Sorry about the long wait for the update, folks. A lot has happened. School, all that stuff.

And today's dedication and shoutout goes to @KaraLestrangeRiddle, who is really nice and friendly and all that...follow her!

Thanks.

P.S. If you're also a Divergent fan, please read my Divergent fanfic Quelled!

P.P.S. Here is something that you may or may not find funny...

"Alice Brooklyn Carter-Deakin, extremely friendly, got happier in Jill Kimberly Liana's mother's new openness, pushing Queen Rhian Schreave to underestimate Viola's wintry xylophones – Yours, Zia."

***

I fell asleep during the Sorting.

But when I shut my eyes, green snakes with moving heads appeared in the darkness...

I jerked myself awake again, just in time for 'McDonald, Natalie' to be Sorted into Gryffindor.

I sighed and blinked sleepily at Blaise.

Then I fell asleep again.

Blaise shook me awake a few minutes later. "Jade, the Sorting's over!"

I nodded, listened to the last of Dumbledore's announcements, watched as the food appeared, helped myself to some and started eating.

"Why are you so tired anyway?" he asked me.

I couldn't tell him. The truth was, Father had decided to give me a last-minute Occlumency lesson last night, which I had actually done quite well at. I remembered bringing up the wall almost straightaway.

We had both been extremely surprised, me more so, I suspected.

But as a result, I was now exhausted, and not just from the lesson – my sleep hadn't exactly been peaceful lately.

My thoughts zoomed back to the present.

I shrugged. "Didn't get much sleep last night."

Blaise narrowed and examined me thoughtfully for a few seconds. "Hmm..."

Blaise was smarter than he looked.

Anja turned around to face me. Before, she had been communicating with Alex Johnson, her boyfriend, via some kind of hand signal code that only the two of them understood.

Despite my natural curiosity as to what the two were talking about, I didn't really want to know – I felt like it would contain an awful lot of 'I love you's.

"Jade! Jade Annabel Evans!" Anja yelled, making the whole table stare.

I jumped, then glared at Anja, irritated. "What, Anja Lily Snape?"

Theodore Nott, who was seated two seats down from Pansy, laughed at our childish argument.

I felt my face grow red.

I sighed. Why did I have to act this way around Theodore?

"What class do you have first tomorrow?" Anja continued, as if there had been no interruption.

I looked at the timetable Father had handed me.

Monday, Period 1, Transfiguration.

"Transfiguration," I told her. Both Blaise and Anja nodded in agreement.

"Same."

Blaise groaned, adding, "Ughh...I'm terrible at it."

I smirked. Of course, I wasn't. I had already become an (unregistered) Animagus, so I didn't have much trouble turning myself into an animal, let alone doing it to other objects and animals.

"Well, it's not very difficult for me," I commented. "But I wonder –"

Before I could finish my question, the door to the Great Hall was flung open and a man hobbled in.

The first thing I noticed about him was his eye. It was obviously fake, as it kept whizzing around in its socket.

Then I saw his leg. It was either fake or jus badly injured, since the man was limping.

He also had scars all over his face.

Who was this man, and what in the name of Merlin was he doing at Hogwarts?

I glanced up and down the staff table anxiously. I could see no new teachers.

Uh-oh.

That meant that this man was our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

I told Blaise and Anja quietly. They both looked horrified. "Dumbledore's letting this random creep teach us?" Anja gasped.

Right then, Dumbledore got up and greeted the man like an old friend. Then he introduced him to us as Alastor Moody, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

I muttered, "Moody," under my breath. "I'm sure I've heard that name before..."

And then I had it.

Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody was a highly successful Auror – a man who caught Death Eaters.

It was a while later when I realised how bad that was for my father and me.

Moody wasn't the only one late to the feast. Dumbledore made another announcement – our school was hosting a contest called the Triwizard Tournament.

That was a competition involving 3 European schools – Hogwarts, Beauxbatons (the French school) and Durmstrang (the Bulgarian school).

All the students from each of the schools entered the grounds.

The Beauxbatons students came in a flying horse-drawn carriage, while Durmstrang came on a boat that somehow popped out of the lake.

As it turned out, Viktor Krum still went to school.

He went to Durmstrang.

The boys applauded while the girls swooned.

Well, except me.

The Beauxbatons students sat at the Ravenclaw table, and the Durmstrang students sat at ours.

Pansy Parkinson, who I had grown to strongly dislike, was sitting opposite me. She simpered in Krum's direction – he was sitting in between Draco and me.

"So, Viktor, how are you going? Played much Quidditch recently?"

Krum sighed, clearly annoyed. "I am fine. I have of course played much Quidditch recently – I am sure you remember our match against Ireland."

He sighed again while Pansy nodded idiotically, not detecting Krum's annoyance. I could barely stifle a laugh.

"Yes, of course I remember the match! I only went to see you." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. "And you – uh – caught the Snitch."

Bad move.

I watched Pansy falter, watched Krum's annoyance grow.

"Yes I caught the Snitch," Krum began, his anger flaring up, "but we still lost!"

It was obvious that Krum had been berating himself over this.

I wondered why he had chosen to sit with us, a group of fourth-years – he was a seventh-year, after all.

Draco shook his head minutely at Pansy, then turned to Krum. "I assume you'll get into the Triwizard Tournament...so I will probably be supporting you."

Krum nodded, once. "Thankyou."

His opinion of Draco was already higher than his opinion of Pansy.

I looked around, curious to see who the Beauxbatons students thought would be selected from their school.

They were talking in rapid French, but I heard the name 'Fleur' repeated several times.

A few seats over, Holly, Kaya and Felix were looking totally bewildered. I knew for a fact that they spoke no French,

I waved to them, then hesitated as a Beauxbatons girl waved back cheerfully.

Whoops.

As we followed our Prefects back to our Common Room, I thought about what I had read about the Triwizard Tournament.

And, to be honest, I was extremely glad I couldn't participate.