A Beauxton girl came up to their table at dinner. "Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?" she asked.

Ron went purple. He stared up at her, opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out except a faint gurgling noise.

Heather was staring at Ron, cringing.

"Yeah, have it," said Harry, pushing it toward her.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?"

"Yeah," Ron said, breathless. "Yeah, it was excellent."

The girl picked it up, and then looked at Astra. "Should your cat really at the the table?"

Starbeam was sitting in Astra's lap. The great hall was extra crowded with newcomers, which was making Astra nervous.

"It's a very well-behaved cat," Hermione said.

Astra cringed when Hermione called Starbeam an it, but she did not say anything.

The girl went back to the Ravenclaw table.

"She's a Veela!" Ron said.

"Of course she isn't," said Hermione tartly. "I don't see anyone else gaping at her, like an idiot."

Astra almost pointed out that a lot of the first year boys looked at Heather like that, and she clearly was not a Veela, but Astra didn't mention that. She figured Heather would not like it if she brought attention to that.

"I'm telling you, that's not a normal girl!" said Ron. "They don't make them like that at Hogwarts.

"They make them OK at Hogwarts," said Harry.

Harry had been asked why he, Hermine, and Ron had befriended Draco's little sister. He had said that it was because she was different from her family, and a bit rebellious, and she cared about house-elves rights almost as much as Hermione.

One of the people who had asked was Hagrid, so he was not too surprised when Harry, Ron, and Hermione brought Astra and Heather with them to visit at his hut.

They mostly tried to get Hagrid to tell them what the tasks were, but Hermione and Astra made sure to mention the house elves.

"It's doing them an unkindness. It's in their nature ter look after humans. That's what they like, see? Yeh'd be making 'em unhappy ter take away their work, an' insulin 'em if yeh tried ter pay em."

"Dobby wasn't insulted," Astra said.

"Harry set him free, and he was over the moon about it," Hermione added, "and he's been learning how to read now."

"House-elves can't read, or maybe they can but there's a reason why most don't bother trying. Yeh get weirdos in every breed. I'm not saying there isn't an odd elf who'd take Freedom, or try to learn to read, but you'll never persuade most of them to do it."

"He doesn't seem like a weirdo," Heather whispered. "He seems more like a Pioneer."

Harry, Hermione, and Astra nodded in agreement

Heather was often around now, but Harry didn't know her very well, probably because she was so quiet. She was pretty helpful with Dobby's reading lessons, though.

Draco was a bit disappointed when a Hufflepuff's name was pulled out of the Goblet of Fire. He was hoping that the champion would be one of the older Slytherin's, but he was prepared for the possibility that it might be a Gryffindor. It had not even occurred to him that it could be a Hufflepuff.

"Well, now we have our three champions," Professor Dumbledore said. "I am sure I can count on all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"

Professor Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, when the goblet turned red again. Sparks flew out of it, and a flame shot up into the air with another piece of parchment.

Professor Dumbledore grabbed it, and starred at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, while Professor Dumbledore starred at the slip in his hands, while everyone else starred at Professor Dumbledore. Eventually, he cleared his throat, and read out -

"Harry Potter."

Harry's name getting called went a lot like Astra's sorting. There was no applause, and everyone starred at him in shock, while Harry sat there frozen.

Draco wondered how this could have happened. Trying to enter the tournament did seem like something Harry would do. Draco suspected that he must have gotten an older student to do it for him, but that still didn't explain why Hogwarts had two champions.

At least maybe now his sister would see the arrogant, glory seeker who he considered Harry to be. Maybe now she wouldn't want to be friends with Harry anymore.

Draco didn't mind Astra being friends with Hermione so much, partly because they had more in common, but mainly because Hermione noticed and helped Astra when she freaked out because of what Professor Moody did.

Astra, Heather, Hermione, and Ron ate in silence. Astra was wondering how that could possible have happened, and she suspected that the others were too, but no one said anything.

Suddenly, Ron looked at Astra. "Astra," he said, "could I speak to you in the hall?"

"Um… Ok," she said, wondering what he could possibly want to talk to her and not Hermione about.

Hermione looked confused too.

Ron, Astra, and Starbeam went out into the hall, and Ron closed the door.

"Look, you mentioned feeling inferior because you were a werewolf. Also, you were the only one who even considered that what happened with Scabbers would upset me, so maybe you'll understand."

Starbeam rubbed against Astra's leg, having noticed Astra cringe when Ron called her a werewolf.

"I'm always overshadowed by siblings, and by Harry and Hermione, and now Harry's a Triwizard Tournament Champion. It's like I'm inferior to everyone."

Astra cringed again. "I'm sorry Ron. I get it," she paused. "I'm sorry, but the only advice I can come up with is to remember that just because other people are superior to you does not mean they don't care about you."

"True," Ron said, "but it's still frustrating."

"I know," she paused. "Do you want a hug?"

"Yes I do," he answered.

They hugged.

Astra recalled how her mother used to remind her, after the attack, that she was still a Malfoy, something she and Draco had been taught to be proud of. "Harry's famous," she said. "Doesn't that give you some fame by association?"

"Not really. It probably should."

"Maybe now that he's in this tournament, it will."

"Yeah, maybe, but I'm still mad that he figured out how to enter the tournament, but did not get me in on him with that."

"Well I'm mad that I keep getting called a werewolf, just because I happen to have lycanthropy," she said, and then raised her voice a bit. "I have never changed into a horrifying werewolf."

"Oh. Sorry Astra."

Later, in the Gryffindor common room, there was a party for Harry. When Harry arrived, and he said he had not entered the tournament, nobody accused him of lying.