FOUR OPPORTUNITY

Tonight was the night, Thea supposes. They were holding a feast with the other two schools as it was finally the time to pull the names of the champions from the Goblet of Fire. Thea didn't care too much about it considering there was no way in hell a Slytherin champion would be chosen. If by some miracle someone from Slytherin was chosen, there's no doubt the entire school would protest and demand they choose another name.

"Who do you think it'll be? People are saying it's gonna be that hunk from Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory," Pansy was asking more to the table than to Thea specifically, but her voice was loud in her ear as Pansy had never really seemed to understand the concept of an inside voice.

Draco groaned at this, "Merlin, if we're being represented by a bloody Hufflepuff, there'll be no hope for us. Imagine one of those numpties battling it out for the school, pathetic."

"I'm just glad we've got an excuse for a feast," Thea chuckled as she shoved food in her mouth. She missed lunch due to working on an essay for potions, so she hadn't eaten since earlier that morning. Even then, it was only a scone that Helena had brought her as a peace offering so she could sleep in without worrying about getting ready for breakfast. She knew Helena felt bad about their scuffle and Thea felt bad too, but she couldn't stand her sister's blatant hypocrisy. She would sit with Ginny Weasley on the train and then go on and on about how the Weasley's are pathetic blood traitors. Maybe it was because she was young and stupid, but Thea couldn't remember spouting such nonsense when she was Helena's age. After all, they were only a year apart.

Dumbledore gives his speech as the feast pauses and the torches lining the walls dim. Dark clouds swirl overhead as the only light in the room comes from the ice blue flame of the goblet. Everyone turns and watches as Dumbeldore flicks his wand, drawing the name of a champion. The room is heavy with anticipation as the students hold their breath once Dumbledore plucks the singed scrap of paper from the air. There was still a string of smoke following it as the edges burned.

Amidst the silent dining hall, Dumbledore spoke, "The champion for Durmstrang is... Viktor Krum!"

Pansy sighs, "Ugh, we all totally saw that coming. Can we get something interesting, please?"

"Pansy!" Thea exclaimed with a laugh, smacking the girl playfully on the arm, "You are so loud."

The girls giggle with each other as the room quiets again. Another piece of paper is lifted from the goblet, this time Dumbledore says, "The champion for Beauxbatons is... Fleur Delacour!"

A pretty blonde girl smiles and stands from her table, curtsying as people applaud her. She remembers someone saying that Fleur was part Veela and looking at her, Thea understood how someone could tell. Her smile was mesmerizing, her beauty framed by the gentle strands of dirty blonde hair falling around her face. Thea sat with her palm against her cheek as her elbow was propped up onto the table as she stared at the girl walking past. She was light on her feet as if she were floating. Thea couldn't tear her eyes away until she disappeared into the chamber where Viktor had just gone.

"Earth to Thea," the dark-haired girl next to her giggled as she nudged her, "You tired or something?"

Without missing a beat, Thea nodded, "Uh, yeah, sorry, was up all night working on Snape's stupid potions essay."

"Ugh, I know it's ridiculous like the year just started and he's already assigning essays," Pansy complained but went silent again as the flame turned red and a third name floated from the goblet. The Hogwarts champion. A hush fell over the room as the Hogwarts students watched with bated breath.

"And lastly, the Hogwarts champion..." Dumbledore announces, "Cedric Diggory!"

"We're doomed!" Draco exclaims in exasperation as he puts his head in his hands, "We couldn't have at least gotten someone that wasn't in Hufflepuff? Even a sorry old Ravenclaw would do!"

Thea rolled her eyes as she got the blond boy's attention, "You git, we haven't even seen how he is yet! He looks awfully nice."

"You're only saying that because he's fit," Pansy giggled, "But I don't blame you. Draco, if that's how the Hufflepuff boys look, I think you're only complaining because you're jealous!"

"Maybe you'd have a chance if you chilled on the hair gel," the girls teased the boy together and Thea stuck her tongue out in response to Draco's searing glare. She would never stop making fun of him for the way he styled his hair the first few years of school. "Or the side part."

Draco scoffed, "I don't gel it anymore!"

"Yeah, but the image is burned in my brain forever," Pansy laughed as she and Thea looked at each other, both remembering how bad it was.

Their laughter was cut off abruptly as the students gasped. Turning around, Thea could see the goblet had gone red again. A fourth paper leaves the goblet. It floats in the air for a moment as Dumbledore seems hesitant to grab for it. Eventually, he does.

"Harry Potter," he announces to the hall. When Harry does not stand, every student in the hall turns to look at him. She watches as Hermione mutters something to him. Finally, Harry stands, looking stiff as a board. His face is stony as he slowly walks past the table and into the chamber with the other champions. The room is deadly silent. Dumbledore clears his throat, "Let the feast commence!"

With that, the chatter bursts instantly. Thea watches as Dumbledore and the other schools' headmasters disappear into the chamber, leaving the professors to whisper amongst themselves.

"Of course bloody Potter found a loophole," Draco was seething, she could practically see his ears turning pink with anger. "Ridiculous, how is that even allowed? He's not even close to seventeen. Stupid, Potter, he gets involved in everything at Hogwarts, can we not just have a little peace?"

"I don't know," Thea mutters, picking at her food as she watches the door to the chamber nervously, "something about the way he just walked into that room looking like he was about to get his head chopped off... I don't think he knew his name was in there."

"How could he not know? Surely, he got someone older from Gryffindor to put his name in there and I don't know, hexed it so it would grab his name no matter what," Pansy suggested, sounding annoyed, "Of course, Potter had to ruin it for everyone. At least Hogwarts has two chances to win now, I suppose that's something. Not like we get anything from it, 'course not."

Thea sighed, not knowing what to think as she turned back to her meal. "This whole thing is just sort of rubbing me the wrong way. I've never seen Harry look so... grim. Even when Malfoy's giving him shit he always has that stupid little grin on his face."

"Whatever," Draco groans, "I just can't believe the git actually pulled it off. Besides, he could just be putting on a show so people think he's innocent. Seems like something he would do."

The girl couldn't shake the feeling that Draco and Pansy had it all wrong. Something about Harry's expression was so dreadful it just rubbed her the wrong way. She tore her gaze away from the chamber door, knowing that none of this concerned her and she was just a spectator in all of this. Still, she felt bad for Harry. Maybe this was an opportunity for her to reach out and apologize for things, but that was more for Hermione than it was for Harry. She wished things weren't so complicated. Still, as she gazed at the empty gap in the table between Ron and Hermione, all she saw was an opportunity.