Ships and Horses
It was finally time. It was time for the tournament. It was time to welcome the two other schools.
A pegisides drawn carriage ("that's not the proper plural of Pegasus" Remus was corrected by Lily and Sirius simultaneously, for two people as different as them, they were both pains with speaking properly) made it's way just before the sunset, no clue where it had landed. They just managed to see it from the flying field, James was dying to chase it on his broom but madame Hooch stopped his broom with a quick wand flick.
Then it was a ship that rose from the lake. Poor giant squid. It started as just a crow's nest, but no, that seemed to be the tip of the iceberg, a massive warship rose from below. Red and black, not a bright crimson red like Gryffindor, a dry red, Remus recognized it almost like dry blood.
Everyone was summoned to the Great Hall and the doors were locked behind them. Two tables had been set in addition to the usual four, in the middle of the hall, which all of a sudden felt bigger than usual, probably Flitwick's doing, or Dumbledore maybe.
"Students of Hogwarts." The food hadn't appeared yet, even if it did, no one would have touched it, everyone was at the edge of their seat. Dumbledore didn't have to make an effort to catch their attention, "Let me remind you one last time, we are to be good hosts to our fellow witches and wizards, we expect you on your very best behaviour for the duration of our guests. Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to our visitors!" The doors opened, "Welcome the wonderful students of Beauxbatons and their headmistress Madam Galice Girault!
A flock of the most beautiful people Remus had seen in his life pranced into the room. Graceful features, a little bit like Sirius', but nothing like him, they all had a resting smile and a sort of easiness on their face. Then there was the headmistress, Galice Girault, who led her student body, a dignified woman in a fashionable short haircut below a fashionable beret, dark brown hair, wrapped braids that seemed to be moving a bit, entrancing to look at. She was old, perhaps a bit more than McGonagall, but not by much as old as Dumbledore, her eyes were sharp, direct, dark brown. Brown fur lined a sort of formal black robe with pearl necklaces and simple golden jewellery. She was the most elegant woman Remus had ever seen.
She seemed to exchange a few words with Dumbledore, not taking his hand or anything of the sort, a simple nod was sufficient from her. "Attention. Les étudiants de Beauxbâtons prennent place à la table vide à ma droite. Dépêchez-vous." She gave a quick double-clap, and they all sat on the table in the left. Her voice was feminine, yes, but it carried roughness, not a silky tone but rather like a stern captain. Sirius translated something along the lines of "Sit on the table and be quick about it." He was having a bit of a trip over that, he was only used to french for being told off and punished, so he sat straight as soon as the witch arrived.
The doors opened again with Dumbledore's voice, "And welcome the mighty students from Durmstrang! Led by Professor Myriam Kitzler!"
A group, mostly men, rough and big, walking-no, marching in perfect sync, to the beat of her drum, or rather, the student that played the drums next to Professor Myriam Kitzler. She was in essentially a military uniform, as they all were, a dry and humourless colour between brown grey and green. She had a fur pelt over her, however, a sign of her rank perhaps. She was redheaded, long and tied into a formal arrangement, not dazzling like Madame Galice, but just formal. She halted at the front of the hall, and gave an order, they all sat in the remaining table. She turned to Dumbledore and Girault, offered her hand, a handshake on either case.
Remus hadn't noticed, behind Dumbledore there was something below a large piece of fabric, hiding it.
The three headmasters stood to the front of the hall, in the platform where everyone could see them.
"Before we start the banquet," Dumbledore called everyone's attention back, it had dissipated into a bunch of giggles and whispers upon the arrival of the other schools, "allow us to introduce the goblet of fire!" Kitzler had a surprisingly gentle looking face for her attire, she pulled her wand from her side and gently waved it, the large fabric dissipated and burnt up into smoke in the whisper of a second. Below it was a goblet, tall and golden, with a blue flame blooming from the top of it.
"If you wish to become champion in the triwizard tournament, you must enter a piece of parchment with your name into the cup. Now students, it is vital that you consider it thoroughly, because a choice by the goblet is binding magic, obliging you to participate. It is dangerous, yes, but he who wins will bathe in everlasting glory! You have twenty-four hours, for tomorrow night, the goblet will choose it's champions!"
Remus remembered the loud roar that came when Dumbledore first announced the tournament, and it was nothing, it was but a whisper lost in the wind, compared to this, cheers came from every single student, even Remus clapped a little, lost in the spirit of the crowd.
...
"I'm entering my name!" James beamed in the morning, on their walk for breakfast, he'd snatched a piece of parchment from his potions essay to write his name. Peter praised him, keeping for once, his anxiety to himself.
"I'm saving myself for the next one," Sirius finally came to that, Remus was really unsure of what had changed his mind, he'd been up talking about it with James all night.
"You can't be in your right mind Potter," Lily weighed in on their conversation, "I think the only other first year who's delusional enough to enter her name is Serena Wagner."
"Your friend Snivellus told you that?" Sirius pushed himself between them, hanging an arm around James, "If anyone will be the Hogwarts Champion, it's James Fleamont Potter!"
"Fleamont?!" Mary and Marlene had a giggle all the way to the Great Hall.
And lo and behold, Serena Wagner was just next to the goblet, a crowd of Slytherin students around her--Snape and Mulciber next to her. They all seemed to be cheering, probably just put her name in, judging by the raging flame the cup had just produced.
Sirius aways-ready-to-make-a-scene Black pulled out his wand and held it to his throat. The students were still scattered around, mostly Hogwarts, a few groups of Beauxbatons students and Durmstrang ones around it, it was earlier than breakfast so teachers weren't there. "MAKE WAY MAKE WAY!" Apparently it was the same charm Dumbledore used to be heard through the whole great hall, because the whole great hall turned their heads to the now procession of James towards the cup, "FOR THE CHAMPION OF HOGWARTS! THE GREAT JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER THE FIRST! TO ENTER HIS NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE!" Gryffindors found it funny, Remus covered his face, but kept walking, Lily, Mary and Marlene steered left to the Gryffindor table. James protested the use of his middle name. Snape shot a look of disgust. "NO NEED TO WARM THE SPOT ANYMORE WAGNER THE CHAMPION IS HERE!" James dropped his name in the goblet and Sirius cheered like a quidditch goal was just scored.
"We both know I have the better chances of winning." Serena walked past Sirius to stare down James, who was the exact same height as her.
"As if, I'm better at charms and transfiguration."
"I'm the better flyer." That one seemed to be the one that engaged James. They had up until now, raced at least twice every flying lesson, and were keeping the score, they both claimed they were one win above the other.
"AS IF! We're fifty-seven to fifty." James shot at her.
"If you're as good at flying as you are at counting, Hogwarts doesn't have much of a chance." Serena's accent got stronger when she was mad.
They were both promptly shoved away by a purple light that came after a Levicorpus from somewhere in the room. Remus' head moved faster than ever before, the two Black women of Slytherin, wands in hand, made their way to the goblet, Sirius tensed.
Remus got a grip of his wand, something about Bellatrix made every hair in his body stand. Her hair was as black as Sirius, but curly and messy, something twitched in her eyes that made you instantly get on edge. "Scatter pests." She waved them, dropping James and Serena on the floor. "You're included, traitor." She savoured every syllable in word as he spat it to Sirius. Remus' jaw tensed, he wasn't sure if he would drop the wand altogether and jump at her. But Sirius put his hand on Remus' shoulder.
They grabbed James and headed back to their house' table, where Peter had already cowered. Even the first year Slytherins left before being struck by an angry Bellatrix.
From afar, you could see both of them drop a piece of parchment in the goblet.
Breakfast was already being served before the next person put his name on the goblet, a tall, broad Durmstrang student, who had a strong resemblance to "Serena's brother," but much more jagged looking than her, Mary kept going, "Wolfgang Wagner." Remus felt a slap in the face from his name.
"You know Durmstrang has infamously produced a lot of dark wizards." Sirius said, as if it was meant to calm everyone's nerves.
"Surely that's just rumours." Lily swallowed her words, seeing the older Wagner sit next to his younger sister, they did have a nasty energy around them, but it could've been just from being so close to Snape.
Breakfast appeared on the tables, full English breakfast, just like Remus liked it. Now it came to starting scheming on the challenges, which was pretty hard on the basis that they were secret and changed every year. Once again, didn't stop James from trying to get ahead of the game. A few other student, really few after the word that both Bellatrix and Wolfgang had entered their names, went to put their name in throughout breakfast.
The Transfiguration lesson for the day was quite simple after the prank they'd pulled the other day, they weren't caught to their surprise, the teachers were too busy preoccupied with the visiting schools to launch an investigation much to Snape's dislike. McGonagall expected them to transform a fruit into a bird, and it was far from the same to a duplication charm, but working with fruits seemed familiar enough.
After class, McGonagall asked "Mr. Potter and company." to stay for a moment after everyone else cleared, you could see Lily close her eyes in exasperation.
"I understand you put your name in the goblet Mr. Potter." She sat on her desk, the four Marauders stood across from her. She waved her hand and the door closed.
James nodded.
"If, for some horrific fortune you were to be chosen, Mr. Potter." she started saying, "I know you understand it is frowned upon for the champion to receive any help, from either other students or teachers, and I know your sportsmanship Mr. Potter, I've seen you on the quidditch field." This was going somewhere James couldn't really see, he would never get to the conclusion of cheating, but it was clear enough for Remus and Sirius, who'd gotten a little more familiar with the professor over the break. "Do you get where I'm going?"
"No." At least he understood the importance of being earnest.
"Oh, my dear Mr. Potter." She looked around as if expecting someone to be listening in. No one was, Remus couldn't smell anyone else at least. "I'm telling you that whilst fortune does tend to favour the bold, you will die if you don't cheat if chosen champion for Hogwarts. You and your little gang have managed more complicated spells in one term for pranking purposes than OWL students, so I trust that if destiny wishes that cruel fate on you, you will not try to die a stupid dead from not bending the rules a little." She had stood up at this point, she was clearly distressed, rubbing the point between her eyes with her bony fingers. "The quidditch team doesn't need a dead chaser." She put in terms James could better understand as well, then dismissed them from her office after making them promise they wouldn't say a word of this little meeting.
...
Every student inside the castle gathered in the great hall, the teachers as well stood around the room, everyone sat around the hall, where bleachers took the place of the tables, dinner was taking a second place to the tournament, as it had the last few days.
The crowd grew restless, until Dubledore, Girault and Kitzler stood around the cup.
"Wizards. Witches." Kitzler called to the three school's students. Working mostly, but it wasn't until Girault intervened that all chatter disappeared.
"Silence." Girault made a cht sound that everyone from Beauxbatons seemed to know immediately, and everyone else followed suit.
"Thank you," Dumbledore grabbed the attention like a proper host now, "Students! Time has come for the champions to be revealed! If your name is called, you must come to the trophy room with the selected faculty. Tension filled the air as Dumbledore turned to face the goblet. The flames moved, turned, changed hue, as if thinking--it reminded Remus of that unbearable hat, thinking, judging everyone, who would be more entertaining to watch die in the games. A horrid thought.
Now it was silver, the fire seemed to fold into itself then explode out, burping out a piece of parchment, roughly cut, which Dumbledore gathered swiftly, "WOLFGANG WAGNER!" The champion for Durmstrang had been decided. There were cheers from his school, clearly the more powerful wizard among them, his aura towered over the rest. Still, after a moment, everyone clapped, everyone but for those who had put their names to compete against him. Then he left for the trophy room.
The goblet was doing it again, twisting and turning, until it spat a second piece of parchment, neatly cut, not James, somehow a little relief hit Remus' mind. Kitzler was closes to it, she grabbed it and read "VICTOIRE D'AURE!" The name butchered by an eastern European accent, Sirius was keen to comment. A girl stood up from the middle of a Beauxbaton clique, a beautiful girl, no one could deny it, she was almost blonde, a red tinge on her hair, put in a careful bun. She walked slowly from her place at the top of the bleachers, offers to hold her hand as she descended outnumbered the steps, and she changed hands with every step. This time there were cheers and whistles.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, the goblet fired up the last one, the Hogwarts champion, Remus was in a silent prayer for it not to be James. He couldn't lose a friend yet, not after all that had happened before he had one in the first place, at least it wasn't Sirius. Girault fetched it with her wand, held it up in the air for her to read, she cleared her throat. "NARCISSA BLACK!" Now Sirius laughed when the french accent butchered Narcissa's name. Once again, silence fell upon the room. As soon as Narcissa stood from her place, next to Bellatrix, the older Black cousin clapped, slowly, everyone in the house followed, the rest wasn't certain how to react, it was well known that she was a brilliant witch, and from a prominent family, but she was not very... likeable.
"Thank Merlin!" Sirius was the one who said it aloud, if it surely would've escaped Remus. He shook James from behind, "Blimey, mate, I support you and all, but those two would've surely ended you."
"For once he's being reasonable," Lily was chiming in more and more often, but it had been in disagreement most of the time.
"I have to admit I am a bit relieved as well." James confessed, almost silently. McGonagall for once, wasn't discreet, you could hear her breath out, almost relaxed. Too many uncharacteristic sights for a day.
And so the three champions were chosen. The room emptied out, now all that was left for the marauders to do was choose which champion to back.