The Potions Master's Daughter Part 2

CHAPTER 6 Chocolate-coated almonds

After the feast, students began to migrate out of the Great Hall toward their dormitories. Erin and Terrence had gathered all first years and were leading them out of the Hall, yelling at other students to let them through. The Triwizard Tournament was on everyone's lips and Draco was boasting left and right that he had known about it from the start and wasn't surprised at all.

Alice, Daphne and Blaise were moving slowly through the dense crowd when suddenly they heard someone behind them call out their names and Alice saw a hand on Blaise's shoulder. The three of them turned around and saw Ernie and Hannah struggling to break through the crowd behind them. Ernie grabbed Blaise's shoulder more firmly to pull himself towards them and then wrapped his arm around him casually. Blaise immediately tensed up and Alice noticed with the corner of her eye that blood rushed to his face and his cheeks flushed slightly.

'So,' said Ernie with a knowing smile, 'I take it you've already known?'

Before anyone could reply, Daphne grabbed Blaise and Hannah by the hand, gesturing at a small corridor leading off to the right. 'Over here,' she said.

They broke through the crowd and followed her into the narrow passageway, avoiding the horde of students swarming the main hallway. There, they huddled together hidden in the low light of torches.

'To answer your question,' said Daphne and winked, 'yes, we did know.'

'20 galleons that Harry Potter will be the Hogwarts champion,' said Blaise and Ernie giggled.

'Come on,' said Alice, 'not even Potter can crack the system. I think Dumbledore would be fuming if Harry put his hand up.'

'I think Dumbledore would encourage him,' Hannah disagreed, shaking her head. 'You know what he's like...'

'I wonder what the foreign students will be like,' said Daphne, abandoning the topic of Harry Potter. 'I can't wait to meet them. Durmstrang seems like such an interesting place.'

'Hey, there you are!'

Justin Finch-Fletchley's head appeared from around the corner. 'We've been looking for you all over the place. Come on, we're having cake in the common room! It's Katsuji's birthday.'

'We should go,' said Ernie, 'see you tomorrow!'

Alice, Blaise and Daphne waved them goodbye and walked out of the corridor. The main hallway was getting less and less crowded and only then did Alice finally feel the true atmosphere of the school. In the warm low light of torches, everything seemed peaceful and homely. Something about being back at Hogwarts made Alice forget about the darkness awaiting her outside its walls.

On their way to the Slytherin common room, Blaise stopped them halfway down the corridor leading up to the concealed door in the dungeon. 'Wait...' he said.

Alice and Daphne stopped and turned around to look at him. 'I—Never mind ...'

Daphne shrugged and uttered the password to the Slytherin common room at the seemingly blank wall at the end of the corridor. Meanwhile, Alice cast a longer look at Blaise but he shook his head, letting her know he didn't want to talk about it. The door opened with a creak and the three of them entered the room lit with dozens of candles and torches. Its bare, stone floors were covered with thick, soft rugs and fire cracked merrily in the fireplace. There was excited chatter in the centre of the room and everyone was gathered around a group of seventeen-year-olds, basking in the glory of being allowed to enter the Triwizard Tournament.

'Are Prefects allowed to put their hand up?' said Erin.

'I'm not entering,' Terrence muttered, 'so I can fulfil the duties by myself if you want...'