"Did Viktor Krum just talk to you?!" Ron started fanboying. "He just bumped into me," I told him. "Made me drop my bag and helped me."
"I'm getting his autograph!" Ron squealed like a little girl on Christmas. "Joy, Harry, do any of you have a quill?"
I passed him my quill, while rolling my eyes back into my head. We sat back down at the Gryffindor table and Ron was lurking near the Durmstrang students. The Beauxbatons students were sitting at the Ravenclaw table. "Ron!" I hissed. "Sit down! He'll be here all year."
Ron sat down and glowered at me. His glower was more harsh when the Durmstrang students settled with the Slytherins. "Happy now, Joy?"
"Shut up," I rolled my eyes.
Tia sat at the staff table with the others, I looked at her and she wanted to be anywhere else on the entire earth. She caught my eye and did a 'kill me now' motion. I started laughing and hid my face.
"Who else is coming?" Ginny asked me. "No idea," I shrugged.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and most importantly guests," Dumbledore addressed us all. "The Tournament will officially begin once the feast is over. Tuck in."
Food appeared on the table and everyone tucked in. "Uh, what is this?" I poked at my food, that looked like some sort of shellfish. "Bouillabaisse," a girl said from behind me. I turned around to see one of the Beauxbatons girls, she had long silvery hair and big blue eyes.
"Oh, hello," I greeted her while Ron was just drooling at her. "You are Joanna?" she frowned. "Yep, that's me," I told her. "Did my aunt ask you to find me?"
"Yes, she thinks you should, as they say, 'get to know the guests,'" she told me. "Of course she did," I sighed. "If you want, you can call me Joy, everyone else does."
She offered me her hand to shake. "It is nice to meet you, I'm Fleur," she said. "Do you want the bouillabaisse?"
"You can have it," Ron thrust the plate in her direction which startled Fleur. She took it from him and smiled at me. "It was nice to meet you, Joy," she said and walked back to the Ravenclaw table.
"She was a Veela!" Ron gaped. "What?! Don't be absurd," Hermione muttered.
"Why did she come over to you?" Harry asked me. "Because my aunt coerced her to," I told them. "She wants me to meet the guests."
"Maybe they'll send Viktor Krum over," Ron said excitedly. I shot him a glare and continued eating. "Joy looks like a Veela," Ron pointed out. I spat out my steak in surprise. "Since when?!" I exclaimed. "You have a bit of silver in your hair..." Ron started. "My hair is ash blonde and my eyes are green," I told him. "And also, werewolf," I pointed at myself dramatically. "They don't come like that at Hogwarts," Ron stared at Fleur. "Some girls do," Harry muttered, his eyes flicking up at me. I only caught his eye for a second, then it occurred to me.
He thinks I'm good looking?
***
I looked up at the staff table to see the other seats filled, by Bagman and...Crouch. Oh, Tia is going to love that.
I saw Tia stand up and she rushed over to me. "Kiddo, tomorrow afternoon, half one, training grounds," she whispered to me. "Oh and by the way, there's this dinner for the champions and I'd like you to come, please for me? So I don't kill anyone."
"Fine," I sighed. "Remember my motto?"
"Smile and nod," I said. "Atta girl," she patted me on the back and rushed back.
"She's getting you involved with everything?" Ginny asked me. "Unfortunately," I sighed, stabbing my steak.
Dumbledore stood up to start the end of feast speech. "The moment has come, the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin. I'd like to say a few word before we bring in the casket," he said. "First I'd like to introduce Mr Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Co-operation and Mr Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."
Everyone applauded politely. My family were already introduced at the start of the year so they just sat there. "Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman have been working for a few months on the arrangements for the tournament. Mr Crouch, Miss Tatiana Jones, myself, Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff will be on the judging panel to judge the champion's efforts."
The whole hall started clapping, then it hit me. Whoever the Hogwarts champion was going to be, they'd be kissing my arse to get good marks from my aunt.
"The casket if you please, Mr Filch?" Dumbledore requested. Filch carried a big bejewelled wooden chess to the staff table. "Everything has been examined by Mr Crouch, Mr Bagman and Miss Jones. There will be three tasks spread out throughout the year and they will test the champions in different ways, mainly their ability to cope with danger. As you know three champions are selected, one from each school. They will be marked on how they perform by the judges and the champion with the highest score after the last task will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions are chosen by an impartial selector, the Goblet of Fire, Tatiana, if you please."
Tia opened the chest with her wand and carried out some sort of wood and stone cup. It was full to the brim with dancing blue flames. Dumbledore nodded at her to go ahead.
"Anyone who wishes to submit themselves as a champion for their school must write their name and school clearly on a piece of parchment and drop it into the Goblet," Tia addressed us. "Aspiring champions have twenty four hours, tomorrow night, the Goblet will choose three champions, it will be placed in the Entrance Hall so everybody can access it."
Dumbledore took over her speech. "I will be drawing an age line, no one under the age of seventeen may cross it. Once a champion is selected, there is no turning back, placing your name in creates a binding magical contract. Now, goodnight to you all."
I walked out of the hall so I could get an early night, I was exhausted after pulling an all nighter to get ahead of all my work. I walked into the bathroom to wash up and to change into my pyjamas.
"Joy?" Hermione's voice was very quiet and shaky. "What?" I mumbled.
"I was really insensitive to you and your family, I'm really, really sorry, I know you and your aunt aren't like Crouch or Malfoy," she was sniffling.
I walked over to her and hugged her. "It's okay Mione, I forgive you."
She returned the hug and she was crying a little. "You want me to buy an S.P.E.W badge?" I asked her. "Maybe," she muttered. "You're lucky you're cute," I rolled my eyes.
***
"Ah, my favourite niece," Tia greeted me. "I'm your only niece," I told her. "Now, are you ready?" she asked me.
"For?" I frowned.
Tia muttered a spell which brought a training dummy to life. "Bloody hell!" I exclaimed in surprise.
"So, what spells do you know?" Tia asked me. "Disarming people, stunning people, freezing people, burning people, paralysing people and protecting myself from all the above," I listed, counting them on my fingers."
Tia nodded. "Good that's good, but there's some others you should know, wand out."
I whipped my wand out from my robes. "Try Levicorpus, okay?"
"On the dummy?"
"No, on me," Tia muttered. "Go ahead, hit me with. your best shot."
"Okay," I murmured, pointing my wand at her. "Levicorpus!"
She suddenly flew upside down and it was like an invisible giant was holding her up by the ankle. "Haha! Nice!" she cheered. She muttered the counter curse and dropped to the ground. "There we go, good job, now, I'm going to make that dummy run at you okay? You're going to slow it down with Impedimenta, okay?"
"Right, got it," I nodded, holding my wand. "Ready?"
"Yep, Bring it!"
Tia muttered a spell and the dummy rushed towards me. "Impedimenta!" I bellowed and the dummy started moving in slow motion.
"Now look at this one," she smirked. "Incarcerous!"
Thin ropes burst from her wand and the dummy was tied up. "I'm required to know that for Auror work," she told me. "You're teaching me Auror level spells?" I cocked my eyebrow. "Yep, don't tell your dad, he might use that Levicorpus spell and leave me like that all night."
"Right, so now what?"
"Now, we duel," Tia smirked. "Wait what?!" I squeaked, like a mouse.
"Come on, Joanna, don't be a wuss," she taunted me. "Oh I'm gonna get you now," I grumbled. Suddenly, I got sprayed in the face with water and I started coughing as some of it went up my nose. Tia was clutching at her stomach, laughing.
"You're mean," I grumbled. "Come on," she encouraged me. I shot a fire ball at her which shocked her. "Protego! Bloody hell, Joy!"
I had a small smirk on my face. "I'm just glad I didn't teach you the Bat Bogey Hex," she muttered. "Immobulus!" she shouted. "Protego!" I yelled. "Stupefy!"
"Anteoculatia!" Tia shot a hex at me but it hit me. "Oh, crap!"
"What?" I asked her. "You have antlers on your head," she giggled. "What?!" I freaked out. "Get rid of them!"
"Fine," she muttered the counter-curse. "Expelliarmus!" Tia's wand flew out of her hand.
"Well done," she praised me. "Now, here's a rock, I'm going to throw it up into the air and you're going to destroy it with Reducto, ready?"
I nodded. She tossed the wand and I pointed my wand at it. "Reducto!"
The rock blew up into dust. "Good work," she chuckled. "Very very good, my boss would be impressed."
"Mad-Eye would be?" I asked her. "Yeah, next thing you're going to learn is how to fight," she told me. "How to fight?" I frowned.
"I mean what if you get disarmed? You need to learn how to pack a punch," she told me. "You're talking to the girl who broke Malfoy's nose on her first day, I know how to pack a punch," I told her.
She started laughing. "Good, the git deserved it."
I took my robe off and I had a t-shirt and leggings on. "Okay, now we don't actually hit each other, alright?"
I nodded, bringing my arms up. Tia brought her arms up too. "I have a feeling you know this stuff already."
"You first," I taunted her. She threw a punch which I blocked easily. She tried swinging her leg but I ducked on time.
Tia suddenly wrapped her arm around my neck, not tightly though. "Gotcha!"
I bent down really quickly and flipped her onto her back. "Yeah, no you don't," I smirked.
"You're using werewolf strength, you cheater," Tia chuckled. "I only used a tiny bit," I giggled. "Come on, use a little more," she encouraged me.
"It'll hurt though, I don't know if I should," I sighed. "Joy, I give you my full consent to use your werewolfitude on me," she told me.
"Alright, ready?"
"Yep."
I was able to place my hand on her collarbone and force her to the ground, landing on her back. "Crap! I'm sorry!"
Tia didn't look to be in pain. "Ooh, put a little more strength in and you could break someone's collarbone."
"Do..do you think I'm a good fighter?" I asked her. "Good?! You're better than most of the Aurors, Joy!" Tia cheered. "Now the two of us deserve some hot chocolate, how is Remus and the big black dog?"
"Getting sick of each other."
"HA! Priceless!"
***
"Hang on? They tried to make an Aging potion and grew beards?!" I asked Ginny while laughing. "Yep!" Ginny giggled. "The idiots!"
I started laughing uncontrollably. "So, how's Professor Lupin, sorry your dad, it's still weird that our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is your dad."
"He's good, he's dog-sitting for me and Tia," I told her. "I'm glad you and Hermione made up," Ginny said. "Things were getting awkward."
"Yeah, I was being a petty bitch," I said. "I'm just wondering who's going to get chosen."
Harry, Ron and Hermione joined us a few minutes later. "Hey, where did you guys go?" I asked them. "Hagrid's," they said in unison. "I think he fancies Madame Maxime," Hermione whispered to me. "Ew!" I giggled.
We all gathered at the Gryffindor table. "Isn't there some sort of dinner you have to attend for the champions?" Ginny asked me. "Yes, can you murder me first?" I requested.
"No," Ginny rolled her eyes, which quickly followed by me doing it too.
"The Goblet is nearly ready to make its decision!" Dumbledore announced.
Everyone was eyeing the Goblet, waiting for it to change colour. The flames turned red and parchment shot out. Tia caught it and read it aloud. "The Durmstrang champion is...Viktor Krum!"
The Durmstrang students cheered as Viktor got up. "Bravo!" Karkaroff cheered. Viktor shook hands with my aunt and Dumbledore.
Tia caught the second piece of parchment that flew out. "The Beauxbatons champion is...Fleur Delacour!"
Fleur got up and I gave her a small smile as I applauded. She shook hands, like Viktor, with my aunt and Dumbledore.
Tia caught the last piece of parchment and unfolded it. "The Hogwarts champion is...Cedric Diggory!"
I clapped for him, Ron didn't. "We have our champions!" Dumbledore announced. "Now, I hope all of you will give your full support towards your champions."
Suddenly, the flames turned red again. Tia was pretty taken aback by it. "What the bloody hell?"
She reached up and took the parchment. She looked at it and her eyes widened. "That's...impossible."
She handed it to Dumbledore. He took it from her and read it aloud. "Harry Potter."
My eyes widened and I turned towards Harry. "What. Did. You. Do?!"