As everyone in Hogwarts anticipated the arrival of their year-long guests, many of the students wandered and departed the great hall after lunch—and now, a while later, Ozais was alone in the great hall, standing at the front of the room with his hands atop his cane, gazing thoughtfully up at the Goblet of Fire.
It wouldn't be long before the students all returned to the great hall for dinner—and soon, the people of Ilvermorny and Mahoutokoro would be arriving. In fact—right now—Professor Flitwick was off with Professor Crowley, and the two of them were securing a place in the nearest woodlands for the Ilvermorny students to set up their barracks for the year. Professors Binns and Longbottom had set off for the Black Lake to prepare a similar area for the students of Mahoutokoro—and Ozais was feeling great anticipation in the air.
He pondered on everything to come—the many new guests, the champions being chosen, the thrills of the tasks, and even the potential dangers that might arise.
Then, he heard a pair of footsteps behind him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He turned to see Raven just beside him, the only other person in the great hall now, folding her arms and staring up at the blue flame.
"I'm assuming that this thing has been… well… secured properly," Raven remarked, narrowing her eyes at the Goblet of Fire. "Right…?"
Ozais chuckled and nodded. "Oh yes… we've taken several new precautions to ensure that no one can hoodwink it this time."
"Ah… good. Any word yet on getting approval for your little surveillance toys?"
"No, not yet. I did send the owl over a week ago. It really shouldn't be long now…"
Raven nodded, and the two of them fell silent.
Ozais tapped gently along his cane, glancing down and seeming to be in thought. Then, he turned his head slightly, opening his mouth to speak, though it took him a moment to do so.
"I'm just curious," he said softly. "If I did something… wrong to you."
Raven eyed him, reading what she could see of his face.
"No," she replied vacantly. "Why d'you think that?"
Ozais hesitated again, fingers tapping away.
"I've always wondered… why you never reached out, after… everything was over," he mumbled, gazing across the empty room. "There was a long swath of time there when Trocar and I didn't even know if you were still alive. But you were. You were, and you…"
He paused, sighing heavily and shaking his head at nothing in particular.
"You just chose not to tell us," he muttered. "Or write us… or see us."
Raven stared, her expression stony, somewhat unreadable, though her brow hardened slightly, and if one could glean any hint of emotion off of her face, it would be a subtle touch of conflict.
There was a deep, looming silence between the two.
"Well… that wasn't because of you," Raven said, adjusting her folded arms and sighing at the Goblet of Fire. "You didn't do anything wrong. I did."
Ozais paused for a split second before turning to her with a questioning look.
"Do you remember what happened…?" Raven uttered.
"I remember a lot of things that happened," Ozais replied in a soft, low voice. "You'll have to be more specific."
"I almost died. I almost died, and I almost let…"
Raven stopped and huffed out a breath, shaking her head once and swiping her bangs from her eye.
"I was just ashamed, Oz. I was weak," she surmised, her tone icier than before. "And I had to get to the point where I wasn't weak anymore."
Ozais stared intently at her. "So you disappeared…?"
"I didn't deserve to be around you. Either one of you," Raven told him flatly, giving him a severe look. "If I can't protect my friends—then what was I there for?"
Ozais fell silent, gazing into her as if he'd never seen anything quite as vexing as her before.
"No… I'm sorry, but I had to go," Raven grumbled. "I had to go and make myself better… or else, there was just no point to me. Sorry, but that's just the way I've always felt. I've always prided myself on my ability to switch off my empathy and do whatever cold things needed to be done… the types of things that kinder people than me just don't have the stomach for. I always thought it was my purpose… me doing those cold things so the warmer people don't have to. I excelled at being that person. But then, that damn war happened, and it showed me… how little I could actually do. And I just couldn't have that…"
"Raven," Ozais interrupted.
Raven sighed and faced him again.
Ozais stared, wearing an empathetic visage and flashing a soft, pained smile.
"I have never blamed you," he told her sincerely. "I really wish you wouldn't have blamed yourself."
Raven returned his stare with a hard, grave expression, biting her lip and saying nothing. Then, her mouth opened, and her faced changed.
"Oz… is there actually something wrong with your eyes now?" she asked, inching slightly closer.
Her hand raised, reaching out to his face, fingers gliding along the side of his goggles. Just when she moved to peel them back—he grasped her hand and stopped her, clasping it tightly and releasing a heavy cloud of breath.
Raven fell still, reading his face—his expression somewhat rougher now, distant and perturbed.
"Oh God," she breathed, her tone weakening with grim realization. "There is. You're not just wearing those so you can see who you can trust. There's actually something wrong with your…"
"Oy," someone called out from across the room.
Ozais and Raven turned their heads, Ozais releasing her hand and facing Crowley as he strolled toward them from the far doorway.
"Time to look alive," Crowley informed. "They're here."
Ozais revealed a smirk, patting the top of his cane before raising it and breaking into a stride. "Brilliant. Ooo, I wanna see this."
He joined Crowley and marched off toward the exit.
Raven gave Ozais a long, disturbed stare from behind before she followed suit.
Alice, Zander, James, Rose, and Lorcan were all seated along the short stone wall of the courtyard during the late afternoon.
Alice and Zander were side by side—Zander sitting on the edge, quietly practicing wrist movements with his wand, Alice chatting with Rose, who was seated by her other side. Lorcan was allowing his doxy to crawl out of his robe and scuttle up his arm, James repeatedly laughing and reeling back from it, waving his finger near its face, but never close enough to allow a bite. A few groups of students strolled up and down the courtyard behind them, some loitering and gossiping while others were simply passing by—but, the moment a hint of movement appeared in the sky, everyone nearby fell still.
More students gathered outside to watch, and Ozais, Crowley, and Raven stepped out of the castle, gazing up and observing as what appeared to be a distant aircraft came clearer into view.
"Is that…" Zander uttered, narrowing his eyes up at it.
"Aye," Alice breathed, nodding up at the sky. "It is."
"How did that get here?" Rose said. "Muggles aren't supposed to even see this place, much less get here."
"I don't think that's muggles," Lorcan remarked.
"Nope," James smirked. "I think that's our friends from across the pond."
As the plane drew nearer, it began to circle in the sky—revealing the colorful décor of the star-spangled banner that encompassed the entire body of the aircraft, and on the side of the plane were thick red white and blue letters, which read Flight 1776.
"Ehe," Ozais smirked with a breathless laugh as he watched. "What was that you said about it being illegal to modify muggle technology…?"
Crowly stared at the sky with folded arms. "Yes, well… America will be America."
Flight 1776 flew low above everyone—making many students gasp and shout in amazement—and then, the plane soared over to the nearest wooded area, preparing to land in the space prepared for Ilvermorny. Suddenly—it flew upright at a perfect up-and-down angle, and the wings seemed to transform, wrapping around the body of the aircraft as the plane itself began to expand, thickening and widening into what resembled a large, makeshift dwelling. The space between the folded wings and the body of the aircraft began to fill with new walls that materialized from nowhere, and before anyone knew it, the plane had become a tall, wide building, slowly lowering into the woods and settling where it belonged.
"Huh," Ozais uttered. "That's convenient."
"Yeah, that's… that's something," Raven mumbled.
"Oh… and we seem to be getting invaded by the Japanese as well," Crowley observed, turning and gazing over the Black Lake. "Behold."
Ozais, Raven, and all of the nearby crowds of students took notice of the great, ship-shaped cloud of fog hovering above the Black Lake, like a massive shroud of mist, slowly coming together into a solidified object. Within a minute—the mist became a black Japanese war ship, complete with a single flag standing high from its bow, a white flag with a red dot in the center. Along the side of the enormous ship were white and red Kanji letters, and below them were smaller English letters, which read Mahoutsukai.
"Mahou… what?" Raven muttered, squinting at the letters from afar.
"Mahou-suk-ai," Ozais said, annunciating every syllable clearly. "I believe it means… wizard, or wizards, or magical creatures. Something like that."
Raven turned and eyed him. "How do you know? Your goggles can translate languages too…?"
"No… I happen to be friends with Headmaster Senju," Ozais chuckled. "He's taught me a bit."
"Which reminds me," Crowley said, crossing his arms and flipping his cloak back over his shoulder. "Who is the headmaster of Ilvermorny now…?"
"Ah… Mr. Vance Steward," Ozais knew, raising a finger. "He took over after Agilbert Fontaine retired. I've met him a few times. Vance is a bit… intense. Prefers to go by his first name. Dresses and acts like a 1940s American detective. Was a renowned auror with a heck of a reputation in America… like the reputation Mad-Eye Moody had here."
"Hm." Crowley nodded and squinted at the ship in the distance. "Good people to have on our side, I suppose."
Everyone watched as the giant ship came to a slow stop on the water, just beside the long, wide walkway that spanned from the land to the middle of the Black Lake, the walkway that the professors had prepared for Mahoutokoro earlier. Just as the ship stopped at the edge of this walkway—it began to change, the walls of the ship opening up and leveling themselves down, lying flat across the surface of the water before they started to expand. Moments later—walls shot up from the edges of the floors, the main body of the ship morphing into several smaller buildings with shapely pointed rooftops, almost as if the ship was turning itself into a small Japanese village on the water.
"Hah," Ozais smirked.
All of the students nearby watched with fascination—some of them still gazing off toward the nearby woodlands where they were able to hear the Ilvermorny home base constructing itself, many others leaning on the short stone wall of the courtyard and staring out at the lake as the small Japanese living area created itself.
Alice and Zander traded expressions, both of them feeling the same spark of excitement at everything happening around them. They'd both known it for a long while, but now, they were actually seeing and experiencing it firsthand; the Triwizard Tournament was coming, and it was just around the bend.
Ozais pressed his wand into his neck—then made a bellowing announcement to every Hogwarts student nearby (making Crowley cringe and Raven duck away from him with her ears covered). He instructed all of them to make their way into the great hall—and all of them obliged, heading back into the castle in waves.
For a while—many people were situating themselves, filling the great hall and claiming their usual spots at the tables. Once all of the students and professors were settled in the great hall, Ozais stood at the front of the crowd with his hands cupped atop his cane, Alice, Zander, and their other friends seated around the far end of the Slytherin table again, and a gentle hushing overtook the crowd as they all patiently waited.
Then—a large, endless group of new students began to walk into the great hall from the far doors, students wearing smooth, silky robes that were similar to the Hogwarts ones, but they were a dark navy blue color, the inner seams colored a deep raspberry red.
This large crowd of wizarding students was led by a stoic man with a hard march, a man who looked as if he'd lived his entire life as a detective in muggle society; he wore a trench coat that was an even darker blue than the uniforms of his students, and he had a trilby hat on to match, his hair short and black, his expression serious and stoic, and his eyes a piercing crystal blue.
This man—Vance Steward—strode briskly to the front of the room and stood himself at Ozais's side, making a brief motion to his students before pocketing his hands.
Every Ilvermorny student in the room—all of them now standing between the elongated tables—turned and began seating themselves alongside everyone else. Alice and Zander instantly felt the urge to scoot down their table, as the empty space between them and the other Slytherins was filling up rather suddenly.
"Welcome, welcome, our American friends," Ozais said to the room with a smile and a wave. "Have a seat, make a friend, and make yourselves at home!"
Many of the Ilvermorny students responded with smiles and waves of their own. Alice felt herself practically squishing against Zander's arm while she scooted down, as a slender Ilvermorny boy had seated himself quite close to her.
Moments later—even more students marched inside from the same doors, these students led by a man in a rather eclectic robe, one that looked almost reminiscent of a samurai's kimono, but with darker and flashier décor of several blacks and golds. He was an older man with a long white beard and a pointed black hat with a gold trim around its center, and he had his wand in what appeared to be a katana sheathe on his side. This man—Norihiku Senju—wore a pleasant smile as he led his students between the tables, all of the Mahoutokoro students wearing robes of the same kimono-styled design, but without the flashy golden décor, and these students stood out from the rest quite visibly, as they were wearing robes of several different colors. It appeared the Mahoutokoro robes were every shade except for white.
"Hajimemashite!" Ozais said to them all, making a slight bow of the head. "Welcome to our humble abode, our friends from Nihon!"
Many of the Japanese students faced him and offered him a bow in return before they all began seating themselves around the tables as well, making the great hall's seating arrangements quite crowded in no time.
Senju stood at Ozais's other side, and for a brief moment, there was a sense of silent anticipation in the air.
Then, Ozais stepped out from the row of three headmasters, releasing a deep cloud of breath and gently placing his hand on the Goblet of Fire.
"What an extraordinary time to be here," he said. "It's been so long since the wizarding world has been safe and stable enough to host this legendary event. It might not have been lifetimes ago… but, for some, it has been. Lifetimes ago. Generations ago. Many lives ago. It almost seems as if the time of dark wizards and dangerous threats was something so far away, it ought to be in our history books, not in our minds and souls as memories of a grave time far gone. But… for some of us, it's just in our past, just in our memories, as a part of our lives. I can't tell you what it means to me to stand here today, in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, given the incredible honor of hosting the Triwizard Tournament after I'd seen this school torn asunder. I remember how Hogwarts was when it was at its bleakest… and I remember things that I pray most of you will never see or live. But… that's what makes it such a grand, wonderful blessing to be here now. After all of that… all of that carnage, and hopelessness, and loss, and dismay… when it seemed the wizarding world was coming to a true, definite end… here we are. Stronger, healthier, happier, better, and stronger. We are… as us British say… simply carrying on."
Everyone in the room remained respectfully silent, every professor watching him from the teacher's table behind him, and every student before him gazing back at him, Raven and Crowley standing at the sidelines and watching him with profound expressions, Vance and Senju observing him with the same reflective visages. Alice and Zander stared from the far end of the room, each of them looking more intense than they usually did, and everyone in the great hall felt the same sense of seriousness in the atmosphere now.
"I know that certain performances or introductions usually kick off when the three schools first gather at the start of the tournament, but going against tradition, I asked my fellow headmasters to side-step that arrangement… just so I could speak now," Ozais continued. "Because… this is not an ordinary Triwizard Tournament, and this tournament in particular seems to deserve a different kind of introduction… one that paints a very clear picture for all of you now. We gather together tonight as a living testament to the resilience of good against the forces of evil. If not for all of the good defeating all of the bad in the world, then none of us would be gathered now… and, I daresay, Hogwarts wouldn't be here now. It is important… so very important… that all of you know and understand how remarkable it is that we are even here. This tournament… is not a contest to see whose school can beat up whose. This tournament is a fantastic celebration that we can all still live, and prosper, and thrive, in spite of it all. And… if any of you go home at the end of this school year having learned anything at all from the Triwizard Tournament… I would want it to be that, above anything else. Good… will triumph… over evil. Always."
Everyone in the room continued to listen quietly, a few nodding in agreement—as everyone, everybody in the great hall, from America, Japan, Great Britain, Ireland, or Scotland—all of them understood exactly what Ozais was speaking of, and precisely what grim history he was referring to, knowing full well that the heaviness of his statements rang true.
"What I would like," Ozais said, cracking a smile and intertwining his fingers on his cane, pointing them out at the crowd. "What I would really like… is for all of you to commune with one another tonight. When we are done here… I would like all of you to have made a new friend before night's end."
Many people in the crowd began turning their heads and glancing at one another. Alice surveyed the Ilvermorny boy sitting next to her—one who appeared to be about the same age as she and Zander, slacked to the side with his arm propped on the edge of the table, his hairs a light sandy-blond and styled like a messy fohawk. James was leaning over the table and ogling someone a little farther down the Slytherin table rather conspicuously—a beautiful Mahoutokoro student with her hair tied back, wearing a light pink robe.
"However… as much as I would like to focus only on the warm, friendly nature of our tournament… we do have some ground rules to lay out, first and foremost," Ozais announced, raising a finger and motioning up at the Goblet of Fire beside him. "Any witch or wizard who wishes to enter the tournament must place their name in the Goblet of Fire before this time next week… and one may only qualify if they are age seventeen or older. The tournament will consist of three separate tasks throughout the school year… tasks that you will be given no warnings of, no preparation for, and no help for. Choosing to be a Triwizard champion is not a choice to be taken lightly. This is a hard, stressful, and incredibly dangerous game, my friends… and it is meant to test you, strengthen you, and break you, in all of the roughest ways you could probably think of… and several you probably can't. Do not try to enter the Triwizard Tournament unless you are fully, completely prepared to throw everything you have at this game… because this game will, most assuredly, throw everything it has at you."
Zander stared at the front of the room with a hardened expression, feeling more determined than ever to take on the great challenge of the Triwizard Tournament. It wasn't because he wanted to out-perform anyone else, or because he wanted to make his elitist father proud; above all else, he simply wanted to be the best he could be, and to free himself from needing his father for anything any longer. Winning the prize at the end of the tournament would set him up in a way few other things could.
Alice wore a similar face, gnawing her lip and resisting the urge to turn and look at him. She knew Zander would enter the tournament—and she still planned to do the same, no matter how anxious she felt about it now, or how hard her heart was beginning to pound behind her ribs. Her father had worked so very hard to support her all these years—and if she won this tournament, she could actually return the favor to him. Not to mention, she could finally become more than the aloof, airheaded, clumsy, and fun-loving Hufflepuff she was known to be.
The two of them felt the very same thing deep in their hearts, without sharing a word or even a glance with one another. They felt it, deeply to their bones; the time of roaming the halls and trading jokes, sneaking off to Hogsmeade, skimming through classes, and talking flippantly about the faraway future was slowly coming to an end, and the time of daunting, intimidating adulthood was just beginning to rear its oversized head. This year would be unlike any other here at Hogwarts—and it would bring about things that were far more intense and challenging than anything they'd faced before.
"Now… with all of that being said," Ozais spoke on. "I want all of you… all of us together… to have a fun, exciting, and fantastic tournament this year. Please… enjoy your dinners, and enjoy your evening. And… as of this moment, my friends…"
He took a few steps back, standing behind the Goblet of Fire and slowly raising his cane—and a bright, silky light began to travel all the way around the goblet, a soft, wavering circle of a cerulean blue shine.
"The Triwizard Tournament… has begun," the headmaster concluded, lowering his cane just as the age line encircled the goblet entirely.
Moments after, a series of hot fresh foods appeared up and down every table in the great hall—and, slowly but surely, the silence of the room faded, replaced by the sounds of clanking dishware and idle chatter.
Alice and Zander faced their table, Rose passing plates down to James and Lorcan while they all prepared their dinner plates of hot steaks and servings of beans and toast. As they did—and as Rose, James, and Lorcan talked to one another—Alice and Zander remained quiet for a moment, trading a brief glimpse as they placed their food on their respective plates.
"Yes… by the way," Zander mumbled down at his food.
Alice blinked and turned to him. "What…?"
"Yes, I'll… let you help," Zander replied without looking at her, spreading his beans onto his toast. "If… I get chosen… then… yeah. I'd let you help with tasks."
Alice stared at him, flashing a smile.
"I think everyone who competes really needs help with the tasks, honestly," Zander added. "And I think most champions probably find help one way or another…"
"Mmhngh," James agreed, nodding with a mouthful of food and jabbing a fork at Zander. "M'yeah, tha's true."
Alice's smile seemed to grow.
"Would you help me too…?" she uttered.
Zander paused, placing his fork down and turning to her, eyeing her strangely.
"What… with tasks? In the tournament?" he asked.
"Aye," Alice affirmed.
Zander stared, mouth hanging open, then he choked out a laugh. "Well… yeah… but I don't see that happening."
Alice's expression fell. "You don't think I'd get picked?"
"It's not that… I just don't think you'd enter," Zander clarified, lifting his slice of beany toast. "Honestly, Alice… that's the last thing I'd expect you to do."
He took a bite, seeming to be finished with the conversation, and Alice stared down at her food, sighing heavily and choosing not to speak on it any further.
Then, something occurred to her, and she reached into her robe—pulling out the shiny golden compass that her father had given her.
She held it in her lap, gazing down at it and watching as the needle swiveled around. Seconds later, the needle stopped moving, pointing towards the lower left side—southwest, as it read on the face of the compass.
Alice turned around in her seat, gazing across the great hall in the direction the compass was pointing—her eyes landing on the group of three headmasters, who all stood around Goblet of Fire now.
She glanced down at the compass, then back, confirming that the needle was most assuredly pointing across the room toward the goblet right now.
Then, she took in a slow, anxious breath before stuffing the compass away and beginning to cut her steak, remaining silent as she did.
Perhaps Zander didn't want or expect her to enter the Triwizard Tournament—but, her father's bewitched compass seemed to expect otherwise.
If this compass truly did point her toward whatever she was meant to seek out in life—then she was, indeed, meant to put her name into the Goblet of Fire.