Chapter 27: Chapter 26
Arriving at Platform 9¾ with Sirius and Bellatrix, Harry walked leisurely towards the Hogwarts Express, the shiny red steam locomotive releasing jets of steam in which the figures on the platform were visible as indistinct shadows. Stopping at the correct carriage and not getting on as there was still plenty of time before departure, Harry began chatting to his godparents. After chatting with Sirius and Bellatrix for a few minutes, Harry got into the carriage and went to look for a free compartment, of which there were plenty at the moment because there was still about half an hour before the train left. He sat down in the first compartment he could find and put his bag on the shelf, Harry closed the door behind him, took out a book on the theory of spell casting and began to read. However, it wasn't long before someone knocked on the compartment door. Harry put the book aside and opened the door.
- Hello, Harry. Is this seat available? - Daphne Greengrass asked, saying hello to Potter.
- 'Yes, come in, Daphne,' Harry replied politely. As soon as his classmate entered the compartment, the train started. Taking a seat across from Potter, Greengrass pulled a Potions textbook out of her bag and began to read. However, Harry and Daphne were not allowed to read in peace. Someone was talking in the corridor. As they listened, they caught a familiar voice with languid stretched intonations coming from behind the ajar door.
- ... My father was thinking of sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, of course. Well, you know what he thinks of the former headmaster - he's a lover of mudbloods, and they wouldn't let that bastard anywhere near Durmstrang. But it didn't work out. My dad says Durmstrang has a much more sensible approach to the Dark Arts than Hogwarts - the students there actually study them, rather than doing defence nonsense like we do.....
- What a poser. He wouldn't last a day at Durmstrang. With Malfoy's attitude he would never have been accepted to Durmstrang," Daphne said.
- Why is that? - Harry wondered.
- Durmstrang is a Russian magical academy located on the Kola Peninsula. Firstly, the whole magical world knows how Russian wizards treat manifestations of magical racism. Yes for the mere mention of the term "dirtyblood" Malfoy would not be able to sit normally for at least a month. And that's only in the best-case scenario. And secondly, Durmstang practically does not accept students from England, Russian wizards treat us with disgust and distrust.
- How do you know that, Daphne?
- Well, my father actively co-operates with Russian wizards and during one of the conversations he learnt about the rules at Durmstrang.
- Interesting," Harry said thoughtfully and went back to reading his book.
The rest of the journey passed in silence. Only when Daphne needed to change into her school uniform did Harry leave the compartment, grab his uniform and go to the back of the carriage to change in the toilet. Back in the compartment, Harry continued reading the book until he arrived at Hogsmeade station. Stepping out of the carriage, Potter got into the first carriage he could find.
Riskily lurching in the sharp gusts of wind, the carriage passed the gate with the statues of winged wolves on its sides and creaked down the long driveway to the top of the hill. Through the window, Harry could see the looming castle getting closer and closer, its many illuminated windows blurring and shimmering behind the dense shroud of rain. As the carriage stopped in front of the huge carved oak front doors at the top of the stone staircase, a flash of lightning lit up the sky. The students ahead of them were already rushing to get into the castle. Once in the corridor leading to the Great Hall, Harry saw the school poltergeist Peeves drop a water balloon on Sixth's head. Smirking slightly, the Slytherin entered the Great Hall and sat down at his faculty table. Not a few minutes later, Daphne was next to Harry.
The Great Hall, as always, was magnificent and prepared for the traditional banquet to mark the start of term. Golden goblets and plates shimmered in the light of thousands of candles floating in the air the lamps. Students sat at four long faculty tables, talking animatedly; on a platform to one side of the fifth table, facing the students, sat the professors. It was much warmer here in the hall. Harry took a glance around the faculty table, pulled the shrunken book out of his pocket, returned it to its original size, and began to read until the next freshman placement ceremony began.
The doors to the Great Hall swung open and there was silence. Professor McGonagall led the long queue of freshers to the elevated part of the hall. The Professor then placed a three-legged stool in front of the freshmen and placed an unusually old, dirty, patched Magic Hat on it. The eyes of the entire hall were fixed on her. In the silence that followed, a wide slit opened on the brim of the hat, like a mouth, and the hat began to sing:
Perhaps a thousand years ago, in other times.
I was young and newly sewn,
Once upon a time, there were four sorcerers, four sorcerers,
Their names are still known today.
The first was Godric Gryffindor, the brave and desperate Godric Gryffindor,
Master of the wild northern plains,
Candida Ravenclaw, paragon of wit and honour,
witch of the sunny valley,
Little Pansy Hufflepuff was the kindest of them all,
She was raised by Sleepy Hollow,
And there was no one more cunning, cunning and powerful than Sally Slytherin, Lord of the Deep.
They had an idea, a plan, a dream, after all,
without any subterfuge or villainy,
to gather talented young men from all over Britain,
capable of witchcraft and sorcery.
And raise students of their breed, their leaven, their grind,
and that's how Hogwarts was founded 1,000 years ago,
That's how Hogwarts School began.
And every student was carefully selected.
Not on merit or height or figure,
but by their qualities of mind and the sanity of their origins,
which he valued in human nature.
To Gryffindor went the brave Gryffindorite who would not chicken out in trouble,
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest of caprices,
For Penelope Hufflepuff, the hardest-working,
For Slytherin, the power-hungry.
All was going well, but then one question began to plague them,
"They couldn't rest on power.
"If we die, who will be responsible for allocating students to our faculties?"
But it was Gryffindor that brought me out of my raging head,
"It's my time, and I'm in."
"Trust her," he said, "with our views on selection, she fears neither time nor the grave!"
The four Founders went through the whole process,
I felt nothing,
Just two strokes of the wand, and then their minds and magic power.
Their mind and magic power.
Now, my friend, I want you to take me to a deeper level,
I'll see everything, I can't go wrong,
how hardworking, cunning, clever and brave you are,
And I'll tell you where to go to school!
When the Magic Hat finished singing, the whole Great Hall erupted in applause.
- She sang a different song when we were assigned," Harry said, clapping along with everyone else.
- 'She sings a new one every year,' replied Greengrass, watching the allotment ceremony with indifference. "It must be rather boring being a Hat, you know, so I suppose she comes up with a new song every year.
- Hmm, it's possible," Harry nodded in agreement as he continued to watch the distribution of the freshers indifferently.
Professor McGonagall was already unrolling a long scroll of parchment.
- When I call your name, you will put on the Hat and sit on a stool," she addressed the newcomers, "when the Hat calls your faculty, you will stand up and go to the appropriate table. Ackerley, Stuart!
The boy stepped forward, visibly shaking from head to toe, took the Magic Hat, put it on, and sat down on the stool.
- Ravenclaw! - announced the Hat.
Stuart Ackerley took off the Hat and hurried to his seat at the Clawtauran table, where everyone greeted him with applause.
-Baddock, Malcolm!
-Slytherin!
-Branstone, Eleanor!
-Hufflepuff!
-Caldwell, Owen!
- Hufflepuff!
- Creevey, Dennis!
- Gryffindor! - the Hat gave its verdict.
The distribution continued. Boys and girls, with more or less fear on their faces, approached the three-legged stool one by one. The queue slowly dwindled, and so far Professor McGonagall had managed an O.
- Pritchard, Graham!
- Slytherin!
- Swirk, Orla!
- Ravenclaw!
And finally, on "Whitby, Kevin!" ("Hufflepuff!") The distribution concluded. Professor McGonagall carried away both the Hat and the stool.
The Headmistress walked onto the stage. She smiled at all the students gathered in the Great Hall.
- 'I'll tell you one thing,' Morgana said, her sonorous voice echoing through the hall, 'Eat!!!!!.
If the Slytherins, Ravenclaws and Puffenduys ate neatly, the same could not be said for the Gryffindors. The Lion Faculty were gossiping all over the room, and one particularly 'prominent' individual, known by the nicknames Sixth and Weasel, was acting like a real pig. As soon as the redhead sat down at the table, Weasel would start slurping and slurping all over the room. Unfortunately, table etiquette had always been forbidden knowledge for the redhead. Ronald had no burning desire to learn it.
When the pies had been destroyed and the last crumbs had disappeared from the shiny plates, the headmistress rose from her seat again. The buzz of conversation that had filled the Great Hall immediately died down, and only the howling of the wind and the pounding of the rain could be heard.
- Now," said Morgana, "now that we have all eaten and drunk, I must ask for your attention once more to make a few announcements. Mr Filch, our housekeeper, has asked me to inform you that this year the list of items forbidden to be taken outside the castle walls has been expanded to include Yo-Yo Squealing Toys, Fang Frisbees and Unstoppable Falling Boomerangs. The full list consists of four hundred and thirty-seven items and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anyone wishes, of course.
- As always, I would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade - those under third year are not allowed there. It is also my grudging duty to inform you that there will be no Inter-Faculty Quidditch Championships this year.
- WHAT!!! HOW CAN YOU!!! - shouted Sixth angrily, interrupting the Headmistress: the behaviour modification spell Professor McGonagall had cast on Weasel had lost its power.
- Mr Weasley, shut up! Fifty points from Gryffindor for shouting from your seat," Dean Lioness immediately intervened, silencing the redhead instantly.
- Thank you, Minerva. So, what was that about, oh yes, it has to do with activities that will begin in October and run throughout the school year - they will require the time and effort of the entire faculty, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it very much. It is my great pleasure to announce that this year at Hogwarts, in the coming months, we will have the honour of hosting an extremely exciting event, the likes of which have never been seen before in this century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that this year Hogwarts will be hosting the Three Wizards Tournament.
- You're joking! - Fred Weasley said stunned. Everyone laughed.
- I'm not joking at all, Mr Weasley," said the Headmistress, "although, if you must know, I heard a joke this summer... To make a long story short, one day a troll, a witch and a leprechaun walked into a bar.....
Professor McGonagall coughed meaningfully.
- Erm... but perhaps now is not the time. So, let's get on with it: the Three Wizard Tournament. I don't think some of you have any idea what the Tournament is, but for those who do, I hope you'll forgive me for explaining it and be able to distract yourselves with something else for a while. So, the Tournament of the Three Wizards was founded about seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three major European schools of magic - Hogwarts, Beauxbaton and Durmstrang. Each school was represented by a chosen champion, and these three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools decided to hold the Tournament every five years, and it was recognised that it was the best way to forge friendships between wizards of different nationalities - and so it continued until the casualties at these competitions increased so much that the Tournament had to be discontinued.
- Over the centuries, there have been several attempts to revive the Tournament," continued the Headmistress, "but none have been successful. However, our departments of Magical Co-operation and Magical Games and Sports have concluded that it is time to try again. We worked hard all summer to ensure that this time no champions would be in mortal danger. The heads of Beauxbaton and Durmstrang will arrive with the final lists of contenders in October, and the election of champions will take place on All Saints' Day. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Three Wizards' Cup, the honour of their school and the personal prize of a thousand galleons.
After a short silence, the sorceress continued:
- I know that each of you is eager to win the Three Wizards' Cup for Hogwarts, but the heads of the participating schools, in conjunction with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed on age limits for this year's contenders. Only students who are, I emphasise, seventeen years of age or older will be allowed to put themselves forward for discussion. This," Morgana raised her voice slightly as an indignant murmur rippled through the room, "is recognised as a necessary measure, since the tasks of the Tournament remain difficult and dangerous, no matter what precautions we take, and it is unlikely that students younger than sixth and seventh years will be able to cope with them. I will personally make sure that no underage student will be able to track our independent judge who will choose the champion," Morgana glared at the Weasley twins' unperturbed faces.
- So please don't waste any time in nominating yourself if you're under seventeen. Delegations from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang will be here in October and will be with us for most of this year. I do not doubt that you will be exceptionally kind to our overseas guests throughout their time with us and that you will wholeheartedly support the Hogwarts champion when he is chosen. Now, it is getting late, and I realise how important it is that you all turn up for tomorrow's lessons awake and rested. Bedtime! Don't waste any time! - With that, the headmistress finished her speech and dismissed the students to the faculty lounges.
******
The day after the announcement of the upcoming Hogwarts Tournament, there was only talk of the upcoming event. Many students had even started placing bets on which senior student would be the champion and represent their school. Harry, on the other hand, tried to avoid such talk. He had more important things to do than discuss the upcoming event. Together with his girlfriends, the fourth year continued to study actively and do self-training.
In his spare time, Harry worked with Tonks and Daphne on advanced magical defence techniques. Sometimes these electives were attended by Bella, Morgana and Hela. However, lately, the ladies had been very busy and so rarely attended these classes. The location of these classes was the Rookery Room, the location of which Morgana knew about as Head Girl.
But aside from his classes, Harry was very often out with the girls. Several times while visiting Hogsmeade with Tonks or Daphne, the fourth-year student would notice his godfather strolling around with their new potions teacher. Once in a while, Potter would also see another couple, Amelia Bones and Remus Lupin. However, Harry, being quite tactful, pretended not to notice them.
This time, the teenager was walking with Tonks and Daphne. Both girls had insisted on it. Harry didn't bother to argue, as he realised it was useless. As the three of them walked leisurely down the street of the magical village, Nymphadora told amusing stories about her studies at the Aurora Academy. As they talked, the metamorph girl changed the colour of her hair from time to time. Then they were red, then green, then purple, and so on. Sometimes, when Tonks was too excited, she would start waving her arms around, so Daphne and Harry had to stay a little away from the hyperactive dark-haired girl.
- 'I think I should go somewhere else,' Daphne looked at Tonks and smiled oddly, leaving Harry with the purple-haired dark-haired woman.
Potter didn't pay much attention to the two girls' surreptitious glances, continuing to glimpse Tonks.
- Harry, are you even listening to me? - Suddenly stopping next to Squealing Hizna, arms slightly at her sides, the dark-haired girl said, keeping her gaze on the black-haired teenager.
- Ah, yes...
- Then repeat what I just said," Tonks said with a slight chuckle.
Harry didn't have time to respond as footsteps were heard. Grabbing the fourth-year student by the arm, Nymphadora hurriedly pushed Harry into an abandoned old cottage. Locked inside, Potter and Tonks could watch from the window as Sirius and Amora, Remus and Amelia's consorts strolled along the path. After a while, the adults stopped and started kissing. Harry watched this phenomenon with his eyes wide open. But he quickly pulled himself together and turned to look at Tonks. Tonks smirked as she looked at him. Sirius' teasing instincts were awakening in the girl.
- I think I have a good reason to pay Uncle Sirius back," Nymphadora smirked, hoping to get back at her uncle for his jokes about Tonks not having a boyfriend. And from the look on the girl's face, she was clearly up to something.
- I wonder if the Allocating Hat offered you Slytherin, Tonks? - Harry could sense that the gloomy-eyed girl was thinking of pulling some sort of devious prank.
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