Chapter 4: Tournaments and Tricksters

"Our fourth year guys, can you believe it?" I exclaimed as we walked off the train.

"What's gotten into you Eleanor?" Ron asked.

"Haven't you heard the rumors? Some of the older students have been saying that it's our turn to host the Triwizard Tournament!" I exclaimed.

"I've read about that-" Hermione started to say, but Ron interrupted her.

"You've read about everything, Hermione." She then hit him playfully in the arm, continuing.

"It's a tournament consisting of three tasks. There are three contestants, each from three different schools. At the end, the winner gets a trophy and everything. Mind you, it's very dangerous but an amazing event." She said with enthusiasm.

"Yeah if you like risking your neck for a trophy." Harry teased as we got into the self pushing carriage.

"Eleanor, didn't your eldest brother win the last time?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, like ten years ago." I said chuckling. As we waited for the carriage in front of us to go, I turned to see who we were waiting on. I saw Cedric Diggory, a sixth year at Hogwarts. He was in Hufflepuff, unlike me. I had one class with him: study hall. Almost everyone in school had that class for catch up time. But he never noticed me; until now. He turned and we made eye contact. His deep golden eyes and bronze colored hair. All the girls fell for him. I smiled at him and he waved a small wave. I shyly waved back and quickly turned around. All three of them had stopped talking. They all looked like they were trying to hold in a laugh.

"What?" I asked, still smiling.

"You like him, admit it." Ron said.

"I don't!" I exclaimed.

"Hermione, you're a girl. You know more about this than Harry or I do. I'm right, Eleanor likes Cedric."

"I'm not Eleanor, I don't know her thoughts." Hermione said, but I could see her fighting a smile.

As we all welcomed the new members to our houses, Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts, students!" Dumbledore announced. As he did a large pedestal with something atop it appeared beside him. "This year is certainly going to be splendid. Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: the Triwizard Tournament!" At that, all of us at our tables started shouting hoorah's.

"We have with us our very own legendary winner, Bradley Phillips. He has agreed to speak to you students about it." Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I instantly stood up clapping and cheering for him. As he stepped out he looked at the Gryffindor table and smiled at me.

"As you all know, I'm Bradley Phillips, the previous Triwizard winner." More shouts and applause went on from our table. "You all know my siblings, including my infamous little sister, Eleanor. Who is cringing behind her friends because I'm embarrassing her right now." He said smiling. "Now, for all of those intending on entering, be warned…" he paused slightly. "These, tasks, are not for the faint hearted. These are tasks you have never witnessed, made to test you physically and mentally. So, be careful." He turned to Dumbledore and bowed out. Everyone clapped and cheered. I sat in my seat thinking about what he said. Dumbledore spoke again.

"Now, three schools are going to be housed here. First is the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!" he said. At once the Great Hall doors opened up and two straight rows of girls, from about fourteen to eighteen all dressed in blue uniforms, came sauntering out. Their headmistress towering at, at least, eight feet walked behind them. We all watched. Well, Ron was staring where he shouldn't have been.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed. Hermione instantly hit him on the arm. Harry and I laughed. I looked around behind me and saw Cedric looking at me. He smiled and I smiled back.

"Thank you Beauxbatons Academy. Next, please welcome the proud sons of Durmstrang!" we all clapped until the Great Hall doors burst open. We watched as a bunch of young men came through the hall, pounding sticks in time to a beat; red sparks flew every time they did this. Soon, they put their sticks down on the ground and started doing back flips and front flips like acrobats. Soon they had made their way and a large boy, excuse me, man started walking hastily down their isle. Dumbledore greeted the headmaster who followed along side the boy/man.

"Albus!" The man greeted Dumbledore heartily with a thick Ukraine accent.

"Igor!" Dumbledore greeted back.

"It's him-Viktor Krum!" Ron breathed.

"Viktor Krum?" Hermione asked.

"The seeker for the Bulgarian's. They played at the World Cup-" Ron said before Harry and Hermione both hit him in the arms. I looked down.

"Sorry for Ron's stupidity Eleanor." Hermione said.

"It's ok. I haven't told you much about what happened anyways. Has your dad said much Ron?" I asked.

"No, he's not allowed to talk about it. Sorry Eleanor." Ron apologized.

"It's ok Ron, you're forgiven." Harry looked at me sympathetically. We looked up at Dumbledore.

"Now that-" all of a sudden the floating candles and night sky ceiling all started to shake and disappear when a sudden thunderbolt from a wand fixed it. We looked at the angled man who had conjured it.

"Holy cricket, it's Mad Eye Moody!" I whispered.

"Alastor Moody, the auora?" Hermione asked.

"Auora?" Dean Thomas asked.

"He's a dark wizard catcher. Half the lot in Azkaban are there thanks to him." I explained.

"He looks right mad." Harry commented.

"You'd go mad too if you had his job most of your life." Ron added.

"Ah, Alastor Moody! Right on time." Dumbledore said hugging Moody.

"Yeah, that ceiling never worked right." He said Dumbledore went back to his podium.

"Now that all of the schools are here, we have some new rules to enforce. In light of recent events," he said looking at me "we had to change a few things. Here to explain them is Mr. Barty Crouch." A light clapping happened.

"The new rule being enforced is as follows: no witch or wizard under the age of seventeen is permitted to enter their name into the Goblet of Fire." He said. Instantly a large portion of the room whined and complained.

"Rubbish! That's rubbish!" Fred and George exclaimed. I could see that many of the students were upset with this rule, mostly the boys.

"Angela!" I called to my fifth year sister. She turned to me, her chocolate brown hair turning in slow motion.

"Yeah?" she asked above the voices.

"Where's Mark?" I asked.

"Probably off doing something stupid with the Weasley twins." She replied. I pointed to the two redheaded boys. She got a confused look on her face.

"I don't know. Maybe Paul does." Paul was our seventh year brother.

To give you a little history of our family, I'm the youngest of six. Before me is Angela, the beautiful. She got all of the great looks in the family. Before her is Mark, the mischief. He's always getting into trouble; especially with the Weasley twins. Paul is currently the oldest child living at home. Before him is Lauren and Brad. Brad's older than Lauren but she graduated early. Lauren's studying to become a potions master while Brad's learning to train with magical creatures.

All of my siblings were, and still are, top students. They've all made their mark here. Brad won the Triwizard Tournament, Lauren came up with some wonderful stain remover, and was top potions student. Paul is currently Quidditch captain, since Oliver Wood graduated last year. Mark is the prankster of the school, so I guess that's not really special. Even Angela is the most popular girl and a great public speaker. And then there's me. All I seem to do is find trouble. Rephrase, trouble finds me. I thought that if I could win the tournament, or at least be entered, I'd make some sort of mark here. That was certainly out of the question now.

"Eleanor!" I heard my name being called. I saw Angela and Paul looking at me.

"Did you find him?" I asked. Angela shook her head.

"He'll show up, don't worry." Paul clarified and turned back to his friends and so did Angela.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. I turned to him.

"Nothing, it's just that Mark's not here." I said. Before he could answer, Dumbledore got our attention again.

"Since we were in need of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, again, we have asked Professor Alastor Moody to teach you." Moody stood up, his fake eye rolling around.

"Now, I am about to show you the best part of the tournament." Dumbledore took out his wand and pointed it at the covered pedestal. The cover melted away to show a large goblet.

"The Goblet of Fire signifies the burning and beginning to the tournament. May some one write their name upon a bit of parchment and toss it into the flames. Know this, if chosen you stand alone. You all have until the midnight hour on next Thursday night to enter." Suddenly the goblet burst out a red flame. "As of now, the tournament has begun."

As we departed from the Great Hall to our dorms, Ron couldn't stop talking about the Beauxbaton girls.

"They are so…"

"Yes Ron! We know." Hermione stated. Harry and I laughed at them when the stairs finally stopped at our portrait. We climbed up to the pink lady.

"Password?" she asked.

"Munkshood." I said and she opened up. We saw no one around so we sat on the couches by the fire.

"So…you ever going to tell us?" Ron asked me. Hermione instantly hit him in the arm. I glanced over them.

"Well, I supposed so. There's not really much to tell. It all started when my brothers wanted to go see the Irish play at the World Cup, so I decided to tag along for the fun. It was that first night after the game. Brad had gone outside to check and see what the commotion was all about. He saw tents on fire and people running around and screaming. He yelled to us to run back to our portkey. As we did, I got lost in the crowds of people. As I tried to follow the crowd, someone ran into me and knocked me down." I stopped to pause and give myself a moment. "Then, after everyone had left, I woke up, still on the ground. I saw a man amidst the smoke and he shouted a spell, and a green bolt of light flew from his wand. A skull with a snake coming out of its mouth floated in the sky. Then men in black cloaks appeared and ran after the man. Your father found me, Ron. And then I had to explain it all again to the Ministry." I looked up at them. "That's what really happened. The Daily Prophet can only speculate what happened because they still haven't caught him. So they haven't released much to the public." Harry put his arm around me and I leaned on his shoulder, embracing my friend.