Moody left.
Dumbledore was actually the one who ended up teaching them about defensive spells, which she found quite enjoyable, but it was to her poisonous glare that Moody re-appeared only a week later.
Limping into the classroom, the man announced he'd be putting them under the Imperius curse, as Dumbledore wanted them to know what it felt like.
"Why are you here?" Her scowl dominated her face, eyes narrowed. "I thought you got orders that took you out of the castle ?"
"Orders changed." The man grinned toothily at her, even if it made him look unsettlingly manic. "Dumbledore wants me here more than anyone else needs me at the moment, especially with this tournament coming up." The grin got a bit meaner. "Never know when Dark Wizards will tamper with that."
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she clenched her jaw and looked away. "Whatever."
Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them as if nothing had happened.
Lena watched as, one by one, the Gryffindors made fools of themselves under its influence. One boy decided to try to sing an opera while badly imitating a ballet, another honking like a goose while tap dancing, and a few doing gymnastics she knew they'd never be able to do on their own.
Not one of the Gryffindors could resist.
Theo could resist for a good three minutes, Blaise for two, and Daphne for thirty seconds, but it was better than nothing. (Draco was pouting in the back at not being able to resist the curse.)
"Farland," Moody growled, "you next." She moved forward into the middle of the classroom that Moody had cleared of desks and he pointed his wand at her. "Imperio!"
Lena felt the weight fall off her shoulders, the pain in her side receding, the grim thoughts and worries in her head seeming to blur.
She felt light.
She felt... happy.
"Dance."
Happy… wasn't right.
She- she hadn't been truly happy or carefree since that night, the table on its side and Jack-
"Dance!"
Shaking her head to clear of the strange feeling, she smiled grimly at the man. "That was a hit of serotonin to the brain. I don't think it's all that healthy though, so I'm going to have to pass." Booting the happy feeling out of her brain, shoulders tensing as the weight that came back to her, she turned and walked back to her seat.
"Farland. Tell me, how is it you think you threw off the Imperius so fast?"
She pointed to Draco, who sighed and monotoned one of her usual responses. "She blames her childhood, sir."
"Or the orphanage," Blaise smirked at her. "Which one is it today?"
Shrugging, she leaned back in her chair. "I guess if I wanted to change things up I could blame all the winter nights sleeping in the cellar. I swear that woman took the insulation off the cellar door just so I'd be colder because she's an evil hag like that..."
Daphne smiled politely at where Moody was gaping slightly. "It's probably like the dementors. Since it's mood-based, it won't affect her as much." The girl grinned. "Lena doesn't have emotions most days or she likes to pretend she doesn't- I can't tell."
That or she knew she wasn't supposed to be happy.
It wasn't right- not after what had happened with Jack.
"I... will keep that in mind." Moody looked at her strangely and started to talk about the dangers of the Imperius.
Lena was floating in the pool of water in the Chamber of Secrets when a Patronus found her, a large phoenix coming to sit on the ground before the edge, Dumbledore's voice emanating from its silvery shape. "My dear, if you would like to come to dinner, I believe that some Bulgarians are looking for you."
Swearing, as she'd forgotten the time, she looked to the Patronus. "Tell the Headmaster that I'll be up as soon as I can and that he owes Delphi a cow for making me leave her early… Preferably alive."
The glowing bird flying off, she swam over to the side and pulled herself out. :Delphi, sweetie, I have to go.:
:Come back soon heiress…: The basilisk's head emerged from around the corner of a pipe, eyes watching her. :Are you going to put your second skin back on?:
Nodding, she wrung her hair out with a spell to get the water from her hair, drying herself off hastily. :Yes, clothes are sort of a requirement in polite society.:
:Humans are strange.: With one last glance, the snake ducked back into the pipe.
Rolling her eyes, Lena threw her clothes back on, slipping her shoes on to run towards the passage to the main hall. Smiling sheepishly as she entered the Great Hall, she saw that a group of boys in heavy fur coats had taken up seats at Slytherin, looking to Dumbledore. "Sorry, I'm late."
"And what were you doing this time, my dear?"
Letting a shadow of a smile slip through her impassive mask, she started towards the Head of the Slytherin table. "Swimming." She winked at the Headmaster. "I have my own private lake if you would believe it. It's filled with rainbow catfish and even has magical lily pads."
With a chuckle, the man's eyes twinkled brightly. "I wouldn't put it past you."
"Lena!" A broad figure stood, pulling her into a tight hug. "I almost doubt it when they tell me you and friends would be here!"
"Oh, hey Viktor. I didn't know you were coming to this." She looked to the head of the Slytherin table, waving her hand as she pulled away. "Come come, sit by me. Your friends are welcome also."
As soon as the Durmstrang students stood, the Slytherins scooted down, leaving room at the end of the table. She sat down, casting her translation charm on herself and the court before starting to make a plate of food. "What did I miss?"
One of the boys further down looked at her, speaking in Bulgarian. "I know I have missed every day not seeing those green eyes, not to mention-"
Blaise scowled slightly as he interrupted the other boy loudly, "You missed the Goblet of Fire." He nodded to where a large golden chalice the size of a bird feeder was sitting to the side of the dais. "It's the impartial judge and apparently it picks the most magically suited to complete the tasks set before them. No to mention its ancient. Theo was telling us about some of the past competitions and it sounds like this game is pretty gruesome."
"Our History Professor was telling us about it." The boy next to Krum nodded, starting to talk about the Goblet of Fire and it's horribly bloody background in a dry yet humorous way that made her and the others chuckle.
The Durmstrang boys got on surprisingly well with the Slytherins, so she'd invited them back to the Common Room, though a few were warned off patronizing the girls when Hestia hexed a boy purple after he had been flirting with her for a little too long.
Lena ended up holding a mini-seminar for the Slytherins on the translation charm, how it worked with the different aspects of the brain, and helped everyone cast it who wanted to learn.
By the time the fire was starting to dim and the boys were probably supposed to head to their ship, the Durmstrang crew had been indoctrinated into the unofficial Slytherin Book Club, the snakes sharing copies of all the more favorite books the house had made an updating list of.
Karkaroff, the Headmaster, glared at her as she finished reading one of the Dr. Suess books that had become favorites to read to the younger students- as the books were engaging and most of the time had a wholesome ending.
Wishing goodnight to the group, she made a mental note to talk to Dumbledore about asking the castle's latent magic to accommodate the Durmstrang and Beubaxtons students in whatever house they wished, as rowing across the lake every night might be a bit tiresome.
Settling down in her armchair, she let Theo tuck himself into her personal space while being careful of the slowly healing bruises, hiding his face in her neck. Blaise sat on the soft rug at the fire, leaning back against her legs, and soon both boys were fast asleep.
Draco and Daphne laughed softly, rolling their eyes, the girl mouthing the words 'guard dogs' at her with a smirk.
"Lena?"
Looking up from her book on Ancient Sumerian Runes, she smiled questioningly at where Cedric Diggory was standing by the table to the side of the great hall where she was studying and sometimes watching the older kids enter their names into the Goblet of Fire. "Cedric. Sit, please. What can I do for you?"
The boy glanced to where her friends were trying to convince Hestia to enter, sitting across from her nervously. "I… I don't know if I should- well my dad was talking about the tournament and-..." He cut himself off, before shaking his head and starting to stand. "Nevermind, It's not-"
"Hey." She caught the corner of his sleeve, eyeing him. "Sit.
He did so, looking reluctant.
"Cedric, to be completely honest I would rather not have one of my house in this tournament because I know the risks and the many bloody deaths that have happened before because of it. Hell, even if I could put my name in I wouldn't… but I want you to think about this for me: do you want to enter your name, or does the voice in your head that sound like your dad want you to do it?"
"I- I guess... my dad?"
She smiled. "Think about it a bit more then. Know that you don't have to do anything you don't want to- as are the perks of living in a boarding school almost nine hours from your parents. And if you do want to put your name in, I'll happily cheer you on."
Their attention was taken away from their conversation as mass chaos broke out when the Weasley Twins tried to cross the age line, getting thrown back out. She laughed behind her hand at the new look- both of them sporting massive white beards.
Cedric looked back to her, smiling slightly, and there was determination in his eyes. "I'm going to do it. But if I have trouble with something… can I come to you?"
"Always. The Slytherin Common Room is always open to friends. You just have to state your name."
Taking her hand for a moment, he smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Lena." Then he moved to where a group was waiting with wide smiles, the boy taking out a slip of parchment. The Hufflepuffs went wild, encouraging Cedric in putting his name into the Goblet and she shook her head slightly.
She was getting ridiculously soft- Whatever happened to not getting attached to other houses?
"It's not inevitable."
Lena started just slightly, eyeing the girl with the long blonde hair that had seemed to appear next to where she was sitting with suspicion, the girl's eyes slightly unfocused. Glancing briefly over the girl that looked a bit younger than her, she frowned at seeing the girl was barefoot but didn't mention it. "What isn't inevitable?"
Focusing just enough to smile her way, the girl blinked slowly. "The future."
As if that explained everything.
"He might not survive… you might not either. But it's not inevitable." The smile on the girl's face wavered just a bit. "One will split the fated and the other will reset the cycle of madness, but the last option… will surely be a miracle. Good luck."
Watching the girl glide away as if dancing, she blinked slowly.
Did she just… meet a seer?
With dinner cleared away from the tables, the Goblet was levitated to the middle of the room where a small clearing was made, the Durmstrang students getting up from where they were intermixed with the Slytherins to sit on a set of wooden bleachers to the side of the cleared space as a group, just as the Beauxbatons students sat on the other side of the hall also on bleachers.
In came three Ministry officials- the two men that had been at the World Cup, Bagman and Crouch, along with Janus who gave her a wink as he strolled by.
"Janus got promoted, huh?" Theo smiled slightly.
Blaise nodded. "Under Secretary to Mr. Crouch. He's really doing well in the Ministry, along with Gemma."
Lena smiled brightly to Janus when he took his seat, making the boy seem to relax just a bit and she resolved to get him some chocolate along with a few compliments about how well he was doing.
"Well then students… the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision," Dumbledore stood with a smile, the hall quieting. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them to please come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" -he indicated the door behind the staff table- "where they will be receiving their first instructions."
As if on cue, the candles lighting the hall seemed to dim dramatically.
The Goblet of Fire's bright, blue-white flames seemed to be the brightest thing in the hall now, casting almost an eerie blue light to the stone as if everything was underwater and she took Theo's hand, nerves telling her that something big was about to happen- whether for good or bad.
"Any second," Hestia whispered, seeming excited.
The flames inside the goblet turned a scarlet color all of a sudden, a tendril of fire shooting into the air, and a piece of slightly burnt parchment drifted through the air.
The whole room gasped.
Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white. "The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum!"
The Slytherins and Durmstrang students burst into noise, the other houses and the French students clapping along politely (except for a few more avid Quidditch fans).
Karkaroff congratulated the boy loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. She scoffed as the others around her rolled their eyes- no one liked the Headmaster- but nothing more was said as the noise died down.
Seconds later, the Goblet turned red once more- a second piece of parchment shooting out.
"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"
Blaise pointed out the girl subtly, leaning into the group with his voice quiet. "Part Veela, that one. I've seen far too many falling at her feet just in the last day alone." He hummed slightly, studying the girl. "Must be kind of lonely, don't you think?"
"Starting to grow actual emotions, Zucchini?" She smirked at the boy who scoffed and just looked back to where another piece of parchment was caught by Dumbledore.
The Headmaster smiled kindly at the waiting crowd. "And the Hogwarts champion… is Cedric Diggory!"
Clapping and sending a smile to where the boy rose with an unsure look on his face as if he didn't really expect to get in, she watched him meet her eyes and smile back, seeming to find his footing as he put on a show of waving and striding towards the back of the hall.
The Hufflepuffs were going insane, as it seemed that these last few years they'd been winning more Quidditch games, House Cups, and other things of notice than ever before and this was just another ticket in making their house known as something other than the house of 'lazy and soft people'.
She was happy for them, even if Snape always grumbled about losing the House Cup.
"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last, the loud screeching died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon 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-"
But Dumbledore suddenly stopped.
The fire in the goblet had just turned red again, a stalk of fire shooting into the air, and with it was another piece of parchment.
Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a hand and seized the parchment. Eyes looking to where she had pressed her lips into a flat line, as they both knew what had happened, he looked back down to the parchment. The twinkle in his eyes was gone, replaced with something akin to fear.
The room stared at Dumbledore.
"Dumblydore?" Madame Maxine stepped forward. "What is it?"
"Lena Farland." The whole hall turned to look at her, blue eyes like two pools of still water looking at her with sadness in them. "Miss Farland… Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"
Theo's hand clenched on hers as she stood up, Blaise looking as if his whole world had tilted on its axis.
And to think, just the night before they were all laughing about the ridiculously bloody deaths that had happened in the tournament.
Not looking at her house nor the rest of the hall, her throat feeling as if it had a thick knot in it, she licked her lips and spoke softly. "I didn't put my name in. I swear it on the very magic in my veins." A soft silver glow emphasized her truth and half hall gasped softly. She felt her hands shaking at her sides, voice taking on an almost pleading quality of tone. "I won't compete. You can't make me. I'm underage."
"My dear, please, we can discuss this with the judges in the Champion's room, you don't have to-"
Barty Crouch stood up. "The rules are absolute. As soon as your name was chosen by the Goblet you were declared of age in the eyes of Magic herself. The Goblet is a binding contract..." The man's eyes glinted with what looked like delight in the blue light of the Goblet. "And to reject your place as a champion will strip you of your magic."
There was no noise, everyone in the hall seeming frozen with the very thought of being stripped of their magic.
Her voice was soft, closing her eyes as a tear slipped from where her impassive mask had split directly down the middle. "I could do that…"
"Lena." Theo's voice was shaking, his eyes wide and half the Slytherins looked as if they were listening to her say she'd kill herself. "Please, please, we can help you- You won't be alone in this..."
She wiped her face, nodding, and collecting herself. Walking slowly to where Dumbledore stood, her lips trembled slightly as she looked at the man. "Before I accept, you have to promise me one thing... If I die during this tournament, you have to promise me you'll bury me next to Jack."
Dumbledore stared at her in something akin to horror. "You can't think-"
"Promise me!" Her voice was a hiss, lips quivering and she brought up a shaking hand to cover her wet inhale.
The man closed his eyes for a long second, before nodding slowly. "I promise."
Grabbing the parchment out of his hands sharply, she shoved a peppermint at him, putting another in her own mouth. "Then I'll do my best to try not to die in this… Honor the house of Slytherin." Stalking past Barty, who was smiling victoriously, she walked down to where the other Champions were.
"Lena?" Both Viktor and Cedric looked at her in surprise as three of the champions were standing around a bright fire, the other girl blinking slightly.
Lena couldn't breathe, as if her whole world had been shattered around her ears.
She knew something like this would happen- that Moody was up to something, that Crouch hated her, that Karkaroff probably wanted her dead- but she could feel nothing but grief now.
She didn't want to die.
Not when she'd just found so many reasons to live...
"I… must compete, as someone entered my name. There is no way I can back out except lose my magic."
Viktor pulled her into his arms, smothering her in his large frame. "... I am sorry. There is no glory in fear- being forced to compete." His voice was gruff, but understanding. "We chose. You did not."
The girl with the long blonde hair and exceptionally pretty face rubbed her back slightly. "I am sure that 'ou will do fine… surely zee tasks will not be zhat hard…" But the worry in the girl's eyes betrayed her outer confidence.
Professor Dumbledore moved into the room, followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Headmaster Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. "It seems… that Hogwarts will have two champions."
Karkaroff and Maxime both looked a bit pinched, but they refrained from saying anything, probably understanding she wanted anything but to have to compete.
"I will not stand for a group of people that, even with my swear, will most likely not support me." Pulling away from Viktor, she looked at Dumbledore determinedly. "I stand for myself, my friends, and my family. I stand for the House of Slytherin and the House of Farland. I stand… alone."
The wooden foot of Moody moved towards her but she dared not look at the man without risking punching him. "I'll be Miss Farland's coach and score-person, as all you lot have champions and I'm not really with Hogwarts as I'm only here for the one year."
Before she could suggest Snape to do such a thing instead, as he was her godfather, Dumbledore smiled in relief. "Thank you Alastair- I will rest a bit easier knowing that Lena is under your guidance."
She damn well wouldn't.
Snape looked irritated, but Bagman, however, looked rather excited. "Well, shall we crack on, then?" he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. "Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"
Mr. Crouch nodded grimly, his eyes still glinting when he looked at her and he stepped forward. "Yes… The first task is designed to test your daring, so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard. The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and a panel of judges. The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests."
"I have my Ancient Runes OWLs and NEWTs at the end of the year." Lena had planned this in advance and would not be happy if she was forced to wait to take them. "And I will not be canceling."
Crouch scowled at her, but Dumbledore smiled, seeming to have regained some of his cheer. "No worries my dear. The tasks will be over by then. We only did this so as to not add more strain onto you champions."
Snape huffed. "Are you not also taking your mastery in Potions this summer, demon?"
Lena sent the man a glare. "Maybe, depending on how much you wash your damn hair, you crotchety vampire." They both leveled each other with mocking stares of false hate before she rubbed her temples. "Do I have to?"
"If you ever wish me to let you touch a cauldron in my classroom or house, then yes. If not, you can stick to cooking forever." The man raised his nose in the air haughtily.
"Whatever. I'll just drop the rest of my classes and focus on Runes, Potions, and surviving this death-game."
The man made a small sound of affront as if he'd been punched. "You will not! Half the house will fail!" Seeming to grind his teeth together as she raised an eyebrow at the man, he sighed and finally gave in. "Fine. We will delay your mastery until next year and you will continue with your classes this year and only take your Runes tests- though I have no idea why you like that class so much."
She gave a small shrug. "It's interesting."
"Yes, well, I must go- I have many things to do at the office, but Carr will stay here and watch over things until the first task for me." Crouch nodded to the Headmasters and Headmistress and then moved out of the room.
Karkaroff and Maxine corralled their champions out, Cedric nodding to her as he excused himself and she was pulled into a hug by Janus. "Lena… why are you always getting yourself in such situations? When I hoped for a Slytherin Champion I didn't mean you, kiddo."
Lena squished herself to the older boy, pressing her head to his chest so she could hear the steady beat of his heart. "Sorry…" Her voice was soft. "I missed you though."
"Yeah, missed you too. It wasn't the same without you at the cafe this summer."
"I met a seer." Her voice was unusually emotional, muttered into the fabric of Janus' robes as she tried to come to terms with all of this. "She said I might die and- and this time I don't want to die. Not yet… not when I have a family."
There was silence, this concept seeming to sink into the four men still lingering in the room. Snape and Dumbledore didn't say anything about it, but she knew that they knew she considered them part of that family, and of course, Janus was like her older brother.
Janus squeezed her slightly, then pushed her back gently to arm's length. "Let's get you to the Common Room, yeah? I'm sure everyone wants to hear what happened and I know that they'll want to take advantage of your touchy mood to steal hugs."
She huffed softly, nodding and let him lead her out.