𝐒𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓! book 2

𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘

Rolling her eyes, Erin turned back to her food.

"Bloody idiot." Lottie mumbled.

"For the tournament, who will the judges be?" Alex asked suddenly.

"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," said Theo, and everyone looked around at him, rather surprised. "Dad made me read Hogwarts, a history..."

"Won't the judges be biased?" Asked Charlotte.

"I don't think they're allowed to be," Theo shrugged.

"Probably not," Alex sighed. "There will probably be ministry workers there too."

"Yeah," nodded Theo.

There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Charlotte made her way to the Hufflepuff common room with Hannah and Susan, they deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.

The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines.

"Lupin," Sprout groaned. "Tuck your shirt in, do your top button up too...and tighten that tie it's far too lose! Oh and Miss Johnson please roll that skirt down it's far too high..."

Erin glanced towards Harry with a pained look as she rolled it down, and Lottie could only guess that Erin had been trying to impress him.

They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest.

"How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?" Lottie heard someone shout, recognising it to be Ron Weasley.

"I doubt it," said Hermione Granger.

"How, then? Broomsticks?" Another voice asked, and Lottie knew it was Harry.

"I don't think so...not from that far away...." said Lucas Black. "I hope they show up in style, it would be wicked!"

"A Portkey?" Ron suggested. "Or they could Apparate - maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?"

"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?" said Hermione impatiently and Lottie almost snorted at how angry she sounded.

They scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quite as usual. Charlotte was starting to feel cold. She wished they'd hurry up....Maybe the foreign students were preparing a dramatic entrance....

And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers - "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

"There!" Lucas gasped, pointing to the sky. "No way! Look a them!"

Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks - was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely.

"Don't be stupid...it's a flying house!" shouted Dennis Creevey.

Dennis's guess was closer....As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powderblue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.