Muffliato (Draco Malfoy)

2 - FEAST

Alora Lin

The Great Hall started filling up as more and more students piled in. I took a seat at the Ravenclaw table beside Cho, with Marietta and Padma sitting across from us. The large hall filled with the ecstatic chatter of returning students as we awaited the arrival of the timid first years.

Minutes passed and the doors of the hall finally burst open, revealing Professor McGonagall and a stream of students trailing behind her. Some of the first years were gazing up at the starry ceiling in awe while others were nervously fiddling with their robes.

My chin rested in the palm of my hand as my left knee bounced up and down underneath the table. I was starving and eager for the feast to begin. The first years could not have moved slower as they stepped up to the Sorting Hat one by one.

When the Sorting Hat finally announced the house of the last student, I immediately straightened up in my seat, preparing for the feast to appear on the table.

When Professor Dumbledore began his usual beginning of the year speech, I mindlessly tapped my fingers on the wooden dinner table. This was going to be my fourth time hearing him remind us to avoid the Forbidden Forest and to be in our dormitories and in bed by 10pm every night.

I was dazing off as usual, blocking out whatever he had to say. That is, until I heard him speak the words, "Triwizard Tournament."

My ears perked up, turning to look at Dumbledore as he stood at the center of the High Table. Unsure as to whether or not I had heard him correctly, I looked around to see everyone else just as shocked as I was. Chatter grew among the students and smiles broke out in the crowd as Dumbledore explained that Hogwarts would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year.

"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks," Dumbledore said.

He went on to explain how the tournament had been discontinued due to its high death toll, but this year, they were going to revive the competition.

"Blimey," Padma spoke. "You'd think they'd permanently ban the tournament given how many students have died from it. It's so dangerous; why are they bringing it back?"

Everyone else, however, seemed to feel differently about the tournament. Up in the distance, I spotted Fred and George Weasley frantically whispering to each other at the Gryffindor table. Students were clearly more focused on the financial reward that would be given to the winner of the tournament than the dangerous risks that came with the three magical tasks.

"Now," Dumbledore exclaimed. "I am delighted to announce that Hogwarts will be the host of the Triwizard Tournament this year. So without further ado, please welcome the ladies of Beauxbatons and the gentlemen of Durmstrang!"

Everyone's attention diverted from Dumbledore and towards the doors of the Great Hall as they burst open, slamming against the wall. In came the girls of Beauxbatons, dressed in blue from top to bottom. They performed the strangest dance as they made their way down the hall.

I looked over at Cho, furrowing my eyebrows from both confusion and cringe. Some others, however, seemed to disagree. Many of the boys at my table were suddenly on the edge of their seats, their eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as their mouths gaped open.

I scanned the hall, seeing similar reactions at the other house tables. My eyes landed on Draco Malfoy, who was going back and forth between eyeing the Beauxbatons girls and whispering to Crabbe and Goyle with a nasty smirk across his face.

I rolled my eyes in disgust.

Boys, I thought.

After the girls of Beauxbatons finished their bizarre entrance, the boys from Durmstrang entered the hall. Gasps and cheers quickly spread throughout the hall when Viktor Krum appeared at the doorway.

"Blimey!" I heard from a few tables down.

I looked over to see Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnigan clutching each other, fangirling and mouths agape as Krum walked by them.

Once everyone had settled down, the food finally appeared on our tables. Everyone from Beauxbatons had sat down at the end of the Ravenclaw table, a few seats from where my friends and I sat. I glanced over as a couple of Ravenclaw boys were already drooling all over the French girls, showing off their prefect badges or bragging about how their fathers held high positions in the Ministry.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

I whipped my head around to see Anthony Goldstein taking a seat beside me.

I scoffed, "Yeah sure, whatever you say."

"You're just jealous because they've been here for a minute and already have all the Ravenclaw boys at their heels, whereas you've been here for three full years and still haven't got any action."

I glared at Anthony, smacking him across the back of his head. He laughed at my response and rubbed the back of his head before bringing me in for a hug. "I sure did miss you this summer, Lin."

Smiling to myself, I looked up at Anthony as we broke away from the hug, "I guess I missed you too."

We eagerly dug into the welcoming feast as hunger took over. The sweets from the Honeydukes Express had been enough to satiate my hunger for a few minutes, but it had been almost ten hours since I had a proper meal.

Halfway through dinner, a boisterous voice echoed from the end of the Ravenclaw table.

"Excuse me, are you done with those potatoes? We're a dish short at the Slytherin table, and my fat friends over there were wondering if we could have yours?"

I looked over my shoulder to see none other than Draco Malfoy making his move on the Beauxbatons girls.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he exclaimed, slightly puffing out his chest. "But I bet you already knew that. Surely, you've all heard of my father? Lucius Malfoy?"

He went on talking about how he is a pureblood and how his family owns a massive manor in Wiltshire.

"Well, you've been to the manor, haven't you?" Marietta asked, looking at me. "The Malfoys have invited your family there on a couple of occasions, right? Is it really as grand and beautiful as Malfoy is describing it?"

"It's ugly and depressing," I responded dully, earning a coughing fit from Anthony as he tried to suppress his laughter to prevent pumpkin juice from going down his windpipe.

I stabbed my chicken wing with a fork, trying my best to block out the voice of Draco and the giggles of the Beauxbatons girls that followed.