As Cedric and Aurora walked into the old, fairly small classroom, they were greeted by some familiar faces. Ludo Bagman sat on one of the five velvet covered chairs. He was engaged in animated conversation with the blonde curly haired witch from the Champion Selection. She was wearing deep magenta robes which, in Aurora's opinion, were harmful to the eyes.
Viktor Krum was, as usual, standing moodily in a corner, not talking to anyone. He did not seem like the very talkative type. On the contrary, Dante and Fleur were excitedly chattering in a mixture of French, Italian and English. Finally, the other Hufflepuff boy who Aurora believed name was Adam, hovered awkwardly on the outskirts of the group, unsure of what to do and who to talk to.
Dante noticed the new arrivals first, pointing excitedly at the two figures. "Rora!" he exclaimed, and Aurora grinned before running over to join her siblings. This left Cedric to hover awkwardly like his fellow Hufflepuff. Fortunately for him, he did not have to wait very long, for moments later Harry Potter entered the threshold looking extremely fed up.
Bagman spotted him immediately, got up quickly, and bounded forwards. "Ah here he is! Champion number seven! In you come, Harry, in you come... nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment-"
"Wand weighing?" Harry repeated. He was fidgeting nervously with the fraying end of his robes. "We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead." Bagman explained. "The expert's upstairs with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photoshoot." Harry visibly grimaced but Bagman seemed not to notice. "This is Rita Skeeter." he gestured to the blonde woman who waved at them with far too long, talon like crimson painted nails. "She's doing a small piece on the Tournament for the Daily Prophet."
"Maybe not that small, Ludo." said Rita, her eyes boring into Harry. Aurora raised an eyebrow. Cedric seemed to notice too as he stifled a laugh.
"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?" she asked, but her gaze was still fixated on the boy who squirmed uncomfortably. Cedric and Aurora glanced at each other, fighting back smirks. "The youngest champion, you know... to add a bit of colour?"
"Certainly!" Bagman cried a little over enthusiastically, before realising that it was not his decision. "That is- if Harry has no objections?"
"Er-" the boy didn't even get to reply before he was being dragged away from the group by Rita Skeeter. Just as the two were about to disappear around a corner, Harry mouthed a pleading 'help me' to Aurora, who snickered quietly to herself. Cedric watched this interaction with narrowed eyes. He did not know the two knew each other- let alone were friends. He wasn't one to judge, but he didn't picture Harry befriending the daughter of the man who betrayed his parents. He thought it was suspicious.
Cedric, who was still deep in thought hardly noticed as Dumbledore and another man entered the room. He was quickly snapped out of his daze by the irritated sight of the Hogwarts Headmaster. "I suppose I shall have to go and retrieve them then." he said, referring to Rita Skeeter and Harry, before abruptly leaving the room. A couple of minutes later he returned with the boy and the reporter. Harry hurriedly came to stand beside Aurora, who flashed him a brief smile. The Champions were then ushered into their seats by Bagman. Rita Skeeter held her quill at the ready as she prepared for the ceremony. She was no longer staring at Harry but kept glancing at Aurora and Dante curiously.
"May I introduce Mr Ollivander." said Dumbledore, taking his seat at the judge's table while still speaking to the Champions. "He will be checking your wands to ensure they are in good condition before the Tournament."
Aurora had heard of Ollivander before. He was supposedly the best wandmaker in Britain. Draco had told her about him.
"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you forward please?" the old wandmaker requested, and Fleur stood up and handed him her wand. It was a plain thing really. Fleur had always been disappointed about that. But it was what was inside that mattered.
Ollivander twirled the wand around in his fingers, letting out several 'hmms' and 'aahs' before he finally spoke. "Yes." he said, his voice almost a whisper. "Nine and a half inches... inflexible... rose-wood... and containing... dear me..."
"An 'air from ze 'ead of a Veela." Fleur spoke up. "One of Grandmuzzer Felice's." the French girl turned and smiled softly at her adoptive siblings, who grinned back at the memory of their beautiful yet feisty grandmother.
"Yes." Mr Ollivander spoke up again. "Yes, I've never used Veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands... however, each to his own, and if this suits you..." Mr Ollivander trailed off and began checking the wand for bumps and scratches. When he found none, the man muttered, 'Orchideous' and a bunch of wild flowers burst from the wand tip.
"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order." said Mr Ollivander as he scooped up the flowers and handed them to Fleur who smiled sweetly. "Mr Diggory, you're next." Aurora watched as Cedric got up and handed his wand over proudly.
"Ah now this is one of mine now isn't it?" Mr Ollivander spoke with considerable more enthusiasm. "Yes I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn... must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches... pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition. You treat it regularly?"
"Polished it last night." Aurora very nearly let out a giggle at Cedric's proud smirk, before quickly reminding herself that she never giggled. What did make her laugh though, was Harry frantically trying to remove the finger print marks from his wand using his robes. But once Fleur sent him a rather patronising look, he stopped. Aurora was lucky she had decided to polish her wand last night.
Mr Ollivander then sent several plumes of smoke across the room using Cedric's wand before handing it back to him. He then turned to Viktor.
"Mr Krum. If you please." the boy got up and slouched towards Ollivander placing his wand in the old man's hand.
"Hmm." Mr Ollivander seemed to say that word a lot. "This is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I... however..."
Ollivander examined the wand more closely. "Yes... hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" Krum nodded slightly. "Rather thicker than one usually sees... quite rigid... ten and a quarter inches... Avis!" with a loud pop, a small group of birds few from the wand tip.
"Good." said Ollivander. "How for Mister Fulton." the other Hufflepuff boy stood up and passed his wand to the old man. "Another dragon heartstring core... maple... reasonably pliable... ten and three quarter inches... a fine combative wand." Ollivander released some gold sparks from the tip of Adam's wand. "In fine condition." he finished as he handed it back to the boy.
"Next, Miss Black." all eyes turned to Aurora. Rising from her seat, she approached Ollivander and handed him her long, slender wand.
"Aah. Interesting. Very interesting." he muttered, bringing the wand up close to his face to examine it more closely. "This is one of the Bianco's?" he asked the girl.
"Yes. My grandfather Leonardo made it for me." she replied.
"Ah yes, Leonardo Bianco. I knew your grandfather very well. A brilliant wandmaker. I was very sad to hear of his death." Aurora nodded.
"Yes. Let's see here... Blackthorn. Very interesting... and for the core... my, my..." Ollivander's eyes were wide as he ran his fingers across the wand. "an Antipodean Opaleye scale... the most beautiful of the dragons... I've never seen this type of core before. It is extremely rare... where on Earth did he get it?" Ollivander asked curiously. Aurora simply shrugged. "Grandpapa was a secretive person."
"Yes well, a very powerful core indeed. Makes for a a loyal and faithful servant. Suited to a warrior, I think." Ollivander looked over the wand before muttering an unfamiliar incantation. Suddenly, a bunch of beautiful lilies burst from the tip of Aurora's wand. "Yet, this wand contains very beautiful magic." He handed the it back to the girl, and she walked back to her seat.
Aurora's wand
Rita Skeeter was still eyeing Aurora as she sat down. The woman began scribbling furiously on her notepad. Her head shot up however, when Dante's name was called out. It seemed it was her lucky day.
"Ah, another one of Bianco's. And I'll bet... aah yes. Containing the scale of a Ukrainian Ironbelly. I dread to think where Leonardo got it from... aah... Apple wood! How peculiar... very different from blackthorn, yet with equally beautiful magic... Aguamenti!" Ollivander muttered, and a stream of water burst from the wand. It formed the shape of a bird, and then promptly evaporated. "A fine wand, capable of great things. Yours too Miss Black." he nodded at Aurora as Dante took his seat beside her.
"So that leaves Mr Potter." Rita Skeeter sat up in her seat and gripped her quill tighter as Harry made his way nervously towards Ollivander and placed his wand on the table.
"Aah yes." Ollivander's eyes gleamed in recognition. "Yes, yes, yes how well I remember" The old man seemed lost in thought as he examined the wand closely. He did not speak or 'hmm' or 'aah'. He simply did his job in silence, much to Rita Skeeter's disappointment. Once he had declared it fit for use, he shot a fountain of wine from the end and handed it back to its owner.
"Thank you all." said Dumbledore as he rose from the judge's table. "You may go back to your lessons now- or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end-" Harry stood up hastily to leave, but the man with the big black camera cleared his throat rather loudly, halting the boy in place.
"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!" Bagman cried excitedly. "All the judges and champions. What do you think, Rita?"
"Er- yes let's do those first," the woman said, her eyes flitting between the Black twins and Harry Potter. "And then perhaps some individual shots." Aurora groaned inwardly. This was going to take a long time.
She was right. It did take a long time. The feast was almost over by the time they had taken the first photo. Madame Maxime could not fit into the frame. The photographer tried her in every position before he made her sit while the other stood (she was still the tallest). And then there was the problem of Rita Skeeter. The photographer was very keen to put Fleur and Aurora at the front, but she kept rushing forwards and bringing Harry and Dante to the forefront. By the time they had finished the first shot it was half past seven. Then, it was time for the group photo of the champions.
The seven students stood in position with smiles plastered on their faces. Aurora thought her cheeks would break if she didn't give her face a rest. The big black camera flashed, and the champions relaxed from their stiff positions.
"Look at you all." Rita Skeeter smirked at the seven teenagers. "I think it's time we were properly introduced. I'm Rita Skeeter." she walked up to the champions and shook their hands in turn. "I write for the Daily Prophet. But you already knew that." the woman let out an airy laugh. Aurora gritted her teeth. "It's you we don't know. What quirks lurk behind those rosy cheeks?" she patted Fleur's cheeks roughly. "What mysteries do the muscles mask?" Rita referred to Krum "Does courage lie beneath those curls?" she ruffled Cedric's hair, who looked rather disgruntled. "What secrets are hidden by all that beauty?" Rita ran her hands through Aurora's long ringlets. "In short, what makes a champion tick? Me, myself and I want to know. Not to mention my rabid readers. So, who's up for sharing? Let's start with..." her finger moved from one champion to the next, before stopping at Aurora. "Miss Black! And Mister Black. You are siblings after all."
Aurora and Dante reluctantly followed Rita as the other champions moved to the side of the room. Harry was laughing at the twins, who stuck their tongues out at him very maturely.
The trio rounded a corner, and came to a door that was partially hidden. The twins glanced at each other as the blonde woman disappeared inside. When they followed her, they were appalled to see that the room was a broom cupboard. It was a squeeze, but the three just managed to fit inside.
"Now," Rita Skeeter opened her notepad. "You don't mind if I use a quick quotes quill do you?" the twins shook their heads. "Lovely. So, why did you two decide to enter the Tournament in the first place? You must know how dangerous it is." the Black's glanced at each other, before Dante answered, "We want to prove ourselves." he replied shortly. Rita chuckled.
"Well it doesn't seem to me that you have a lot to prove. You're both top of all your classes, you have a very impressive extra-curricular activities list, and all of your professors speak very highly of you." she smirked at Aurora's confused frown.
"How did you-"
"Oh please, Miss Black. I do my research." Dante narrowed his eyes at the evasive answer.
"Anyway," Rita Skeeter continued. "Was it the glory that made you enter? Or was it something else? Adventure? Attention perhaps?" Aurora scoffed, and the reporter shot her a quizzical look.
"We have enough attention." the girl explained.
"Ah. Yes. It must be quite difficult for you two. Being the children of Sirius Black and all. You must have quite a lot of people judging you, right?"
"The rumours never stop." Dante muttered, and Aurora elbowed him slightly. They had to be careful what they said around Rita Skeeter
"Yes, yes." she gave them a fake sympathetic look. "Now that we're on the subject of parents, how do you think your mother, if she were alive, would feel about you two entering the Tournament? Proud? Concerned?" Aurora dug her nails into her palms to stop herself from lashing out. That woman had no right to speak about their mother.
Dante laid a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder, before calmly speaking. "We don't know. She is dead. We do not remember her very well."
"Right, right of course." Aurora became slightly distracted by the acid green quill scribbling on the notepad, which was now hovering by Rita's head. It was tilted away from the twins on purpose. The girl narrowed her eyes in suspicion. However, she tuned back into the conversation as her name was called.
"So, Aurora. I couldn't help but notice that you and Harry Potter seem very friendly. Is there anything going on there or-" the reporter was interrupted by Aurora's short bark of laughter.
"Harry? No, no of course not. He's practically family." Skeeter looked unconvinced.
"So no special someone then?" the girl shook her head. "You're a beautiful girl. There must be someone?" she denied it again.
"Alright then." Rita sighed, clearly disappointed. "Well, I think that's all for now. Thank you, Aurora, Dante." she shook the twins hands in turn. "Now, let's get back to the others shall we?" With that, the trio left the broom cupboard and made their way back to the old classroom.
Rita Skeeter interviewed each person in turn. By the time they were finished with the interviews, and all the individual shots had been taken, it was almost ten o'clock. Exhausted, the seven champions left the classroom and made their way down the stone hallways. After a moment's silence, Dante spoke up. "Well she was awful." he referred to Rita Skeeter.
"Yeah." Harry agreed. "She kept going on about my parents." he said angrily.
"Ours too." Aurora clenched her hands into fists at the memory. Dante once again rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Look on the bright side, sorella. At least she acknowledged you." his sister sent him a questioning look. Fleur laughed lightly. "Come on, Rora. She called you beautiful, yet she barely even glanced my way." he grumbled. Aurora snickered while the others cracked small smiles. "Don't laugh! We are twins after all! We look basically the same!"
"Come on, Dante. We both know I'm the better looking twin." Harry, Cedric and Adam snorted while Fleur shook her head in amusement. Even Viktor laughed, albeit very quietly. Dante however, looked appalled.
"Excuse me?" he squeaked in an extremely high pitched voice. All of the champions laughed loudly at his reaction. As the group made their way further down the Hogwarts corridors, they joked and teased each other like they had been friends all their lives. Walls that had initially been put up for protection were broken down in that moment. They may have been competing against each other, but the champions would need each other if they were to survive what was coming.