Harry Potter's Coolest Aunt

The Triwizard Tournament

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Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged boars, and up the sweeping drive, the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale. Leaning against the window, Harry could see Hogwarts coming nearer, its many light windows blurred and shimmering behind the thick curtain of rain. Lightning flashed across the sky as their carriage came to a halt before the great oak front doors, which stood at the top of a flight of stone steps. People who had occupied the carriages in front were already hurrying up the stone steps into the castle.

The golden group and Neville jumped down from their carriage and dashed up the steps, too, looking up only when they were safely inside the cavernous, torch-lit entrance hall, with its magnificent marble staircase. "Blimey," said Ron, shaking his head and sending water everywhere, "if that keeps up, the lake's going to overflow. I'm soak - ARRGH!" A large, red, water-filled balloon had dropped from out of the ceiling onto Ron's head and exploded. Drenched and sputtering, Ron staggered sideways into Harry, just as a second water bomb dropped - narrowly missing Hermione, it burst at theo's feet, sending a wave of cold water over his sneakers into his socks.

People all around them shrieked and started pushing one another in their efforts to get out of the line of fire. Harry looked up and saw, floating twenty feet above them, Peeves the Poltergeist, a little man in a bell-covered hat and orange bow tie, his wide, malicious face contorted with concentration as he took aim again. "PEEVES!" yelled an angry voice. "Peeves, come down here at ONCE!" Percy Vasudev-Jackson, New Deputy Headmistress and new head of Gryffindor House, had come dashing out of the Great Hall. " DON'T MAKE ME USE NICO TO BANISH YOU FROM THE HALLS!"

"Not doing nothing!" cackled Peeves, lobbing a water bomb at several fifth-year girls, who screamed and dived into the Great Hall. "Already wet, aren't they? Little squirts! Wheeeeeeeeee!" And he aimed another bomb at a group of second years who had just arrived, but as he threw it, percy used her powers and hit him back chasing him away.

"Well, move along, then!" said Professor Percy to the bedraggled crowd. "Into the Great Hall, come on!" The golden group slipped and slid across the entrance hall and through the double doors on the right, Ron muttering furiously under his breath as he pushed his sopping hair off his face. The Great Hall looked its usual splendid self, decorated for the start-of-term feast. Golden plates and goblets gleamed by the light of hundreds and hundreds of candles, floating over the tables in midair. The four long house tables were packed with chattering students; at the top of the hall, the staff sat along one side of a fifth table, facing their pupils. It was much warmer in here. Harry and Aishi , after saying bye to thier friends, walked past the Slytherins, the Ravenclaws, and the Gryffindors , and sat down with the rest of the Hufflepuffs at the far side of the Hall, next to Fat Friar, the Hufflepuff ghost.

"Good evening," Fat friar said, beaming at them. "Says who?" said Harry, taking off his sneakers and emptying them of water. "Hope they hurry up with the sorting. I'm starving." The sorting of the new students into Houses took place at the start of every school year, but by an unlucky combination of circumstances, Harry hadn't been present at one since his own.

He was quite looking forward to it. Just then, a highly excited, breathless voice called down the Gryffindor table. "Hiya, Harry!" It was Colin Creevey, a third year to whom Harry was something of a hero. "Hi, Colin," said Harry warily. "Harry, guess what? Guess what, Harry? My brother's starting! My brother Dennis!" "Er - good," said Harry. "He's really excited!" said Colin, practically bouncing up and down in his seat. "I just hope he's in Gryffindor! Keep your fingers crossed, eh, Harry?" "Er - yeah, all right," said Harry.

Harry looked up at the staff table. There seemed to be rather more empty seats there than usual. Hagrid, of course, was still fighting his way across the lake with the first years; Percy was presumably supervising the drying of the entrance hall floor using her powers, but there was another empty chair too, and Harry couldn't think who else was missing. "Where's the new defense against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Aishi, who was also looking up at the teachers.