Everyone sits in the Great Hall and watches as the first years get sorted into their houses. I clap a little louder every time Gryffindor gains another student. Once a Gryffindor always a Gryffindor.
Dumbledore stands up from his seat. "Now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen..." Filch comes running down the aisle and up to Dumbledore. He whispers something in his ear before running back out. "So, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. The Triwizard tournament. Now for those of you who do not know, the Triwizard tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen 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 ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of magic and their headmistress Madam Maxime."
A group of girls dressed in blue dance up the aisle and release butterflies into the air. They bow and everyone applauds. Headmistress Madam Maxime is a rather tall woman towering over most everyone in the room. Blimey, she's even bigger than Hagrid.
"And now our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and the high master Igor Karkaroff," Dumbledore states.
A series of older boys walk up the aisle brandishing bo staffs, twirling them around and periodically stabbing them into the ground with a spark effect. Walking down the aisle with Igor is Viktor Krum. The boys breathe fire in a rather dramatic way.
"Albus!" Igor greets.
"Igor," Dumbledore states as they embrace. Dumbledore walks towards the students. "Hogwarts, let's entertain our friends in the best way we can. All stand." Everyone stands up from their seats. "Maestro, please."
Everyone from Hogwarts starts to sing our school song. It's nothing compared to fire breathing and dancing but it's ours and we're proud of it. After the song the students sit back down, and our guests settle in. Food magically appears on all the tables, and the hall is filled with awe and chatter.
"Professor Dumbledore, my horses have travelled a long way. They will need attending to," Madame Maxime tells Dumbledore.
"Not to worry Madame Maxime, our gamekeeper Hagrid's more than capable of seeing to them," Dumbledore assures.
"But you know Monsieur Hagrid, they drink only single malt whiskey," Madame Maxime tells Hagrid.
I look on in shock as Hagrid accidentally stabs Professor Flitwick in the hand with a fork.
"You idiot!" Flitwick shouts.
"Your attention please!" Dumbledore shouts. "I would like to say a few words. Eternal glory, that is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard tournament. But to do this that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks. 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," Dumbledore tells everyone.
Thunder roars overhead, rain begins leaking through the roof and screams break out. A strange man stands in the doorway, he casts some magic upwards and seals the roof. Everyone calms down. It's Mad-Eye Moody. Mad-Eye Moody got his name because of the mechanical eye of his. He limps, breathing heavily as he goes. I worked with him quite a bit when I was an Auror. He's a great man but a bit mad. I'd trust him with my life though if I needed to.
"My dear old friend, thanks for coming," Dumbledore greets.
"That stupid roof," Mad-Eye Moody remarks before taking a drink.
"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 Triwizard tournament. This decision is final," Bartimus Crouch explains.
People are unsettled. Some start to boo, Fred and George being among them.
"That's rubbish!" Fred shouts.
"You don't know what you're doing!" George shouts.
"Silence!" Dumbledore shouts. Dumbledore casts magic over a box which melds into a goblet containing a blue flame. "The goblet of fire. 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 chosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the Triwizard tournament has begun."
Everyone has been buzzing about the tournament. All the older students have been placing their names into the Goblet. I think if this had happened while I was a student, I would have put my name in the goblet. I didn't have a care in the world at seventeen. All I wanted to do was finish school so I could be with Rowan. I didn't have Madeline yet. We weren't tied down. Now I'm just happy Maddie is too young to enter. I don't think I could handle it if she were in the tournament.
As I walk past the Great Hall, I spot Fred and George walking in. The other students start to cheer for them. I stand in the doorway and watch curiously.
"Thank you thank you, well lads we've done it," Fred states.
"Cooked it up just this morning," George adds.
"It's not going to work," Hermione tells them.
Fred and George lean down next to her.
"Oh yeah? And why's that, Granger?" George asks.
Hermione points to the circle on the ground around the goblet. "You see this? This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself."
"So?" Fred asks.
"So, a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something pathetically dimwitted such as an age potion," Hermione states.
Fred smirks. "That's why it's so brilliant."
Both Fred and George stand up potions in hand.
"Ready Fred?" George asks.
"Ready George?" Fred asks.
Fred and George intertwine their arms. "Bottoms up." They smile as they drink the potions.
They jump inside the age line, and cheer. Smug with what they've managed to pull off. They high-five after putting their names in the flame. Suddenly the flame fires up and Fred and George are thrown backwards out of the circle. They land with a thud on the floor. When they get up, they have full heads of grey hair and beards.
They both point at one another. "You said..."
The twins begin to roll around on the floor fighting with one another over whose fault it truly is. Everyone gathers around cheering them on. I shake my head slightly as I laugh.
I stand over a still seated Fred and George. "Age potion?"
"I really thought it was going to work," Fred states.
"Can you fix it?" George questions.
I shake my head. "You're just going to have to wait for it to wear off."
"And how long will that take?" Fred asks.
I shrug my shoulders. "Don't know."
"Come on," Fred and George say at the same time.
"You're a professor," Fred states.
"There's gotta be something," George adds.
I let out a laugh. "Nope. You're just going to have to live with the consequences of your actions." Fred and George give me a look. "Alright so I'm not very good with the whole discipline thing. But give it a few hours, days, weeks maybe..."
"Weeks?" Fred and George shout.
I laugh. "Who knows."
The room suddenly becomes silent as Viktor Krum walks in and puts his name in the flame. Everyone at this school is intimidated by him and I can see why. For heaven's sake he's only eighteen and he's already played in the quidditch world cup. He's definitely the strongest competitor Durmstrang has to offer.
I walk over towards Maddie and smile as I sit beside her. "Would you put your name in the goblet if you could?" I ask.
Maddie nods her head. "For sure." I laugh lightly. "Would you have? If you were seventeen?"
I nod my head. "For sure."
"Would my dad have?" Maddie asks.
I've told Maddie a lot about her father. How we meet, some of the stupid things we did when were students at Hogwarts. I made sure she knew how much her father loved her. That he gave his life so the world could be a safer place for her. Since what happened last term, I've been telling her more about Rowan and his Marauders friends.
"I think he would have. He was rather brave." I laugh lightly. "With a touch of recklessness." Maddie smiles slightly. I bump my shoulder into hers. "Come on. It's time for dinner."
Everyone is gathered in the Great Hall. Tonight is the night we find out who will be representing their school in the tournament.
"Sit down please. And now the moment you've all been waiting for, the champions selection!" Dumbledore announces. He approaches the blue flame, and it glows red. A name flies out. I can feel the tension in the air. "The Durmstrang champion is... Viktor Krum!" The Durmstrang crowd cheer. Another name flies out. "The champion from Beauxbatons... Fleur Delacour! The Beauxbatons girls cheer as Fleur walks up. Another name flies out. "The Hogwarts champion..." Everyone from Hogwarts holds their breath. "Cedric Diggory!"
We all cheer for Cedric as he takes the stage with the rest of the champions. He shouldn't be underestimated just because he is a Hufflepuff. He's kind but he's also smart and courageous.
"Excellent! We now have our three champions! But in the end only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory the Triwizard cup!" Dumbledore shouts.
People cheer, but then fall silent as the goblet glows red once more and another name flies out.
Dumbledore takes the name and looks at it in shock and confusion. "Harry Potter. Harry Potter?" Everyone looks around in confusion. "Harry Potter!"
"What?" I ask.
With a slight push from Hermione Harry slowly walks up. Dumbledore gives him the paper.
"He's a cheat!"
"He's not even seventeen yet!"
Dumbledore isn't very happy with the last name drawn, and quite frankly neither am I. Dumbledore, followed by the rest of us, makes his way to the room where the champions are. He's been shouting the whole way here. Dumbledore bursts into the room and grabs Harry.
"Harry! Did you put your name in the goblet of fire?" Dumbledore questions.
Harry shakes his head. "No sir."
"Did you ask one of the older students to do it for you?" Dumbledore questions.
"No sir," Harry repeats.
"You're absolutely sure?" Dumbledore asks.
"Yes sir," Harry insists.
"Well of course he is lying," Madame Maxime states.
"The hell he is!" Mad-Eye shouts. "The goblet of fire is an exceptionally powerful magical object, only an exceptionally powerful conjurer could have hoodwinked it. Magic way beyond the talents of a fourth year."
"You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought Mad-Eye," Igor states.
"It was once my job to think as dark wizards do, Karkaroff perhaps you remember?" Mad-Eye counters.
"That doesn't help Alastor." Dumbledore walks over to Bartimus Crouch. "Leave this to you Barty."
"The rules are absolute; the goblet of fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. Potter has no choice, he is as of tonight... a Triwizard champion," Crouch states.
Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Mad-Eye, and I are standing in Dumbledore's office discussing the Harry Potter situation.
"This can't go on Albus. First the dark mark, now this?" McGonagall remarks.
"What do you suggest, Minerva?" Dumbledore questions.
"Put an end to it. Don't let Potter compete," McGonagall tells him.
"You heard Barty, the rules are clear," Dumbledore states.
"Well, the devil with Barty and his rules. And since when did you accommodate the Ministry?" I remark.
"Master I too find it difficult to believe this mere coincidence, if we are to truly discover the meaning of these events perhaps, we should for the time being let them unfold," Snape offers.
"What? Do nothing? Offer him up as bait? Harry is a boy not a piece of meat," I state.
"I agree with Severus. Alastor, keep an eye on Harry, will you?" Dumbledore says.
Mad-Eye nods. "I can do that."
"Don't let him know though, he must be anxious enough as it is... knowing what lies ahead. Then again, we all are," Dumbledore says.