The next morning, as I walked down to the great hall for breakfast, I was unceremoniously pulled into an empty classroom. As I pulled out my wand ready to the curse the person whose hand still graced my wrist, I looked up into the nervous blue eyes of Hugo.
"Hugo! For Merlin's sake you nearly got yourself killed!" I screeched irritated.
"Sorry, sorry! I just needed to talk to you in private." He said looking worried.
I attempted to feign ignorance, "Well what's so important?"
He rolled his eyes at me, looking a little more himself, "you know what; The Triwizard Tournament. "
I tried to skate around it. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I was uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed, "What about it?"
"Well, in regards to our pact, I…I think we should enter." He said to me looking like it had taken all his courage.
"Ha! As if we could enter. Everyone knows you have to be of age to enter the competition, and as you well know, we are not."
He looked at me exasperatedly, "Were you listening to the headmaster at all last night?"
I thought about it for a minute. I had not, in fact, heard anything after I learned the Triwizard competition was being held. "No. But I don't see what that has to do with us not being of age."
Hugo then looked very serious, "Some of the rules have been changed. After the last Triwizard tournament where your father won, they decided that 14 was old enough to enter. You just have to get your parents' consent if you are not of age. "
He looked at me worried. I know that my face must have looked horror stricken, but nothing scared me more than what he said next. "Also instead of three people being selected there will be six; two from each school. The first round, one person will be eliminated. The second round two people will be eliminated, until the third round where three people will face off and there will be one winner. "
My heart sank to my feet. As much as I had talked about this being our year, and setting ourselves apart, I ever really thought some big opportunity would arise. I was all talk. I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for a reason; I am not brave. I don't have a brave bone in a body. I would rather save my own skin, than be out saving lives. I am no Harry Potter. I am Lily Potter, and Lily Potter is a coward.
As though Hugo could sense I was feeling this way, he began to give me a prep talk.
"Come on Lily! This is our your remember? You can't go getting wobbly knees now."
"That is so easy for you to say! You didn't grow up hearing stories of the horror my father faced in that tournament. He watched somebody die there! What makes you think I would have any inclination to enter myself? I had nightmares about that for years!" I screamed my face red and flushed.
Hugo looked surprised at my outburst, "I'm sorry Lily, I didn't realize you felt that way. It's just, I know how you are. I know new things frighten you; change frightens you, but when I made the pact with you, I meant it. I am scared of what this could mean too, but that doesn't mean I am going to go hiding with my tail between my legs, pretending it doesn't exist. I am going to enter. If you don't want to I will understand. I can't pretend that I won't be hurt though. I thought we were in this together." He hung his head and walked out of the room.
I pulled my hand mirror out of my bag. A tear slowly escaped and I caught it before it could ruin my makeup. I hated disappointing my favorite cousin. He has always been there for me, no matter what crazy scheme I came up with. Now I was deserting him because I was afraid. I looked at my reflection again. It was so easy to cover myself in makeup, pull back my hair into a tight bun, and pretend I had it all together; but inside, I was constantly falling apart. I was so afraid people would see through my façade of being confident. I am really a scared little girl, with low self-esteem and big green eyes.
I stepped out of the classroom, my confident mask back in place, when I looked down into familiar ocean blue eyes.
"Hi Ares," I hugged him and stood back to glance him over, "How was your night?"
"It was great! I made friends, and your brothers threatened to beat up anybody who messed with me," he grinned with perfect white teeth.
I put my arm around his shoulder and gave him a one armed hug, "I am so glad to hear that. If anybody messes with you, you can let me know as well. I'll send them my famous bat boogey hex."
He laughed loudly and put his small arm around my waist, "I think I'll be alright. Nobody wants to mess with the Potter-Weasley clan."
We laughed as we walked into the great. Everyone turned to look at us and started to murmur. I rolled my eyes at all the gossip I could hear already. He was 11yrs old for Merlin's sake. What is wrong with people? He blushed and gave a small wave as he walked over to his friends. I could hear them teasing him calling me his girlfriend, turning his face beet red. I laughed as I walked to my table, which was partially empty.
I sat and ate my breakfast quietly, trying hard not to look anywhere near Hugo, who was avoiding my gaze anyway. As I took another sip of tea I watched as Scorpius Malfoy walked in. It was strange how when he stepped in the room everyone seemed to notice. When he walked, his feet seemed to glide rather than step as he went over to his younger brother. I had been watching them interacting, so I hadn't noticed when someone sat beside and called my name.
"Helllooo Lily! Can you hear me?"
I turned abruptly, "Oh Hi Frank. How are you this morning?"
He smiled at me, "I'm great! I just wanted to know what you thought about me putting in my name for the triwizard tournament."
I began chocking violently on my tea. Frank patted my back and I tried to regain my composure.
"Er that's great Frank, but why would you want my opinion?" I asked confused.
He blushed and looked away nervously, "Well your one of my best friends Lily and I just wanted to know what you thought. Plus I know you'll be honest with me"
I tried to look indifferent and gave him my honest opinion, "I think its suicide, but to each his own."
He looked at me hesitantly for a moment before replying, "You know your brothers are entering right?"
"WHAT?" I yelled and the whole room looked at me as I stalked over to my brothers at the Gryffindor table.
"Tell me you two haven't entered the Triwizard Competition? Please tell me it is a sick joke." I said trying to keep my voice steady.
"Of course we entered little Lily. We are the sons of Harry Potter after all. People would think we were right cowards if we didn't" James stated as though it should have been obvious to me.
"Oh so then I suppose I should enter too, right?" I said sarcastically.
"Of course not little Lily. No one would expect you to last five minutes in that thing. You just haven't got it in you," Al stated rubbing my arm in what I'm sure he thought was a comforting manner.
And that was it. That was the straw the broke the camel's back. She was an Aries after all, and her stubbornness and impulsiveness beat out her fear. She jammed her hand in her bag, pulled out a scrap of paper, and scribbled down her name. Before her brothers had a chance to stop her, she ran to the giant cup, pass the age line, then pass the identification line that insured only the person whose name was on the paper could enter it in, and threw her scrap of parchment into the cup.
Then suddenly she was being hoisted into the air.
She laughed loudly, "Hugo put me down!"
"I knew you would change your mind. We are in this together!" he said fiercely pumping his fist in the air. I grinned at him mimicking his movements, then sashayed over to my brothers, pleased with what I had done.
"Apparently I do have it in me Albus," I grinned cheekily.
They both looked at me angrily before Rose stated, "don't get your wand in a knot boys, it's not like she will be picked." She rolled her brown eyes and then started laughing at something Frank was saying.
"Yeah, that's true. It's not like she'll be picked." James said, sounding more like he was talking to himself.
Suddenly I could feel someone right behind me as they leaned in close to my ear, "Good for you Potter," said the smirking lips of Scorpius Malfoy.
I blushed and put my hand to my cheek as he chuckled, "thanks Malfoy."
He walked away and I stood there gazing like an idiot.
"You don't like my brother do you?" Ares asked looking up at me.
I shook my head lightly, "No, of course not. "
"Good." He looked as though he didn't believe me, but was happy enough with that answer.
I walked back to my table, sitting in my usual seat between the twins. We finished eating and as it was a Saturday went to lounge outside by the lake. As the two girls chattered away I laid there thinking about the implications of what I had just done. My impulsive ways had lead me to make a bad choice. Tomorrow the champions would be announced and sent to Durmstrang for the remainder of the year. What if one of those champions was me? If it is me then I hope Hugo is beside me. It is the only way I would be able to find the courage to go through with it. I worried the rest of the day. As I laid my head on my silk green pillow that night, frightened for tomorrow, I thought why am I worrying? Out of all the people who had entered that day, what are the chances that it would be me? I smiled, that thought soothing my worries.
What are the chances Harry Potter's only daughter would be picked as a champion for the triwizard tournament 28yrs after he had been a winner himself? What are the chances?