Speak Up - Female Deaf Harry Potter AU

Choosing Champions

Ron, dragging Hari and Hermione, arrived extremely early in the entrance hall that morning. There were twenty people milling around, some of them eating toast, all examining the Goblet of Fire. It had been placed in the centre 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.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year girl eagerly.

"All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "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," said Seamus. "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?"

Two arms were suddenly thrown around her shoulders from behind. She glanced behind her as the twins, on either side of her,  each took as swig from two vials of potion.

#)Aging potion? Really? (# Hari asked

"One swallow each," said George as the twins grinned at her, "We only need to be a few months older."

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

The twins ignored her.

"Ready?" Fred asked, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then - I'll go first -"

Hari watched, fascinated, 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 stepped over the line.

For a split second Hari thought it had worked - George certainly thought so, for leapt after Fred - but next moment 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, both of them sprouted identical long white beards.

Everyone started laughing, Fred and George joined in, once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards.

"I did warn you," said Professor Dumbledore, who coming out of the Great Hall. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

•  •  •

The Halloween feast that evening seemed to take much longer than usual. But, at long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state. Dumbledore got to his feet. 

"The goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" - he indicated the door behind the staff table - "where they will be receiving their instructions."

Dumbledore swept his wand in front of him, and all the candles blew out, the only light came from the eerie giant carved pumpkins.

Just then the goblet flared, illuminating the hall, shining so brightly that it hurt her eyes.

A giant tongue of flame shot high into the air, a charred piece of paper fluttering out of it.

Dumbledore snatched the piece of paper out of the air and held it up to the light of the flams. "The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."