Claire: I am here and updating when I really should be working on my English and biology homework.
Roxas: Diplomas are a pain for her and her life. Apparently she doesn't have one because everything is going wrong.
Claire: Yes plus I haven't had much time to write since my last update so don't expect another update until June 21, the day after I hand everything in.
Roxas: Anyways, we're keeping things short this time. Claire owns nothing but herself. So review, rate, don't say anything that makes me want to hurt somebody badly.
Chapter 8: Wand Weighing
It was about a week later when Roxas, Sora and I had decided to go talk to Mad-eye. Ronald and Harry weren't speaking to each other which were tearing Hermione apart. The Hufflepuffs haven't really spoken to Harry or me since the choosing of Champions mainly because they feel like we had stolen their glory. Anyways the past week, when we weren't busy with classes or homework, Roxas, Sora and I have been patrolling the grounds for any heartless and nobodies. I was just hoping that they didn't show up at any of the tasks mainly because this would be the hardest thing to avoid.
"Do we know what we're going to say?" Roxas asked one more time as we walked up the stairs towards the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom. Yeah, during the past week, I have been filling them in on almost everything that happens this year and we have been practicing what we were going to say to Mad-eye.
"Yes, we know that you and I will do most of the talking while Sora stands there and stays quiet. Right Sora?" I said as I looked over at Sora. He had one of his hands covering his mouth as if he was showing that he wasn't going to talk. "Take your hand off your mouth. That won't make us look serious." I said as we stood outside the DADA classroom. Roxas knocked on the door and we waited. I knew that there were no classes going on today but you never know what Mad-eye would be doing behind that door.
"Is he even there?" Sora whispered just before the door opened, revealing Mad-Eye.
"What do you want?" He asked in the fast, forceful, almost fearful tone of voice.
"We would wonder if we could talk to you alone for a few minutes." I said as Roxas and Sora both grabbed onto my sleeves.
"Come in then." He said as he opened the door fully to let us in. We walked in to see a cauldron on one of the desks that was steaming over. A number of ingredients were laying around on another one of the desks. I knew what most of those ingredients were of course. Mad-eye leads us towards his office which was full of magic stuff.
"Why are you making Polyjuice Potion?" I asked once he closed the door.
"What makes you think that I would be brewing Polyjuice Potion?" He asked and I smiled.
"You have a pot of lacewing flies, an ounce of crude Antimony, leeches, scruples of fluxweed, drachms, pulverised blades of knotgrass, a powdered horn of a Bicorn, filings and rasplings of Saltpeter, Mercury and Mars, dry skin of a boomslang and the real Mad-eye Moody's hair." I said, noticing that this imposter was starting to become shocked. "You'll be surprised at how much outsiders know."
"You were the one who hoodwinked the Goblet and made it so it seemed like there were five schools instead of three. You were the one who put Sydney and Harry's names in. Don't try to deny it, Barty Crouch Jr." Roxas said in a smug tone. Before I knew it, Barty Crouch had his wand pointed at the three of us but being who we were, Sora stepped on his good foot as I grabbed his wand and Roxas knocked him down. As he was getting up, I took out my wand as Roxas and Sora took out their keyblades.
"Don't even think about fighting us. You know that we're stronger than you are in more ways than one." I said. Before he could say anything there was movement from the nearby chest and we were knocked to the ground.
"You may have discovered my secret but there is no way that you will tell anybody. Nobody will believe you anyways." He said as he opened the door to his office. "Now get out before i force you out." We got up and left running away as fast as we could.
"Ok, never again am I allowing us to do something like that." I told them once we were far enough away from the classroom. They just nodded along as we made our way back through the corridors towards who knows where anymore.
The weighting of the wands is one of the most important traditions in the Triwizard Tournament. That was the whole reason why I skipped out on potions class the day of it. Of course, knowing that we would be brewing antidotes and Snape was planning to have Harry and I poisoned, I had to skip, plus Colin Creevey already caught me as I was heading down to the potions class. So I was waiting outside the class for Harry and Colin to come out.
"So, did you get poisoned yet?" I asked him once he came out and we started walking.
"No, how come you didn't come to class?" He asked and I just smiled.
"Because I'm the smart one. Please I'm so tired bugging the guys takes so much energy!" I complained. Suddenly Colin was talking about how amazing it was for Harry being champion. We arrived at the room and opened the door to see Ludo and the other champions already there. Viktor was standing against a wall looking as quiet as always. Fleur and Cedric were in the middle of a conversation with Fleur looking happier than I have ever seen her except for probably her wedding day minus the whole death eater part of it.
"Ah, there they are! Champion number four and five! In you come Harry and Sydney, in you come... nothing to worry about, it's just the Wand Weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment." Bagman said once he saw Harry and I.
"Wand weighing?" harry questioned.
"They just to need to make sure that our wands are in working condition. After all, they are the most important tools that we need for these tasks. Then there should be a photo shoot afterwards, right Mr. Bagman?" I asked the last part as I turned to look at him. He seemed to look shocked which was where the famous Rita Skeeter came into play.
"Why yes Sydney Jackson, I will actually be writing a piece about the tournament. Now before we start Mr. Bagman, I would like to have a little talk with Harry." Rita said and I really wanted to attack her right there and then but i knew that I couldn't do that.
"Certainly! That is- if Harry has no objection?" Bagman said. Rita didn't even give Harry enough time to answer before she dragged him off. Once they went into the broom closet, I went and stood against the wall and waited. It's not like I could go to class and get poisoned just for the fun of it. I think that it was about ten or so minutes later when the other judges came into the room. I could tell from Dumbledore's worried face, that he was wondering where Harry was.
"He's in the broom cupboard doing an interview with Rita Skeeter." I told him as I walked past him towards my chair which was the end chair in the line of champion chairs. After a few minutes, Harry came out of the broom cupboard and made his way towards us, sitting in between Cedric and I. Skeeter had settled herself in one of the corners of the room. I looked up at the velvet-covered table where four out the five judges were sitting.
"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" Dumbledore said, taking his place at the judges' table. "He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the Tournament." He told us champions. I looked over at harry to see that he was a little shocked the Ollivander was here at Hogwarts. He had met Ollivander at least once before when he got his first wand. I looked over at the window to Ollivander stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room, holding his hand out to grab Fleur's wand. Fleur swept over to him and handing him her wand. I never truly believe that people could sweep without a broom but then again, Fleur wasn't completely human.
"Hmmm..." Ollivander said as he twirled the wand around in his fingers with it emitting a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it close to his eyes to examine it carefully, I always found this strange when I was reading the books and I have always made a comment about it. "Yes, nine and a half inches... inflexible... rosewood... and containing... dear me..." Ollviander said as I sighed.
"An 'air from ze 'ead of a Veela," Fleur said. "One of my grandmuzzer's." Of course, Harry is making a mental note about this but I could care less about it. All I need to do was get back to Sora and Roxas. I still find is useless when you look at it. Anyways, Ollivander started talking about how he would never use Veela hair then performed a spell with her wand, deeming that it was workable. Next up was Cedric who of course got his approved. After that Krum's wand was examined with Ollivander being amazed that it was a Gerforovitch creation. Then it was Harry's wand that was made by Ollivander himself. Finally it was my turn.
"Miss. Jackson, your wand please." He said as he held his hand out towards me. I was nervous about what was to happen next. Since Sora, Roxas, Donald, Goofy and I were not part of this world, our wands are based off of our own weapons. Basically, our wands only work because they take from the light. I guess you can call them weapons of light but truthfully, you should call Sora, Roxas and I that instead.
"Of course Mr. Ollivander." I said as I placed my wand in his hand. He twirled it around in his fingers as blue and white sparks came out of the end of it. Then he held it close to his eyes to examine it carefully. "Yes, twelve and a half inches, made of holly wood and a dragon core. Inflexible but it will do." He said as he passed the wand back to me. I sighed as I went back to my seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Cedric giving me a thumbs up before quickly turning back to watching the judges.
"Thank you all," said Dumbledore, standing up at the judges' table. "you may go back to your lessons now - or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end -" Sadly, Dumbledore was stopped in the middle of his sentence but some random guy with a camera asking for pictures. That lasted for a while which meant that we were late for supper. Hermione, Roxas and Sora weren't at the table when Harry and I got to the Great hall so we sat at the end of the Gryffindor table by ourselves. After we ate, we made our way the the common room and went straight to bed, finding no point to stay up any longer. than we had to.