Hogwarts At Last - Familia Primum: Book Two

Chapter 20: What Fine Beards

I was sitting next to Ginny, Mirabelle, and Hermione, watching as people put their names into the goblet of fire.

"Yea Ced! Do it!" I saw Cedric's friends cheering him on and pushing him forward. He glanced at me, I gave him a slight nod towards the goblet. With my blessing in mind, he crossed over the age line, dropping in his name. Girls all over the room sighed at him.

He walked over to me, pulled me to his chest, and kissed me. Majority of the girls in the room grumbled unhappily.

"I love you. Good luck." I kissed him again.

"I love you too. And thank you."

"Your lost puppies are growing impatient. Go. I'll see you later." We kissed one last time before he walked away.

I sat back down as Fred and George burst into the room. I just snickered at them.

"Well lads! We've done it!" George said.

"Cooked it up just this morning!" Fred finished.

"It's not going to work." Hermione snottily sing songed at them. I wrinkled my nose towards her.

They each jumped on an opposite side of her.

"Oh yea?"

"And why's that Granger?"

"You see this? This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself!" She said.

"So?" They asked, looking at me, confused. I shrugged my shoulders.

She sighed exasperated. "So, Dumbledore wouldn't possibly be fooled by something so pathetically dimwitted as an aging potion."

"Ah but that's why it's so brilliant."

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted."

They leaned towards me, and each gave me a kiss upon my cheek.

"For good luck." They both said as I blushed at them. The jealous girls around the room grumbled again.

"Ready Gred?"

"Ready Forge."

"Bottoms up." They downed the potion and jumped over the age line. Everybody except Hermione cheered. They tossed their names into the fire, and began to cheer again but were blown back.

"I told you so." Hermione said.

The boys looked at each other as they began to fight.

"I did warn you." Dumbledore smiled down at them. "What fine beards. I must say yours are the finest I've seen thus far. Miss Lupin will you take them to the hospital wing?"

"Of course professor." I giggled as I pulled them both up off the floor. "It was worth a shot boys." I said as I looped my arms through theirs and we walked off.

*********

"I believe the goblet need only a few more moments before it is ready." Dumbledore said as we all awaited the champion selection anxiously.

The fire turned a dark red and a piece of parchment shot out. Dumbledore snatched it out of the air.

"The Durmstrang champion is... Victor Krum." Everybody cheered as the fire turned red again.

"The champion for Beauxbatons.... Miss Fleur Delacour." Cheers once again.

"The Hogwarts champion is.... Cedric Diggory!" The entire hall cheered.

"Excellent! We now have our three champions! But only one can hoist this chalice of champions. Only one-." Dumbledore stopped mid sentence, and it was clear why. The blue fire had once again turned red. Everybody sat in shocked horror, silent as the grave.

"Harry Potter... Harry Potter! HARRY POTTER!!!" Dumbledore's whisper turned to a shout. I gasped and looked to Harry. He didn't... He wouldn't...

Hermione pushed Harry up, he took the piece of parchment with his name in his hand writing, and followed the other champions.

"Off to bed! All of you!" Dumbledore bellowed as we all scurried off.

"Harry didn't do this." I said to the twins with confidence.

*******

"The Yule Ball is approaching, a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialise with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth-years and above, although you may invite a younger student if you wish. Dress robes will be worn, and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight, in the Great Hall. Now then, the Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to, er, let our hair down," Professor McGonagall said in a disapproving voice.

"But that does NOT mean that we will be relaxing the standards of behaviour we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way. I will not have you behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons."

"Try saying that five times fast." I whispered to Ginny. I caught Fred and George's eye from across the room trying also. I covered my mouth to stifle my giggle.

"Mr. Weasley, if you please." And Ron slowly walked up to her. What'd he do to deserve that, I wondered.

"Now, place your right hand on my waist."

"Where?" Ron asked in horror.

"My waist, Mr. Weasley."

"Oh he is NEVER going to forget this." I told Ginny and Hermione as Ron began dancing with McGonagall.

"Everybody now. On your feet." The girls jumped up. The boys didn't budge.

Neville slowly made his way across the room and asked Ginny to dance. I raised my eyebrow at Fred and George. Still no more boys moved.

"Oi! Neville has the most game out of all of you? Really?" I asked them. They all jumped up. Fred came over to me.

"That was a low blow."

"But it worked."

"Yes it did. Now may I have this dance m'lady?" Fred asked with a deep bow.

"You may." I giggled as we glided around the dance floor.

"Switch partners!" And I ended up in George's arms.

"You two are exceptionally good dancers." George just shrugged it off as we continued until McGonagall dismissed us.

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