𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂, pjo x hp

[02] Mad-eye Moody and the TriWizard Tournament

AFTER THE WHOLE DARK MARK FIASCO, ALL Harry wanted was to go back to Hogwarts. After all Hogwarts, was his home.

And well, he was on the Hogwarts Express with his best friends Hermione and Ron. They were talking about the 'SPECIAL EVENT' as everyone had put it.

"Well, do you have any idea, what it might be, 'mione?" Ron loked at expectedly. Both of them looked at Hermione who looked frustrated at information 

Hermione never got to answer because the train stopped announcing their arrival at Hogwarts.

T H E  G R E A T  H A L L

The whole room was lit by floating candles as stormy clouds of rain swirled above. The four long tables were filled with students wearing yellow, red, blue and green ties. They were buzzing with friends catching up and everybody talking about their summers.

A lady in emarald green robes placed a old tattered hat on a three- legged stool. The sorting ceremony was starting so everyone quietened down.

After the ceremony as dinner was served at the Griffindor table, Harry, Ron and Hermione were talking to Griffindor ghost, Nearly-Headless Nick or as he prefers Sir Nicholas. Ron was arguing with Hermione about the house-elves while Harry just sat there looking befuddled and amused at the same time. She said something about slave labor and refused to continue eating.

After the food cleared into thin air, Dumbledore stood up smiling and said his normal notice about Filch and his rules. But what got everyone's attention is when he said,"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Quidditch Cup will not take place this year." Everybody was protesting about it in hushed tones. Dumbledore continued ignoring the confused and angry looks he was receiving from the students,"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up most of the teacher's time and energy- but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"

Dumbledore was cut short by the doors of the Great Hall being opened by a deep thunder. Standing by the doorway was a man leaning on a staff with a black traveling cloak. Everybody in the Great Hall turned to face the stranger whose arrival had interrupted their Headmaster's speech. The stranger's face was illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. The stranger lowered his Hood to reveal a long mane of grizzled dark grey hair. He started his way towards the teacher's table.

A soft clunk bounced around the walls on his every step. He reached the end of the top table and limped towards Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning  
crossed the ceiling as Hermione gasped.

She had a look of realisation on her face as the stranger's face was thrown into sharp relief. His face was unlike any they had seen before. Every inch of his face was covered with scars, some small cuts just around the surface and some going deep into the flesh. The mouth seemed like a deformed slate of wood and a large piece of his nose was missing. But his eyes were the most frightening of all his features. The first one was small, dark and beady. The other was large and round, like a coin, and a vivid electric blue. 

The blue eye was moving restlessly, without blinking and was rolling in all directions, quite independently of the normal eye. Then it rolled over, pointing to back of the man's head so all that was visible was whiteness.

He reached Dumbledore and held out a scarred hand, which Dumbledore shook muttering a few words nobody could hear. Dumbledore seemed to be making some inquiry of the stranger, who kept shaking his head and replied in a undertone. Dumbledore nodded, satisfied, and gestured to an empty seat on his right hand side. 

The stranger sat down shaking his grey mane out of his face and pulled a plate of juicy looking sausages towards. He raised it to the small part left of his nose. He took out a small knife out of his pocket, speared it on the end of it and began to it. His normal eye was fixtated on the sausages but his blue eye was still darting ceaselessly around the Great Hall and the students.

"May I introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore began brightly into the unhindered silence."Professor Moody!" He announced.

Nobody clapped.

Everybody was to stunned too react. They knew Dumbledore had a bit of a wide assortment for their DADA teachers but nobody expected him to hire an ex-Auror, a very talented one at that. A few claps were heard from Dumbledore himself and Hagrid. But that was all nobody else, not even the other teachers clapped. They stopped quickly while others were too transfixed on Moody's appearance.

Harry was murmuring to Ron about how This was Mad-Eye Mood,the same one that Mr. Weasley went to help in that very morning. Ron grumbled a 'must be' in return. Hermione had a look of pure traumatization on her face and whispered "What happened to him? What happened to his face?" Ron who was looking at Moody with a face of fascination answered,"Dunno"

Moody was completely unbothered by his welcome. Ignoring the jar of pumpkin juice front of him, he reached into his travelling cloak, pulled out a hip flask and took a long swig of the contents inside. While drinking his travelling cloak was pulled up a little above the ground revealing a carved wooden leg, ending with a clawed foot.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "As I was saying" he smiled at the sea of students, all whom where still transfixed on Moody. "We are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that hasn't been held for a century. It is my greatest pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year." Dumbledore finished with a bright smile.

The silence was interrupted by Fred Weasley shouting,"You're JOKING!" The silence was suddenly broken by nearly everyone laughing. Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively,"I am not joking Mr. Weasley" he said," though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and leprechaun who all go into a bar..." Dumbeledore was interrupted by Professor McGonnagal clearing her throat.

"Er- but maybe this is not the time...no..." Dumbeledore said hesitantly,"Where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament...well this year the traditions are being changed a little bit. Originally the Triwizard Tournament only consisted of three Wizarding schools but this year another school has been invited to participate." As Dumbledore continued to give an explanation for when, what and why the Triwizard Tournament was, most students had stopped paying attention.

"Death toll?!" Hermione whispered alarmed as usual about the traditions the wizarding community held. But her concern was not shared by majority of the Great Hall as everybody was far more excited to hear about Tournament than worry about the deaths that happened hundreds of years ago.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament" Dumbledore continued,"none of which has been successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided that the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger.
  The heads of Durmstrang, Beauxbatons and the Artemis School of Elemental Magic will be arriving, with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the four champions will take place at Halloween." As Dumbledore continued, most of the Hogwarts population seemed to be visualizing themselves as the Hogwarts champion. But  some of those hopes were crushed when he mentioned that only those of age will be able to compete in the Tournament which earned him a mutinous face from the Weasley twins.

The rest of the night faded into irrelevant conversations and the twins muttering how unfair it was and Hermione ranting about slave labor.