𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 •°𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴

[8]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As the next day was Saturday, most students would normally have breakfasted late. Sara and Nico, however, were not alone in rising much earlier than they usually did on weekends. When they went down into the entrance hall, both saw about twenty people milling around it, some of them eating toast, all examining the Goblet of Fire. It had been placed in the center of the hall on the stool that normally bore the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.

'All the Durmstrang lot,' Sara heard a third year talking to Ron. 'But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet. '

'Bet some of them put it in last night after we'd all gone to bed,' Harry said to Ron. 'I would've if it had been me. . . wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if the goblet just gobbed you right back out again?'

Someone laughed behind Sara and Nico. They saw Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.

'Done it,' Fred said in a triumphant whisper to Sara, Nico, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 'Just taken it.'

'What?' Sara asked curiously.
　　
'The Aging Potion, dung brains,' said Fred.
　　
'One drop each,' said George, rubbing his hands together with glee. 'We only need to be a few months older.'
　　
'We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins,' said Lee, grinning broadly.

'I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," said Nico warningly. 'I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this.'

Fred, George, and Lee ignored him.

'Ready?' Fred said to the other two, quivering with excitement. 'C'mon, then - I'll go first -'

Sara watched, as Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket bearing the words Fred Weasley - Hogwarts. Fred walked right up to the edge of the line and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon him, he took a great breath and stepped over the line.

For a split second Sara thought it had worked - George certainly thought so, for he let out a yell of triumph and leapt after Fred - but next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter. They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical long white beards.

The entrance hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in, once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards.

As the entrance hall still rang with laughter, the tall boy know as Cedric Diggory walking in, with a piece of parchment in his right hand. Everyone went quiet and watched as the Hufflepuff stepped over the line and put the piece of paper into the goblet.

While all the Hufflepuffs were cheering, Cedric scanned the entrance hall and his eyes stayed longer on Sara than on everybody else. A smile plastered on his face as he entered the Great Hall.

Sara felt that someone took her hand.

'Aren't you coming for breakfast?' Nico asked and Sara noticed something weird in his voice.

'Yes, I'm starving!'

By half past five it was growing dark, and Sara and Nico decided it was time to leave their pile of finished homework and head to the Halloween feast- and, more important, the announcement of the school champions.

The Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual. Like everyone else in the Hall, judging by the constantly craning necks, the impatient expressions on every face, the fidgeting, and the standing up to see whether Dumbledore had finished eating yet, Sara simply wanted the plates to clear, and to hear who had been selected as champions.

At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet.

Sara and Nico both clapped politely when Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum were chosen to represent Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

'The Hogwarts champion,' he called, 'is Cedric Diggory!'

'Oh no,' Sara heard Nico mutter through all the noise the Hufflepuffs made because their classmate was chosen.

Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.
　　
'Excellent!' Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. 'Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real --'
　　
But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him.

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.

Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out - 'Harry Potter.'

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───