"Come," Madame Maxime's voice broke through my icy anger. Terese and Gabrielle headed forward after Madame, followed by Susanne, Zoe and I. The others trailed after, confused by the simple English word but assuming what it meant by our reactions. Bridgette was grinning in a way that reminded me of Gabrielle's cat Addie. I rewrapped my muffler around my head and looked around. We were walking up stone steps to a large castle, bigger than Beauxbatons but much less beautiful. My negativity colored it cold and unwelcoming.
"It looks magnifique." Gabrielle commented in awe. I snorted.
"Don't be that way, Fleur." Terese said mildly.
I rolled my eyes, and in the process noticed a huge ship rising out of the lake, rippling its formerly pristine surface.
"Durmstrang." Susanne said excitedly. "I 'ave never met a student of Durmstrang before! This will be so intéressant!" (interesting)
Terese groaned and I rolled my eyes again, then winced. The cold was beginning to give me a headache. Susanne didn't seem to notice our irritation. She was too busy blabbing in rapid fire French about the architecture. When we stepped into the castle I almost made a noise of pleasure. The warm air seemed to melt my icy limbs and bring life back to my fingers and toes.
Madame Maxime lead us into a room across from the front doors. Madame Maxime, on her way towards Dumbledore, who was entering the hall with his students and about six kids wearing furs, told us in French to pick a table. I was never one for animal furs, so I lead the group to the farthest table from the Durmstrang students.
Smart looking kids followed us to it, and I was satisfied with my pick. I settled myself down on the end of the table closest to the front. Gabrielle sat to my right. Zoe sat next to her, Terese sat next to her, and Susanne sat next to Terese.
I studied the hall. It had a beautiful ceiling, that reflected the stars, but the stone walls and floors were not as enchanting as the ceiling. They were as cold and unwelcoming as the outside. I was unimpressed.
"Is zat 'Arry Potter?" Susanne's tone was excited, almost breathless. Her and Terese's fascination with the boy wizard had always been a great source of irritation for me. But, nonetheless, I followed her gaze.
The boy sat in between a redheaded boy and a mousy girl with frizzy brown hair. He had messy black hair and glasses that enlarged and brightened his emerald eyes. They looked to be scrawny fourteen year olds. All three were very unimpressive. But the boy with the startling green eyes had a lightning scar.
"I guess 'e iz." I commented, deciding to keep a look out for Madame Maxime to enter.
Terese grinned excitedly. "Do you think we could talk to 'im?"
I rolled my eyes, worsening my headache. "No Terese, I assume 'e iz deaf."
Susanne looked devastated for a second, then noticed Terese glaring at me.
"Stop being negative Fleur, its warmer in here." she snapped.
I tightened my grip on my muffler, then sprang gracefully to my feet as Madame Maxime entered the hall. The others followed my lead. Sniggers echoed through the hall. Not one of us cared. We reseated ourselves as Dumbledore stood up.
"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."
At this I couldn't help but laugh derisively. Glares from the Hogwarts students scorched me and Gabrielle slapped my arm.
"Fleur!" she hissed.
"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!"
Food appeared on all the dishes almost immediately. I noticed some of the dishes were French, while some, judging by the way students around me were looking at them, were probably Bulgarian. Susanne snatched the Bouillabaisse and started to dish it onto her plate. I decided to wait for it to make its way down to me. I was just folding my hands neatly in my lap when a sharp voice snapped at me.
"Why did you laugh?"
I looked up. Across from me sat a pretty girl with long black hair and steely brown eyes. She appeared to be Asian.
"Excuse me?" I asked, equally sharp, pulling my muffler away from my head so my long silvery hair cascaded down my back.
"When Professor Dumbledore said to have an enjoyable stay, why did you laugh?" she asked nastily.
Gabrielle stepped in before I could answer. "She does not like ze cold. It makes her... Irritable." she spoke deliberately, slowly and carefully, doing her best with her limited English.
But the girl didn't like that. "Do you think I don't speak English well?" she snapped.
Gabrielle's eyes widened. "Non, non!" she gasped, her fear making her lose her head. "I... Do not speak Anglais.."
I jumped in stiffly. "Gabrielle does not speak English well. She meant no offense."
The girls eyes softened. "Do you speak it?"
I nodded. "Well enough."
The girl smiled. "Well then, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come at you like that. I don't even know you, and I can understand having a bad day. Can you forgive me so we can start off on the right foot?" she offered a slim hand, callused and worn from a sport, if I had to guess. Her eyes glittered hopefully.
I hesitated. But then again, having an ally in the sea of foreign students would be nice, and potentially useful. I met her hand. We shook. She grinned.
"I'm Cho Chang."
I smiled back. "Fleur Delacour."
"Fleur..." she mused, rolling my name around on her tongue.
"Cho." I shot back. Her smile widened. "Zese are my friends." I said, gesturing to my right. "Gabrielle, my little sister,"
Gabrielle smiled weakly.
"Her friend Zoe."
Zoe grinned.
"Zoe's sister Terese."
Terese waved, her mouth full of Bouillabaisse.
"And Susanne."
Susanne inclined her head politely, waves of blonde curls falling out of her bun, which was now loose and messy.
Cho smiled at them. "Hello."
"Pleasure." Susanne said, smiling brightly.
"Yes, we couldn't be happier." Terese said sarcastically.
Cho laughed, then put her arm on the shoulders of the girl next to her, who was mildly pretty. "This is Marietta Edgecomb."
"Hello Marietta." we chorused. Marietta smiled shyly as Gabrielle handed me the Bouillabaisse. I looked in the bowl.
"Zere is nothing left." I said, looking up at the four girls next to me, enjoying the shellfish.
"Oh, zere is not?" Susanne said innocently.
"No, there isn't." Terese commented, not looking up from her extra large helping.
I glared. "Well what am I to do?"
"Get more?" suggested Cho.
I frowned. "From where?"
"Another table." Marietta said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I stood up. I checked my charm quickly as I headed across the hall. My skin glowed softly, but not overbearingly. It shouldn't blow any minds. So I stopped at the nearest table.
"Excuse me, are you wanting ze Bouillabaisse?"
The red headed kid turned an interesting color. I checked my Charm, but it was still rather normal. Hmm. Some people were just weak minded. As I thought that, the kid made a strange gurgling noise. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
"Yeah, have it," said Harry Potter, totally unaffected. I made a mental note of his strong mind.
"You 'ave finished wiz it?" I checked.
"Yeah, yeah, it was excellent." said redhead, almost in awe. I picked up the dish and headed back, noticing that the dish hadn't been touched.
Later when the feast was over, the food scraps disappeared from the plates. The room filled with excitement and Terese grinned expectantly at Madame Maxime. Zoe was bouncing on the bench in excitement, while Gabrielle clutched my sleeve.
"The moment has come," Dumbledore began.
"Excitant!" Gabrielle said, causing Cho to look at her in confusion.
"It's pronounced, ex-cite-ing-"
"That was French." I explained.
"SHH!" snapped a girl down the table.
I turned my nose up at her. Cho hissed some english words that I didn't fully understand, but made Terese and Zoe chuckle. While I hated not being in on something, I let it go. It was a very important night.
"The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket-"
"What?" Susanne gasped.
"Cho." I said, noticing two men had joined the teachers. The stern looking one seemed familiar... "Who are they?"
Cho looked up at the staff table. "Oh, they are Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch. They work with the Ministry, our government. I have no idea why they are here. They work with my mom." Cho frowned, studying the people up front.
"Shut up!" snapped the same girl who yelled earlier.
Cho spun to face her. "Do you have a problem, Penelope?" she said sharply and quietly.
"Yes, I do." The girl replied. "And it's name is Cho. Now be quiet!"
Cho sneered at her and turned back to the front, huffing angrily. I chuckled, then turned my attention back to the front.
"-Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
I clapped politely, but not many others clapped with me. That's where I had seen him. He had traveled to Beauxbatons to speak to us and Madame Maxime about the Tournament.
"and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."
There was a very loud round of applause for him. I frowned. So he was more popular? I added him to my growing mental list of people to ask my parents about.
"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."
My interest peaked. I immediately began studying the judges. Karkaroff I could already see would favor his student, a problem I could not fix. But, I also assumed he would be more partial to me than the Hogwarts champion. That would work in my favor. Of course, Madame would most certainly favor me, if I was chosen, so Karkaroff would be canceled out.
Dumbledore would play fair, that was quite clear. I had no doubt in my mind he would judge me as I was to be judged. Madame would judge just as fair, so I respected Dumbledore for that.
Crouch seemed so perfect I figured he would judge so strictly I couldn't even give him another thought.
Bagman, from what I could see, looked like a child. Too excited, too bouncy, and therefore, I associated his judging with how a child might judge. On how flashy it was, and who he thought would win. He seemed easily bribed, and easy won over. I tucked him in the back of my mind.
"The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."
A gross, dirty, and sour little man who never would have been allowed to set foot in Beauxbatons carried in a wooden chest covered in jewels. I narrowed my eyes. Yep, real. Now I was interested in what was in the casket.
"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore. I watched the disgusting caretaker place the chest on a table in front of Dumbledore. "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 participating 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."
I grinned. I wanted to be that winner.
"The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."
Dumbledore tapped the casket three times with his wand and the lid opened. Dumbledore pulled out a large cup that looked like it was carved by an ameture. Wood carving was a very important part of my fathers life, and it was something that he'd taught me. It had been my thing with him. I could have made that cup look like it was made of metal. But, I couldn't focus on all the flaws in the workmanship, I had to listen to Dumbledore to win this tournament.
"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 will 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…"
Urgh, whatever. I didn't have to listen to that. Some younger students who wanted to steal glory rightfully mine was none of my concern, especially if they would never succeed in getting in, which they would not.
When Dumbledore finished talking, we all rose.
"I'll show you guys out." Cho offered. Cho lead us past the people all bunched up in front of the door. Then she stopped in front of the door and smiled at us. "Well guys, I hope we talk again soon."
Susanne smiled. "Merci, for 'elping us. We 'ope to see you later."
Cho grinned. "You're welcome, I guess."
Madame Maxime swooped in and lead all of us back to the carriage. We headed for bed and I pulled my chemise de nuit over my head and climbed into my bunk.
"Fleur?" Gabrielle asked, her blue eyes peering over the edge of her bunk above me.
"Yes?" I asked, watching her.
"Do you theenk you will get in?"
I smiled softly. "I do 'ope so, Gabrielle."
Thanks for reading guys, sorry for the delay.
Reveiwer Responses:
MagentaQuinn: Thank you, and I very much agree!
Bia92: Thank you! I'm very excited to write that part!