𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫.

𝐌𝐑 . 𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐓

*anything in italics, in this chapter, is spoken in french

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     "𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍, guests and ghosts. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Hogwarts." A voice echoed throughout the hall as a guy with long white hair and a bedazzled robe stepped in front of all the students and instructors in the room.

     "I'm confident that both myself and my students will work hard to ensure that you have a pleasant visit while you're here. Now it's your turn to eat and drink to your heart's content!" He clapped his hands three times before a full feast materialized out of thin air, filling the dishes that had previously been empty. When a big plate of chicken appeared in front of Marie's eyes, she gasped. There was no disgusting fish soup here, which was a stark contrast to the cuisine at Beauxbatons.

     "So, we should do an activity to get to know each other!" Hannah exclaimed, looking at the new people sitting at the wooden table, "Right, Susan?" she turned to a redheaded girl who nodded while she chewed. She obviously on the younger side, but couldn't be much older than Marie.

     A new voice spoke up before Hannah could get another word in, "Now, Hannah. Give our guests some time to relax. They've only just arrived."

     "Actually we arrived a few hours ago. You just didn't see—" Anastasia started to say to the boy who had spoken up, but she was met with the same diminutive and deep eyes that had pierced her soul so strongly only minutes before, forcing her to choke on her own words. They stared at one other for what seemed like hours. Augustus elbowed Anastasia in the ribs, but she didn't even react.

     "You didn't see where we wound up putting the carriages." Augustus continued for his best friend, giving her a very confused side eye.

     "Well, I suppose that explains it," the exceedingly tall boy said. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cedric Diggory, male prefect of Hufflepuff House." He smirked and extended his hand to Anastasia, who remained still in her seat, their gazes never leaving each other's. Augustus' direct cough jolted her out of her stupor, and she finally became aware of her surroundings.

     Anastasia looked up, "Right. Well it's nice to meet you, Mr. Diggory." she said, accepting his hand.

     "Do I not get to know your name?" he asked, looking quite confused.

     "Maybe if you're lucky." Anastasia responded with a kind smile, leaving Cedric with a surprised expression. Augustus snorted from beside her, causing Marie to laugh along with him.

     "What's with Mr. Eye Contact?" Augustus whispered to the brunette on his right. She smacked his leg beneath the table and moved her gaze to the huge table in the room's front. Dumbly-dore, as Marie termed him, ambled back up to the platform, evidently intending to make another statement during the meal's second course. When he took his place in the first row, the entire auditorium became silent.

     "Students, I am delighted to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will begin shortly. Now a few words of explanation before we get started," he said. "Mr. Ludo Bagman and Mr. Bartemius Crouch from the Ministry have graciously agreed to serve on our panel of judges."

     A small round of applause echoed through the hall as the two men stood up to wave.

     "These men have worked incredibly hard on this tournament, so please treat them with respect and courtesy. Now, the tasks that our champions will have to face have been carefully scrutinized by Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch. These three tasks will be strategically placed throughout the course of the school year. Each champion will be tested on their courage, their intelligence, their resourcefulness, and their magical ability."

     'I could do these in my sleep.' Anastasia thought to herself as the man droned on and on about the tournament and what it entails.

     "Madame Maxine, Igor Karkaroff, Ludo Bagman, Bartemeius Crouch, and I shall be the judges for their performance on the various tasks. The student with the greatest point total will be awarded the prize of eternal glory. I'll have Mr. Crouch explain the new regulations due to the intensity of the tasks."

     Just as Dumbly-dore finished, a thunderous roar sounded throughout the hall. Overhead, the enchanted sky began to leak, causing torrential rain to pour down on the students below. Screams broke out from the girls who didn't wish to get wet, causing the crowd to go into a frenzy. Suddenly, a strange man suddenly entered the room, aiming his wand towards the sky in order to create peace from storm.

     "That must be Mad-Eye Moody." Anastasia heard a boy say to Hannah.

     "Who's Mad-Eye Moody?" Anastasia leaned forward towards the blonde girl, her curiosity getting the best of her.

     Hannah turned to her and smiled, "Alastor Moody. He's an auror. I think about half of the cells in Azkaban are full due to his catchings. Though, I did hear he's gone completely mad these days."

     Anastasia could see how some could take him as mad. He entered the room with an obvious limp, breathing extremely heavily as he made his way towards Dumbly-dore. He wore some sort of magical eye strapped around his head, scanning everything in all different directions. The two men embraced before Mad-Eye took a large gulp of something in a small container.

     Augustus nudged Anastasia's side, "That looked painful to swallow don't you think?"

     "Not sure what it was, but I don't want it." She whispered back to him.

     Mr. Crouch made his way up to the podium and started addressing the students, "After careful consideration by the ministry, it has been decided that for the safety of students no one under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put their name in for the Triwizard Tournament. This is the final decision."

     His statement was followed with two red-headed boys shouting, encouraging the rest of the crowds to start booing the poor man. Augustus followed along until he got a sharp poke in the ribs from Anastasia who was giving him a stern look.

     "Silence! Silence!" Dumbly-dore shouted, eliciting an instant quiet in the room. He made a single motion with his wand, and a box that had been waiting patiently unveiled itself in all its magnificence. It transformed into a glittering cobalt goblet with brilliant rays sprouting all over it, changing the room's colour to a vivid azure. Everyone stared in wonder at the trophy, which was proudly displayed for all.

     "This is the Goblet of Fire. Any student that would like to submit themselves for the tournament need to simply write their name on a piece of parchment and toss it into the flames before dinner on Thursday night. Listen carefully, if you're chosen there is no turning back. From this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun!" Most people started clapping after his dramatic speech. Others were still disappointed that they couldn't compete.

     "Wow! Isn't this just so exciting? I mean it's incredibly dangerous, but exciting, no?" Hannah asked, looking at her new friends. "Are either of you going to put your name in?"

     "Personally, I don't want to ruin my beautiful face, but 'Tasia here might enter. Won't you?" Augustus turned to the girl next to him with a smirk.

     Anastasia simply smiled at the boy, "Who knows," she answered as vaguely as possible, "I'm not sure I want to mess up my hair." she laughed with Augustus, flipping her hair over her shoulders slightly.

     A scoff came from a few seats to Augustus' left, "That's all you Beauxbatons kids are worried about isn't it?"

     Anastasia looked past her best friend, "Excuse me?"

     A lanky boy with slicked back, dark hair made eye contact with her, "Messing up your hair. You're too obsessed with your looks. All of you are."

     "And who are you to be saying that?" Anastasia asked, slowly becoming infuriated with this boy's stereotypes.

     He rolled his eyes, "It's obvious that's literally all you guys care about. That girl," he pointed to Marie who was oblivious to the conversation, her eyes fixated on the food she was devouring, "has fixed her hair five times in the past thirty minutes."

     "Well you must think you're awfully observant." Anastasia replied.

     Anastasia could tell that Augustus was losing his patience with the mystery boy. His knuckles were turning a pale white from being curled up into fists.

     "I'll have you know," Augustus started, looking the boy dead in the eye, "that most everyone at Beauxbatons is of supreme intelligence. Not that you would understand what that means."

     That seemed to shut him up. Anastasia chuckled to herself and patted Augustus on the shoulder, whispering a small 'good job' to him.

     Just then she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. "Anastasia, Madame Maxine has requested for us to return to our sleeping quarters." Fleur's melodic voice came from behind her.

     "Right now? It isn't even late yet." Anastasia sighed slightly, moving in her seat to face her blonde friend.

     "Yes, right now." Fleur responded, looking equally as annoyed.

     Anastasia informed her sister and friends of the situation, hastily apologizing for the necessity to leave. As the students in blue made their way to their dorms, their heels clicking loudly on the stone floor, Hannah and her friends said their sad goodbyes, especially Hannah.

     Marie eagerly told her sister about everything that had just happened as the group of young men and women departed the hall. She went on and on about the ceiling, the food, and the enormous gleaming blue object. Anastasia, on the other hand, found it difficult to concentrate on her sister's remarks since her mind kept returning to one thing. Cedric Diggory. The boy from Pufflehuff. At least, Anastasia thought it was titled that.

     As if someone were reading her thoughts, a voice called out, "Anastasia!"

     She turned around expecting to see anyone except him. However, she couldn't hold back the small smile that graced her perfect features when he caught up with her.

     "Marie, Augustus. I'll catch up with you later." Anastasia said, looking at her best friend who wore the biggest smirk.

     "And wipe that smile off your face, Mr. March!" She shouted to the brown haired boy.

     "Have fun with Mr. Eye Contact, darling!" He called back to her.

     "So, I see you've figured out my name, Diggory." Anastasia peered up at the taller boy, butterflies flying all throughout her rib cage at the eye contact they were now holding with one another.

     "It seems I have." he smiled at her, "It's not as difficult to understand names in French as it is to understand other terms."

     "Well then, I applaud you for your keen listening skills." She replied.

     'Listening skills? Really?' Anastasia thought, and mentally slapped herself for her words. Breaking the eye contact and looking towards the ground, she turned on her heel, ready to leave the awkward tension and catch up with her group.

     "You know, it's peculiar." Cedric said.

     Anastasia turned back around and looked at the boy with curiosity, "What is?"

     "You don't have a French accent." he responded.

     "No shit, Sherlock."

     A laugh escaped Cedric's perfectly pink lips, "Never would've expected such foul language coming from a lady."

     "Well would you rather it in French?" Anastasia retorted.

     When he didn't answer, Anastasia took the opportunity to finally leave before he stopped her once again.

     "You're different." he said, causing Anastasia to freeze, "You're not like other girls. I can't place my finger on what it is, but there's something different about you." his eyes seemed like they were in a trance of Anastasia's every move. She knew she wasn't full veela, but she could always blame that side of her family for these situations. It was in her blood to make men fall in love.

     "I don't think I'm any different from any other girl in that hall right now. So you might as well get that idea out of your head." she said, starting to have a foreign feeling in her stomach

     He moved a little closer, pulling his black and yellow scarf tighter around his neck, "No, I don't think I will. There is most certainly something about you. And I, Miss Dupont, find it incredibly intriguing."

     Anastasia simply laughed at the boy's utterance, "You keep telling yourself that, pretty-boy Diggory." She could've sworn that the boy had been caught off guard for a millisecond, but he didn't miss a beat. Of course.

     "Pretty-boy Diggory? Is that what they call me?" He asked the shorter girl, smirking to himself.

     Anastasia felt the same sparks lighting up her insides as she made eye contact for the fourth time that night, bouncing off every part of her body. And his smile. His smile was too infectious for her to ignore.

     "No. But I think it's what I'll call you. Good night Mr. Diggory."

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author's note:

1.8k reads what!! ily

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