September 1946

Despite the Triwizard Tournament looming on the horizon, school continued as normal for the first couple of months. The work was just as demanding as Minerva remembered it since the teachers were preparing the new fifth years for their OWL exams later that year. Even Quidditch practise was on as usual; unable to bear a whole year away from the pitch, Ro had managed to convince Professor Dippet that the four Quidditch Captains could still run sessions and organise their own tournament.

"It won't be as serious as it usually is," Ro explained to the Gryffindor Team at their first gathering since before the summer. "No points or a trophy or anything, just a bit of fun. So we can set our own match dates and play each House more than once if we wanted to. And we can only run it until the Easter Holiday because after that they need the stadium for the Triwizard Tournament."

Nancy nodded eagerly. "Sounds great, good job Ro. At least Anthea and I will still get to play a few more times before we leave."

There was an all-round sigh at Nancy's last comment; Minerva had forgotten that this was the last year with that particular Quidditch Team. "We've got another year before we need to start thinking about that," Ernest huffed, flicking his hand at Nancy in a shooing motion which made her smile.

"But along those lines, it does mean that you can just enjoy your last year without just worrying about winning," Minerva pointed out.

Laughing, Nancy gave an indifferent shrug. "It'll be the last year of that for a while then. You'll have to let me know the match dates when they're sorted out, since Dumbledore's going to ask a few teams to come in and watch me."

"Professor Dippet already mentioned that to me," Ro nodded, "It's not just you, Tomoko Chang from the Ravenclaw Team's planning on going professional too. Ackerley and I agreed that we'd sort out a date for our match that all the teams you both wanted could make."

Once Nancy had agreed and there were no more questions asked, Ro's smile turned into wild grin. "Now, are we here to talk or are we here to fly? Five laps of the stadium to warm up, let's get this show on the road!"

Minerva always loved watching Ro in her element; just like Professor Dumbledore often told her that she had a flair for Transfiguration, it couldn't be denied that Ro had been born to fly. She had no doubt that when their time came around she would be following in Nancy's footsteps, and Minerva had to admit that she was slowly warming to the prospect too. Although she had considered possibly a career in the Ministry or something else where magic would be the focus of her life, she fancied the idea of a few years of comparative freedom before tying herself down with a job like that.

It quickly became clear that she wasn't the only one thinking of their futures. While eating breakfast at the Gryffindor Table near the end of October, they were interrupted by a young Slytherin bearing several rolls of parchment tied up with ribbon. Minerva only knew her as Clementine Vance because she was friends with Ro's cousin Heidi and she'd caught the pair of them running the halls after curfew numerous times.

Reading out from a list of names, Clementine glanced around the six of them before she said "I'm supposed to give these to… Minerva McGonagall, Rolanda Hooch, Poppy Pomfrey, Irma Vector and Septima Vector."

"Well that's us alright," Ro said, taking five parchment rolls from Clementine and handing them around.

There was no mention of a roll for Millicent, and before Minerva had a chance to ask Clementine was already out of earshot. Millicent just gave a confused shrug and motioned for them to continue, so Minerva unrolled her parchment and read aloud "Miss McGonagall, I would be delighted if you would join us for dinner in my office at 6pm Sincerely, Professor H.E.F. Slughorn."

Poppy nodded as she looked down at her own slip of parchment. "They must all say the same."

"It seems we have been invited into the Slug Club." Irma said, continuing when her words were met by four confused looks. "He likes to get together students with connections. People with important parents, or sometimes those who are just particularly talented by themselves."

Ro was the only one who didn't look confused, and Minerva supposed that was because her older siblings had already been through Hogwarts under Professor Slughorn. This was confirmed when she said "Kurtis wasn't recruited until his sixth year; I guess 'Hooch' didn't mean anything before him. Everyone else got grabbed in fifth year though, same as us. Can't say I expected it though, I've never thought he liked me much. Though Erika got dropped when she told him she wasn't going to play Quidditch professionally so at least I've got that in my favour."

"Well I'm really looking forward to this evening then," Minerva said drily.

"Will you be ok at dinner if we're all there," Septima asked Millicent, bringing Minerva back to the matter of why Millicent didn't receive an invite.

Millicent shrugged again, not looking particularly upset though her face had lost its signature smile. "S'alright, I'll sit with Bonnie and Emily. As long as they haven't been invited too."

Minerva looked towards the Ravenclaw table to try and pick out Millicent and Septima's dormmates, sighing internally when she saw that only Mali Shafiq had a roll of parchment in her hand. "I think you'll be fine," she said, though Millicent's unreadable gaze did nothing to reassure her.

Upon arriving in Professor Slughorn's office, Minerva's first thought was that it resembled a five star restaurant more than an office. A round table had been set up in the centre of the floor, the more customary office furniture pushed to the walls in order to make room for it. Professor Slughorn quickly ushered them to the table where there were five seats remaining, before he sat down too with a beaming smile on his face.

"Now that we're all here, we can begin," he said, flicking his wand and conjuring up food in a style that reminded Minerva of how food appeared at the Start of Term Feast. "I only invited my fifth year students tonight, so I'm sure there is no need for introductions."

Minerva looked around the table, reassured to notice that practically everyone looked as though they would much rather be somewhere else. There was Mali, as she had expected, as well as Hector Bones, Sylvia Macmillan, Duane Inglebee, and far too many Slytherins for Minerva's liking. Though she could admit to liking Alphard Black much more than she had anticipated, the presence of Abraxas Malfoy and Druella Rosier was far less welcomed considering what the pair had put them through at the end of fourth year.

"Tuck in, all of you!" Professor Slughorn urged loudly, waiting for them all to load their plates before turning to Ro who was in the unfortunate position of being sat next to the Professor. "Tell me, Miss Hooch, how are your brothers all getting on?"

Ro merely blinked at him for a second as she rapidly chewed on the mouthful of food that she had only eaten a second beforehand. Minerva rolled her eyes, though couldn't help but think of what Ro had said earlier when the fact she had a sister too was conveniently forgotten. "Mallory and Tavin have been really busy what with the Tournament coming up, especially Tavin since his Department did lots of the organising. Kurtis still works in the Auror Office, and he got engaged recently." That piece of news had reached Ro via Owl Post a few days ago, and Ro's excitement levels were yet to return to normal.

Professor Slughorn gave a delighted clap. "Such wonderful news! And who might be the lucky lady?"

"Carrie MacDougal."

"Ah yes, I remember dear Caroline. Another excellent student of mine, a truly talented potioneer." Professor Slughorn said, before his attentions suddenly switched to Poppy. "And speaking of potioneers, I am sure my next protégée is sitting right at this table! Even without considering your Muggleborn heritage you are truly remarkable, Miss Pomfrey, I must ask what your parents do to influence your talent?"

Poppy had blushed a deep red under the combination of Professor Slughorn's praise and Druella's thinly veiled stare. "W-well, my father is a doctor and my mother is a nurse. They work in a Muggle hospital like St Mungos."

Professor Slughorn regarded her intently, wearing a thoughtful expression. "I always find it intriguing how Muggles cope without magic in their everyday lives. Am I right in hearing that you plan on becoming a Mediwitch yourself?" At Poppy's nod, Professor Slughorn beamed yet again. "Following in their footsteps, that's always what I like to hear."

After interrogating Poppy briefly on the differences between Muggle and Magical medicine, Professor Slughorn moved onto Mali. The usually confident Ravenclaw seemed a lot more apprehensive under his direct attention- Minerva remembered Septima telling her that the Professor often had to reprimand Mali and Bonnie for talking during Potions lessons. She fiddled absent-mindedly with the edge of her hijab as she answered his questions about the wellbeing of her aunt, who turned out to be a high ranking member of the Wizengamot and a good friend of the Minister for Magic.

Once he had squeezed every last bit of information out of Mali, Professor Slughorn's gaze turned to Septima and Irma. Minerva immediately put down the forkful of mashed potato she had been about to eat and watched the twins nervously. Stealing a sideways glance, she could see in Poppy's worried gaze and the beginning of a wince in Ro's expression. If the Professor planned on having a similar conversation with Irma, then Minerva doubted it would end well.

"What a delight it is to have not one but two descendants of this century's greatest arithmancer!" Professor Slughorn boomed, twirling his walrus-like moustache. It was clear he hadn't noticed that the tension in the room was so thick Minerva was practically choking on it. "Such a pity I was only given the pleasure of having one of you in my own House. At least one of you must be planning on continuing on his legacy?"

Irma stayed stonily quiet, and Minerva let out an inaudible sigh when Septima's talking ended the beginnings of silence. "Oh yes definitely, I've always loved Arithmancy. I've wanted to do a job like my father's since before I came to Hogwarts though, there was a class about numbers in the Muggle school we went to. They called it Maths and it was still interesting even without magic." It was obvious that Septima was rambling in the hope that the Professor would be satisfied with her answer and not insist Irma answer the question too, and as Minerva watched him, Septima, and Poppy discussing in depth what Maths was she began to think that Septima's plan might have succeeded.

Her hopes were dashed though when Professor Slughorn met Irma's gaze with a cheery expression that made it clear he had no idea what he had just let himself in for. "And my own Miss Vector, did you enjoy this Maths business too? With a father such as yours I don't doubt that he would guide your interests towards taking up his own career path! Such a pity he wasn't a student of mine- before my time you see- but I've heard countless wonderful things about him."

There was a snort to Minerva's left as Ro accidentally inhaled her Gillywater, and Minerva would have cracked a smile too if she weren't looking so intently at Irma. Minerva thought saying that Franklin Vector had tried to guide Irma's interests would be an incredible understatement, her mind cast back to when Irma had been sobbing in her arms before the start of third year because she had been forced to take up Arithmancy as an elective when she had been determined not to.

Irma held Professor Slughorn's earnest gaze until the quiet in the room began to grow awkward, and only then did the Professor's smile begin to falter. In an icily calm tone, Irma said "With all due respect sir, I feel I should inform you that there has been a long-standing lack of affection between my father and I. He holds me in low regard and I care very little about his career, so have no intention of using my own to continue any legacy of his."

There was no response to Irma's controlled outburst; even the other Slytherins were silent which Minerva was grateful for. Pale green eyes held cool brown for several seconds until Professor Slughorn gave a nervous cough and looked elsewhere. "What about your father, Mr Bones, last I heard he had recently received a promotion within his Department?"

The meal seemed to drag on forever, though in reality it was only a couple of hours before they were finally released from Professor Slughorn's office. Minerva had been watching Irma subtly for the entire time, concerned that the Professor's nosiness had upset her but unable to talk to her while still sat at the dinner table. She seemed almost remarkably unfazed, though as always Minerva wasn't sure how much of that was her reluctance to share how she was feeling. Minerva was reluctant to bring up her father for the second time in one evening so didn't mention it; besides, they had promised to meet up with Millicent before curfew though so they were short on time as it was.

When they found Millicent, she was sat on the sill of the bay window in the seventh floor corridor that looked out over the Quidditch pitch. Minerva could tell instantly that something was wrong from the way she had drawn her legs up to her chest and was resting her chin on her knees. She looked up when Septima called her name, giving them all a very unconvincing smile. "Hi. How was it?"

"Very boring," Septima said, hopping up onto the windowsill to sit beside her. "What's wrong? You look upset?"

Millicent sighed, which in itself was never a good sign. She swung her legs down so that there was room for all of them to join her on the sill, and it was a couple of seconds before she started to speak. "I don't know. I just... sometimes I wonder if I'm good enough for all of this."

"What do you mean?" Poppy asked, looking as confused as Minerva felt.

"I don't know," she repeated miserably, leaning her head back to rest on the window. "But this Slug Club thing just goes to show it. You've all got some special skill that you were born to do. Septima you can do Arithmancy like you've been doing it all your life; Poppy your healing magic is amazing; Ro you're probably the best flyer I've ever seen; Minerva you're basically Dumbledore's protégée; and Irma your Charms are literally perfect. Then there's just me, just average at everything. I'll never be as good as the rest of you."

"Merlin's Beard, Millie, is this what's been bothering you all day?" Ro asked, looking aghast. Millicent gave the tiniest nod as Septima put an arm around your shoulders. "We wouldn't care if you were worst student in the year, we'd still love you for who you are."

For all of Ro's good intentions, Minerva could tell that her attempt at reassurance was missing the mark. "And besides, there are so many things that you are good at," she said. "You're far from average, just because there's not one thing you can do especially well it doesn't mean that you're not good enough."

Millicent sniffed and blinked a couple of times as she nodded again. Minerva could see tears pooling in her hazel eyes as Millicent looked at her and asked "Like what."

"You're really good at Ancient Runes, much better than all of us," Poppy said, and Minerva gave an encouraging nod

Ro was frowning thoughtfully as she started to speak. "How do I word this? You can just make sense of everything. If I've got a problem the first person I ask is always you because when you talk through it with me it suddenly seems so simple. No-one else can do that better than you."

"And let's not forget," Septima said, reaching over with her free hand and touching the blue Prefect badge pinned to Millicent's robes, "that Professor Merrythought would never have given you this if she didn't think you were good enough. You're the perfect choice; everyone likes you, the firsties actually listen to you, and like Ro said you always know the right thing to say."

Ro nodded when Septima mentioned her name. "So don't worry about the stupid Slug Club, it's overrated anyway." She met Millicent's gaze with a grin, and Minerva felt her worry lesson when Millicent returned it with a small smile.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not convinced that he'll be inviting me back anytime soon." Irma said offhandedly. "If he values our links to important relatives more than ourselves then I'm of little interest to him. In that case there'll be two of us sitting here while everyone else is enjoying the fine dining."

Millicent laughed then, rubbing the sleeve of her robe under her eyes. "Thanks, all of you" she said, smiling widely as she looked around at them all.

"Now that we've got that cleared up, we should probably head off to bed," Septima sighed, checking the tiny clock that she always wore around her neck. "I imagine we'll be up late tomorrow with the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students arriving!"

The atmosphere throughout the whole of the next day reminded Minerva of the hour or so before a Quidditch match. No-one was paying attention to lessons, to the point where Professor Merrythought gave up on her attempt at a theory lesson and let them all duel instead while she sat and watched. After they were let out of their final lesson, Minerva, Ro and Poppy hurried back up to Gryffindor Tower to drop off their bags before hurrying back down to the Entrance Hall where the entire school had been instructed to meet.

Everyone seemed to have gone the extra mile for when the foreign visitors arrived. As soon as they arrived down the Grand Staircase they were pounced on by the seventh year prefects who had been tasked with organising the students into lines according to House and year. Teachers were walking around and making sure that everyone's uniform was worn correctly- Minerva smirked as she caught sight of Professor Olwen watching Malcolm and Emery tuck their shirts in, and there was a commotion in the Slytherin line as Professor Callisto forced a loudly complaining Druella to do up her tie properly. Professor Merrythought was getting increasingly agitated as she tried and failed to tie the ribbon of her hat under her chin with her one hand before Professor Aurelius eventually stepped in to help, and Professor Dippet was hurrying about at a surprising speed and giving out instructions that no-one seemed to be listening to. Once the clock chimed 6, the Heads of House gathered by the doors and lead out their Houses one by one.

There had been no mention of exactly how the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students would be actually arriving, so there were heads turning in all directions as everyone wanted to catch the first glimpse of the visitors. Minerva wrapped her cloak tight around her arms as they were hit by the evening breeze, pulling a shivering Poppy into her arms in an attempt to warm her up while Ro just crossed her arms and grumbled "Couldn't we have done this indoors?"

Minerva laughed, before realising that the wind was continuing to pick up. Hearing a shout and spotting a pointed finger shooting upwards, she craned her neck to look into the clouds. Sure enough, she could see something in the sky that was continuously getting closer.

"Surely they can't have come all this way on broomsticks?" Poppy thought aloud.

Ro shrugged. "People have done it," she said, though as the distance decreased Minerva could see that looked more like an airborne carriage being pulled by something. "Are those thestrals?"

"They can't be, I can see them," Minerva shook her head, wondering not for the first time what thestrals actually looked like. Although she would never be ignorant enough to wish she could see them like Ro and Poppy could, knowing the circumstances required for someone to be able to see them, but she couldn't deny being curious.

The carriage landed on the lawn with a tremendous bump, making Minerva grateful that she wasn't one of the people inside. It wasn't the same sort of carriage as the ones that were used to bring the students from Hogsmeade Station to Hogwarts each year, instead it had several windows and looked large enough to live in. A set of golden stairs unfolded from the door, and down them walked a tall woman who carried herself with every grace of a ballerina. She reminded Minerva of Professor Merrythought a little in that she looked younger than she probably was, for her faint laughter lines did nothing to increase her age. A chocolate-brown bob framed her round face, and she was wearing robes of a deep pearly blue.

Professor Dippet broke away from the Hogwarts crowd to greet the woman, kissing her lightly on each cheek. "Madame Marguerite, how was your journey?"

"Most pleasant, thank you," Madame Marguerite said with a broad smile, her accent undeniably French.

As the two Head spoke, Minerva watched as twenty or so girls and boys emerged tentatively from the enormous carriage. They all looked to be either Minerva's age or older, though their willowy statures meant they could easily pass as younger. Their robes were a few shades lighter than Madame Marguerite, and from the way they were shivering Minerva could tell that they weren't especially weatherproof.

An explosion of water from the Black Lake jolted everyone's attention, and Minerva turned around just in time to see the top of a mast emerging from the murky surface. After a couple of seconds, where the lone figure in the crow's nest took a look around through a telescope and gave a shout, the rest of a mighty warship slowly followed it out of the water. Once the ship's rocking had settled and the waves splashing onto the lake shore calmed down, the plank was lowered and the crew started to disembark.

The leader of the group was a man in a fur hat and black trench coat, and an almost comically large moustache. That was all that was amusing about him though, as his black eyes conveyed a stony expression, and his brisk, businesslike walk was the opposite of how Madame Marguerite had made her entrance. The girls and boys that followed him were all wearing fur-lined red cloaks, but the fur collars did nothing to mask their thick builds and large shoulders.

Once he had reached the other two Heads, the leader of the Durmstrang group gave a thin smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Professor Dippet, Madame Marguerite," he said with a dip of his head to each of them.

"Professor Rykov, I hope you are well." Madame Marguerite said, still beaming in the face of Professor Rykov's beady eyed expression.

"Now that we are all here, let's all get back into the castle and warm ourselves up again." Professor Dippet urged. Professor Rykov and Madame Marguerite lead their students into the Entrance Hall first, after which the Heads of House ushered the Hogwarts students behind them.

The Great Hall was dressed in all the glory of a Start of Term feast, with the House banners hung from the ceiling and the table dressed with golden tablecloths and cutlery. There was a fifth table alongside the usual House tables, which Minerva presumed was for the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students to sit at. The extra students made the Hall seem so much more crowded, so Minerva was glad when she found that Larry had saved her, Ro, and Poppy seats along with the rest of the Quidditch team.

Once all the students were seated, the doors to the Great Hall were opened and the Hogwarts staff filed down the central aisle, all wearing the full attire that would typically only be seen at the Sorting Ceremony and the last Dinner before the end of the year. All the Heads of House were wearing their House's colours; Professor Dumbledore in his starry red robes and signature conical hat, Professor Merrythought in the deep royal blue dress and cloak that Minerva knew Ro had been coveting since she first saw it, Professor Beery in a yellowish-brown checkered tailcoat, and Professor Slughorn bringing up the rear in his silk green robes. Next came Professor Dippet, Madame Marguerite, and Professor Rykov, followed by a man and woman that Minerva didn't recognise.

Professor Dippet took his place behind the lectern while everyone else sat down, waiting for quiet to fall before he began to speak. "Students and staff of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, may I welcome you all here tonight for the commencement of the Triwizard Tournament. Before we begin the proceedings, let me first introduce to you all the two guests that may be unfamiliar to some of you. With us tonight are two people who have played a crucial part in making this Tournament possible, and they will rejoin us to make up the judging panel with myself, Professor Rykov, and Madame Marguerite when the Tournament gets truly underway. Mr Ernestus Rabnott is Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Madame Theodosia Crickerley, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

These names meant very little to Minerva, but Ro suddenly started shaking her arm. "He's Tavin's boss, I was sure I recognised him. And Theodosia Crickerley, she's who that signed poster over my bed is of! She was Captain of the Holyhead Harpies 10 years ago when dad took me to my first match and she's played for England too a few years back!" On a second glance, Minerva could recognise the similarities between the smiling golden-haired witch sat beside Madame Marguerite and the one above Ro's bed.

"Now that the introductions are over, if you please Mr Filch," Professor Dippet continued, motioning to Filch who seemed to appear out of nowhere by the staff table. "As I'm sure everyone knows, each school will be represented by a single champion who will be tested in both magical prowess and personal skills in three tasks. Points will be awarded by the judging panel for each task, and the champion with the highest score after the third task will win the Triwizard Cup. These champions will be chosen not by the individual Headmasters, but by the Goblet of Fire."

While Professor Dippet was speaking, Filch had placed an ancient looking wooden casket on the stool that usually held the Sorting Hat. Professor Dippet opened the casket with a tap of his wand and removed a large wooden cup, filled with dancing silvery-blue fire that reminded Minerva of bluebell flames.

"Anyone who wishes to submit themselves for champion of their school should write their name and school clearly on a slip of parchment, and place it into the Goblet of Fire. You have 24 hours until the Halloween Feast this time tomorrow, where the Goblet will select the competitors most worthy of representing their schools." Professor Dippet explained, before his voice gained a more serious tone. "I should warn you all now, that if you are selected by the Goblet of Fire then there will be no turning back. You will stand alone in these three tasks, so be prepared for what you are signing up for when submitting your name." There was a heavy pause, then the Professor smiled. "On that note, I will not keep you hungry any longer. Tuck in!"

Food appeared on the tables, a mixture of the usual cuisine and several foreign dishes that Minerva had never seen. Before she could investigate though, there was a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Ro's gaze fixed intently on her. "We still doing this?" she asked. "No turning back?"

Green eyes met yellow for a minute, then Minerva exhaled deeply as she nodded. "No turning back."

Author's Note
Hopefully the insane length of this will make up for how long I made you wait xD It's the third longest chapter in the entire story so far, coming in just behind chapters 30 and 39.

And the Triwizard Tournament storyline is fully kicked off, with the introduction of most of this year's new important characters. Both Leon Rykov and Adele Marguerite are inventions of my own, and it was fun thinking up character traits for the two Heads of the schools. Ernestus Rabnott was very very briefly mentioned in a past chapter, but for this year his role will be slightly bigger. And Theodosia Crickerley, who I've decided was Ro's childhood sporting hero, will also be an important one this year though and will make a few appearances afterwards too. If anyone was wondering about her name, yes I've been listening to too much Hamilton xD The two Champions will be introduced next chapter, I love them both and hope you all do just as much, and I'm sure it's not hard to guess that the Hogwarts Champion will be an already well known character.

But despite that, I don't want the first events in this chapter to get overlooked. I've been thinking for a while that Millicent might be feeling inadequate compared to the likes of her friends, and I thought this would be a good way of working that in. She's the person who is a perfectly good student, though has the misfortune of having especially talented friends which results in feeling not good enough in comparison to them. I always love Millicent-centric chapters since I feel I can sometimes overlook her in favour of either the main three or the twins, so it's good to get her back in the spotlight.

We're heading towards exam season now, so I can't promise when the next update will be. But I'm on Easter Break at the moment which does give me a bit of extra free time, so who knows :)