Jennifer Potter and the marauders (book 5) 19 Years Later

And So It Begins

Once her day of lessons was complete, Jenny changed out of her dull work clothes and into some of her best dress robes.
The whole of Britain was counting on her to make a good impression for their country and their school, and she intended to do just that.
When she was dressed she returned to the Great Hall, which had already been set up by Minerva, ready for the event that evening.
Without the normal 4 long house tables, the room felt strangely large and empty as Jenny stepped inside it.
In the centre of the room 7 chairs sat behind 7 desks, ready for the students, and opposite them the staff table remained unchanged, as it was where the adults in the room were going to sit during the challenge.

The students that were competing in the first challenge were all stood awkwardly on one side of the room, still wearing their school uniforms, so that they could easily be indentified. They were trying to make small talk, but since English was only 2 of the students first languages, this was rather difficult.
Although all the competetors could speak English, not all of them could speak it fluently.
This is why all the test papers were written in the students native language, to ensure that everyone was on an equal playing field.

Jenny made her way over to where Minerva was standing, beside the guardians of the students, and the representatives from the Ministry.
After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, Jenny stood in the centre of the room and addressed the crowd.
"Thank you all for coming, and being a part of this years Academic School Championship. I wish every student the best of luck. The quills are of course bewitched with a very strong anti-cheating charm. And if anyone is caught trying to cheat they will be disqualified from this challenge. We will find out the winner at 9oclock tomorrow morning, once all the papers have been marked. The winner will recieve one point for their school. And the school with the most points at the end of the tournament, will be declared the winner".

Jenny looked over at the students and gave them a reassuring nod, before gesturing for them to take a seat at one of the desks.
Once they were all sat down, one of the Ministry officials handed each of them an exam paper, placing it face down on the desk.
"When I tell you to, you may turn over your paper and start the exam. You have 3 hours to complete this task, and you will be given a warning every hour. There will also be a sand timer on the table in front of me, so that you can see for yourself how long you have left" continued Jenny.
She then took her own seat on the table beside Minerva.
After flashing Victorie an encouraging smile, Jenny placed her hands on the timer.
"You may begin" she announced as she flipped it over, beginning the exam.

Everything Jenny had been working on for the past few months, all led up to that exact moment, the start of the tournament.
And although she was excited during the first few minutes, she quickly began to realise that sitting in silence for 3 hours was not fun.
When you were the one taking the exam, the time always seemed to fly by. But for Jenny, each minute seemed to drag by painfully slowly.
She felt that there was nothing more boring than watching 7 students scratch away at some parchment with their quills. And after listening to it for 3 hours, Jenny was fed up with the sound of quills dipping in ink pots and scratching on paper.
Jenny just prayed that the practical examination the following day would be more exciting, because at least then she would having something to look at.

****

When Jenny got home that evening, she was utterly exhausted.
The second she got in she flicked her wand, summoning her slippers from the other room. Which she then put on her feet, before flopping down onto the sofa.
"I don't know how those kids managed to stay awake for those 3 hours, because I was really struggling" admitted Jenny as she laid her head onto Charlie's shoulder.
"How do you think Victorie did?" Asked Charlie.
"Not a clue. She didn't look too frazzled. But we'll just have to wait and see" sighed Jenny.
"When do you find out the results?"
"9 tomorrow morning. Some guy from the Ministry will hand deliver me a note with the scores on, and I will reveal it to everyone in the Great Hall. I will then add the result onto all the common room noticeboards".

"Why doesn't he just send you and owl? Wouldn't that be easier than coming in person every morning?" Questioned Charlie.
"It would. But owls can be intercepted, which is why it has to be done in person" revealed Jenny.
"I guess that makes sense. It's a shame you don't get any points for coming in second"
"If we had to award points for 1st to 7th for all 21 challenges, it would take ages. It's much easier to just award 1 point to which ever school did the best. Less maths to do that way"
"That's true... How was school today?"
"Impossible. None of the kids wanted to learn, they just wanted to talk about the tournament"
"Well I expect that level of interest will die down in a few days. I mean it's not exactly a spectator sport is it?"
"No, it's just an academic thing, for the schools to prove which one of them is the best, and offers their students the best education".

"I think they should ressurect the Triwizard Tournament again" admitted Charlie.
Jenny pushed herself up and frowned at him.
"People get killed in that tournament" she reminded him.
"No one would have gotten killed last time, if Voldemort hadn't been planning his second rise to power at the same time. I think if the Ministry could make it a bit safer, the tournament could work"
"That tournament has never been safe, that's the whole point. You can't make a series of life threatening challenges safe, because then it's not the same thing anymore"
"I still think it could be a good thing"
"I expect there are people at the Ministry who think like you and are trying to bring it back".

Jenny yawned and covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Sorry. Long day" she apologised.
"That's O.K. It's time we both got to bed, it is rather late" admitted Charlie as he rose to his feet, taking hold of Jenny's hand as he stood up, pulling her with him.
Jenny wrapped her arm around Charlie's waist as the two of them made their way up to bed together.
"I love you" Jenny said quietly.
Charlie grinned and kissed Jenny's head, "I love you too".