"There, there," Lily said soothingly, holding Hermione's hair firmly behind her head.
"I don't want to-" the other girl interrupted herself by emptying the contents of her stomach into the loo.
"You're alright," Lily said, patting her on the back with her free hand. "Need some more water?"
"No," Hermione said, wiping her mouth and then placing her forehead against the cool porcelain.
"You probably should. It helped me when I was sick."
"If I have anything else, it'll just come back up," Hermione said, her voice low and deep.
"Sure, but you have to drink something. It stops eventually."
"Can't you just kill me instead?"
"No!"
Hermione responded to that by throwing up again.
"I'll leave the pitcher here," Lily said, placing the full, cold container back on the counter. A quick tug and a pull on Hermione's scalp, and she had it tied back so it didn't need her assistance.
"Where are you going?" Hermione said, watching her hop from the floor with a mixture of anguish and longing.
"Quidditch practice," Lily said, tying her own hair back.
"Please don't leave me."
"Sorry, Watson," Lily said, patting her on the head. "I'll try to keep it short, promise. I owe you dance, don't I?"
"What?" Hermione asked, groaning again and leaning back over the lip of the toilet.
"Nothing," Lily said with a wink. "Don't remember much of last night, do you?"
"No," Hermione said, eyeing the nearby glass of water, face torn between the sweet refreshment and not wanting to vomit anything else back up.
"You try to get some rest," Lily said, heading out the door. "When I get back, we'll finish up our hats, alright?"
"Please kill me, Lily," Hermione said as the door closed behind her.
Lily did no such thing, and when she returned from Quidditch practice hours later, she found Hermione laying face down on her bed, groaning at the slightest noise or beam of light. Lily thought she wouldn't want to knit a single thing that night, but she was at least trying to nibble at some bread by the time supper rolled around, and while she still groaned whenever Lily spoke too loudly, she at least sat by her side in companionable silence while they worked.
The last week of classes at Beauxbatons didn't go quite as well their political aspirations, although Lily still continued her now unbroken streak in Dueling. Granted, she only got in the required two duels, but that was because everybody else but Hermione was absolutely refusing to go against her (her second match of the day had to be chosen by the professor). Lily tried not to let it bother her, but that only lasted until she distinctly heard her name from the laughing group near Clara.
At first, she thought it was a fluke. As she thought about it, she realized that hardly anybody talked to her the previous two days. Even during Quidditch practice, her teammates were very silent and cool. It was when she started hearing the rumours that she put two-and-two together.
"Did you hear?" two girls were discussing directly next to her in Herbology.
"No. What?"
"It's Potter," the girl said, dropping her voice as if that did anything to keep her from hearing. "Remember the party?"
"Vaguely."
"Well, word is that she snuck off with four different boys just a few hours in."
"Really?" Lily clenched her jaw when she saw the other girl glancing at her. "Four?"
"Denis says they had a very good time," the first girl said, adding a giggle to it.
"Well, that explains why Charlotte has been so angry," the second said, laughing along with her.
"Charlotte even walked in on them!" the first girl said very quickly, her voice getting a bit louder again. "She said Potter was taking all four of them at-"
"Lily, are you alright?"
"What?" Lily asked, snapping back to attention.
"I asked if you could pass me the clippers?" Hermione said, pantomiming a little scissor with her fingers.
"Right," Lily grumbled, passing the things, her ears turning redder when the girls started laughing again.
"Ignore them, Lily," Hermione said gently.
It was easier said than done, but she at least had a frequent distraction in the form of half the school asking her questions every few minutes.
"No, Hogwarts isn't dangerous. Not to anyone but me, anyway."
"Yes, Hogwarts is colder than here. Write home for thicker clothes, if you haven't yet. Don't know when we'll get the chance to get to Hogsmeade, but it'll snow earlier than you'd expect."
"No, Hogwarts isn't that confusing. You'll get used to it pretty quickly."
"Yes, the Lake has a giant squid in it, but you don't need to worry none, he's actually a big sweetheart, wouldn't hurt a fly. If you fall in the water, he'll even help you get back to shore!"
"No, you don't want to go swimming in the Lake on purpose. Nobody does. Water's always freezing, even when you feel like you're melting during the summer."
"Yes, there are pretty girls at Hogwarts. Merlin, why are you even asking me that?"
By the time they reached the weekend, Lily was feeling thoroughly exhausted. They finally received their Quidditch schedule and matchups, and they were set to play their first game in the second slot of the lineup, right up against Gryffindor. That led to a series of questions about the strength of her former house, and she spent all of it expressing in great detail how Gryffindor was probably the strongest team Hogwarts had.
They were all driven out of their beds early on Saturday morning, told to leave their belongings behind in their dorms, and then herded out in full uniform, bleary, sleepy eyes included, and marched towards the beaches. Lily was emulating Hermione from the previous weekend, wishing for nothing but death, and almost didn't notice the carriages they were climbing into until she saw the giant horses pulling them.
"Look, Hermione!" Lily said, elbowing the other sleepy girl in her excitement, fully wide awake and energetic. "Abraxans!"
"What?" Hermione asked, rubbing at her eyes.
Lily's request to pet the great, winged beasts was, unfortunately, declined. Maxime had to haul her away from the magnificent creatures herself, depositing her in a soft armchair in the deceptively spacious insides of the carriage and giving her very strict instructions to not stare longingly at the beasts through the large windows.
"Merlin, are we there yet?" Lily asked hours later, a groan escaping from her throat.
"Lily, please, I am begging you, just stop asking."
"This is the worst," Lily said with a long sigh.
"Would you please stop tapping your foot?"
"Then you need to stop humming!"
"You're the one that started it!"
"Attention all students," Maxime called from the front of the furnished space. "We will be arriving at Hogwarts shortly. Please, make yourselves presentable, and then prepare for disembarkment."
"Come on," Hermione said, standing quickly and grabbing Lily by the hand. They joined the throng of excited, blue-clad girls, the front of which were pressing themselves against all the windows to get a better view of the growing castle.
"It ees so rusteec!" Fleur said haughtily, her accent making her English almost incomprehensible (Lily supposed she had to praise the effort, though). She threw her hair over one shoulder, her proud face stuck in the air. Lily pried her eyes away from her to enjoy the sights but was finding it very difficult to do so.
"What does she know, anyway?" Hermione said quietly (and grumpily) from Lily's side.
"I imagine quite a lot," Lily said with a shrug, still staring. "Although, you're probably right that it won't be much about Hogwarts."
"Lily?"
"Hmm?" Lily finally managed to pry her eyes away from Fleur.
"Is it just me, or is the castle bigger?"
"It's probably just- wait."
Lily pushed further forward into the crowd, narrowing her own eyes in suspicion. The castle was definitely larger than they left it, almost too large to reflect wholly on the Lake (which they had a very impressive view of, being at the height of a rapidly descending aircraft), which, for some reason, had a rather large ship banked right on the stony beach. The turrets and towers were multiplied by at least ten times their previous count, their own lights sending a blazing warmth out to cascade across the castle grounds.
On the grounds themselves was every single Hogwarts student, staff included, and Lily was certain that was much bigger than it should be, too. There were far more students than there had been in any of the years she attended the school. As they approached and descended even further, even faster, they even raised their hands in a friendly wave.
"Brace yourselves," Madame Maxime called lazily from her comfortable position.
It really wasn't much of a warning. Two seconds after she said it, the carriage was hitting the ground, the resulting shockwave spilling Lily (and at least a dozen other girls, thank Merlin) onto the ground, a chorus of playful screams resounding around the room.
"Queue up," Madame Maxime said, standing to her full height and giving them all a quick glance as they all did their best to correct themselves. "Remember, girls: heads held high. I want the Hogwarts students to remember us as at our very best."
Lily hardly had the time to join the organized lines before the carriage doors were open, letting the haunting light of Hogwarts spill into their cabin (which was now very dark). Madame Maxime stepped out gracefully, accepting the hand of an older male student (they were in the lead carriage and landed first), and then the lines were moving. Lily started to panic, feeling that her uniform was rather out-of-sorts, and did her best to straighten it all as she moved forward. Even after adjusting her hat a third time, she still wasn't certain, but it was far too late at that point, as she was stepping out onto the grass herself.
"'ave grace, Lily," Fleur said from behind. "Show zem 'ow beautiful you are."
Lily held her head high as they walked towards the chattering Hogwarts crowd, feeling incredibly warm and doing her best not to let the compliment inflate her ego.
"Oo, look at him!" one of the girls in front of her said, following a rampant spurt of giggles that was quickly silenced by a backwards glance from Madame Maxime. Lily followed the commotion towards where Hagrid was standing, waving excitedly at her in particular. Lily really couldn't help herself; she was smiling and waving back before she knew it, earning a dignified sniff from the girl behind her.
"Right," she whispered to herself and moving her hand back to her side. "Grace."
Maxime led them towards the waiting Hogwarts students, and they all stopped as she moved forwards to greet Dumbledore. Lily was too far away to hear anything, but she did see Dumbledore graciously kiss Maxime's hand before ushering her (and the students) inside, towards the castle.
"Ees eet always zis cold?" Fleur asked from behind her, her teeth chattering quite ungracefully.
Lily blinked and looked around at the rest of the students, feeling utterly surprised to see so many of them shivering and complaining to each other. She thought it was quite pleasant, actually, especially for a Hogwarts evening in late October.
"You get used to it," Lily said, adding a shrug.
"Oi!"
"Hullo, Fred," Lily said as the boy fell in step with her.
"Trying to slip away with saying hello, are you?" George asked, taking up at her other side.
"I just did, I'm pretty sure."
"Well, that didn't count, did it, seeing as how I didn't get one."
"Hullo, George."
"Better," Fred said, glancing back with a raised eyebrow when Fleur tried to sniff her displeasure. "Listen, we have something we need to ask you."
"Oh, Merlin."
"It's not money! Well, it is, but not the way you think!"
"Well, go on, then."
"Lily, I do not theenk zis ees-"
"Think," Lily corrected.
"I do not think zis is an appropriate speech for-"
"Conversation."
"An appropriate conversation for ze- err-"
"Occasion?"
"Occasion."
"Well, hello, hello," George said, finally taking notice of Fleur and giving her his patented Weasley eyebrow wiggle. "Who's this, then? Not going to introduce us, Lily?"
"Sorry, George," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Fleur, this is Fred and George, Fred and George, Fleur."
"I recognize you," Fred said, his eyes going wide. "You helped us at the Cup, during the battle!"
"Yes, I'm sure ze two of you were quite eempressive," Fleur said, flicking her long, blonde hair back over her shoulder again. "Excuze me, Lily, but I theenk- think- I'll go find a seat."
"Bye!" Lily said a little too forlornly. Her eyes definitely lingered a bit too long as Fleur entered the Great Hall (the foyer of Hogwarts itself looked just as she remembered it, if twice the size), but she managed to pull them away to focus on a talking George.
"-so, we thought he might have fooled you, too, see."
"Right," Lily said, nodding her agreement. "Err- could you repeat all that?"
"Really, Lily?" Fred said, sounding completely disappointed. "From the top, George."
"You do it, I just had a go."
"Right," Fred said, taking the offer. "So, you know how we-"
"Oi, Lily! You coming or not?"
"In a bit, Ron! Save me a seat!"
"As charming as ever," George said, shaking his head at their miscreant brother.
"Right, as I was saying," Fred continued, "so, you know how we had that little bit of a gamble with Ludo Bagman?"
"I remember giving you a lot of coin," Lily said, nodding again. "And I remember you giving it all right back afterwards."
"Well," Fred said awkwardly, "we might have been just a tad bit hasty."
"I thought you said this wasn't what I thought?"
"It isn't!" George added hastily. "It's just- well-"
"Alright, you tell the story, then."
"See, we collected everything from him right after," George said. "Turned in our ticket and everything. Only- well- it's all gone, now."
"Spent it all already?" Lily asked. "Blimey, mate, I don't reckon this is going to work out if we don't-"
"We didn't spend it," Fred said. "It's just gone."
Lily felt her brow furrow. "What do you mean?"
"Poof," George said, clapping his hands together. "Vanished into thin air."
"Can't find a single coin of it anywhere," Fred said.
"Which is bad," George said, "both for the obvious reasons, and because we've already ordered a shipment of ingredients."
"Payment upon delivery," Fred said with a grimace.
"And now we're fresh out of funds to receive it all," George added.
"So," Lily said slowly. "You just- you need me to cover it, then? I can-"
"No," Fred said quickly. "What we just need to know right now is this: do you still have yours?"
"My what?"
"Your winnings, Lily," George said. "Merlin, keep up, will you?"
"I don't recall-"
"You bet twenty-five Galleons on Ireland," Fred said. "Merlin, Lily, you didn't forget, did you?"
"Bloody hell," George said, just as Lily's face turned a very bright red.
"I had other things to worry about!" Lily said defensively.
"Must be nice, having other worries than money," Fred said, shaking his head.
"Look, I'll pay for the ingredients, you know I will," Lily said. "I'll just write to Bagman with my ticket and-"
"It's a no go," George said, shaking his head. "He's here, as a matter of fact, and he's been avoiding us."
"He's what?"
"Just came in this morning," Fred agreed. "We've been hounding him all day, but he keeps slipping away, the bastard."
"When did it all disappear?" Lily asked.
"A few days ago," Fred said. "We've been looking into the hows and whys of it, but so far we haven't come up with-"
"Leprechaun gold," Lily said plainly. "Probably scooped up a whole lot of it during the Cup, when they had their little show. Vanishes after a few weeks. Honestly, you got lucky it lasted that long."
"Well, that solves that, then," George said, shaking his head. "He cheated us."
"Listen," Lily said, clapping them on the shoulders. "I've got to go, but we'll figure this out later. How much did the supplies cost, for now?"
"Fifty Galleons," Fred said with a sigh. "Was supposed to cover us until the end of year. We can cover most of it, we just need fifteen."
"I'll get it to you later," Lily said with a wink.
"Thanks!" they both called after her as she hurried into the Great Hall. She was absolutely starving, and all the wonderful smells wafting her direction made talking very difficult. Unfortunately, she needed to make a detour before fully entering to talk to a very specific Hufflepuff.
"Cedric," she said, awkwardly accepting his hug as she came near.
"Been looking forward to this since Dumbledore told us," Cedric said, positively beaming.
"Right," Lily said, trying her best not to sound nervous. "Err- about that- can we talk after the feast?"
"Not coming to sit with me then?" Cedric asked, the smile dipping a bit.
"Err- I think it's better if I not, honestly."
"Oh," Cedric said, the smile disappearing completely. "Err- yeah, alright, we can- we can talk after."
"Sorry, Cedric," Lily said, genuinely meaning it and taking a few steps backwards. "See you in a bit." With that, she turned fully around and entered the chatter-filled room.
While the Entrance Hall was normal, the Great Hall absolutely was not. It was significantly larger, perhaps even cavernously so, with great banners and tapestries hanging from the rafters, the Hogwarts crest proudly displayed over the Staff Table, the House ones over each respective table, and the walls themselves lined with the symbols of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
Speaking of Durmstrang, they were already seated, their dark red (and very thick) robes taking up well over half of the Slytherin table. That particular House table was so full, it seemed a few of their students were spilling over to other Houses. Lily briefly searched for Sae, her old habits making her walk towards her old spot, only to turn back at Ron's voice calling for her from the middle of the Gryffindor table.
"Right," she said to herself. She almost forgot she was no longer required to sit there.
Most of Beauxbatons was taking up at the Ravenclaw table, but quite a few of them mingled amongst the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw ones, too (Slytherin was too full for any of them to end up there). Lily stopped as she moved closer to the red and gold, surprised to find Sae sitting there next to Hermione, the two quietly catching up with smiles on their faces, Neville and Ron sitting across from them. Lily sandwiched herself between the two of them, Ron making some sort of protest as she interrupted whatever story he was telling.
"What are you doing here?' Lily asked curiously.
"Dumbledore disbanded the old rule," Sae said after a brief, shocked pause. "We can sit anywhere we'd like, this year."
"She's mostly been sitting with Ginny," Ron added. "Don't know what she's doing here."
"I happen to be her friend, thank you very much."
"Well, that's brilliant!" Lily said happily, ladling a large helping of soup into her bowl. "Why's Ginny not over here though?"
"Err- she's- err- being a bit grumpy right now. I'm sure you'll hear from her later."
"What is that stuff?" Ron asked with a grimace, eyeing Lily as she shoveled half a bowl into her mouth.
"Bouillabaisse!" Lily said with the same cheer (and an anxious look around the room for a certain girl). "It's really good, actually."
"Alright, but what is it?"
"It's a soup," Lily said with a shrug. "White fish, lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp, fennels, tomatoes, just a pinch of saffron- look, stop making that face and just try it, alright? You'll love it!"
"If you say so," Ron said, loading up on perfectly English foods instead.
"You know, it wouldn't hurt you to be a bit adventurous," Hermione said delicately.
"I happen to be very adventurous," Ron said between bites of roasted potato. "As a matter of fact, just last year, I happened to catch a dangerous criminal in the Forbidden Forest."
"I don't think that's quite what she meant," Sae said.
"Right, well," Ron said, swallowing down the large lump in his throat, "when you've actually gone on an adventure, get back to me, yeah?"
"Right, that settles it, then," Sae said. "Lily, whatever it is you're doing this year, you have to involve me."
Lily finished her last spoonful of soup and then reached over to get some more.
"I'm not doing anything this year, thank you very much," Lily said. "I'm going to duel, I'm going to paint, I'm going to study and do homework, and I'm going to be perfectly normal."
"Right," all four of her friends said at once (and in the exact same tone, too, fancy that).
"I mean it," Lily said, sticking more hot soup in her mouth. "Hogwarts isn't going to do a bloody thing to me this year. If something props up, I'm just going to ignore it and let Dumbledore handle it. I'm not lifting a finger."
"She can't, anyway," Hermione said, politely setting her silverware down as she finished her own meal. "Madame Maxime has her on a short leash. If she gets in trouble, she's on the block."
"You're joking," Ron said, lowering his fork from his mouth.
"She's not," Lily said with a sigh. "If I'm so much as caught outside of curfew, I'm right out of Beauxbatons."
"How did that happen?"
Lily shrugged. "Right? Hard to believe anybody could believe I've done anything stupid, impulsive, or dangerous, isn't it?"
"Not to mention the papers raking you over the coals," Neville added.
"Are they still doing that?"
"Of course they are, Lily," Sae said. "You've been their favourite topic since all the buzz about the tournament died down. Quibbler in particular seems to think it's clear you'll be chosen as a champion."
"Not happening, thank you," Lily said. "Think Fleur wouldn't like that much, anyway."
"Who's Fleur?" Neville asked.
"Her," Lily said, nodding towards the approaching pretty girl. She heard Ron drop his fork and swear, but she only had eyes for the one person.
"Excuse me, Lily," Fleur said, stopping just short of her and pointing at the large container in front of her. "'ave you finished with ze bouillabaisse?"
"Just finished bowl two," Lily said, winking as she ladled out a third. "Go on and take it, won't have much more."
Fleur smiled kindly as she did just that, not even bothering to look at any of her friends, let alone the purple-faced Ron right next to her.
"I think she broke him," Neville said helpfully just as he started sputtering, a whine escaping the back of his throat.
"She's a Veela!" he said at last.
"Of course she isn't, Ron," Hermione said. "She's just a normal-"
"Actually," Lily said, taking a careful sip of her hot soup, "Ron's right on this one."
"Excuse me?"
"She's a quarter," Lily said, shrugging. "Enough to make people look and maybe sputter like a loony, not enough to do much more."
"Blimey," Ron said, his eyes never wavering from Fleur's direction, "the French sure breed them different, don't they?"
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Hermione and Sae asked together.
"I happen to think Hogwarts has some very pretty girls, Ron," Lily said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice and moving her gaze down past Lavender Brown, searching for one girl in particular.
She found Katie sitting at the Hufflepuff table, surprisingly, looking happy and absolutely occasionally looking in Fleur's direction. She seemed to be sitting with just one particular, pretty girl, the two of them talking softly and smiling a lot. Lily briefly worried that she'd found someone else, decided that it'd be good for her if she did, and then tried to turn back to her soup to hide her disappointment. That Katie was still wearing those little bell earrings she gifted her did nothing to calm the stir of emotions in her belly.
"So," she said. "What has the paper been saying about me, lately?"
"The normal rubbish," Sae said with a shrug. "It's the gossip rags that are the most entertaining, though. I'll show you some later, you'll love them."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the Quibbler thinks you might be a Metamorphmagus disguising yourself as a Hogwarts student," Sae said, taking a bite of her food. That one earned a snort of mirth from both Ron and Neville.
"Right, well, couldn't be me, then," Lily said, her ears turning red as she exchanged a quick smile with Hermione.
"I wouldn't worry much about it, nobody believes what the Quibbler says," Hermione added with a tone of derision.
"Wouldn't be so sure about that," Sae muttered.
"What's so bad about it?" Lily asked, also wondering how Hermione knew about the publication when she didn't.
"It's all a bunch of utter dung," Ron said for her. "They'll publish anything, really, so long as the headline is snappy enough to sell. Same issue outing you as a shapeshifter did the same for Fudge, and the issue after claims Sirius isn't really Sirius, and that he's actually the lead for the Hobgoblins."
"Hobgoblins?" Lily said. "What've they got to do with anything?"
"You really need to listen to more music, Gryffindor," Sae said.
"I like what I like, thank you very much. Stop laughing, Ron."
"I'd hardly call The Thistlegirls music, Lily."
"I like Spellbound, too!"
"Brilliant, even better."
"What's wrong with The Thistlegirls?" Neville asked, his eyebrows scrunched together.
"Not a bloody thing," Lily said with a firm nod.
"Please don't tell me you actually like them, Nev," Ron said.
"Listen to them on the wireless all the time, matter of fact," Neville said. "Gran even let me go to one of their shows over the holidays."
"Really?" Lily asked, now getting really excited. "Blimey, you should have invited me- we should go next year!"
"I happen to like them too," Sae said quietly.
"Well, of course you do," Ron said.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, they're a girl group, aren't they?" Ron said. "All I'm saying is that they're not really meant for blokes like us. Don't know how anyone can stand listening to those harpies, anyway."
"So, girls can't be musicians, then?" Hermione said. Lily knew that tone of voice all too well.
"That is not what I said," Ron said very carefully.
"It certainly sounded like it," Sae said in the same dangerous voice.
"I'm not helping you out of this one, mate," Lily said, downing another glass of pumpkin juice.
"I like them," Neville said confidently.
"Me, too," Sae said, crossing her arms and still glaring at Ron.
"We'll all go together, then," Lily said happily. "I'll pay for the tickets, Sae, don't worry about it."
"Thanks for that," Sae said. "It'd use up most of my savings if I had to-"
She was interrupted by a sharp noise from the Staff table. Dumbledore was standing up, tapping his spoon against the glass he was holding, beaming at each and every student, the twinkle in his eye livelier than ever. To his right sat Madame Maxime, to his left Lily could only assume was the Durmstrang Headmaster, all the various members of staff mixed and mingled on either side. The Durmstrang Headmaster looked extremely grumpy, his silver hair slicked with oil and his beard bushier than Dumbledore's (although far shorter). Next to Madame Maxime was Ludo Bagman, the cheater smiling even wider than Dumbledore, and next to the Durmstrang man was Barty Crouch, looking just as proper and tidy as the last time she saw him.
"Ow!" Lily said, her hand flying straight to her suddenly pounding scar, earning a concerned look from Hermione.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Dumbledore said to silence the rest of the still chattering students (there were always a few that couldn't quite get the memo). "I bid you all a very warm welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Before we get started, I must ask for my own students to stand, so we may greet our guests in the proper Hogwarts way."
"Should we stand?" Lily asked as their friends rose around them.
"I don't think Maxime would appreciate that," Hermione said with a tight smile, remaining seated.
Lily thought much the same, but she felt her spirits dampen quite a bit as the Hogwarts students sang the school anthem around them. It felt so strange not to participate in what had once been her favourite part of the Welcome Feast. It felt even stranger to see the apparent distaste on all of the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students' faces. Fleur was laughing loudly and openly mocking the whole charade, which absolutely soured some of the feelings Lily was trying desperately to hide.
Fred and George were the last ones to finish, just like they always had been in the past. As a matter of fact, Lily was pretty sure they took far longer than normal, purposefully dragging the song out as long as possible to make one very vocal girl in particular upset. It really wasn't much of a guess at all, really, considering every time Fleur laughed or said something, they'd hold out whatever note they were on long enough to go purple in the face.
Dumbledore stuck with them to the very end, though, happily conducting with his wand until even his own members of staff started shifting in their seats uncomfortably. Only once they were done and seated did he finally continue his speech.
"Allow me to introduce, to those of you who do not have the pleasure of learning with them, Olympe Maxime of Beauxbatons and Igor Karkaroff of Durmstrang," Dumbledore said, first gesturing to his right and then his left. Madame Maxime rose from her seat (taking an offered hand from Dumbledore), but Karkaroff stayed seated, merely nodding his acknowledgement, picking at his yellowed teeth.
"Blimey, that's the biggest woman I've ever seen," Seamus said, far too loudly, from just a little way away.
"In addition," Dumbledore continued, "I would like to welcome our guests from the Ministry, Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch!"
Lily applauded lazily along with the rest of the students as the next two gentlemen stood, Crouch gazing sternly over the throngs of students, Bagman animated and lively as he waved and laughed (he was wearing that absurd, ill-fitting Quidditch robe of his again). When Crouch met her eyes again, she winced once more, her hand flying to her forehead and beginning to worry her. She tried to look at him again, but this time, he was staring as far away from her as he could.
"Everything alright?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on hers. Lily shook her head, even though she didn't quite get what was wrong herself.
"In addition to the Headmasters of each respective school, the two of them will be joining us on the panel of judges for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore said, this time interrupted by very enthusiastic chatter and applause. "If we may have silence, Mr. Crouch would like to say a few words."
The chatter did not abate while Mr. Crouch stood once more, patiently waiting for the rowdy students to silence themselves before uttering a single syllable. They only stopped at all because of a scarred, gnarled man banging his staff sharply against the stone five times.
"Is that Mad-Eye?" Lily said into the silence, her words reaching and earning quite a few laughs from the Hogwarts crowd. At least Moody was also laughing at it, although she was earning a scowl from every other member of staff.
"He's teaching Defense," Neville whispered. Lily tried to hide her burning face behind her empty goblet, really wishing she'd poured more before attempting anything of the sort.
"Bloody brilliant at it, actually," Ron added hastily. "Who'd a thunk it?"
"The Triwizard Tournament is a time-honoured tradition," Crouch continued unimpeded (and looking thoroughly unimpressed). "In times past, it was a means to glory unheard of, a wealth of riches deep enough to lift even the lowest urchins from poverty."
"Don't look at Malfoy," Neville whispered to Ron. Lily did so for him, unsurprised to see the boy (now wearing Durmstrang robes) laughing and pointing towards her favourite Weasley.
"I'll get him later," Lily promised between bites of food.
"Over the last few months, we have worked tirelessly to make sure our events are equally impressive," Crouch said. "I know you all have heard the rumours as to the tournament's disappearance, and I can assure you that, with the rules we have in place, the likelihood of a tragic death are miniscule."
"Miniscule," Lily scoffed mockingly.
"First and foremost," Crouch said, "for the Tournament itself, nobody is allowed to enter unless they have reached the age of majority. Secondly, each task will be overseen by a variety of support staff, and there will be a nominally sized Auror presence to ensure safety of all guests and viewers. I must emphasize this: the risk is not zero to those of who choose to participate. Enter only if you are confident in your own abilities. You will be on your own, should you be chosen, and the mere act of entering your name means you accept the consequences of refusing to participate. The tasks we have designed for you are much safer than those in the past, but the danger involved will be fatal if you do not take it with the utmost seriousness."
"Well, that's enough of the downer talk, don't you think, Barty?" Bagman said with a hearty laugh. "Why don't I take it from here?"
"Very well," Crouch said as he sat, just a hint of bitterness in his voice. Bagman rose from his own seat, taking a deep breath before speaking, the sound of his throat carrying well to the ends of the room.
"Now," Bagman said, "the rules: from each school, a single champion will be chosen. Each champion must participate in a series of three tasks, the first of which will be disclosed to them immediately after the choosing ceremony. Each task will test a measure of your daring, ability, and quick thinking. To prepare for each task will require the large majority of your spare time, and, as such, each champion will be excused from the end-of-year exams. Yes, I thought you'd like that!"
Bagman waited happily as the excited murmurs from the crowd abated before continuing.
"In addition to the tournament, we are happy to offer a wide variety of other competitions," Bagman said. "Each will be judged by an assortment of Ministry officials, as well as appropriate members of staff from each school; we didn't want the rest of you to be left out! Each one will carry a hefty prize of their own, although the most glorious one goes to the Triwizard winner!"
"Quidditch teams from every school will be able to participate in Hogwarts' Quidditch Cup, playing the other teams twice each," Bagman said. "I've been told you Hogwarts students have gotten used to your one team per House, round robin rules, but since your own school has grown so large, the Quidditch Cup will be divided in two parts henceforth: a round robin for the first-through-third years, and another for the fourth-through-sevenths!"
A loud applause went around the Hall at that announcement, although Lily quickly noticed (once her own excitement died down) that Sae wasn't participating.
"Wanted to play with you," Sae grumbled upon asking.
"Of course," Bagman said, "I don't see what chance the rest of you have with Krum playing for Durmstrang."
"Krum?" Lily's voice pierced through the ranks of student chatter once more, although this time it didn't earn her the same level of embarrassment, seeing as how the Beauxbatons students did not arrive in time to see those from Durmstrang.
There was Viktor Krum, sitting at the Slytherin table, Malfoy right next to him and trying to whisper poison in his ear. At the very least, he seemed to be paying very little attention to what Malfoy was saying. Once, he even leaned over to talk to another person, making Malfoy seem very put-out. His expression only darkened further when he saw Lily sniggering at him.
"In addition to the Quidditch," Bagman said, although Lily was certain most people couldn't hear him, "there will be contests for art, each school will put on a show in Hogwarts' new theatre, there will be an international dueling championship held between all three schools, with each year participating against their own, and much, much more! Look for a posting in your respective Common Rooms, and keep in mind that each has their own deadline for application! The only stipulation is thus: Triwizard Champions are allowed to participate in only one additional contest, but the rest of you are allowed as many as you want!"
"Thank you, Ludo," Dumbledore said, rising from his seat and silencing the renewed chatter. "Now, before we part, I would like to introduce to you our impartial judge, through which we will determine each school's champion!"
The Hall went silent as Dumbledore moved both his hands into the air, the slow, deliberate action extinguishing each candle and torch lining the sky and walls, all until they were left in a near pitch darkness, the only light coming from the stars in the enchanted ceiling.
And then, just as a solitary whisper sounded, there was a great burst of flame in the center of the Hall, coalescing, twisting, and dancing as it shaped itself and cooled, leaving a pedestal and a large, golden cup in its wake, a small flame resting at the top of it.
"The Goblet of Fire!" Dumbledore said proudly. "Those of you who wish to enter the tournament must do nothing more than slip a paper inside the crest bearing your name. The Goblet will choose from amongst those the one who best exhibits the desired traits from each school. Be wary; should your name enter the Goblet, and should it be chosen, you are bound to compete, bound to participate to the best of your ability, lest you suffer a fate worse than death. Do not do so lightly."
"Do you get the sense that it's dangerous?" Ron asked lightly.
"You will have until Halloween night to enter your name, should you choose to do so," Dumbledore continued. "Until then, feel free to settle yourselves about the castle. This is a prime opportunity to get to know each other, and in the spirit of cooperativeness, classes are cancelled until Wednesday morning! Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students, please follow your Heads, as they will lead you to our common rooms. Curfew is at 10:30 sharp, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students who do not wish to die a painful death, and a full list of banned items can be found in the office of our Mr. Filch. Have a wonderful night!"
"Thank Merlin we don't have to sleep in those awful carriages," Hermione said.
"I thought they were quite cosy, personally," Lily said, letting out a little sigh. "I suppose we'll see the lot of you for breakfast, then?"
"Don't count on it," Ron said. "Angelina's a harsher taskmaster than Wood. Probably won't get a break until lunch."
"Lunch, then," Lily said as she stood. "Get some flying in, maybe?"
"Absolutely," Sae said happily.
"Hope we aren't in the dungeons," Lily said as she and Hermione joined the Beauxbatons crowd. "Think half the school would freeze to death if we are."
"Looks like we're heading up," Hermione said, nodding towards Maxime's large form at the front of the crowd. "Oh, I wish we were moving a bit faster."
"Me too," Lily said with a sigh, noticing Cedric coming towards her without even the slightest bit of fear.
In fact, by the look on his face, he seemed absolutely furious with her. Lily wondered what was wrong up until she saw Clara near the entryway, smiling and completely pleased with herself.
"Hello," Lily said a tad nervously, Hermione stopping at her side.
"Was this all a joke to you?" Cedric asked. Lily really wished that the others in the hall weren't stopping to look at them.
"No," Lily said quickly. "Err- can we go somewhere else?"
"What is wrong with you?" Cedric said with a nervous laugh. "I mean- you could have just told me you didn't want anything to do with me."
"I wasn't-"
"How many blokes, eh? Is it just the six, or is there more?"
"There aren't any-"
"You know what?" Cedric said, waving a hand dismissively at her. "I don't even want to know, Potter. Fuck off."
Lily clenched her jaw as Cedric went away. She felt her fists clench when the whispers and laughs started. The look that hurt most of all was the one she got from Katie, standing with the same Hufflepuff girl near the corridor to the kitchens.
"Come on, Lily," Hermione said, anxiously trying to drag her away. Lily allowed it to happen, head pounding, hoping that Clara would have to good sense to avoid her for a bit.
If she didn't, she'd be expelled from Beauxbatons in no time at all.