The Slytherin Champion (The Four Maidens of Hogwarts #1)

Chapter Five

Many people watched the goblet the next morning, straightening whenever someone would put their name in and then comparing candidates afterwards.

As far as Jade knew, the only person who knew she had put her name in last night was Preethi. Unless someone had been secretly watching her last night, Jade was sure she had been alone. Jade hadn't even told Adonis and Cait. Knowing Adonis, he would have teased her about knowing that she had secretly wanted to enter but wouldn't admit it whenever he had asked her about it. In a way, that was also true, but Jade didn't feel like putting up with Adonis rubbing it in her face at the moment. As for Cait, she was shy, but she didn't have a filter when she did choose to talk to others. Cait would feel horrible if she had accidentally told people Jade had entered, knowing that Jade didn't want many people to know. It was best that if Jade was chosen, Adonis and Cait would find out the same time as everyone else. Jade trusted that Preethi wouldn't tell anyone, as she had promised the night before. Besides, if she wasn't chosen, it wouldn't matter anyway.

Adonis yawned as he joined Jade, who was waiting for him in the entrance hall. The goblet was sitting in the center of the hall on a stool. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle of ten feet around it in every direction.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Adonis asked.

Jade glanced at the goblet before replying, "Mostly Durmstrang students."

She then noticed the Weasley twins gathered around the circle. Both of them looked excited and a little anxious, but mostly excited.

One of the twins slipped out a piece of parchment. Jade raised an eyebrow. Based on previous years, she was sure the Weasley twins celebrated their birthday in April. After all, everyone made a huge deal when it was the Weasley twins' birthday. It meant, though, that they weren't seventeen yet.

Jade gave a scoff. Of course the Weasley twins would try entering. They most likely had drank an Aging Potion or something beforehand.

Adonis seemed to have noticed too, because he slyly said, "Oho, I want to see how this turns out."

The twin with the parchment walked to the edge of the line. He then took a deep breath before taking a big step over. Everyone gasped when nothing bizarre happened. The other twin must have thought it was alright as well, because he let out a yell of triumph and leaped in right after his brother.

Before they could place their entries into the goblet, however, there was a loud sizzling sound. The Weasley twins were then hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been shot from an invisible cannon. They landed painfully, ten feet away from on the cold stone floor. Jade nearly covered her ears from the loud popping noise that followed. Adonis gave a loud mocking laugh, and when Jade looked past him, the Weasley twins both had sprouted long, white beards.

Everyone in the hall roared with laughter. Jade, however, was one of the only people who was unimpressed. She was a little relieved to see that Laverna McGonagall and Hermione Granger, who were standing in her vision, also rolled their eyes.

"Really, guys, did you actually expect to outwit Dumbledore?" She heard Laverna jokingly exclaim, unafraid to call out the Weasley twins. She put her hands on her hips.

"I did warn you." Everyone looked up when they heard a deep, amused voice. Dumbledore was surveying Fred and George with twinkling eyes. "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."

The Weasley twins were still giggling on the floor before Laverna exasperatedly helped them out of the hall and towards the hospital wing. Lee Jordan followed after them, still howling with laughter.