The Year I Did Not Sign Up For! (Edited)

How To Make An Entrance

There were several reasons Harriet hated mornings. First of all, waking up sucked. Secondly, every single day had a problem. There was no such thing as a perfect day. Third on the list was the fact that she always felt bone-tired. The last point was that Dumbledore was likely to ruin her day one way or another. 

She sighed and rolled out of bed, grunting when she landed on the floor. It was going to be a long day.

Today, the foreign students were arriving for the bloody tournament that was the reason Quidditch was cancelled. Pansy was really excited. Apparently, Beauxbatons was arriving in a carriage pulled by winged horses. Draco was more excited about Durmstrang arriving. They were taking the more subtle mode of transportation called a magical flagship. Theo said he didn't care about how they arrived as long as they were punctual.

Harriet hoped everyone would change their minds and stay home. This tournament? It had reduced her chances of a normal school year to zero percent. Curse it! 

After lunch, the hogwarts students all assdembled outside in front of the school to witness the spectacle of the foreigners arriving. It was raining and the wind was rather chilly for a September. British weather at it's finest. 

Beauxbatons carriage was an artwork. Powder blue with elegant details and gold decoratives. It had a royal feel to it. Especially since the coat of arms was prominently placed on the door and roof of the thing. If there was one thing to be noted about the magic school of france, it was that they had a distaste for mascots of any kind. Henceforth, there symbol was the two crossed wands, each shooting three stars. The school itsself had had many noteworthy students over the years. Most prominent were Nicholas Flamel, the creator of the philosophers stone, and Vincent Duc de Trefle Picques, no one knew why he was famous (something about an illusionary charm). Regardless, Beauxbatons took pride in them and mentioned them at every oppurtunity. The winged horses did not let down either. They swooped down and laded jut as elegantly as they had flown. It was quite a sight.

Unfortunately, mud splattered everywhere.

The Durmstrang Flagship  emerged from the Black lake with an air of mystery and foreboding the Beauxbatons had not posessed. The main sail displayed Durmsrangs Mascot, the twin headed eagle. The ship had a viking feel to it. To be fair, it was a Norwegian school so that had been expected. Either way, it held the aura you would have expected from the Flying Dutchman.

"I want a Flagship." Harriet heard Draco whisper quietly. She facepalmed, shook her head and watched the students come ashore. What suprised her was that Viktor krum was among them. Wasn't he Bulgarian or something? She'd figure that out later. 

Instead she focused on the beauxbatons students. They looked terribly cold in their uniforms. Honestly, silk uniforms? These were the highlands! Their headmistress was presumably a half-giantess. She spotted a small girl of about 12 among the students. Obviously someones sister or she wouldn't have been there. Come to think of it, what was the kid doing here? She sighed and waited until everyone had sorted themselves out.

Dumbledore greeted both headmasters warmly. They returned the greeting with cool politeness. It was obvious they didn't trust him. Harriet smirked at the slightly annoyed face Dumbledore made. Madame Maxime started making demands almost immediatly.

"My 'orses need attending too Dumblydoor. Zey need to be cleaned and fed. Also, zey dreenk only single malt whiskey."

Karkaroff soon joined in.

"We've had a long journey. My students need rest. Let's go inside and get the organisatory things out of the way shall we?"

Dumbledore looked ready to kill them both behind his smile. He simply nodded and ushered them inside, their students following close behind. The hogwarts students followed directly after.

"Eternal glory! That's what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament, but to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks." was how Dumbledore introduced the tournament. Not the most uplifting thing for anyone with common sense. Fortunately this was the wizarding world!

"Each school will be represented by one champion. Anyone wishing to compete may place their name in the Goblet of fire by the end of the month. This gives you a few weeks to decide wether or not you would like to compete. Be warned though, if your name gets chosen. You will be facing perrilous tasks and may not come out alive," he continued.

Harriet heard a "pff" near her. Opressco seemed confident. Obviously he was going to try compete. Secretly, Harriet hoped there would be a Slytherin champion just to see the look on Dumblydoors face. Maybe not Opressco though. He had a name like a coffee brand with no reputation. Jordan Haywood, maybe? He was a good potioneer and pretty good at spells.

Dumbledore proceded to explain everything else, Harriet making a mental note here and there. She wondered what would happen if OFSTED showed up. It would be a pretty funny report to read.

After the ordeal of listening to their Headmaster drone on for an hour or so, it was time for bed again. Harriet fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. As it turned out, nightmares were still a thing.

Maybe she should look into a sleeping draught.