Crimson Heart - George Weasley

18

They finally reached the Great Hall and Ellie suddenly felt nervous as she saw everybody watch her as she and Hermione walked over to their house table. She heard different whispers from people and the occasional 'freak' here and there but chose to ignore them as she held her head high and went to sit down beside George. She gave him a smile and he gave her one back as he grabbed her hand in his from underneath the table. She felt someone tap her gently on the shoulder as she turned to her other side and saw Neville looking at her. "Hi Neville", she said politely, knowing that he was quite the shy type, but nonetheless he seemed like a kind person. "I just wanted to say that I think it was really brave of you to face those Death Eaters. My grandmother said that you must be insane and didn't want me to even look at you but I don't want to do that", Neville said as he looked down at his hands in his lap. Ellie smiled at the boy in appreciation as she looked around him and saw Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas shaking their heads in agreement. She felt at ease that not everyone thought negatively about her now as she said her thanks to Neville before turning back around to face the front of the hall where Dumbledore now stood at the podium. 

"Well, now we're all settled in and sorted. I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year, but home to some very special guests as well.", Dumbledore said as Filch ran up to him from the door of the Great Hall. "You see, Hogwarts has been chosen-", Dumbledore continued before he whispered something to Filch as Filch stood at the podium. They talked to each other in a hushed manner before Filch ran back down the hall and out the door. "So...Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legandary event. The Triwizard Tournament! Now for those of you who do not know of this tournament, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests."

Fred and George look at each other with smirks on their faces as Ellie ignores them and continues to listen to Dumbeldore's speech. "From each school, a single student is selected to compete. Now let me be clear. If chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say, these contests are not for the faint-hearted. But more of that later. For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Maxime!"

The doors to the Great Hall open as several girls in light blue uniforms strut down the hall in formation with a very tall and slender woman with short hair in tow. Softer music begins to play as the girls dance beautifully down the aisle between the long tables. Blue butterflies flew out from their hands as they continued their dance. "Blimey. That's one big woman", Seamus said earning a chuckle from Ellie. She leaned up to George's ear and he leaned down slightly, "Would you date me if I was that tall?", she whispered teasingly in his ear. George coughed lightly as she laughed at him while squeezing his hand before turning back to the front of the hall. 

"And now our friends from the North. Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their high master, Igor Karkaroff!", Dumbeldore exclaimed before everyone turned to face the door as a large group of young men in fur hats and brown attire marched into the room with staffs in their hands. They began their routine as everyone watched in awe including the professors at the front. The Durmstrang boys began doing flips and tricks as everyone watched in amazement. 

"Blimey it's him! Viktor Krum!", Ellie heard Ron say in awe as she turned back to the door to see Krum walking through with somewhat of a scowl on his face. Ellie leaned over to George once more, "Does he always look like he's constipated?", she asked, genuinely wondering why he looked like that. George nudged her with his elbow lightly as he gave her a playful smile, "Not a fan of the Krum?", he asked her. She shook her head as she looked at him with a smirk before leaning in to whisper in his ear, "I'm only a fan of you." George blushed heavily before clearing his throat as Ellie looked rather pleased with herself before going back to paying attention. 

The feast is soon passed out as everyone begins to dig in and catch up with friends. Ellie looks over to George's plate to see he has the last bit of chocolate pudding. Her eyes go wide as she stares the pudding down before nudging her hip into his to get him to turn to face her. He looks at her and follows her gaze to his plate and smiles as he realizes what she wants. "You really do have a sweet tooth, huh El?", he teased her before he scooped some of his pudding and placed it on her plate earning a big smile from her before she takes her spoon and dips it into the pudding. "Your attention, please!", Dumbledore exclaims, catching her off guard as she quickly wipes the pudding off her lips before turning to face the front. A golden contraption has now replaced where the podium stood before as Dumbeldore was standing beside it trying to get the students attention. 

"I'd like to say a few words. Eternal glory. That is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament. But to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks."

"Wicked.", Ellie hears the twins say and she rolls her eyes at them before continuing to listen to the headmaster. "For this reason, the Ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all of this, we have the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Mr. Bartemius Crouch.", Dumbledore says as a man makes his way to the front of the hall but not before a bunch of thunder and lightning rumbles through the hall. The students begin to scream as a storm begins to form in the hall before a streak of magic hits the storm making it go away. Ellie looks over to where the magic came from and sees a man, clearly drenched from the rain outside, standing at the side door of the hall. He had medium length hair and was wearing a brown trenchcoat but what caught her eye the most was the the strap on his face that held a prosthetic eye over what would have been his real one. 

"Bloody hell, that's Mad-Eye Moody." "Alastor Moody? The auror?" 

"Dark wizard catcher. Half the cells in Azkaban are filled thanks to him", Ron said as Ellie stares at the strange man. She sensed something different about him as she watched him walk up to where Dumbledore was standing. "Ah, my dear old friend, thanks for coming", Dumbledore said as he shook hands with Moody. They whispered something to each other before Moody walked off to the corner and turned to face the wall to drink something out of a small bottle he had in his jacket. "What's that he's drinking, you suppose?" "I don't know, but I don't think it's pumpkin juice."

Dumbledore then walks back to the front with the man, Bartemius Crouch, he had introduced earlier. "After due consideration, the Ministry has concluded that, for their own safety, no students under the age of 17 shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Triwizard Tournament.", Crouch said immediately causing an uproar from most of the students in the hall. "That's rubbish!", the twins yelled as the students all complained about it not being fair. 

"Silence!", Dumbledore yells out causing the room to go quiet. He raises his wand to gold tower next to him as magic begins to glow and fade around it revealing an antique goblet that had blue flames coming out of the top of it. "The Goblet of Fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament need only write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly. If chosen, there's no turning back. As from this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun." 

As the students stared in awe at the goblet Ellie could feel eyes staring at her as she slowly turned around and saw Moody watching her intently. A shiver went down her spine as he continued to stare and his larger eye swiveled around in its eye patch. She quickly turned back around, feeling very uneasy, and grabbed George's hand for some comfort. George looked down at her as she stared at her plate not touching any of the food on it. "You alright, love?", he whispered down in her ear and she jumped slightly and looked up at him. She peared at Moody from the corner of her eye and sighed in relief as he wasn't watching her anymore before turning back to George, "That man gives me the creeps", she said as she motioned to where Moody now sat at the head table with the rest of the professors. "I'm sure you'd give him a right scare if he did anything wrong, right El?", she heard Fred ask as he leaned closer to George, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation. Ellie rolled her eyes before sending a small jolt of energy at Fred's hand making him yank it back, "Ouch! Wrong person!", he scolded as Ellie and George laughed together. George pulled Ellie closer to him as their legs touched and they continued to eat and talk to their friends. Ellie felt more at ease as she watched George laugh at a joke Fred said, a warm feeling growing in her chest. She knew that her feelings for him were growing larger as they spent more time together and her heart began to beat faster at the realization that she was, in fact, falling for George Weasley.