Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews!

In answer to one of my reviewer's questions, "kerfuffle" is another word for "chaos."

Another of my readers asked me about when the trial will be. Remember that I said it would be in a few months, so it won't be for a while yet. I'll give you a spoiler: it'll be in December. But I hope you'll enjoy what happens in the meantime!

Some of these scenes are taken directly from canon. I couldn't help putting them in, especially the scene with Peeves and the water balloons!

Chapter 14: The Triwizard Tournament

As Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny hurried up to one of the carriages, they all gasped. Usually, the carriages were pulled by invisible creatures, but this year, they could see horselike beings pulling them.

"Hey, what's that?" said Ron, looking at them. They were very strange-looking things indeed. They seemed eerie, and they were looking at the children with interested expressions.

"These," said Hermione slowly, "are thestrals. I read about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They have always pulled the carriages to Hogwarts."

"How can we see them now?" said Harry, interested, "and we couldn't see them before?"

"Because," Hermione replied quietly, "you can only see them if you've seen death."

Ginny's face grew solemn. "The Quidditch World Cup," she surmised. "We all saw those little girls being killed."

"Yeah," said Harry, his brain putting the pieces together, his heart breaking at the memory of the awful scene. "So that's why we can see them."

Ron had his mouth wide open in awe, staring fixedly at the thestrals. "Oh," he said.

"Come on, let's go, before the carriages leave," Hermione hurried them. They got into a carriage and soon, it started making its way to the beautiful castle with its picturesque turrets and towers.

When they arrived, they all got out, and walked to the big oak front doors. Harry was happy; even though he missed his guardians already, he knew he was now at his second home. He loved Hogwarts, it felt like heaven. The doors opened and everyone walked inside, to be greeted by none other than Peeves the poltergeist. He was chucking water balloons everywhere, and getting everyone soaking wet. "Oy!" said Ron grumpily as he chucked one at him. "Watch it, you scoundrel!" Harry, Hermione, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh as Ron became soaking wet. They could see other students also experiencing the same fate as Peeves continued to go about his mischief.

"Oh, it's Potter, the rotter!" he chanted as he chucked one at Harry, making cold water splash all over the teen. "Not going to kill off any students this year, are you?"

"Shut up, Peeves," said Ginny.

"Oh, it's Ginny the minnie," chuckled Peeves. More and more water balloons made the floor of the entrance hall sopping wet.

"PEEVES!" Professor McGonnagall's booming voice broke through the cacophony. "THAT IS ENOUGH! I WILL GET THE BLOODY BARON!"

Peeves immediately stopped what he was doing, and Hermione cast drying charms on all the students who had gotten wet. They all thanked her profusely. "You're a lifesaver, Hermione," said Ron, causing both their cheeks to turn red.

They all walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Colin Creevy, an excitable third-year, was sitting near them. "Guess what, Harry?" he crowed as soon as he caught sight of him. "My brother Dennis is starting Hogwarts this year! He'll be here soon with the other first-years!"

"That's good, Colin," Harry replied, knowing that he couldn't possibly calm the younger boy down.

"I'll introduce him to you!" piped Colin enthusiastically.

"Wonder who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is," said Ron as he glanced at the staff table. Hagrid was missing, but understandably, he was with the first-years. Professor McGonnagall was also not there, but she was the one who would bring the first-years in. All the other teachers were present, but as Harry looked up and down the table, he saw no new face there. "Dunno," he answered Ron.

"Maybe Dumbledore couldn't find one," said Ginny.

"Oh, I do hope that isn't the case," said Hermione worriedly.

Soon, a group of bedraggled and nervous-looking first-years walked into the hall, along with Hagrid and Professor McGonnagall. She brought the stool and sorting hat with her, and the sorting began.

"Look, there's my brother!" said Colin excitedly, pointing at a small boy who looked a lot like him. He was soaked to the bone, and wrapped up in Hagrid's moleskin overcoat. "I fell in the lake!" he mouthed to his brother.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted exuberantly as it sorted Dennis. Colin beamed and Dennis ran over to the table. Colin pointed at Harry, mouthing, "Guess who he is, Dennis? It's Harry Potter!" Dennis beamed widely and shook Harry's hand with vigor.

After the sorting was over, the feast began. Ron heaped his plate full immediately, and started eating. Hermione also ate with enthusiasm, and Harry couldn't help but smile as he also started on his meal.

"Hello, everyone," said a voice. It was Nearly Headless Nick.

"Hello, Nick," said Hermione. "Did you have a nice summer?"

"It was very pleasant, thank you," said Nick. "We had trouble in the kitchens tonight, though. Bit of a problem getting back into the swing of things."

"What was the problem?" said Ron between mouthfuls of food.

"Ah, it was Peeves, of course," said Nick with humor. "He wanted to come to the feast, but the other ghosts wouldn't let him. The Bloody Baron especially put his foot down. Peeves then caused a fuss and totally ruined the kitchens. There was food everywhere; it was a right mess for the house-elves to clean up."

CLANG.

Hermione had thrown down her fork with such force that it almost fell off the table.

"What's the matter, Hermione?" Ron asked, concerned.

"There are house-elves HERE?" squeaked Hermione.

"Of course there are," said Nick, puzzled. "They help make all the meals."

"But that's SLAVE LABOR!" exclaimed Hermione loudly. "I knew things were bad when I read in the Prophet about that Mr. Crouch man sacking his house-elf, but I never thought Hogwarts hired SLAVES to help with their cooking!"

"Oh, Hermione," Ron sighed. "They LIKE what they do, don't you understand?"

"But they get sick days and holidays, don't they?" Hermione asked desperately. "Please tell me they do!"

But Nearly Headless Nick started to laugh. "Sick days and holidays?" he chortled. "You've got to be joking!"

So Hermione did not eat the rest of her meal. Even when Ron tried to coerce her by holding the treacle tart which was for dessert in front of her nose, she point-blank refused. "I am not eating anything that was made by slave labor," she said angrily.

"Give it a rest, would you?" said Ron. Hermione glared furiously at him.

After dessert was over, Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak. "Welcome, welcome, welcome!" he said jubilantly, "to another year of learning and education at Hogwarts! We have some very special things going on this year. First, I would like to give the usual announcements: the Forbidden Forest is called that for a reason, so no student should venture there unless accompanied by a teacher. The list of banned items is on the wall near Filch's office. I trust that you will look at it before long."

"Not that we'll be doing that," muttered Fred from across the table.

"My thoughts precisely, brother mine," mumbled George.

"As for special announcements," Dumbledore continued, "many of you will be disappointed by this, but I assure you that there will be something special to make up for it. The announcement is that there will be no Quidditch this year."

"WHAT!" said Ron loudly. Fred and George also were shouting, along with many other students. Harry was shocked. No Quidditch? He had brought his Firebolt back to school, and he'd been really looking forward to flying again. "There'd better be a damn good reason for this," griped George.

"Believe me, Mr. Weasley, there is," Dumbledore smiled humorously at him. "This year, an extraordinary event will be hosted at our school, an event which has not been held for centuries. It will be a chance for many people to meet and become friends, and for us to band together through all our experiences. I am extremely pleased to announce that this year at Hogwarts ..."

Suddenly, the doors of the Great Hall opened, and a man with a face full of scars and gray, grizzled hair stumped in. One of his eyes was normal, but the other one was frightening-looking. It kept swivelling around and around, and even seemed to fall into the back of his head at times. "Who is that?" Harry said in wonder.

"That, Harry," said Ron, his face full of shock, "is Mad-Eye Moody."

"You mean ..." said Harry. "The famous Auror's working here, at Hogwarts?"

"It seems so," grinned Ginny. "As our new Defense teacher!"

"Wow," said Fred and George, awed.

"I'm sorry I was late, old friend," said Moody, and his voice seemed like a growl. "Got held up."

"That's quite all right, my boy," said Dumbledore kindly. Moody situated himself at the staff table and started drinking from a hip flask.

"Told you he was paranoid," said Ron. "He never accepts a drink from anyone. Thinks the world's going to poison him or something. Only drinks from his own flask."

"He's a loon," said Fred. Moody was surveying the room, looking at all the students.

"Ah, here is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said Dumbledore proudly. "I am happy to introduce Alastor Moody to our faculty at Hogwarts. I do hope that all of you show him the respect he deserves." The hall burst into applause, and many people whistled. It was obvious that Mad-Eye Moody was a popular Auror, and had been talked about by many.

When the applause died down, Dumbledore continued talking. "As I was saying," he smiled, "this year, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament."

"No way!" exclaimed Lee Jordan. "You're joking!"

"I am not, Mr. Jordan," Dumbledore laughed. "I am telling the absolute and honest truth. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute's competitors will be coming on October 30 to our school. One student will be chosen to represent each school as its champion by an impartial judge." He continued to explain about the tournament, about when it was founded and why it hadn't been hosted in centuries.

"Death toll?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open as Dumbledore finished explaining. "Death toll? Oh, no!"

"Dumbledore just said they've made it much safer," Hermione soothed. "Nothing bad's going to happen this time, don't worry. If we can't trust Dumbledore, we can't trust anyone."

"However," Dumbledore said, "as much as any of you wish to be Hogwarts champion, I must tell you that for your safety, any student under the age of seventeen will not be allowed to compete."

"Nooooooo!" George howled.

"That's not fair!" yelled Fred.

"Booooooooo!" many of the students cried, but Harry didn't join them; he was actually relieved. As much as being Hogwarts champion would be cool, he didn't want the extra fame. He didn't think he'd be able to stand more whispers and stares from the entire school.

Dumbledore clapped his hands for silence, and the booing and hissing finally died down. "I am sorry to disappoint you," he continued, "but we are only doing this for your own good. This restriction will only let seventh-years and a few sixth-years join the tournament. Even though many of you will not be allowed to compete, you will be allowed to watch, and it will be a marvellous experience. You will also get to meet and become acquainted with many wizards from far away. Hopefully, you will make friends amongst them."

Fred, George, and their friend Lee were whispering amongst themselves, trying to plot a way to fool this impartial judge into letting them put their names down for the tournament anyway.

"Now," said Dumbledore, "it is time for you all to go to bed. You must get your minds ready for tomorrow, for there will be a lot to learn. Now, go! Chop-chop!"

Everyone pushed in their chairs and started making their way out of the Great Hall. "Reckon an aging potion'll do the trick, Fred?" asked George.

"Reckon so, brother dearest," said Fred. "What do you say, Lee?"

"Let's do it," said Lee excitedly.

"It's not going to work," said Hermione bossily.

"And why do you say that, Granger?" said George, a wide grin plastered across his face.

"Look, it's Dumbledore we're talking about here," said Hermione crossly. "You really think you can fool him?"

"He can definitely be a bit barmy sometimes," said Fred. "Reckon we can pull one over him, I really do."

"Suit yourselves," said Hermione. "But believe me, it's not going to work."

"That's what you think," muttered Lee. "You'll see."

"Hey, what do you reckon, mate?" said Ron, grinning at Harry. "Dumbledore said whoever wins gets a thousand galleons! ONE THOUSAND GALLEONS and the Triwizard Cup! Wanna try it? Wanna try entering?"

"Better you than me," Harry answered tiredly.

"Oh, come on, mate!" exclaimed Ron. "It'd be fun! You'd get to do all these terrific challenges!"

"I dunno," Harry said. "I'll think about it." But he was only saying this to appease Ron; his heart wasn't in it when it came to entering.

xxx

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny entered the Gryffindor common room. They sat down in their usual comfy armchairs. The room was filled with excited chatter about the Triwizard Tournament. Fred, George, and Lee kept going back and forth, exchanging ideas on who this "impartial judge" would be. Colin kept saying he'd take pictures of the events that would happen, with Dennis joining along. Hermione tried to bury her nose in a book, but all the noise kept distracting her. She finally sighed and put it down.

As the night wore on, the common room started to empty. Of Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny, Ginny was the first of them to go to bed. She said good night to them all, giving Harry a shy smile. "Good night, Gin," Harry replied as she started to go up the girls' staircase.

Harry then went to the owlery and owled Sirius and Remus, like they'd asked him to. He wrote of the train ride and of Dumbledore's announcement, letting them know how excited he was to be able to witness the events of such a legendary occurrence. Then, he walked back to Gryffindor Tower.

Finally, it was just the three friends left in the common room. Even the twins and Lee had gone to their dormitory, probably to plot more ways to fool the impartial judge for the tournament.

"Listen, mate, 'Mione and I wanted to talk to you," said Ron in a serious voice. Harry felt dread build in the pit of his stomach; he somehow knew what this was about.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We know something's not right with you," said Hermione earnestly. "I can see it in your eyes. What happened this summer, Harry, before you went to live with Sirius and Remus? You can tell us anything," she said comfortingly, putting a calming hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I don't want to talk about it," said Harry tightly. "Please, don't make me."

"We know it has something to do with the Dursleys. Come on, mate," Ron insisted.

"Look," Harry said desperately, "I'm not ready to talk about it yet. But I promise I'll tell you some other time, all right?"

"Are you talking to anyone about it?" Hermione said gently. "Anyone at all?"

"Well," Harry said hesitantly, "I'm getting some kind of therapy sessions with Remus. He'll be coming here once a week."

"Oh, like Ginny told me she's getting," said Ron. "We know you know what's wrong with her. She did tell me something about Tom Riddle hurting her down in the chamber. I was going to make you tell me exactly what he did, but she begged and begged me not to, and I also got talked out of it by 'Mione here. Mum also gave me a talking-to."

"Sometimes," said Hermione, "having people talk about their problems takes time."

"I know," Ron sighed. "But she's my sister, and you're my best mate, Harry. I want to help."

"I know you do, Ron," said Hermione compassionately, "and that's really nice of you. Don't be angry, I can see it on your face. I know you're frustrated that Harry and Ginny aren't talking about it."

"I feel bloody helpless," Ron grumbled.

"Don't, Ron," said Harry, starting to feel uncomfortable. "There's nothing you can do right now. I'm sure Ginny will tell you in time, and so will I. But if we tell you now, all that'll do is make you more upset."

"Fine, fine," Ron groaned, but they could see he really wasn't fine.

"You're wise beyond your years, Harry," said Hermione. "I'm sorry about whatever happened."

"It's over now," Harry sighed. "At least I've got you guys, and Sirius and Remus."

"That's true," Hermione said with a small smile.

"I'm tired," Ron yawned. "I want to go to bed."

"Yes, it's been one busy day," said Hermione, the yawning contagious, for she had started it too. "Good night, you two. Sleep well, and don't wake up too late."

"We won't, Mum," said Ron, causing Hermione to punch him lightly on the arm. He grinned at her, and he and Harry watched her climb up the stairs of the girls' dormitory. The two boys then made their way up to their own.

As Harry got undressed and climbed into bed, he thought about the year ahead. He knew Ron was a little angry about him not telling about his problems, but his best friend would just have to accept that he wasn't ready to share them yet. He knew about the explosion that would come when he did tell, and seeing Ron swearing up a storm was definitely not pleasant. He also knew, though, that he'd have to tell them sooner or later. He hoped that Ginny would also be all right.

He thought, as well, about his guardians. He wondered how they were doing, and hoped that 804, Lawdershod Avenue was treating them well. He was glad that they were both very near him, for Hogsmeade was not at all far from where he was. He thought about the Triwizard Tournament, and the lucky person who would get to represent Hogwarts as champion. He hoped it was someone like Cedric, who would be seventeen this month and therefore would be old enough to compete. He also thought of people like Angelina Johnson, who would also be the right age.

With these thoughts in mind, he felt himself drifting off to sleep. Another Hogwarts school year had begun.