International Love | Fred Weasley

Chapter 6

I arrive at the Quidditch pitch after changing into my black Quidditch robes I got from my uncle last year. The pitch seems empty but I see a broom laying a few feet away from me. I scan the sky for Viktor.

"Dubos, up here!"

I look around but don't see anyone.

"Above you, Dubos! Hurry a little, vill you?"

Right above me flies Viktor who waves with a laugh. I take the broomstick and take off. It has been a while since I last flew, we play Quidditch at Beauxbatons but seeing the Tournament was this year, we won't be playing so I left my broom back home. My uncle has forbidden me to fly around our Muggle neighbourhood but occasionally, I head over to Henry to fly there during the summer.

"I missed this," I tell Viktor who pats his pockets for something. From his breast pocket, he produces a golden Snitch and when he releases it, it's gone within seconds. Viktor raises an eyebrow and says: "I vill catch this snitch before you even see it."

"Game on, Krum," I yell back and fly off.

It doesn't take long before I spot Viktor speeding off towards the stands. I quickly follow him and spot the little golden ball flying. To gain more speed, I lay down on the boom and after chasing each other for a few minutes, Viktor professionally catches the Snitch, laughing loudly as he holds it up in the air.

"I told you, Dubos, I vould vin."

"It's not my fault that you are such a good seeker, and I'm... not," I laugh. We can hear cheering from the stands and when I look down, I spot the girls who were giving me looks earlier gathered on the stands. I turn back to Viktor and smirk, "We have company."

Viktor sighs when he sees the girls as well. "They have been folloving me since I arrived."

"It must be hard, being so famous," I snicker. Viktor smiles and head his head, "Let's go back to the castle. It is dinner time and I am starving."

We head to the castle together and I hand Viktor the boom back before our ways part. Viktor heads to the ship the Durmstrang students arrived in and I head to the carriage. I avoid Madame Maxime and take a quick shower before changing back into my uniform. I grab the piece of parchment I wrote my name on from my nightstand and head to the Great Hall.

In the Great Hall, a lot of students have gathered around the Goblet. The piece of parchment burns in my pocket and I sigh, for Flora. Truthfully, I'm not suited to become Beauxbatons's champion. Someone like Fleur is a much better fit.

As I walk closer towards the Goblet, I spot Fred and George standing before the Age Line. I creep closer to them and hear a voice say: "That's an Age Line, Dumbledore drew it himself. You are not seventeen yet, it's not going to work."

I lift my head and see the same brown-haired witch from the Gryffindor common room sitting on a nearby bench with a book in her lap. Her facial expression is bored as she points at the magical line around the Goblet.

"We are going to try it anyway," Fred says sassy and George adds: "And we have a trick up our sleeve."

After he said that, the two boys step into the circle, but are thrown out in seconds. The students around me laugh and I hear the brown-haired witch giggle.

I step forward out of the crowd and smile slyly at the twins.

"Look," I say as I step into the circle, "this is how it is done."

I make a pirouette and put the parchment into the Goblet. The flames light up blue and I turn back to the twins. With a bow, I say, making my accent thicker: "It really isn't zat difficult."

George looks at me, annoyed, but Fred smiles mischievous. He winks and takes something from his pocket. As he does that, a smile begins to grow on George's face as well.

"You're right, Elena, it really isn't difficult," Fred holds one of the bottles up for me to see and hands George the other one, "A freshly brewed Ageing Potion."

Once again, the brown-haired witch giggles and remarks: "It's not going to work."

The twins bow down to her level and Fred asks: "Oh yeah? And why is that Granger?"

"Like I said before, this is an age line, drawn by Dumbledore himself," she points at the line on the ground again and raises an eyebrow.

"So?" George asks and Fred snickers. The witch sighs and closes her book, "So, a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by a dodge as pathetically dim-witted as an Ageing Potion."

The twins stand up again and Fred says: "Ah, but that's why it's so brilliant!"

And George adds: "Because it's so pathetically dim-witted!"

They drink the potion in one go and step into the circle. For a moment or two, nothing happens and the students around us begin to clap and cheer. I sit down next to the witch reading her book and say: "You're right. This is never going to work. Age lines can't be fooled or bypassed."

The girl smiles at me before turning back to her book.

Fred and George have grabbed their pieces of parchment from their pockets and are putting them into the Goblet. The Hogwarts students clap and cheer as the piece of parchment are dropped and nothing happens. The twins bow before me with big smiles on their faces. The smiles don't last long because the flames of the Goblet turn red and the two pieces of parchment are thrown out. The two boys are kicked from the circle and land a few feet further.

When the two look up and turn to each other, I see two beards growing on their faces. I have to cover my mouth to stop laughing too hard. Angry, the two fight over whose idea this was and who is to blame. The witch sitting next to me giggles and mutters: "I warned them. Dumbledore isn't stupid."

The champions are picked before dinner and from my seat at the Ravenclaw table, I can see the Weasley twins at the Gryffindor table. They have lost their beards, but I still can't hold back a giggle. Flora follows my gaze and giggles as well. When I returned to the carriage, I told Flora what had happened. Aline and Henry are sitting nearby, holding each other's hands, and I know Henry put his name in the Goblet as well.

Dumbledore walks into the hall and the picking of the champions begins. Dumbledore raises his hand in the air and the Goblet's flames turn red. A piece of parchment lands in Dumbledore's hands and theatrically, he reads out: "Durmstrangs champion is... Viktor Krum!"

All Durmstrang students begin to cheer loudly and applaud as Viktor stands up with a big smile. He waves at everyone before walking past Dumbledore who gestures for him to go to a different chamber. I smile and clap as Viktor passes.

The procedure repeats and a second piece of parchment lands in Dumbledore's awaiting hand.

"Beauxbatons's champion is... Fleur Delacour!"

All of us burst out in cheers and start applauding. There is a big smile on Fleur's face as she gracefully stands up and steps down the table she was sitting on. Relief flows through me, and I see Aline breathe out relieved. The morning, over breakfast, she let slip she was afraid Henry would be picked. The boy has always had some nerve and can be a little reckless which worries Aline sometimes.

The last piece of parchment lands in Dumbledore's hand.

"Hogwarts's champion is... Cedric Diggory!"

A boy from the table with Hufflepuffs stands up with a big smile. I recognize him vaguely, we might share a class, and, as his fellow students cheer for him, he makes his way to where Fleur and Viktor disappeared to.

With the three champions being chosen, Dumbledore talks some more about the tournament. He warns us that the champions are standing before a great and dangerous task. As I listen to Dumbledore, I notice in the corner of my eye Professor Snape staring at the Goblet. From beside Flora, Xavier mutters: "Why is it still burning? It usually burns out until the next tournament."

None of us know the answer but another red flame bursts out of the Goblet. Dumbledore catches the piece of parchment out of the air and his face is shocked when he reads out: "Harry Potter?"