The week leading up to the arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students was a stressful one. Professor McGonagall was much stricter than usual, Professor Aurora Sinistra had given the students three essays to write about the constellations of their choice (Y/n had chosen the Andromeda constellation, for her mother), Professor Snape - although nicer to his Slytherins - was grumpier than ever and had given another few essays for them to write, and Moody was enjoying himself with imperio'ing his students, still. To top it all off, Fred Weasley had seemed to have changed his mind about his course lessons, and 'coincidentally' had chosen all the courses Y/n was in; all to annoy her even more, she supposed. He did keep up with the promise he had made, he didn't 'prank' the metamorphmagus anymore, thank Salazar. To Y/n's dismay, however, did he now show up at every single place Y/n went to. Y/n was in the library? Fred was there, too. Y/n was in the courtyard? Fred and George were sitting there planning another prank on some poor first-year.
On the day of arrival, the teachers were the most on edge. Understandably, of course.
At 07:45 Y/n arrived at breakfast with Cyprian and sat down at the end of the Slytherin table.
'Are those Weasleys still annoying you?'
'Salazar, yes! That damned Fred Weasley seems to follow me everywhere I go, as if seeing him in every fucking lesson wasn't enough yet,' Y/n groaned.
'Good morning, Y/n!' Said somebody behind her. She didn't even have to turn around to see who it was. That fucking Weasley.
'We're not on first name basis, Weasley,' she snarled, not turning around as she gripped the fork she was holding tighter.
'Alright, Y/n,' he smirked, and Y/n snapped her head to him in annoyance.
'Fucking hell! Just go to your table. Remember when I said: leave me alone?'
'Hmm... yes, I do. And I also remember you said for once, not twice,' he smiled. 'But I'll leave you be for now.'
With that he walked away with that stupid toothy grin on his face.
'That stupid boy, that stupid grin, that stupid hair! I'm gonna kill him if he'll continue this shit,' Y/n snarled, gripping the fork even tighter.
'Alright there, Y/n, calm your Hippogriffs,' Cyprian laughed, placing a hand on hers. 'As much as I'd like to see that, I don't want us to get expelled.'
Y/n looked at the hand, wrapping hers around his.
'I'm not actually gonna kill him... I'm gonna hex him into oblivion,' she said proudly, before taking back the hand that was holding Cyprian's to continue eating.
'Now that's a good idea,' Cyprian nodded, taking a bite out of the toast he had put on his plate.
Y/n took a glass of orange juice and took a sip, taking a glance at the Gryffindor table where the Weasley boys were proudly laughing; they were surrounded by countless of people.
'Look at them,' Y/n scoffed, 'laughing about those boys' idiosity.' She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
Cyprian glanced over to the table, coincidentally making eye contact with the boy he loathed the most. Cyprian had been in love with Y/n since the year they met, always treated her like an angle and never did anything to hurt her; now Fred Weasley tried to get her attention while all he ever did to her was try to harm her? Idiotic!
He protectively wrapped an arm around Y/n's shoulder, 'Don't pay any mind to them, it's not worth it.'
On the other side of the Great Hall were Fred and George Weasley, they were surrounded by numerous people, all laughing at their little antics. Fred, the oldest twin, had paid attention to Y/n Tonks the whole time he was in the Great Hall, most importantly on Cyprian Caller. That boy had his arm wrapped protectively around the girl as if she was his; she was not (at least Fred thought so).
'Since when does Caller have a crush on Y/n?' he asked his twin brother, placing his chin in the palm of his hand.
'Are you blind? He has had a crush on her for years,' George swatted the back of Fred's head in stupidity. 'A better question is since when do you have a crush on Y/n Tonks?'
Fred looked away from the scene, Y/n was now laughing loudly about something Cyprian had said.
'What would be so funny about Cyprian Caller?' Fred snarled, finally looking at George. 'Oh, dear brother, would you be so surprised if I told you I have liked her too for years?'
George widened his eyes, 'Yes.'
His twin brother rolled his eyes, looking at the spot where Y/n and Cyprian had just sat (they had left without him knowing).
'Well, Georgie, now you know,' Fred glanced behind him where a Hufflepuff girl walked past him.
'Hey, Fred,' she said, twirling her blond her around her finger.
The boy nodded in acknowledgement.
George scoffed next to him, nudging his twin brother to the side. 'Why would you chose a girl that clearly doesn't like you to fall for, when you have countless of girls do like you?'
'I don't care about those girls,' Fred glared.
'I only like my one true love Y/n Tonks,' George batted his eyes with a mocking voice.
'Oh, shut up,' his twin brother, in spite of himself, laughing along.
~
'Miss Burns,' Snape said loudly over the crowd of Slytherins, 'put on your tie normally, this isn't a circus. Mr. Caller, keep your hands off Miss Tonks.'
Snape was going everyone in the crowd, trying to make everyone look spotless just like every other head of house was doing.
Cyprian rolled his eyes, stopping with poking Y/n.
'How do you guys suppose they will get here?' Esmeralda asked between a yawn, hadden just stepped out of her bed fifteen minutes earlier.
'Apparating maybe?' Cyprian questioned, but regretting it immediately, being lightly swatted on the head by Y/n.
'Of course not you idiot, you can't apparate on the Hogwards grounds,' Y/n rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.
'Oh, well I'm sorry, Miss Tonks,' Cyprian mocked, poking her in the side making her yelp.
'DON'T! Don't,' Y/n mock glared, her hair changing into a light pink. She glanced up at her hair letting out an exasperated sigh and shaking her head making it turn back to her normal h/c hair.
'Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!' Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers.
'Where?' said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.
'There!' called Cyprian, pointing over the forest, his other hand gripping onto Y/n's arm.
Something large, much larger than a broomstick — or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks — was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.
'It's a dragon!' shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely.
'Don't be stupid ... it's a flying house!' said Dennis Creevey, a Gryffindor loudly.
Dennis's guess was closer ... 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, powderblue, 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 elephant.
'Look at that, Cyp! Look!' Y/n gasped in shock, 'Are you seeing this?' She gripped onto his arm firmly, her fingernails digging into his skin, lightly stinging him, but he couldn't be bothered.
'Yeah,' he nodded, his light brown face filled with shock.
The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed — and then, with an almighty crash that made Fred jump backward onto Y/n's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.
'OW!' Y/n winced. 'Watch what you're doing, carrottop!'
Fred turned around with a sheepish smile. 'Sorry,' he grinned.
'Sorry, my ass!' She shoved him forward again with a light force.
'Woah,' Fred laughed, 'Careful there, Y/n.'
'For the last time, it's Tonks for you, Weasley,' and then she turned back to the crowd where a boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully.
Y/n turned to Esmeralda, 'If the booys in here would look like that, perhaps school wouldn't be that bad.'
Esmeralda grinned, 'That's what I was thinking.'
'Hmm, what about your new boyfriend, ey?' The h/c girl nudged her best friend lightly.
'I'm allowed to look at boys, Y/n/n,' Esmeralda rolled her eyes, fluffing up her poofy hair, 'just not do anything with them.'
Then everyone saw a shining, high-heeld black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage — a shoe the size of a child's sled — followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman they had ever seen in their life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped including Y/n.
'Salazar, and I thought Hagrid was big,' she murmured to Cyprian, leaning into his side.
'My thought exactly.'
But this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting, wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was reavealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.
Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into aupplause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman.
Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.
'My dear Madame Maxime,' Dumbledore said, 'Welcome to Hogwarts.'
'Dumbly-dorr,' said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. 'I 'ope I find you well?'
'In excellent form, I thank you,' said Dumbledore.
'This is not what I had expected from Beauxbatons,' Y/n whispered, standing on her tip-toes to look over Fred Weasley. 'Weaslebee, I can't see over your stupid head.'
'Naww, so you have to stare at my face instead, ey?' he teased, not turning his head; he himself was very focused on the scene in front of him.
She scoffed, glancing at Cyprian who was glaring down on the tall ginger boy.
'Insufferable asshole,' she muttered.
'Here,' Cyprian said, crouching down, allowing her to jump on his back.
Y/n shrugged her shoulders and climbed on his back. Cyprian was perhaps a feet taller than she was so she was now able to see much more.
'Look who's taller now, Carrot,' she said with a sly smirk, but Fred didn't react. At least not for her to see. On his face was a slight smile, but he didn't turn around.
They now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. From what Y/n could see of them (they were standing in Madame Maxime's enormous shadow), they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.
' 'As Karkaroff arrived yet?' Madame Maxime asked.
'He should be here any moment,' said Dumbledore. 'WOuld you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warp up a triffle?'
'Warm up, I think,' said Madame Maxime. 'But ze 'orses -'
'Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them,' said Dumbledore, 'the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges.'
'What is that supposed to mean?' Y/n murmured in Cyprian's ear.
'My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling,' said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Cary of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. 'Zey are very strong ...'
'I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job,' said Dumbledore, smiling.
'Very well,' said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. 'Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?'
'It will be attended to,' said Dumbledore, also bowing.
'Come,' said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.
'Well, I wonder how the Durmstrangs are gonna top this arrival,' Y/n said, straightening a bit to look over Fred Weasley's head.
'That's not gonna be very hard, Y/n,' Fred Weasley said, turning around to look at her.
'I don't recall asking for your opinion,' Y/n snarled.
They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully at the sky. For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. But then -
'The lake!' yelled Lee Jordan, a Gryffindor boy in the same year as Y/n, Cyprian and Esmeralda, pointing down at it. 'Look at the lake!'
From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the ground, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks — and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor...
What seemed to be long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirpool. 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 sloshing 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 shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.
People were sdisembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle, two Slytherin boys in their fourth year said. Y/n never really liked the two of them, they were like two puppets of Draco Malfoy another boy in his fourth year. The three of them always seemed to make their fellow fourth yeared students lives at Hogwarts a living hell... but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall,their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.
'Dumbledore!' he called heartily as he walked up to the slope. 'How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?'
'Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff,' Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of own.
'Dear old Hogwarts,' he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. 'How good it is to be here .... Viktor, come along, into the warmth ... you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold....'
Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, everyone caught a glimpse of a proment curved nose and thick black eyebrows.
'Harry — it's Krum!' Ron Weasley, a year four boy from Gryffindor, and the little brother of Fred Weasley, said to Harry Potter, the boy that turned the whole school around since arriving four years prior.
~
'Never thought we'd meet a celebrity in here,' Y/n said as her two friends and her filed behind the Durmstrang party.
They watched as girls were gushing about the boy and not having any pens on them to get an autograph.
'Do you have a pen which I can let him sign me with, Es?' Y/n asked, batting her eyes sarcastically. 'Honestly, he's not even that good of a Quidditch player.'
'Woah there, love, that's a lie,' Cyprian said, putting his hand on her lower back.
'I've seen better people.'
'That doesn't make him less of a player, Y/n/n,' he told her, looking her into the eyes.
'Alright.'
They walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down at the far end; they always sat there. People all around them were making sure that there was room for Krum to sit down. Coincidentally, Krum and his mates sat down next to Y/n.
'Merlin, give me strength,' she whispered in Cyprian making him chuckle, she then turned to the boy with a fake smile.
'Is vis no problem?' Krum asked her, gesturing to the place he sat down.
'Not at all,' she said through gritted teeth, the fake smile not leaving her face.
Multiple students were starting to notice that Krum and his mates had sat down at their spot, leaving people to surround their spot.
'For years no-one even glances at our spot, Krum comes here and all of a sudden people are starting to swarm us,' Esmeralda said, 'It's pathetic.'
'Exactly!' Y/n exclaimed a bit to loud, making Krum turn towards her once again.
'Are you sure you are okay vis this, ma'am?' he asked her, making her snap her head to him.
'Yes, yes, it's fine.'
'Vis is a very nice castle,' Krum said to her, looking up at the bewitched ceiling where thousands of stars were lighting up the great hall. A few constellations were evident; among them was one Y/n knew all too well.... the Andromeda constellation.
'We know, the things that happens within the walls just isn't very nice,' she joked, crossing her arms over her chest and placed them on the table in front of her.
'Vat does that mean, ma'am,' Viktor Krum looked bewildred, staring her right in the eye.
'Well... uh....' she glanced behind her to the Gryffindor table where Harry Potter and his friends were looking at them intently. 'You see that boy with the glasses over there, the one that's staring at us like we're the last people on earth?'
Viktor turned around and looked at the boy strangely before turning back to Y/n, 'Vy yes, vat's up vith him?'
'That's Harry Potter,' she said, giving one last glance to the boy (coincidentally making eyecontact with Fred Weasley). 'Every year since he's arrived there's been danger in the castle. My fellow students don't like him very much, but he's just a boy. At least, that's what I think.'
'That's the 'arry Potter?' he asked, looking at the boy; more like staring.
'Yes, yes,' she nodded, not very interested, 'that's him. Our 'celebrity',' she said in a mock tone.
Krum laughed along with some other Durmstrangs. They looked a lot happier than the Beauxbatons who were all looking around the hall in disgust.
'Are you Durmstrangs just as disgusted by this castle as the Beauxbatons?'
Krum laughed, making his friends laugh along like little minions.
'No, no, it's very nice in here, miss...' he gestured with his hands to let her say her name.
'Y/n... it's Y/n,' she said quickly, finally understanding what the boy meant. 'Nice to meet you.'
He grabbed her hand and placed a quick kiss on it.
Y/n looked around in shock, making eyecontact with Esmeralda who was smirking.
'Is that how you always greet people in Bulgaria?' she asked, her chest rising and falling quickly.
'Only vit pretty girls,' he gave a quick wink before turning back to his friends.
'Smooth,' she muttured and then looked at Dumbledore who was ready for his speech.
A silence fell over the Great Hall.
'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularyly - guests,' said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students.
Y/n, Cyprian and Esmeralda made eyecontact and simultaneously rolled their eyes.
'I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The tournament will be offically opened at the end of the feast,' said Dumbledore. 'I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!'
The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. The houseelves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops, there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them.
'What the fuck is all this?' Y/n asked, looking around at all the food. 'This school is such a show-off.'
'I don't care that it's a show-off, this food is amazing!' Cyprian gushed, grabbing a plate and piling some of the y/f/f that usually wasn't at the feasts on it. He gently placed it in front of Y/n.
'Thank you, Cyp. That's very nice of you,' he then grabbed some for himself.
'Aren't you the show-off here, Cyp?' Esmeralda rose her eyebrows at him, knowing what he was doing.
His already medium dark skin seemed to grow a deeper shade and he turned away, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'
The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional studetns there; perhapps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep bloodred.
'Impressive,' Y/n murmured, looking at the robes of Viktor Krum.
The boy turned around to her and gave a charming smile. 'You think so, Y/n?'
'Yes, compared to yours, our uniforms are a bore!' she laughed.
'They're... vat do you call that.... tidy?' Krum looked puzzled.
'Tidy, yes,' Y/n nodded, 'I mean, I suppose, but compared to yours, it's nothing!'
'Ooh! Bouillabaisse!' Esmeralda exclaimed loudly, putting some of the French dish on her plate.
'Bless you,' Y/n said, turning to her best friend.
'Oh, haha,' she said sarcastically. 'Very witty, Y/n/n. Do you see that girl over there?' She nodded her head towards the Gryffindor table, where a beautiful girl was standing, talking to a few Gryffindors.
'Oh, yeah, yeah I see her.'
'She's so hot,' Esmeralda said, placing her chin in the palm of her hand.
'She's very pretty, indeed,' Y/n nodded, agreeing with her best friend.
'They don't make them like that at Hogwarts,' she heard behind her and saw George Weasley walking past their table while talking to his brother.
'I know someone who's just as pretty as her,' Fred contradicted.
'And who may that be?'
Y/n looked curiously, not keeping her eyes off the boy.
'Y/n.' Fred didn't seem to be seeing her, he seemed to be totally oblivious to her presence. Y/n's eyes widened in shock.
'What?' She whispered to herself.
'Hello? Y/n! Earth to Y/n!'
Her hair was an icy blue colour as she turned back to the girl.
'I was talking to you!' Esmeralda said, slightly offended of the lack of acknowledgement.
'I - I'm sorry, I wasn't listening,' she stuttered, glancing once more where the twins were once were walking by.
'I noticed,' Esmeralda snapped, she also glanced at the same spot, 'you have been staring at the spot where those Weasleys were walking by for minutes already.'
'Oh...'
'Why were you so interested in them anyways?' Cyprian asked, slightly disgusted. 'Aren't you the one who hates them?'
'I do,' Y/n rolled her e/c eyes, 'I do.'
'You're a metamorphmagus?' Krum asked next to her, bewildered.
'Yes... yes I am,' she said, slightly impatient because of the obvious question. 'Obviously,' she muttured under her breath with a roll of her eyes.
'Amazing,' he said softly, 'we 'ave no metamorphamaguses on Durmstrang.'
She nodded her head in acknowledgement, 'I'm the only metamorphmagus on this school, at this moment at least.'
'Oh, so you're special!'
Y/n scoffed with a glare. Special. Why always special? She hated the word special. Like she was not a normal witch like the rest. She wasn't seen for her extraordinary transfiguration skills, or her well deserved spot on top of her potions class. No. Always the metamorphmagus part. That was the only thing that mattered to people.
'Is there something vrong, Y/n?' Krum asked in concern.
'Why is that special?' she snapped, not looking at him, instead at the untouched f/f that was still warm.
'Vell....' Viktor Krum looked taken aback by the sudden outburst, 'I've never seen a metamorphmagus in my life...'
'Okay,' was all she said, before taking a bite of her food.
'Don't let it get to your head, love,' Cyprian said, placing his hand on top of hers, 'you're so much more than just a metamorphmagus.'
'Thanks, Cyp,' Y/n said.
Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the hall now.
'The moment has come,' said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. 'The Triwizard? Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket—'
'The what now?' Y/n pulled a strange face, 'Are they gonna roll a dead body in here or something?'
Esmeralda laughed, 'Would sure make this year a lot more interesting, wouldn't it?'
'— just to clarify the procedure that we will be foloowing this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation' — there was a smattering of polite applause — 'and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.'
There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemius Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced. His toothbrush mustache and severe parting looked very odd next to Dumbledore's long white hair and beard.
'Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament,' Dumbledore continued, 'and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame maxime on the panel that will judgethe champions' efforts.'
At the mention of the word "champion," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, 'The casket then, if you please, Mr. Filch.'
'Perhaps my will to live is in that casket,' Y/n said, her eyes following filch. Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying in a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students.
'The instructions for the tasks the champions willl face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman,' said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, 'an they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways ... their magical prowess— their daring— their powers of deduction— and, of course, their ability to cope with danger.'
At this last word, the hall was filled with a sience so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.
'As you know, three champions compete in the tournament,' Dumbledore went on calmly, 'one for each of the participating schools. They will be marked o nhow well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire.'
Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been been entirely unremarkable had it no been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.
'That's the ugliest cup I've ever seen,' Y/n laughed loudly making heads turn.
'Thank you, Miss. Y/l/n,' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the hall.
'Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet,' said Dumbledore. 'Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the anmes of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.
'To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation,' said Dumbledore, 'I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.
'Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all.'
'An Age Line!' Y/n heard Fred Weasley roar over the crowd making her laugh softly. 'Perhaps an age potion will do...'
'But who will make this potion for us, dear brother?' she heard his twin brother ask him.
'I know just the person for that, George,' Fred said smugly.
~
During the evening, Y/n and Cyprian were on Prefect duties. They had split up after a few minutes so their time would be spend more effectively. Y/n was roaming the corridors while Cyprian was roaming the basement and the dungions.
The night was going pretty smoothly aside from the fact that some Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons were walking around freely. Among those students were Krum and his friends.
'Hey! Hey, Krum!' Y/n exclaimed, quickening her pace to follow the group of friends.
Viktor Krum turned around, looking slightly bewildred. 'Vat is it, Y/n? Is there something vrong?'
'Yes, there is something 'vrong'!' she mocked, 'did your headmaster not tell you that you're not allowed to walk around here this late?'
'Two gingers said it was okay!' another boy said defensively, raising his hands in surrender.
'Those Weasleys,' Y/n muttured in annoyance. 'Are those 'gingers' still up?'
'Yeah! They vent that vay!' Krum said, nodding and pointing to the other end of the corridor.
'Thank you,' Y/n nodded starting to walk off until stopping in her tracks, 'and please just go to your places to sleep.'
'Yes, ma'am,' Viktor grinned.
While Y/n was walking to the direction she was pointed she was murmuring curse word under her breath. 'Stupid fucking Weasley.'
There was a silence in the hall. No sounds were heard except for the clicking sound of the heels of her Mary Janes and the slight breeze going through the trees in the dark summer's night. At least, that were the only sounds. All of a sudden, loud footsteps filled the halls.
'Salazar, what are those Weasley's up to now?' Y/n said in annoyance, straightening her robes and walking up to the source of the sounds... but she regretted that immediately, because instantly she was met with a large stonelike gryffin running her way. Y/n screamed out in horror, turning back around to run away from the creature as fast as she could. She grabbed her wand out of her pocket and began casting all the spells she could think of, but to no avail, it seemed to not butch. 'Help!' she shouted out loudly, hoping someone- anyone would hear her. 'Help!' this seemed to go against her standards, normally she was not the type to ask anyone for help, but this seemed different. For every step she took, the stonelike gryffin seemed to become faster. 'Please!'
Suddenly she felt herself being grabbed by the waist and pulled into a closet somewhere in the halls. She screamed out in terror, raising her wand to whoever this potential offender could be.
'Shh!' the 'offender', now definitely known as a man, hushed, 'it will hear you.'
'Weasley?!' Y/n exclaimed in surprise. 'Lumos!'
A light errupted from her wand, illuminating the both of them. Never would she have thought to see him this close. His freckles were illuminated perfectly and he was standing protectively over the girl.
'Hi, Y/n,' he breathed out, out of breath, he had seemingly also ran all this way.
'Tonks,' she snapped, 'what- why- who- what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be up this late!' Y/n was trembling, but not from the cold.
'Are you cold?' Fred didn't seem to waste any time pulling the vest he was wearing off his body and he wrapped it around her.
'No! I'm not fucking cold! And if I were, I would not want your vest to solve this problem!' she snarled, slightly taking Fred aback.
'Okay, I'm sorry,' Fred murmured, taking back his vest. 'I'm sorry for the Gryffin...' he laughed sheepishly, his usually confident demeanor now long gone.
'It was you?! Oh, you're long gone, Weasley. I can get you into detention for weeks for this!'
'But you won't,' Fred said, crossing his arms with a slightly smug expression.
'Who said I wouldn't?'
'I saved you,' Fred shrugged with a smirk.
'From the problem you caused, Weasley! I'm not exactly gratefull for that!' Y/n snapped at him, stunned by the stupid statement. 'You're getting stupider and stupider every minute I see you.'
Only now did she notice the proximity of the two, how they were standing only a few inches from each other.
Y/n cleared her throat slightly, 'I'll act like I've never saw this just so I don't have to see your face for a minute longer.'
'Oh? Rebelling against the rules, Miss Tonks?' the tall ginger said with a big smirk on his face.
'Do you want me to land you in weeks worth of detention? Didn't think so,' she said, pushing him away from her and opening the broomcloset, checking if the coast was clear.
'Ooh, Y/n!' Fred exclaimed suddenly.
'Tonks.'
'Now that you're here,' he said with a bright smile.
Y/n sighed exasperatedly, turning back around to the boy that was slowly getting on her nerves. 'Yes?'
'George and I would like to compete in the Tournament...'
'You can't,' she gave him a deadpan, tapping her left foot in annoyance.
'We know, but we've found a way to get in...' he continued surely, trailing behind her as she began walking again.
'With an age potion?'
'How did you know?' Fred asked in surprise, quickening his pace as the girl in front of him began walking even faster.
'You quite literally shouted it through the halls after the ceremony,' Y/n said not even glancing his way.
'Okay, that doesn't matter, but we- I was wondering if you would be such a dear to help us with that.'
'Why would I even do that? I don't like you two!' Y/n laughed, slightly thrown off by the question.
'You're the best in potions on this school. We'll give you anything you want!' Fred reasoned to her, hoping she'd finally agree.
The girl rolled her eyes, 'I don't know what I want in return.'
'Well, you can think about it until you know it,' he grabbed her hand, 'but please, please, please help us.'
'Let me go, Weasley!' she pulled her hand from his non existent grip, 'fine! I'll do it.'
'Thank you, thank you, thank you!' Fred pulled her into his arms, 'you won't regret it.'
'Okay, that's enough,' she pushed him away and started walking again. 'You should go to bed, otherwhise I will rat you out.'
This was gonna be a long night.