Once again, the Great Hall had its benches rearranged in a semicircle around the owl podium, and students were happily finding their friends from other houses and sitting where they pleased. One difference was that, knowing this would be longer than just an introduction, people brought snacks, like they were watching a quidditch game.

"The way I see it, technically the Great Hall is for eating," said Dunkin, who was on my right. He was sitting next to Poppy as they shared a box of Bernie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans. "We might as well take advantage of it."

"That's a fair point," I conceded, "I'll remember to make a Hogsmeade run before the second trial to pick up some chocolate."

"Did someone say chocolate?" asked Ominis, who had sat on my left, as he offered me a Honeyduke's bar.

"Wow, you must be doing great in divination," I joked, and I saw him crack a small smile. I always counted it as a small victory when I was the cause of one. "I'll just take a piece."

"No need," he countered, and pulled out a second one, I assumed for himself.

"Two steps ahead, I see," I remarked, "then let me buy you some for the second task."

Another small smile, and another victory. "If you insist."

I turned around to offer a piece to Natty and Sebastian. The spots filled up so fast, I couldn't save seats for them in our same bench. "Sorry again, you two."

"It's fine," Natty assured me, "it's not like we need to actually see the radio."

Sebastian took a piece of chocolate and added, "plus, we're at least sitting near each other, rather than halfway across the room."

Shortly after, Professor Weasley came to the front with the radio to get things started. Without any prompting, all the students covered their ears ahead of time, preparing for the static. It was a smart decision, and soon we heard Daniel Havenport's voice through the box. "… thank you Mr. DuBose. For those of you listening who didn't catch that, I'm sitting here with Makasa DuBose, official announcer of the tournament. He's let myself and some other radio chaps join him in his viewing box so you all can hear his narrations. I have to say, he'll probably do most of my job for me, but I'm sure our listeners will appreciate it. I'll still throw in my opinion here and there, and I can at least tell you what I'm seeing in this minute. Of course, our champions were not told ahead of time what the task would be, and neither were any of us spectators. But from where I'm sitting, I can clearly see a dueling court, so I'm guessing we'll be seeing some fighting today."

Murmurs broke out around me, wondering who would fight first, and predicting how Imelda would do.

"Oh! We're going to begin soon – our judges are taking their seats right now. They're actually seated two rows in front of us, and they're none other than the Headmasters of the competing champions! Mr. DuBose will also act as the fourth judge."

"We're starting now," said a deeper, masculine voice.

"Alright, take it away Mr. DuBose!"

"Welcome, everyone, to the first trial in the Triwizard Tournament! My name is Makasa DuBose, and I will be announcing the competition today. As you can see on the stage, we will have a dueling competition. The three champions will fight each other, then they will fight a mystery third opponent. Our first competition will be between Ejau Okello and Imelda Reyes!"

We all cheered, now perched on the edge of our seats, and then quickly quieted down in anticipation. At least we didn't have to wait too long for Imelda to participate.

"Begin! Okello casts fipendo, blocked. Reyes casts confringo, blocked. Okello casts petrificus totalus, blocked and retaliated with stupefy! But Okello doesn't stay down for long. Reyes casts diffindo, blocked." Suddenly a loud BOOM was heard, and we all jumped. "Oh, Reyes summons lightning and Okello is hit again!"

I heard Ominis clear his throat next to me. "Lyra."

"What-" I turned to face him and felt my face immediately turn vermillion. Apparently, when I heard the large sound, I had put my hand on his thigh, right above his knee, and didn't even give it a second thought. I whipped it away like his body was on fire. "Oh my- I'm so sorry – I didn't- I panicked when-"

"It's all right," he whispered gently. His face was pink from embarrassment, though, and I did my best to make a gap between us.

Mortified, I couldn't hear anything over the sound of my blood rushing in my ears, so I wasn't paying attention to the fight until it was basically over.

"Okello transfigures Reyes' wand into a rat! She's startled, that's for sure, and oh! She's hit with confundus! Descendo! Rat back into wand, but expelliarmus! Okello wins!

My jaw dropped open as boos filled the Great Hall. Of course he won, he transfigured her wand! And he doesn't use a wand to cast, so Imelda couldn't possibly match that advantage.

I made out the sound of clapping, and it caused the room to go quiet.

Oh no, I thought, guessing what the source was. I slowly turned around to see Natty, palms clasped in her head and looking straight ahead of her, trying to ignore the dirty looks she was receiving. Whether or not she knew what the outcome of her applause would be, she started to sweat.

Before I could intervene, the person next to her did. "Piss off, everyone," said Sebastian in the silence, also facing forward and looking at no one in particular. "She's allowed to cheer for all her friends."

"Language, Mr. Sallow!" said Professor Weasley. "Five points from Slytherin. Six points to Slytherin for good sportsmanship, however."

I smiled at him, and he winked at me. Natty had the most trouble warming up to Sebastian after last year, but I hope this helped her realize he had good intentions. I heard her whisper her thanks to him.

Mr. DuBose was speaking again. "The judges are now going to give their scores. They are not just considering the outcome of the duel, but how the duel was fought. Ejau Okello will be scored first. Dembe – 8. Black – 6. Brown – 7. DuBose – 7. Now for Imelda Reyes. Dembe – 6. Black – 7. Brown – 6. DuBose – 7. This gives Okello 28 points, and Reyes 26. As victor, Okello will now face Carpenter after a five minute break."

Havenport took advantage of the break to talk. "Well listeners, you heard it from the announcer himself. He can't share his thoughts or opinions, but I sure can. I have to say I found it a bit of a dirty play near the end, as Okello doesn't need to a wand to cast, while Reyes does. I've never considered having a wand as a handicap, but that's what it seems to be! I think Reyes was robbed of a victory here. The scores of the two champions, however, is very close. Reyes put up a good fight, but didn't win, while Okello won yet took more hits in the duel. Let's see what happens next, with Okello versus Carpenter. If she was watching that duel, she'd know what to look out for."

Any other commentary was drowned out by a high-pitched voice.

"My, my, what crowded room! Peevesy heard a big something go boom!"

I looked up, and Peeves the Poltergeist was floating among the candles near the ceiling of the Great Hall. As he looked down on us mischievously, I felt a sense of dread, knowing he never caused chaos without a rhyme.

"Peeves!" said Professor Weasley sharply, getting up from her seat. "You are to do NOTHING to interfere with this event!"

Peeves pouted. "I've done nothing fun all week! Let's play a little hide and seek!

In the next moment, the radio was gone, and so was Peeves, but his laugh stayed behind.

While I've seen Professor Weasley disappointed or mildly upset (usually with Garreth), I've never seen her kindly face display full-on rage. "I thought you learned not to take advantage of my kindness, Peeves!" She screamed at the ceiling. "But you asked for this yourself!"

Her voice went down three levels as her eyes fell upon us – students silently reeling at the change in her disposition. "Students, please kneel on the ground."

With confused looks, we did as she asked. Upon seeing we had all followed instructions, Professor Weasley's face grew angry once more. I don't know what language she used when she cast, but a great, bright bolt of blue-white lightning came from her wand, went over our heads, and passed through the closed doors. "What the hell is going on?" Ominis asked me.

I tried my best to explain. "There's a giant bolt of lightning coming from her wand, and it's like it's going through the walls and doors. I think it's searching for him. I don't know-"

I was interrupted by a loud, but dull, thud, and I glanced back at Professor Weasley. "I think she found him, she's now pulling back on her wand – I'd compare it to fishing, I supp-"

Suddenly, a deafening crash, much louder than the one we heard over the radio, erupted over us, and I instinctively ducked as my teeth practically vibrated from the cataclysm. There was a ringing in my ears, and I stayed frozen in place, unsure if it was safe to get up. It was only then that I realized something was on me. For a split second I thought some rubble had fallen from the ceiling in the chaos, but then I heard someone breathing heavily near my ear, and my nose filled with the recognizable smell of sandalwood and clean cotton. A pair of arms were grasped awkwardly around me, and I made sense of my surroundings. Ominis had heard the noise and, not knowing what it was, tried to cover my body with his.

I wish I asked Sebastian to cast it on me, instead. The memory of him telling me he felt guilty for my pain ran through my head. He was trying to protect me, to keep me safe. My heart, ever the athlete when Ominis was near, starting beating faster. I was also breathing heavily from the shock, but hearing Ominis do so right next to my ear had my body reacting in ways I don't think I could even tell Natty about. As the seconds seemed to tick by slowly, I knew the proper thing would be to say I was fine, or to give the slightest form of movement to suggest he release his hold on me. But was it so bad to wait for him to let go?

Thankfully, Professor Weasley's voice rang out above us and pulled me away from whatever road my imagination was about to travel down. "It's alright, students, you may return to your seats now."

After breathing an audible sigh of relief, Ominis slowly released his hold on me, neither of us saying anything as we climbed back on the bench. Do I stay silent and pretend it was no big deal, or was that rude? Probably rude, definitely rude. I should say thank you. Why did the thought of saying thank you also feel so odd, but not enough?

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Ominis asked casually, but his cheeks had turned pink again. I felt terrible, not realizing my indecisive pause would lead him to believe something was wrong, or that I resented what he did. "No, no, I'm fine," I took a small breath and rushed through my next few words, trying to change the subject. "Thank you, Ominis. She's got him now."

Peeves was now screaming and squirming in midair while his body was wrapped and bound by Professor Weasley's lighting. I didn't think it was possible to touch a ghost, let along capture one, but Professor Weasley seemed to be doing it with ease and with no reservation.

"I'll be good! I'll be good! I'll bring it back!"

"It's too late for that now, Peeves," said Professor Weasley in an icy tone, "but you'll give us a radio nonetheless."

With a mixture of fascination and horror, I saw Professor Weasley wave her wand and transfigure Peeves himself into a radio. His body contorted and stretched to take the form of a cube, but somehow retained some of his physical qualities. His eyes had traveled down to the bottom of the cube to become the knobs, still blinking. His mouth elongated and stretched open to show rows of teeth that formed the speakers. It was colored blue and orange, matching his hair and suit.

The Great Hall was deathly silent, until I heard a click and saw a bright light.

"Love, now's probably not the time," said Poppy, making Dunkin put his camera back under his seat.

"I am never goofing off in Transfiguration class ever again," said Sebastian, shuddering.

"What did she do? Can someone please tell me what is going on?" asked Ominis, and I felt bad when I heard the irritation in his voice.

Dunkin chimed in, much to my surprise and relief. "Sorry mate, but we saw the kind lady who put the sorting hat on our heads just transfigure a poltergeist into a radio. It bloody looks like him, too."

Any trace of annoyance left his face, and his eyes widened in surprise. "I suddenly understand the silence. And you're telling me Garreth is fine with brewing chaos when he knows his aunt is capable of this?"

As Professor Weasley approached the knob eyes and began to find the right station, I tried to find Garreth in the crowd. "Based on how pale he is right now, I don't think he knew," I responded. "Poppy, that countdown in the Gryffindor common room might reach 10 after all."

As Poppy gave a small cheer, we heard DuBose's voice fill the Great Hall once more.

"…Reyes casts stupefy, blocked. Carpenter casts diffindo, blocked. Oh, simultaneous cast of stupefy knocks them both back. Reyes is up first, casting descendo, flippendo, levioso, and expelliarmus! Reyes wins the fight!"

Forgetting our mutual terror at Professor Weasley's prowess, we all began cheering, instead remembering why we were all sitting here in the first place. Now to hear the judges scores, hopefully getting an update on all champions, as we missed the Carpenter/Okello duel.

"Imelda Reyes. Dembe – 7, Black – 8, Brown – 6, DuBose – 7. This round has earned her 28 points, putting her total at 54 points. Amelia Carpenter. Dembe – 7, Black – 6, Brown – 7, DuBose – 7. This round has earned her 26 points, bringing her total to 60 points."

Whispers and murmurs broke out among the benches. Amelia must have beat Ejau, and done a good job of it.

"With Ejau Okello currently at 56 points, Amelia Carpenter is currently in first place. It is now time for each of the champions to face the mystery duelist. It will indeed be the same duelist for each champion, so any champion who is not currently fighting will be escorted away."

"Shame," I heard Natty behind me as she leaned forward to speak, "she's in third place. But maybe she'll do good with the mystery duelist. Who do you think it is?"

Sebastian offered a guess, "What if they have to duel a headmaster?"

Poppy countered, "I don't think that would be fair. Maybe a creature of some sort. A dementor?"

Havenport was back with his opinion before anyone else shared their hypotheses. "Speed is definitely a strong suit for Reyes, winning her this round, but still keeping her in third place. I think it shows how evenly matched our champions are, however, as each of them only won one duel. Despite Carpenter losing her last duel, she remains in first place with the most points, and will now fight the mystery duelist. She's standing at the end of the court, and… two men are bringing out a wardrobe? What…"He gasped and there was background noise as the who audience reacted similarly. "Merlin's beard! The final opponent is herself!"

Shouts of disbelief echoed throughout the Great Hall. I couldn't help but turn to Ominis and exclaim, "Did he say 'herself'?! How could it be herself?!"

While he stammered in disbelief, unable to respond, DuBose took over. "Ladies and gentlemen, Ministry officials have trained a boggart, known for its ability to mimic a person's fear, to instead mimic the very competitor in front of them. It will adopt their dueling mannerisms and habits, so the champions will have to overcome their own strategies to emerge victorious. As before, points will be given based on the outcome of the duel as well as their actions during the duel. Begin!"

"Carpenter casts ridikulus, blocked. Boggart attacks with confringo speedily, blocked. Carpenter casts reducto, dodged. Simultaneous cast of petrificus totalus. Simultaneous cast of levioso. Simultaneous cast of descendo. Simultaneous cast of diffindo. Simultaneous cast of depulso. Carpenter summons a spider. Carpenter casts expelliarmus! It's over in less than ten minutes, with our champion the victor. Now for the scores. Dembe – 8, Black – 6, Carpenter – 9, DuBose – 9. Total points - 92

"A spider?" asked Sebastian. "Why did she do that? I mean, it worked…"

I shook my head and tried to explain. "She's smart. She's afraid of spiders and she knows it. She would never summon one in a real duel, throwing herself, so to speak, off-guard. It's pretty brilliant, actually. She won quickly. That'll be tough to beat, even with Black obviously showing a bias."

Havenport's voice came through the radio again. "An amazing victory! While she wasn't thinking ahead of herself at first, she used her own fear against the boggart! I think this will be pretty hard to beat. Now it's time for Okello."

DuBose repeated his earlier speech about the boggart, as Ejau didn't hear it when Amelia was on the court, and then he began the battle.

"Okello casts ridikulus, blocked. Boggart casts stupefy, deflected." There was a pause, and I assumed Ejau and the boggart were sizing each other up, or waiting to see who would make the next move. "Okello… casts silently. Narration not possible."

Dunkin threw his hands up in the air. "So are we just going to sit here listening to silence? It's bad enough we can't see anything."

"If I can manage it, I think you'll be fine, Dunkin," said Ominis, and I muffled a small laugh.

Poppy gently shh'd her boyfriend and held his hand, but even I had to agree that it felt somewhat silly.

Thankfully, after two minutes of uncomfortable silence, DuBose began speaking again. "Okello transfigures boggart into a snail, boggart transforms back and dodges attack. Boggart transfigures Okello into a capybara, Okello transforms back and casts stupefy, blocked."

I remember Natty telling me that Uagadou students are skilled in human transfiguration, so I was unsurprised when this pattern went on for a little while longer. Finally, Ejau seemed to find a solution. He cast a spell for the boggart to block, then immediately transfigured the boggart's feet into banana peels. It fell over and he held it down for five counts with descendo, since expelliarmus wouldn't count as proof of victory.

"Now for the judges scores. Dembe – 6, Black – 5, Brown – 6, DuBose – 6. This earns him 23 points, and Okello ends the first task with 79 points."

"She only needs 25 points to get in second place," Ominis said. "Do you think she'll surpass him?"

"I think if she's able to defeat the boggart, and quickly, she will. Ejau's scores were lower because it took him a couple methods and a lot of time to think ahead of himself, and Amelia was a tough act to follow."

Just like the previous two duels, Imelda listened to DuBose's description of her opponent and started to fight.

"Reyes casts ridikulus, blocked. Simultaneous stupefy. Simultaneous diffindo, simultaneous expelliarmas. Reyes casts flipendo, deflected. Simultaneous confringo, simultaneous incendio, simultaneous depulso…"

I started to get nervous as the time kept ticking. She was at least neck and neck with the boggart, rather than a step behind, but if she didn't win the duel, and soon, there was no way she'd beat Ejau's score. "Come on, Imelda," I whispered to myself. "You can do this."

"Reyes transfigured the boggart's wand into a rat! Reyes casts descendo, descendo, and expelliarmus!"

Every student jumped to their feet in excitement, myself included! I couldn't help but feel my chest well up with pride at her ingenuity – she took what happened in the first duel, and instead of harping on it, she made herself stronger in the end. That was the Imelda I knew. We were clapping and making general noises of merriment when the shhhs began. We needed to hear her scores.

"Dembe – 6, Black – 8, Brown – 7, Dubose – 7. This earns Reyes 28 points for the duel, bringing her total to 82 points. Congratulations to all of our champions on their performance! We will see you again for second task on December 5th!"

As the cheering resounded once more on Imelda getting second place, Havenport's voice came through. "There you have it! We have Amelia Carpenter in first place, Imelda Reyes in second, and Ejau Okello in third. In what seemed like an impossible final duel, each competitor was able to best themselves! In my honest opinion, I can't tell who I'm more impressed with, Carpenter or Reyes. Carpenter used her own fear against herself, and was able to end the duel so quickly, I think she made the task designer nervous he made it too easy. Reyes, on the other hand, was able to use her own experience in a loss to earn herself a win. She's definitely learning from her competition. Okello had many methods, to be sure, but his time ultimately cost him the most points. But this is only trial one, after all! I'll be back here in December. Until then, listeners!"

I heard Sebastian speak to us as students started to file out of the Great Hall. "We should really send Imelda an owl," he said. "She did great, but you know how she is."

Ominis sighed. "Yes, she'll be slightly grateful to not be in last, but not being first will still bother her. Good idea, Sebastian."

"I'll throw in a copy of my Peeves radio picture, because Merlin know it's a hard story to believe… what do you think she'll do with him, anyway?" Dunkin asked.

We looked onstage to see Professor Weasley and the other teachers gather around the radio, glancing between the ghostly monstrosity and the students leaving. "I don't think they'll let us find out," Natty surmised, "But I think it's safe to say the second task won't be disturbed."