Raise Hell → Harry Potter

025. Four Champions?

Chapter Twenty-five

[Frankie]

Four Champions?

The day had gone as regularly as every other day at Hogwarts, bar the odd crowding of students as a student made their way to the Goblet of Fire. Pansy had decided their group's new hangout spot for the day would be inside the Great Hall, allowing her and Blaise to maintain an almost constant play-by-play of each student that put their name in. Frankie had cheered Saoirse on when she placed her name in, who had gotten an unexpected roar of applause from Lee Jordan and the Weasley twins making Frankie roll her eyes. 

Frankie had been lying on one of the seats, letting Pansy try and braid her hair, when she noticed Harry speaking with Fred as his eyes flickered over to the cup every few seconds. Frankie swatted Pansy's hand away, standing up and making her way over to the circle of Gryffindors. 

"What are those two doing?" Frankie asked, bumping her shoulder into him as she came closer. 

"Ageing potion, think it'll work?" Harry asked, taking a seat by the wall. 

"No way," Frankie laughed, sitting next to him as he beckoned her down, "If our Headmaster were that stupid, he'd have been replaced by now,"

Harry shared a laugh before focusing on the two twins as they stepped over the age line. Frankie leaned forward, placing her elbow on Harry's knee - which made him go rigid for a split second - as she waited for something to happen. A few seconds passed, as Frankie sat in disbelief, before those seconds were replaced with a harsh spluttering sound, and both twins were hurled out of the circle like sacks of potatoes. Harry let out a gasp of laughter but was silenced as both twins looked up at him. It was Frankie's turn to laugh, moving her elbow off Harry's knee as she rocked back slightly at the sight of their pristine white beards. 

"Harry, your turn," Frankie laughed. 

"No way," Harry chuckled, smiling down at Frankie, "I think I'll do better here,"

"I think you'd rock a beard," Frankie teased, "truthfully,"

Frankie had returned to the Hall with Theo and Draco beside her, bemused to see Pansy and Blaise in the exact position they had left them when Theo decided he couldn't handle their incessant chatter and chose instead to head to Hogsmede. 

"Do you think she ate at all today?" Draco asked, mirroring Frankie's exasperated expression. 

"She feeds on information," Theo grinned, ruffling Pansy's hair as they walked up to them. 

Pansy grumbled, trying to fix her fringe, "I'll have you know I did leave once or twice,"

Frankie laughed, seating herself opposite Pansy. She mostly ignored the plates in front of her, having filled her stomach with butterbeer, positioning her body so that she could see Dumbledore out of the corner of her eye. She desperately wanted to know who the Hogwarts champion would be, crossing her fingers that Saoirse's name would be called out. 

"Frankie," Erika had shoved her way into a seat opposite her, with Greer and Maisie standing beside her, bubbling with excitement, "Quidditch is on,"

"How'd you manage that?" Frankie asked, leaning closer to Erika as she lowered her voice. 

"Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons," Erika continued, ignoring her questions, "One team each, all technically friendly matches, but there'll be a winner at the end,"

"Quidditch matches aren't exactly discrete," Frankie pointed out, glancing up to see Madam Hooch chatting with Professor Flitwick, "Got a plan to keep it secret?"

"Well, it's going to happen in the dead of night," Erika said, as though it were the most obvious point ever, "Durmstrang and Beauxbatons won't have enough players, so students who don't have a team can play for them. Get the word out discreetly, and I'll let you know when the first match will happen,"

"What if Saoirse becomes Champion?" Frankie asked, "She won't be able to play,"

"We'll get another Keeper," Erika promised, "Saoirse deserves to be champion,"

Frankie was taken aback by Erika's lack of tunnel vision for Quidditch. It almost made her smile. Every Slytherin was secretly cheering for Saoirse. 

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions."

Frankie looked over to Erika, surprised to see she had vanished. Frankie craned her neck down the table, seeing she was already whispering to some Slytherins further down, who were looking about ready to jump up and down in glee. Frankie snorted, turning her attention back to Dumbledore, who was patiently waiting for the goblet to make a decision. 

Dumbledore caught a piece of charred parchment that had been shot out from the red flames. 

"The champion for Durmstrang," Dumbledore paused, smiling as students almost fell from their seats, "will be Viktor Krum."

A wave of thunderous applause filled the halls as some Durmstrange students whispered to one another with smiles and laughter. 

"You owe me five bucks,"

"What'd you expect to happen,"

Frankie waved her hand in the direction of some of the Durmstrang students, catching Daria and Niklas' attention. She made a gesture towards where Krum had disappeared to, mouthing a question, to which they nodded as Daria whispered a joke that created an eruption of laughter from the Durmstrang students around her. 

"The Hogwarts champion," Dumbledore announced, catching everyone's attention. The Slytherin table was a hub of jittering students, friends nudging friends who had put their name in as they waited for an answer that screamed green, "is Cedric Diggory!"

Frankie's head snapped towards Saoirse, only getting up to applaud the Hufflepuff boy when she saw Saoirse do the same. Erika was standing beside Saoirse, enveloping the girl in a hug as Saoirse's smile slipped slightly. 

"He'll be great," She could hear Saoirse say, shooting Cedric a thumbs up as he passed her, which he returned with a sweet smile. 

"Oi, guys," A group of Seventh years had shushed their entire table, as one of the boys pointed towards to goblet, "Something's happening,"

Frankie looked back at the goblet, which had resumed the same process it had carried out three times. It shot out another name, making some students gasp in surprise. Frankie watched intently, waiting for Dumbledore to speak. Whatever was scrawled on the paper was enough to surprise even their Headmaster, as his eyes practically bulged out of his face. 

Finally, Dumbledore spoke, his voice clear with no trace of the concern that had just been displayed, "Harry Potter,"

Frankie almost fell out of her seat.