CHAPTER III:
the tri-wizard tournament

( October 1994 )

      "IS IT POSSIBLE TO HATE BUT ALSO LOVE WHEN DANGEROUS THINGS HAPPEN TO US?" Ginger questioned the two boys beside her walking down to the Great Hall, tugging on the collar of her uniform shirt.

       "I suppose but I wouldn't go around galavanting that I was enjoying the adrenaline from almost being killed," Cedric commented with a shake of his head, Alexander nodded in agreement.

      Turning the corner through the tall doors, the trio stalked their way into the great hall. Cedric waved goodbye to Alexander and Ginger as he parted with them to go to Hufflepuff table while they went to Ravenclaw.

      Sitting down, Ginger almost went into great detail about the ginormous ship that appeared out of the Black Lake and the carriages that flew down from the sky but she was intercepted by Dumbledore.

      "Now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen..." the man trailed off at the sight of Argus Filch dashing down the aisle in a comical manner.

      He whispered something in the headmaster's ear while the student body whispered amongst themselves about Filch's actions.

      "Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. The Tri-Wizard tournament. Now for those of you who do not know, the Tri-Wizard tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school, a single contestant is selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint-hearted, but more of that later."

      The students began a gentle fit of whispers with conversations about who would and who wouldn't join in the tournament and which schools would arrive. Ginger looked to the Hufflepuff and found Cedric with a smirk playing at his lip and shook her head as if reading his courageous thoughts.

      "For now please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies and gentlemen of the Beauxbatons Academy of magic and their headmistress Madame Maxime." With that statement, a group of students dressed in periwinkle arrived into the Great Hall, they gracefully frolicked down the aisle.

      Each of them with much more poise in their pinky than the entire student body of Hogwarts had in their whole beings.

      Some students were admiring their physical appearances and others were admiring the way they delicately dipped their bodies and sighed. Ginger had been neither option as she gazed at the students that were almost her classmates. Beside her, Alex was searching the crowd of periwinkle for any familiar faces, for he was once a Beauxbaxton student before transferring to Hogwarts.

      Upon one of the sighs from the group of students, a blue butterfly landed on the nose of Ginger. Its wings fluttered there as she stayed still watching it. "Georgie, I reckon you've fallen in love." Fred Weasley teased his twin, their friends snickered watching the boy redden at his cheeks and ears from being caught staring at the girl with the butterfly.

      A woman pushing about nine feet tall walked with grace behind her students. Ginger had been introduced to Madam Maxime multiple times into friendly terms but was still in awe upon her entrance.

      "And now our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons and daughters of Durmstrang and the high master Igor Karkaroff." A series of older students stalked up the aisle brandishing bo staffs, twirling them around and periodically stabbing them into the ground with a spark effect.

      "Bloody hell, that's Viktor Krum!" The Blomgren boy sat up in his seat to see if it had been the quidditch champion, and there he was in Hogwarts, participating in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. "Gin, catch me I feel faint!"

      "Your attention, please! I would like to say a few words. Eternal glory, that is what awaits the student who wins the tri-wizard tournament. But to do this that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks." Dumbledore spoke once more, all the students paid close attention to what he went on about.

      The speech continued for a few more moments before the enchanted roof began to pour down on the students, lightning and thunder scattered across the ceiling, hoods were thrown onto heads and startled screams erupted around the Great Hall.

      A strange man then stood in the doorway near the professor's table and he cast magic up at the ceiling and peace was restored. It was Alastor Moody, more known as Mad-eye Moody for his wandering eye strapped onto his head. He and Dumbledore whispered to each other and he went off to the side of the professor's table to take a swing of whatever substance had been in the flask in his hand.

      The students in the Great Hall all turned to each other to mumble about how they didn't exactly think he was drinking pumpkin juice there.

      "After much deliberation, the ministry has concluded that for their own safety no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. This decision is final." Barty Crouch concluded his wishes on the matter which caused an uprising of disagreeing hollers.

      The Weasley twins' shouts had been the loudest, Ginger manoeuvred her head to see them in the middle of their shouting while Dumbledore exclaimed a demand for silence and that's what he quickly received. The twins sat back and scowled, mumbling probable swears under their breaths to each other about how absurd the age restriction was.

      Her eyes widened slightly at sudden eye contact with one of them and she allowed the golden irises on her being to wander around the room, she went back to looking at them and made eye contact once more. She didn't look away this time though, instead, she sheepishly grinned at him and gave a small wave to which he returned. Alex took notice of this distracted action and leaned over her to see who she was waving at, he too made eye contact with the twin and squinted his eyes at him.

      Georges eyebrows furrowed at Alex and he also waved at the younger Ravenclaw, the Blomgren heir only narrowed his eyes even more and pointed two fingers at his eyes then at the twins.

      Sitting back in his seat normally, Alexander let Ginger regain her posture and whispered to her.

      George watched in amusement as the duo began whispering comically, it seemed that the duo liked to scrunch their noses whenever they agreed on a subject, whether it was to their knowledge or not.

            Dumbledore cast magic over a box that melded into a goblet containing a blue flame. The sapphire flames captivated the interests of just about every student and staff member in the Great Hall.

      "The Goblet of Fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the tri-wizard tournament has begun."

      With those haunting words, Dumbledore revealed the courses of the first feast of the year. Ginger and Alex eagerly took their food onto their plates and began their first eccentric conversation over just about anything over potatoes and pumpkin juice.

      Stolen glances had conveyed between the Lunette girl and George Weasley over their first meal, neither of them was aware of the newfound interest the other found in themselves, but they continued to stare continuously throughout the night.