Amie woke up earlier than Hermione the next morning. Instead of lying in bed doing nothing, Amie decided to head outside for a short stroll around the ground before breakfast. Getting out of bed as quietly as possible as to not wake up Hermione or the others, Amie rummaged around after a fresh pair of robes and put them on, before heading downstairs and out through the portrait hole. Thankfully, no one was awake yet, so she wasn't stopped. Not that someone would have stopped her - she was perfectly allowed to leave the castle, it was just fairly early. Amie reached the Entrance Hall without a hitch, and, walking out onto the grounds, she breathed deeply from the moist air. She had hardly been out at all during the week, mostly because she'd been busy with homework and the potion in her free time. And with the Quidditch tournament not taking place this year, Amie had to make sure she still had some fresh air and exercise once in a while. As always when Amie was outside without a particular reason, she found her feet leading her to the lake. She didn't know why she liked to be there so much, she just did. Despite her original thought of taking a walk, Amie sat down on the bench in front of the lake instead. She watched the water move in the breeze, and the giant squid even made a few appearances above the surface. She didn't know how long she'd sat there when she was snapped out of the calm.
"Anyone sitting here?" a familiar voice said, and Amie spun around in shock. Normally, she wasn't easily scared, but Amie had found that everytime she couldn't see the person who talked, she would be very frightened.
"Oh, Cedric, don't scare me like that!" she exclaimed, clutching her heart. She was actually happy to see him - that way, she wouldn't have to seek him out. She hadn't forgotten that she needed to befriend him if she was to have a chance of saving his life.
"Sorry," Cedric said, giving her a crooked smile, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"And no, there's no one sitting here, but I assume you weren't really asking that - I guess you were asking for permission to sit down - am I right?" Amie smiled.
"Yes, I would say so," said Cedric, grinning.
"Well then, why didn't you say so?" Amie teased. "Come on then, sit down,"
"Thanks," Cedric said, breathing a slight sigh of relief, that he didn't mean for Amie to notice.
"So... What's up?" said Amie, trying to break the silence.
"Not much... You?" Cedric said.
"Same. I just woke up and felt like going outside. I miss the outdoors."
"Quidditch?" Cedric guessed.
"Actually... yeah." Amie nodded.
"I understand what you feel. I'll miss it this year too."
"But it'll still be a good year, don't you think? What with the Tournament and everything?" Amie asked.
"Yeah, I suppose it will," Cedric said, his eyes looking far off, a big smile on his face.
"Are you going to enter?" Amie asked.
"My friends think I should," said Cedric. "I want to, but at the same time I'm wondering if I've got what it takes,"
"Your dad was right, you know," Amie smiled. "You are modest. I know you are one of the smartest students in your year."
Cedric turned to look at her, dumbfounded.
"How do you know that?" he exclaimed.
"This is Hogwarts," Amie said. "Word gets around. Especially when it's about one of the hottest guys in the entire school,"
"You think I'm hot?" Cedric said, looking as if he wanted to smile, but at the same time he didn't believe her.
Amie looked at him incredulously.
"You look as if you think I'm lying. I promise I'm not. Most girls giggle when they see you, haven't you noticed?"
"Then why don't you?" Cedric frowned. Amie snorted.
"I'm not most girls.I try to stop my emotions from taking control. It's only if I have a serious crush I wouldn't be able to behave. A random hot guy wouldn't."
"I'm the random hot guy?" Cedric asked in disbelief.
"Well, not so random anymore, but yes." Amie nodded.
Cedric looked lost in thought.
"To get back to the subject... You don't know how much girls gossip around here. Just the other day, in the bathroom, I heard a bunch of sixth years practically drooling over your looks, and the fact that you have a brain, unlike many other guys here." Amie said.
Cedric was gaping by now. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, er -"
"I'm just telling it like it is," Amie shrugged, turning back to look at the lake.
They were both quiet for a long time, Amie enjoying the silence, and Cedric embarrassed and deep in thought.
"I guess I will enter the Tournament," said Cedric eventually, making Amie look at him a little sadly. She understood that the Tournament would be his death. But it was meant to be, and Amie wasn't supposed to stop THAT part.
"Good for you," was all she said. "What time is it?"
Cedric pushed away his sleeve from his arm, and looked at a wristwatch.
"Eight," he answered.
"Darn it," Amie said, making Cedric chuckle.
"Time to go?" he asked.
"Yeah," Amie nodded. "See you, Cedric!"
And then she ran up to the castle to have breakfast.
Walking up to the Gryffindor table, Amie noticed her three friends wrapped up in a conversation. Harry was telling them something, and just as Amie reached them, Hermione spoke up.
"That was a lie, Harry. You didn't imagine your scar hurting and you know it," she said sharply.
"So what?" said Harry. "He's not going back to Azkaban because of me,"
By those two sentences, Amie understood what Harry had done. And she knew that telling Sirius his scar didn't hurt wouldn't stop him from coming back to Britain.
"Drop it," Ron told Hermione when she opened her mouth to argue with Harry. And for once, Hermione did what she was told.
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During the next couple of weeks, Amie noticed Harry being more and more anxious. Everytime the owls delivered the post in the morning, he would look around for Hedwig or any other owl coming with a letter to him, but none ever did. Amie was glad of this, it meant Sirius ignored Harry's request, and was indeed back. Since the Prophet hadn't published anything of his capture, she knew he was alive and safe. Amie's biggest concern over the weeks was keeping up with her homework - that had increased by a lot - and finishing up the potion, which was nearly ready. She also talked a lot with Cedric, and even some with Draco - but their conversations were always rather stiff.
Apart from their homework being harder and more frequent, their lessons too had become more complex. Amie was always up for challenges when it came to studies, but now she thought it had gone too far. Professor Moody had, to everyone's surprise, announced that he would use the Imperius Curse on them, to show them its power, and test if they would be able to resist it.
"But - but you said it was illegal, Professor," said Hermione uncertainly, as Moody cleared up a space in the middle of the room. "You said - to use it against another human was -"
"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," said Moody. "If you'd rather learn the hard way - when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely - fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."
Moody pointed to the door. Amie knew that Hermione didn't want to actually leave the lesson, and she was proven right as Hermione blushed and mumbled that she didn't mean she wanted to leave. Moody began to call students forward, and he put the curse on them. Amie watched her fellow classmates do the most peculiar things. Dean hopped three times around the room, while singing the national anthem. Lavender imitated a squirrel. Neville did a number of gymnastic moves way beyond his usual abilities. No one was able to break the curse, and they recovered when Moody lifted it. Then it was Harry's turn. As he walked up to Moody, Amie wondered what he was going to do. Moody put the curse on him, and Harry's face went blank, just as everybody else's face had. And then nothing happened. Sure, Harry's legs bent as if he was about to jump, but then he was still for several seconds. The next Amie knew, Harry's knees had smashed into Moody's desk, and he was on the floor.
"Now, that's more like it!" growled Moody. "Look at that, you lot... Potter fought! He fought it, and he damned near beat it! We'll try that again, Potter, and the rest of you, pay attention - watch his eyes, that's where you'll see it - very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you!"
And he preceeded with putting Harry through the curse four more times until he could shake it off. After that, only a few more were put under the curse, and Amie wasn't one of them. She would do it their next lesson.
"The way he talks," said Harry, as they left the classroom. He walked as if he was in pain, and because of his knees, he probably was. "you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second,"
"Yeah, I know," Ron agreed. He was walking with a limp, due to his difficulty with shaking off the curse. Moody had assured him it would wear off. "Talk about paranoid..." Ron checked nervously over his shoulder to see that Moody was out of earshot. "No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted 'Boo!' behind him on April Fools' Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?"
"Don't worry, Ron, I'm sure it'll be fine," Amie soothed.
The fourth years had, and Ron complained constantly, noticed how extremely heavy their workload had become. When the class groaned as Professor McGonagall gave them transfiguration homework, she explained to them why their homework had gotten harder.
"You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education! Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer -"
"We don't take O.W.L.s till fifth year!" exclaimed Dean.
"Maybe not, Thomas, but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get! Miss Granger and Miss Jones remain the only two people in this class who has managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. I might remind you that your pincushion, Thomas, still curls up in fright if anyone approaches it with a pin!"
Amie didn't feel too proud about this, she was only good because she practised, not because she was talented. Hermione, however, was struggling to keep her face impassive.
In Divination, Harry and Ron were very amused as Trelawney told them they had received top marks for their homework. She even read some parts aloud to the class, as Amie struggled not to start laughing. She had, at least, done her homework relatively honestly, which meant not that much horror. But since Harry's and Ron's futures were 'full of' dangerous events, they were right up Trelawney's alley. Amie was still pleased with her high enough mark on her work. At the end of the lesson, all of the students' good mood went down, as Trelawney told them to do the same thing for the next month.
In History of Magic, their only ghost Professor - Professor Binns - had them writing essays every week on goblin rebellions. This was the one Amie joined in on complaining about when she had the chance. In Potions, Snape had them researching antidotes, which they all took very seriously. None took it more seriously than Harry - since Snape had hinted he would poison one of them before Christmas to see if their antidote worked, and he hated Harry, he was sure to poison him. Professor Flitwick had given them three extra books to read - so they'd be ready for Summoning Charms. Even Hagrid was contributing to their homework - he wanted them to come down to his hut during evenings and take notes of the Skrewts behavior.
"I will not," said Draco, and Amie had half a mind of agreeing with him. "I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks,"
Amie smiled, secretly being glad that at least Draco said thanks. He didn't say it to be polite, but the word in itself is polite, and that counted for something. Meanwhile, Hagrid's smile had faded.
"Yeh'll do wha' yer told!" he said. "or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book... I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy,"
Every Gryffindor except for Amie laughed, and Draco blushed in anger. The memory of Moody's painful treatment of him kept him silent. As Amie and the others went back up to the castle after the lesson was over, she noticed that her three friends were in a really good mood. It didn't take a genious to know why - they were happy that Hagrid had gotten one on Draco, and the thought made Amie scowl. She always found it difficult to take sides when it came to her friends. Sometimes she wished she'd never become Draco's friend, it would've made her life much easier. But then she'd be ashamed of herself, knowing Draco hardly had any friends because of his personality, just because of him being a Malfoy. If he was born into any family that wasn't Pureblood, Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't be his best friends.
When Amie and her friends arrived in the Entrance Hall, they found a huge crowd standing in front of the staircase. A sign had been erected there, and since Ron was the tallest of the four of them, he stood on his toes to see over everyone's heads, and he read out what the sign said.
TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT
THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT SIX O' CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY -
"Brilliant!" Harry interrupted. "It's potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!"
STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOMING FEAST
"Only a week away!" said Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff. "I wonder if Cedric knows... Think I'll go and tell him..."
"Cedric?" Ron asked blankly as Ernie ran off.
"Diggory," said Harry, before Amie could. "He must be entering the tournament."
"He is," Amie told them.
"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?" said Ron as they pushed through the crowd to walk up the staircase.
"Hey!" Amie exclaimed angrily. "He's my friend, don't talk of him like that!"
"He's not an idiot," Hermione stepped in. "You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch. I've heard he's a really good student - and, he's a prefect."
She said this as if the fact he was a prefect proved he couldn't be an idiot.
"You only like him because he's handsome," said Ron.
"Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!" said Hermione angrily.
Ron coughed falsely, and it sounded as if he said 'Lockhart!', which made Amie actually want to laugh. She didn't, though, because she was still angry at him for insulting Cedric.
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The appearance of the sign had the school buzzing like excited bees the following week. Wherever Amie went, people would talk of the Tournament. She often grew tired of it, and took refuge in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, stirring the potion. Amie had calculated it, and come to the conclusion that it would be ready on 30th of October, the day when the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were to arrive. Death's blood would be the last ingredient to put in, and then the potion would be complete. Amie only hoped she'd done nothing wrong - she was sure Death wouldn't give her Another chance. And all those lives would be lost.
During the week, the castle was undergoing a thourough cleaning. Amie had never seen it so neat, the portraits had been scrubbed, the suit of armors were gleaming, and Filch, the caretaker, was being mean to every students who forgot to wipe their shoes before entering the castle. He actually drove a group of first year girls into sobbing hysterics, and Amie, along with Hermione, spent several minutes calming them down. Other members of staff were behaving differently too.
"Longbottom, kindly do not reveal that you can't even perform a simple Switching Spell in front of anyone from Durmstrang!" McGonagall had barked at Neville at the end of a difficult lesson which had ended with Neville managing to transplant his own ears onto a cactus.
On the morning of the thirtieth, as Amie and the others entered the Great Hall for breakfast, they saw that the hall had been decorated overnight. Large silk banners hung from the walls, each one representing a house of Hogwarts. Behind the teachers' table were the biggest banner, with the Hogwarts Crest on it. Amie and the others went to sit down next to Fred and George, who sat far apart from the rest of the Gryffindors, conversing quietly.
"It's a bummer, all right," said George gloomily to Fred. "But if he won't talk to us in person, we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid us forever -"
"Who's avoiding you?" Ron asked curiously, sitting down next to them.
"Wish you would," said Fred, looking annoyed.
"Fred!" Amie reprimanded, sitting down too. Fred rolled his eyes.
"What's a bummer?" Ron asked George this time.
"Having a nosy git like you for a brother," George replied without missing a beat.
"George!" Amie exclaimed angrily. Everyone ignored her and she crossed her arms and huffed.
"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?" asked Harry. "Thought any more about trying to enter?"
"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen, but she wasn't telling," said George bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon."
"Just as she should," Amie said in approval, making George scowl.
"Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" said Ron thoughtfully. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before..."
"Not in front of a panel of judges you haven't," said Fred. "McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the task,"
"Who are the judges?" asked Harry.
"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," Hermione spoke up, making all but Amie look at her in shock. "because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on a rampage,"
When Hermione noticed how the boys were looking at her, she sighed impatiently.
"It's all in Hogwarts, A History," she said. "Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School."
"What are you on about?" said Ron cluelessly. Amie couldn't believe how thick he could be.
"House-elves!" Hermione said, proving Amie's theory correct. "Not once, in over a thousand pages, does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!"
Amie sighed and turned away from Hermione, getting started with her breakfast. She had, as well as Ron and Harry, paid the two sickles that bought a S.P.E.W. badge, but only so Hermione wouldn't be too hurt. But they had, in doing so, only made Hermione more eager in the whole thing. She kept nagging them about wearing their badges, and encouraging others to do so as well. And in the common room during evenings she would corner people with a collecting bin under their noses, rabbling chores that the house elves do, all for free. Some people, Neville among them, had paid Hermione just to stop her from bugging them. Some were interested in what she was saying, but didn't want to take part in her campaigning. Most thought of it as a joke.
As Amie, Harry and Fred focused on their plates, Ron rolled his eyes at the ceiling. But George leaned in closer to Hermione.
"Listen, have you ever been down in the kitchens, Hermione?" he asked her.
"No, of course not," said Hermione. "I hardly think students are supposed to -"
"Well, we have," said George, indicating himself and Fred. "loads of times, to nick food. And we've met them, and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world -"
"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!" Hermione began, but her next words were drowned out from the whoosh that came with the hundreds of owls carrying the post. Amie immediately spotted Hedwig, who flew down on Harry's shoulder and held out her leg. Harry took the letter from her and gave her some bacon from his plate. After checking that Fred and George were wrapped up in a discussion of their own, Harry read Sirius' letter out loud.
"Nice try, Harry.
I'm back in the country, and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar.
Sirius,"
"Why d'you have to keep changing owls?" Ron asked.
"She's too noticable, Ron. It's not good if the same owl keeps flying to wherever he's hiding. It'll attract attention, and that's the last thing he needs," Amie said, before Hermione had the chance.
After that, everyone fell relatively quiet, so Amie hurriedly finished her breakfast and left to go finish the potion. She didn't care if she would be late for first period, the potion was more important right now.
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It's not much, but it's a chapter :) (haha, I'm such a HP nerd, comment if you understood what I was refering to)
Well there you have it, a new chapter, and it wasn't as short as the last one! :)
Today we were sent home from school, because there had been a water leak somewhere, and the entire city (almost) had no, or black, water - which meant we couldn't be in school. I know, weird right? x)
Anyways.....
Comment, vote, fan, bye! :D (you know it would make my day!)