The Golden Wand [Harry Potter/Percy Jackson]

Chapter 10: The Competitors

Harry POV:

"I'm sure you've all been waiting eagerly for the results," Dumbledore was saying. "So with great haste, I will introduce to you once more the Great Cedric Diggory. We shan't prolong this occasion for too long."

"Thank you, Dumbledore," Cedric grinned smugly as he approached the podium. "And hello again, students of Hogwarts. I'm sure you're all very excited for the following year - I know I am."

"Ron, in the interview," Hermione whispered to Ron. I was sat between the two of them, feeling awkward. "What three things did you choose?"

"Why should you care?" Ron whispered, his eyes were already on Cedric, not wanting to look at her. He was eager to find out if he got in. 

"Just wondering, as your girlfriend, that's all," Hermione hissed. 

"If you must know," Ron began. "I chose to kill the woman; she was a murderer, she deserved to die. And I chose the wand, obviously, and the door towards heroism. We're entering the Golden Tournament, what else would I have chosen?" He scoffed.

Hermione's eyes widened, she looked away quickly. Ron hadn't seen her reaction, he was too busy staring at Cedric with admiration in his eyes. 

"I remember the day so very clearly when I was selected from the Goblet of Fire," Cedric continued, in no way speaking with haste. As per usual, Cedric was talking about himself, which was something he did fondly and took a lot of time to do so. "Little did I know that on that day I would change from mere student to great champion! Little did I know that I would ascend to such fame and heroism."

"Hermione, what's wrong?" I asked quietly, so that Ron wouldn't hear us. 

"It's nothing," she denied. "Well, it's just... everyone I know chose the door towards friendship. And everyone's either killed themselves or the child, and no one ever chose the wand. They always chose either the book or the precious artifact. I worry that Ron didn't make the right choices, I worry that he won't get into the competition."

"You better be wrong, Hermione," I sighed. "Ron would be heartbroken if he didn't get in."

"And isn't it fantastic to know that a hero, just like me, is sat in this room today? They're waiting for their name to be called, waiting for their shot towards victory, waiting to show the world their power and determination and cunning. Isn't it exciting?" Cedric was announcing with glee. 

"Get on with it!" Someone yelled from the crowd, making the rest of us laugh. Cedric didn't seem phased. I shuddered at the thought that Cedric was turning into a younger, much more powerful, Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Right, shall we begin?" He finally asked. The crowd cheered. "Over the last few weeks, each and every student that has wanted a shot at proving their worth has gone through an interview process, so that they might be selected to represent their school in the Golden Tournament. From each school, a selection of teachers have been working together to make the right decision. Each and every teacher has put great consideration into their choices, so without further ado:

"From Durmstrang, your champions are as followed: Viktor Krum, Igor Pawel, Dima Jozef, Adrian Yahontov and Michail Franz!" Cedric announced with exaggerated excitement. The Durmstrang students, along with their friends from the Slytherin table, erupted with applause and cheer. Apparently, the teachers had made a good choice with their champions. 

"From Beauxbatons, your champions are: Fleur Delacour, Ines Leroy, Louise Fontaine, Adele Muller and Sarah Vincent!"

Again, cheers and applause from Beauxbatons and Ravenclaw students alike.