— "ANYTHING FROM THE TROLLEY? ANYTHING FROM THE TROLLEY?"
Nicole woke from her state of being half asleep and half awake. The voice of the trolley lady was really loud and was enough for her to wake up in surprise.
After the events of the Quidditch World cup, the Weasley's decided to shorten their stay. Harry had to come as well, since most of his stuff was back at the burrow. Nicole was a bit sad that the vacation was cut short but she was still happy— they enjoyed their stay.
Aurora and Nicole spent the whole night in their kitchen, waiting for their parents to arrive. At around midnight, their parents appeared— but both of them seemed tired.
They decided to let them be, and thought that they could just ask them what happened the next day. However, Noelle and Atlas weren't home that day.
Then the day after that. Then the day after that. Then after that. Then soon, it was time to go back to Hogwarts.
Their parents weren't with them at the train station as well, and Aurora and Nicole had to carry their own luggages with the help of Tilly the house elf.
"She's so loud, you know?" Nicole mumbled, stretching her arms and letting out a loud yawn. When no one replied to her, the girl looked around in confusion. "You know? The Trolley Lady?"
As if on cue, the trolley lady who always pushed the trolley came infront of them with a warm smile. "Anything from the trolley dears?"
"Packet of drewbals and a liquorice wand." The woman gave Ron his drewbals before he looked down to his hands to see that he didn't have enough money for it. "On second thought, just the drewbals."
"It's alright I'll get it." Harry was about to buy if for Ron, but the boy shook his head and snatched the drewbals away from the lady. "Just the drewbals, thanks."
"Two Cauldron cakes and five licorice wands." Nicole smiled, taking money out of her pocket and handed it to the lady. When she stood up, she whispered to make it six, and handed her the right amount.
Her friends didn't question her anymore. They knew Nicole loved to eat.
Once Harry talked to the lady and smiled at Cho Chang who went to go buy pumpkin pasties, Nicole pulled out the extra Licorice Wand she bought.
"The lady gave me an extra." she lied, handing it over to Ron. "You can have it. I only need five."
Ron was about to resist, but Nicole quickly opened the wrapper and shoved the licorice wand into his mouth.
Mcgonagowl started to play with Hedwig in the air. The quartet didn't seem that bothered, and Hermoine, who had been silent the whole time reading a newspaper finally spoke up.
"This is horrible, how can the ministry not know who conjured it. Isn't there any security or...?"
Ron bit the wand that Nicole shoved into his mouth. He had a few troubles talking but he eventually finished the candy. "Loads according to Dad, that's what worried them so much. Happened right under their noses." he explained.
Harry reached up and scratched his scar. Nicole, who was in the middle of trying to bite a licorice wand looked at him. "The thing is hurting again, isn't it?"
"You know I would appreciate it if you didn't call my scar a 'thing'." Harry stated, still rubbing his scar.
"You know Sirius will want to hear about
this. What you saw at the world cup,
and the dream." Hermoine said worriedly, the newspaper still in her hands.
It took Harry a lot of persuasion, (and Nicole threatening to punch him) to make Harry finally send Sirus a letter. He got some parchment and wrote to him, and sent Hedwig off with the letter.
Mcgonagowl followed him suit.
"Hey, what's she doing?" Nicole questioned, looking over to her owl who was flying beside Hedwig. "Do you think our owls shag?"
"Well, Mcgonagowl looks like she's gained weight, so maybe they are." Ron pointed out.
"Did you just call my owl fat?"
Not too long after that, they soon arrived at Hogwarts. As they were on the bridge and on their way to the castle, everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at the sky.
Something large, much larger than a broomstick — or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks — was hurtling across the deep blue sky to- ward the castle, growing larger all the time.
As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder- blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.
"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"
In the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor.
Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great slosh- ing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shal- lows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.
They were then ushered by Filch to go back to the castle. Everyone groaned, much wanting to see whatever came than the first years. However, it was that or detention. Nicole didn't really fancy the idea of having to go to detention before the school year even started.
What was only a few minutes felt like hours. Everyone was so excited to see what was going to happen that hardly anyone paid attention to the new students.
Aurora wasn't that excited. Draco had already told her and the rest of the Slytherins what was about to come— and sure she was excited, but she wasn't that excited.
"Now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement." Dumbledore stated once everyone was up. The doors to the great hall and Nicole turned around to see Filch running up to the headmaster in a funny way. The Gryffindors started giggling, while Dumbledore continued his speech. "This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been choosen..."
Once Filch catched up, he whispered something in his ear. He then went back running to the door.
"The Quidditch cup is cancelled this year—"
Nicole, along with the other Quidditch players, started to scream in protest. However, it was a bit awkward on their part since no one else was screaming, so Fred, George, and Nicole just shamefully sat down in their seats.
"So Hogwarts has been choosen to host
a legendary event. The Tri-Wizard tournament." Dumbledore continued. "Now for those of you who do not know, the tri-wizard tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete." His eyes trailed around the room. "Now let me be clear, if choosen 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 students of the Beauxbatons Academy of magic and their headmistress Madam Maxime!"
Everyone in the great hall cheered as a few students marched into the room with proud grins on their faces. Nicole watched with a frown, still annoyed they canceled Quidditch for this.
But her eyes brightened once she spotted someone in the crowd.
Nicole didn't even know him— it was her first time seeing him. It felt like the anger that was in her body completely vanished once she spotted a tall boy walking beside the students. It seemed like he noticed her staring, because he looked towards Nicole's direction, stared her in the eye, and winked at her.
Nicole felt the heat rise to her cheeks as the boy looked in her direction, he then grinned and she snapped her head away, knowing that if she continued to stare she might come of as a creep.
Nicole could feel his eyes still on her, she silently inhaled and exhaled, hoping that his thoughts about her were good.
"Hermoine!" Nicole hissed, hiding her face behind her friend's bushy hair once she spotted that all the Beauxbatons students were starting to take their seats amongst the house tables.
"What, Nic?"
"Please hide me, Hermoine. I can't show myself. I'm—"
"Excuse me, Is this seat taken?"
Nicole let out an unusual squeak, which made Hermoine look at her friend in surprise.
The girl slowly looked beside her to see the same Beauxbatons boy. Obviously, the seat wasn't taken but he wasn't sitting for some reason.
"Yeah." Nicole stated, her voice now normal. "I mean, yes you can take a seat because no, it's not taken."
Hermoine, who was busy watching the show that the Dumstrang boys were showing did a face palm when she heard Nicole.
"Oh." he said in his french accent, shooting her a smile that almost made her blush red again before sitting down on the seat beside her.
Nicole, who didn't know what to do, looked over to the Dumstrang boys. They did a lot of stunts and jumping and fire, and she thought it was rather dramatic. Ron and Harry were too busy fawning over Krum that they didn't notice the boy beside Nicole.
Dumbledore started talking again, and Nicole, who was trying to hide her red face, listened intensely. She normally didn't care about things like this but a pretty boy was beside her at the moment and she needed a distraction or else she was going to embarrass herself.
"Eternal glory, that is what awaits the student who wins the tri-wizard tournament. But to do this that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks."
"Em, er.. Miss Tomato?"
Nicole snapped her head towards the boy, who had a proud look on his face that he had managed to get her attention. "Miss Tomato?" she questioned, thinking that she didn't hear it right.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Your face is like a tomato." he replied in his soft french accent. If it was even possible, Nicole became more red than she already was. Great.
The girl felt another boy glaring at her from the side of her face, and turned around to spot Harry to seemed to look like he was quite annoyed.
"What?" Nicole whispered.
Harry just shook his head.
Nicole sighed, looking back at Dumbledore in an attempt to hide her face once more. "For this reason the ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this we have the head of the department of international magic cooperation Mister Bartimus Crouch."
At that moment, lighting struck inside the great hall. Nicole jumped and looked up at the ceiling, where dark rain clouds came and water started to drip. The girl frowned, but everyone else seemed to be panicking.
A sudden stream of light was shot up at the ceiling, and the roof was sealed again. It looked normal, and Nicole stared at the strange man in confusion. Although the pretty french boy beside her was still in her head, she stared at the man in confusion. He had one normal looking eye, and one large blue one that zoomed around in all directions.
"Bloody hell, it's Mad-Eye Moody." Ron mumbled.
"Alastor Moody? The auror?"
"What's an Auror?" Dean Thomas questioned.
"He was a dark wizard catcher." Ron explained. "Half the cells in Azkaban are full thanks to him. He's supposed to be mad as a hatter though these days."
Mad eye limped over to the professors table beside Dumbledore.
"My dear old friend, thanks for coming." Dumbledore smiled.
"That stupid roof."
They parted ways and went to go stand by the door. He took a swig from his flask and shook it.
"What's that he's drinking do you suppose?"
"It's alcohol, Seamus." Nicole stated. Once she looked towards Seamus direction, she had forgotten the pretty french boy was still there. While she froze, he gave her another grin which made her snap back to reality and listen to Crouch, who was now standing on the podium.
"After much deliberation the ministry has concluded that for their own safety no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the tri-wizard tournament. This decision is final!"
He spoke up in the end since most Hogwarts students started booing loudly.
"THAT'S RUBBISH!" screamed Fred.
"That's rubbish! You don't know what
you're doing!" George added.
"Silence!" Dumbledore shouted. The hall immediately went silent, knowing better than to piss the calm headmaster off.
Dumbledore then casted magic over a box which melds into a goblet containing a blue flame.
"The goblet of fire." he announced. "Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely 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 choosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the tri-wizard tournament has begun."
"Miss Tomato? May I know your name?"
Nicole inhaled, looking over to the pretty french boy once again. He had a soft smile on his face, and Nicole was about to go red but she started to think about disgusting scenarios in her head to stop herself from blushing.
Both Harry and Ron were glaring at the boy.
"I'm Nicole Yvaine Hwang." she introduced herself.
"You have a middle name? How come—"
"Ron shut up." Hermoine whispered, hitting the two boys. Harry was about to protest about him getting hit to when he didn't do anything. However, afraid that Hermoine might hit them again, they stoped.
"Beautiful name." the boy smiled, looking at the table where the food started to appear. Nicole started of thinking of toads to gross her out so she wont blush.
"My name is Ellis Antoine Dubois." he introduced himself. "I'm from Beauxbatons."
"I've kind of got that part noted." Nicole joked, taking a baguette from the middle of the table. She was about to use a knife to cut it but Ellis chuckled, which made her look at him.
"What?"
"You don't knife the baguette." he said in an all knowing tone. He then grabbed the piece of bread and pulled it apart, maintaining eye contact with Nicole. "You tear it apart."
"Nicole look, it's Bouillabaisse!"
Nicole tore her eyes away from the boy and looked at Harry, who was desperately pointing to the shellfish stew. Nicole was confused, and by the looks of it, so was Hermoine.
Nicole shot him a frantic look; trying to tell him to shut up because she was talking to a cute boy, but Harry didn't do anything. He still had his hand pointed at the shellfish stew.
"Excuse me, are you wanting the bouillabaisse?"
Nicole tore her eyes away from the stew and looked at what could have been the most beautiful she's ever seen. A long sheet of silvery-blonde hair fell almost to her waist. She had large, deep blue eyes, and very white, even teeth.
"Hello, Ellis. What ahre you doing here?" she asked in her much thicker accent once she spotted the boy from her school.
"I went to sit beside zis pretty girl."
Nicole blushed again; Harry scowled.
"I know you. You ahre ze daughtair of..." Fleur trailed off, the name on the tip of her tongue. "Mr. Hwang! Yes. The french love your father. They find him really good looking. I'm Fleur Delacour, it iz nice to meet you."
She extended her hand and smiled at her.
Nicole slowly shook her hand, still distracted at how pretty she was.
"It was nice meeting you, Miss Hwang." With that, Fleur left the table and went to walk back to her friends who sat with Cho Chang.
"Miss Tomato?"
"Nic would be fine." Nicole rushed out, holding a butter knife threateningly at Harry and Ron who were sill staring at Ellis with a frown.
"Yes. Nic." he corrected himself. Nicole couldn't help but notice how handsome he was as he talked. Whatever he was saying blanked out in her mind as she stared at his freckles— she found them really pretty.
"— tomorrow?"
"What?" Nicole asked, shaking her head. The girl then slapped herself, before looking back at Ellis. "I'm sorry, I zoned out."
"Please do not slap yourself." he started. "And I was asking if you are available tomorrow? Our Headmistress told us to get used to Hogwarts since we will be staying here for long. If it is okay with you can you give me a tour?"
Nicole blinked. Once. Then twice. Then three times.
"Actually I don't think Nicole can go since we have class—"
"Of course I will." Nicole smiled, cutting Harry off. "Yeah, I can. What time do you wanna? I mean, what time do you want me to show you the castle grounds."
"Any time is good." he replied softly.
"So uh.." Nicole changed the subject. "Are you planning on placing your name in the goblet?"
"I was supposed to." Ellis frowned, as if he was thinking of something. "But they changed the regulations last minute. I cant join. I 'ave just turned sixteen."
"Oh." Nicole nodded in understanding, taking a drink out of the pumpkin juice that was on the table. The girl shot her eyes at Hermoine as if asking her for help, but the girl just ignored her and shot her a smirk.
"Miss Nicole?"
Nicole tried to not smile at how formal Ellis was being right now. "Hm?"
"Excusez-moi mademoiselle mais vous êtes absolument charmante."
"I don't speak French, Ellis."
"Well, let me translate it for you." Ellis smiled, moving closer to Nicole. Harry, who was beside Hermoine mumbled for her to do something, but Hermoine was just smiling at the pair.
Harry felt more annoyed when Nicole turned red again for what felt like the 100th time that night.