"We drink the poison
our minds pour
and wonder why
we feel so sick."
•
THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY morning would have been great, with the mild weather and surge of power, only if it wasn't for a few reasons -One, Draco was avoiding me. Two, Ron wasn't talking to me and Harry. Three, Hufflepuffs were sporting a Cedric for the win/ Potter and Firegold stinks badge.
I could've live with the second and third reason, but Malfoy avoiding me after that kiss? No way. I was scared and confused and my fucking heart was breaking. Harry wrote the letter to Sirius informing him about the Goblet of Fire.
"You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred for the third time in twenty-four hours; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.
"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.
"Magic," I said blandly over my bowl of porridge.
"At least you both are Gryffindors," Katie Bell pointed out. "We have a chance then."
"It's a interschool game, Bell," I said. "House divisions don't matter here. Whether it's me or Harry or Cedric who wins, ultimately it's going to be Hogwarts that wins."
I was glad that Fred and George weren't mad at me. But I knew Ron was mad at Harry. I hadn't seen him since last night before my name got pulled out. And I didn't know if he was mad at me too. I mean, that would be logical, wouldn't it? But everyone else was hyped up about my entry.
Ron walked in and flopped into a seat opposite to me, next to Fred and George.
"Where've you been?" I asked gingerly.
"Oh hello," said Ron. He was grinning, but it was a very odd, strained sort of grin. Ron buttered a toast as he watched me. "So," he said, "Congratulations."
"What d'you mean, congratulations?" I asked.
There was definitely something wrong with the way Ron was smiling: It was more like a grimace.
"Well . . . no one else got across the Age Line," said Ron. "Not even Fred and George. What did you use?"
"Magic," I said again.
"Oh right," said Ron. "I thought Harry might've told me if it was the cloak. . . because it would've covered all three of us, wouldn't it? But you found another way, did you?"
"Listen," I said, "Harry didn't put his name in that goblet. Someone else must've done it."
Ron raised his eyebrows. "What would they do that for?"
"People have been after Harry for years, Ron," I sighed. I drizzled more honey on my porridge. "I don't particularly trust anyone in this castle except a fair few. Besides, with Pettigrew escaped, I'm not sure I trust Karkaroff either. Neither do I trust Moody-"
"And you?" Ron raised his eyebrows. "Did you put your name in?"
I pursed my lips. I didn't want the truth to be out. Yet.
"No," I said in a tone of finality.
Ron raised his eyebrows so high that it had the possibility of disappearing within his hair. But he didn't say anything at all that day. He had been ignoring me too.
The next day, a Monday, things got worse. The Gryffindors still viewed me and Harry as some sort of hero. Ron was still ignoring us. Draco still hadn't addressed to me about the kiss. I didn't know what to do with my life anymore.
The Hufflepuffs, who were usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindors, had turned remarkably cold toward the whole lot of us. One Herbology lesson was enough to demonstrate this. It was plain that the Hufflepuffs felt that me and Harry had stolen their champion's glory; a feeling exacerbated, perhaps, by the fact that Hufflepuff House very rarely got any glory, and that Cedric was one of the few who had ever given them any, having beaten Gryffindor once at Quidditch. Ernie Macmillan and Justin FinchFletchley, with whom Harry normally got on very well, did not talk to him even though we were repotting Bouncing Bulbs at the same tray - though they did laugh rather unpleasantly when one of the Bouncing Bulbs wriggled free from Harry's grip and smacked him hard in the face. Ron wasn't talking to me or Harry either. Hermione sat between them, making very forced conversation, but though both answered her normally, they avoided making eye contact with each other. I thought even Professor Sprout seemed distant with us - but then, she was Head of Hufflepuff House. The bias ran deep.
During Care of Magical Creatures, Draco purposely stayed away from me, making comments about walking the Blast-Ended Skrewts. He didn't look at me or talk to me. Pansy made small talk with me and Blaise and Theo tried to parent their Skrewts religiously.
I half wanted to throw my Skrewt at Draco simply to get his attention.
The next few days were worse. I felt like every smile directed at me was fake. Hufflepuffs openly hated me and Harry. Ravenclaws smiled fakely and asked how we put our names in. The Slytherins were alright with me but hated Harry even more than they already did.
I could understand the Hufflepuffs attitude, even if I didn't like it; they had their own champion to support. I expected nothing less than vicious insults from the Slytherins towards Harry - he was highly unpopular there and always had been, because he had helped Gryffindor beat them so often, both at Quidditch and in the Inter-House Championship. But I had hoped the Ravenclaws might have found it in their hearts to support me and Harry as much as Cedric. I was wrong, however. Most Ravenclaws seemed to think that we had been desperate to earn ourselves a bit more fame by tricking the goblet into accepting our name. Then there was the fact that Cedric looked the part of a champion so much more than we did. Exceptionally handsome, with his straight nose, dark hair, and gray eyes, it was hard to say who was receiving more admiration these days, Cedric or Viktor Krum. I actually saw the same sixth-year girls who had been so keen to get Krum's autograph begging Cedric to sign their school bags one lunchtime. Meanwhile there was no reply from Sirius, Hedwig was refusing to come anywhere near Harry, Professor Trelawney was predicting Harry and my death with even more certainty than usual, and we did so badly at Summoning Charms in Professor Flitwick's class that we was given extra homework - the only people to get any, apart from Neville.
During Double Potions, the entire badge fiasco happened. Potter and Firegold Stinks. Was the kiss so bad, was the kiss just an impulsive decision, that Draco felt the need to use his exceptionally polished brain to make badges that ruined my and Harry's reputation?
The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message FIREGOLD AND POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around me and Harry. I felt the heat rise in my face and neck.
"Oh very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Theo and his gang of Slytherins, who were laughing harder than anyone, "really witty."
Ron was standing against the wall with Dean and Seamus. He wasn't laughing, but he wasn't sticking up for Harry either. And Draco, he looked slightly uncomfortable, but raged on because maybe he had a reputation to uphold.
"Want one, Granger?" said Malfoy, holding out a badge to Hermione.
Harry lost it. He had reached for his wand before he'd thought what he was doing. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor.
"Harry!" Hermione said warningly.
"Go on, then, Potter," Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now - do it, if you've got the guts -"
For a split second, they looked into each other's eyes, then, my anger towards Draco boiled up so high, I pulled my wand and casted a spell before Harry could.
"Furnunculus!" I yelled.
"Densaugeo!" screamed Malfoy, his wand swiveling towards me the last second.
Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles - my one hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up - Hermione, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.
"Hermione!" Ron had hurried forward to see what was wrong with her; I turned and saw Ron dragging Hermione's hand away from her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione's front teeth - already larger than average - were now growing at an alarming rate; she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, toward her chin - panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry too.
"And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice. Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, "Explain."
"Potter attacked me, sir -" a lie.
"I attacked him!" I shouted.
"- and he hit Goyle - look -"
Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi.
"Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly.
"Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!" He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth - she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar.
Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."
Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight.
I got so angry I wanted to cast the same spell at Snape and tell him that he didn't look much different either.
"Then I suggest you check your eyes sir," I said catching Snape's startled look.
"Excuse me, Ms Firegold?" he asked. "Are you questioning my capabilities?"
"Yes, I am."
Snape looked furious.
"And, you won't take away Points from Gryffindor," I added.
"Perhaps you've forgotten your limits, Ms Firegold. I'm the teacher-"
"Act like one," I snapped.
"What do you mean?"
"Stop bullying us around. We get it you hate Harry and the Gryffindors in general. But seriously? What are you, five? Who are you taking revenge on?"
"How dare-"
"Yes, I dare. Ron, find Hermione in the hospital wing. Some people never change."
And I guess Draco knew that I'm not just talking about Snape.
"I'll see you in Dumbledore's office after dinner, Professor," I said grabbing Harry. Snape was too startled to talk so I turned back one last time.
"The doe wouldn't like you bullying us, Professor," and I noticed a look of sadness, anger and panic flood through his eyes. I gave Draco one last look, before walking away.
~°^°~
Rita Skeeter clawed us out during the interview.
I was in a fairly small classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet. Six chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to a witch I had never seen before, who was wearing magenta robes. Rita Skeeter. Viktor Krum was standing moodily in a corner as usual and not talking to anybody. Cedric and Fleur were in conversation. Fleur looked a good deal happier than I had seen her so far; she kept throwing back her head so that her long silvery hair caught the light. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, was watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye.
I was talking to Cedric and Fleur when Dumbledore rescued Harry.
Harry's wand was weighed and it was my time. I cleaned the wand last night. Thestral core. Great.
"Ah, Ms Firegold," Ollivander said looking at me. "Nice condition. Alder Wood, Thestral Hair core. 13 inches. Reasonably flexible. I'd be careful, Ms Firegold."
"Why?" I asked, startled.
He gave it a swish and flowers burst out. "Both, Alder Wood and Thestral Hair core are associated with Dark Magic and death, Ms Firegold," he said calmly. "If not handled with care. . ."
I didn't want to know the end of it. This wand had chosen me. This wand was all I could truly call my own.
Then began the photoshoot.
Harry and I stayed close together as the judges got their photos shot.
Then us. Cedric and Krum stood behind because they were tall and all. Fleur sat in a chair in front, to the left, in front of Cedric. Me and Harry stood side by side in front of Krum, reasonably shorted that him.
After everything was over, dinner and all, I went to Dumbledore's office.
I was examining the shelves of books when Snape burst in. Dumbledore still wasn't in sight.
He looked at me as I turned and spared him a glance before grabbing a book called Dark Arts - Rise and Fall of Leadership and flicking through the pages.
"Evening professor," I said in my bored tone.
"You're not supposed to read that," he replied.
"Okay, but I am," I replied.
"What did you mean when you referred the d-doe?"
"Lily Evans of course," I replied keeping the book back and turning to face him.
As much as he was a bully, I hated to see him break like this.
"When I say I know everything, I literally mean I know everything, Professor. I'm never bluffing. And I know exactly why Voldemort lost his powers that night. It wasn't merely the shield of love Lily created," I said. He looked at me, his old sad eyes widening slightly.
"I knew, Skylar, you'd figure it out," Dumbledore's voice rang as he walked out of his room to the study. "You're very intelligent for someone so young."
"Thank you, Professor," I bowed lightly sitting in a chair. "That night, when Professor Snape requested Voldemort to spare Lily, Tom unintentionally made a Unbreakable Vow. As we all know, consequences of breaking an Unbreakable vow is loss of Magical powers and death, Voldemort lost his powers that night in Godric's Hollow when he attacked Lily. But he didn't die. Why? Because his soul was split up into horcruxes. He bid his time until he could have a body - an organic life form and not a mere parasite. And he will have that the night of the final round in this tournament. It's very necessary to let Bartemius Crouch Jr stay as Moody because he's going to be our link to Little Hangelton, where Voldemort will gain a body. "
Dumbledore nodded grimly while Snape looked horrified.
"You're tampering with the foretold, Skylar. Do you realize that?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, professor. But it's not totally true," I replied.
"How?"
"See professor, no one named Skylar Firegold was supposed to be attending Hogwarts. It's not there in the book. But here I am, suddenly attending the school. So, even if I didn't do anything, I already time travelled back. And it's already messed up.
And the thing about destiny is that, they always end the way they are supposed to. No one can change them. The war will happen in 1998 and Voldemort will be defeated. The only difference is that, it'll be me and Harry leading the war instead of him alone."
Dumbledore stared at me, blue meeting coffee. Then his lips twitched up.
"I'm glad you were brought back, Skylar. You'll be a great help in this."
I smiled.
"But now is not the time to think of what will happen three years later. You need to ignite your powers," Snape interrupted.
I looked at him and then at Dumbledore.
"Strecromancy?" I asked. Dumbledore smiled and nodded.
"We need to prepare our leader for the war," he replied.
"Have you ever felt it before?" Snape asked.
"What?"
"That you've incorporated your power into something and controlled it?"
I thought for a while. Had I?
"Minor. Like moving the water in the tub lightly. I was scared shitless that time," I said.
"We can try small. You know that this power is a lot like Imperius. You gain full control over a person's mind and body. It's like wandless non verbal magic," Snape replied.
I nodded.
"Won't I be, like, imprisoned for controlling a person's mind?"
"You're not using imperio. You're using your inborn powers. You don't go to Azkaban for that."
I nodded.
"Try moving things without touching them in your free time. You need to concentrate. That's the key. And you're intelligent. I know you'll be able to master the magic, " Dumbledore said.
I left is study at ten that night. I fell asleep in the couch in the common room.
The last thing I remember is bending the fire into a perfect image of a dragon.