Ella Potter (Draco Malfoy)

Chapter 24

One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh.

"No one's making you stay" Ella mumbled annoyed to Draco

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

He sat down, and Harry saw Karkaroff lean forward at once and engage him in conversation.

The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them, including several that were definitely foreign.

"Ew what's that?" Draco questioned pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.

"Bouillabaisse" Ella replied "It's French"

"Doesn't look very appetizing" Draco said making a face

"It's like pudding" Ella said taking some "Try it"

Draco shrugged and placed some on his plate

The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep bloodred.

Hagrid sidled into the Hall through a door behind the staff table twenty minutes after the start of the feast. He slid into his seat at the end and waved at Harry, Ron, and Hermione with a very heavily bandaged hand.

Ella looked over at the Gryffindor table to see her brother laughing at Ron.

"Excuse me, I'll be back" Ella said standing up and making her way over to the trio

"She's a veela!" She heard Ron say hoarsely to Harry.

"Of course she isn't!" said Hermione tartly. "I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot!"

But she wasn't entirely right about that. As the girl crossed the Hall, many boys' heads turned, and some of them seemed to have become temporarily speechless, just like Ron.

"I'm telling you, that's not a normal girl!" said Ron, leaning sideways so he could keep a clear view of her. "They don't make them like that at Hogwarts!"

"Not true Ron" Ella said sitting down in between him and Harry "I'm part Veela"

"That explains why Malfoy likes you" Hermione said taking a sip of pumpkin juice

"Why aren't I or Harry attracted to you?" Ron questioned

"Ew Ron, Harry's my brother" Ella said taking Harry's bread

"Ron Veela's mature like humans you know, they don't look like a luring beauty from birth. I figure over the summer Ella's going to turn into a real beauty" Hermione said "I can't wait to see that, you'll lose that childish look you have. Anyway, look who's just arrived."

She was pointing up at the staff table. The two remaining empty seats had just been filled. Ludo Bagman was now sitting on Professor Karkaroff's other side, while Mr. Crouch, Percy's boss, was next to Madame Maxime.

"What are they doing here?" said Harry in surprise.

"They organized the Triwizard Tournament, didn't they?" said Hermione. "I suppose they wanted to be here to see it start."