Snape and Lily's daughter

Goblet of Fire

"I don't believe it!" Grace heard Ron say. "Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum!"

The students started to cross the entrance hall, heading for the Great Hall.

"Oh I don't believe it, I haven't got a single quill on me... D'you think he'd sign my hat in lipstick?" Melia said.

"Really," Hermione said.

"I'm getting his autograph if I can," Ron said. "do any of you have a quill?"

"No." Grace and Harry answered.

Grace and her friends walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down. Grace noticed that Krum and the other Durmstrang students were standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, unsure about where they should sit. The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table.

"Over here! Come and sit over here!" Ron yelled from the Gryffindor table to the Durmstrang students.

But Krum and the rest chose to sit at the Slytherin table.

They began to take off their heavy fur coats and looked up at the dark, starry ceiling with interest. Grace noticed that some of the students were looking at the gold plates and bowls in amazement. The last to be seated were Dumbledore, Karkaroff and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side.

Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and — most particularly — guests," Dumbledore said. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

Grace saw that one of the Beauxbatons girls giggled.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," Dumbledore said. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. There was a greater variety of dishes in front of them than Grace had ever seen, including several that were definitely foreign.

"What's that?" Astoria asked, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.

"Bouillabaisse," Megan said. "It's French, I had it on holiday summer before last. It's very nice."

The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there.

Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep bloodred.

Soon after, Grace noticed a girl from Beauxbatons approaching the Slytherin table. It was the same girl who had laughed at Dumbledore. She had long blond hair that was almost white and blue eyes.

Grace noticed Draco and the other boys nearby turning red.

"Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?" she asked.

"Yeah, have it," Grace said.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?"

"Yeah, it was excellent." Ella answered.

The girl picked up the dish and carried it carefully off to the Ravenclaw table. Grace realized that Blaise still had his eyes fixed on the girl.

"She's a veela!" Grace noticed.

"I don't think so... I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot." Melia said.

But that was not true. When the girl crossed the hall, many boys turned around.

"That's not a normal girl! They don't make them like that at Hogwarts!" Blaise said.

Grace and the third and fourth year girls faced Blaise.

"They make nice girls at Hogwarts." Draco murmured, looking at Grace, who didn't get to hear what he said.

When the second course arrived Grace noticed a number of unfamiliar desserts too.

After the golden plates were cleaned, Dumbledore stood up once again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now. Grace felt a slight thrill of excitement, wondering what was coming.

"The moment has come," Dumbledore said. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket —"

"The what?" Megan muttered.

Melia shrugged.

"— just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" the students applauded. "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued. "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Filch now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," Dumbledore said. "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways... their magical prowess — their daring — their powers of deduction — and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

The Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly. "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. And then the cup appeared, with its blue flames.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," Dumbledore said. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," he said. "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."