She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE

Bellatrix Victorious

On the stroke of midnight, by accordance to my watch, the flames within the Goblet Of Fire turned red, and every single pair of eyes in the Great Hall was fixed upon it. My heart was beating in my chest, and I would not have been surprised to learn that Sirius, who was sitting next to me, could hear it. His hand was wrapped around mine, and it was hard to say who was squeezing tighter. Him from the excitement of it all, and me from sheer nerves.

A tongue of flame shot into the air from the goblet, and a charred bit of parchment fluttered out of it. Everyone gasped, even me, and I knew what to expect from it.

Dumbledore, who was standing at the front of the hall, caught the piece of parchment, and held it at arm's length, so as to read it by the light of the fire from the goblet. The flames had turned back to blue white.

"The Champion for Durmstrung," Dumbledore said, and every pair of eyes was suddenly fixed upon the Slytherin table, whose new occupants had suddenly gone very still. "Is Brunilda Danikavitch!"

The Durmstrung students all began to cheer, as did everyone else in the hall, and a black-haired, hard-faced student at the Slytherin table stood up.

I cringed, as I recognised the girl who had knocked into me that morning as I was leaving the Great Hall with Regulus, and I watched her walk up to the front of the hall, and then exit through a door to the right into the next chamber.

As the clapping and cheering died down, Sirius leaned over to me and whispered in my ear: "Don't worry, love - I'll avenge you."

I rolled my eyes. "You're so dramatic." I replied, as a second piece of parchment emerged from the Goblet Of Fire - and this piece of parchment was a silvery-blue colour.

"The Beauxbatons Champion," Dumbledore read. "Is Apolline Violetta!"

"Apolline?" I asked.

At the same time, James exclaimed: "It's her!" As the beautiful blonde-haired, blue-violet-eyed witch who reminded me of Fluer Delacour got up from the Ravenclaw table and walked - no, wait, she glided - to the front of the room, following the same path that Brunilda had taken (and looking far better when she did).

"Well, this should be interesting," Sirius said, sounding amused. "I hope the girls don't cry when I beat them at this thing."

I rolled my eyes. "Says who you'll be chosen, let alone win, Padfoot?" He grinned at me.

"Besides," James smirked. "I don't think the rest of the male population here will be too pleased with you if you make Apolline Violetta cry."

"They probably won't care too much about Brunilda Danikavitch, though." Lily pointed out.

"Having said that," Remus concluded. "I don't think that Brunilda Danikavitch is capable of crying..."

The rest of us nodded wisely.

"Wouldn't it be weird if all the Champions were girls, though?" Lily mused, and I gulped. "I mean, if Padfoot hadn't entered...are you sure you didn't sneak down here last night and put your name in, White Fang?" She asked, grinning at me.

I tried to smile back. "Come on Red," I said, using a new nickname for Lily. "You know me better than that, I can't stand people staring at me. Besides, why would I want to complete three deadly tasks, when I can just go out and get attacked by Death Eaters?"

"Good point." Lily clasped her hands as if in prayer and nodded.

We were so busy talking that we almost missed the arrival of the third and final piece of parchment, which would've been a real shame, seeing as how important it was and all...

The atmosphere was so thick you could've cooked with it - the Hogwarts Champion was about to be named...

There was not a sound in the room, as Dumbledore cleared his throat. "The Hogwarts Champion is..." He began and then, in that precise moment, I happened to glance at the Slytherin table, to where Bellatrix was sitting next to her cousin.

Both of them were staring at me, and their expressions drove a stake right through my heart.

Regulus' eyes were sympathetic.

But Bellatrix...she looked like she would have dearly loved to have gloated because of what happened next.

"Emma Pax!"