Moira | Harry Potter

Chapter Five

Story: Moira
Chapter Five: Nott Gone Nuts

The complete hall was filled with a chattering buzz. The tension and excitement were apparently prominent. Harry's friends fared no better. Draco was looking everywhere. Ron, on the other hand, had taken to his habit of chewing a magical bubblegum when nervous. Harry was the least affected. He kept his cool knowing all too well that whatever were to happen, it would have Moira's hand in it.

"Keep calm. If you panic in emergency, you're weak."

Harry looked over at the Gryffindor table and found Ginny and her friends seated there, looking as nervous as his own friends. The bushy haired muggleborn, presumably Hermione, another blonde witch and a blonde haired boy were nervously talking amongst themselves. Ginny was wearing a face of calm but Harry knew that her nervousness was masked beneath it.

Suddenly, the lamps went off and the crystal blue flame of the magical goblet illuminated the whole hall, make the occupants' faces to glow. Dumbledore walked up to the podium and cleared his throat. At once, the hall fell into a pin drop silence.

In a moment of strange action, Dumbledore dropped his licorice wand. The sound resonated throughout the hall. "Ah, perhaps it is licorice wand drop silence. Excellent!"

Nervous laughter was heard around Harry. Dumbledore smiled before continuing. "Today is the grand day in which three champions will be chosen to represent their school. The goblet is magically protected against any sort of cheating so fear not. It is an impartial judge and has been since several hundred years. Ah–!" Dumbledore's speech was cut short by the roaring of the goblet's flames. The bluish fire rose higher and higher until a partially burnt piece of parchment flew out. Dumbledore caught it and read it loudly.

"Alarie Beaumont from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!"

The Ravenclaw table which sat the Beauxbatons broke into a loud applause as a blonde haired girl walked up to the podium and then into another room after shaking hands with Dumbledore.

The flames started to shoot up again and Harry held his breath as another parchment flew out.

Dumbledore grabbed the burnt piece of paper and looked at Harry with a merry twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Harry from Durmstrang Institute of Magic," he announced. Beside him, Draco and Ron started cheering and patting his back. Theodore Nott was glaring at him but Harry paid no heed. He smiled at his friends then looked at the Gryffindor table. Ginny gave him a thumbs up. He nodded and walked up to the podium but before he could enter the room in which the champions were supposed to gather, the flames shot up and another parchment flew into Dumbledore's waiting hands. He smiled then read it out loud.

"Ginevra Weasley from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

__________________________

The champions had started their training. Draco had spotted the Beauxbatons champion in the library with her nose in a huge book. Her friends were flocked around her, trying to be of as much help as possible. Harry could easily judge that her intelligence was completely bookish. He did not think she would practice spells although bookworms were never to be underestimated. They were the type of people who knew their logic and can solve any complications within a matter of few seconds. To this, Harry was well prepared. His master had thought him several tricks to manipulate complicated situations and he had become an expert at that.

The other day, Ron had stumbled into Ginny who was seemingly calm although her bushy haired friend seemed otherwise. Upon eavesdropping secretly for a while, Harry's friend found out that Ginny did not care in the slightest to train and only did so because of her friend's compulsion. Harry took the news without the slightest surprise. If Dumbledore had really been training her, she was sure to know more about the competition than any of the other champions did. Besides, Dumbledore was not weak. He seemed to be a capable teacher. Any student of his were sure to turn out as a powerhouse of magic.