"Nevy!" I shouted as I spotted him on the platform. At first, he couldn't tell where the shout came from so he twirled around for a moment before seeing me. His eyes lit up and he grew that Longbottom smile we all loved as he pushed past the students in his way. I sped up and jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"LORI!" He burrowed his head in the crook of my neck as we hugged. Which must have looked bloody idiotic seeing as Neville was already almost six feet tall and I was just about five and six inches. We stood and hugged for a good three minutes until he pulled back.
"I got so nervous when you didn't answer my letters after the World Cup! I thought you got hurt!" He said as we began to walk off towards the train.
"Well, I did get lost from the group. Which caused me to gash my cheek again." I said. He turned and looked at me examining my cheek. "There is no new scar, Nevile. Don't worry."
"You have a scar at all?" He smiled at me. I smirked, knowing he was just saying that.
"Cute Nevy. Real cute." We started to get on the train and walking to our normal car when I stopped remembering a promise I made. "Merlin."
"What's wrong?" Neville asked as he looked back.
"I promised Ced I'd ride with him and his friends to Hogwarts." I looked down at the floor and prepared for Neville to be angry, seeing as we had been riding to Hogwarts together since our second year officially.
"Alright..."
"That's it? 'Alright?"
"Yeah. It makes sense. He is your ... boyfriend ... and you do love him so, it makes sense." Neville said as he walked over and gave me a hug. "Just promise us the ride back home, okay?"
"Of course," I said. I noticed Dean and Seamus were walking up behind Neville and I quickly waved at them before turning to find Cedric standing a few feet away.
"You almost forgot didn't you?"He joked as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
"Maybe," I responded as he laid a kiss on my cheek. We walked to his car with his buddies and began the long trek to Hogwarts.
~*Neville's POV*~
I watched as Lori held Diggory's hand. She truly enjoyed spending time with him, and he was really good to her. However, it didn't change the fact I still had feelings for her. I probably always will.
"Are you ever gonna tell her mate?" Seamus said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah. You've only been crushing on her since our first year." Dean added as he came on the other side of me. "By keeping these feelings hidden, your only hurting yourself."
"What am I supposed to do, then?!" I spat. "Walk up to her and tell her I'm head over heels for her? Ruin a friendship? Possibly ruin a happy relationship?" I sighed as I watched her disappear with Cedric.
"Nev we-" Seamus started.
"It's okay, Seamus," I said cutting him off. "Let's just go sit, and get ready for Hogwarts."
~*Lori's POV*~
The train ride was a long one, and extremely boring compared to my previous years. All Cedric and his buddies talked about were Quidditch. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Quidditch but at least I don't scream about my favorite teams. Honestly, it was like I was surrounded by twenty boys when it was really only five!
Luckily I was able to get away from their loud voices once we got to the station. I scanned the crowd getting off the train and saw Dean on Seamus's shoulders. I rolled my eyes as I sprinted over to them.
"There she is!" He called as he jumped over Seamus's head and greeted me with open arms.
"Hello, boys!" I said whilst hugging Dean. After him, I gave Seamus a quick hug before hugging Neville once more. "How was your summer?"
"Quite boring, besides the World Cup," Dean said. "That wasn't just amazing ... it was quite scary!"
"Oh yeah! They do target Muggleborns don't they?" I said.
"Yeah, what freaked me out the most was they were tossing around the Muggles running the local inn!" Dean said while shivering. "It bothers me to even think about it." I squeezed his shoulder and motioned for us to get into a carriage before we were left behind.
Once we had arrived we were walking around before heading to the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. While walking near the greenhouses when we heard sounds and chattering. "What is going on?" Dean asked as we approached the group.
"I dunno," Seamus replied but then we saw. A number of large Abraxan winged horses flew into the school grounds with a large golden carriage trailing behind them. The sun was bouncing off the golden carriage casting a golden light on all of our faces. Hagrid was helping them land and had to jump out of the way.
"That's something you don't see every day!" George spoke, along with Lee and Fred followed behind us.
"Look!" Shouted a female voice from a few feet away. We all turned to see a colossal ship emerge out of the Black Lake. The ship had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck from the bottom of the ocean. It was sloshing around until it finally started gliding towards the bank. Professors started running over to get us all inside but we were able to hear an anchor being thrown into the water and the sound of a gangplank hitting the wooden dock.
"People are disembarking!" George shouted as we were entering the castle. We could make out a bunch of people walking down the plank, dressed in shaggy matted fur coats, even though it wasn't even that cold out. I tried to get a better look, to hopefully figure out where they were from. Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall was shoving all of us students inside towards the Great Hall for the welcoming feast.
"Wonder who they are!" Lee said as we sat down at the Gryffindor table. "Rarely get visitors from unknown places, ya know."
"Of course we know Lee! We've only been going here for six bloody years!" Fred replied. "To repeat what Alicia said last year 'No wonder you aren't in Ravenclaw!'"
"Oh shut it!" Lee snapped.
I giggled while overhearing their conversation, that was until my group had a similar conversation.
"You don't think, were getting overrun do you?" Neville said. "I-I mean, you don't think they're bad wizards, right?"
"Nev, I highly doubt that we are getting overrun by evil wizards. Even with what happened at the Quidditch World Cup." Seamus responded. I nodded about to continue reassuring Neville, but Dumbledore got up and began to speak.
"Welcome, back ladies, gentlemen, ghosts, staff, to another splendid year at Hogwarts! This year will definitely be a year to remember, for many reasons, but more on that later." He said in his normal cheerful, soft, airy voice. "Now. There is, quite a nasty rumor going around already that Quidditch will not be played this year. That rumor, I'm here to tell you ... is sadly absolutely true." Everyone started shouting, mainly from the Slytherin table which was actually resorting to making gestures at Dumbledore.
"Rubbish!" Ron remarked from his seat. "This year going to be boring without Quidditch!"
"SILENCE! Now, I am sorry if Quidditch makes or breaks your school year. However, it is canceled only because of a very exciting event that is taking place here at Hogwarts this year." He started once again. "This castle will not only be our home this year but the home to some very special guests as well. Hogwarts has been chosen to host -" Right as he was about to announce clearly something huge, Filch came running into the Great Hall. He was huffing and puffing up a storm running between the Hufflepuff table and the Gryffindor table. Once he got to Dumbledore he was out of breath and only saying about half the words he probably intended to say.
"Mr. Filch, our beloved caretaker has informed me that the list of objects forbidden within the castle now includes, Screaming YoYos, Fanged Frisbees, Ever-Bashing Boomerangs, and Chocolate Covered Frogs." Half of the students groaned while some laughed at the actual chances of them being banned. "I'm only joking about the Chocolate Frogs. The full list of banned items is some four hundred and thirty-seven items and may be viewed in Mr. Filch's office. There is a reasonable explanation. You see, Hogwarts this year will be playing host to a legendary event. An event that has not taken place in over one hundred years. The Triwizard Tournament!"
"You're joking!" Fred shouted. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley. Now for those of you who do not know, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests or better known as tasks. Each school will have a single contestant selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen ... you stand alone, and trust me when I say these tasks are not for the faint of heart. Now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their beautiful Headmistress Madame Maxime."
The Great Hall doors swung open and a group of girls in uniforms of all the different shades of the color blue came waltzing in. They would walk a few steps and extend their arms out and sigh. Once they got to the front of the hall they released some magical butterflies out of their sleeves.
"Bloody hell," Ron spoke out loud as he watched the girls with awe. His mouth was slowly starting to drop, and Ginny quickly tapped it back up for him. I turned to get a better look at the rest of the tables and basically, all the boys were watching like they were the Veela from the Quidditch World cup.
"Blimey, that's one big woman!" Seamus said patting Dean on the shoulder. I glanced and saw Madame Maxime walked past, she was indeed tall, probably even taller than Hagrid! Once they finished, Dumbledore went down and met her and kissed her hand, and escorted her to the chair on his right.
"And no our friends from the North, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their High Master Igor Karkaroff." The doors once again burst open as the Durmstrang boys entered the Great Hall. Many of them had staffs they were banging on the ground, and tossing them between their hands. How any girls found that attractive, I'll never know. However, when they started doing flips and tricks my attention was solely on the boys.
"Blimey, it's him! Viktor Krum!" Ron basically screamed. We all turned to see him enter alongside their high master. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the famous Quidditch player, many girls started waving their hands at their faces like they were going to faint. Which I found slightly funny, I mean, Krum was a handsome-looking man, after all, but he honestly looked scarier than anything. To finish their grand entrance three boys from the front of the group blew fires out of their wands. Poor Dumbledore almost had to duck as one of the flames barely touched the top of his head.
"Now, that everyone is settled, I have two more words to say." Professor Dumbledore said as he went back to his seat. "Tuck in!" With a wave of his hand all of our plates and goblets filled with delicious food. We all piled food onto our plates and began to eat. I was in mid-bite when I heard Fred's voice.
"I want to enter!" Fred said. "Actually, I'm going to enter."
"Abso-bloody-lutely not!" I snapped at him. "Fred, it's too risky!"
"You can't stop me!"
"I bloody well can, and will! Fred, listen. Witches and Wizards have DIED!"
"So? That was a long time ago!" George inputted.
"George! Not you too!" I moaned.
"Yep." He smiled.
"Mum will go bonkers."
"She won't find out, Ginny and Ron won't say a word. So all that's left is for you to promise." George said leaning down the table.
"I will do no such thing! If you guys enter, she has the right to know. Being you might get killed!" I snapped jabbing my fork at a piece of ham.
"Come on, Ri Ri! The chances we get picked are slim! Just let us enter!" Fred whined.
"Fine!" I gave up. "If you get chosen and die, I will bring you back to life and kill your arse again!" I said. They nodded and went back to eating and discussing possible pranks between the three of them. I focused on eating, trying to brush the thoughts of them possibly dying out of my head.
Just then a note appeared on my plate. I sighed and picked it up.
Ri Ri,
Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Trust me, I'll live to see my seventeenth. Bloody hell, I'll live to see my hundredth! Just let us have some fun, 'kay? Love you!
Freddie Teddy
I looked over and made eye contact with Fred and smiled over at him. Wherever would I be without my older brothers?