Melody Riddle and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 20: Weighing the Wands

One day, a lot of the Slytherin students came to breakfast with new badges on their chests with the words:

SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY –

THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!

"Would you like badges?" Draco asked Becky and I.

"No thanks," we said.

"Why?" he asked.

"I think there's enough of you all wearing them to make the point clear. I don't need my robes to get microscopic little holes in them just to show the world what I think," I said dismissively.

Becky's reason was this, "I'm quite fine with my S.P.E.W. Badge."

"What's spew?" he asked, stunned.

"It's S.P.E.W, not spew. You do know that when people spell things out, it's supposed to be an acronym, right?" Becky asked him in annoyance.

I rolled my eyes and told Draco, "You really don't want to know what it's for. Just don't ask. Trust me."

After lunch that afternoon was Double Potions with the Gryffindors. We waited outside the dungeons for class to start. Harry and Hermione were last to come from lunch, and I saw Draco's smirk as they walked up.

Harry's eyes were immediately drawn to the badges that most of the Slytherins were wearing.

"Like them, Potter?" Draco asked loudly. "And this isn't all they do – look!"

This I hadn't expected to be put into it... but, knowing Draco, of course it was there. He pressed his badge like a button, and the message changed to:

POTTER STINKS

He and the others howled with laughter. Harry's face burned a bright red.

"Oh very funny, really witty," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy.

"Want one, Granger?" Draco asked, holding out a badge to her. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."

Ugghhhh, now you've done it, Draco... and he wondered why I said he was like my deck of playing cards.

Harry had reached for his wand, and everyone scrambled out of the way.

"Harry!" Hermione called out. At least she can generally keep a cool head.

"Go on, then, Potter," Draco said quietly, taking out his own wand.

"Draco! Stop this before it gets out of hand!" I growled. He blatantly ignored me.

Draco continued talking, "Moody's not here to look after you now – do it, if you've got the guts –"

There was a very short, split second in which the two stared each other down, and then they acted at the exact same time.

Harry yelled, "Furnunculus!"

And Draco, "Densaugeo!"

A very horrible setback was that their spells didn't hit each other, but bystanders. Harry's spell hit Greg, and Draco's hit Hermione. Greg covered his nose with his hands after giving a shout of pain, on which there were great ugly boils springing up. Hermione clutched at her mouth in a panic.

Ron gave a loud bellow of, "Hermione!" He hurried forward to see what had happened to her and dragged her hand away from her face. Her front teeth – already larger than average – were growing at a very alarming rate. She felt her teeth and gave a terrified cry. Oh, jeez...