The Green Games (Dramione)

t-7 Days, Part 1

The whole of students fell quiet. She looked around, and saw faces she knew and knew that may be dead at the end of the summer. Teach the kids Voldemort's brainwash crap for a year, then kill off some of the students in these idiotic 'games' at the end of each. Remind people that even when school is out, in the summer, he's still there. His power is always there.

There was a clacking of heels and a flash of gaudy pink. Umbridge waltzed to the stage, giggling and nodding to the officials that sat with the Malfoys in the front. The microphone was on, and she tapped it twice.

"Hello? Hello?" Her voice reverberated around the courtyard, "Well, welcome to the fourth annual Green Games!"

They way she said it, it sounded like spring and beauty and nature. But Hermione knew that green was not all so. She knew the name was because of the horrible green one saw right before they died from the Avada. She knew it was because of the color of Nagini, who sat before Voldemort and all his other snakes that so loved the color of his house. She knew it was because of the poison that turned green and made the drinker lose their mind. She knew it was green like the weeds in the garden, like each tribute, that was plucked from the crowds and killed in the most horrible way possible.

Green was not the color of life anymore; it was the color of death.

Umbridge began the history of the Green Games, and Hermione's heart twisted painfully.

It had been her third year, and Voldemort had returned. There had been a group of older children from Hogwarts that had formed a rebellion from getting information from the Order. Harry, thirteen-year-old Harry hadn't known better. He'd just wanted to be a hero, to help, to save lives. The plan failed. Voldemort rose to power that year, and twelve kids from fourth-year to seventh-year were brought out in front of the parents, students, teachers and everyone else at Hogwarts. Mrs. Weasley cried to see Charlie- who had graduated, but was the eldest and the one who spearheaded the attack, and Percy.

He should have killed them right there. Executed them. But his lip curled, and his smile was deadly as he said he had decided on a better punishment. A fight to the death between the children. Whoever won would gain his favor and be spared and kept safe for the rest of their life. Every student had to watch. Every family mourned.

At first, there was no fighting. But something snapped in one of the minds of a Ravenclaw. That was all that was needed, along with a couple disasters or horrors, for the bloodbath to begin. Harry, the youngest, hadn't won. Oliver Wood did.

The next year, they hadn't expected the same, but Voldemort said they need to be reminded of it. They had to pay for the rebellion with more children. And it evolved to be the Green Games.

Voldemort, by the second time, had united Beaubaxtons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts into one school. He sorted the students of the first two into houses, and therefore many of the faces Hermione saw were children she did not know. There was never a set number of how or who would be chosen, just that she knew that being a female, Gryffindor, and a Muggle born put her in hot water every year.

She was sickened by it. Now, now Purebloods loved the sport. They treated it like it was only a game, only good fun. They took bets on who would win, gave money to those they liked, and made a spectacle of it. It was only people like the Weasleys and the Longbottoms that saw the games for what they were and refused to take part of it. Because of that, she thought, it seemed the games were slowly killing off each Weasley until there would be none less. Fred was lucky enough to be a Victor the second year, and Bill was safe because he was far too old. Percy, Charlie, and George were gone though. It was only time, probably this year, where either Ron or Ginny- maybe even both- were chosen. Being a seventh year, her name was in there seven times. And she didn't have to do the math; there were only a handful of female Gryffindors to choose from.