Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 8 - Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

The imminent arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students sent the whole castle into pandemonium. Rumours about who would become the Hogwarts champion were flying through the school faster than the golden snitch, and everyone was wondering what the other students would be like. As I walked down the many staircases, I also noticed that the castle seemed to have undergone very thorough cleaning. Portraits had been scrubbed and dusted and the suits of armour had been polished. Even the Great Hall had been transformed. Five silk banners hung from the walls, one for each of the Houses, along with another one bearing the Hogwarts coat of arms.

"You two have any ideas about trying to enter?" Harry asked the Weasley twins as they all sat down at the Gryffindor table beside Hermione and me.

"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling," George said bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon."

"Wonder what the tasks will be?" Ron mused. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before.  . . ."

"Not in front of a panel of judges you haven't," Fred said. "McGonagall says the champions are awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks."

"Who are the judges?" Harry asked.

"The Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," Hermione said. She rolled her eyes as everyone stared curiously at her, wondering how she knew. "It's all in Hogwarts: A History. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more appropriate title. or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School."

"What are you on about?" Ron asked.

"House-elves!" Hermione exclaimed. "Not once, in over a thousand pages, does it mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!"

Harry shook his head, clearly amused by Hermione's passionate activism, which was undeterred by everyone's lack of enthusiasm. Both of them had paid for their S.P.E.W. badges, but it seemed like they had only done so to keep her quiet. For my part, I was very much interested in our research, but I could not deny that house-elves did seem to enjoy their position.

Fred and George exchanged a knowing look. The two of them had refused to buy badges.

"Listen, Hermione," George leaned in toward her, "have you ever been down in the kitchens?"

"Of course not!" she said curtly. "I hardly think students are supposed to — "

"Well, we have," George said," loads of time, to nick food. And we've met them, and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world — "

"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!" Hermione exclaimed hotly, but whatever she would have said next was drowned out by the wooshing sound of owls arriving with the post.

I looked up just in time to catch a letter falling in my hands. Turning it around, I saw it had come from Remus. In front of me, Harry had also received a letter. I did not need to ask to know from the look on his face that it was from Sirius. I quickly read my letter before looking up to Harry.

"Remus says he's back in the country already," I told him in a hushed voice.

He nodded. "Yeah, that's what Sirius wrote."

"Why d'you have to keep changing owls?" Ron asked, making me frown.

"Hedwig will attract too much attention," Hermione said. "She stands out. A snowy owl that keeps returning to wherever he's hiding . . . I mean, they're not native birds, are they?"