A man with a long white beard and blue dress robes stood in front of the school, his pale wrinkled hands raised in the air.
"Now that we're all settled 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 to host a legendary event; the Tri-Wizard tournament."
A loud audible whisper broke out amongst the students, gasps and sounds of delight popping across the room. Yet Dumbledore seemed to ignore this and continued speaking.
"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 will stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint hearted, but more of that later. For now please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of Beauxbatons Academy of magic and their headmistress Madam Maxime."
The large golden doors opened and a group of beautiful girls dressed in sky blue dresses gracefully flowed down the aisle, their heels clicking across the stone floor. Behind them was an older woman with deep brunette hair cut to the length of a bob. She must have been half giant, similar to Hagrid, because she loomed over the girls in front of her.
The girls continued to waltz to the front of the room, the utter elegance of their demeanor putting everyone in a trance. They paused for a moment, curtsied, and deep blue butterflies fluttered out of their jackets. They ran to the side, and Dumbledore began to introduce the next school competing in the Tri-Wizard tournament.
"And now our friends from the North, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and the high master Igor Karkaroff."
Men in dark brown jumpers, furry jackets and hats stomped down the rows of students, the ground releasing sparks from the impact of their metal staffs on the floor. Their stone cold expressions seemed to match the beat at which their staffs were spinning and pounding. Suddenly, several men began to run towards the front of the room, quickly building up speed. Their bodies flipped in the air, and when they landed, they blew fire from long dark sticks.
Behind them marched the head master who was dressed in a white jacket and in front of him was-
"Blimey, it's him, Viktor Krum!"
"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. 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."
A short man with salt and pepper black hair and a mustache stood in front of the crowd of students. He was wearing a light tan blazer paired with a bow tie, and seemed extremely tense.
"After much deliberation the ministry has concluded that for their own safety no student under the age of 17 shall be aloud to put forth their name for the Tri-Wizard tournament. This decision is final." Barty said in a shaky voice.
Loud voices of protest boomed throughout the dining hall.
"THAT'S RUBBISH! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" "BOOOOO!" two voices sounded.
"The goblet of fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it into the flame. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the Tri-Wizard tournament has begun." Dumbledore announced.
I turned my head to Cedric who seemed absolutely dazed.
"Wow, this is-"
"I want to do it." Cedric said with a blank expression spread across his face.
"What?" I responded, my eyes wide and my mouth agape. "Cedric, people die in this tournament; and besides, are you even 17 yet?" I asked.
"Well, I turn 17 before the tournament starts." he stated with a grin.
"But-" I began.
"But, Dumbledore wouldn't let me die, that would create a terrible reputation for the school. I want to bring glory to Hufflepuff, no, I need to bring glory to Hufflepuff. I'm sick of being called a loser." he said.
"You're crazy." I replied, shaking my head slightly. "Not as crazy as you sound right now Allison." Cedric replied with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at his remark.
We continued conversing for a while, chatting about our first classes tomorrow and what we expected the year to be like.
"What? How could he be so-" I began, but a heaping pile of steaming food appeared on my once empty plate. The white plate was filled with chicken legs, mashed potatoes and green beans with a small salad on the side.
"Woah." I gasped. Other than the waffles that my mom made this morning, I hadn't eaten a thing all day.
"Impressed are you?" Cedric chuckled. "The elves in the castle make the best food." he told me.
See, this is why I love magic.
I dug into my food, trying to savor every bite as best as I possibly could. I was so absorbed in eating that I didn't even hear Cedric asking me a question.
"Allison?" he asked in a sing-song voice, waving his hand in front of my face.
"Huh?" I queried.
"What's your favorite class?"
"Mine is charms, as of right now. It might be different here than Ilvermorny." I responded.
"I enjoy charms as well, it's taught by Professor Flitwick. It's fairly easy, as long as you know how to talk and wave a wand around." Cedric joked. I snickered at his remark and held my head in my hands until Cedric whispered-yelled to me.
"The ice cream is about to come out!"
"Oh my goodness, you're like a child. Getting exited by ice cream!" I scolded jokingly.
Big bowls of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles on top were placed in front of us. Cedric smiled widely and started scarfing down the bowl of pure sugar. Unlike Cedric, I took my time eating my ice cream, carefully eating each creamy bite. It was almost comical to see him eating.
"Slow down, you might get a stomach ache." I warned him, but of course, he didn't listen.