The Unsolved Riddle.

Goblet of Fire Outrage.

Never in Eliana's first three years had she seen the Great Hall as alive or warm as she did at the start of her fourth year. All it took was the mention of the Triwizard Tournament. The absence of Dementors had greatly improved not only the attitude of students but also the flowers that grew outside, life itself had grown back into Hogwarts and judging by the way in which Hagrid was going about his day, the creatures that were returning, Eliana was sure, would kill the students by the end of the year.

"You would do it, right?" Eliana had found herself watching the tall, broad man at the front who wore a moleskin jacket, and not all that far away sat the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Professor Moody. 

"Sorry, what did you say?" No matter how hard she fought it, Eliana knew that the entire time Moody was sat at the head table with one eye on his food and the other scanning the students, nothing she did would go unnoticed. At one point, Eliana was sure he had stopped his scanning to watch her and to make it worse, his real eye seemed to follow. After meeting her eye, Moody suddenly turned away, acting as if he hadn't seen her at all. The entire exchange was unrepeated as no one else in the hall seemed at all disturbed by the man after the initial shock had sunk in. His nose seemed to have seen better days, one foot was missing and one of his eyes had been replaced.

"He looks like Professor Kettleburn used to. Reckon he has been off trying to tame wild beasts as well?" Eliana smiled slightly as her goblet was drunk from, water ran down her throat and it filled her as chicken bones were forgotten on her plate. "Anyway, as I was saying, Ellie, would you put your name in the goblet of fire?" Su cheerfully asked as she placed her cutlery down with a happy smile.

"Maybe, I am so clumsy I would die instantly. I read about this tournament and the book said that half the participants died, I don't care if they made it safer this year, somebody is going to die and when they do, I doubt this tournament will keep going." Narrow eyes watched Eliana and heads tilted in disbelief as pudding filled the table and immediately, Eliana scooped up some gateau from in front of her.

"It won't be that bad. They'll probably have to go into the forest, with adult supervision or they will use a tracker. It will be fine." Padma reasoned but Eliana didn't back down as she swallowed what was in her mouth.

"125 competitions, three schools, that makes 375 participants and if half of them died then nearly 190 students have died in this competition. But, I still hope Hogwarts wins. Who do you think will represent us?" Eyes scanned around the hall but they never landed on anyone. After a few moments of slurping and the laughter of others, the Ravenclaws gave in on their search and instead they began to laugh themselves as the summer was discussed.

"Turkey? You went to Turkey?" Eliana's slow agreement was barely noticed as only Su was speaking to her.

"I go every year, we spend a few days with dad's dad and then we fly over to Korea to see my mum's family and then we fly back to Turkey and see dad's mum before coming back home. But tell me where you got the henna." Marks ran along Su's forearm and both girls stared at it for a while.

"I went to a festival in Scotland and it turns out it was a Muggle festival. There were street performers, live music and comedy. I didn't understand a lot of the comedy but we loved it. I think it was called the Feight or something like that. It was in Edinburgh." Eliana's mouth went wide as the edges of her lips also turned into a smile as she pushed away her plate.

"Edinburgh Fringe?" The pair had barely started talking when Dumbledore got to his feet and lifted his arms in the air.

"Well, this has been a lovely evening, I am sure you are all as delighted to be back as the staff are but unfortunately the time has come to return to our dormitories and private chambers. Prefects, if you could lead the first-years to your common rooms and older years, if you could follow." Students stood, unfamiliar first-years had gained a little colour in their cheeks as Heads of Houses stood and watched those in their house leave. Professors had all regained their rigid exterior as the evening was closing and the jolly atmosphere of the school seemed to leave with the students.

"What if we meet Peeves again? I'm still wet from last time." The wet hair of students had gone forgotten but as the Ravenclaw fourth-years remarked amongst themselves, they caught sight of everyone else's wet hair.

"I think the rain did the worst of it though and it was worth it, just to see Professor McGonagall nearly fall over." A few smiles formed at the memory as the girls found themselves back inside their shared room. "And, at least we can't lose at Quidditch this year. Maybe the pitch will be deserted enough for us to have a friendly match with another house every week." Silent agreement came as pyjamas were pulled over their heads and the curtain to the small window was tugged closed.

"What is Harry going to do this year to get into trouble?" Padma leant against one of the bedposts and then shifted to sit on the edge of her bed to face everyone else.

"He'll make himself part of the tournament. Maybe the goal of the last task will be to kill The Boy Who Lived." Jovial agreement filled the room as Eliana then opened her case and began to nibble on some chocolate.

"No matter what, it's going to be during the final task. Magic is dangerous but thankfully, magic also respects education, after all, it waits till the end of the school year, every year, to attack Harry and send him or his friends into Madam Pomfrey's care." Snorts and laughs returned as quiet nibbles also escaped into the room.

"How are you still hungry? I ate my body weight in food today and that chicken tonight was so delicious. I don't think I can eat for another year!" Exclaimed Padma as she watched Eliana gobble her chocolate cauldron.

"In case you haven't noticed, I am twice the height I was four years ago and if Ron Weasley up and died tomorrow, I would probably be the tallest in the year and one of the tallest in the school." Eliana had managed to grow so tall that the robes she wore in her first year looked like clothes someone her height would have worn as a toddler, Madam Malkin had struggled to recognise her the first time her robes had to be resized and each time she returned the witch was left exasperated at the thought of a child growing so fast. The woman had turned to quietly commenting about growth charms and what they got up to at 'that' school.

"How tall are you?" Eliana shrugged and flung herself back onto her bed, stretching her arms up as the last of the chocolate was eaten.

"I was about three foot ten inches when I came here in our first year. Muggle primary schools weigh and measure you for some NHS recorder thing. They told me that I was too short for my age and that I needed to eat more vegetables." With a lazy sway, Eliana sat at the end of her bed and leant against the bedpost, wrapping an arm around it as she lazily rummaged for her toothpaste and toothbrush.

"At least Professor Snape can't keep telling you that 'just because you look like a five-year-old doesn't mean you should act like one,' or my personal favourite 'you may look like a child but your brain shouldn't be the size of one' and the list goes on." Snape's remarks about her height may have stopped but his snarls, his retorts and lack of consideration were alarmingly increasing. Students from Ravenclaw grew accustomed to losing at least five points and that was on a day where Eliana was on her best behaviour, not daydreaming whilst watching the animals bob up and down in the glass jars that covered the walls.

"Instead, he calls me nicknames and gives me bad grades, even though I am good at the subject. Even Neville and Harry have better treatment from him. When I try to be nice it only gets worse and frankly, I am starting to lose hope that Professor Severus-I think he has a middle name-Snape will ever treat me like he treats anyone else. I am just glad he isn't the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I like the subject too much." Faces twisted into disbelief.

"We have had three awful teachers, well, Lupin was good but he was a werewolf. Judging by the reputation of Professor Moody and what we've seen so far, this year isn't going to be any good either." Eliana shrugged and stood, applying toothpaste to her toothbrush.

"We have had a murderer in our first year, a fraud in our second year, a werewolf in our third year and now an Auror. I think we are due a pervert any day now. Unless he has managed to break the curse that is on the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. I wonder why he won't be staying for any longer than a year this year. Maybe he'll be caught setting up some dangerous contraption and a student will die. Maybe he'll help Sirius Black get back into the castle, now the Dementors are gone, it should be easier." Eliana may have just been teasing but Morag's face had lost all its colour and her eyes were the widest any of them had ever seen.

"She's only joking Morag. She's Muggle-born remember, she doesn't realise what she's saying," soothed Lisa but none of the girls could see Eliana's turned face that had fallen as toothpaste began to froth in her mouth.