THE RAVENCLAW PRINCESS

chapter 36 - goblet of fire

a much longer chapter than usual 

also grabbed the bit about Oscar Wilde from All The Young Dudes (go read on ao3 if you haven't )

"Ma chérie, how have you been?"

"Hello, Fleur! Fantastic, how about you? How are you feeling about the tournament?"

"Oh trés nerveux. I do not know if I will represent Beauxbaton but I still can not seem to stay still." It was true. The usually prim and put together blonde seemed quite jittery as they stood by the wall of the room housing the Goblet of Fire.

Lyra smiled nervously at the taller girl. It was no secret that Fleur left Lyra more nervous than any other person had but as was in her nature with any friend, Lyra attempted to comfort the girl. She offered words of confidence, hoping and praying Iliana would come so she could say something more useful than the repeated 'you'll be amazing if you're chosen' Lyra had been spewing. To Lyra's great joy, along with some other Hufflepuffs, Iliana walked in with Cedric Diggory for moral support as he put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Cedric sent Lyra a wave as she gave him a wide grin and a thumbs up. The others left with Cedric after the grand celebration of putting his name in the goblet but Iliana, at Lyra's beckoning, walked over to the Beauxbaton and Hogwarts girl.

After consoling Fleur in a more appropriate and helpful manner, the girls split to find their friends. Iliana and Lyra found the girls sitting in the stands. Iliana and Charlotte sat on the top rung. Lyra was sat on the rung below, next to Ginny, and Hermione sat on the row below.

"Is it just me or has Cedric gotten even fitter in the past week," Ginny mused.

"Ginny Weasley!" Charlotte scolded.

Lyra giggled, "oh come on Char, he does look-"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Fred yelled as he and George excitedly ran in.

"PREPARE FOR THE BEST FEAT OF MAGIC-"

"OUR GREATEST PRANK-"

"OUR SHINING MOMENT!" George exclaimed.

"It's not going to work," Hermione sung, head lifting from her textbook.

"Oh yeah, and why's that Granger?" Fred mused as he sat next to her.

Lyra looked across from the bickering duo to see George grinning excitedly at her and she returned a bright smile. His eyes moved slightly and she turned to follow his gaze to an irritated looking Charlotte. The Gryffindor girl clenched her jaw at Fred and Hermione and turned completely to talk to Iliana about Herbology. Lyra raised her eyebrows at George in response to Charlotte's reaction. He nodded slightly so as not to draw too much attention.

Fred called for George and both boys drank their aging potions. They jumped into the circle Dumbledore created around the goblet. There was a short period of excitement after they dropped their papers in the fire, until it spit them out and large gray beards began to grow on their faces.

Lyra, who was told their plan at the same time as Lee, was not shocked that the whole thing failed, so she, like Lee and most of the people in the room, doubled over in laughter at the sight of the white bearded boys. When they resorted to tackling each other, everyone followed their rambunctious arses to the side, laughing. The only people completely unfazed were Lee, Ginny, Ron, and Lyra.

In the commotion, Lyra almost missed seeing Angelina slip into the circle, quickly put her name in the goblet and walk over to sit next to Lyra as if she had been there all along. Lyra's grin grew tenfold as she realized she had two friends that could potentially be Hogwarts' champions.

"Very smooth, Johnson. Almost missed you there."

Both girls continued watching the twins wrestle on the ground from their seats while they spoke.

"Someone has to represent Gryffindor and it surely wasn't going to be those two," Angelina answered with a laugh.

On Halloween, Dumbledore announced the Champions from each school - Cedric, Fleur Delacour from Beauxbaton, Victor Krum from Durmstrang, and unfortunately Harry. It caused quite the commotion for all three schools. Draco fashioned many pins against Harry. In retaliation, Iliana, who didn't blame Harry but still wanted to show house pride for Cedric, created her own pins that changed from 'Cedric Rulez' to 'Go Harry'. Charlotte helped her create more and they distributed them to as many people as they could. Many people didn't wear the new pins but each of their friends did as they were all friends with Cedric and Harry.

It was the weekend after Halloween and Lyra was sat in the library, early in the morning. She was revising with a re-read of a legilimency book and a coffee from the kitchens next to her.

Lyra sighed as she finished Critical Knowledge of Legilimency. She looked around the library from her spot by the window and smiled to herself at the calm of the Hogwarts library on a Saturday morning. Lyra got up from her spot to return the legilimency book and sat back down, pulling her copy of The Importance of Being Earnest out of her bag. After working at Hadlee's last summer, she worked out a deal with Mrs. Hadlee to borrow a few novels for the school year. Though she often ended up finishing them all by September, school work this year had been hectic and she was behind. So, on this foggy November morning, Lyra began reading her second Oscar Wilde novel (the first being The Picture of Dorian Gray over the summer).

As Lyra read, her eyes never left the paper. Her hand moved ever so often from the pages to her coffee mug. Unbeknownst to her though, someone was paying far greater attention to her than to their own book.

"Um, excusez moi,"

Lyra looked up to see a brunette girl from Beauxbaton looking at her nervously.

She continued, "I was just walking by the library when I noticed your book. It is by Oscar Wilde is it not?"

Lyra smiled, "Yes! Have you read Oscar Wilde?"

The girl went to open her mouth but Lyra quickly said, "oh, I completely forgot, I'm Lyra Tonks, from Hogwarts."

The brunette smiled, "I am Katie Arquette, from Beauxbaton. May I?" She gestured to the empty seat at Lyra's table, to which Lyra nodded in response. She sat and smiled, still hesitant, "I quite like Wilde's work. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray recently. This one is very well written as well."

Lyra's grin widened, "I read Dorian Gray this past summer."

"He is very well written indeed. Do- do you by chance like his um type?"

Lyra maintained the smile on her face but her brain fumbled. What type of author was Oscar Wilde? She wondered what other authors Katie could be referring to. Lyra could only think of other authors at the time that were revolutionary in their individuality. Authors and influential beings that during their time did not believe in the traditional and outdated rhyme and rhythm of old society. "Yes, honestly I think it was very brave of them to write in the way that they did. But ultimately it was so important."

Katie's nerves dwindled and she smiled greatly, "So you understand the importance behind his work! I- well recently that is- I found a deeper understanding of his work."

"Yes! And it's not only Wilde, authors like Jane Austen and Mary Shelley were also phenomenal at destroying old gender and societal norms. I mean Shelley wrote a whole novel in an evening and it's bloody brilliant."

Katie tilted her head, seemingly confused, "you- that is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- You mean to say Frankenstein is similar to Dorian Gray?"

"Well, no, not in those individual stories. I- I mean their authors are similar. In how ehm- how they fight for being true to themselves no matter what society thinks."

"Oh, yes that- yes I understand." But Lyra wasn't so easily convinced. The moment she mentioned Austen and Shelley, Katie's grin had faltered which was quite curious. Lyra thought those women were phenomenal stars in writing novels for and by women in the early 1800s.

"Lyra! There you are! We're sitting in the courtyard," Iliana smiled at Katie and the girls said hello as Lyra gathered her things.

Lyra smiled at Katie, "it was really nice to talk to you, Katie."

"You as well, Lyra."