A figure was standing in the doorway with a long staff in his hand, clearly supporting him and keeping him on his feet. Everyone's head turns, almost completely synchronised to face the stranger in the doorway. The hood covering his head was lowered and Diana gasps almost inaudibly. The man had clearly seen some tough times and fought some rough battles.
His hair was matted and a sandy grey and his face looks like it was haphazardly carved from a piece of driftwood, chunks missing in certain places. But the feature that terrified Diana most was his eye. It was strapped to his face with a goggle, electric blue swivelling uncontrollably inside.
His eye swivels before it locks on Diana who shrinks under his gaze, both eyes locked on her as he walks past her with his staff making loud thinks as it connects with the ground.
The ceiling ominously rumbles above the students, thunder crackling and lightning flashing across the sky. But what no one was expecting was for rain to pour from the enchanted ceiling. Shocked cries fill the hall as students pull their robes over their heads to cover themselves from the torrents of rain falling from the sky.
The man points his wand at the ceiling, purple light colliding with the ceiling causing the rain to cease.
"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore says brightly despite the silence. "Professor Moody."
Diana's eyes widen and she shrinks into Draco even more upon the news that this man who, quite frankly, terrified her was going to be her personal tutor for harnessing her abilities.
"We are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year," Dumbledore says and Diana's head lifts in shock at the news.
The Triwizard tournament was infamous in Wizarding History, with students from three magical schools coming together to compete in death-defying challenges. But after too many students were unable to defy death, it was stopped after formal complaints were lodged by the parents of the deceased students.
Excited chatter fills the hall before the voice of Fred Weasley booms over the noise of everyone else.
"YOU'RE JOKING!"
"I assure you, Mr Weasley, this is no hoax," Dumbledore says. "However, I did hear an excellent one-"
Professor McGonagall clears her throat and Dumbledore glances at her and the stern expression on her face was enough for him to stop in his tracks.
"Some of you will not know what this tournament involves," Dumbledore says. "So, I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation and allow their attention to wander freely. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."
"And it's being recontinued?" Diana whispers.
"There was a lot of pushback," Draco murmurs. "Father told me there aren't many who are happy about the tournament coming back but Fudge gave many employees an unexpected bonus and then their vote suddenly changed"
"I wonder why," Pansy grumbles. "This is ridiculous, students competing in a tournament that was cancelled due to the death toll being too high!"
"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money,"
"A thousand?" Blaise asks. "Fuck the death toll"
"You're rich enough Zabini," Draco says.
"That's right," Blaise grins. "My mother isn't called the Black Widow for nothing"
"Only students who are of age -that is to say, seventeen years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration," Dumbledore says and shouts of outrage fill the Great Hall.
Discontented students who turned seventeen after the deadline for entry were shouting about it being unfair before Dumbledore raises his hands and bellows loudly.
"SILENCE!"
A hush falls over the hall and Dumbledore smiles softly as if he hadn't just almost shouted a lung out of his body.
"This is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion."
Diana's eyes move across the hall, taking in the disgruntled expressions, the aspirational ones and the scared ones. Such a varying range of emotions intrigued the girl more than what Dumbledore had to say as the news wasn't even relevant to her as she wasn't even close to being of age.
"Miss Lovegood!"
Diana looks around to see her friends lingering in the doorway as Professor Dumbledore's shout snaps her out of her daydream. Following the headmaster was Professor Moody and Diana shrinks back in her chair, the man intimidating her.
"Professor Moody will be your tutor this year," Dumbledore says. "Your lessons will be every Thursday, so starting tomorrow night you will be attending lessons after the evening meal, and you will be given a pass to be out of bed after hours"
Diana nods, having been given the same schedule since she was eleven, she'd eat, learn then go to bed.
"I don't like lateness," Moody snarls and Diana nods in terror. "See you tomorrow Lovegood"
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