"No you can't!" Summer was now hot on Cedric's tail.

"Like you can stop me," Cedric turned around and smirked down at the girl.

"Please! It's dangerous, I... I have a bad feeling about this. I can't lose you too," she looked down at her feet, cursing herself for now guilt-tripping him. Cedric sighed and placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"I'll be fine Summer, they've added a load of new rules to prevent deaths. I probably won't even get picked, I'm sure lots of people will be entering." The girl nodded, biting her tongue, not entirely happy with the lack of compromise that had come from this conversation.

"I'll see you later." He swung his bag over his shoulder, and headed back down the corridor. She watched him go, fists clenched, before walking away herself.

There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation rising throughout the day.  Nobody was paying much attention in classes, their interest far more focused on the arrival that evening of the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions felt more bearable than normal.

They left their classes early as told, Summer hurried up to Gryffindor Tower with others from her house, they deposited their bags and books, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the Entrance Hall. The teachers were ordering their students into lines. 
"Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at George.
"Miss Patel, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair." Parvati Patel scowled at her, and begrudgingly removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait.
"Now, follow me, please," said Professor McGonagall, "First-years in front... Stop pushing, all of you!"

They filed down the outside steps in their houses, and lined up in front of the castle.  It was a cold, clear evening; dusk had already fallen, and a pale moon was bathing the courtyard in it's glowing light. Summer stood between Fred and George, patiently waiting, their eyes focused, eager to pick up any sign of movement from the sky. 

Students glanced around at each other, wondering how the other schools would be arriving. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?" Fred whispered, glancing down at his watch.  "It's nearly six."

"I doubt it mate," Lee shook his head, leaning against one of the pillars.

"How, then? Broomsticks?" Summer suggested, looking up at the sky once more.

"I don't think so... Too far away..." Alicia arrived next to them with Angelina.

"Must be a Portkey then? Or they could Apparate – maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from..." Angelina suggested.

"You can't apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, though," Summer said.  They continued scanning the darkened grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving;  everything was still, silent and quiet as usual. Except for the low hum of whispers from the other students crowding around. Maybe the foreign schools were preparing a dramatic entrance. Maybe-

But before any of them could even think their next thought, Dumbledore called out from the back row, where he stood with the other teachers. 
"Aha! Right on time! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?"  Many students asked eagerly, all looking in different directions. 

"Over there!" Yelled Lee, pointing over the Forest. Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks, was hurtling across the deep blue sky towards the castle, growing larger all the time. 

"It's a flying house!" A first-year could be heard exclaiming.  This piqued the curiosity of those around them, as the indistinguishable gigantic black shape just skimmed over the top branches of the Forbidden Forest, and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder-blue carriage, the size of a large house, soaring over the turrets towards them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.

The front three rows of students drew backwards as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming into land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash that made Neville Longbottom jump back onto a Slytherin fifth-year's foot – the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage followed suit, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery-red eyes. 

The hushed voices turned into shouts, as they felt the ground beneath them begin to rumble quite violently. 
"It can't be an earthquake can it?" Summer worriedly asked Fred, who had his arms folded, an interested look on his face, the opposite of the scared one Summer was sure she had.

"In this country? No way." He looked disbelievingly at her.

"Don't look at me like I'm stupid, I didn't know!" She faced away from him and pouted her lips out. He grabbed her shoulders and turned them to face him, still with her lip jutting out.
"Speaking of 'looks' you've got quite the look going on right now, come on." She returned her face to normal and muttered under her breath.

Now, a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting towards them from out of the darkness;  a muffled rumbling and sucking sound.
"The lake!" yelled Lee, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"
From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water – except that the surface was suddenly rippling.

Some colossal disturbance was taking place deep in the centre; large bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks – and then, over in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared. What seemed to be a long, thin pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool and then Summer saw the rigging come into view.

"It's a mast!" She yelled. Slowly, with all the grandeur of the Beauxbatons carriage, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight.  It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as if it was a resurrected wreck, and the dim, musty lights that poked through the portholes looked like ghostly eyes. 

Now fully above the surface, it bobbed on the turbulent water, and began to glide soundlessly towards the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank. 

The crowd cheered, rushing inside to the Great Hall.  Summer sat with the twins, murmuring excitedly with the rest of the Hogwarts students.  Dumbledore stood up, smiling at each and every one of the students. 

"Everyone! Please join me in welcoming the lovely students of the Beauxbatons Academy of magic and their headmistress Madame Maxime!" 
Immediately the doors opened to show boys and girls all dressed in the same powder blue robes as the colour of the carriage. They began to dance, and sparkling blue butterflies surrounded them. To finish, they all sighed simultaneously, and the girls curtsied.  The hall filled with applause, and a few whistles as they continued down the path.
She noticed a lot of the men's heads turning for a particular Beauxbatons girl, one with pale blonde hair, and crystal blue eyes. Distantly Veela, and Hayden's ex-girlfriend, Fleur Delacour.

Their Headmistress, Madame Maxime, seemed even more unnaturally large than Hagrid, and she was sure he must have had the blood of a Giant in him. As she stepped into the light flooding from the Entrance Hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, kinned face, large, black, liquid-looking eyes, and a beaky nose.  Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck.  She was dressed from head to foot in black silk, which trailed along the stone-paved floor beneath her.

"Blimey. That's one big woman." Seamus Finnigan whispered.  Dumbledore started to clap;  the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a graceful smile, and she walked forwards towards Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.
"My dear Madame Maxime," He said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr," said Madame Maxime, in a deep voice.  "I 'ope I find you well?"

"On excellent form, I thank you," Dumbledore replied.  The Beauxbatons students were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks.  Summer remembered her winters there, and was glad that she no longer was forbidden to wear warm sweaters, like the Hogwarts uniform included.

"Now, our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and Igor Karkaroff." 

The doors burst open, revealing young men slamming wooden canes to the ground.  They began performing acrobatics, flipping over and over again until they reached the end of the hall. The Hogwarts students starred in awe.

"That's Viktor Krum!" Angelina hoisted, shaking Summer several times. Many other students seemed to notice this as well. The halls filled with whispers as they watched the final fire trick. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort; sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!"  He called heartily, as he walked up the slope. 

"How are you, my dear fellow, how are you." 

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff,"
Dumbledore replied.  Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice;  when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle, they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. 

When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.
"Dear old Hogwarts," He said, looking up at the castle and smiling;  his teeth were rather yellow, and it was very noticeable that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd.  "Viktor Krum - Summer! Viktor Krum!"
"I know." She was getting a little fed up now, she had never been one to care about people like Viktor Krum and their fame.

They were all halfway through eating, when from the corner of her eye, Summer spotted two familiar faces, seated with the Beauxbatons group.
"Fred! It's Chloé and Raphael!"

"Who?" He asked thickly through a mouthful of potato.

"My old friends from Beauxbatons!"

"You went to Beauxbatons?" He almost choked, and swallowed his food before looking back. 

"What, you thought I had been homeschooled or something?"

"No... I just didn't give it much thought, but that makes sense now, you did move to France after all."

"Does that mean you got to wear those sexy uniforms," George asked, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"They are not sexy, you weirdo, but yes."

                                      ❀❀❀

Once the meal was over, and Dumbledore had given the deadline for entering the competition, they were dismissed.
"Come on! I want you to meet them!" Summer dragged them towards the two blue-robed students that stood outside the hall, clearly waiting for them.

"Chloé!" She squeezed the girl tight, she rested her head on her shoulder as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"I missed you so much," she whispered.

"Me too Summer, I'm so glad we can spend this year together again!"

"Hey, I'm here too," the boy next to her piped up. He was tall, with slightly overgrown dark hair, and had vivid green eyes.

"Raph!" She engulfed him in a hug, barely coming up to his chest. He laughed and pulled her closer, holding her head with one of his hands.

When they pulled away, their eyes lingered on each other for just a second longer than they probably should have.

Fred coughed poignantly behind her, causing Summer to whip around.
"Oh yeah, these are my friends, Fred and George Weasley."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Chloé giggled and went to kiss them both on each cheek. George pulled away looking dreamy, and dramatically held a hand to his face. With Raphael, they simply shook hands. During which Fred drew himself to his full height and gave a weird look to her friend. Almost a look of intimidation, or was it jealousy?

After exchanging a few words in French with them, she bid them a good night, and took the twin's arms, as they headed back to their tower.
"What a player," said Fred as they slumped onto the couches by the fire.

"He's actually a really nice guy, he's my ex..." Summer replied. Fred raised an eyebrow.

"Explains why you two were all over each other then."
"What's it got to do with you, Weasley?"

"Oh, nothing at all, just interesting I suppose."

"Maybe for you," George joined in, "Leave the poor girl alone Fred. He's her ex for a reason."

"Once again, not sure why it's any of your guys'. business, we're all friends, aren't we? Nothing more... So why is my love life suddenly interesting." She folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently on the carpet. "Well?" No one said anything. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She picked up her sweater and headed off towards the girls' dormitory. "Night."

❀❀❀

Summer was sitting on the benches outside the Great Hall the next morning, in and amongst a hoard of students, crowded around the magnificent flaming goblet. Although her head was buried deep in her charms textbook, she couldn't help but glance up now and again, as more and more students came forth to place their names in.

Cedric had come into the hall now, she didn't want to watch this, but sat through gritted teeth as his friends and onlookers cheered his name, and the familiar fiery hiss, as the parchment was dropped in.

But worse by far was the feeling she felt when she saw her own brother walk into the hall, holding a tiny scrap that presumably had his name on it. The Slytherins nearby whistled and yelled his name, as he approached the cup. It only took a second, he caught her eye, mouthed 'Don't worry' to her and dropped it in. She froze and must've looked pale, as the girl she hadn't even noticed who was sitting beside her, spoke softly.

"Are you okay? You seem sort of upset." She placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That's my brother." Summer replied monotonously, not taking her eyes off of the cup. The stupid cup that had now swallowed her stupid brother's name. The girl watched the dirty blonde haired boy, as he talked excitedly with his friends and low fiving all of them in turn. They wrapped their arms over his shoulders and chanted his name so loudly, that others were watching with perturbance.

"Oh... Well, I promise there will be nothing to worry about, the odds of him getting picked are statistically very low." She gave a feeble smile. "I'm Hermione Granger by the way." Summer returned it.

"Summer Blanchet, nice to meet you, Hermione. I say, is that the sixth year charms book you're reading? Same! I've never seen you in class though?"

"Oh! No, I'm in the fourth year, just reading ahead a little."

"Impressive," Summer gave a little laugh, and was about to say something else, when familiar voices could be heard ringing off the stone walls, and she spotted the twins bounding into the room like two energy-filled puppies.
"Well lads, we've done it."

"Cooked it up just this morning!" Whoops were heard throughout the Gryffindors.

"It's not going to work." Summer said in a musical sort of tone. Fred and George made their way over to her and crouched either side.
"Oh yeah?"

"And why is that, Blanchet?"

"You see this? This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself."

"So?" Hermione gave her an encouraging nod.

"So... A genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by a dodge as pathetically dimwitted as an Aging Potion."

"But that's why it's so brilliant."

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted. Ready, Fred?"

"Ready George."

"Bottoms up."

The second they had swallowed the liquid, they tried their luck. Summer watched in annoyance, as both of them managed to make it over the line without being propelled backwards. However, just as they were about to drop the paper in, a loud flash emitted from the line around them, and they were thrown back onto the cold stone floor.

Now sprouting from their faces were large, white beards. They stared at each other in anger and began fighting.
"You said!"

"You said!" Summer couldn't help but laugh. Not only was this extremely funny, and she got to say I told you so, but relief also flooded over her, out of the four people she cared about most at this school, only half of them were entered in the dangerous competition. Unless... She remembered Chloé and Raphael. Obviously they were here because they had entered too! Great. More people to worry about.