IN WHICH school starts again.

FOUR flying horses flying through the air pull a carriage coming in to land at Hogwarts. The crowds of excited children cheer loudly, laughing, and catching up with each other.

"Clear the runway." Hagrid waves two sticks around. "Woah. WOAH!" 

"Well, there's something you don't see every day." Harry smiles.

"Wicked!" Aubery laughs. 

A large ship emerges from under the water and approaches too.

Soon they are all seated in the Great Hall, chattering amongst themselves.

The 1st years were Sorted, slightly gaping at Harry, as Eliza, Ginny, Hermione, and Aubery giggles at Dennis Creevey's dumbfounded look when Colin told him that Harry Potter was sitting very near him. 

"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..." Dumbledore announces. 

Filch runs up the aisle limping in a comical way, he whispers something to Dumbledore and leaves in the same fashion.

"So 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. For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely students of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and their headmistress, Madame Maxime." 

A group of girls dressed in blue dance up the aisle and release butterflies into the air. They bow and everyone applauds, as a huge woman steps into the room. 

"Blimey, that's one big woman." Seamus comments, as many of the boys, were staring awe-struck at the girls. Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes, as Eliza stared at Arwin, who stared back.

Aubery, due to her on and off ADHD, tapped her fingers around, staring longingly at space in front of her. She looked up, and a Beauxbatons boy looked at her and winked, making Seamus's ears go red. 

Dumbledore kissed Maxime's hand.

"And now our friends from the north, please greet the proud students of Durmstrang and their high master Igor Karkaroff." 

A series of older boys and girls walk up the aisle brandishing bo staffs, twirling them around and periodically stabbing them into the ground with a spark effect.

"Blimey, it's him, Viktor Krum!" Ron gasps, as many of the students from the other schools had their eyes on Aubery or Hermione. Viktor Krum stared at Hermione, before turning his head around.

"They are ruining the floor! Look at that ash." Aubery stares at the floor. 

The boys breathe some fire.

"Albus!"

"Igor."

They embrace.

"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 returns to the podium. 

"Wicked." Fred smiles. 

"For this reason, the Ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this we have the head of the department of international magic cooperation Mister Bartimus Crouch." Dumbledore points at a man, which had accused Harry and others of casting the Dark Mark. He bows. 

Thunder roars overhead, rain begins leaking through the roof, and screams break out. A strange man stands in the doorway, he casts some magic upwards and seals the roof. Peace is restored.

"Bloody hell, it's Mad-Eye Moody." Ron gasps. 

"Alastor Moody? The Auror?" Hermione asks. 

"He was a catcher. Half the cells in Azkaban are full thanks to him." Aubery answers.

"He's supposed to be mad as a hatter though these days," Ron adds.

This character enters the room and begins walking. He limps, breathing heavily as he goes.

"My dear old friend, thanks for coming." Dumbledore smiles.

"That stupid roof." Mad-Eye takes a drink.

"What's that he's drinking do you suppose?" Dean asks. 

"I don't know but I don't think it's Pumpkin Juice." Harry answers.

"It could be," Eliza says. 

"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." Crouch answers.

The crowd is unsettled, people are booing.

"That's rubbish! You don't know what you're doing!" George yells. 

"Silence!" The Hogwarts crowd immediately goes silent. Dumbledore casts magic over a box that melds into a goblet containing a blue flame. "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 of this moment, the Tri-Wizard Tournament has begun."

The 4th years sit awkwardly in a classroom, as Arwin and Eliza stared lovingly at each other, and Hermione and Aubery sit at another table, quills handy. 

Well, Hermione. Aubery was playing with the feathers of the quill. 

"Alastor Moody."

He writes his name on the board.

"Ministry malcontent. And your new defense against the dark arts teacher. I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, goodbye, the end. Any questions? When it comes to the dark arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many unforgivable curses there are?" 

Hermione raises her hand. "Three sir."

Mad-Eye raises an eyebrow. "And they are so named?"

Hermione looks down. "Because they are unforgivable. The use of any one of them will..." 

Mad-Eye grinned. "Will earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Correct. Now the ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do. I say different! You need to know what you're up against! You need to be prepared. You need to find somewhere else to put your chewing gum besides the underside of your desk Mr. Finnigan!"

Everyone stares at Seamus, who starts grumbling angrily. 

"Aw no way, the old codger can see out the back of his head."

Mad-Eye throws the chalk in anger. "And hear across classrooms! So, which curse shall we see first? WEASLEY!"

"Yes..." Ron whimpers.

"Stand. Give us a curse." Mad-Eye orders. 

"Well, my dad did tell me about one... The Imperius curse." Ron stands, slightly shaking. 

"Oh, yeah, your father would know all about that. Gave the Ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why." Mad-Eye pops open a jar with a spider in it. "Hello. What a little beauty."

He uses his wand to send it around the class. "Don't worry. Completely harmless!" 

Mad-Eye sends the spider around the classroom, making the students laugh.

"But if she bites... she's lethal!"

Draco laughs.

"What are you laughing at?" Mad-Eye sends the spider onto Draco's face. "Talented isn't she? What shall I have her do next? Jump out the window? Drown herself?"

Mad-Eye has the spider over a bucket of water, it's wriggling. The room goes dead silent.

"Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only do did You-Know-Who's bidding under the influence of the Imperius curse. But here's the rub, how do we sort out the liars? Another... Another... Come on come on. Longbottom is it? Up."

Neville stands.

"Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for herbology." Mad-Eye smiles. 

"There's the um... The Cruciatus curse." Neville says.

"This is illegal," Hermione mutters.

"Correct! Correct! come come. Particularly nasty. The torture curse."  Mad-Eye begins torturing the spider with magic, it squeals, as it rolls over and over, and Neville beings shaking, losing sight with reality... and then.

"Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering him, stop it!" Aubery shrieks. 

Mad-Eye stops. Neville stands there in some kind of trance. Moody picks up the spider which is still making a small noise. "Perhaps you could give us the last unforgivable curse Miss Lupin."

"The Killing Curse." Aubery mutters.

"Correct. Avada Kedarva!" The spider lies still, not moving. Aubery stares at it, terrified. 

"The killing curse. Only one person is known to have survived it. And he's sitting in this room." Moody approaches Harry's desk and takes a drink.

"Brilliant isn't he! Completely demented of course. Terrifying to be in the same room with, he's really BEEN there you know." Ron says as the squad walk out of the DADA room.

Hermione huffs angrily. "There's a reason those curses are unforgivable, and to perform them in a classroom. I mean did you see Neville's face and the way Aubery froze up?"

They see a boy on the stairs facing the window.

"Neville?" Harry asks. 

Mad-Eye approaches Neville and pats him on the shoulder. "Son. You alright?"

Neville nods.

"Come on Lupin, we'll have a cup of tea. I want to show you two something." Mad-Eye beckons, and the two walk with him. 

Mad-Eye sets a book in front of Neville, and a box in front of Aubery. "There we go. Torture and death aren't easy to watch eh?"

Neville's face lights up, picking up the book. "Thank you, Professor!" Neville smiles. 

"No problem sonny." Moody grins. 

Aubery picks up the box, and unwraps it, gently tapping her foot on the floor. Inside was a bottle of orange soda, and a few chocolates. 

"Come here. I'll open that up for you." Moody takes the bottle and effortlessly opens it, giving Aubery a straw to drink it with.

"Thank you," Aubery says as the fizziness of the drink made her smile, and she took a pick at one of the chocolates, popping it into her mouth.

"No problem. But next time, if you want to survive against You-Know-Who, you can't freeze at those things." Moody grins, his mechanical eye whizzing madly, and he takes another drink.