The 25 August, 1994 marked the 422nd Quidditch World Cup final. Many wizards and witches came for the showdown between Ireland and Bulgaria. The head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports of Great Britain, Ludovic Bagman, introduced both teams' mascots, the giant form of one Leprechaun for the Irish and a group of dancing Veela for the Bulgarian.
The seducing presence of the halfbreed made many spectators glued to their moves, especially males. Mikhael followed the gaze of the witch next to him. Head up, the blond girl starred at the stadium upper places. A group of redheads in the top box of the stadium shouted with vehemence their appreciation of the girls' performances and the Bulgarian seeker. The green robe returned his attention to the surreal Veelas.
The presence and magic they produced were less subtle than the leader of light, but the effect shown on the male spectators displayed an effectiveness far from less. The desire to please them was present in the orphan mind, but unlike the Weasley son, he could control his emotions. Despite reconciling with the younger witch, the green robe started regretting coming for the match. He never appreciated this sport.
Balloons flew and fireworks went off. The Ireland defeated Bulgaria, 170-160. Even with the performance of the Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum, the points gained for catching the Golden Snitch were enough for his team victory. The Irish mascot danced in the air with their national anthem. The green robe sighed. That was finished. He hesitated. Shaking hands with Xenophilius Lovegood, he thanked the father and daughter for the invitation.
The father looked happy. His expression brightened when his daughter hugged him. The orphan waited for them to separate before exploring the many tents with the younger witch. In spite of losing, the Bulgarian tents were cheerful. Butterbeers and dancing Veela accommodated one large shelter. The charms to expend the interior allowed a hundred of wizards and witches to celebrate the match.
Taking a drink, the wizard's cold stare discouraged the temporal barman to refuse him the beverage. The alcohol didn't mud his thought. The coldness he felt in his throat never disappeared. The greenish healing was not effective on this cursed wound. The green robe stayed in place while the blond witch went in the tent center to jump around like the celebrators.
Halfway of his glass, the wizard was joined at the bar by a witch looking like the Bulgarian mascots. The veela with white-gold hair and moon bright skin had changed her clothes for a blue robe. Enticing the gaze of wizards, she stopped net when her eyes met the orphan black orbs. The green robe observed her for a moment. She didn't order anything to drink. She was just there. This close, the wizard resisted the allure which grew stronger. Yet, he broke eye contact to watch over the silly witch that almost fell in the tent center.
" Not many can keep control near us, but you did. Who are you ? ", the veela pointed her finger at the drooling barman when she insisted on the word control. Her strange accent didn't prevent her words to be understood. She got closer, smiling.
" What do you want ? ", the green robe sipped a gulp of his drink, keeping an eye on Luna.
" Are you not interested when a beautiful woman spoke to you, green wizard ? ", the veela leaned closer to the orphan seat. " Or are you, perhaps... ", her word stayed stuck in her mouth as the younger wizard kissed her. Their tongues interlinked. She was shocked. The magic she detected was far more and potent from what she guessed. She stepped back to stop the contact, but faltered.
" Now, you know. ", the green robe wrapped an arm around the veela's hips to keep her on feet. When she was stable, he let go of his hand. The kiss was effective to make her silent. Her expression of anger, surprise and pleasure lingered inside the wizard's mind. Her allure amplified his feeling. He wanted to go further. He stopped himself. His eyes grew colder. He was in control.
The ritual adept heard screams. He smelt smokes. Summoning an invisible third eye, the wizard scanned the surrounding. The campsite outside was attacked by a group of masked wizards. The black robes and silver skull masks they wore left no doubt about their identities. Those death eaters approached the celebrating tents. Taking the Luna by the hand, the orphan exited the magical roof with the veela on his other side.
Explaining the situation to the girls, the wizard didn't wait for the scarred crowd to reach them. He casted a charm to pinpoint him the position of the younger witch's father. Bidding farewell, the veela left on her way, she was worried about her own family. Both paths were in different directions. Going south, the orphan and the blond girl sprinted around the tents.
The advance of the death eater reached all the campsite ears. Lifting the tired girl on his shoulder, the ritual adept accelerated. Near the forest, Xenophilius was hitting a tree with leprechaun's gold. Round metals rebounded on the wooden trunk. The green robe stopped at that sight. The father activity didn't concern him. Sanity or not, the wizard deposed the witch on the ground. He reassured her to meet at a later time or in the Hogwarts Express, but he didn't want to leave with them now. He had things to do.
Luna frown. She was reticent, but not her father. She wanted to argue, she was cut of by her parent. The man was grateful for his daughter security, but the place was still dangerous. Giving the green robe his necklace with the Deathly Hallows symbols, the father wished luck to the young man before he and his daughter twisted space in a light pop.
Covering his body with disillusionment, the green robe returned to the burning campsite. Following the trail of the death eaters, the ritual adept summoned the wizards and witches' corpses that were left behind. The non-magical locals were sent in the air by the black robes while the wizard filled his suitcase with new additions. He didn't care about those victims. He wasn't a savior.
Those fresh corpses were of higher quality than random graveyards. The magical cores contained inside their bodies were collected and put into a glass container. After death, depending on the wizards or witches' prowess, their magical core would turn solid near the heart. The ritual adept had around an hour to get them before they dissolved into the ambient magic.
The green robe transfigured pebbles into metallic marble glasses. There weren't enough cadavers. The death eaters weren't effective. They played with their victims. They wasted time instead of increasing the death toll. The invisible wizard saw a runaway supporter meters away. Taking a hand of marbles, the wizard swung his arm and released them toward the target. The small object traveled the distance in less than a second. They impacted and pierced the unprepared victim. The body was covered in disillusionment before its core was retrieved and the rest put in the suitcase.
The orphan hesitated to continue. The blood on his hand weighed his conscious. That wasn't his first murder. Still, he wasn't used to this. They were different from the mindless clones. They would miss someones. He knew he was an horrible person. A small part of him blamed his family, the headmaster, the orphanage, but the whisper on his shoulder reminded him that all of it, was excuses. It was his own choices. He could have stopped. He didn't. Another corpse rejoined his suitcase.
The wizard noticed some death eaters chasing after two blond witches. He recognized the older one. Saving them would make him an hypocrite, he thought. He didn't care. He was the one that lived with his own burden. Focusing his strength in his grip, the green robe shaped the marble to an arrowhead. When the black robe stopped to protect themselves with shields from the witch counterattacks, the invisible wizard shot his modified marbles.
A small explosion reverberated. All the flying metals broke the sound barrier. They pierced the weakened shield, the black robes, their skins, their flesh, and continued forward. Some went through the tents, furniture, earth while others reached unfortunates wizards and witches that were in the path. The green robe made sure to retrieve the bodies after the blond witches left the place.
A skull with a snake decorated the sky. At the Dark Mark sight in the sky, the death eaters all apparated away. The green robe followed their examples after taking one last corpse. Unknown to him, a redhead family gathered around the small body. No spell had hit the youngest child when she was running away. She just had fallen the before instant the explosion sound. The mother was keeping the bleeding head in her embrace, crying hot tears. The father and the rest of the children surrounded the woman, mourning their loss. Next to them, two boys bore sad faces.
The pond water reflected the sunlight. Some flops from the birds hunting the fishes decorated the place sonority. No orphans disturbed the peace. They stayed away from the wizard reading on its shore. The Daily Prophet didn't lose any time and the evening edition already reported the accident that happened in the Quidditch World Cup final. More details were printed the following days.
That event was a mystery. Many spectators had witnessed the deaths and tortures made by the masked wizards, but the count of corpses didn't match the testimonies. Those criminals didn't just kill and torture their victims, they also robed their family of the dead remnants. The reader turned a page. Photos of the campsite before and after the attack displayed the material damages while no photo of the victims nor the attack itself was shown.
A sound echoed behind the wizard. Turning around, the green robe already knew who was the visitor. Less than half the orphan size, two individuals faced the latter. One in dirty clothes was helping the other one from crying. " Barpy is happy to see young Mikhael good. ", the house elf wet its eyes as the orphan shook hands. " Barpy knew it, Mikhael is always great. This is Winky sir. She was abandoned because... ", Barpy was stopped by the other guest.
" Winky is a bad house elf ! ", big eyes screamed desperation. " Winky don't know why she did it. Winky has always been a good elf, cleaning the house and cooking for master... ", the female house elf was going to keep going on, but the wizard placed his hand on her head. He was already familiar with those servants' strange devotion.
" Do you, Winky, free elf accept to serve me, Mikhael Jones as your new master. ", magic, like the wind swirled around the group with no shape.
Bright colors painted the surrounding. Behind the windows, a blond witch laid on the car seat. Her head rested on the legs of the other compartment occupant. She wasn't reading her usual newspaper. She starred at the ever-changing flame that danced before her eyes. Despite the small tremors made by the Hogwarts Express, the fire never burned her nor touched the pale nose.
The green robe twisted his fingers in the blond hair. His magic controlled the flame to distract her from sadness. Invisible fire spheres, conjured weapons, transfigured animals and illusionary copies rotated in the air. Ambient magic changed textures and intention at the wizard will. All of them turned invisible when the trolley lady knocked up the compartment. She didn't see any magic as the students bought some sweets.
After the trolley lady left, the younger witch hugged the orphan. His shoulder became wet. He tightened his arms. Luna calmed a bit, but stayed in the green robe embrace. " I miss Ginny. ", she rested her head on the orphan chest. His heartbeat pulsed faster. He opened his mouth. He couldn't find any words. Magic concentrated around them. Conjured blankets covered the two for the rest of the travel. The blond girl fell asleep. The black bags under her eyes diminished.
The alpha death horse accepted the small rodent from the green robe. Patting Bob before going to the castle, the wizard, like many others headed up. Four flying horses were traveling through the air. They pulled a carriage which size became apparent as it closed up. When it landed, the student crowd cheered. The death horse snorted in disdain. Under the orphan's hands, the animal calmed down, still looking at the giant horses with scorn. The green robe reassure the beast, Bob was far better than the newcomer of Abraxan breed.
The student crowd exclaimed. The black lake blurred its surface. Water rippled. Flooding the shore, the lake vomited a large ship which followed the same destination as the carriage, the school's castle. Yet, from both newcomers, no visitor emerged thus far. Forced to enter the school for the Sorting ceremony, the student crowd sighed. The transfiguration professor closed the door behind them to wait for the first-year's arrival.
Next to Daphne, the orphan listened to the icy princess. Her holidays visiting Spain seemed to have helped her sister's health. The younger Greengrass wasn't cured of her family curse, only the symptom of the frail body was appeased with the help of the sunlight and foreign medicines. The green robe asked some questions on the magical system developed in this foreign land while the Sorting ceremony started.
Calling Dennis Creevey for the sorting, McGonagall put on this newcomer the hat that shouted Griffindore as soon as it touched the head. The small face protruded from the large collar. Sprinting toward the savior of the wizard world, the first-year caught its breath. Straightening his back, the sorted student inhaled to fill his lungs at maximum capacity. " You are a fake ! You couldn't save my brother. He admired you... ", the new lion didn't back down while tears formed. The house head stopped the ceremony to calm the small first-year, giving a sorry face to the whitish Potter.
Neighbors of the bravery table were too shocked to react. They weren't prepared for that. Their gazes broke when the sorting continued. The redhead kept his head low. The blond lion trembled. This was similar to some of his own nightmares. Still, he extended his arm and patted the savior back. Both were pale. The twin Weasley tried to brighten the mood with some words joke, but the joy behind their show was fake. Copying his front neighbor, Harry fixated the table's wood for the rest of the ceremony.
The headmaster stood up. " Now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen... ", the old wizard lowered his arms. He stepped back waiting for the school's caretaker to reach him. The man ran up the aisle, and whispered something to Dumbledore's ear before leaving.
" As I was saying, we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year. ", the headmaster paused. Towering every student, his magic made the Great Hall's candles lightened with warmer colors. The students forgot their dissatisfaction with the missing Quidditch.
" Now for those of you who do not know, the tri-wizard tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint hearted, but more of that later. ", the temperature dropped a few degrees as the wizard paused on the contests part. Eying the elder students, the headmaster stroke his beard before resuming his joyful expression. The Great Hall returned to its warming atmosphere.
" For now please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of magic and their headmistress Madam Maxime. ", the headmaster waved his hands. The front door opened. A group of girls dressed in blue danced up the aisle and released butterflies into the air. They bowed and everyone applauds. Some commented on the height of the headmistress, eyes still glued to the blue uniforms. Mikhael was surprised when he recognized one of the blue uniforms.
The headmaster welcomed the tall headmistress and waited for all the Beaubatons students to take a seat. " And now our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and the high master Igor Karkaroff. ", the old wizard glanced at the door. It widened. A series of older boys walked up the aisle brandishing bo staffs, twirling them around and periodically stabbing them into the ground with a spark effect. A redhead left his morose behavior for a fanatic one when he noticed and exclaimed the name of his idol, Viktor Krum.
Like the previous case, the headmaster politely gave some time for the newcomer to install themselves and greeted the high master. The adoration from the lion house amused the leader of light, it was helping one of the light family to divert their attention from chagrin. Smiling to each student under his gaze, the old wizard leaned forward.
" Your attention please ! I would like to say a few words. Eternal glory, that is what awaits the student who wins the tri-wizard tournament. But, to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks. ", the headmaster paused to examined once again the students' expressions. Some lost their desire to participate. Other didn't pay attention and the rest had fire in their eyes.
" For this reason the ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this we have the head of the department of international magic cooperation Mister Bartimus Crouch. ", the speaker stepped aside to let place for the interlocutor. Grey hair with a neat parting and a narrow toothbrush mustache decorated the man in a black suit and highly polished shoes.
Thunder roared overhead. It froze the ministry man. His long prepared speech was interrupted as the rain began to leak through the roof and screams broke out. A strange man stands in the doorway, he casted some magic upwards and sealed the roof. Peace was somehow restored. The ritual adept couldn't help but superposed the newcomer with many images from different minds. All of them represented Mad-Eye Moody at different periods. Half the cells in the wizard prison was filled by his catch. Like a cockroach, that wizard always found the way to escape from the dark lord's clutch.
The latecomer limped, breathing heavily as he went in. The headmaster greeted this man as an old friend. Moody just complained about the roof before taking a seat at the professor's table. The new professor for Defense Against the Darks Arts scanned the crowd with his artificial eye, stopping at the sight of the savior. The professor smelled his glass before putting it away. He drank one gulp from his own gourde.
" After much deliberation the ministry has concluded that for their own safety no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the tri-wizard tournament. This decision is final. ", the ministry man backed down. The crowd was unsettled, people were booing. They would have continued if the headmaster didn't intervene. The wizard casted magic over a box that melted into a goblet containing a blue flame.
" The goblet of fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before the last night of October. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the tri-wizard tournament has begun. ", with a smooth motion of his, the old wizard call for the house elves. All the tables were filled with food.