Disclaimer--If you like it, assume I don't own it. The Potterverse belongs to JKR, Steve Klowes, Scholastic and WB. Fanon belongs to the multitude...I'm simply paying homage. Most of this scene is from GoF by JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is being made.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work, but I hope you'll all stick with me anyway. As you all know, I may not own it, but I work hard, and I love it, so if you read it and enjoy it, please review it! Please don't print or post this elsewhere without my knowledge.
Raiining--I understand...(especially that bit about the boyfriend who doesn't really get fanfiction), but of course I noticed you hadn't reviewed! ;-) I'm glad you enjoyed the transcript...I did too (Thanks to EEDOE and Bill for pointing me to it). Mugglenet.com is another great place to get all the latest gossip. Being able to apply Ginny's experience to the HP universe is a great compliment! Thanks! *hugs*
JamieBell--Being friends with a guy...often the fastest route to getting your heart broken...and with them never the wiser. *sighs* Still...I can offer you and Ginny both this comfort...as painful and difficult as those feelings are, they're a wealth of experience that's usually worth it in the end. (Don't hit me! *giggles and ducks*) I'm really thrilled and flattered you think I capture those feelings so well...thanks so much! *hugs*
Kattcha91--Hi! I'm always happy to meet a new reader. :-) I'm glad you've enjoyed my stories...I really love Ginny's heart, too. I do think Ginny and Hermione are developing a relationship similar to that of sisters, and it's kind of fun to watch. Hope to hear from you again.
I'm-Not-the-Weakest-Link--Wow...I'm really impressed at how fast you got caught up! It means a lot you think I capture Ginny's personality so well. :-) I was wondering about those headaches myself...but I'm not sure if they mean anything or not. I guess we'll just have to see how the story develops. I'm looking forward to your next review. :-)
J. Rhaye--I've been enjoying the comraderie between Hermione and Ginny, too; they have a great relationship. Poor Ginny really DID get a bit of a double punch there...*sighs* I agree...I think the swearing was totally justified under the circs. A talk between Hermione and Ginny would be enlightening...but I'm not sure when that will show up...*muses* That's a great way to describe what Ginny does--"plucking little threads of the bigger picture". I think Ginny is starting to suspect something between Ron and Hermione...a girl's close friends often know she has romantic feelings before she does...*smirks* *hugs*
EEDOE--Keeping your spot warm, girl. *winks*
Bill--I'm big on the non-verbal communication. *grins* It had to be pretty painful for people to still be oblivious, but, on the other hand, I think it's a pain alloyed with resignation...and, in this case, relief. No girl wants people to notice her hopeless crush...especially when she's trying to deal with just how hopeless it actually is. *sighs* Definitely a very key transitional chapter. *grins* I'm happy for the new reviewers...deserve them or not--but I love the old ones, too! *hugs*
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"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," Dumbledore explained as Filch set his burden upon the Head Table. "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.
"Sounds like a normal school year," Ginny said sourly, but no one seemed to hear her. It was nice to know some things never changed. She sighed gustily, and turned her attention back to Dumbledore.
"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." As he spoke, Dumbledore produced his wand from somewhere amidst beard and robes and used it to tap the wooden chest three times. The lid creaked open in response, sounding almost as thrilled as Ginny felt. Dumbledore reached inside and produced a large goblet that looked as if it were a few minor strokes of the carving knife removed from a block of old wood.
"That thing is going to choose the champions?" Patricia Hart asked disbelievingly. "How? Whoever gets the most splinters?"
"Looks can be deceiving," remonstrated Colin. "The Sorting Hat doesn't look very impressive either, but it works, doesn't it?"
"I suppose," Patricia said, looking entirely unconvinced.
"It has to be a little impressive," murmured Ginny. "After all, it is full of blue flames."
"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," Dumbledore explained. "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."
Fred, George, and Lee were exchanging gleeful looks and at but cackling in glee. Ginny saw Dumbledore look at them directly as he continued, "To unsure 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." Given the gleam in the twins' eyes, and the slight rougish smile that tweaked one side of Lee's mouth, Ginny wondered if Dumbledore were entirely sure about that, but it wasn't really her problem. If they could get around the rules to enter, they would probably survive the competition as well.
"Finally," Dumbledore said, as if picking up on her thoughts. "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--" Ginny knew it was perfectly straightforward and unthreatening…the sort of thing the Ministry used all the time, and had for years, but there was something about the phrase that still reminded her of all the trouble Professor Bimms was forever telling them witches and wizards had gotten into with contracts before they'd been regulated a bit. She frowned at her own inability to experience something without trying to analyze every little nuance of it. Next thing she knew, she'd be talking like Percy, fates forbid.
"An Age Line!" Fred was all but gushing as Dumbledore dismissed them. "Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name's in that Goblet, you're laughing—it can't tell whether you're seventeen or not!"
"But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance," protested Hermione. An interesting stance, thought Ginny, from someone who'd managed to defeat a Troll and navigate a maze meant to stop Tom at age eleven. Not to mention surviving a basilisk or somehow managing to clear Sirius Black… "We just haven't learned enough."
"Speak for yourself," George said shortly, an equally amusing stance from someone who had barely survived Mum's reaction to his O.W. L.s. "You'll try and get in, won't you, Harry?"
Harry seemed to consider this for a moment. Ginny stared at him in disbelief. Wasn't it about time he actually had an uneventful year? She'd thought he'd be looking forward to the vacation. "Boys."
Hermione looked as if she agreed…especially as Ron picked that particular moment to break away from the group, demanding, "Where is he?" At least it was Krum who had his attention and not the blonde girl. "Dumbledore didn't say where the Durmstrang students are sleeping, did he?"
With timing that bordered on the magical, Karkaroff bustled past at just that moment, "Back to the ship, then. Viktor, how are you feeling? Did you eat enough? Should I send for some mulled wine from the kitchens?"
"Do you think Karkaroff might be related to Mum?" George whispered to Fred.
"Honestly," Hermione sniffed, "he plays Quidditch, he's not helpless."
Krum shot a look in their direction that left Ginny feeling uncomfortably as though he might have overheard, but, then she supposed it didn't really matter if he had.
"Professor, I vould like some wine," another student with a shockingly red nose said.
"I wasn't offering it to you, Poliokoff," snapped Karkaroff. Ginny suppressed a sudden urge to kick him in the shins. Hermione wasn't quite so restrained, though she did confine herself to a loud humpphing breath of disapproval. Ron shot her a look somewhere between scandal and murder. Hermione ignored it.
Harry, ever the gentleman, stopped to let Karkaroff and company exit through the doors first. "Thank you," Karkaroff said, calmly accepting his due. He started to go through the doors, stopped, stood still in place for a moment, and turned back to stare at Harry as if he'd never seen anything quite like him before. Accordingly, all the students behind him stared as well. The only mental comfort Ginny could offer was that at least Harry didn't seem prone to blush like she did.
"Yeah, that's Harry Potter," a vaguely familiar voice growled behind them in "yeah-so?" tones.
Professor Karkaroff spun around. Moody leaned heavily on his staff, and looked back unblinking. Karkaroff's face now matched his cloak. And hair. "You," he said, as if Moody were as threatening and unlikeable as, oh, say…Tom Riddle. But…Dad would never be friends with him if that were the case. "You!"
"Me," Moody said, and Ginny could tell he liked Karkaroff even less than Karkaroff liked him. Which made her wonder about Karkaroff… "And unless you have anything to say to Potter, Karkaroff--" his tone made it quite clear that any such statements ought to be carefully supervised if that were the case—"you might want to move. You're blocking the doorway."
Somehow Karkaroff managed to sweep away without ever taking his eyes off Moody's face. Ginny felt a new respect for the skills of any Professor who could produce a reaction like that, though she wasn't entirely sure she should. Moody took little notice of her reaction, or even of Harry, as he was watching Karkaroff nearly as closely as Karkaroff watched him.
Author's Notes-- Progress has been a lot slower in this work, but I hope you'll all stick with me anyway. As you all know, I may not own it, but I work hard, and I love it, so if you read it and enjoy it, please review it! Please don't print or post this elsewhere without my knowledge.
Raiining--I understand...(especially that bit about the boyfriend who doesn't really get fanfiction), but of course I noticed you hadn't reviewed! ;-) I'm glad you enjoyed the transcript...I did too (Thanks to EEDOE and Bill for pointing me to it). Mugglenet.com is another great place to get all the latest gossip. Being able to apply Ginny's experience to the HP universe is a great compliment! Thanks! *hugs*
JamieBell--Being friends with a guy...often the fastest route to getting your heart broken...and with them never the wiser. *sighs* Still...I can offer you and Ginny both this comfort...as painful and difficult as those feelings are, they're a wealth of experience that's usually worth it in the end. (Don't hit me! *giggles and ducks*) I'm really thrilled and flattered you think I capture those feelings so well...thanks so much! *hugs*
Kattcha91--Hi! I'm always happy to meet a new reader. :-) I'm glad you've enjoyed my stories...I really love Ginny's heart, too. I do think Ginny and Hermione are developing a relationship similar to that of sisters, and it's kind of fun to watch. Hope to hear from you again.
I'm-Not-the-Weakest-Link--Wow...I'm really impressed at how fast you got caught up! It means a lot you think I capture Ginny's personality so well. :-) I was wondering about those headaches myself...but I'm not sure if they mean anything or not. I guess we'll just have to see how the story develops. I'm looking forward to your next review. :-)
J. Rhaye--I've been enjoying the comraderie between Hermione and Ginny, too; they have a great relationship. Poor Ginny really DID get a bit of a double punch there...*sighs* I agree...I think the swearing was totally justified under the circs. A talk between Hermione and Ginny would be enlightening...but I'm not sure when that will show up...*muses* That's a great way to describe what Ginny does--"plucking little threads of the bigger picture". I think Ginny is starting to suspect something between Ron and Hermione...a girl's close friends often know she has romantic feelings before she does...*smirks* *hugs*
EEDOE--Keeping your spot warm, girl. *winks*
Bill--I'm big on the non-verbal communication. *grins* It had to be pretty painful for people to still be oblivious, but, on the other hand, I think it's a pain alloyed with resignation...and, in this case, relief. No girl wants people to notice her hopeless crush...especially when she's trying to deal with just how hopeless it actually is. *sighs* Definitely a very key transitional chapter. *grins* I'm happy for the new reviewers...deserve them or not--but I love the old ones, too! *hugs*
*****************************************************************************************************************************
"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," Dumbledore explained as Filch set his burden upon the Head Table. "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.
"Sounds like a normal school year," Ginny said sourly, but no one seemed to hear her. It was nice to know some things never changed. She sighed gustily, and turned her attention back to Dumbledore.
"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." As he spoke, Dumbledore produced his wand from somewhere amidst beard and robes and used it to tap the wooden chest three times. The lid creaked open in response, sounding almost as thrilled as Ginny felt. Dumbledore reached inside and produced a large goblet that looked as if it were a few minor strokes of the carving knife removed from a block of old wood.
"That thing is going to choose the champions?" Patricia Hart asked disbelievingly. "How? Whoever gets the most splinters?"
"Looks can be deceiving," remonstrated Colin. "The Sorting Hat doesn't look very impressive either, but it works, doesn't it?"
"I suppose," Patricia said, looking entirely unconvinced.
"It has to be a little impressive," murmured Ginny. "After all, it is full of blue flames."
"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," Dumbledore explained. "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."
Fred, George, and Lee were exchanging gleeful looks and at but cackling in glee. Ginny saw Dumbledore look at them directly as he continued, "To unsure 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." Given the gleam in the twins' eyes, and the slight rougish smile that tweaked one side of Lee's mouth, Ginny wondered if Dumbledore were entirely sure about that, but it wasn't really her problem. If they could get around the rules to enter, they would probably survive the competition as well.
"Finally," Dumbledore said, as if picking up on her thoughts. "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--" Ginny knew it was perfectly straightforward and unthreatening…the sort of thing the Ministry used all the time, and had for years, but there was something about the phrase that still reminded her of all the trouble Professor Bimms was forever telling them witches and wizards had gotten into with contracts before they'd been regulated a bit. She frowned at her own inability to experience something without trying to analyze every little nuance of it. Next thing she knew, she'd be talking like Percy, fates forbid.
"An Age Line!" Fred was all but gushing as Dumbledore dismissed them. "Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name's in that Goblet, you're laughing—it can't tell whether you're seventeen or not!"
"But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance," protested Hermione. An interesting stance, thought Ginny, from someone who'd managed to defeat a Troll and navigate a maze meant to stop Tom at age eleven. Not to mention surviving a basilisk or somehow managing to clear Sirius Black… "We just haven't learned enough."
"Speak for yourself," George said shortly, an equally amusing stance from someone who had barely survived Mum's reaction to his O.W. L.s. "You'll try and get in, won't you, Harry?"
Harry seemed to consider this for a moment. Ginny stared at him in disbelief. Wasn't it about time he actually had an uneventful year? She'd thought he'd be looking forward to the vacation. "Boys."
Hermione looked as if she agreed…especially as Ron picked that particular moment to break away from the group, demanding, "Where is he?" At least it was Krum who had his attention and not the blonde girl. "Dumbledore didn't say where the Durmstrang students are sleeping, did he?"
With timing that bordered on the magical, Karkaroff bustled past at just that moment, "Back to the ship, then. Viktor, how are you feeling? Did you eat enough? Should I send for some mulled wine from the kitchens?"
"Do you think Karkaroff might be related to Mum?" George whispered to Fred.
"Honestly," Hermione sniffed, "he plays Quidditch, he's not helpless."
Krum shot a look in their direction that left Ginny feeling uncomfortably as though he might have overheard, but, then she supposed it didn't really matter if he had.
"Professor, I vould like some wine," another student with a shockingly red nose said.
"I wasn't offering it to you, Poliokoff," snapped Karkaroff. Ginny suppressed a sudden urge to kick him in the shins. Hermione wasn't quite so restrained, though she did confine herself to a loud humpphing breath of disapproval. Ron shot her a look somewhere between scandal and murder. Hermione ignored it.
Harry, ever the gentleman, stopped to let Karkaroff and company exit through the doors first. "Thank you," Karkaroff said, calmly accepting his due. He started to go through the doors, stopped, stood still in place for a moment, and turned back to stare at Harry as if he'd never seen anything quite like him before. Accordingly, all the students behind him stared as well. The only mental comfort Ginny could offer was that at least Harry didn't seem prone to blush like she did.
"Yeah, that's Harry Potter," a vaguely familiar voice growled behind them in "yeah-so?" tones.
Professor Karkaroff spun around. Moody leaned heavily on his staff, and looked back unblinking. Karkaroff's face now matched his cloak. And hair. "You," he said, as if Moody were as threatening and unlikeable as, oh, say…Tom Riddle. But…Dad would never be friends with him if that were the case. "You!"
"Me," Moody said, and Ginny could tell he liked Karkaroff even less than Karkaroff liked him. Which made her wonder about Karkaroff… "And unless you have anything to say to Potter, Karkaroff--" his tone made it quite clear that any such statements ought to be carefully supervised if that were the case—"you might want to move. You're blocking the doorway."
Somehow Karkaroff managed to sweep away without ever taking his eyes off Moody's face. Ginny felt a new respect for the skills of any Professor who could produce a reaction like that, though she wasn't entirely sure she should. Moody took little notice of her reaction, or even of Harry, as he was watching Karkaroff nearly as closely as Karkaroff watched him.