Late night, October 30th, 2006 (Or was it early morning, October 31st, 2006?)
Hogwarts
The Goblet of Fire sat in the Great Hall, its warm light illuminating the entirety of the Hall. A majority of the students that wished to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament had already submitted their names, with a few stragglers here and there. One such straggler was Kate Todd, and she snuck into the Hall to submit her name. She silently but confidently pushed open the castle doors, looking around to make sure that there was nobody else in the Hall. Satisfied that she was alone, Kate approached the Goblet and dropped a piece of parchment with her name and school into the fire. The fire turned blue momentarily, signifying that her entry had been accepted. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kate turned to leave, and almost immediately ran into somebody. Literally.
"Ugh," the person groaned. "That hurt."
"Sorry," Kate quickly apologized, offering her hand to help the person off the ground.
"Toda." The person brushed himself off before introducing himself to Kate. "My name is Ari Haswari, by the way. You are?"
Kate froze for a second. "Oh, uh- Kate. Kate Todd."
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Todd. I don't suppose I need ask what you are doing at this time of night," Ari held up a piece of parchment in his hand, "As I had the same idea."
Ari stepped forward and dropped his parchment into the Goblet, watching as the flames turned blue. He nodded quickly and turned back to Kate, who hadn't moved.
"Are you feeling alright, Miss Todd?"
Kate blinked, yawning. "Huh? Yeah, fine. Just tired."
Ari offered his arm for Kate to lean on. "Then, I feel I would be derelict in my duties as Head Boy if I did not see you back to your sleeping quarters. You are an Ilvermorny student, correct?"
Kate nodded, taking Ari's arm. They walked back through the front doors and back onto the grounds, which Kate had to admit looked peaceful at night, especially bathed in the moonlight. The pair made small talk as they walked back to the bus that held the Ilvermorny contingent. Ari was surprised to learn that Kate was a Muggleborn, and even more-so when she told him what her family did in the Muggle world, especially her father. Kate was shocked when Ari told her about his father and the atrocities he had committed during the last war. She had to keep herself from answering in the positive when Ari said that Eli had gotten what he deserved. Finally, they arrived at the bus, and Kate drew her wand, tapping a pattern on the door to open it.
"Well, good night, Ari," Kate said, stepping on the bus. "And good luck if you're chosen to compete."
"Good night, Miss Todd," Ari replied with a grin. "תן לזמנים הטובים להתגלגל."
"What?"
"Let the good times roll." Ari stepped back and the bus door closed. He took the long way back to the castle, stopping at the lake to ponder things. His Healer training was progressing at a quick rate, he was still top of his class in all other subjects, and yet, he felt like something was missing. He started making his way back to the castle, running face-first into the giant oak doors because he was lost in thought. Pausing only to utter his favorite four-letter words, he cast a healing charm on his nose and opened the doors, hoping to make his way to his dormitory in peace and quiet. That hope was dashed when he ran into a certain cat, and not ten seconds later, the bitter old caretaker, Argus Filch was rapidly shuffling in Ari's direction.
"Student out of bed," Filch kept muttering. "Oh, yes. Going to use him as a prime example to the others. They'll all learn then."
"What are you babbling about?" Ari snapped when Filch was close enough. "I happen to be Head Boy, and I am finishing my rounds."
Filch sputtered. "It doesn't matter. You're still out bed past curfew."
Ari pinched the bridge of his nose. "Between you and Peeves, I don't know who annoys me more. At least I can banish that blasted Poltergeist with salt."
Filch growled and Ari pressed on. "I suppose I could try a Scouring Charm with you, but I have neither the time, nor the patience. Good night, Mr. Filch."
Ari side-stepped a still-sputtering Filch, running back to his dormitory once the cantankerous old caretaker was out of sight. Once he was safe in his dorm, he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. The second he closed his eyes, Kate's face appeared, dancing in and out of his head.
"אה, לעזאזל," he muttered to himself. ("Oh, fuck.")
This was going to be a long Tournament.
Later in the day
Classes had finished for the day, and the Halloween Feast was in full swing. Ari had managed to put Kate out of his mind for the rest of the day, at least up to now. He stole a glance at the Hufflepuff table, where Kate was sitting next to Ziva, and... Wait... She was smiling... At him? Not knowing what else to do, Ari simply returned the smile with one of his own.
Once everyone had eaten more than they could take in, the food cleared away, leaving the plates and cutlery spotless. All conversation ceased as every head in the Great Hall turned to Professor McGonagall, standing next to the Goblet of Fire.
"And now, for the moment we've all been waiting for, the selection of the Champions! If your name is called, you will please move into the chamber to the right of the staff table." McGonagall motioned to the door in question, which was being manned by one of the many Hogwarts House-Elves.
The flames in the Goblet turned blue, spitting out the first name. "The Champion for Beauxbatons is... Pierre LeBeau!" McGonagall called out. LeBeau rose from his seat and strutted into the chamber off the Hall. A smattering of applause echoed through the Great Hall, except for the Beauxbatons contingent. They caused an uproar that took several minutes to quiet down. Once the noise had died down, the Goblet spat out the second name.
"The Champion for Ilvermorny is... Caitlin Todd!"
Kate's jaw dropped when her name was called, and she was pulled into bone-crushing hugs from Abby, McGee, and Tony. Wrestling herself free, she made her way into the chamber. The Goblet turned blue and spat out the final name as soon as the chamber door closed.
"The Champion for Hogwarts is... Ari Haswari!"
Ari's jaw hit the floor. The reaction from the Hogwarts students was deafening, with Slytherin cheering the loudest. When the shock eventually wore off, he rose from his seat, and amidst high-fives and bear-hugs from multiple students, he made his way to the chamber off the Hall. He quickly shut the door behind him, still grinning. The first Champion he saw was Kate.
"Good luck, Caitlin," he said, still smiling.
"Good luck to you, too," Kate replied. Ari moved to the far corner of the room to congratulate LeBeau, but Kate held him up, adding in a low voice, "I tried talking to him already. Either he doesn't speak English or he's just a dick."
Ari bit his lip to keep from laughing, saying, "There's one way to find out." He and Kate approached LeBeau, and Ari said, "C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer. Je m'appelle Ari Haswari et voici Caitlin Todd." ("It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ari Haswari, and this is Caitlin Todd.")
LeBeau looked at Ari, shocked. "C'est également un plaisir de vous rencontrer. Avez-vous dit que vous vous appeliez Haswari?" ("It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Did you say your name is Haswari?")
Ari nodded. "Je l'ai fait." ("I did.")
LeBeau's face turned into a twisted smile. "J'ai lu quelque chose sur ton père. C'était un visionnaire." ("I read about your father. He was a visionary.")
"Parles-tu anglais?" Ari's smile vanished immediately.
"Of course, I speak your language, you fool," LeBeau snapped.
"Good. I want you to listen to me carefully." Ari leaned in so that only LeBeau could hear him. "My father was a murderer and a drunk. The world was done a favor when he was killed. You would do well to remember that." He pulled back and turned back to Kate. "You were wrong. He is not a dick. Just a complete and utter twat."
Kate's jaw dropped and she dissolved into fits of laughter as the chamber door opened, and in walked the three Heads of Schools, accompanied by Draco Malfoy, representing the British Ministry of Magic. Gibbs and McGonagall congratulated their students, while LeBeau was still skulking in the corner until Maxime beckoned him over. He joined the group but still kept his distance from Kate and Ari.
"As the Headmistress of the host school, I would like to congratulate all three of you," McGonagall addressed the Champions. "Seeing that you should already know the rules, I feel that I do not have to explain them again. I'm going to turn you over to Mister Malfoy to explain the first task. Mister Malfoy?"
"Thank you, Headmistress," Malfoy said. "The first task is scheduled for Friday, November seventeenth. It will test your problem-solving skills, as well as your logic and your mettle. I will explain the task more in-depth after the wand-weighing ceremony on November tenth. Good luck. All three of you. Are there any questions?"
All three Champions kept their hands by their sides, and all three bore a look of determination on their faces. Ari, stone-like; Kate was also expressionless; LeBeau had a cocky eyebrow arched with a smirk to accompany it.
Malfoy nodded. "Very well. I will see all of you on the tenth for the wand-weighing ceremony."
With that, Malfoy and the Heads departed the chamber, leaving the Champions in an awkward silence, which Kate tried to break. "So... Anyone have a guess what the first task is going to be?"
LeBeau grunted and pushed past Kate and Ari to leave the room. Ari shook his head and looked at Kate as they followed. "Well," he answered, "as long as it's not Arithmancy or something along those lines, I think we will be fine. They wouldn't torture the Champions in the first task. Right?"
Kate giggled. "Torture? I don't think so. There has to be a law against it."
"Almost certainly."
Kate's eyes widened and she grabbed Ari's arm. They both felt an electric jolt on contact but ignored it. "What if we have to fight a Wendigo or a demon?"
"A what or a demon?"
Kate launched into an in-depth explanation of the Wendigo, explaining the lore behind them ("It varies by culture. Some say that they're humans that succumb to greed; others say cannibalism."), and the best ways to defeat them ("You can always just cut their heads off. Or a silver stake through the heart does it too. Fire is also effective."). Ari hung onto every word, mostly because Kate wouldn't let him talk. Before either of them knew it, they had ended up outside the castle, walking around the lake. Finally, Kate finished her explanation of Wendigo lore, and Ari was speechless. Finally, after about five minutes, he found his voice.
"How do you know so much about these creatures?" he finally asked.
"I had to take a course on them last year," Kate replied. "Also, Supernatural had an episode about the Wendigo last year."
"Do I even want to ask what Supernatural is?"
"I'm glad you did. It's about these two brothers who drive around the USA hunting all sorts of creatures: Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, demons... Even the Wendigo once. Their names are Sam and Dean Winchester. Ugh, Sam is so hot!"
Ari shook his head, but Kate could see a small smile forming on his face. They stopped and sat by the lake in comfortable silence until Kate checked her watch.
"Oh, shit," she said. "I have to get to bed."
"Allow me to walk you back," Ari said, standing up and offering his hand. "I can't have you falling asleep out here on the grass. You might catch cold."
"Your concern is touching," Kate grabbed Ari's hand and pulled herself up, smirking as she reached her feet. The pair walked back to the Ilvermorny bus, and Ari bid Kate a good night before walking back to the castle.
Kate climbed into bed, ignoring Abby's pestering about Ari. As she drifted off to sleep, Ari kept popping in and out of her mind. "Oh, fuck," she muttered before finally drifting off.