"Sit down, please." exclaims Dumbledore, looking around the Great Hall, where all the students from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang join, all eager to know their schools' champions,"Now's the moment you've all been waiting for. The Champions Selection!"
And as the Hogwarts Headmaster waves his hand around the room, the illuminations - which are flames - extinguish. Now, the flames from the Goblet of Fire is the only illumination in the Great Hall.
You silently wish that you were from Durmstrang, since the Durmstrang students have chosen to sit with the Slytherins of Hogwarts at the Slytherin table. Then you would be closer to Draco, who's grinning at you. You grin back and wink.
The blue flames from the Goblet of Fire have gone red. A piece of paper flies out of the goblet, slightly burnt. Dumbledore catches it.
"The Champion of Durmstrang...is Viktor Krum!" he announces.
No one seems surprised. Krum is a globally well-known Seeker who plays for the national Bulgarian Quidditch team. It should be illegal not knowing anything about this bloke. And of course, as a Quidditch star, Krum must be physically fascinating, if not extraordinarily smart.
The Hall explodes with applause as Krum raises from his seat.
"The Beauxbatons Champion is..." says Dumbledore when the Hall falls silent again. You turn to look at Fleur, who's sitting next to you and mouth "It's you" with a broad smile. She shakes her head, whispering "I don't know" but smiles back anyway. She knows it'll be her for sure, she's just trying to be modest.
"(Y/n)!" Dumbledore cries out, making you jump.
No one applauds. No one cheers. Fleur claps a hand on her mouth in astonishment.
"No! She's not of age!" someone shouts anxiously. It's a boy, Draco,"She's only thirteen years old! There must be an...an error or something..." his voice gets lower as people stare at him, wide-eyed.
"Zis can't be!" Fleur stands up, shaking her head rapidly,"It can't be (Y/n). She's too young to compete! I object, this is a breach in the rules of the Tournament!"
You can see disappointment in her eyes as she objects the Goblet's selection. She wants to be the Champion, she's always wanted to, everyone knows she's been waiting her whole life for a chance to compete. But is she doing this for herself and herself only? No, she's much more than an aggressive faker. Her friendship is real.
"(Y/n)? Where are you?" Dumbledore asks, ignoring Draco and Fleur,"(Y/n)!"
His voice rings inside your head, making it throb painfully. You swallow.
"I didn't put my name in there, I swear. It should have been you, Fleur. I'm sorry." you mutter, tentatively raising from your seat,"Forgive me. Please."
Fleur sits down slowly as though she needs another minute to calm herself.
"No, don't be sorry. I know you deedn't do zat." she grips your hand before you leave to join the other champions,"I theenk you can win zis. Good luck, smart girl." Fleur says, a tear rolls down her cheek.
"Yeah," you nod firmly, trying your best not to cry with her,"Thanks, Fleur. I'll try and win."
"You cheater!" someone exclaims, annoyed.
"Yeah, she cheated!" another person joins in, pointing directly at your face.
"Show-off!"
"Smart arse!"
"Liar!"
You walk towards Dumbledore, who sighs when he hands you the piece of paper with your name written on it. The handwriting, obviously, isn't yours.
***
"Ms. (Y/n), I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer it truthfully. Yes?" inquires Dumbledore in his office after the Selection.
"Yes, Professor." you nod.
Dumbledore smiles warmly.
"You used to be a Hogwarts student. Yes, I remember." he says,"Snape did tell me about the night in the Forbidden Forest. You were very impressive indeed."
"Er...thank you, Professor. So...what's the question you want me to answer?"
"Oh of course, yes." Dumbledore nods,"Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"
"No, Professor."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, most definitely, Professor. I'm certain."
"Very good. Thank you, Ms. (Y/n). Now you may leave." says Dumbledore.
"But Professor, I've been wondering..." you say shyly, not knowing whether you should ask this question or not,"I'm not of age. Why did the Goblet choose me?" you decide to ask him anyway.
"Indeed. You're not of age. But your intelligence and courage can be compared with that of those who are of age." explains the Headmaster,"I don't doubt that. You are very talented. Anyway, don't you want to know how your name worked its way to the Goblet?" he frowns.
"I think there's someone who wants to watch me suffer so they put my name in there. That's the only probable theory for me at the moment, Professor." you answer without hesitation.
Dumbledore nods, he looks impressed.
"I believe you know Mr. Harry Potter." he says after a while,"He's one of the Hogwarts Champions. I reckon someone did the same thing to him, but his situation is slightly different from yours, which makes Hogwarts the only school in history to have 2 Champions competing in the same Triwizard Tournament."
"So they submitted him as a student from some random school. Am I right, Professor?"
"That's exactly what I think, (Y/n). Madame Maxime must be very fortunate to have you as a student." smiles Dumbledore,"My advice for you is don't get yourself killed during the Tasks. It has happened before and we can't guarantee you it will not happen again. You are smart enough to think of a safe way to win. Good luck in the Tournament."
***
There's a whirlwind of thoughts in your head when you're in bed.
Who would want to see you suffer? Who would want to see Potter suffer? Or...who would want to see both of you suffer?
Your intelligence and courage can be compared with that of those who are of age...Cheater...
Smart arse...
Show off...
Liar...
Suffer...suffer...suffer...
There's one person who would want to watch both you and Potter suffer.
The Dark Lord.
YOU ARE READING
Not the villain in my story *ON HIATUS*
FanfictionGoing back to Hogwarts is like being back home. But little do you know, there's a price that needs to be paid for this special vacation, and Draco Malfoy is somehow involved.