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Chapter Thirty-Three

Most of the students spent the Leaving Day visiting friends, packing, and panicking when they thought some vital thing was lost. No professor worth his or her pay even tried to hold classes.

Breakfast was usually fairly calm, students stuffing themselves because they knew that lunch was sandwiches and tea. Then they all scrambled off to begin packing.

Lunch was, as stated, sandwiches and tea, and hysterics as girls tried to recover possessions from friends, boys the same, only with fisticuffs instead. And more scrambling to pack.

There was a general announcement that anyone who wanted to enter their name needed to come to the Head's office and do that now. The announcement also reminded students that they needed to be in place by five so that the leaving feast could be concluded in time for them all to make it to bed as the train left bright and early on the 23rd.

Yusuke just sighed. "Well, let's go."

Hermione snorted. "Not like we don't know what's going to happen."

Neville jerked his head at Ron. "Maybe someone we all know and ... ahem ... love will get lucky."

Ron glowered but refrained from saying anything. Seamus' declaration that the next time Ron was stupid would be the last had made an impression on him, or maybe it was the fist that had followed the remark.

.

The group settled in their chairs and turned to watch as Dumbledore made a grand entrance. His robes were puce with bright yellow daisies on them. He wore an old fashioned pillbox hat with a pink tassel and his beard was tied at chest level with a matching cord.

He made his way to the head table, stopping to nod to this person and that, mostly students he hoped would be entrants. He turned to smile at the students, ignoring the fact that Acting Headmistress McGonagall had taken his 'throne' down and was occupying his end of the high table, seated in a comfortable high backed chair. He was relegated to the foot of the table, and a brocade-covered wing back chair.

"Hello, everyone. Today is a momentous day. Today we will chose the Tri-Wizard Champions. I could natter on and on about good fellowship, cooperation between our schools and such like. But ... I have been told that I've already covered everything that needs to be said, and re-plowing old ground is a waste of time. So, after we've refreshed ourselves, the Goblet of Fire will be brought down and the names chosen. So, let's eat." He waved his hand in a grandiose gesture, food appeared and everyone dug in.

Dumbledore realized that he was standing in front of the high table like a loon so he scurried to sit down, having to make a U-turn when he realized that he was headed in the wrong way.

Food was duly consumed and the empty platters and plates removed.

This time it was McGonagall who stood up. "Bring in the goblet." She gestured and the goblet was brought in by the Ministry officials responsible for it.

Ludo Bagman was dressed in his usual yellow and black. He looked like a giant bumblebee. Barty Crouch Sr. was dressed in maroon robes, supposedly Auror, but they weren't. They fussed around the goblet for a few moments; then Dumbledore waved his wand, chanted a bit and the goblet lit up.

There was a rumbling noise and a bit of parchment, scorched around the edges, flew out. Dumbledore watched benignly as Mr Bagman snatched it out of the air. "Thank you, Ludo. So. The first champion is ... From Durmstrang ... Mr Ivan Dubrovsky. Mr Dubrovsky, if you would." He motioned to the teachers' lounge.

Mr Dubrovsky, after accepting the congratulations of his fellows and the applause of the student body, made his way up to the high table and behind it to the door to the teachers' lounge. He entered, followed by Igor Karkaroff.