Second chapter! It's not too exciting…yet. :) But anyways, I have important things to announce. The character of Joslynn Reinhardt belongs to one of my best friends, Macie! :D So no stealing from her. And no stealing Rayna Alma, who is my character.
I DON'T own anything Harry Potter; I don't own Draco or Crabbe or Goyle or Pansy or Harry or Ron or Hermione or Dobby. Nothing like that. That all belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.
Read and review, please! Thanks! ^-^ Hope you like it.
2: Triwizard Tournament
The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade an hour later than scheduled. Draco had long returned back to his own compartment and Jos had come back to sit with me.
I woke Azrael who had slept through the majority of the train ride. He clambered up my arm and wrapped his long, white body around my neck. I always wondered how he managed it without falling down.
After getting off the train, I gazed up at Hogwarts in the distance. "Fourth year this time. I am more than halfway finished with this school." I murmured.
"Unlike you, I actually like Hogwarts. I'm going into my fifth year and I'm already dreading the time when I finally have to say good-bye."
"Come on," I motioned Jos over to an empty carriage. I let her climb up first as I stared at the invisible thestrals who would be pulling us up to Hogwarts. "I know this sounds bad, but I want to be able to see a thestral one day."
"Then you have to watch someone die firsthand."
"That's why it's bad." I pointed out, scrambling into the carriage myself.
"I can see them." Jos said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"The thestrals?"
It was a moment before she gave a hesitant nod.
I wanted to know more, only Jos added quickly, "But I don't wanna talk about it. It's a long story for some other time."
I gave her a sympathetic look before the carriage door swung open. I found myself staring at a little girl who was probably in her second year. I had never seen her before with her long brown hair and clear hazel eyes.
"I'm sorry but I don't have a seat and I was wondering if I could sit with you guys."
"No, get lost." I automatically replied.
She looked hurt in the semi-darkness of the setting sun, "But, please-"
"Go!" I commanded.
"Wait!" Jos called out, "It's okay; you can sit here. Rayna didn't mean anything; she's just naturally vicious."
The little girl looked around. The thestrals were starting to get restless; we would be departing up to Hogwarts soon. She had no other choice but to warily climb into our carriage. Jos tried to be nice during the ride by posing small talk questions to the girl. However, she answered them with a tint of fear in her voice, as if afraid of what I might do to her if I knew her identity.
Just like every year, the prefects led us into the Great Hall where we all filled the four, grand House tables. I bid good-bye to Jos as she meandered her way to the Gryffindor table and I plopped myself down at the Slytherin table. Almost immediately after, one of my fellow House friends sat down next to me, Adelia Price. She didn't approve of me half the time, sorta like Jos, and refused to let me be mean to people in front of her. Adelia was actually well-mannered, taking her schoolwork very seriously, and not running around with the bullies of our house.
"Hey Rayna," She smiled sweetly at me.
"Adelia, you cut your hair." Her signature long, dirty blonde curls had been chopped off just at shoulder level.
"I know. Over the summer, it just got too long and it was bothering me all the time so one day I just got it all cut off. Anyways, where were you? I couldn't find you on the train."
"Maybe 'cause I was avoiding you." I muttered to myself, turning away from her. Sometimes Adelia did get on my nerves. She could get too happy-go-lucky to the point where on the train, I spotted her in a compartment giving a bunch of first years advice. Personally, I'd much rather hang out with Jos, even though she's a Gryffindor, than Adelia.
"What did you say?" She asked when I didn't answer her question.
"Oh, nothing. I just…couldn't find you either."
Fortunately, before Adelia could push me any further with her questions, Dumbledore rose from his seat and spoke, "Welcome to Hogwarts, or should I say to the older students, welcome back! Now, for our first years, this is the first time that they will experience the true joy of learning magic! Before we proceed however, the first years need to be sorted into one of the four Houses we have here at Hogwarts. Perhaps you'll be in the brave Gryffindor or the loyal Hufflepuff. However, you might also fit the witty Ravenclaw or the cunning Slytherin." A cheer from each of the houses rose as their name was mentioned, "Who knows? Why the Sorting Hat, of course!" With a wave of his hand, a stool with the Sorting Hat perched upon it appeared.
Without warning, the magical hat burst into song. I barely understood what it was saying and I didn't really care. The sorting was pretty boring; I clapped half-heartedly whenever someone was placed in Slytherin.
I zoned in and out for the rest of Dumbledore's speech about setting our mind to achieve great goals and blah, blah, blah.
I heard a huge gasp behind me, "Rayna, did you hear that? That's so exciting!" Adelia whispered in my ear.
"What? Hear what?"
"We're hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year!"
From that point on, I started listening, "This tournament pits three different magic schools together in a friendly competition for eternal glory! Win this tournament and you will be widely honored! However to win, a wizard or witch will have to pull together immense strength and quick thinking to complete three tasks! Difficult tasks, might I add."
The whole hall burst into ecstatic conversations; who was going to enter, what the tasks will be, who the other schools will be, and when it was all going to happen. However, the whole hall was met with disappointment when Dumbledore announced, "We will discuss this more later, around Halloween time. Now, let us feast in tribute to the new year!"
Food magically popped onto our tables. I piled my plate with delicious delicacies and ate to my heart's content.
After finishing dinner, Dumbledore rose to speak again, "Off to bed now! It is quite late due to our delay in arrival and classes begin tomorrow!"
I followed Adelia down to the dungeons where the Slytherin dormitories were.
By the time I woke up the next morning, there was nobody left in my dorm. I groaned; why didn't anybody ever take the time to wake me up? I was probably already late for class.
I stretched and raised my arms up, stopping to examine the ring on my right hand. It wasn't some kind of powerful, magical ring. It was just something that my mother had custom made for me during my first year at Hogwarts; a little silver ring with a pearl of deep green, pure emerald, and coiled around it was a little silver snake. Inscribed on the inner band was the one word, "Slytherin." I guess my parents were super proud when I got sorted into Slytherin.
Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed. I headed down to the Great Hall to see if breakfast was still being served. Luckily, I had about 20 minutes before class was to start. As I was eating, Professor Snape appeared behind me and shoved a piece of parchment in my face, "The last schedule to deliver is yours, Miss Alma." He said in his usual nasally, monotonous voice.
"Hey, thanks." I said, gulping down some scrambled egg. He marched off with a sour look on his face, which didn't surprise me. Professor Snape was one of my favorite teachers, as well as being my Head of House, but he was always cranky.
I let loose a disappointed sigh, "History of Magic class? Well, I do need a nap." History of Magic was one of the most boring, pointless courses there was. I got there pretty early; only half the seats in the classroom had been occupied. I sat myself down at an empty table and pulled out my textbook. I was absentmindedly playing with the pages when I felt someone sit down next to me.
"Nott," I said indifferently once I placed the tall, lanky figure.
"Hello Rayna. Long time, no see, huh?" He smirked.
"It's only been a summer. Definitely not long enough seeing as I don't feel very pleased to see you again."
"Well, I see you haven't changed. And might I say, I'm delighted to see you again."
"Can you move away from me?" I asked, gesturing to some random empty seat.
He stood, and settled down at a table a few rows in front of me. Turning around, Nott added, "I knew nothing would annoy you more than hearing me say that."
"Face the front of the class, Mr. Nott." I imitated a teacher and fixed a glare on him.
When he wasn't looking anymore, I smiled lightly to myself, "He's right; nothing does annoy me more."
"Nott's a clever one," I gave a start from the voice that spoke behind me.
I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it was only Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle. "Where did you come from?"
"The hallway," Draco replied, taking the seat where Nott had been sitting before. His lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle, sat down at the table behind us.
Suddenly, the classroom door whooshed shut with a bang and Professor Binns materialized through the door. Like, literally through the door. For some reason, he had it shut and then decided to walk through it.
"Hello students." Professor Binns swished up to his desk in the front of his ancient, dusty classroom. "Today we will be talking about the Goblin Rebellions. There were many scattered throughout history and they were all gruesome. Many of them occurred due to the fact that…" And the rest was all a blur. I remember glancing up at the clock every few seconds to see how many more minutes I had to suffer. Then I remember trying to think if there was some spell that caused time to move faster. And finally, after what seemed like 71 years, we were dismissed.
It was the first day of classes and I was already wishing for Christmas break. I stepped out into the courtyard, roused by the gleaming sun and the slight breeze that ruffled my hair. I felt much better now and more awake, not being stuffed into a classroom that was filled with the words of a lifeless teacher. Literally.
"Nice, isn't it?" The voice of my best friend echoed behind me.
"Yeah; I'm heading down to Care of Magical Creatures right now. What are you doing here?"
"Shortcut to Charms." Jos replied, fiddling with the books in her bag and coming to stand beside me.
A floor plan of Hogwarts suddenly appeared in my mind. "Uhm…how exactly is this a shortcut to Charms?"
Jos shrugged, "I don't know…yet."
I laughed, "I'll see you later, 'kay?"
"Yeah, see ya later," Jos departed to the left while I kept on going straight down to where Hagrid's hut stood in the distance.