different | h. potter

10

The appearance of the sign in the Entrance Hall had a remarkable effect upon the inhabitants of the castle. During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation: the Triwizard Tournament. Wherever Cassia went, there was a chorus of 'Who would enter? Who would be the Hogwarts champion? What tasks await them?  What are the students from the other schools like?'

"Who cares?" Pansy snapped one evening, "I'm tired of this Triwizard talk. We experience life-threatening events every year, yet a friendly little competition has everyone over the bloody moon! What's so special about a few visitors anyways?"

"Weren't you the one who was looking forward to the 'foreign boys'?" countered Draco, a hint of bitterness detected in his voice.

"Well... yes" Pansy admitted, "but it's not like I'm talking about them every minute of every day!"

As October thirtieth drew closer, the staff members became mad with preparations; several grimy portraits had been scrubbed, the marble floors were perfectly polished, and the suits of armor were suddenly gleaming and moving without a squeak. Cassia thought this need to impress their rivals - 'friends' Dumbledore called them, although nobody saw it that way - was unnecessary. For starters, it was tedious work - but more importantly, the other schools can't possibly that much glamourous than Hogwarts; surely they wouldn't mind the castle in its usual state. Nevertheless, they persisted. Argus Filch, for instance, could often be seen scolding students who forgot to wipe their shoes.

When the students went down to breakfast on the morning of their guests' arrival, they found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the wall, each of them representing a Hogwarts house - red with a gold lion for Gryffindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent  for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: the four house mascots united around a larger letter 'H'.

"Yeah, this will impress them," Blaise eyed the decor distastefully as they sat down at the Slytherin table, "It's not like these other schools have got big lousy banners wherever they're from."

"Lighten up, Blaise! Your good looks will make up for Hogwarts' otherwise poor appearance," Cassia sent him a playful wink from across the table, which he gladly returned.

"And what about mine?" Theo chimed in.

"What about you?" Cassia asked, grabbing a muffin.

"My good looks of course," he answered, gesturing to his face, as if it were obvious.

"Don't be ridiculous, Theodore," Pansy said, "you haven't got any."

"Ouch," he frowned. 

Draco snorted. "I bet Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would turn right back around if they saw your face."

"Hey!" Theo cried indignantly, throwing a slice of toast at his friend.

"You know, legend has it that the real reason You-Know-Who left was because he caught a glimpse of you," Blaise said. At this, they erupted into laugher, earning odd glances from their peers.

Theo rolled his eyes but failed to hide the smile on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that it was Abuse Theodore Day."

A sudden whooshing noise from above, which announced the arrival of the post owls, saved him from further humiliation. Among the mass of beaks and feathers, Cassia did not see Calypso. She did, however, spot another familiar face: her father's great horned owl. Silence fell upon the group as he fluttered down onto her shoulder, folded his wings and held out his leg. Cassia's hands shook as she removed the letter.