Chapter Six: Thunderstorms and Draughts
It was raining outside and Kellie was lying on the floor, her head against Fred's calves as he and George began to make new order forms in the hope that if they couldn't copy them, they would need to make more before they ran out. Kellie had begun to read the sixth year potions books, having a brew upstairs under Fred's bed as to not be found or seen.
Kellie visibly shuddered as a small bit of thunder clapped in the distance, her distaste of thunderstorms always got the best of her in the thundering months of school. "You okay, love?" Fred asked looking over to his calves.
"Yeah... The calming draught should be done in about an hour." Kellie said, "Then I won't be bothered at all."
"What are you two up to?" Mrs Weasley said sharply, her eyes on the twins.
"Homework." Fred said dismissively as he glanced back down to Kellie for a moment as lightning flashed outside. She closed her eyes and shuddered once more.
"Don't be ridiculous, you're still on holiday." said Mrs Weasley.
"Yeah, we've left it a bit late." George smirked but let it drop as the thunder grew louder and Kellie jolted into an upright position and darted from the room. "Kellie-" He jumped up and followed after her, leaving Fred to defend himself.
"You're not by any chance writing out a new order form, are you?" George could hear as he climbed the steps two at a time to try and catch up to Kellie who had all ready reached his and Fred's shared room. A roar of laughter erupted from downstairs but George ignored it as he reached his room.
"Kellie-" George said spotting the blond pulling a cauldron out from underneath a floorboard under Fred's bed. "The draught?"
"Yes." Kellie said, her shoulders shaking in the slightest. "I need it now..."
George knelt down by Kellie who looked at the draught, both knowing it was not fully complete, "You know what could happen if you take it when it's not ready." He said grabbing her away from the cauldron.
"The storm is only getting closer..." Kellie hissed as she fought off George grasp, "If it knocks me unconscious, then I can't hear the storm anyways." She attempted to wrestle him off to take some draught but George was taller and stronger than what she was, minus he also played Quidditch and was probably stronger than the Weasley boys, minus Charlie and his twin. "George!"
She found herself pinned to the floor with George having grabbed her shoulders to keep her from moving forward. "Why 'ello there, beautiful."
"George Weasley!" Kellie shot at him as a loud clap of thunder came with a bolt of lightning. She let out a small sob and grabbed onto George tightly, burying her face into him.
"It'll be done on the hour, Kellie." George told her as he let his arms slid around her back to try to keep her from shaking to much. "That's only in twenty minutes, dinner will be done by then too." Her shoulders still trembled as the storm grew closer still.
Fred plowed into the room, stumbling over his feet, quickly diving for George's bed, sliding the floorboard that was underneath it open and sticking the order forms that they had been working on downstairs into it. Once securing the documents, he sat on George's bed and looked to his twin and their best friend. "Calming Draught not finished yet?" Fred asked and George glared.
"Not until the hour." George told Fred, who nodded in understanding.
"Dinner will be soon." Fred said trying to change the subject, "And we leave to King's Cross in a couple days..." he looked at Kellie, hoping for some sort of response from her. "Kellie- we'll be able to see Lee and Angelina again."
They sat in silence, Kellie not answering to Fred at all. When the hour came, Fred pulled a small cup out of his drawer and filled it with the brew. "Kellie, here, it's done." He said pulling her from George and pressing the glass into her hands. She downed the glass as if it were to save her life and sat for a moment longer.
"Kellie-?" Fred and George both questioned.
"It's getting better." She said calming down a lot. She took in a couple of deep breathes as Fred looked over Georges' shoulder curious to know her status from the calming draught. "Dinner should be ready, correct?" Kellie said standing up with the help of Fred.
"Yeah, but you might want to clean yourself up, love." Fred told her before gesturing to the bathroom across the hall.
"Thanks..." Kellie muttered before leaving the room quickly.
The next couple of days that led to September 1st were all the same. The rain had not lifted at all, and Kellie found herself relying more than usual on the Calming Draught. She found herself on the seat between George and the compartment door on the ride to the school. "Have you given any more thought to what it was that Bill and the others had all been talking about?" Lee asked, hearing what the three had known from the Quidditch Cup and what had been said.
"I gave up trying to figure it out." Kellie told Lee as Fred through another chocolate frog at her. "Stop it!" Fred laughed as George picked the chocolate frog off of Kellie's blond head. "Thank you..."
"Don't you have prefect duty?" Fred shot at Kellie who stuck her tongue out at Fred.
"Cho Chang is covering for me. She knows I hate the weather." Kellie said shifting uncomfortably against the wall. "Glad I befriended her first year."
"I thought we were your only friends." Angelina teased causing Kellie to roll her eyes.
"I'm also friends with Tommy Croft from Hufflepuff." I told Angelina, "Bet you didn't know that one."
"How'd you meet him? First year?" Fred asked.
"No, I've known him since I was a kid. He lived down the street and we went to the same play center." Kellie explained, "But I moved away when... well, you know, and so it was interesting to run into each other again first year." She shrugged it off, the calming draught working well over the thoughts of her parents.
"That's interesting to know." George said as him and Fred both looked at each other with a smirk. Kellie hit George in the arm with a glare, "What?"
"He's not going to be your new test subject." She told George seriously.
"How do you know if that's what we were even thinking that?"
"Because I know you two." Kellie said crossing her arms and glaring at George.
"Sad to say I could see it coming too." Angelina laughed as she glanced from Lee to Fred.
"Anything off the trolley dears?" The lady that ran the trolley questioned as she paused at our compartment.
"No chocolate frogs for anyone... please." Kellie said looking up from her book she was reading. "I'll take a bag of Bertie Botts."
"Here you go, deary." The trolley lady handed her the bag of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans as Kellie handed over the money. The others got a couple other sweets and chocolates before the trolley disappeared down the train.
"Who do you think will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?" Lee asked.
"I think the question is more to the fact of how long will they be around." Angelina said with a laugh. "I can't stay much longer, I promised Alicia and Katie that I would sit with them for part of the train ride."
"I'll come with you when you do." Lee said with a large grin at the thought of being around Alica and Katie, the two other chasers for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Kellie pulled out a small water bottle and took a sip of it before capping it and sliding it back into her bag. "Calming Draught?" Angelina asked catching sight of the bottle. Kellie nodded and rested her head against the wall pulling out the Advance Potion Making book. "What classes are you lot taking this year?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Herbology and Transfiguration." Fred told them.
"All those plus Potions." George told them.
"You got an O in Potions?" Angelina and Lee both said in shock.
"We all were shocked." Kellie told them.
"Well when you have an excellent study-buddy it's hard notto learn everything." George said smugly while Fred raised an eyebrow suggestively, getting a couple of Bertie Bott beans chucked at him.
"What about you, Kellie?" Angelina asked, ignoring the new war between Fred and Kellie.
"Those five, Ancient Runes,Divination and History of Magic."
"That's impossible! How did you get an O in History of Magic?" Fred said, not knowing that she gotten such a grade in such a class.
"I don't know. I like to read about it, I suppose." Kellie shrugged, "What about you two?"
"Same as George except with Divination." Lee told Kellie.
"We have the same minus that History of Magic business." Angelina laughed.
It wasn't much longer when Angelina and Lee left to find Katie and Alica. Fred had been in a deep conversation with George on the shop ideas and what products they should do next. Kellie took the opportunity to start throwing Bertie Botts at Fred's bright orange head. He attempted to ignore it for as long as he could before soon the whole compartment was filled with Bertie Botts, some sticking to the window to the door and others on the ceiling to the compartment.
"What about ever changing flavored Bertie Botts?" Kellie offered as she threw another bean at Fred.
"That is a good idea." Fred said. "But-"
"Bertie Botts still owns his beans, and if we wanted to do an ever changing bean, we'd have to go through the whole copyright infringements, and we'd have to come up with an entirely new name." George explained, "Unless we don't do beans, but-"
"Popcorn?" Fred said as he popped a bean into his mouth. "Pop Cotton, the ever changing flavored popcorn?"
"Odd name." Kellie laughed, "You'll have to work on that more." She glanced back down to the book in her hands, "So Fred..." Kellie started, deciding to change the subject, "When you going to ask Angelina out?"
Fred choked on the Bertie Bott Bean he had been eating, "Wha-what do you mean?"
"It's quite clear what she means, Fred." George laughed as he took a glance outside at the pouring rain. "I think I can see the station coming up."
"Thank you." Fred rolled his eyes.
"Avoiding the question, are we?" Kellie teased as she flipped the page in her book aimlessly before shutting it and putting it back in her bag.
"Still trying to hide your affections for me too, are we?" Fred shot with a smirk, "Jealousy is a bad thing to have, Miss Cotton."
"Aye, you would know, mate." Kellie shot back as the train slowed to a stop. "Looks like we're here."
The rain was so heavy and thick that it felt like buckets of ice water being poured over each person as they raced to the carriages. Kellie shuddered as she stayed underneath the umbrella she had brought each year since she had been to Hogwarts. "Fred! George! Kellie!" Lee's voice carried as he waved his arm over to them from a carriage. "Over here!"
"Thanks for saving us some spots, Lee." Kellie said, grateful to not have to find a carriage for them alone. She nearly dove into the carriage and sat next to Alicia and Katie, on top of Angelina's lap while the twins and Lee sat opposite of the girls.
"I really in all honesty think if Professor McGonagall spotted us all sitting atop of each other like this would deduct so many points that winning the Quidditch Cup this year wouldn't help at all." Katie said with a laugh.
"Think if Leanne was in here with us," Alicia stated, "she'd be sitting on your lap, Katie."
Lee closed the door and slid into the seat next to Fred, across from Alicia. "Didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier, guys." Katie said to the twins, and Kellie. "How was holiday?"
"Spent the later of Holiday at the Quidditch World Cup." Fred started as Katie nodded.
"Heard that was a real smashing party." Alicia said with a laugh.
"Oh quite the contrary." George continued, "Quite the gathering afterwards with the mark in the sky."
"The storms not a bother to you, is it, Kellie?" Angelina offered as Kellie pulled the Muggle Water Bottle out and took another go at it.
"Not much." Kellie shrugged, "Still gets to me every now and then, but with the Draught I can just ignore it."
"Oh, how's the business coming along?" Katie asked, turning back to the twins.
"Quite well. We got Ludo Bagman to be a great customer." George said glancing at Kellie who was swatting away Angelina's hand and attempts at trying to braid her hair. "Got some other customers to start owling in their order forms."
"That's quite well." Katie said with a smile, "Hope all works out for the best."
"Well, we also won a bet at the cup." Fred explained.
"How'd you manage that one?" Lee asked.
"Irish wins, but Krum got the snitch." Fred explained.
"What about that Stevie guy you ran into at the Muggle village, Kellie?" Alicia asked, hearing about the girls day from Kellie that night. "Did you ever run into him again?"
"Once." Kellie said standing from Angelina's lap as to free herself from the hands that kept attempting to braid her hair. She bumped her head on the top of the carriage as it had hit a rock on the trail and landed on Lee. "I had gone back into town with Ginny the other day and he was a little nervous to talk to me again, seeing as how we were rudelyinterrupted the time before."
She glared at Fred and George who both put on their best angel faces.
"So what happened?" Alicia said with a light smirk, as she saw Fred and George take notice, apparently not aware of the latest meeting between the Muggle boy and their friend Kellie.
"Nothing much, we just talked a bit, and I told him that I'd be back around next summer." Kellie shrugged, "He's a nice guy, bought Ginny and I some hot cocoa."
"Did he now?" Fred and George said with a disapproving look.
The rain didn't lighten at all as the carriages arrived at the front gates of Hogwarts. They were one of the first carriages to arrive, and one of the first groups to enter the entrance. Katie let out a loud scream as a bright green balloon had been thrown onto her head, the water splattering everywhere.
"Peeves!" Katie yelled as Alicia quickly dried her friend up. "There you go, Katie."
"Protego." Angelina shot as a sheild formed above them, deflecting the water balloons.
"I never thought to use it to defend myself from non-magical objects." Kellie laughed as they trotted towards the Great Hall.
"Hey, Peeves!" Fred yelled before leaving his site, "Make sure to get Ronnikins for us."
"Will do, mates." Peeves grinned before tossing another balloon on some unsuspecting third year girls, who all cried out.
The group met up with some other Gryffindors, Katie's friend Leanne greeted the group before pulling Katie off to another group of babbling girls that seemed excited to have returned to Hogwarts. "Hope the sorting's not too long." Lee commented as they took seats on the middle of the table. The three boys sitting opposite of the three girls that had rode in the carriage with them. "I'm starved."
"With how thin you look, I'm surprised you know what food is." Angelina teased, causing the group to roar with laughter.
The sorting hat sang a new song, sorted the students, and soon Professor Dumbledore was standing in front of the students, "I only have two words to say to you, tuck in." The platters that had been emptied had suddenly filled above the brim with food.
"Finally!" Lee said grabbing the mashed potatoes and scooping them onto his plate along with the chicken breasts and stuffing.
"Don't eat to much, Lee." Kellie warned, "Or else you might break you bed tonight."
"We're at a school filled with magic, we can easily repair it. Make it stronger." Lee said with a joyful laugh.
"Bill and Charlie said that we'd learn something tonight when we got here." George said his mouth full of some solid food. "Wonder when we'll actually hear about it."
"Probably not until mornin'," Angelina stated, "Once everything settled."
"Aw man..." Kellie moaned as she slammed down her golden goblet. The five friends around her looked curious as to know what was wrong. "Calming Draught is wearing out and I don't have anymore!" A clap of thunder could be heard and Kellie shuddered slightly, rolling her eyes. "Wish I brewed a cauldron more before we left."
"Probably should 'ave." Alicia said as she lowered her goblet of punkin juice. "Maybe they'll have some more in the Hospital Wing."
"I think I'll be able to manage through the night. If it's like this tomorrow, I'll have too." Kellie miffed as the food vanished and pudding arrived for dessert.
"So! Now that we have all been fed and watered..." The headmaster had silenced everyone once dinner had finished. "...I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices." The group knew all the notices, the forbidden forest is of course forbidden. Kellie learned last year the hard way why it had been forbidden. There was a large list of forbidden objects, pinned up in Filches office.
"Not going to follow that rule, now are we?" Fred elbowed George as they both matched grins. He then made note to Hogsmeade, and the twins grinned, "Not like we're forbidden."
"And some of us don't have permission to go." George said shooting Kellie a look that she merely ignored by giving her full attention to the headmaster.
"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."
"That's rubbish!" Fred and George shot. "They can cancel that!"
"Why? Because that's the only thing you're good at?" Angelina taunted as Alicia laughed silently at the look Fred and George shot at Angelina.
"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy- but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"
A deafening rumble of thunder came as the doors to the Great Hall banged open, and Kellie let out a small whimper which got Angelina to pull her into a tight hug, calming her in the slightest of ways. The group, along with all other students, turned to face the Great Hall doors that had opened abruptly. A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. He lowered his hood, a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair appeared before he began to walk towards the staff table.
A dull clunkcame with every other step that the stranger took. He limped up to the headmaster, and a great flash of lightning sent Kellie to nearly jump onto Angelina completely, while the strangers face came clear into view. "Isn't that Mad-eye Moody?" Alicia asked, looking to the twins and Lee. "The Auror."
"The Auror?" Lee asked, "What's he doing here?"
He was shaking hands with Dumbledore, mumbling words to each other. Mad-eye Moody soon took a seat at the end of the table, and Dumbledore turned back to his students, "May I introduce ou new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" He was speaking brightly while the hall remained silent, "Professor Moody."
It was silent, except for the applause from the headmaster, and the half-giant, Hagrid. Kellie took in a deep breath, and calmed herself before looking up at the professor. "He's the one that your Dad had to go and help with this morning, wasn't he?" Kellie asked the twins who both nodded together.
"As I was saying," Dumbledore continued from earlier, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
"You're JOKING!" said Fred quite loudly as no one else had broken the tense silence that had been created. Everyone was laughing, minus the Slytherin population of students.
"I am notjoking, Mr Weasley." the headmaster chuckled, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar..."
The head of Gryffindor had cleared her throat as a blunt sign that it was not the time for it.
"Where was I?" Dumbledore laughed, "Ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament... well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who doknow will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely.
"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks."
"I'm not going for it." Kellie murmured to Angelina.
"I am." She told Kellie back who rolled her eyes.
"The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be the most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities- until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."
"Yep, definitely not entering now." Kellie said, this time the boys across the table hearing.
"What?! Why not?" Fred asked, "You're use to explosions of sorts, and landing in the hospital wing, you risk your life all the time for your experiments."
"That's different." Kellie shot, ignoring Dumbledores continuous speech, "I don't want to put my life in danger just for show. I like it for learning experiments."
"You're mental." George told her. She gave a disapproving look to him as she rolled her eyes and focused back on Dumbledore.
"...short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."
"I'm going for it!" Fred hissed around the table. "I call that prize!"
"Don't be so greedy, Fred." George said, "You have a twin too."
"Aye, I do." Fred said with a grin, "It's our prize money."
When it was brought up that you must be seventeen when you enter your name, Kellie could have sworn Dumbledore looked straight at the twins, who each had begun to protest profoundly. "And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!" Dumbledore concluded with a clap of his hands, before sitting down and began to talk once more to Mad-eye Moody.
"They can't do that!" George said furious, "We're seventeen in April, why can't we have a shot?"
"Stop glaring at Dumbledore, it's not his choice." Kellie shot, hitting George in the arm as she pulled herself out of the tables.
"They're not stopping me." Fred said stubbornly, also scowling towards Dumbledore. "The champions will get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally. And a thousand Galleons prize money!"
"Let's go before I leave you here looking like a bunch of babbling baboons." Angelina told the twins before nodding to Alicia, Lee and Kellie.
"The password is Balderdash if you're going to take forever." Kellie told George before leaving with the others, leaving the twins with Ron, Harry, Hermione and a couple other stragglers.
"Lee, are you going to enter?" Alicia asked as the four made their way up the staircase.
"I won't be seventeen until November first!" Lee said exasperated, "it's not fair if you ask me."
"Want to switch birthdays mate?" Kellie asked, "I'd be glad to wait until November to be seventeen."
"Why do you say that?" Lee asked her.
"Fred and George are going to bug me to slip their names in for them." She explained, "And I don't even want to go near the judge, don't want him to know I'm seventeen."
"Where's your Gryffindor pride?" Angelina asked, "You'll be seventeen by October, and you'll be able to do it. This is a chance you'll never get again."
"I don't want the chance now." Kellie huffed as they reached the portrait.
"Password?"
"Balderdash." Kellie told the fat lady who let the four in. "Well, I'm tired, and I really want to ignore this storm. I'll see you all in the morning."
"Night, love." Lee called as Kellie left to the staircase.
"We'll be up in a few." Angelina called before taking a table up with Lee and Alicia.
YAY! Two chapters out within 24 hours! hazzah! So I'm reading Goblet of Fire AND watching it. lol Reveiws anyone? Nobody reviewed last chapter. =/ hrmm... oh well. I think I might go to bed now. lol it's nearly 2 in the morning! AH! That means one day and twenty hours until I'm eighteen! YAY I'll try to get chapter seven out soon. =) That'll have Mad-eye Moody in it. =)