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Normally, Serena did not wake up until noon on Saturdays. Never being able to sleep in on the weekdays, she takes full advantage of her weekends.

This Saturday was completely different. Serena had surprised herself when she awoke before Angelina even had a chance to get up. Alicia was fast asleep as well, though that was not a surprise in the slightest.

After freshening up, Serena grabbed a spare pillow from her bed, a wicked smile making its way on her face. Creeping over to Angelina's bed, she ripped open the curtain, chucking the pillow at the sleeping girl with as much force as possible. "Time to wake up, Angelina! The delicate balance of the world will be upset if I'm awake while you're still in bed!"

With a sharp glare, the girl throw the pillow back. "What the hell, Serena! It's Saturday!"

"Exactly!" Serena yanked the covers off Angelina with a satisfied grin. "The only day we have to put our name in the Goblet! So we've got to do it early."

"This is how you feel when I wake you two up in the morning, isn't it?" Angelina grunted.

Serena nodded. "Precisely."

Alicia stirred from her own four-poster bed, glancing at the two girls before her before closing her eyes once more. A second later, her jerked up again, quickly rubbing at her eyes to see if she was still dreaming. "Is that... Serena Mallard awake before Angelina? Has the world gone mad or something?"

"Not yet, but it will if you two are not down in the common room in five minutes!" Serena said cheerfully, bouncing toward the door. Right before she left, she called out, "Happy Halloween!"

Serena closed the door and turned toward the staircase, only to crash into someone in the narrow hallway. "Oh, my bad- Iyla? What are you standing right outside the door for?"

"Well, I didn't know you were going to come out right at this second." Iyla said. "Lee and the twins sent me up here to get you. Wanted you in their dorm."

"Wanted me for what?"

Iyla shrugged, already walking down the stairs. "See for yourself."

Serena rolled her eyes. "I don't see why you can't just tell me."

"It'll be a waste of breathe, really, when you can just go and look."

"You're a pain, Iyla."

"And you're impatient, Serena."

With another roll of her eyes, Serena climbed up toward the boy's dormitory, walking through the door labelled 'Sixth Years.' She was about to ask what they wanted her for when she stop in her tracks. A large, bubbling cauldron was situated in the middle of the room, the three boys crowded around it.

George looked up at her. "There you are!"

"About time you showed up," said Lee.

"Forgotten to help us with the potion, haven't you?" Fred asked with a silly grin.

Serena let out a small laugh as she sat down. "Sorry about that. I'm no good with remembering things."

"Oh, we know." They said together.

Serena has just added a tortoise shell to the bubbling cauldron when she slapped a hand to her head. "I've totally forgotten about Angelina and Alicia!" She turned to the boys, who were still looking down at the potion in concentration. "You lot can finish it up without me, right? There shouldn't be too much left. They might still be waiting for me in the common room."

The three waved her on, so Serena bolted down the stairs, halting in her step when she saw Angelina and Alicia sitting on one of the couches, arms crossed with a level gaze. "It's funny how you said to be down in five minutes..." Angelina started.

"And we were..." Alicia said.

"So we sat here for fifteen minutes waiting for you..."

"Under the impression you were waiting for us."

Serena's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm so sorry! It completely slipped my mind! They" -she pointed at toward the boy's dormitory- "made me help them with their Ageing Potion."

Alicia chuckled. "Let's see who else is going to put their name in."

"Speaking of names," Angelina said, "I wrote yours on a slip of parchment for you."

"Brilliant! Thanks, Angie!"

The three girls skipped down the Gryffindor tower and a few other staircases until they finally made it to the entrance hall. About twenty people were milling around the Goblet of Fire, examining it and its blue flames that stood in the very center of the hall. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.

"Angelina, Serena!" Katie Bell said as she ran toward the three girls. "Are you planning on putting your names in?"

"Love how you don't ask me, Kat." Alicia said lightheartedly.

The fifth year laughed. "You know full well you're not of age."

"Well, to answer your question, Kat, we've got out slips right here." Angelina said, her and Serena lifting up a small parchment bearing the words 'Angelina Johnson-Hogwarts' and 'Serena Mallard-Hogwarts.'

"Serena!" another voice called. The girl in question turned around to see Magnolia and Ramona entering the entrance hall.

Serena turned back to Angelina. "Can you wait a minute before we put it in."

Angelina shrugged. "Yeah, sure, go ahead."

With a smile, Serena jogged over to her friends. Her smiled slightly faded when she saw Ramona's face. "Mona, are you alright?"

The Hufflepuff took in a deep breathe before looking up at Serena, a small smile on her face. "Yes, I'm alright. Just a little worried, is all."

Serena slung an arm around the shorter girl. "Well, don't be. I probably won't get chosen anyway."

"Don't think you will, either," Iyla said as she, Ron, Harry, and Hermione walked up to the sixth years.

"Oh, shove off, Iyla."

"So you're really putting your name in?" Ron asked eagerly.

Serena nooded. "Yup! With Angelina."

"Wicked cool," Harry said.

Ramona perked up. "Hermione, is that a copy of the Herbivicus Spellbook?"

Hermione nodded passionately. "Yes! I've been meaning to catch up on a bit of light reading, and it's very helpful in Herbology."

"I read that in my fourth year, too! There was a very interesting effect of the Herbivicus spell... let's see if I can find the page." Ramona pulled Hermione along to sit on a bench, enthusiastically flipping through the textbook.

"I see you've gotten your own Hermione." Harry said.

Magnolia snorted. "No, you've gotten your own Ramona."

At that moment, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan came running into the entrance hall, shouting as they each waved a small vial of a milky white colour in their hands. "Thank you, thank you," they said as they high-fived everyone's outstretched hands.

"Well, lads, we've done it," George said.

Fred rubbed his hands together in glee. "Cooked it up just this morning!" He winked in Serena's direction. "With Serena's help, of course." Magnolia nudged the girl, who elbowed her in the ribs.

"Brilliant, it should be!" Lee exclaimed.

Ramona and Hermione glanced up from their book at the twins and Lee before sharing a look. And with a shake of their heads, they said together, "It's not going to work."

"Those two are scarily alike, aren't they?" Magnolia whispered to Serena, who nodded in agreement.

Fred and George smiled at each other before settling themselves on either side of the pair. "Oh yeah, Harris?"

"And why is that, Granger?"

"You see this?" Ramona said with a slight smirk, pointing at the ring around the Goblet. "This is an Age Line. Dumbledore drew it himself."

"So?"

Ramona scoffed before turning to her companion. "Care to explain?"

"Gladly." Hermione said. "So a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by a dodge as pathetically dimwitted as an Ageing Potion."

Fred grinned. "Ah, but that's why it's so brilliant."

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted!"

Fred and George jumped up, glancing at Lee. "Er, I'll go after you two," he said.

The pair stood on the bench."Ready, Fred?"

"Ready, George."

Shaking their vials, twins looked at each other. "Bottoms up!"

Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon them, they took a swig of the vial, and leaped over the age line. It was silent for a moment, but when nothing happened, the crowd exploded with cheers, the twins laughing in triumph.

Everyone held in their breath as Fred and George pulled out identical slips of paper from their robes, dropping it into the fire, the entrance hall erupting in applause again. Lee was convinced it had worked, and was getting ready to jump in after them when there was a loud sizzling sound.

A second later, the twins were flying through the air, hurtled out of the golden circle, and landed painfully on the stone floor ten feet away. As if to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and the pair suddenly sat up with matching long white beards.

The entire hall vibrated with laughter, Fred and George cackling once they had gotten a good look at their beards. Serena nearly fell from laughing so hard, had Magnolia not caught her before she hit the ground.

"I did warn you," said a deep, amused voice, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. His blue eyes twinkled as he watched Fred and George. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

Serena caught Angelina's eyes from a few feet away, and the two walked over to the twins together. "Shall we show them how it's done, Angelina?"

The girl nodded. "I do believe they could do with a lesson or two."

Together, the two girls turned around and walked toward the Goblet of Fire. The crowd gathered around them once more, watching as they paused right before stepping over the shimmering barrier.

Serena and Angelina smiled at each other as they took a step forward, dropping their own parchments into the dancing fire just as the twins. When nothing happened, the girls squealed, hugging each other as everyone whistled and cheered.

"I'm impressed." Fred said once they stepped out of the circle.

Serena grinned. "Well, of course you are."

Lee, who was still howling with laughter, pushed the twins along toward the hospital wing. "So glad I hadn't jumped in right after."

Katie and Alicia came running over to the pair, congratulating them.

"Nice going, sis." Iyla said as they all entered the Great Hall for breakfast.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, good luck!"

"I'm just glad someone from Gryffindor's entering," said Hermione. "I really hope you get it, Angelina, Serena!"

The two were beaming. "Thank you!"

Serena bid farewell to her fellow Gryffindors, taking a seat with Magnolia and Ramona at the Ravenclaw table. "That was quite inspiring, Rena." Magnolia nodded in approval.

Serena looked at Ramona, who seemed conflicted. The Gryffindor didn't have a chance to say something when Ramona started talking. "Okay, it's not like I don't want to support you and your decisions because I always will, as your best friend, but I just can't help but be a little wary of the Tournament, especially since Cedric already entered."

Serena sent her a friend a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, Mona. And... so will you're boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

~~~

Ramona, Magnolia, and Serena spent the rest of the day by the lake, catching up on any homework they haven't done, mostly because Ramona wouldn't stop until they did. When a light rain started, they packed up their books and quills, jogging up the sloping lawn. It was nearly time for the Halloween feast, so once the three reached the candlelit Great Hall, they went off on their separate ways to their own house tables, squeezing through the crowded hall.

Serena had taken a seat besides Lee, Fred, and George, who were now clean and shaven. They were joined by Iyla and the Golden Trio, settling in the seats across from them.

"Hope it's you, Serena," Fred said when she sat down.

George grinned. "Or Angelina."

"So do I!" said Hermione, smiling at Serena. "Well, we'll soon know!"

The Halloween feast, one Serena always looked forward to, seemed to take much longer than normal. Maybe it was because they had another extravagant feast just two days before. Or perhaps she was waiting for feast to end and for Dumbledore to announce the Hogwarts champions already. Judging by the impatient expressions and constant head turns of everyone else in the Great Hall to see whether Dumbledore had finished eating, she wasn't the only one.

Finally, the plates had cleared and the tables were cleaned. All noise died immediately when Dumbledore stood up. Both Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked tense and expectant; Mr. Crouch looked rather uninterested, while Ludo Bagman was beaming. Serena grimaced.

"Well, the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" -he indicated the door behind the staff table- "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

Serena unconsciously grabbed onto the hand of the person beside her in eager anticipation. Fred froze as he looked down at Serena's smaller hand clasped around his, then at the girl. She didn't seem to have noticed.

Dumbledore took out his wand and gave a sweeping wave with it. In an instant, all candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, blue and white flames almost painful to look into.

The silence was tangible as everyone waited. "Any second," Lee whispered.

Suddenly, the fire within the Goblet shone a brilliant red, sparks flying out of it. A moment later, a flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment gently falling into Dumbledore's outstretched hand. The flames turned back to blue as he called out the name, voice strong and clear. "The champion for Durmstrang will be... Viktor Krum."

The Hall exploded in cheers while Serena wrinkled her nose. "No surprises there!" Ron yelled from a few seats away, Iyla clapping enthusiastically beside him.

Krum rose from where he sat with the Slytherins, slouching up to Dumbledore. Taking the burnt paper from him, he turned right and disappeared through a door from behind the staff table.

"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff over the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"

Soon, the claps had died down, everyone returning their attention to the Goblet just as it had turned red again. Another parchment burst from the flames.  "The champion for Beauxbatons is... Fleur Delacour!"

A girl from the Ravenclaw table elegantly stood, silvery blonde hair flowing behind her as she walked toward Dumbledore before vanishing through the side chamber.

"Oh look, they're all disappointed," Hermione said over the noise.

"That's an understatement." Serena said, watching as two girls dissolved into tears, the rest of the Beauxbatons party looking utterly unimpressed.

Serena excitedly jumped in her seat when she realised that only the Hogwarts Champion was left. She tightened her hold on Fred, who was trying his hardest not to smile.

The Goblet of Fire turned scarlet, sparks popping in every direction. A third piece of parchment shot out of the flames, landed in Dumbledore's hand. "The Hogwarts champion," he called, "Cedric Diggory!"

There was a roar from the table over. The Hufflepuffs all jumped to their feet, screaming and stamping for Cedric when he passed them, grinning broadly as he headed off toward the chamber in the back. Every single Hufflepuff was cheering, except for one.

Serena paused her own applause when she caught sight of Ramona. She looked pale, eyes wide in horror. It was then she remembered what Ramona had said. What she had predicted.

Ramona said Cedric Diggory was going to be the Hogwarts Champion.

And she was right.

Serena met Magnolia's gaze from across the room with the Ravenclaws, eyebrows high in shock.

Serena deflated in her seat, which the twins took as a sign of disappointment. "Aw, don't worry, Serena. You'll get it next time." George said.

"Besides, it'd be no fun without George and I!" Fred said with a grin.

Serena nodded, though she didn't really hear them. She didn't even hear when Dumbledore began speaking again. "Excellent! Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real--"

Serena vaguely heard Dumbledore stop talking, the Great Hall completely silent. Lifting her head, she saw the blue flames fade into a blinding red, sparks flying, another parchment shooting out into the air.

Dumbledore stretched a long hand, catching the parchment. He held it out in front of him, simply staring at the slip of paper while everyone stared at him. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out - "Harry Potter."

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Author's note:

Hi lovelies!! So sorry for the late update! I've been really bad with time management. 😭

What do you think of Serena's friendship with Angelina? Cute, isn't it? Well... let's hope it stays that way. :)

But honestly, who's the better trio:
-Serena, Magnolia, Ramona: {Interhouse Friendship Goals}
-Serena, Angelina, Alicia:
{Superb Chasers}
-Serena, Fred, George
{Pranking Masters}

Anyhoo, hope you all have a great Friday!! Til next time,

~Lena