The Untold Story of Victoire Weasley (HP Fan Fic)

Chapter 06: Party

The weeks building up to the arrival of the Beauxabatons and Durmstrang students passed quickly, and still nobody could seem to talk of anything other than the Tournament. My parents had already known that it was happening, of course, as the Ministry had had to confer with all of the former Champions, my mother being one of them, but I sent them an owl about it anyways.

The teachers were all going crazy cleaning up the school, making sure that it was in it's very best condition before the foreign guests arrived. For an event designed to "strengthen international relationships and promote new friendships," everyone was worrying quite a bit about showing off. The paintings were straightened, banisters dusted, old suits of armor polished, every spot gleaming by the day the other schools were set to arrive. Filch was telling off any student who had a speck of dust on them, and had begun giving out detentions to anyone who so much as touched the walls.

Meanwhile, I was getting nervous. Part of me really wanted to enter my name into the Goblet for the slimmest chance that I might get picked and be able to redeem myself, while the other wondered what I'd do if I did get picked. Just because the Goblet deemed me good enough to choose as Champion for Hogwarts didn't mean I was going to win. Didn't mean I stood a chance against the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang representatives.

Didn't mean I wouldn't just make a total fool out of myself and end up taking my reputation further down than in already was and disgrace all of Hogwarts in front of the foreign guests they were trying so hard to impress.

I couldn't decide if it was worth the risk, and a battle was raging inside of me throughout classes that day. I was so preoccupied that I somehow managed to cause my Strengthening Solution to turn into a Weakening Solution of some sort, and Professor Shalf could tell. She took fifty points from Ravenclaw due to this error, despite the fact that only a few select students (Annelies included) were able to brew the potion correctly.

Thankfully, I was saved even more taunting when Shalf noticed the large cluster of Slytherins now congregation in the hall outside of her classroom; everyone was supposed to meet in their Head of House's classroom at three o'clock so that they could walk down to the front lawn together and welcome the other schools.

***

When the huge crowd of students and staff was finally all gathered in neat rows on the front lawn of the school, people began to speculate. I heard every number of bizarre suggestions of the transportation methods that the other school's might use; obviously none of them had parents who had attended Hogwarts during the previous Tournament, as they definitely wouldn't have been telling their friends that the Durmstrang students would each be riding a large Hungarian Horntail, or that the Beauxbatons students would be arriving by secret underground tunnels.

I smiled to myself, taking in the shocked gasps all around me when the Beauxbatons carriage finally came into sight, pulled by enormous, white flying horses. Everyone backed up against the castle as the powder blue carriage barreled toward the castle, but it slowed down just in time and landed gracefully upon the lawn. Hagrid, the gamekeeper, rushed forward to settle the horses as the carriage doors swung open and a woman just as large as him stepped out; Madame Maxime. Although my I'd never actually seen the half-giant headmistress, my mother's description of her fit perfectly: tall and huge, but graceful all the same with an elegant, olive face.

A small group of students in silky, light blue robes stepped out lightly behind her.

"Ah, thank you 'Agrid," I could hear Madame Maxime ooze in her thick French accent. "Bonjour, Minerva," she said as she and her students came closer. "Eet's still such a shame Dumblydore can't be here anymore, eesn't it?"

McGonogall didn't look happy to be brushed away so lightly at a mere thought of Dumbledore, but all the same she seemed to agree with the statement. "Yes, that it is. Welcome back to Hogwarts, Olympe. I'm glad we-"