight. The Capitol's pets. The boy huge and blonde, seventeen and attractive - he would have no problems getting sponsored. Draco. The girl also huge but thankfully less attractive, the girl - Pansy was the same age as Draco but looked a little like her face had been squashed in an accident. District 2 same story, Hulking man 18 volunteered. Name: Victor. Subtle. The girl was much the same but failed to make an impression beyond her tearful goodbye with a boyfriend Poliakoff maybe? Her name was already forgotten.
So it went, through the districts. The only ones who stood out were a career from 4 - a beautiful girl of about 16 with long blonde hair and sea-blue eyes called Fleur who also volunteered in place of another. A rather fat girl from 5 who looked just like a toad, A huge grinning boy (Ernie) from 9 and a boy of Harry's age from 11, who was small and looked brittle with dark skin. He stood with his arms spread a little out to the side like a bird about to take flight and Harry fancied that the boy - Dobby, looked even smaller than himself which was saying something. The other tribute from 11 was a very tall very thin girl who looked a lot older than all of them, Harry decided to be weary of her.
Then it was Thirteen's turn. Harry watched as Katie walked to the podium she seemed a lot more sure footed on camera than Harry remembered but he supposed he wasn't paying much attention before, for the first time he began to consider hid fellow thirteen as a real opponent, which besides being terrifying for the obvious reasons (Harry small/stupid, others big/strong) was also terribly sad. Then he saw his own footage - did he really look that small, frantically pushing past the older kids in Dudley's too-big clothing? At least his voice was strong, loud and clear and he didn't fall over. The shot which was quickly cut next shocked and touched Harry almost as much as Hermione's pin treasure. As one the Weasley family kissed their fingers in the traditional goodbye respect salute and following them so did the rest of 12. He had never noticed.
Before anything else could be seen the screen cut to Tom Riddle, the game-maker talking passionately to Gilderoy about how the games had really 'brought us together' amidst Capitol cheering. But still Harry saw his people salute him over and over the image played over his lids and he felt for just a moment as though he could do this, win the games, come home say fuck you to the Capitol and everything would be good. Then Rita walked in with her crazy hair and painted face and corseted robes and she looked so big in the compartment that he realized that dreams are dreams for a reason and to hope for a life without the constant presence of the capitol was foolish and likely a good way to get him killed faster. Nevertheless as he lay that night in the first bed he had ever been allowed in he couldn't help but imagine a world where he was free. Where being alive didn't get you killed as his aunt suggested.
"Embrace the probability of your imminent death and know in your heart that there is nothing I can do to save you."