The Queen of Vipers || Fred Weasley

II.VII

Dessert thinned out and eventually disappeared from their plates.

Electra could feel the excitement buzzing around her like electricity, she herself was feeling the profound anticipation.

Adrian leaned over the table and rested his chin on his fist. "Let the show begin," he said under his breath. Electra's eyes flashed towards Cedric. He was shaking his leg nervously as Dumbledore spoke up and the drone of voices seized immediately. The candlelight, except those in the jack-o-lanterns, were extinguished and the pale blue flames of the Goblet of Fire was the main source of light, making silver shadows on the walls dance wickedly. Electra was starting to feel anxious as the time passed and nothing happened. Her eyes were wide as she watched the flames leap about, waiting for something to happen.

Then the flames jumped higher and turned blood red. Electra watched mesmerized as a lick of flame reached high into the air and from it came a charred piece of parchment. She was on the edge of her seat as she watched the paper flitter down until Dumbledore caught it with nimble fingers. The flames died back to its blue and Dumbledore held out the parchment in the light of the flames to read it.

His voice boomed in the Great Hall for everyone to hear, though Electra bet you could hear a pin drop in the silence that was held in anticipation. "The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum."

"Classic," breathed Adrian, humour laced in his voice.

Electra laced her fingers and propped her chin on them as they watched Viktor lumber, rather pigeon-toed, up to the staff table from the Slytherin section and into the staff door on the right. Karkaroff was cheering loudest, yelling over the loud applause. "I pity the champions that have to go up against him," Adrian said over the applause.

Electra tilted her head, her eyes on Cedric, who looked a bit sick. "He may be a brilliant Seeker, but no one ever said he was a fair wizard."

Adrian laughed softly. "Fair point. He does seem to be more comfortable on a broom than on the ground." Electra reeled in a smirk.

The flames glowed red again and a second piece of parchment flew out of the flames. Again Dumbledore caught it and squinted to read the name. "The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"

The Beauxbatons girl rose from her seat amongst the Ravenclaws and Electra was struck by how beautiful she was. Her icy blond hair reached down to her hips in a silky sheet that she tossed over her shoulder. She had a face like a model; straight nose, large almond eyes, well defined cheekbones and jaw, and a small mouth with pouty heart-shaped lips. Her skin was ivory and her eyes were a deep blue. She was captivating. Bewitching even.

Electra's eyes narrowed. The girl has to be some part-veela as she greatly resembled the creatures from the Quidditch Finals. She noticed the eyes of almost every guy following Fleur as she swayed out of the Great Hall and into the same room as Viktor Krum had with an eye roll.

The buzz of electricity was back. The Hogwarts champion was next. The flames threw up the third and final parchment. Electra held her breath. Even Adrian stiffened beside her.

"The Hogwarts champion," said Dumbledore, "is Cedric Diggory!"

Ice raced through her veins. The smile that spread across Cedric's face was brighter than the Goblet of Fire. She watched, horror struck, as he stumbled out of his seat, a goofy grin on his handsome face and made his way to the staff room, Dumbledore patting him on the shoulder proudly as he went.

It took quite some time for the cheering to quiet down, and in that time Electra had made a decision; she didn't have a choice but to believe that the tournament would go on without a single catch, or so help everyone involved. She stared Dumbledore down.