CANDY CRUSH {Fred Weasley}

32

Triwizard Tournament

"So! Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-BashingBoomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it. As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below the third year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-HouseQuidditch Cup will not take place this year."

Dumbledore's speeches were often one of the highlight's of every year ''start of the year's'' feast which mostly included the rules and regulations along with the places which were prohibited and these were mostly for the First-years as all the others had already learned this by heart. However, this year Dumbledore surprised everyone by saying that the inter-house Quidditch cup would be cancelled, Charlie could hear the gasps from the people on the Ravenclaw Quidditch teams. She looked over at Fred and George who were mouthing soundlessly at Dumbledore as they appeared to be too appalled, she sighed as she looked at Dumbledore hoping that there was an explanation to all of this.

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy — but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts —"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open. A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black travelling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall swivelled toward the stranger, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark grey hair, then began to walk up toward the teachers' table, a dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore.

Charlie looked over at Ainsley and Luna as they stared at the limping man, she knew him, hell most of the people in the Great Hall knew him, it was Mad-Eye Moody, one of the greatest Auror who was responsible for sending many criminals to Azkaban. While Luna seemed indifferent to the man, Ainsley was watching him with great interest and frankly, he appeared a little scared of the man and why shouldn't he be. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening. One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head so that all they could see was whiteness.

"Who is he?" Ainsley asked Charlie.

"He's an Auror, Mad-Eye Moody," Charlie answered as Moody walked towards Dumbledore and they shook hands and exchanged a few words before he went to sit down in one of the empty chairs at the Head Table and then sniffed the sausages before digging in his pocket for something. He dug out a fork with which he stabbed the sausage and then ate it while keeping his normal eye on the food while his other eye seemed to take in the Great Hall and the students.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Professor Moody," Dumbledore said brightly as students watched him silently. Moody seemed indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome. Ignoring the jug of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached again into his travelling cloak, pulled out a hip flask, and took a long draught from it. As he lifted his arm to drink, his cloak was pulled a few inches from the ground, and Charlie saw, below the table, several inches of a carved wooden leg, ending in a clawed foot. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" Fred said loudly. The tension that was previously there because of Mad-Eye Moody suddenly disappeared as nearly everybody laughed including Dumbledore who chuckled appreciatively.

"I am not joking, Mr Weasley though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar. . . . ," Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly as he glared at Dumbledore sternly.

"Er — but maybe this is not the time . . . no....Where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament . . . well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely,"

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute were the three of the wizarding schools who were participating in the Triwizard Tournament and each school would have their champion who would later compete against themselves for Eternal Glory and a thousand galleons prize money. However, like every other thing it had a downfall, there had been death tolls in the past and the competition was considered dangerous even by the Ministry standards.

"What do you think of the competition?" Ainsley asked Charlie when she came to sit beside him after instructing the first years about the routes and the puzzles.

"It's dangerous for sure but think of the eternal glory," Charlie said but from looking at Ainsley's expressions he didn't seem to agree.

"You're not thinking of entering it, are you?" Ainsley asked looking alarmed.

"Don't be silly, they wouldn't let anyone whose's not of age enter, am I right?"

"But if you were you would, right?"

"Yeah, I would,"

"Huh, didn't think you'd be that stupid,"

The next morning the Great Hall was buzzing with excitement, everybody seemed to be talking about one and only one thing, the Triwizard Tournament, Charlie stood by the Great Hall entrance as she yawned and rubbed her eyes trying to get the sleep out of her. Ainsley was behind her making sure that she didn't fall over while walking in her sleep when they were called by George who was sitting on the Gryffindor table eating their breakfast.

"What's with her?" George asked pointing towards Charlie.

"Couldn't sleep last night, the thunder and the rain plus my roommates chatting about boys and stuff the entire night,"

"Boys and stuff?" Lee smirked as the other rolled their eyes.

"Yes, they were talking about how hot Lee had become over the summer,"

"Really?"

"Lee, stop it. Anyways what are you going to do about the Triwizard Tournament?" Fred asked as Charlie buttered her toast.

"Well I think it's stupid and the people entering it are even stupider," Ainsley said as all the Gryffindors turned to look at him.

"It's true, there are death tolls, dangerous tasks,"

"Ain isn't the adventurous person,"

"Well we are and that is why we are going to enter our names," Fred said with a huge smile.

"Let me know when you have a plan,"