𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 | 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆-𝗼𝗻𝗲.

FINE LINE - THE GOBLET OF FIRE

As the next day was Saturday, most students would normally have eaten their breakfast late. Mavis, Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, were not alone in rising much earlier than they usually did at weekends.

When they went down into the Entrance Hall, they saw about twenty people milling around it, some of them eating toast, all examining the Goblet of Fire. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year girl eagerly.

"All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet."

"Bet some of them put in last night after we'd all gone to bed," Harry said. "I would've done if it had been me... wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if the Goblet just gobbed you right back out again?"

Then, the sound of laughter and footsteps came from behind Harry. Mavis turned to see Fred, George and Lee Jordan hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.

"Done it," Fred said in a triumphant whisper to the four. "Just taken it!"

"What?" Ron said.

"The Ageing Potion, dungbrains," Fred said.

"One drop each," George said, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older!"

"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," Lee said, grinning broadly.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," Hermione said warningly. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."

Fred, George and Lee ignored her.

"Ready?" Fred said to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then - I'll go first -"

Mavis watched, fascinated, as Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket, bearing the words 'Fred Weasley - Hogwarts'. Fred walked right up to the edge of the line, and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the Entrance Hall upon him, he took a great breath and stepped over the line.

For a split second, Mavis thought it had worked - George certainly thought so, for he let out a yell of triumph and leapt after Fred - but next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter. They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical, long white beards.

The Entrance Hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in, once they had got to their feet, and taken a good look at each other's beards.

"I did warn you," a deep, amused voice said, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little, too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."