3rd Person's POV

"I don't believe it!" Ron said, in a stunned voice, as the Hogwarts students filed back up the steps behind the party from Durmstrang. "Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum!"

"For heaven's sake, Ron, he's only a Quidditch player," said Hermione.

"Only a Quidditch player?" Ron said, looking at her as though he couldn't believe his ears. "Hermione- he's one of the best Seekers in the world! I had no idea he was still at school!"

As they recrossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Hogwarts students heading for the Great Hall, Harry saw Lee Jordan jumping up and down on the soles of his feet to get a better look at the back of Krum's head. Several sixth-year girls were frantically searching their pockets as they walked.

"Oh I don't believe it, I haven't got a single quill on me-"

"D'you think he'd sign my hat in lipstick?"

"Really," Hermione said loftily as they passed the girls, now squabbling over the lipstick.

"I'm getting his autograph if I can," said Ron. "You haven't got a quill, have you, Harry?"

"Nope, they're upstairs in my bag," said Harry.

They walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Ron took care to sit on the side facing the doorway, because Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students were still gathered around it, apparently unsure about where they should sit. The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Three of them were still clutching scarves and shawls around their heads.

"It's not that cold," said Hermione defensively. "Why didn't they bring cloaks?"

"Over here! Come and sit over here!" Ron hissed. "Over here! Hermione, budge up, make a space -"

"What?"

"Too late," said Ron bitterly.

Karina had walked up to the door allowing Viktor the chance to call out to her. She nods with a smile then waves her hand beckoning him. Viktor Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students follow Karina and settle themselves at the Slytherin table. Harry could see Malfoy, Crabbe, Blaise, and Goyle looking very smug about this. As he watched, Malfoy bent forward to speak to Krum.

"Yeah, that's right, smarm up to him, Malfoy," said Ron scathingly. "I bet Krum can see right through him, though... bet he gets people fawning over him all the time... Where d'you reckon they're going to sleep? We could offer him a space in our dormitory, Harry... I wouldn't mind giving him my bed, I could sleep on a camp bed."

Hermione snorted.

"They look a lot happier than the Beauxbatons lot," said Harry.

The Durmstrang students were pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest; a couple of them were picking up the golden plates and goblets and examining them, apparently impressed.

Up at the staff table, Filch, the caretaker, was adding chairs. He was wearing his moldy old tailcoat in honor of the occasion. Harry was surprised to see that he added four chairs, two on either side of Dumbledore's.

"But there are only two extra people," Harry said, "Why's Filch putting out four chairs, who else is coming?"

"Eh?" said Ron vaguely. He was still staring avidly at Krum.

When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. The Beauxbatons party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and- most particularly- guests," said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh.

"No one's making you stay!" Hermione whispered, bristling at her.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

He sat down, and Harry saw Karkaroff lean forward at once and engage him in conversation. The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them than Harry had ever seen, including several that were definitely foreign.

"What's that?" said Goyle, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.

"Bouillabaisse," Karina days as she puts a spoon of mashed potatoes on her plate.

"Bless you," Blaise jokes with a smile.

Karina rolls her eyes playfully, "It's French... I had it on holiday summer once before. It's very nice."

"I'll take your word for it," Viktor says helping himself to black pudding.

Karina smiles lightly before looking down at her plate. Draco glares slightly before giving himself a helping of the pudding also. Viktor notices and smirks before adding another spoon of pudding. Draco chuckles inwardly then adds two more.

"You two hungry?" Pansy asks with confusion written all over her face.

"Starving." Viktor replies as he eats the pudding.

Karina glances at the two and frowns before looking back at Draco and his plate of untouched food.

"You don't have to eat that. It has an acquired taste."

"I'm sure..." Draco ignores all the stares from the table and helps himself to a spoon of the pudding.

Just as the pudding touches his tongue his first thought was to spit it out. But sitting beside Karina seeing her smile as he tried something she had liked made him feel good. Also there was no way he would look like a chump in front of Viktor Krum. Draco knew Viktor was interested in Karina, he could see it a mile away. But there was no way Viktor was going to continue on and act on his feelings, not with Draco around.

Draco swallows the pudding harshly before letting out a shiver of disgust. Pansy and Daphne give each other a knowing look before giggling with one another. Karina glances at Viktor then Draco with a confused stare then shrugs. Everyone finally digs into their food and the attention is taken off the two boys.

Karina leans close to Draco as her hand lays on his knee, "Dray I know the pudding is gross. You don't have to eat it..."

Draco nods slowly before holding up a spoon to her face with a smile, "Would you like some?"

Karina giggles and shakes her head, "Oh no I don't eat that stuff anymore. I told you it has an acquired taste."

Draco looks at her in awe, "You said its very nice."

"I lied. I just wanted to see Blaise eat it. I knew he would make himself sick if he did."

Draco shakes his head, laughing internally as he sees Karina's evil grin as she sticks her tongue out at a confused Blaise.

"Although watching you and Viktor eat it made my day as well."

"You little minx."

"Slytherin..."

Karina smiles pointing at herself then looks away from Draco.

The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep bloodred.

Hagrid sidled into the Hall through a door behind the staff table twenty minutes after the start of the feast. He slid into his seat at the end and waved at Harry, Ron, and Hermione with a very heavily bandaged hand.

"Skrewts doing all right, Hagrid?" Harry called.

"Thrivin'," Hagrid called back happily.

"Yeah, I'll just bet they are," said Ron quietly. "Looks like they've finally found a food they like, doesn't it? Hagrid's fingers."

At that moment, a voice said, "Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?"

It was the girl from Beauxbatons who had laughed during Dumbledore's speech. She had finally removed her muffler. A long sheet of silvery-blonde hair fell almost to her waist. She had large, deep blue eyes, and very white, even teeth. Ron went purple. He stared up at her, opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out except a faint gurgling noise.

"Yeah, have it," said Harry, pushing the dish toward the girl.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?"

"Yeah," Ron said breathlessly. "Yeah, it was excellent."

The girl smiles as she picks up the dish and carries it carefully off to the Ravenclaw table. Ron was still oogling at the girl as though he had never seen one before. Harry started to laugh. The sound seemed to jog Ron back to his senses.

"She's a veela!" he said hoarsely to Harry.

"Of course she isn't!" said Hermione tartly. "I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot!"

But she wasn't entirely right about that. As the girl crossed the Hall, many boys' heads turned, and some of them seemed to have become temporarily speechless, just like Ron.

"I'm telling you, that's not a normal girl!" said Ron, leaning sideways so he could keep a clear view of her. "They don't make them like that at Hogwarts!"

"They make them okay at Hogwarts," said Harry without thinking.

Cho happened to be sitting only a few places away from the girl with the silvery hair.

"When you've both put your eyes back in," said Hermione briskly, "you'll be able to see who's just arrived." She was pointing up at the staff table.

The two remaining empty seats had just been filled. Ludo Bagman was now sitting on Professor Karkaroff's other side, while Mr. Crouch, Percy's boss, was next to Madame Maxime.

"What are they doing here?" said Harry in surprise.

"They organized the Triwizard Tournament, didn't they?" said Hermione. "I suppose they wanted to be here to see it start."

When the second course arrived they noticed a number of unfamiliar desserts too. Ron examined an odd sort of pale blancmange closely, then moved it carefully a few inches to his right, so that it would be clearly visible from the Ravenclaw table. The girl who looked like a veela appeared to have eaten enough, however, and did not come over to get it. Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now. Harry felt a slight thrill of excitement, wondering what was coming. Several seats down from them, Fred and George were leaning forward, staring at Dumbledore with great concentration.

"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket --"

"The what?" Harry muttered.

Ron shrugged.

"- just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" -there was a smattering of polite applause-" and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemius Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced. Remembering him in his neat suit at the Quidditch World Cup, Harry thought he looked strange in wizard's robes. His toothbrush mustache and severe parting looked very odd next to Dumbledore's long white hair and beard.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said,

"The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students; Dennis Creevey actually stood on his chair to see it properly, but, being so tiny, his head hardly rose above anyone else's.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways.. their magical prowess- their daring- their powers of deduction- and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames. Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete."

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation. I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

"An Age Line!" Fred Weasley said, his eyes glinting, as they all made their way across the Hall to the doors into the entrance hall.

"Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name's in that goblet, you're laughing- it can't tell whether you're seventeen or not!"

"But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance," said Hermione, "we just haven't learned enough..."

Karina stands up as everyone starts to leave. She sees a fur coat on the back of her seat and looks up to find Viktor walking out the door. Looking at Draco and Pansy she holds up the coat and points.

"I'll meet up with you guys in a few. I'm going to give him his coat back."

Pansy nods and pulls Draco away as he goes to disagree with Karina.

Karina hurries to the door and sees Viktor turn the corner down the hallway. She picks up her pace and follows him as he gets to a familiar hall then a very familiar door. She freezes and frowns in confusion as he knocks on the door and then walks in.

Squinting her eyes, she stares for a moment then follows down the hall to the same door. She takes her wand out the back pocket and says the spell to unlock the door. Bursting open through the door like she usually does, Cedric and Viktor halt their conversation. 

"So when did you two become friends?"

Cedric chuckles uneasily, "Very recently."

"Mhmm," Karina walks over to them slowly as she stares at them trying to figure them out.

"So what were you two just talking about?"

Cedric sighs knowing they had been caught. He nods at Viktor before Viktor nods back and looks at Karina.

"You..."

"You didn't..." Karina gives Cedric an angry stare.

Cedric chuckles in fear as he holds his hands up in surrender. Viktor laughs as he stands in front of Cedric.

"I asked Karina. I knew you and Malfoy were having problems ever since the moment I met you. I can see the feelings the two of you have for each other."

"So why were you two talking about it?"

"We made a plan to try to get your mind off of him... so that you could better yourself. You have so much going on and we thought maybe you just needed a friend who wasn't wrapped up in the drama. A friend who wouldn't be two sided. A friend who also knows neither of you two. Viktor wanted to make sure that you were okay, he knew something was off and he talked to me about it a while ago."

Karina nods slowly, "Oh... well um thanks for caring guys."

The two nod with a smile.

"So all the little jabs at Draco... you were trying to make him jealous..."

Viktor nods slowly with a grimace, "Yes this is true."

Cedric raises his hand, "It was my idea... I know how jealous Draco gets. I thought maybe it would push him to talk to you and tell you his feelings."

Karina holds her chin as she thinks. It wasn't actually a bad plan. And she was actually kind of happy that no one would really be hurt.

"So you don't like me..."

Viktor smiles, "Karina Grey I like you as a friend I wish it was more but I see how much you two care for each other. Also I may have a slight interest in someone."

Karina smiles widely already figuring out who, "Ahhhh I see."

Viktor frowns, "Wait why did you say it like that?"

Karina shrugs as she tosses Viktor's coat on Cedric's bed. She walks backwards towards the door.

"Welp hope you two have fun putting your names in the fire... I know some certain girls who would be very impressed by this."

Karina chuckles as Viktor starts to question her. Cedric laughs as Karina runs out the room and slams the door closed behind her. Viktor turns to Cedric with a confused stare.

"You think she knows."

"Oh she definitely knows."

𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦'𝑎𝑙𝑙!! 𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑑!!! 𝐿𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘!! 💛