Withholding a put-out sigh, Heather lined up with her housemates in the entrance hall. She'd been disturbed in the middle of her meditation exercise by Melinda, one of the Slytherins in her year she was actually on polite terms with. Despite her reluctance to stop, she'd remembered that the gathering was compulsory.
It was a massive waste of time. This was all just to welcome the two other prominent magic schools in Europe. Well, at least now she would stop hearing all the speculation about Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian national Quidditch team's seeker. Even Fred and George had shown excitement about him, though not as much as Ron. Don't get her wrong - she liked Quidditch. She just didn't see the appeal of placing professional players on pedestals. Perhaps she was just biased. No Potions or Rune Masters were hailed as celebrities just by virtue of their occupations, after all.
The sudden buzz of excitement throughout the student body alerted Heather. She followed the students' gazes to the sky. Flying through towards the castle was a large carriage of sorts, led by gigantic horses. They were too large to be anything but magically bred. The carriage landed a short distance from where the Gryffs were standing. Up close, the horses looked even larger than expected. Someone went to unlatch the door, allowing the people inside to step out.
Suddenly, Heather understood the reason for the gargantuan horses. For the woman who stepped out of the carriage was huge. No, she didn't mean that she was obese. She was probably a giantess, or at least part. And apparently the Headmistress of Beauxbatons. About a dozen of her students gracefully followed behind her. How they did that when they were obviously catching their death of cold was beyond her.
While Professor Dumbledore exchanged pleasantries with the visiting Headmistress, Heather retreated into her mind to continue meditating. It had taken her a while to learn how to do so whenever she wanted, but it had paid off in how much more focussed she was now. Professor Snape hadn't progressed to the full Legilimens yet, wanting her to be able to sense and block the partial one first.
She snapped to attention when loud murmuring filled the hall again. The students were even more excited this time, probably anticipating the arrival of Viktor Krum. She watched as a large ship emerged from the Black Lake. She wondered why they hadn't just sailed on the water instead of beneath it. Either they wanted to avoid the notice of muggles, which disillusioning charms could have done, or they just wanted to make an impression, which was likely the case.
The Durmstrang Headmaster greeted his fellow heads of schools while his students lined up behind him in military fashion. He very loudly mentioned something about Viktor Krum and immediately, everyone's gaze was drawn to the student behind him. A ploy to usurp attention. An obvious and badly-executed one at that, judging by the sneer on her Head of House's face.
Finally, they were herded back into the Great Hall for dinner. Heather found a seat near the end of the Slytherin table and waited for the meal to begin. She watched as the visiting students dithered about trying to decide where to sit. Feeling someone unfamiliar approach her from behind, she tensed.
"Is this seat taken?" a heavily accented voice asked.
She looked up and up and up. This person was tall. This person was also Viktor Krum. "Yes, it is."
Surprise filtered into his eyes at her refusal. Daphne had asked her to save her a seat. Heather didn't care that this wizard was an internationally-acclaimed seeker.
"Vat about that vone?" The heavyset wizard pointed to the chair across the table from hers.
"Empty. You can have it, if you want."
Heather felt the weight of several gazes as Krum sat opposite her. She rolled her eyes inwardly. If everyone was so fixated on Krum's celebrity, it was no wonder that he'd chosen to sit where he wouldn't be gawked at. She brushed off the subtle glares of her housemates. Strangely enough, Malfoy seemed to be glaring at Krum instead of her. Offended by the perceived slight, she guessed.
"Hello, I'm Heather Potter," she said politely, extending her hand. Might as well give a decent welcome.
His gaze sharpened in recognition and she almost groaned. Had they heard about that Boy-Who-Lived nonsense all the way in Bulgaria too? Thankfully, he made no comment about it.
"Viktor Krum, a pleasure." He took her hand, but to her shock, he didn't shake it. He stood and bowed over her hand to kiss the back of it.
Her eyes widened briefly at the gesture. "What a gentleman," she murmured. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Malfoy's glare had intensified tenfold. Peculiar.
"It is a normal custom in my school. Is it not here?" the boy asked in confusion.
She smirked wryly. "Chivalry is dead here."
Before he could respond, Heather felt Daphne's approach. "Krum, I'd like to introduce Daphne Greengrass, the girl who had prior claim on the seat you wanted. Daphne? Meet Viktor Krum."
"Honestly, Heather. You've got to tell me how you do that one day," Daphne said, mildly put out. Then, as if a switch had been flicked, she turned a charming smile at the Bulgarian wizard. "Nice to meet you, Viktor Krum." She also extended a hand towards him. Krum repeated the gesture with Daphne, though she seemed to have expected it. Probably due to her Pureblood upbringing.
"Please, call me Viktor."
She and Daphne reciprocated the offer, though Daphne had a coy gleam in her eye as she did so. Kru-Viktor seemed not to notice it - whether genuinely or by design, Heather couldn't tell.
Sometime while they were speaking, the feast had begun. The meal was more elaborate than usual in light of the guests they had. Aside from the standard English fare, some Bulgarian and French dishes had been served as well. As Heather was loading her plate with some of the foreign food, Viktor said something.
"Heather, there is somevone vaving to you over there," he pointed out.
Having her suspicions, she turned around. As expected, it was Ron who trying to draw her attention while Hermione tried to stop him from making a scene. She sighed and looked back to her meal. "Don't mind him. He's a friend of my brother's and a huge fan of yours," she said dryly. "My brother is too, come to think of it." She remembered how he'd recounted the Quidditch World Cup match several times without stopping.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, Hadrian's a seeker too. He's on the Gryffindor team." She smiled fondly. "He's really great." Seeing an odd look on Viktor's face, she hastily added, "Not that you aren't a great player."
"Do not vorry. I vas not offended," he said amicably. Viktor had simply been touched by the obvious love this girl had for her brother. It was also rather amusing that she wasn't starstruck by his fame as most girls - and some boys - were wont to.
"Heather's a great seeker too!" Daphne said slyly. Heather gave her an exasperated look. That was the second time this week she'd said that! "Even better than her brother."
"I haven't played in a long time. Rian could probably beat me now," she protested.
Ignoring her, Daphne continued, "Did you know she holds the record for most number of snitches caught in a row? She caught the snitch in every game for the two years she played!"
"Daphne!" Heather hissed. This was the Bulgarian National Team seeker she was boasting to!
"That is most impressive, Heather. Perhaps ve could have a friendly match vone day?"
"Well, I'm very out of practice. If you don't mind that, I would be happy to. It'll be quite the experience." If she didn't embarrass herself, that was.
"Next Saturday then? You have no classes, yes?"
"Sure. That's acceptable," Daphne said readily. Rolling her eyes, Heather nodded to show her agreement.
Foreign cuisine could be spotted among the dessert as well. She followed Viktor's suggestion about a Bulgarian pumpkin pastry called tikvenik and didn't regret it.
After the meal was done, Professor Dumbledore stood to make a speech. Heather listened halfheartedly as he talked about the selection process for the competitors via something called the Goblet of Fire.
Mr Filch then brought in a large chest which presumedly contained the goblet. The Headmaster tapped the chest with his wand and pulled out the goblet. It looked ordinary apart from the white-blue flames that filled it, which was decidedly not ordinary.
The age restriction was once again reiterated. So, he'd be drawing an Age Line. She would like to see that. Sounded like an interesting piece of magic.
~~~
Huffing in exhaustion, Heather took her cauldron off the fire. Leaving it to cool, she turned to glare at her twin menaces. They had the grace to look sheepish as they waited for her rant.
"You should have given me more notice! You're lucky this potion only took 7 hours to brew - some take weeks! It wasn't an easy one to make either. This better be worth the trouble!"
"Thank you, our-"
"-angel from the heavens!"
Reluctantly amused by their pleading expressions, she filled a phial and handed it over. "There, one phial of Ageing Potion. Remember, a drop or two should be enough to age you up a few months."
They cheered. "One of us will be the Hogwarts Champion, just you see, Heather!"
"And we'll credit our success to you, don't worry."
She really didn't think the Headmaster would have overlooked this glaring loophole, but she wouldn't be the one to burst their bubble.
After they each took a few drops of the potion (they grew taller again, damnit) the three made their way to the Great Hall. A few people were gathered around it, including her brother and his friends.
"Heather!" Rian greeted enthusiastically.
"Hello, Hadrian. Anyone put their names in yet?" Heather watched as a Ravenclaw walked towards the goblet, intent obvious.
"All the Durmstrang students. Not sure about Beauxbatons. For Hogwarts, I know Angelina put her name in. Oh, and Cedric too."
"Guess I know who you're rooting for then," she muttered.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing," she said. "Just watch the show." She gestured at Fred and George as they strode confidently towards the Age Line.
Fred went first, hopping over the line. Nothing seemed to happen to him and he cheered in triumph. Heather shook her head; she could sense the build-up of magic in the Age Line. Unfortunately, George then followed his brother's example and crossed over.
Then, the two were suddenly catapulted out of the area, and they skidded as they landed on the floor. What was hilarious, though, were the long white beards both now sported.
Smirking, she helped her guffawing friends stand and pulled them in the direction of the hospital wing. They passed a visibly amused Professor Dumbledore on their way out. She had to give it to the old wizard - he sure had a grand sense of humour.
The last-minute scrambling to brew the potion had been so worth the trouble. Especially since she carried her camera everywhere.
~~~
Utter silence stole across the Great Hall as another piece of paper flew out of the flames. Anxiety churned in Heather's gut. Anything bizarre happening at Hogwarts could be linked back to-
"Hadrian Potter," Headmaster Dumbledore announced, gobsmacked. Any other time, she would have enjoyed the look on the ever-serene wizard's face.
She watched in dread as her brother stood shakily. His eyes darted about nervously before landing on her. Giving him an encouraging nod - well, as best she could, anyway - she kept an eye on him as he walked out the way the rest of the champions did. Some of the Slyths, and even the Puffs, looked a little too wand-happy at the moment. Everyone was fixated on her brother, so she disillusioned herself and made to follow. As if she'd let her brother face the upcoming furore himself.
Probably the only ones who noticed were Professor Moody, with his magical eye, Professor Snape, who'd been watching her reaction, and Professor Dumbledore, who noticed everything.
'Almost everything,' she amended, thinking of the shocked expression he'd had just minutes ago.
As Hadrian reached the door, she brushed against him with her magic. She could feel him relax minutely as he stepped through. Upon entering the room, she could feel him tense up again. She didn't blame him. The three (other) champions made an impressive sight. Viktor Krum, tall and intimidating. Fleur Delacour, with her untouchable ethereal beauty. Even Cedric, appearing more intense than she'd ever seen the usually easy-going boy. She put a steadying hand on Rian's back.
"What eez it? Do zey want us back in ze hall?" Delacour asked, her musical voice somehow not breaking the palpable tension.
Her brother froze up, at a clear loss of words. Before she could do anything, someone else entered the room behind them.
"Unbelievable! Simply amazing!" Heather vaguely recognised the man as someone from the ministry. Bagmill or something. "May I introduce our fourth champion?" The man sounded much too pleased for her tastes. She hoped he could feel the force of her glare.
Heather tightened her grip on Rian comfortingly. The reactions of the other champions weren't encouraging, to say the least. Viktor was frustrated. Delacour, incredulous with a tinge of scorn. Cedric looked worried, immensely so. Heather ignored the ensuing debate between the French witch and Bagman (ahh yes, that was it) and nudged her brother closer to Cedric. He was the only other one with Hadrian's interests in mind at the moment.
Just then, another group of people entered the scene. When she spied Professor Snape among the Professors, she breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. His presence alone was enough to bolster her courage. His sharp gaze flickered to her before sliding to Hadrian. She'd take that as tacit permission to be here. Since Professor Dumbledore didn't protest either, she figured she was all-clear.
As amusing as it was to watch these prominent leaders bicker like prepubescents, her worry over Hadrian took precedence. He was still in shock over the whole thing, she imagined.
Finally, they turned to her brother and the Headmaster asked him, "Did you enter your name into the goblet, Hadrian?"
"No," Hadrian stated firmly, looking him in the eye.
Despite that, Headmistress Maxime and Headmaster Karkaroff continued accusing her brother of foul play. Reaching the end of her tether, she cancelled the disillusionment.
"Enough," she said quietly.
Almost everyone startled at her sudden presence.
"What eez zis little girl doing here?"
"How did you get in?!"
"This is a closed meeting!"
Brushing off their indignant comments, Heather prepared to give these adult wizards and witches the dressing down of their lifetime.
"Who am I?" She gave them all a mocking curtsey. "I am Lady Potter, magical guardian of Hadrian Leo Potter - underaged wizard." She swept her gaze across the room. "I simply did you all the favour of attending this little meeting," she sneered, "before you had to send someone for me. After all," a sweet smile, "you wouldn't have questioned my ward about this magical contract without his magical guardian, would you?" Her grin turned sharp. "That would amount to a year in Azkaban, right? At the very least?"
That effectively shut everyone up.
"Now, I couldn't help but overhear," she relished in the annoyed twitches that she garnered, "your point of contention. All of you believe that Hadrian somehow fooled the goblet and put his own name in, or asked someone to do it for him."
"Exactlee! How else would eez name 'ave appeared zen?" Madame Maxime retorted.
Heather narrowed her eyes at the woman before softening her gaze as she turned to her brother. "Hadrian, would you like to prove your innocence by swearing a Vow?"
For the first time since his name had been called, his eyes lit up. "I, Hadrian Leo Potter, swear by my magic that I did not put my name in the Goblet of Fire and that I did not ask anyone to do so. So mote it be." The room warmed with the force of the magical vow. "Lumos." His wandtip lit with the spell, showing that his vow was true.
They looked reluctantly convinced now. These kinds of vows couldn't be fooled, after all. Still, they weren't appeased.
"Unfortunately," Bagman said uneasily, "the magical rules of the goblet are such that anyone whose name is chosen has to participate in the tournament or their magic is forfeit." He looked to Mr Crouch, the man she'd seen at the Quidditch World Cup, for help.
The man stared intensely at her brother, raising her hackles. She moved slightly to shield Hadrian from view. "We must follow the rules. The boy has to compete."
Her fury threatened to bubble over, but she held her poise. (Occlumency, even as fledgling as hers was, helped a lot.) She was a Slytherin. Might as well squeeze some benefit from the situation.
"Just to make things clear, you are forcing Hadrian Leo Potter, who is underaged, to participate in this competition for wizards of legal age? Despite that he did not enter himself?"
Glaring suspiciously at her, Crouch nevertheless gave his agreement.
Heather beamed at the man. "As you wish." She could tell that he was livid at her cryptic reply, but she made no further comment.