SMILE » n. longbottom

i

"THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT"

Alana sits at her table amongst her fellow Hufflepuff students. As her newly acquired life comes into view, she can only sit and wonder how someone could be so vibrant and yet so cheerful in every minute of every day. But she remembers that she was like that before she became diagnosed with Pneumonia, which also required her to suffer whenever she had coughing-fits. Alana felt ashamed when she carried around an oxygen tank that Muggle doctors had given her - she felt like the laughing-stock of Hogwarts as the wheels obnoxiously ran across the stone floors of the school. Some first-years stared at her, especially student of older years and professors that she had not known well.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, stood behind his golden, frozen statue, he began, "Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: the Triwizard Tournament. Now for those of you who do not know: the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. For each school, a single student is selected compete. Let me be clear: If chosen - you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint hearted - but more of that later. But now please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. And their headmistress: Madame Maxime." Just as Dumbledore had finished saying that, the door of the feasting halls opened. About a dozen girls dressed in sky-blue uniform dresses and hats walked in. As they ran to the end of the tables, small blue butterflies flew out of their uniforms and disappeared. In after them walked in a tall lady, that must have been Madame Maxime. Dumbledore kissed her hand for formality as she reached the end of the tables, which didn't take a long time compared to the students of her academy. All the boys in Hogwarts cheered for the "lovely ladies" of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic but definitely not for their towering headmistress.

Dumbledore rushed to the front of the room and announced: "Now, our friends in the north, please meet the proud sons of Durmstrang, and their high master, Igor Karkaroff." In walked boys that held sticks and occasionally struck them onto the floor's surface and swung them like it was their profession. Infront of the room, one of the Durmstrang boys blew onto a fire which created an eagle. Behind them there were three men, two of them were dressed in the same outfits as the rest, except the person was easily recognized as the famous Viktor Krum, one of the wizarding world's internationally famous Quidditch star. He recently had played in the Quidditch World Cup against the Irish, where Death Eaters had attacked, resulting in He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's mark. People around the house tables began whispering or murmuring to one another. Hogwarts students have never seen other schools and their students in the Hogwarts' castle grounds, nevertheless to compete. After the announcement was finished every student went back to their common rooms. The Gryffindors up the staircases, the Ravenclaws up the staircases as well, the Slytherins to the dungeons, and the Hufflepuffs to the kitchens.

"Hey, Alana," a voice called out in the kitchens towards the particular girl with an oxygen tank. "It's Alana, right?"

"Yes," she turned around and saw a boy from Gryffindor underneath the kitchen corridor. It was Neville Longbottom, a boy who was prone to become injured every school year.

"I was wondering — erm — do you have any notes about today's lesson in Arithmancy?"

"Oh — yeah," Alana was surprised. She had never expected him to ask for notes. Her voice was emotionless, and anyone could tell that she had been through hell. "A Ravenclaw would be better to ask, but I'll make a copy for you."

"T-thanks, Alana," Neville stuttered. He remembered the first time she spoke to him, in Care of Magical Creatures last school year — when he was attacked by the book that the new professor, Hagrid, had assigned:

"Are you all right, Neville?" Alana worried face stood above him as the book entitled "Care of Magical Creatures" had wandered off into the forest.

"Yeah, just a tad exhausted," he muttered as Alana helped him to his feet. Alana gave him a reassuring smile, perhaps that the book wouldn't come back or that everything will be fine.

But everything isn't fine now, Neville thought to himself. Alana isn't smiling anymore — she's not even smiling the way she used to, when her smile was her normal face. Now Alana's expressions are almost stone-cold, and her fellow Hufflepuffs react to her as if her sorting to the Hufflepuff house had been incorrect, and that she is actually a Slytherin. "No problem," Alana nodded. She stared at him as if he was intruding. "Um — Nevill—?"

"Yes?" he asked immediately. Neville stood in the corridor unblinkingly.

"I have to enter my common room," Alana squeezed her eyebrows together, creating a crease that ran vertically between her eyebrows. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I am certain the rules on common rooms are strict." Neville nodded in agreement to Alana's concern, so he walked back through the kitchen's corridor, toward the moving staircases where the pathways to the Gryffindor common rooms are.