WORD COUNT: [1862]
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It had been announced that a group of students from two schools were going to stay at Hogwarts for some kind of tournament. Lorraine wasn't familiar with it and she didn't want to be. She'd find out in October anyway.
"Hello," Lorraine greeted the golden trio in her first potions lesson for the year. She had chosen to sit with them at their table, considering how there was one empty seat. She had expected them to tell her to leave, but they all gave her a smile.
"You're not going to crucify me for knowing Draco?" she asked them with wide eyes. The three looked at each other with raised eyebrows before they shook their heads.
"Hufflepuff's a house of healers," Hermione replied with a shrug. "You may know Draco but I sure don't believe you're like him."
Huh. That was easier than I thought. Guess I should thank my loyalty to my friends for getting me into Hufflepuff.
"So, you guys define one's personality by their house?" Lorraine asked pointedly. The three seemed surprised by her question.
"N-No," Ron sputtered. "What?"
"Hm. Okay."
"Hufflepuffs, am I right? They love everyone," Ron mumbled to Harry, who only rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. It seemed to Lorraine that she'd have more luck getting information about the trio if she got close to Ron. Even an idiot could see that he was the weakest and dumbest of the three.
"Gryffindor's, am I right? They stereotype everyone," she said sarcastically, staring at him with an unimpressed look on her face. He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Sorry."
"Ceasing chatter immediately," Snape's voice drawled as he glided into the classroom as if he were modelling his classic black robe. It flowed behind him like some ridiculous wedding dress. Quite amusing, in Lorraine's opinion. The thought of Snape in a wedding dress was certainly one that an immature student would make, but she'd never voice the thought out loud. She was allowed to be stupid in her head
"Antidotes. Tell me, does anyone know some examples of antidotes?" Snape asked the class. Hermione's hand shot up in a split second, which elicited a deep sigh from the professor. Lorraine raised her hand to spare the man the pain of allowing Hermione to answer what she imagined would be her thousandth answer in three years.
"Yes, Miss Winters?" the man said with a hint of relief. Lorraine crossed her arms on the table.
"There's your antidote to common poisons. You also have an antidote to uncommon poisons. There is also a love potion antidote, phoenix tears, and a billywig sting antidote," Lorraine answered coolly. Hermione seemed delighted that someone other than her had answered correctly. Lorraine wondered if the class was dumber than she thought.
"Correct, Miss Winters. Now, I have put you all into pairs and if I hear a single complaint from any of you, I will ensure that I pick you to poison, just to see if any of you have learnt anything about antidotes. I want you all to research four of your choosing and learn how to brew them. Do a report on each," Snape announced to the class. Every student seemed to slump in their seats at the knowledge that they couldn't pick their partners. Lorraine only looked at them in amusement. She sat patiently as she listened to her professor list the partners according to alphabetical order.
It seemed that her partner would be just the person she wanted to get closer to.
"Miss Winters and Mr Weasley," her professor called. Lorraine smirked at her prediction and gathered her things before sliding them next to the ginger boy. Harry and Hermione got up to sit with their own partners.
"So, Weasley, what four shall we do?" Lorraine chirped.
***
That project had been the perfect springboard for their budding friendship. One-sided friendship, that was. Lorraine was only using Ron's trust to get more information about Harry Potter, of course. There was absolutely no reason otherwise. Absolutely.
Okay, perhaps she was beginning to enjoy the boy's company, but there was no way she was ever going to admit it to herself or anyone else for that matter.
"Did you see the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students?" Ron spoke with a mouthful of chicken. Lorraine still hadn't gotten used to the boy's disgusting eating habits. In fact, she could still barely look at him as he ate without a scowl making its way onto her face. Hermione found her reactions amusing, just barely containing her laughter as she attempted to swallow the water she had sipped without choking. Ron, being the dense boy he was, didn't notice as he continued to shovel food into his mouth.
"No," Lorraine replied with a scowl plastered on her face. She was in awe at how much food the boy could fit into his mouth. "I don't care about either school."
"All the Beauxbatons were beautiful as always," Ron said dreamily, sighing with food still in his mouth. Some flew out and stuck to her sleeve. She looked at it in horror, causing Hermione to burst into laughter. Ron looked at the bushy-haired girl with furrowed eyebrows and questioning eyes, only she paid no attention to him. Lorraine was still horrified.
"Just wipe it off," Hermione said with a chuckle. Harry seemed to pick up on what had happened and chuckled also, watching the interaction between the three with great amusement.
"May students return to their house tables," Dumbledore called as he approached the stand where he always gave his speeches. Lorraine bid farewell to the golden trio before she sat at her table, watching the Headmaster as he opened his mouth to speak once more. She only just noticed the structure covered in a cloth beside him.
"Right, now we're all settled in and sorted," Dumbledore began, "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..."
A man jogged from the entrance and stopped at the Headmaster's side, whispering to him urgently before jogging back. It seemed he wasn't athletically inclined, which elicited whispers from the students in the hall.
"So, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: the Triwizard Tournament. 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 student 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, Madame Maxime," Dumbledore announced.
The doors opened to reveal a group of girls dressed in all-blue clothing. They donned blue hats and satin dresses, each walking in a certain formation. They seemed to practically glide across the ground with purpose. Lorraine nearly burst into laughter as they stopped a third of the way to the front and extended an arm out to the side, sighing dreamily. They repeated the action again, halfway down the walkway. They then began jogging lightly and summoned bright creatures that could've been mistaken as butterflies before they finished in another formation at the front.
The hall erupted into cheers and claps, with the exception of Lorraine. Cedric leant closer to her as he clapped with a grin.
"Not impressive enough, huh?" he joked, to which she simply glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I'll have you know it looks ridiculous," she muttered. Dumbledore raised his arms to signal he wanted the hall to silence, which it did in mere seconds.
"And now our friends from the North. Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their high master, Igor Karkaroff!" he called.
The doors opened once more and revealed two lines of boys dressed in fur hats and dark brown clothes. They slammed the bottom of their staffs to the ground and made repeated deep yells. Then they began running to the front and doing somersaults before finishing off by creating dragons of fire with their breath. Lorraine's facial expression remained blank and unamused, which seemed to catch the eye of one of the Durmstrang students. The boy gave her a not-so-subtle wink she dismissed with a roll of her eyes.
"Boys," she muttered, beginning to eat as the students from each school were situated at the end of a table each.
***
"Your attention, please!" Dumbledore called to the students towards the end of the dinner. Lorraine had long since finished eating and had resorted to chatting with Cedric and his friends. She was surprised to see the Muggleborns that conversed with her be so nice, having been raised to believe that they were selfish and careless. She had expected a good attitude from purebloods like Cedric, but it seemed no matter who she talked to that she was treated with basic human decency.
Maybe it was just because she was surrounded by Hufflepuffs.
Great, now I'm stereotyping.
"I'd like to say a few words," Dumbledore continued as the hall silenced. "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 Magical Cooperation. Mr Bartemis Crouch."
The roof turned dark and began raining down upon the students, which a new face ceased with a simple non-verbal spell. Lorraine recognised the man as Alastor Moody, the Auror responsible for most of the death eaters' imprisonment in Azkaban. She needed to be careful around him.
Dumbledore and Alastor Moody shook hands before each man retreated back to where they were before. Bartemis Crouch cleared his throat.
"After due consideration...the Ministry has concluded that, for their own safety, no student under the age of 17 shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Triwizard Tournament. This decision is final."
Lorraine could hear the protests from the Weasley twins amongst all the uproar that was sparked in the hall, although it seemed that Cedric and Lorraine were the only ones unphased by the age limit. Cedric was already seventeen and Lorraine couldn't care any less than she already did.
"Silence!" Dumbledore roared, instantly plummeting the room into silence so prominent that one could hear a pin drop. He moved on swiftly though, proceeding to tap his wand on the now uncovered structure beside him. It was a tall tower of gold, reaching half a metre above the Headmaster's head. It began to melt, revealing a goblet that was far too small for how tall its case was. The rim of the goblet erupted into bright blue flames that flickered wildly.
"The Goblet of Fire!" Dumbledore announced. "Anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament need only 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."