Obsidian (Harry Potter Fan Fiction, Sequel to the Lazuli Trilogy)

Seven - Orion

As soon as I saw Toby the morning after Professor Malfoy's announcement, I made a point of punching him in the ribs.

"Oww!" He exclaimed, clutching his side and glaring ferociously at me.

"Don't be a baby," I replied as I sank down into the seat next to him at the Ravenclaw table, winking at one of the prettier fifth year Ravenclaws who was sat a few seats along. She rolled her eyes at me as her friends watched, turning away and flipping her hair as if she had much better things to do than be seen looking at me, but then when her friends had looked away she glanced over her shoulder and smirked cheekily at me.

I turned my attention back to Toby, who was tucking into his scrambled eggs with one hand and clutching his ribs with the other.

"Mate, the Triwizard Tournament?! You knew all of this time how big a deal this is, and you didn't tell me?"

Toby shrugged his shoulders. "My dad told me not to, Rion. You've got the biggest mouth out of anyone I know; if I'd have told you, the entire school would have known within 20 minutes."

I chuckled slightly in agreement; secrecy had never really been my strong point. It was one of my greatest flaws - I was completely and undeniably honest. I despised liars above anything else, believing with all of my heart that without honesty, there was no point to anything, hence why I found it impossible to keep a secret.

Well, all but one secret, but if people found that out, everything would be different. Nobody could ever know.

"But this is perfect, man! What better opportunity is there for you to do something that Scor hasn't?!"

Toby sighed and pushed his bowl away from himself, running a hand through his hair. "I want to enter, and I think I can win, but what if I mess up? What if I embarrass myself in front of the entire school? Everyone expects so much of me because of who my family are, but what if I don't live up to the expectations?"

I thought before I answered; Toby's fears were justified after all. With a mother who had destroyed Voldemort's last horcrux without any magical ability, a father who was the headmaster of Hogwarts, an uncle in Harry Potter, a brother in Scor, it was no wonder he felt pressurised by his family's greatness.

"True, you could embarrass yourself in front of everyone, but who cares? You'll be the Hogwarts Champion - the best that Hogwarts has to offer - and that's still an awesome achievement! Besides, what if you don't embarrass yourself; you'll never know until you try!"

Toby stared at me sceptically.

"Ok," he replied eventually. "I'll enter, on the condition that if I'm chosen, you have to actually help me."

I clapped him on the back as I grinned, and then reached for a slice of toast. "What do you mean? I'm always helpful!"

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The rest of the day passed slowly, until last period I found myself the first to arrive at Defence Against the Dark Arts due to Professor Trelawney bursting into tears and dismissing us early after claiming that the spirits had bad news.

Professor Toil was nowhere to be seen as I entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, although the door to her office was slightly ajar and the sound of a gramophone drifted outwards. I couldn't help but find myself walking quietly up the steps, drawn towards the music. As I drew closer, I could hear a gentle singing join in at the chorus, so quiet that it was almost imperceptible, but it was definitely there.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, I could see through the open door into Fell's office. I had never entered it since she had been teaching at Hogwarts, although I had certainly paid a few visits for disciplinary reasons in my first couple of years at school. Still, the office looked different to its decoration during the previous occupants time; aside from the gramophone which sat upon a small wooden table, the room also contained a polished wooden desk on top of which multiple essays and pieces of homework sat waiting to be marked, a shelving unit with various photo frames, books and possessions, an antique red, green and gold rug on the floor and two comfortable armchairs sitting face the desk. At the back of the room was a small door which led down to the Professor's private quarters, and beside it a large fireplace, which was burning and filling the room with warmth.