The Tale of a Gaunt

The Goblet of Fire

The day for Goblet of Fire to choose the champions for the Triwizard Tournament came quickly.

Arabella watched the Goblet, as the blue flames danced in the middle of the Hall.

"The Goblet of Fire is almost ready to make its decision" Dumbledore announced. "When the names of the champions are called out, I would like them to come up to the top of the Great Hall, where they will find a chamber where they will be instructed on what to do"

Minutes passed, each moment felt like an eternity as Arabella watched the Goblet. Then, finally, the flames of the Goblet turned from blue to red, signalling that it was time for the selection to begin.

A piece of parchment shot out from the Goblet, and Dumbledore caught it in his hand. "The Durmstrang champion is... Viktor Krum!" he announced, his voice booming throughout the hall.

A round of applause erupted from the Durmstrang students as Krum made his way to the front of the hall.

Another piece of parchment shot out from the Goblet, and once again, Dumbledore caught it. "The Beauxbatons champion is... Fleur Delacour!" he declared, prompting a smaller round of applause from the Beauxbatons students.

Arabella's eyes lingered on Fleur Delacour as she made her way to the front of the hall.

Now it was time for the Hogwarts champion to be chosen as another piece of parchment shot out from the Goblet.

"The Hogwarts champion is... Cedric Diggory!" Dumbledore announced, and a round of applause from the Hufflepuff students followed.

Arabella watched as Diggory made his way to the front of the hall, with a smile on his face.

"That's it! Our three champions have been chosen, but only one will go down in history" Dumbledore continued, excitedly. "By cheering your champion on, you will-"

But Dumbledore's words were cut short as the Goblet of Fire once again turned red and shot out another piece of parchment. Dumbledore caught it and read it.

"Harry Potter" he announced, his voice barely above a whisper.

The Great Hall fell silent as all eyes turned to Harry, who stood up slowly and made his way to the front of the Hall.

There was a moment of tense silence after Harry had left the Hall, then Dumbledore turned and started walking towards the room where the four champions were meeting. But before he could reach it, the Goblet of Fire flared to life once again, sending another piece of parchment flying into the air.

Dumbledore caught it and read the name written on it, his expression one of shock and disbelief.

"Arabella Gaunt" he said, and the Hall was filled with murmurs.

Arabella's heart stopped as she heard her name spoken aloud. She looked around the room, but all she saw were faces filled with shock and confusion.

"Of course, what's a school year without me almost dying?" Arabella thought bitterly as she stood up and made her way to the front of the hall.

Arabella entered the room where the other four champions were waiting, her heart pounding in her chest. There was no sound, only silence.

Then, Dumbledore entered the room followed by a group of professors and headmasters from the other schools.

Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, was the first to speak. "C'est impossible, 'Ogwarts cannot 'ave three champions, it is most unjust" she protested.

"It is no one's fault but Potter and Gaunt's. They have been breaking rules since they came here" Snape said.

Arabella felt annoyed at Snape's words, and bit her tongue, knowing that now was not the time to start a fight. She had bigger problems to deal with, like figuring out how she had ended up being chosen as a champion in the first place.

"Did you put your names in the Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"No, sir" Arabella said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Did you ask any of the older students to put them in for you?" Dumbledore asked again.

"No" Harry said, his voice equally soft.

"But of course zey are lying!" Madam Maxime exclaimed.

Maybe Dumbledore made a mistake with the Age Line," Karkaroff said.

"It is possible, of course," Dumbledore said, his expression thoughtful.

"Dumbledore, you know full well that you did not make a mistake with the Age Line!" McGonagall said.

"What do you think, Mr. Crouch?" Dumbledore asked, turning to the man that Arabella didn't recognise.

"The Goblet contains a binding contract, there is nothing we can do, these two have no choice. From this day on, they are Triwizard champions," Crouch said, his voice cold.

Arabella felt a chill run down her spine as she realised the implications of Crouch's words. She was now bound to compete in the Triwizard Tournament whether she liked it or not.

"Very well, Harry, Arabella, and Cedric, why don't you three go to your common rooms? I'm sure Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff are waiting to celebrate with you," Dumbledore said, smiling.

Arabella made her way to the Slytherin Common Room, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She couldn't believe that she had been chosen as a champion, couldn't believe that she was going to have to compete in the most dangerous magical tournament in the world.

"Aspiration" Arabella said as she approached the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room, the snake door swinging open to admit her. She stepped inside, and her ears were met with nothing but silence, she assumed everyone had gone to bed, but what she saw was the complete opposite of that.

Every single Slytherin in the castle was sat in the Common Room, staring at Arabella with worried looks on their faces. "Slytherin being sympathetic? That's a first" Arabella thought.

She quickly made her way up to the girls' dormitories. She changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed, but she couldn't sleep, and only thought about what what happen now.

What was she going to do now? How was she going to survive the Triwizard Tournament? Arabella had never felt so alone, so utterly lost. And as she lay there in the darkness, she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever make it out alive.