Jordan Kyle had arrived. Maia wasn't too happy with it, Alec noticed, but he left her alone. Alec had decided to sign himself up. He had written his name on a piece of paper and thrown it into the flames, and was ready to face the consequences if he was chosen. Helen had signed himself up too, and a lot of seventh years had. Alec wondered if Magnus had. Alec had to admit, he liked Magnus, but he was too shy to tell Magnus. Maybe he should ask Magnus out someday, but he didn't know how to. But Magnus seemed to like him too, and Alec just hoped that Magnus would ask him out, that way he wouldn't have to go through all that trouble. Tonight was the choosing ceremony. The students from Beauxbattons sat at the Ravenclaw table, with them, and the Drumstrang students sat at the Slytherin table. Alec saw Jordan Kyle between them.
'The time has come,' Albus Dumbledore said, 'For the Goblet of Fire to cast out the names of the chosen students.' A piece of paper flew out of the goblet. 'First, for Durmstrang, Jordan Kyle.'
Jordan stood up, and walked towards Dumbledore. He shook hands with him, and stood still behind him, next to his headmaster. Maia looked shocked, Alec noticed. Now she couldn't deny Jordan's existence anymore.
'Second, for Beauxbattons,' Dumbledore said, 'Camille Belcourt.'
A beautiful girl with silver blonde hair walked towards Dumbledore, and shook hands. Alec looked around, and saw, oddly, Magnus looking shocked. Did he know her?
'And last, for Hogwarts, Alec Lightwood.'
He was nervous. Not because he had to do dangerous things, dangerous was your life as Jace' best friend, but all the staring people made him nervous. Alec shook Dumbledores hand, and just as he went to stand with the other tributes, he saw a piece of paper flying out of the goblet. Dumbledore caught it. This wasn't right, Alec thought, the tributes were chosen.
'Clarissa Fray,' he said. Alec looked at Clary, sitting nervously next to Isabelle. Isabelle was encouraging her to go.
'Clarissa Fray!' Dumbledore repeated, angry. Clary stood up and walked towards them. Oh no, Alec thought. He didn't want Clary to enter. She was only fifteen, too young. They all walked into the throphy's room.
'How did you do it?' Jordan asked, 'Getting to be fourth tribute.'
'I didn't,' she said, 'How did my name get in there!'
'You're a good actor,' the girl, Camille said, 'I don't believe you. You wanted to be champion, so you made sure you were chosen.'
'I do believe you,' Alec said nicely to Clary. There was a time he had hated Clary, but that was over now. He had hated her when he had loved Jace, and Jace fell in love with her, but Alec had gotten over that, and he found out that Clary wasn't some bitch stealing Jace from him, but an actually nice person. Dumbledore walked in, angry. Alec had never seen him like this.
'Did you put your name in it?' Dumbledore asked, 'Or did you ask someone else to do it for you?'
Clary shook her head. 'I didn't do it, sir, please believe me. Oh no, mom's gonna kill me, if I don't die in the Tournament.'
'Clary isn't that stupid,' Alec said, 'Maybe it's best to let her not enter, if that's what you want, Clary.'
'I think so,' she said, 'I'd like to enter if I'm old enough, but not now. No way.'
'There is no turning back,' one of the jurors said, 'Once chosen, there is no turning back. Miss Fray, is like Miss Belcourt, Mr Kyle and Mr Lightwood a Triwizard Champion.'
'Is that really the best idea?' Dumbledore asked, 'Just let the girl enter?'
'We have no choice, Albus,' the same man said, 'She has to enter. Hogwarts will have two champions this year.'
The next few weaks, this was all everyone talked about. 'It isn't fair! Why couldn't it be me?' Jace asked, 'I wanted to enter, and Clary doesn't really.'
'She'll make it,' Isabelle said, 'I, for one, would have loved to try, but I'll let Clary take some of the honour this time. Alec, do you already have tactics? Are you going to work together with Clary? I think you'll win, I mean, you're smarter than that Belcourt girl and Jordan together.'
'Congratulations, Alec,' Magnus Bane said, and he winked at him, and Alec turned red, 'You deserve it.'
Alec smiled a bit at him, shy. He had to go to his lessons, he remembered, charms class, with Jace and Helen.

'Mom's going to kill me,' Clary said for the third time that morning. It was a saturday, so no classes, and Clary was writing a letter to her mother, in the common room.
'That would defeat the purpose of protecting you from practically everything, wouldn't it?' Isabelle asked, 'Maybe your mother will be proud, that you're the second Hogwarts tribute, without even being old enough?'
'Easy to talk for you,' Clary muttered, 'Your parents would probably be proud of you, even if you admitted you had cheated everything to make you the second champion. What I didn't do, by the way.'
'How much I'd love to take your place,' Isabelle said, 'I'm afraid I can't.'
Clary sighed. Clary was brave, she was a Gryffindor after all, but she didn't need eternal glory. What were you supposed to do with that anyway? Jace would probably think it was fun to do these tasks, but Clary didn't feel like getting toasted by a dragon or something like that. She had heard there'd been dragons in the last tournament, the last succesful one. Alec had told her the last tournament had been cancelled because a cockatrice the champions had to catch had attacked the headmasters. He had read some history about the tournament to figure out what to expect.
'I told mom I don't like this, that I didn't do it, and that I don't know who did,' Clary said, 'Do you think that she won't be mad?'
'Not sure,' Isabelle said, 'But I think your mother will come running here and threaten to kill the minister of magic if they don't cancel it. Maybe you won't have to hunt cockatrices or fight dragons. That means no risk getting toasted.'
'That ministry guy says I have no choice,' Clary said, 'I don't think mom can convince him to stop the tournament, but I can't stop her from trying. I'm going to post this letter.'
Clary stood op, but Isabelle stopped her. 'No you're not. You need to be in the trophy's room in fifteen minutes for the interviews. Alec told you, didn't he?'
Clary shook her head. Fifteen minutes. She had to run then. 'Okay, I'll go then. Can you post it?'
'Alright,' Isabelle said, 'Now go. You wouldn't want to miss your chance to get on the front page of the daily prophet, would you?'
Clary ran, hoping the stairs would work with her. Sometimes the stairs did exactly what you wanted them to do, and sometimes they didn't, and you had to wait for eternity to get where you needed to be. Today, she was lucky. She ran down all the stairs, careful not to fall, and careful not to step on the fake steps. Alec had fell over one once, Jace had told her, in their first year, when they were going to be late for classes. Clary hadn't, but Simon had once. Simon had had no idea what magical stairs could do, and how annoying they were. Clary reached the trophy's room, out of breath.
'You're late, miss Fray,' Dumbledore said.
'Isabelle told me I was supposed to be here fifteen minutes before I was supposed to be here,' Clary gasped. 'Alec, why didn't you say anything.'
'Jace said he would tell you,' Alec said, 'I thought he would have told you by now.'
'First your wands will be tested, then Rita Skeeter will arrive to interview you,' Dumbledore told them.
Clary recognised Diana Wrayburn, she made and sold wands in Diagon Alley, she was the best in England, according to most wizards.
'Miss Belcourt, please,' she said, and she took her wand. Of all the champions, Clary had found Camille the most creepy. She was extremely beautiful, and seemed to have a lot of effect on most boys. Not Alec, of course, and not Jace either, but Simon seemed affected. But Simon, she knew, was really affected by Isabelle as well.
'Yes, Hawthorn,' she said, 'Veela hair? Not a core I use, or that is used often.'
'It was my mother's,' she said, 'She's a veela.'
Clary realised that was why she had that effect on boys, veela's did that. That made her even more dangerous... Though she had no effect on people who were attracted to guys, which both Clary and Alec were.
'11 inches, very flexible,' Diana continued. Diana waved with the wand, and nothing weird happened. 'Fine wand, good.'
'Mr Kyle?' Jordan handed his wand to Diana. 'I remember this one. Walnut, unicorn hair,' she said, '9 inches, bendy.' Again Diana waved, and again, nothing was wrong.
'Mr Lightwood?' Alec took his wand from his pocket and handed it to Diana. 'Another familiair wand. Holly, threstal tail hair, 14 inches, good for protecting charms.'
Clary found that funny, how Alec's wand was good for protection. Alec was, after all, a very protective person, going with Jace on the most ridiculous and dangerous tours, just to protect Jace. What was even more ironic about wands, was that Helen Blackthorn's wand was made of blackthorn. Also funny was that both Alec and Isabelle had a wand made of Holly, a woodsort with a very light colour. A light wood. Lightwood.
'Miss Fray?' Clary handed her wand to Diana.
'Blackthorn, Phoenix feather, 12.5 inches,' Diana said, 'Strong.'
After that, Diana left, and Rita Skeeter walked in with a man with a camera, taking photo's. 'Hello everyone,' she said, 'My name is Rita Skeeter, but you know that of course. I'm here to interview you, and write about you in the newspaper, because everyone wants to know about you. What hidden talents does the youngest one have? What is behind miss Belcourt's pretty face? Is there courage behind these blue eyes? Is there more than muscles in Mr Kyle? Shortly, what makes you a champion? Me, myself and I wanna know, and of course all my readers. Who wants first?'
No one volunteered. Clary found her a bit creepy, and she looked ridiculous. She was not only supposed to do those dangerous tasks, but she had to be interviewed as well. Clary saw Alec turned paler than he already was, which was quite pale.
'We'll start with Hogwarts,' she said, 'Mr Lightwood, would you like to come with me?'