PROPHECY CHILD

14

THE GREAT HALL WAS filled with some last minute students who were eating their breakfast. As Lyra walked past them she could feel them staring at her, and with expertise that she did not possess a few years back she ignored them. 

What was running through her mind was the object they could have taken from her for the task. 

There were very few things still precious to Lyra, and she hoped that her luck be by her side and she does not lose any of them.

Lyra after picking up a sandwich with one hand jogged down the lawn, she noted that the seats that had encircled the dragons' enclosure in November were now ranged along the opposite bank, rising in stands that were packed to the bursting point and reflected in the lake below.

As the riddle ticked at the back of her mind she realised with a jolt that she would be asked to dive in the freezing black lake. 

The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water uncaring of the fact that the participants could very well die due to cold. 

She hurried along the other side of the lake toward the judges. 

Diggory, Delacour and Krum were keenly watching her as she approached them, but she didn't meet their eyes because she didn't want them to see the apprehension and the edge of fear in her eyes.

She always hated as much as she loved her eyes, she knew that she had her mother's eyes a fact she adored but she hated that how emotions practically shined in her eyes.

"I am sorry that I'm late." she said a tad bit guiltily, looking over the Black Lake before she met the gaze of the other Champions.

"Where have you been?" said a bossy, disapproving voice. "The task's about to start!"

Lyra tried to mask her annoyance at the person. Honestly, Percy Weasley reminded her of a less intelligent and male version of Hermione.

He was sitting at the judges' table — Mr. Crouch had failed to turn up again.

"Now, now, Percy!" said Ludo Bagman, who was looking intensely relieved to see her. 

Bloody Gambler.

 "Let her catch her breath!"

Dumbledore as he met her eyes smiled at her, his happy and grandfatherly smile. 

What right did he have to be happy?

Is he happy that she was participating in a deadly tournament? Lyra wouldn't bet against that.

Karkaroff and Madame Maxime obviously thought that she wouldn't turn up. Their less than pleased expression was the evidence of that.

She tried to feel amused or anything because the rage she felt was telling her to curse them to hell. 

But they didn't have any right to believe me to be a coward! Not when I risked everything for them in my first and second year. 

They didn't have the right to look at me with anything less than respect, not when I had lost so much so that they could sleep peacefully at night. 

She was thankful that Ludo Bagman had called out her and was now moving us, the champions, and spacing us along the bank at intervals of ten feet.

 Lyra was on the very end of the line, next to Krum, who was wearing swimming trunks and was holding his wand ready.

"All right, Lyra?" Bagman whispered as he moved to her a few feet farther away from Krum.

 "Know what you're going to do?"