Kirra knocked on Hagrid's door, and Fang's booming barks answered instantly
" 'Bout time!" said Hagrid, when he'd flung open the door. "Thought you'd forgotten where I live! I-" He stopped talking when he noticed the Slytherin boy standing next to her, a worried scowl made its way onto the man's face
"Sorry, i've just been really busy lately, you remember Jasper right Hag —" Kirra started to say, but then she stopped dead, looking up at Hagrid, apparently lost for words. Hagrid was wearing his best (and very horrible) hairy brown suit, plus a checked yellow-and-orange tie.
This wasn't the worst of it, though; he had evidently tried to tame his hair, using large quantities of what appeared to be axle grease. It was now slicked down into two bunches — perhaps he had tried a ponytail like Bill's, but found he had too much hair.
The look didn't really suit Hagrid at all. For a moment, Jasper and Kirra goggled at him, then, obviously deciding not to comment, she said, "Erm — where are the skrewts?"
"Out by the pumpkin patch," said Hagrid happily, sending small skeptical looks to Jasper. "They're gettin' massive, mus' be nearly three foot long now. On'y trouble is, they've started killin' each other."
"Oh no, really?" said Kirra who was feeling very sorry for Hagrid, she knew how much they meant to him, and she found it barbaric that they could kill their own kind... just like humans
"Yeah," said Hagrid sadly. " 'S' okay, though, I've got 'em in separate boxes now. Still got abou' twenty."
"Well, that's lucky," said Jasper. Hagrid missed the sarcasm, though the girl next to him clearly didn't as she sent him a small glare before looking back at Hagrid. Hagrid let out a small sigh as he looked at the pair in front of him, he guess he shouldn't be surprised anymore, after all, Ophelia was practically only friends with Slytherins too.
"Oh hello Hagrid, how is your day going?" The kind 4th year Hufflepuff asked the large 2nd year boy who was known for being very quiet. Hagrid looked up at the girl with a small smile, she was practically the only person in the whole school who didn't look at him like he was some kind of freak or a monster
"I- I'm good thank you Ophelia, I was just going down to the forest to see the Bowtruckles, I bring them food sometimes since they have to fight with a lot of other creatures in the forest for food and shelter," Hagrid said softly, his cheeks going pink as he tried his best to keep eye contact with the girl but failed to do so
Hagrid felt his stomach fill with butterflies as the girl smiled wider at him, "That's wonderful Hagrid, you wouldn't mind if I tagged along would you? I often go down their myself, but I haven't been in a while, I've just been so busy lately," She asked him softly, her beautiful green eyes staring into his own.
Hagrid instantly nodded his head, a wide smile making its way onto his face, "Of c-" Hagrid started, his cheeks almost completely red, but he was suddenly cut off by a few laughs behind him.
"Come on O, we are heading down to the library for a while. Ditch the Oaf and lets go," Avery told her with a wide grin as he and two other Slytherin boys walked up from behind Hagrid and then walked next to Ophelia.
"I just got us a shit ton of sweets from the kitchen so let's go princess," Nott said with a wide grin as he wrapped his hand around Ophelia's shoulders with a wide grin before looking Hagrid up and down with a look of disgust, the same look that the other two Slytherins were giving him
"actually guys, Hagrid and I already made plans, but I'll come up and find you guys later okay, make sure you save some for me." She told them with an awkward smile before turning to look at Hagrid, "You ready to go?"
Lestrange was the last boy to speak up, "Fuck that Oph, Riddle is waiting for you up in the library and he is in a shitty mood, so get your ass up there and calm him down. And stop hanging out with good for nothing Gryffindors, especially the big ugly ones like this freak right here."
Ophelia rolled her eyes and pushed Nott's arm off her and then shoved Lestrange back a bit, causing the boy to roll his eyes at her, "Come on Oph, don't fucking mess around, let's go," Lestrange told her, quickly losing his patience
"We all agreed this morning that we would be hanging out at the library to catch up on the potions shit that we got yesterday, you and Riddle are the smartest ones out of all of us and we all know that he won't help us," Avery told her, she nodded her head softly, knowing that he was right about Tom not helping them, the only person he helped was her.
"The homework is due tomorrow first period so cant you just help us with this and then hang out with-" Nott looked Hagrid up and down with a scowl on his face, "Hagrid tomorrow?"
"No, I'm going with Hagrid, you are just going to have to tell Tom the same thing I told you, that I'll come find you guys later, I made plans to hang out with Hagrid so that's what I'm going to do," Ophelia told him with a sten look before going to leave with Hagrid who was standing there awkwardly with fear radiating off him
"Come on Princess, thi-" Ophelia turned to look at her best friend with raised eyes, causing him to shut up and let out a small sigh. He dug into his pockets and pulled out a napkin that was holding a bunch of sweets, "Fine, I'll see you later but don't be too long, You know I can't stay with these morons too long without you,"
Ophelia grinned at the boy and took the sweets, thanking him, "Thanks Kai, I'll see you guys later okay, love you all!" she called before she began to skip out of the hall with a wide smile, Hagrid rushing to follow after her, not wanting to be left alone with the three Slytherin boys
"Love you too!" The three of them called back to her as they watched her leave, all of them wearing scowls on their faces as they watched their best friend leave with the 2nd year Gryffindor
"Great, now we have to deal with Riddle being in a shit mood by ourselves," Lestrange muttered out with a long sigh before the three of them made their way up to the Library where Tom was waiting anxiously for the boys to bring Ophelia back
Hagrid and Ophelia made their way down to the forest in silence before the Hufflepuff noticed how upset the boy was so she quickly decided to speak up, "Hey don't listen to those guys okay, you aren't a freak. They just don't like anyone who isn't in their house."
"Well they like you," Hagrid muttered out but covered his mouth quickly as if he had said something rude to the girl. Kirra frowned, not because of what he had said to her, but the fact that it was so clear that he had gone through so much in his life. He was one of the sweetest people that she had ever met and it hurt her to see someone this beautiful so broken
"Yeah I guess you're right Hagrid, I'm not really sure why, and it's not like they liked me in the beginning, Nott was my first friend out of all of them and then I guess I just got closer to the rest of them as time passed. They aren't so bad once you get to know them, and I try to keep them under control the best I can you know," she trailed off as they looked through the trees, making sure they didn't pass any Bowtruckles
"I'm not saying who you should and shouldn't be friends with, but I must say that I was surprised when I found out that someone as sweet as you would be friends with people like Nott, Avery and Lestrange... though I guess I can see why you are dating Riddle, he seems very smart and quiet," Hagrid told her softly, being careful of what he was saying, but also feeling comfortable saying stuff around her
"Yeah he is really smart, though he definitely isn't quiet," Ophelia told him with a smile. She looked forwards and found the bunch of trees where the Bowtruckles tended to hang out, and sure enough, there was about 20 of them talking amongst themselves, "there they are!" she said with a wide smile and the two of them made their way over to the tree.
Hagrid's cabin comprised a single room, in one corner of which was a gigantic bed covered in a patchwork quilt. A similarly enormous wooden table and chairs stood in front of the fire beneath the quantity of cured hams and dead birds hanging from the ceiling.
They sat down at the table while Hagrid started to make tea, and were soon immersed in yet more discussion of the Triwizard Tournament. Hagrid seemed quite as excited about it as they were.
"You wait," he said, grinning. "You jus' wait. Yer going ter see some stuff yeh've never seen before. Firs' task . . . ah, but I'm not supposed ter say."
"Go on, Professor Hagrid!" Jasper said which seemed to make Hagrid begin to warm up to him, that and the fact that Kirra had clearly gone through a lot this year, and Jasper had been the one to stick by her side the whole time,
Hagrid just shook his head, grinning. "I don' want ter spoil it fer yeh," said Hagrid. "But it's gonna be spectacular, I'll tell yeh that. Them champions 're going ter have their work cut out. Never thought I'd live ter see the Triwizard Tournament played again!"
They ended up having lunch with Hagrid, though they didn't eat much — Hagrid had made what he said was a beef casserole, but after Jasper unearthed a large talon in his, heand Kirra had rather lost their appetites.
However, they enjoyed themselves trying to make Hagrid tell them what the tasks in the tournament were going to be, speculating which of the entrants were likely to be selected as champions, and wondering whether Fred and George were beardless yet.
A light rain had started to fall by midafternoon; it was very cozy sitting by the fire, listening to the gentle patter of the drops on the window, watching Hagrid darning his socks and suddenly bringing up Kirra's past friends.
"He seems to be a lot different to your past friends Ophelia," he said softly with a small smile, threading a massive bone needle with thick yellow yarn. "I told yer that I wouldn't tell yer who to be friends with and who not ter be friends with. But I've known yer fer a long time Ophelia and I think Jasper is one of the good ones"
Jaspers attention seemed to be peaked at this, but he didn't know what to say, he wondered if he should then the man, or maybe he should tell him that he's wrong, that he was just like Kirra's past friends, but Kirra had spoken up
"I truly am sorry for what happened to you all those years ago, if I had known what Tom was doing, then I would have stopped him!" said Kirra in all honesty, and Hagrid knew she wasn't lying because she had stood up for Hagrid when it had happened and on many occasions before it had happened.
"I know Ophelia, I am very grateful that you were the first frien' I ever had, your friends are lucky to have you, I just pray to the gods that history wont repeat itself for the third time," Hagrid muttered out softly as he looked down at his socks
"It's alright Hagrid, you dont have to worry about me okay. I have high hopes for this life," she told Hagrid with a small smile. But it was a lie, and Hagrid knew it was a lie, everyone who knew the truth lived in fear that history would repeat itself and steal the girl away too early once again.
By half-past five it was growing dark, and Jasper and Kirra decided it was time to get back up to the castle for the Halloween feast — and, more important, the announcement of the school champions.
"I'll come with yeh," said Hagrid, putting away his darning. "Jus' give us a sec." Hagrid got up, went across to the chest of drawers beside his bed, and began searching for something inside it. They didn't pay too much attention until a truly horrible smell reached their nostrils.
Coughing, Kirra said, "Hagrid, what's that?"
"Eh?" said Hagrid, turning around with a large bottle in his hand.
"Don' yeh like it?"
"Is that aftershave?" said Jasper in a slightly choked voice.
"Er — eau de cologne," Hagrid muttered. He was blushing. "Maybe it's a bit much," he said gruffly. "I'll go take it off, hang on . . .He stumped out of the cabin, and they saw him washing himself vigorously in the water barrel outside the window.
"Eau de cologne?" said Kirra in amazement. "Hagrid? And what's with the hair and the suit?" said Kirra in an undertone.
"Look!" said Jasper suddenly, pointing out of the window. Hagrid had just straightened up and turned 'round. If he had been blushing before, it was nothing to what he was doing now. Getting to their feet very cautiously, so that Hagrid wouldn't spot them, Jasper and Kirra peered through the window and saw that Madame Maxime and the Beauxbatons students had just emerged from their carriage, clearly about to set off for the feast too.
They couldn't hear what Hagrid was saying, but he was talking to Madame Maxime with a rapt, misty-eyed expression Kirra had only ever seen him wear once before — when he had been looking at the baby dragon, Norbert.
"He's going up to the castle with her!" said Jasper indignantly. "I thought he was waiting for us!" Without so much as a backward glance at his cabin, Hagrid was trudging off up the grounds with Madame Maxime, the Beauxbatons students following in their wake, jogging to keep up with their enormous strides.
"He fancies her!" said Kirra incredulously.
Jasper nodded his head, "Well, if they end up having children, they'll be setting a world record — bet any baby of theirs would weigh about a ton." They let themselves out of the cabin and shut the door behind them.
It was surprisingly dark outside. Drawing their cloaks more closely around themselves, they set off up the sloping lawns. "Ooh it's them, look!" Kirra whispered. The Durmstrang party was walking up toward the castle from the lake. Viktor Krum was walking side by side with Karkaroff, and the other Durmstrang students were straggling along behind them.
Kirra watched Krum excitedly, but Krum did not look around as he reached the front doors a little ahead of Jasper and Kirra and proceeded through them. When they entered the candle lit Great Hall it was almost full.
The Goblet of Fire had been moved; it was now standing in front of Dumbledore's empty chair at the teachers' table. Fred and George — clean-shaven again — seemed to have taken their disappointment fairly well.
Jasper and Kirra said their goodbyes as they made their way to their house tables, since it was an important night, they had to sit at their own tables. "Good luck Ced, I really hope you get it," said Kirra as she sat down next to him and pat him on the back.
Cedric felt butterflies erupt in his stomach as the girl touched him and he struggled to hide the blush that consumed the cheeks on his handsome face. "Thanks Kirra, that means a lot coming from you!" said Cedric breathlessly.
A few people around the table smirked at the boy, they wondered how the hell the girl could be so oblivious over the fact that Cedric had practically been in love with her since half way through last year
"Well, we'll soon know!"
The Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual. Perhaps because it was their second feast in two days, Kirra didn't seem to fancy the extravagantly prepared food as much as he would have normally.
Like everyone else in the Hall, judging by the constantly craning necks, the impatient expressions on every face, the fidgeting, and the standing up to see whether Dumbledore had finished eating yet, Kirra simply wanted the plates to clear, and to hear who had been selected as champions.
At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet.
On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored.
"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" — he indicated the door behind the staff table — "where they will be receiving their first instructions."
He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes.
Everyone watched, waiting. . . . A few people kept checking their watches. . . . "Any second," one of the Hufflepuff beaters whispered, two seats away from Kirra. The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it.
The next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it — the whole room gasped. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.
"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."
"No surprises there!" yelled Ron as a storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall. Kirra saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table and slouch up toward Dumbledore; he turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.
"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you! The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more.
A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames. "The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is FleurDelacour!"
A girl who so resembled a veela got gracefully to her feet, shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair, and swept up between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. "Oh look, they're all disappointed," Ashleigh, the chaser of the Hufflepuff team over the noise, nodding toward the remainder of the Beauxbatons party.
"Disappointed" was a bit of an understatement, Kirra thought. Two of the girls who had not been selected had dissolved into tears and were sobbing with their heads on their arms. When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it.
The Hogwarts champion next . . .And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.
"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"
The uproar from the Hufflepuff table was too great. Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table.
Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again. "Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down.
"Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real —"
But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him. The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. Two long flames shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon them were another two pieces of parchment.
Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the two pieces of parchment. He held them out and stared at the names written upon them. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slips in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out —"Kirra and Harry Potter."