MEMENTO MORI | DRACO MALFOY

SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN

The following day was Saturday, so naturally, the only thing on everyone's to-do list was to sit in the Great Hall and watch as the students who were old enough would put their names into the Goblet. Ophelia went with Blaise and Daphne, not mentioning to them that she had already gone last night.

     "I wonder who put their names in so far." Blaise muttered as several Durmstrangs dressed in their heavy furs strutted into the hall with their expressions stoic as they each crossed the age line and dropped their slips of parchment into the flames.

     "I'd heard that Roger Davies entered last night." Ophelia lied. She saw Roger enter.

     "Ha! He can barely play Quidditch without being terrified of a bludger, what does he think he's going to do when there's actual danger?!" Blaise laughed loudly, earning himself glares from the group of fifth year Ravenclaws that sat further down the bench.

     "Oh, be nice, Blaise!" Daphne scoffed. "You're terrified of bludgers, too!"

     "Only once, Greengrass." He sneered. "And that's only because it was coming straight for my beautiful face."

     Just then, there were shouts of excitement echoing from the doors to the Great Hall. Ophelia turned toward the commotion to find Fred and George Weasley running about the room excitedly each with a tiny vial held between their thumb and forefingers.

     "We've done it!" One of the twins shouted as they approached Potter, Weasley and Granger sitting on the benches across from them.

     "One drop each," George said loudly, turning in place to show off the vial to the onlookers throughout the room. "And we'll be seventeen. At least, the age line'll think so."

     Ophelia could barely make out their faces through the blue flames, but she could tell that Granger was on the verge of laughing.

     "It's not going to wo-ork!" Granger said in a sing-song voice without even looking up from her textbook. "Dumbledore would have thought of such an incredibly dim-witted idea."

     Fred and George ignored Hermione and each took a vial to their lips. Everyone in the room was watching them now, curious to see whether they would actually be successful in entering their names. They both took a drop from each vial onto their tongues before looking around expectantly.

     "No applause? C'mon!" Fred waved his arms and yelled to the crowd that was silently anticipating what would happen next.

     The two boys stepped confidently up to the age line and looked down at it with uncertainty before they jumped within it. The entire room held their breath as they waited several moments for the Goblet to react, but nothing happened. Ophelia sat forward in her seat. She still wasn't convinced. The two boys leapt excitedly and cheered from within the age line before they dropped their names into the flame with a flourish.

     Now the cheers began. For once, the Weasley twins had accomplished something without messing it up. Even Blaise appeared impressed.

     "Don't get any ideas, Zabini, you're not entering." Ophelia whispered beside him.

     "But, eternal glory, Effie." He whined, watching the boys cheer excitedly.