CHAPTER SEVEN ─── ❛ triwizard tournament ❜

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𝕿orrential rain greeted the four sixth year girls, as their carriage reached the bottom of the Hogwarts steps. They quickly created the umbrella's once more, shrieking and laughing as they sprinted up the steps, holding up the bottom of their robes.

Once inside, on the slippery stone floor, the girls cast quick drying spells on each other, smoothing and fixing their hair. They all continued to laugh, hooking their arms through each others.

"Madge, come on!" Lena grabbed the taller girl's arm, both of them skidding into the Great Hall, laughing hysterically to each other. Their chuckles joined the chorus of chatter coming from the other students sitting at the four tables, though the girls ignored three of them to skid over to the yellow and black covered table of Hufflepuff.

They were some of the last to arrive, having been procrastinating getting off the train into the rain, most students already sitting in their seats and complaining about the lack of food and the slowness of the Sorting Ceremony.

"No new teachers this year." Lean pointed out, as Madge and her both did a headcount. Sure enough, there was no one new at the head table. Professor Flitwick was sporting a new moustache, Professor Sprout's hair was just as wild as normal, though it did look like there was a plant growing through her hat, Snape just looked like a git and Dumbledore was watching the students with a half-grin. The other teachers all seemed relatively the same since the events of last year, with an empty chair being left for Professor McGonagall, the intimidating head of Gryffindor.

"Odd. I thought they'd fired Lupin." Madge's face was lit up by a sudden fork of lighting shooting across the enchanted ceiling. The pair both looked up, before the doors opened once more and McGonagall appeared with a long line of first years. Madge smiled at any that caught eyes with her, hoping that it would reassure them, for they all looked like they wished for the ground to swallow them whole. "Poor things. They look scared to death."

"Shut up. The hat's singing." Lena pinched her leg, as Madge struggled not to yelp in pain. Sure enough, the hat had opened it's mouth, launching into a song about the houses. Madge rolled her eyes, not bothering to truly pay attention. The hat sang about basically the same thing each year, though in a new rhyme that he'd made up over the course of the school year and holiday. 

For some reason, Lena adored them. Madge did not share her sentiment.

Nor did she particularly enjoy sorting ceremonies for once you had seen one of them, then you had seen all of them. Plus, after a long train ride, the last thing Madge particularly wanted to do was to watch eleven year olds be sorted. She just, truly, wanted to eat some food and then go to bed.

She leant forward, letting her head fall onto the table, closing her eyes as she waited and prayed for the sorting to end. Finally, there was a shout of Hufflepuff and a screech of a chair as Dumbledore stood up, his arms wide open to welcome them all.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deep voice echoing around the Hall. "Tuck in."

"Thank Merlin!" Madge grinned, before sitting up straight as the dishes in front of them filled magically with food. There were piles of roast potatoes, steamed vegetables and slices of meat (ranging from pork to lamb), pots of gravy, Yorkshire pudding mountains and mashed potatoes. The glasses filled with pumpkin juice, as Madge grinned and began to fill her plate. "Oh this is so good."

"I've missed Hogwarts food." Lena nodded, chewing down on some pieces of broccoli. "Don't get me wrong, I love my dad's cooking but Hogwart's food is like coming home."

"Tell me about it." Madge sighed, "just not in front of my mother cause she might actually kill me."

"I love your mum." Lena laughed. "I miss your mum. I need to come around again."

"You have your own, stay away from mine." Madge teased, giving her friend a gentle push.

The rain was still drumming heavily against the high, dark glass. Another clap of thunder shook the windows, and the stormy ceiling flashed, illuminating the golden plates as the remains of the first course vanished and were replaced, instantly, with puddings.

Madge grabbed a slice of treacle tart, pouring cream over it and eating it quickly as Lena told her about her summer and how her OWLs had gone, with Madge recounting the tale of the Quidditch World Cup and the reclusive Weasley sibling that actually wasn't fake.

Lena had sent her a knowing look, clearly saying they'd talk more about it later.

When the puddings too had been demolished, and the plates had been cleaned again, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet again. The chatter died down, so only the howling wind outside could be heard.

"So!" said Dumbledore, smiling around at them all. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention while I give out a few notices."

Madge and Lena turned to look at each other before mouthing the same name; "Filch."

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."

Madge leaned around the person opposite her, catching eyes with the twins as they shared a grin. They'd read through all four hundred and thirty-seven items, and their plan this year was to try and use every single one of them in at least one prank. 

It was going to be epic.

"As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year." Dumbledore sighed before speaking once more. "It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

Madge's eyebrows furrowed as the hall fell into silence, collectively becoming too stunned to speak. Dumbledore continued,

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open.

In the doorway to the main hall, leaning upon a long staff and shrouded in a dark traveling cloak, stood a tall man. Everyone turned to look at him, as he lowered his hood and shook out a long mane of dark, grey hair then walked to the teacher's table.

A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling. 

The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief, causing most of the hall to gasp. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening. 

One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye, causing Madge to shudder as Lena leant over to her.

"Want to bet that's our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Oh, you know it." Madge murmured as the stranger shook hands with Dumbledore, before taking a seat on the right of the teacher's table and starting to eat. 

"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."

It was usual for new staff members to be greeted with applause, but none of the staff or students chapped except Dumbledore and Hagrid, who both put their hands together and applauded, but the sound echoed dismally into the silence, and they stopped fairly quickly. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Moody's bizarre appearance to do more than stare at him.

"Mad Eye Moody?" Lena and Madge shared a look.

"I thought he was an auror? What's he doing stuck teaching us?" Madge whispered as Dumbledore cleared his throat again. "This is weird."

"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" exclaimed Fred, as Madge snorted at her best friend's words. The tension in the hall broke, everyone laughing at Fred, who was sitting with his jaw wide open.

"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, as Fred went the same colour as his hair, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Er - but maybe this is not the time...no..." said Dumbledore, "where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament...well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely."

Madge leant forward, not having heard of it. It wasn't something that her father had ever brought up to her.

"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

"Death toll?" Lena paled. "People die?"

"This just got more interesting." Madge nodded her head, before turning to look at Fred and George, all of them exchanging wicked grins and nodding. They were most definitely doing this.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself, or herself, in mortal danger."

Chatter began to start in the room again, though Dumbledore ignored it and continued to speak. 

"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."

"This sounds epic!" Madge turned to Lena. "We've got to write to our parents and then enter. Both of us, together!"

"I don't like you dragging me into this. Death toll, Madge, death toll." Lena hissed.

"Death toll, shmeath toll," Madge waved it off. "Once in a lifetime, thousand galleons prize money, you know you want to Lena."

"You're a terrible influence."

"Thanks. I try my best."

Then Dumbledore spoke again, and the Hall quieted once more. 

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This" Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the twins were suddenly looking furious, "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion."

Madge turned to grin, facing Fred and George with a wide smile before holding her hand up in a L at them. They were born in April, meaning that they were going to be under the age limit whilst Madge was fortunate enough to have a birthday in September, meaning that she was more than able.

"I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen." Dumbledore's words seemed to be directed at Fred and George, who were looking murderous. "The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Mad-Eye Moody. There was a great scraping and banging as all the students got to their feet and swarmed toward the double doors into the entrance hall.

Fred and George found Madge and Lena at the entrance way.

"Imagine being babies." Madge teased, as they both shot her foul glares. "If I win, I'll share the money with you."

"Shut up!" George hissed. "Just cause you're old, doesn't mean that we're out of the running yet. We'll find a way."

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you boys," Madge turned to face them, walking backwards and trusting that Lena wouldn't let her fall down some stairs. "Karma is a bitch."

"What is this karma for?"

"Convincing me your brother was fake, duh!"

"You did that on your own account. It's not our fault you didn't believe us." Fred called, trying to follow after them, though Angelina had grabbed both of them by the collar and was frogmarching them away. 

Madge waved, smiling cheerily, before spinning back around to face forward.

"As prefect, shouldn't you be being mature when dealing with them?" Lena asked, both of them dodging some clueless second years. 

"In theory, yes. In practice, no." Madge shrugged, before grinning. "It's karma."

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Hiya,

I just love Fred, George and Madge though her and Lena are also a lot of fun. She's also old enough to enter the Triwizard tournament, so we shall see how that goes!

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx