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The normal Halloween festivities were, this year, coupled with the Selection of the Champions. The Great Hall was filled with Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students, as well as the obligatory floating candles.
"Sit down, please." Dumbledore's voice broke over the chatter, it quickly dissipating as the benches were filled, "Now the moment you've all been waiting for: the champion selection."
With a single wave of his hand, all the fires that roared in their large brackets dimmed. The Goblet spitting out red flames instead of blue now, Katie and Lori shared an excited look next to each other.
A single, charred piece of parchment through gracefully through the air, landing in Dumbledore's outstretched hand.
"The Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum!"
The hall broke into applause, led by his fellow students as he climbed down the bench and shook Dumbledore's hand, before following where his hand was pointing, and going into the small room off the hall.
With a spit of flame, another piece of parchment soared into the air, still smoking when the name it bore was read.
"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"
Excited squeals from the French school filled the hall, their champion rising to follow Krum. She was quite thin, but smiling, with her blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail.
The last name shot up from the flamed, falling almost like a sycamore leaf into the headmaster's grasp.
"The Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory!"
The loudest applause of all broke out, Lori spied Ellie giving the new champion a fist bump before he pulled himself from the bench, then followed the others.
Several of the Hogwarts students had stood up to high five him as he went past, Lori and Katie included. But when Cedric got to her, he pulled Lori into a hug and squeezed her for a few seconds, while laughing, before disappearing with Krum and Delacour.
"Excellent!" Dumbledore still managed to be heard over the exuberant applause and whoops from the Hufflepuffs, "We now have three champions. But in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions... this vessel of victory... the Triwizard Cup!"
With another dramatic pointing of his finger, the cloth covering the cup was magically whirled upwards, revealing an almost unearthly chalice that seemed to gleam blue.
