Chapter 5
Foreign Visitors
The first week back was the usual. Having the first class for many subjects, eating lunch in the Great Hall, walking around the grounds with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I had heard interesting rumors about Professor Moody's class, so when Friday came, I had high hopes for an exciting class.
I arrived at class ten minutes early. Stepping into the candle lit room, I looked around the classroom. The walls were dark with shadows from the candles flickering against them. The front of the classroom stood the chalkboard and three jars with a spider in each one. I took a seat at the front left of the classroom. As I unpacked my bag I heard the office door open. Looking up I saw Professor Moody limp into the room.
"Miss Potter." He grunted as he scribbled his name on the chalkboard.
"Professor Moody." I responded. Not another word was spoken until the classroom filled up with the rest of the Slytherins and Ravenclaws.
Professor Moody started class by taking attendance, making sure to get a good look at every single one of us. He then started talking about the Dark Arts and how we were all way behind in our studies of curses. He thought the teaching curriculum set by the Ministry was not enough, that we should see what kind of curses we'd be up against. He then went on to ask if the class knew what the three unforgivable curses were.
"The what?" I whispered to Zabini, who sat in the seat next to me.
"Just you wait. You'll see." Was the response that was whispered back to me.
"Miss Parkinson." Professor Moody said, looking at her with his magical eye.
"The first unforgivable curse is the Imperius Curse." Pansy said smugly with a glance at Draco, who sat next to her.
"The Imperius Curse. This curse gives the caster the ability to control another person completely. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named used this curse to gain control over Ministry important wizards and witches." Professor Moody said to the class in a deep voice. He then pulled out the first spider and cast engorgio on it.
"Imperio," Moody said as he waved his wand at the enlarged spider. He continued to make the spider perform cartwheels, jump from desk to desk, and even perform a tap dance. The class howled with laughter, enjoying the show Professor Moody was putting on.
While I thought the spider was entertaining and I did let out a few laughs, part of me was wondering what it would feel like to be under the Imperius Curse. Or to even cast the Imperius Curse on another person. What would that kind of power feel like?
"You think this is funny?" Moody growled at the class. "Is it still funny to make him slam himself into the glass? Or to drown himself?" His voice was low and daunting. Almost like he dared us to keep laughing. Instantly a silence fell over the room. "After the Dark Lord's terror ended many of his followers came forth and claimed that they were under the influence of the Imperius Curse." He turned away from the class for a second before continuing the lecture.
"Does anyone here know the second unforgivable curse?" He asked the class. "Mr. Boot."
"The Cruciatus Curse." Was the answer from Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw sitting three rows behind me.
"The Cruciatus Curse inflicts excruciating pain on the recipient of the curse." Moody proceeded to pull out the second spider and performed the second unforgivable curse on it. The screams that came out of that spider shocked me. It writhed on its back, legs twitching in the air until Professor Moody ended the curse. He looked around at the class, his magical eye rolling around in his head.
"And the last curse?" He asked the class. "Mr. Malfoy." He said unblinkingly.
"The Killing Curse, avada kedavra." Draco answered with a small smile on his face. Some light murmuring spread through the room.
"Yes, the Killing Curse. Instant and painless death." Professor Moody took out the last spider, set it on the table and murmured "Avada kedavra." A flash of green light lit the room and the spider curled up in a ball and stopped moving. A part of me was fascinated with what I just witnessed. Instant and painless death, one could consider it a merciful death.
Professor Moody continued to talk about the three unforgivable curses for the rest of the class. With only five minutes remaining he let us know the next few classes would be spent with him casting the Imperius Curse on each of us so we could learn how to fight it off.
I left class silently, walking next to Zabini. He was talking animatedly to Pansy about the class and how he'd like to have a chance to cast one of the curses. I was lost in my thoughts of the curses as well, but I wanted to wait to talk about them until I saw Harry.
I didn't get a chance to talk about the unforgivable curses until the weekend when Harry and I set up a time to hang out. We decided to walk around the castle grounds and just relax after the first week of school.
"Harry?" I said after a few minutes of silence.
"Hmm?" He glanced at me curiously.
"You've had your first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, right?" We reached the bank of the Black Lake.
"Yeah, why?"
"What were your thoughts on the unforgivable curses?" I asked.
"They were…interesting," Harry said slowly. "Actually, now that I'm thinking about it the last one, The Killing Curse, looked familiar." He said, thoughtfully. "That flash of green light, I've seen it before."
"Really?" I asked. I remembered last year during one of the dementor attacks Harry described how he could hear our parents calling out just before they died. I wondered if that had to do anything with what he was talking about.
"Last year, when I was having those visions about our parents, there was a flash of green light. I think that's how he killed them." He confirmed my thoughts. "I never knew what the light meant until now."
"Voldemort killed our parents with the Killing Curse," I said. "So, they died quickly and painlessly." At least I knew that our parents hadn't died a horrible painful death.
"Yeah, I suppose so." Harry said.
We slowly made our way back to the castle, now talking about the upcoming tournament. Apparently, Fred and George were coming up with a plan to enter even though they would still be underage.
When we reached the Entrance Hall, it was time to go separate ways. We said a short goodbye, Harry headed up the staircase towards the Gryffindor common room and I headed down to the dungeons. I was going to use the rest of my free time to do homework in the common room.
The next few weeks were relatively uneventful. Classes continued as usual and the only class that was even vaguely interesting was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Moody had started casting the Imperius Curse on us during class to teach us how to fight it off. It was safe to say that no one was succeeding.
Finally October arrived and the only thing the school was talking about were the foreign students that were supposed to arrive soon for the Triwizard Tournament. Even Pansy couldn't help but talk about the boys at Durmstrang.
"I heard that they are the most handsome wizards around." She gushed to me one afternoon.
"Oh? Better not let Draco hear you. He's used to getting all your attention." I teased her. Her face went scarlet red and she proceeded to tell me off.
"Draco could care less. Besides, he's never returned any sign of affection, and I'm getting tired of waiting for him. I think I'll take my chances as a wizard from Durmstrang. You do know that Victor Krum goes there right? Oh it would be so wonderful if he was coming for the tournament." Pansy drifted off into some sort of daydream that I'm sure concerned Victor Krum.
The end of the day was just hours away, and the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students were to arrive soon. The entire school gathered around the front of the castle waiting anxiously for the arrivals. It wasn't until dusk that anything interesting happened.
"Look there! In the sky!" someone shouted. "What is that?"
Pansy nudged me and pointed up where most of the students were looking. Against the orange and red sky was something large flying towards the castle. Many students were trying to guess what it was, but no one could tell until the flying object was closer to the castle. At the front were twelve Abraxan horses pulling a carriage that was blue with intricate designs. When the carriage landed Dumbledore went up to greet the Headmistress Madame Olympe Maxime. Madame Maxime was the largest woman I had ever set my eyes on. She was tall but graceful, she had olive skin and black shining eyes. She greeted Dumbledore smiling and walking elegantly towards the castle.
A few minutes after the crowd calmed down again, the students closest to the Black Lake started yelling. I had to stand on my toes in order to see over the mass of students in front of me. In the distance I saw a mast of a ship emerging from the water. Within seconds the rest of the ship rose up for the depths of the lake carrying the Durmstrang students. Pansy started to jump up and down with excitement.
"Chloe, there they are! I hope the rumors are true and the boys will be ever so handsome!" She said with excitement as she grabbed my arm. I gave her a wide smile, hoping that she would finally get the attention she wanted so badly.
Dumbledore greeted the Headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff. Karkaroff was tall and thin, much like Professor Dumbledore. Even though he had a wide smile on his face, it didn't quite reach his eyes, which remained cold and unmoving. He had a goatee and ended in a curl and didn't quite cover his whole chin. His smile revealed yellow stained teeth that made me cringe.
The students of all three schools were hustled into the Great Hall where a feast had been prepared for the arrival of the other two schools. The students of Beauxbaton had decided to sit with the Ravenclaws while Durmstrang students sat with us Slytherins. Extra chairs were added to the staff table for Madam Maxine and Professor Karkaroff. Two of the extra chairs remained empty.
"Chloe! It's him. It's Victor Krum!" Pansy squealed in my ear. I turned to look and sure enough the duck footed Krum was making his way towards us. While I sat between Pansy and Zabini, Draco was on the other side of Pansy. He scooted over and made room for Krum who sat down next to him. I could feel the energy emanating from Pansy as she did her best to talk to Krum, who in turn was not very talkative.
The feast started after Dumbledore welcomed our guests and told us all to eat, drink, and make ourselves at home. We ate until our bellies were full and our eyes tired. Pushing my empty plate away from me, I glanced up at the staff table. The two remaining extra seats were now filled with Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch. Dumbledore stood up and started addressing the three schools gathered together.
"Welcome to Hogwarts to all our friends from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang. I would like to introduce our judges for the Triwizard Tournament. In addition to myself, Madame Maxime, and Professor Karkaroff; Barty Crouch Senior from the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Ludo Bagman from the Department of Magical Games and Sports will be judging the tournament." As he introduced the judges they stood up when their names were mentioned.
As Professor Dumbledore continued giving the rules of the Tournament, which basically were that there will be three champions, three tasks, and everything would be extremely dangerous. I couldn't help but think about how exciting it would be to be the champion for Hogwarts. I daydreamed for a few minutes about winning and then the school would recognize me more than my brother.
My daydream of winning the Tournament vanished in an instant when Dumbledore took his wand out to reveal the Goblet of lid on the box that Mr. Filch brought in opened after Dumbledore tapped it three times. Dumbeldore reached in and took out a large, wooden cup that was full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.
"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name, and school, clearly on a piece of parchment and drop it into the Goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the Goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The Goblet will be placed in the Entrance Hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. To ensure no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the Entrance Hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.
Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this Tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the Tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the Goblet constitutes a binding magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the Goblet. Now I think it's time for bed. Good night to you all."
The Hall exploded with chatter once Dumbledore dismissed us. Some people were talking about being bummed about not being able to enter, others just excited to be able to watch the Tournament.
Pansy went ahead so she could walk with Draco. Even though she said that there was no point in trying to get the attention she wanted out of Draco, I knew that she was still going to try. She might be tired of waiting but when Pansy wants something she does what she can to get it.
I hung back so I could find Harry, Hermione, and Ron. We hadn't gotten the chance to see each other in a few days because of classes and school work. As the crowd started to disperse I spotted them heading towards the Entrance Hall. Hurrying I caught up to them just as they went through the door.
"Harry," I greeted him. He turned at the sound of my voice and gave me a small smile.
"Hey Chloe, what's going on?" He asked. Hermione and Ron waved at me then continued on their way to Gryffindor tower. I assumed they just wanted to get to bed as soon as possible. Harry stayed behind to chat with me.
"How are you?" I asked.
"I'm…" Harry's voice drifted off as he stared down the hall. I followed his line of sight and saw what he was looking at. Cho Chang was standing at the other end of the hall chatting with some Ravenclaw friends.
"Harry?" I asked, my smiling broadening.
"Hmm?" He asked before snapping back into reality. "Sorry Chloe, I got distracted."
"I noticed," I said with a teasing voice. "You were looking at Miss Cho Chang." Harry's face reddened as he sputtered some sort of excuse.
"Listen, Harry, you can like whomever you would like to. I just wanted to see how you were doing," I said.
"Oh, well I'm good. Just been busy with school work." He gave a small sigh. "How about you?"
"Good," I said with a smile. "It's getting late, so I am going to head down to my dormitory. I'll see you later." I said with a small wave. He said goodnight before heading on his way to Gryffindor Tower.
I returned to the Slytherin common room and sat down by the fireplace. Many of the Slytherin's had already retired to their rooms to get sleep for the next day. When the common room was this empty I enjoyed getting lost in my own thoughts.
I stared into the flames remembering when I had first stepped foot into the Slytherin common room. My thoughts drifted to the rest of my first year. I chuckled to myself remembering all the good times I had, and how innocent everyone was that year. That is until the end of the year, when everything fell apart for Draco and me.
My thoughts then flowed into my second year, the year Harry and I went into the Chamber of Secrets. The year started with Draco and I completely ignoring each other, then him making rude remarks about muggleborns, then how Harry, Hermione and Ron thought that he was the heir of Slytherin. My thoughts then left Draco as I remembered the words Voldemort had said to me as Harry and I fought the basilisk.
"Your destiny is very different from your brothers."
Why did he assume my destiny would be different from Harry's? Was it because I was sorted into Slytherin? I knew I was very different from Harry. I would do almost anything to achieve my goals, including putting other people down. However, I knew Harry wouldn't approve of acting like that, so I had been restraining myself.
With a sigh I stood up, stretched, and turned around to head to my room. As I crossed the common room I heard a voice softly calling my name. Curiously, I turned to my left, where I heard the voice coming from. Sitting in an armchair was Draco Malfoy and he appeared to be in a deep sleep.
"Chloe," he murmured as his head started falling to his right side.
Biting my lip, I walked over to him. His light blonde hair was reflecting the fire still blazing just on the other side of the room. I stretched my hand out, wanting to wake him up, but I stopped just an inch away from his left arm. He isn't my friend anymore, I had to remind myself. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and turned away. Just as I turned away from him, I felt someone grab me by the arm.
"Chloe," Draco said, this time sounding completely awake. I froze, my heart started racing as I turned around to face my ex-best friend. As his gray eyes met my green ones I could tell there was something he desperately wanted to say to me. It seemed like we were frozen in time before he spoke again.
"I—" he said before dropping his hand and turning away from me.
"You what?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"I'm not sure how to do this." He continued to avoid making eye contact.
"Do what?" I tilted my head trying to get a look at his eyes. Draco stood up, walked past me and headed up to the boy's dormitory. I was left there, completely confused.
What in the world was that? I thought to myself as I walked to the opposite staircase that led to the girl's dormitories. Other than him giving me the password to the common room, that was the longest conversation we had since our first year.
As I changed into pajamas I couldn't help but think that he wanted to make up with each other. Maybe soon we could be friends again. The thought of being friends with Draco again made me smile as I laid down in my cold bed. I fell asleep full of hope for this year and the idea that Draco and I could put our past behind us.
AN: Chapter five is finally done. I know I haven't uploaded in a few years, life has been crazy, and I totally forgot that I even had a few fanfictions that I was working on. I am finding I have some more down time and have decided to get back into writing. I'm hoping that spending more time writing will help make myself be happy and I hope I can bring some smiles to all my readers faces. Until the next chapter, have a wonderful life.