Chapter 8

Dear Daddy,

I miss you, so much. I've been good lately. Cedric's going to enter the Triwizard Tournament…I really hope he doesn't get picked. He really wants to be the Hogwarts Champion, but people die in the tournament! The other schools are arriving in a few weeks. Everybody at Hogwarts misses you. All the professors, except for Snape, have told me to tell you that they say hello. I think they miss you.

Professor Moody is insane! Daddy, I know you said that he wasn't but I really think he is. He showed the Fourth Years the Cruciatus curse…Neville told me about his parents and how You-Know-Who's followers crucioed them into insanity. Did you know his parents? Neville was really upset about it the other day…I wish there was some way I could help him feel better.

Anyways, I'd better go. It's getting late and I still have to go send this to you. I love you and good night.

Love,

Charlotte

PS. I'm about to read Uncle Sirius's letter.

I folded the letter to Dad and put it on my desk. Then I looked around the dormitory. I was all alone, so I took my letter out from Uncle Sirius. I have no idea what the letter says.

Dear Charlotte,

I'm coming towards Hogwarts. You're a third year right? So you can go to Hogsmeade Village. I want you and Harry to visit sometimes during Hogsmeade Village. If you could, could you bring food with you whenever you come to visit?

Anyways, it was…amazing to see you at the end of school year last year. You

look just like your mother did when she was your age. I'm sure you're just like her, but with your father in you too. I look forward to getting to know you. I wish that I already did know you, but I do look forward to the coming years, when I can come out in public and you don't have to come visit me in a cave somewhere.

I'd better go, but please write me back.

Love,

Snuffles

I put the letter down as Ali walked into the room. I quickly placed a book over it and smiled at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing a letter to my dad," I replied showing her my letter that I already wrote to my dad.

"Oh, ok," Ali replied, going into the bathrooms.

I took another piece of parchment out and then I took a quill out.

Snuffles,

I really look forward to seeing you soon. Yes, I am a third year, so whenever you want me to come, I will. I need to go now, but I'll see you soon. Stay safe.

Charlotte

I put the letters in my bag and stood up. Ali came out of the bathroom and we walked to the Great Hall together. Cedric and Sean met us there, and I waved to Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Harry and his friends weren't here yet. It was dinner time, so I'll only have a little time to bring my letters to the owlery to send them. I don't want to send my owl because the journey might be too long for her.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The weeks went by and it was soon the day before Halloween. The people from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are arriving today, so we get out of class early to greet them. I'm sort of excited about them coming, but it marks the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament. I'm scared of Cedric entering. Once he enters, there's no turning back. If he's chosen, he'll have to compete. And what if he gets hurt? I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him.

"Charlotte, come on we have to get ready for breakfast!" Ali exclaimed. I was still lying in bed, thinking about the nightmare I had last night. Ali was already dressed in her robes and was looking impatiently at me.

"You go ahead without me. I'll be there in a few minutes," I replied.

"Fine," Ali replied, sighing. She walked out of the room.

I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I had dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep. I had a bad dream, one that involved Uncle Sirius getting caught, and I didn't fall back asleep until after four in the morning. I ran a brush through my thick black hair and then I gathered it into a ponytail. Then I pulled on my robes and grabbed my bag. I walked into the common room. It was empty except for one person. Cedric.

"Hey, took you long enough," he replied standing up. He grinned at me, to tell me that he was only joking.

"You didn't have to wait," I replied.

"I wanted to," he responded.

We walked towards the Great Hall standing next to each other. He kept looking at me, like he was waiting to say something. I know that he knows that I don't want him to enter the tournament. Even if he was the Hogwarts Champion, I would be terrified of losing him. He's the best friend…no brother I've ever had. As I went to open the door, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"I want to talk to you," He said looking at me seriously.

"Ok," I replied.

"Tomorrow, I'm putting my name into the Goblet of Fire."

"I—I know," I replied, half whispering. "J—just tell me when you are."

He nodded and hugged me. I rested my head on his chest for a few minutes, before we walked into the Great Hall to have breakfast. We made our way to the Hufflepuff table. Ali and Sean were deep in conversation, so they didn't even notice when we sat down. Cedric and I shared a look, and he shook his head.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The day went by incredibly fast, and soon it was time to go meet the people from the two rival schools. Ali and I met Cedric and Sean and then we made our ways out to the entrance Hall. We had our cloaks on because we're going to be waiting outside, I suppose.

Professor Sprout, like all the other professors were lining their students up by year. Cedric and Sean had to stand towards the back, since they're both sixth years. Ali and I were near the front since we're only third years. Ali was shivering since it was getting dark and it was chilly.

"What's taking them so long?" Ali whined.

"Who knows," I replied, jumping up and down on the balls of my feet trying to keep warm. "Why does it have to be cold out today?"

"Ugh," Ali replied.

Just when we thought we couldn't take the cold much longer, Dumbledore said "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

Something large, much larger than a broomstick—or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks—was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring towards them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.

The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.

A boy in pale robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerged from the inside of the carriage—a shoe the size of a child's sled—followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman anybody ever saw in their lives.

The woman had a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes, and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed by her throat and on her thick neck.

Dumbledore began to clap and the rest of us followed.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

Dumbledore and her talked for a few more minutes, before her and her students made their way into the castle to get warm. Everybody was waiting anxiously for Durmstrang to come. Me and Ali began jumping up and down from the cold. I looked back at Cedric who was smiling at Cho Chang. I saw her giggle and then whisper something to one of her friends. I rolled my eyes so Cedric would see. He just grinned at me. I shook my head and turned back to where we were standing.

The people from Durmstrang finally arrived. They arrived in a boat that goes under the water. Karkaroff, was tall and thin with short white hair and a goatee. His students went inside the castle after he talked to Dumbledore.

After all the Durmstrang students got in, we began walking back into the castle. Cedric and Sean waited off to the side for us. Together, we walked towards the Great Hall, where we'd have a feast and then the Tournament would really begin. I leaned on Cedric while we walked, his body warming mine. Ali and Sean kept pushing each other, and laughing. I rolled my eyes.

The Durmstrang students, sat with the Slytherins of course, and the Beauxbatons sat with the Ravenclaws, where Cedric repeatedly looked over at Cho Chang.

"Cedric?" I asked him as he was staring at Cho again.

"Hm?" he asked not looking over at me.

"What color are my eyes?"

"Blue," he answered.

"Wrong," I replied, rolling my eyes. "That's what color Cho Chang's eyes are. Now stop staring at her. Girls don't like to be stared at."

"Oh yeah?" Cedric responded looking back at me. "What do they like?"

"I thought you'd know by now, seeing as your seventeen."

"Well I don't," He responded. "Charley please! Help me?"

I sighed. He looked at me with his 'pleading' face. "Fine."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Uh—huh," I responded.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and—most particularly—guests. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!" Dumbledore said at the beginning of the feast.

When everybody was finished eating Dumbledore stood up and began speaking again.

"The moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket—just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways…their magical prowess—their daring—their powers of deduction—and, of course their ability to cope with danger.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament one from each of the participations schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.

Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the hall.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all," Dumbledore finished his speech.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Are you entering Cedric?" A boy in Cedric's year asked as me and Cedric walked down towards the entrance hall.

"Yes," Cedric replied, nodding and smiling.

The boy cheered and ran off in the opposite direction, probably to inform the masses that Cedric's entering. Cedric just smiled and shook his head.

"You sure are popular today," I commented.

"Well, I am about to possibly bring our house the biggest honor if I'm chosen, so I'm thinking that people are going to cheer throughout the day."

"Well, I suggest that you don't let it get to your head."

"Would I do that?"

"Probably," I replied, smiling.

"I'll get you for that."

"I'm sure you will," I replied.

"Cedric!" Sean exclaimed, running up behind us. Ali was trailing behind him.

"Sean?"

"The Weasley twins just put their name into the Goblet. They grew white beards and the goblet rejected their names."

"Wow," I commented.

The four of us made our way to the entrance hall. Ali, Sean, and I stood back as Cedric walked up to the goblet with his name written on the piece of parchment. He stepped through the age-line and put the parchment into the fire. People all around us clapped for him, and he just smiled and walked back to us.

After the Halloween feast, it was time for the names of the champions to be chosen. I was sitting next to Cedric, my head resting on his shoulder. I could feel how tense he was.

The first champion to be named was the Durmstrang Champion. Dumbledore announced that Viktor Krum was the champion. Their headmaster cheered loudly for him. The next name out of the Goblet of Fire was Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons.

I gripped Cedric's hand as he became even tenser, waiting for the Hogwarts Champion's name to be announced. We looked at each other and I was preparing myself, just in case, for if Cedric lost.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory."

Everybody at our table jumped up and started yelling and cheering. Cedric stood up and I hugged him before he started walking down the isle towards the room the other champion's disappeared through. Everybody at our table was clapping and some people were clapping.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champion every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real—"

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him.

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.

Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read—

"Harry Potter."

AN: I'm so sorry for the long wait. I got sick and then my computer broke for weeks and I could only get short amounts of time on my parents computer to write this. I have finals next week and schools out for the summer, so I hope to update more frequently. Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope you read and review! If there's anything you'd like to see happen, write it in a review. Thanks so much!