"Now, before all of you get too excited, I'll tell you about the competition itself. It is made up of four trials of elements, and three trials of champions. There will be a final champion's task at the end of the year to determine the winner, for a total of eight events for the eight months from November to June. We can't tell you exactly what each trial consists of, because the champions themselves will only be told the details shortly beforehand to prepare for each of the trials and the final task. The champions themselves will be selected by an impartial judge. Professor Dumbledore, if you please?"
With a flick of Dumbledore's wand, a large podium rose out of the ground in front of the staff table. On top of it sat a bejewelled metal casket, which Dumbledore opened with his hands. Inside stood a wooden goblet, intricate carvings on its side, but seemingly unexceptional.
"This is the impartial judge that will choose the champion for each school. When the fire has been lit, those who wish to participate must sign their name and school on a piece of parchment and drop it into the goblet. The champions will be chosen at the end of this month, on the evening of October 31st. However, please note that there will be an age limit. You must be of age, that is, seventeen years old to participate. That means you must turn seventeen by the 31st to be able to enter. The goblet will be protected by an age line as well as other security features until then. Good luck to all those who intend to participate." Screams of outrage, mostly coming from the sixth years, rang through the Hall. None of the foreign students seemed to be surprised in the least- obviously they had known before coming.
Hermione laughed and nudged Harry. "Look at Malfoy," was all she whispered to him. Harry knew what she was hinting at. Turning around, he saw a tomato-faced Slytherin sitting with his fellow fourth-years. Draco had been boasting all month that he would not only enter, but be selected as the Hogwarts Champion.
Harry whispered back to Hermione, "If you think he looks embarrassed now, wait till I get picked as a fourth champion." Hermione gave him a short look in confusion that quickly turned into understanding. "It's a shame we don't know how it's going to happen, though."
Drinks and light snacks appeared at the tables as everyone in the Great Hall was encouraged to mix and mingle in an opportunity for some "cultural exchange." It wasn't going quite as smoothly as the organizers had hoped, though. The Beauxbatons students mostly kept to themselves, while the Hogwarts students almost immediately divided themselves back into their separate houses. The Durmstrang students weren't avoiding people per se, but it was more like others were avoiding them. They simply looked unapproachable, but Malfoy took this as an opportunity to flaunt his family name and cozy up to some of them- especially one famous seeker for the Bulgarian National Team. Ron was itching to go talk to him, so Harry and Hermione approached, overhearing the conversation he was having with Draco.
"...and with such pure-blooded standards as yours, my father very nearly sent me to Durmstrang, you see. I could have been one of your classmates."
Viktor Krum scoffed. "A little boy like you vood never haff entered Durmstrang. You beleeff you are worth something. You are not."
Malfoy was quickly enraged by the famous Durmstrang student's offhand dismissal. "Do you know who I am? I'm a Malfoy! My father is..."
Viktor rolled his eyes. "Your father, your name, that is all you haff, boy. You haff no magic, you haff no strength. In Drumstrang, names do not cast spells." Several Durmstrang students laughed, causing Draco to storm off, with his little entourage in tow. Hermione overheard a few murmurs of the Durmstrang students discussing the little encounter.
"...Hogwarts is decadent. They take students if they haff gold. De Tournament vill be easy to win."
"...he still cries to his father! Such babies they breed in this country!"
Hermione was intrigued by the students' attitudes. Durmstrang was well known for being a pure-blood school. At least, that was its reputation in Britain. Cautiously, she walked up to the group of fur-robed students, and asked "Excuse me, but I've heard that Durmstrang only accepts pure-blood students, but you just ridiculed one of the most pure-blooded student in our school..."
Two of the students beside Viktor laughed. "The two off us are half-blood. Blood has no vorth in Durmstrang. Only power."
Hermione was surprised at this. "But if that's the case, why don't you take in muggleborns? Surely many of them have the potential to be powerful wizards..."
Viktor answered her with a question. "Hogwarts accepts all students who apply and pay money, yes?" Hermione nodded. "Durmstrang is different. Students must compete before entering school."
Hermione understood, but was clearly angered by the explanation. "You have to know magic before school even starts, then! Muggleborn have a clear handicap! That's completely unfair!"
Viktor shrugged. "I am here to make myself a strong vizard. Not try to change rules. Not my problem." He turned and left to chat with some seventh years, those who he viewed as possible competition.
The chatter and gossip didn't end with the party. Fred and George were peeved that they couldn't enter, because their birthday was only a few months short of the limit. Ron was still in awe over the prize money, imagining the kinds of broomsticks and chocolate he could buy with it.
"Harry, we've got a small request for you." Harry turned to see the twins, with rarely-seen serious expressions on their faces.
"We need to borrow the map." Harry knew what they were up to already.
"And we'd like to borrow your Invisibility Cloak." Harry was reluctant to leave his trusty cloak, which had served him very well the past several years, to the twins. It could be confiscated if the twins got caught. Sure, the twins had a reputation for being able to pull off pranks and rarely getting caught in the process, only receiving the punishments after the prank had been completed, but Harry didn't want to risk such a precious family heirloom. He was, however, curious to see what the twins planned to do.
"I'll tell you what," answered Harry. "I can't lend you the cloak... but I'll go to the Goblet of Fire with you. I'll wear my cloak and hold on to the map myself to scout ahead to make sure it's clear, and then I'll signal to you to do whatever it is you plan to do."
The twins agreed to the compromise and explained their plans. "We'll be brewing aging potions tomorrow. They should be ready by evening. We want to sneak off after curfew and try to get past the age line. We've also got these nice little Arm Extenders... a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes exclusive... as an alternative method for getting our names in. Meet us tomorrow night, down here at eleven, alright?"
The following night, Harry and the twins snuck out of the common room, quietly making their way down to the Great Hall. They had to use the secret passages and hidden alcoves several times as professors and prefects were still roaming the halls. "Wait!" George suddenly stopped them while they were hiding on the 4th floor. "Check where Moody is. I swear that eye of his can see through walls."
Harry scanned the map, looking for a dot labelled Alastor Moody. "He's still in his office, with Bartemius Crouch. Probably having some kind of meeting about security or something." They continued downstairs, stopping a floor above the Great Hall. Keeping his eye on the map, Harry said, "It's only professor Babbling patrolling the entrance of the Great Hall. Nobody's inside, so as long as you can get past her, you should be safe. Do you two have anything to cause a distraction?"
Fred grinned. "Who do you think you're talking to, Harry?" he said as he pulled out a pile of knickknacks. "Would you like the classic dungbomb, whizzing worms, or some of our personal inventions, like the Wyvernwork?"
"What's the Wyvernwork?"
"It's a firework that explodes in the shape of a tiny dragon, and it flies around for a while. We're still working on how to make it bigger, as well as having a full lineup of Bursting Beasties."
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