but a voice within that calls me home

Ainsley stood outside King's Cross Station, looking up at Platform 9 3/4. She had done this before, it's something she went through every single year, but it didn't ever matter; she was always nervous about going through the magical barrier that made the wall dissolve. She looked down at her little black cat who was sleeping soundly on her luggage and sighed.

"Alright, Gwenyth. It's now or never."

At the mention of her name, the small cat perked up and started at Ainsley with forest green eyes. She smiled. No matter what happened or where she was , Gwenyth managed to calm her nerves. She was a birthday gift from her twin sister, Eleanor, during their first year at Hogwarts, when Ainsley had gotten into Slytherin, like every other member of her family, but Eleanor had gotten into Gryffindor. Ainsley didn't see the big deal; Eleanor was still the same person, just placed into a different house. There were many worse things that could happen. And it's not like Eleanor asked to be in Gryffindor, the Sorting Hat decided that kind of stuff. But their parents had never approved.

Ainsley looked up at her sister, the always confident, never-thought-to-worry-about-the-magical-barrier sister, and felt a boost of courage.

"After you, Eleanor."



Harry Potter was looking forward to another fantastic year at Hogwarts.

Every single summer, living at the Dursley's was torture. Luckily, he got to spend much of this past summer at Ron's house, they went to the Quidditch World Cup, and everything was fantastic until the Death Eater's showed up to basically kill everyone who wouldn't submit to Voldemort.

Despite the horrors that passed this summer, he was ready to put most of it behind him and get ready for another fantastic year in what he would much rather call home. He was sure that Dumbledore had something up his sleeve for taking care of the Death Eaters, and it wasn't like Voldemort was going to be able to romp all around the grounds of Hogwarts and begin destroying it; Voldemort was terrified of Dumbledore. So long as he was around, Harry knew he was safe.

But that didn't mean Voldemort didn't have eyes all over Hogwarts. A pale blond boy was glaring at him from across the station. Malfoy. Harry was so busy sneering at him that he hardly paid any attention to his path, and walked directly into the back of a girl whom he recognized from his house.

Eleanor pulled her luggage behind her as she walked up by her twin sister, her beautiful white cat was alert as she wanted to check out every person that she could see from where she sat on Eleanor's luggage. Blossom was pure white apart from her four little paws which were a light grey, Eleanor had found Blossom as a new born kitten that had gotten lost over a Christmas so of course Eleanor took her in and raised her. She smiled at her sister, "You know there might be a time when you have to go first, what will you do then?" She teased Ainsley playfully as she sent her twin a warm smile, Eleanor checked on Blossom as she gripped her luggage tightly in her hand as she prepared herself to walk through the brick wall which had never phased her.

But as she was about to take a step forward, she found a body come into contact with her. Turning her eyes landed on Harry, she had always liked Harry and talked to him often but she still felt like he didn't trust her all that much. Which she completely understood because her family have always been Slytherin's and her parents were Death Eaters, if she was him then she wouldn't trust her either. "Hi Harry, I'll see you soon." She told him as she didn't want to hold up any of them, she wanted to get onto the train and get a good compartment with her sister like they did every year.

She stepped forward with her luggage and made her way onto the Hogwarts platform, she moved off to the side so she could wait for Ainsley to follow her. This part used to make her a little nervous, especially in their first year when they had gone through the wall for the first time. Neither of them knew what to expect and Eleanor had never liked being away from her sister for that long, but now she was used to the brick wall which wasn't the same as her twin.

---

Luna had arrived early so she could get her luggage onto the train and spend some time speaking with other students, she was standing on the platform when she noticed one of the Ramos twins had walked through the wall. She smiled as she walked over to Eleanor who she had always liked, "Hello Eleanor. Did you have a nice break?" She asked the girl and listened to what she she said, "It's was good. How was your break?" Eleanor asked as she waited for her sister, Luna nodded slightly. "Mine was very relaxing, but it's nice to be back." She spoke in her quiet voice and she smiled when she saw Ainsley step through the wall, "Hello Ainsley. How are you?" Luna asked the girl that she hardly spoke to, she was a Slytherin after all but she was Eleanor's twin sister so there had to be some good in both the girls.

She smiled warmly at the girls as a light breeze picked up some strands of her blonde hair, "Are you two glad to be back? I just know this year is going to be a good one," Luna smiled as she noticed Harry had followed the girls, she had heard about what happened at the Quidditch World Cup. Much like everyone else had, she just felt horrible for everyone that had been there at the time. She could only imagine what it must have been like, people celebrating after their team on won the cup and for the whole night to be ruin by Death Eaters.

"There are still plenty of compartments free, but you might want to hurry." She informed them nicely as she tended to wander through the train on the ride to Hogwarts, she usually did it most years as it gave her time to catch up with people she liked.

Ainsley held her breath as she pushed herself through the brick wall, and found her sister talking to Luna Lovegood. She smiled wide at her and told her she had a lovely break, but it was great to be back at school, and asked her about her own break. Ainsley never understood why everyone thought Luna was so strange; sure she was a bit eccentric but that's what made her so great to talk to, those rare times she did. Sometimes Ainsley wished she was placed in any other house but Slytherin. They had a stigma attached to them, and it certainly didn't help that her parents were Death Eaters. Despite the fact that Ainsley wasn't, she was still treated differently at school. No one knew that Ainsley was against her parents supporting Lord Voldemort, they just assumed she supported him as well. When Harry Potter came through the barrier, she wanted to apologize to him for the tragedy that happened at the World Cup, but because of her background, no one would take her seriously. She almost envied Eleanor for getting Gryffindor; most people ignored the fact that her parents were Death Eaters.



Harry immediately recognized the girl he bumped into as Eleanor Ramos, a girl who came close to dwarfing Hermione's smarts. He went to apologize to her for stumbling into her, but she disappeared into the wall that separated King's Cross from the magical portal that brought them to his favorite place in the world. He brushed his fingers through his snowwy owl's feathers and glanced to Ron and Hermione. They gave him small half-smiles as he headed through the wall. It bugged Harry; his friends had been treating him delicately since the World Cup. He kept telling them he was fine, and he sincerely believed he was. But his friends didn't seem to get that. He knew they meant well, but he wished people would treat him normally for once.

After going through the brick wall, he saw Eleanor with her twin, Ainsley was her name, he believed. She was in Slytherin house with Death Eater parents, but she had always been kind to Harry. He smiled at her and walked up to Eleanor, who was conversating with Luna Lovegood, a strange girl from Ravenclaw house he knew in passing, and mostly by the name "Loony Lovegood".

"Sorry for bumping you earlier," Harry said to Eleanor. "I need to keep track of where I'm going."

Luna turned from looking at Harry to look at Ainsley, "Did you get up to anything exciting? My father took me on many hikes, which I have to admit I'm not very fond of but he loves giving me time to explore and to see if I can find anything interesting." She told Ainsley and was surprised that the girl hadn't stopped her from rumbling on, like most people did which Luna never minded as everyone was busy with their own lives. But she did like talking to people, something that the Ramos twins always let her do and they actually listened to her. She wasn't even bothered that much with the fact that Ainsley's parent's were Death Eaters, they had the right to believe in what they chose much like Luna believed in what she did. She wasn't going to treat the twins differently because of their parents, she didn't actually understand why other's did that but it was something she didn't try to get her mind around. Oh hello Gwenyth, she's still getting bigger." Luna smiled at the small cat that she had met only once before, but she loved all animals and Gwenyth was a beautiful cat.

"Would you like help getting your luggage in line?" She asked Ainsley as all the students left their luggage in the line and it would be placed onto the train before it left for Hogwarts, she smiled at Ainsley as the girl had always been nice to her. In fact Ainsley was nice to everyone who gave her the time of day, most students thought she was this horrible person because she was a Slytherin but the twins weren't that much different from each other. "Would you like to share a compartment? Unless you want to catch up with your friends, than we can see each other later on." Luna offered as she would like to talk more with Ainsley, they never really get the chance to speak much but Luna was determined to make more of an effort with both the twins this twins as they needed all the support they could get.

---

Eleanor smiled when Luna begun to speak with her sister, it made her worry a tiny bit less about Ainsley. Turning she looked at Harry again, "No need to apologize. It's fine, really." She assured him as it was an accident and he hadn't even bumped into her that hard, there was no harm done. "Did you have a nice break? I mean apart from what happened at the World Cup, I can't even imagine what it would have been like. I know I would have been to scared to even move," She looked at him as she spoke, "I'm just glad that you didn't get hurt." She admitted to him as she had been worried about him when she heard about what happened, it made her feel sick knowing that is how her parents think about people who don't bow down to Lord Voldemort. She was the only one who knew that her sister didn't believe in what their parents did, she often wondered if their parents would eventually turn on them when they refused to join Lord Voldemort but she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"I really do hope that this year is going to be better for you," Eleanor told him warmly as she watched Hermione and Ron step through the brick wall, "If you wanted to talk then I'm a great listener." She assured him in case he did need someone other than his friends to talk to, she wasn't going to judge him or sugarcoat anything for him. He had been through enough that he just needed people around him that were going to support him completely, and Eleanor was already one of those people but she wasn't sure if Harry knew that or not yet.

Ainsley smiled at Luna as she went on talking about her summer, and the hikes she took with her father. She had never dared to admit this to anyone, even Eleanor, but she had been crushing on the Ravenclaw girl since the end of second year. She squandered her feelings, with a deep sense in her gut that Luna was most likely not interested in her. She had never seen Luna express interest in that way to anybody, let alone someone in Slytherin. If there was one thing her house had taught her, it was to trust her instinct.

She was a bit thrown off when Luna asked to sit in the compartment with her. She found herself saying yes before she even turned to Eleanor to ask her; she was sure her sister wouldn't mind, they almost always sat alone anyways. "I'd love to sit with you! You can tell me about anything interesting your dad found for The Quibbler."

The Quibbler was a magazine Luna's dad wrote. It was kind of the laughing stock of the school, but Ainsley thought it was funny, quirky, and adorable, much like Luna herself. She enjoyed reading them, but she mostly kept it secret. Ainsley was well known throughout the Slytherin house as a smart girl with a reputation to hold up. She pulled pranks on her least favorite teachers, on other students, and especially on Argus Filtch. She spent a lot of time in cohoots with Peeves, the poltergeist who haunted Hogwarts. None of Ainsley's pranks were harmful; just stuff like Quick-Shortening Chalk (which caused the chalk to disappear after writing one word), Stink Bombs, the like. If Slytherin students caught her reading The Quibbler in her spare time, she would be ridiculed, and Ainsley felt as if she got enough crap from all the other houses about her Death Eater family.



Harry smiled at Eleanor. She was such a sweet girl, and very pretty, too. She rivaled Cho Chang, whom Harry had been crushing on, but she was too serious with her boyfriend, Cedric to pay him any attention. He had always liked Eleanor, but never really spoke with her. He thought she hated him based on the fact that her family were Death Eaters and he had sort of brought on the demise of Voldemort. But after spending a few moments here talking to her, he realized that maybe the Ramos twins deserved a little more credit than they got. Before he could stop himself, he found himself asking, "would you maybe like to sit in our compartment? There's only ever the three of us, and you know Ron and Hermione. You don't have to, but I just thought..." Harry found himself trailing off. He had never been to great at talking to people; the Dursley's forbade him from having friends and his cousin was a bully. His first real friend was Ron, and they didn't even meet until Harry was 11. Needless to say, he had a slight bought of social anxiety.

But Eleanor was worth it. She had bouncy brown hair, and the fullest lips Harry had ever seen. Harry had always felt a strong attraction to her, but he didn't know how she felt. He figured the best way was to get to know her. And if his friends liked Eleanor, then he knew he was in the clear. He wouldn't let anyone run his life for him, but Ron and Hermione were important to him. He wanted their approval whether he needed it or not.

Nothing really ever shocked Luna, but hearing that a Slytherin was interested in her father's work had taken her by surprise and she wasn't sure what to say to Ainsley. The brunette didn't seem to be like the rest of his house, so Luna didn't think that Ainsley was joking or trying to dishearten her. "You read The Quibbler?" She asked just to make sure this wasn't going to be some cruel joke that was going to be pulled on her, she knew that Ainsley enjoyed pulling pranks although Luna had never been the target of one. Luna wasn't someone who liked pranks but she had to admit, that some that Ainsley pulled on people were amusing to watch. As more students were arriving onto the platform, Luna helped Ainsley towards the train so she could leave her luggage in the line and they could find an empty compartment before they were all filled up with chatty students. "This month is all about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack which I personally find every fascinating, although sadly I haven't seen one yet but I'm certain that I will one day." She loved when her father wrote articles about all the different creatures that they had in the wizard world, but lately her father had been writing about current events which mostly included what Death Eaters were doing which she wasn't as interested in.

"I can't wait for this months magazine to be released, I just know that it's going to be a good one." Luna smiled as she walked with Ainsley through the train, before she found an empty compartment and stepped inside. "Is this one alright with you? I'm sure your sister will find it easy to find us, although she does seem quite pleased talking to Harry." Luna spoke in her soft voice and continued to smile, "I think they would make a great couple. Don't you think so, Ainsley?" She asked as she always hoped that Harry would find someone nice to be with, she had heard many other girls talking about him but they were only interested in him because of who he was which she found disgusting.

---

Eleanor was taken off guard when Harry invited her to sit with him and his friends, she usually always sat with Ainsley but it seemed like she had found herself a new friend in the blonde. "I'd really like that, but only if Ron and Hermione are comfortable with me being there." She didn't want anyone to be uncomfortable for the whole train ride, she could imagine that his friends probably weren't sure about her. She hadn't really spoken to either Ron or Hermione, there were a few 'hellos' and 'how are yous' but that was about it. Eleanor just assumed that they didn't like her because of who her family were and who her parents supported, but she would love to get to know them all better and there wasn't anything else to do on the train but talk to people. She quickly noticed that Ainsley left with Luna and she couldn't stop herself from smiling, she'd have to ask her sister about it later on. "Hurry up, Harry!" Ron called out to his friend as he and Hermione had already dropped off their luggage and wanted to get onto the train, Eleanor smiled at Harry as she followed him with her luggage behind her. Once she made sure that her luggage was safely in the line, she followed the trio onto the train and down the narrow hall.

While walking she spotted her sister talking to Luna so she gave her a smile, hopefully letting her know that she was going to be sitting with Harry that year. "Here's one," She stopped walking when she found an empty compartment just down from where Ainsley was, pulling the sliding door aside she stepped in and took a seat by the window as she loved watching everything pass her by.

Ainsley smiled at Luna. "My favorite article was the one about the hippogriffs, I know they're pretty common creatures, but I love them. My family has one, actually and she's really neat. If only we were allowed them here, though I do love Gwenyth," she scratched the kitten gently behind the ears and smiled at the sound of her purring. She followed Luna onto the train, a little nervous, to be honest; it was bad enough being in a separate house from her sister, and now this was their first year not sharing a train compartment. But she wanted to get to know Luna better, and if this was the way to do it, she was going to make an effort to get through the hours long train ride with a brand new person without the comfort of her sister next to her.

Ainsley listened attentively as Luna rambled on about her father. She loved the way she spoke of him; it reminded her of her own relationship with her father. He was more accepting than her mother, didn't really pitch that much of a fit when Eleanor was accepted into Gryffindor, and didn't make a huge deal out of the fact that Ainsley was in the Family House. Their dad, Thaddeus, was most definitely the accepting parent. Their mother, Beatrice, made a huge deal about Ainsley getting into Slytherin, and attempted to make Eleanor feel like shit for getting into Gryffindor. Neither of the girls were pleased with their mother for it; Ainsley wondered what her mother would say if she knew she had been crushing on a Ravenclaw girl for years now.



Harry grinned at Eleanor. "It's not a problem, you'll get on just great," he assured her. It was no doubt Eleanor was nervous about sitting with his friends; none of the trio had ever really spoken with her, and they all knew of her family's history. Still, he didn't let it bother him. Sure, her parents were Death Eaters that served the one man who was trying his damned hardest to kill him, but the point in the matter is that Eleanor had always been kind. He was going to be sure to watch his back and not share any big, personal information with her in case she was a spy for her parents, but the fact that he was in Gryffindor was a good sign that she was a fairly decent person.

Harry followed her into the empty compartment and sat down, keeping his head poked out the door for Ron and Hermione to catch up. When he saw them coming, he waved them in and introduced his friends to his new one.
"Ron, Hermione, I think you know Eleanor," he said, gesturing to the brunette. Ron waved, and Hermione offered her a friendly "hello", followed by her most favorite question: what was she most looking forward to about school this year? "Mine is the Muggle Studies class," she said, answering her own question.

As a Muggle Born, Harry knew Hermione loved seeing the Muggle world through the eyes of a wizard, but Harry, who was raised by the most awful Muggles there were, didn't share her passion. The less exposure to Muggles he had, the better. Ron agreed, and he came from a wizarding family. They've both agreed countless times that Hermione was probably just crazy.

Luna nodded her head slightly as she looked at the Slytherin girl, "I do love Hippogriffs myself. They are misunderstood by many people, but I think if we were allowed to have them here then they would only cause trouble. Although I could never be angry at one," She smiled as she found all creatures beautiful, even ones that most people hated or were scared of. It was how she was raised and it also helped that her father took her to see as many creatures as he could when she was a child, so she wouldn't have any fear in her as she grew. Once Luna was sitting in the compartment she looked at Ainsley and suddenly wasn't sure if she had a right to ask the question that was resting on the tip of her tongue, so she decided to just try and see how Ainsley took it. "How have your parents been?" She asked as she had talked to Eleanor about mainly the twin's father a couple of times before, to Luna to seemed to be the more accepting of their parents which she hoped would help keep the family calm in times like when Eleanor was sorted into Gryffindor.

She had seen how upset Eleanor had been when she was placed into a house that wasn't Slytherin, it wasn't because she wanted to be in Slytherin. It was because she knew how her family would react, but Luna hadn't stepped in to comfort the girl as Ainsley had been there at the time. "I've heard wonderful things about your father, I have found once your sister begins to speak about him or you then she doesn't really stop." Luna smiled as she had noticed it was something that was different between the twins, Ainsley tended to be more guarded and quiet which Luna herself liked more in another person. Although both the twins had the same expression filled eyes that Luna enjoyed just looking into, mostly Ainsley's eyes which she tried to do whenever they were close enough together. And Ainsley had a smile that brightened any room, but it was a smile that wasn't often on her beautiful face as much as Luna would like. It appeared when the twins were together or when Ainsley watched one of her pranks go off successfully, Luna did however understand why Ainsley wouldn't feel like smiling a lot but it was something the blonde wanted to try and change the best that she could.

---

Eleanor gave Ron and Hermione a quiet 'hello' which showed just how nervous she was about sitting with them, it was also partly due to the fact that Ainsley wasn't there with her. Her sister was her security blanket although she could just walk down the hall on the train and sit with Ainsley and Luna, she was taken aback by Hermione's quick question which she thought about for only a moment. "I'm looking forward to Charms and the Yule ball," She smiled at them as she had always wanted to attend the Yule Ball, she would either go with her sister or alone as she was certain Ainsley would be asked to attend by so many people. Eleanor wasn't that interested in Muggle Studies and if she ever decided to take that class, her parents would probably disown her or her mother would at least try to. It was a few nights ago that Thaddeus had taken her aside after dinner was finished and encouraged Eleanor to do whatever her heart wanted, that if anything was to happen then he would deal with her mother. It was exactly what Eleanor needed to hear because she had been stressing over coming back to Hogwarts because she was always disappointing her mother, something she tried so hard to change but she never could.

In fact both of the girls got along much better with their father than their mother, it had always been that way as the girls were growing. It was their father who had played with them and just spent more time with them, at that moment it seemed normal to Eleanor but now she wasn't so certain. She never bothered to bring the subject up as she didn't want to cause another argument in the family, "Well I can't wait for dinner tonight." Ron smiled widely as he spoke, Eleanor didn't disagree with him as the food was amazing and something she did look forward to. "I hope we get chocolate mousse tonight," Eleanor commented in hopes that it would put her in the good books with Ron, she knew she'd have to go slow in making friends with Hermione and Ron but she thought it would be worth it in the end. She didn't want to go fast and have them wonder why she was trying so hard, she wanted to be their friend but she knew it could look bad considering who her parents worked for. She would never use anyone but it would be easy for it to seem that way, something she didn't want to happen as she did have a crush on Harry already.

Ainsley was a bit taken back by Luna's question to her. She was only ever asked about her parents by the Slytherin house, because they were the only ones who accepted her parents line of work, and they were the only ones who were disappointed when Ainsley told them she would not be joining their line of work this year. "Father's good," she finally responded, deciding to tell Luna the truth instead of brushing the question off like she did with most people. Ainsley only knew Luna in passing, but she seemed to be the type of person you could trust with anything. The Ravenclaw girl was sweet, and kind-hearted. "Mother's been awfully cold, but she always is right when we go back to school. She just dreads knowing that Eleanor is in Gryffindor. Our father doesn't seem to care much, he just wants us to do what makes us happy, which I appreciate. But Mother wants to watch us follow in her footsteps, and worship The Dark Lord." Ainsley knew she was rambling, but she just couldn't stop herself. What if she didn't want to worship Voldemort? What if she wanted a nice, peaceful life away from all the dark magic, and suffocating parents. Sometimes, she wished she was also placed in Gryffindor house so that her mother would stop expecting her to live up to an idea that just wasn't a reality.

Ainsley shrugged off the subject, feeling she had already said enough to make Luna uncomfortable. When the train whistle blew, her heart fluttered madly. She was on her way back to Hogwarts, the most wonderful place she had ever imagined. Ainsley was more excited for returning to school than she was for any of the breaks she took; she didn't enjoy being back home as much because her mother would always discuss the girl's future plans to worship Lord Voldemort.

She pushed the though to the back of her mind, and looked up at Luna. "Aside from working on The Quibbler, how's your father these days?"



Harry smiled at the ease in which Eleanor spoke with his friends. He knew that his friends were enjoying her company since they were so eager to communicate with her. Hermione plunged deep into thought about school, stressing that Charms was such an interesting class and that Flitwick really knew how to teach his students and a lot of other things that Harry just didn't have interest in. When she finally paused for a breath, Ron jumped in about the feast, causing Hermione to coil back and refrain from babbling on about school. Harry looked over at Eleanor, and noticed that she was actually paying very close attention to his friends. She was actually listening to Hermione ramble about school, and Ron discuss his favorite dishes at the feasts (one of which did happen to be chocolate mousse, so kudos to Eleanor), which was not something most people did. It's not that the trio was unpopular, they had just mostly made friends with people in their houses. They knew others, like Cho Chang from Ravenclaw, or Cedric Diggory in Hufflepuff, but due to the fact that the trio were nearly always together, they seemed to only make friends within their own dormitory.

When the train finally started moving, Harry felt a jolt of excitement. "We're finally back for a new year, guys," he said to his compartment of friends. "It feels good, doesn't it?"

"What are your plans for Christmas break this year," Ron asked him. Harry shrugged. He would most likely stay at the castle and get caught up on work; he already knew he was going to be behind this year. It had happened the three years before this one, too. There was no doubt that Hermione was going to make them begin studying for the O.W.L.s already, even though they wouldn't take them until next year. It was exactly like her to be beyond prepared. She had likely already began her studies over the summer. He glanced over at Eleanor, and asked her what her Christmas plans were this year.

Luna listened intently to what Ainsley's was saying about her parents, she hadn't met or even seen them before and she wasn't sure if she wanted to at any point in her life. She was normally very uneasy around anyone who worshiped Lord Voldemort or even a lot of Slytherin students made her uncomfortable, but that wasn't something that she felt from Ainsley. "I'm sorry that your mother is making this hard on you, I couldn't imagine having parents like that." She did feel bad for the Slytherin girl, she sounded like the complete opposite of her parents although her father didn't sound like a horrible man. "I'm sure once your mother sees how happy you are not following her, then she could change." Luna was always a hopeful person and saw the best in everyone, no matter what house they were in or what they believed.

She did have a limit though and if anyone did a bad thing or hurt someone then she wouldn't trust them nor would she want anything to do with them, but the train's whistle brought Luna from her thoughts and a wide smile formed across her face. "My father is doing well, he was very busy this past break so I did tend to stay home. But I kept myself busy," She smiled as she looked at the brunette the was sitting across from her in the compartment, "I'm terribly excited for this year. I can't wait to start classes and to just have the school filled with students, it's going to be a good year." The blonde girl had enjoyed being home but she did miss her father whenever he was away and there were times when she got bored of being on her own, so coming back to Hogwarts was something she was overly ready for.

---

Eleanor was listening to everything that Hermione and Ron said, she really didn't mind when Hermione rambled on and on about school because Eleanor did enjoy going to classes and learning everything that she possibly could. So she could probably talk about school and classes with Hermione for a good couple of hours, although she didn't as she didn't want Harry and Ron to grow bored. She did glance at Harry while Ron was talking about the feast and gave him a sweet smile as he hadn't been able to get a single word in lately. "I'm glad to be back, I've been looking forward to this for a while." She didn't want to go any further with why she wanted to be back at Hogwarts, the group most likely already knew the reason was her family but Eleanor just wasn't that comfortable to spill all her family's issues yet.

The question about Christmas did make Eleanor spot and think about it, she usually always returned home to have a large Christmas dinner with the extended Ramos family. But she knew if she was surrounded by all her family then there was a decent chance that a fight or argument would happen, it was meant to be a happy time in the year and she didn't want to ruin that. So she had been thinking about just staying at Hogwarts, she'd let Ainsley go home so their family still liked her.

"I'm not really sure, I've thought about staying at Hogwarts this year." Eleanor told them knowing they wouldn't go find her sister and tell her, it would come up closer to the Christmas break and Eleanor would talk to Ainsley about it then.

Hearing Luna talk about her mother made her sad. "Yes, I believe anything is possible," she mulled. But Ainsley was tired of talking about her family; her father and her uncle Robert were the only good people worth mentioning, everyone else had big shoes for her to fill, and she just didn't meet up to the requirements.

Almost everyone in the Ramos family worshipped the Dark Lord. Ainsley didn't see the point; there were more people fighting against him, she learned that her first year of Hogwarts. Even a good number of the Slytherin students didn't fancy him too much. He was too powerful, and too selfish. Did anyone really believe he would just let his Death Eaters off easily if he actually managed to rule the wizarding world? Ainsley was nearly 100% sure that he wouldn't even give them the time of day after he became the leader.

When the train started moving, she sank back into her seat and began to discuss school with Luna. The train ride took hours, and they had a good amount of time to discuss any and all subjects they could think of. Ainsley's favorite class was Potions; Professor Snape had taken a liking to the brunette, most definitely because of her family history, but she also excelled in the class and was able to create any potion he assigned. Curious, she asked Luna her favorite class.



Harry nodded. "I planned on staying home, as well. Hogwarts is just so nice, I wouldn't want to leave this year. And with the Yule Ball, everything's going to look even nicer. I think it will be exciting." Ron and Hermione nodded. "We're going to stay this year, too. Mum's going to be upset, but they also might go visit my brother, Charlie in Romania," Ron chimed in. "My parents are away for Christmas this year. I believe they're going to Ireland on a vacation," Hermione added. Harry grinned. With Ron, Hermione, and Eleanor here for Christmas break, it was going to make Hogwarts a very exciting time.

Harry mulled over the other possibilities of school this year. Who knew what Dumbedore had in mind for this year's classes, and who would be teaching his favorite class, Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. The previous year, Hogwarts had seen the best Defense teacher, Remus Lupin. Remus had known his parents quite well, and anything Harry could do to feel close to him was welcomed. Remus had also introduced him to his Godfather, Sirius Black. For many years, it was believed that Sirius had killed his parents, but last year the truth came out, and he learned that it was in fact, Peter Pettigrew who gave their names to Voldemort.

Unfortunately, Remus couldn't stay. He was a werewolf, and that made classes difficult for him to manage. He and Harry were still in contact, however, and he was doing well.

Luna was enjoying herself as she was talking to Ainsley about school and the subjects that they were taking this year, it was making the long train ride go quicker than what it usually did when Luna was on her own. She was glad that she had been on the platform when the twins came through the wall, because she did tend to grow bored on the train ride when she didn't have anyone to sit with and talk to. She didn't have many friends, in fact she wouldn't call anyone a friend. Sure she talked to many people and she liked people, but none really paid her that much attention. She was often seen wandering around the castle on her own, which didn't bother her but she did get lonely a lot of the time which she kept to herself. But maybe now she had a friend in Ainsley, she wasn't certain about how Ainsley felt or if she even wanted to be friends with her but Luna did have a good feeling about the girl.

"I have always loved Care of Magical Creatures, I'm excited to see what creatures we'll learn about this year." Luna smiled as that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, considering how her father is interested in all the magical creatures and researching them for The Quibbler then it made sense for Luna to take after her father in something that he loved and was passionate about. "I like Potions class but I admit I'm not the best when it comes to mixing potions," The blonde smiled fondly as she did try her best in every class that she took, but when it came to potions she had on a few occasions mixed to much of something and then felt embarrassed because she did it wrong. It also didn't help her that she wasn't the biggest fan of Professor Snape, there was just something about him that Luna didn't like and she strongly disliked how he treats Harry.

"Are you looking forward to the Yule Ball? I've heard how wonderful it is, but I don't think I'll be going. I don't have any pretty dresses with me," Luna smiled as she wanted to go to the Yule Ball as most girls did, but Luna didn't have many dresses and the ones she did were back at home. Besides it would take out time that she could be studying or having time to herself where she didn't have to think about school work, she also would need to go by herself which didn't bother her of course but it'd be nice to have someone there with her.

---

Eleanor felt better knowing that the three friends sitting with her would also being staying at Hogwarts over Christmas, which would make staying even easier for her as she would have people there that she liked and could spend time with. "I'd be glad just to not start any fights by being there, but I know my sister will still want me to go home with her." She spoke knowing that there would only be three people who would want her home, Ainsley, their father and their Uncle Robert. But it still wasn't enough for Eleanor to feel comfortable going back home, which was sad really but it was something that Eleanor had grown used to over the years.

It was Hermione again who started up another conversation about school which Eleanor was more than happy to join in on, they talked about the Professors and the classes while Harry and Ron talked about something that they were both interested in. The hours flew by and before Eleanor noticed the train was coming to stop and the students started to file off, the four of them waiting for the bulk of the students to thin out before they attempted to leave the train also. Eleanor smiled when she saw Luna and Ainsley waiting for an opening in the line of students, so Eleanor grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her beside her while Luna followed quickly. "How was the ride for you two?" Eleanor asked smiling at her sister as they slowly inched forward until they climbed down the train steps, she held onto Ainsley as she didn't want to get separated from her.

"Let's go find a carriage," Eleanor smiled as she looked over her shoulder to see Harry, Ron and Hermione were still there, it was Eleanor who lead them over to an empty carriage that was waiting to take all the older students into the castle. She now felt at home and welcomed, the castle was in the distance and it always looked beautiful at night when fires were lit to light the rooms and corridors. They all climbed onto the carriage before the Thestral pulled them along the road, Eleanor couldn't see the Thestral as she had never witness a death before.

Ainsley smiled. She should have figured Luna liked Care of Magical Creatures more than any other class. Last year was quite the riot when Hagrid was teaching it. He brought Buckbeak to class, and of course Draco thought he was tougher than the creature and ended up harmed, not badly but enough to make a scene, although Draco was famous for making a big deal out of nothing. Ainsley hated him, but he seemed to think they were friends. Both of their parents were Death Eaters, and they met frequently. On numerous occasions, Ainsley's mother suggested going steady with him. She recoiled in horror from the idea. He had asked her to the Yule Ball this past summer, and that's when she decided she wasn't going to go.

The Yule Ball seemed exciting enough, but Ainsley wasn't sure about attending, even if Draco hadn't asked her. But if Luna was going to be there, maybe it wouldn't be half bad, and she could just hang out with her for the whole night. "It sounds like fun, and I'm sure we could find you a dress. If you want we could go into Hogsmeade and find you something when the Ball gets closer," she suggested. Ainsley was never really a fan of dress shopping, but she felt like doing it with Luna would be more exciting than going with anyone else. Besides, if she was going to attend the Yule Ball, she would need a dress of her own.

When the train stopped, the two girls went to get out. They were immediately swept up by a sea of students, eager to get to the Great Hall for the feast. She didn't understand the rush; the feast wouldn't start for at least another hour. First the Sorting Hat had to get all of the new students in, and then Dumbledore had to give his speech, like he did every other year. Dumbledore was one of the most respected wizards in the world, it was imperative for everyone to listen to him and not be consumed by all the glorious food they served.

Eleanor found Ainsley before she had a chance to even start looking for her. When she was asked how her's and Luna's ride went, she could feel her cheeks turn slightly pink. "It was well," she offered. "We discussed school a lot." She followed her sister through the maze of students and climbed into their carriage. She turned around to find Luna stroking the invisible Thestral. She was intrigued, but she didn't dare ask; you could only see the Thestrals if you've witnessed death.



Harry smiled as Hermione and Eleanor dove into conversation about school. He considered it a good sign that Hermione was so interested in discussing classes with her. If she was good at Wizard's Chest, she'd be great in Ron's book, too.

When the carriage stopped, Harry watched as Eleanor pulled her sister, Ainsley, and Luna Lovegood into their compartment. He smiled at the girls. Harry knew Luna in passing, but he barely knew the other Ramos twin. He introduced himself, and followed the girl's off the train.

He was almost immediately lost in the crowd, but he was able to follow Ron's brightly coloured hair through the crowds, and found himself standing in front of a carriage, with both twins, Hermione and Ron already sitting in it. He saw Luna touching the air, he had always known her to be quirky, but he had no idea what this behavior could be explained by. He shook it out of his head and boarded the carriage, and Luna came up after him.

Harry sat next to Eleanor, and smiled over at her.

"Here we go," he said. "The beginning of a new year at Hogwarts. It's exciting, isn't it?"

Luna smiled widely when Ainsley offered to take her into Hogsmeade so they could go dress shopping, she had never been someone to enjoy shopping for anything really. Luna just didn't see what was fun about walking around a store and trying on clothes before spending money, in fact she only went shopping when her clothes were gaining holes or looked ratty. Otherwise she was happy to wear her clothes until she couldn't wear them anymore, and even then she had patched up some of her clothes to make them last longer and just recently she had attempted to make her own clothes which was a bit harder than she first thought but it was something she was enjoying so far.

She stayed close to Ainsley as her sister was pulling the brunette through the crowd of students, once they had found a carriage Luna took a few seconds to walk over to the Thestral and lightly stroked the head. The creature could look scary but in Luna's eyes the Thestral was beautiful, it was a misunderstood creature and that was mostly because a lot of people couldn't actually see them and that caused fear in people. Even in wizards who knew what kind of creatures the magical world had, Luna knew how it was to be misunderstood and not thought about. Most students didn't seem to care what was pulling the carriages, they probably thought it was just magic and that there wasn't a creature pulling them along the road and up to the castle.

She smiled as she skipped over to the carriage and climbed up before she took a seat beside Ron and Hermione, it was pretty silent as the carriage begun to move. "I think this year will be very exciting," Luna smiled at the group as they sat there, until Ron decided to be the one who asked the question on everyone's mind. "What were you doing? It's magic that pulls the carriages, right?" Ron asked as he glanced over at Luna who was sitting beside him, he tended to be the one who asked the questions that no one else wanted to.

"No, it's not magic Ron. The Thestral pulls all the carriages," She explained which only made Ron even more confused, "Only people who have witnessed death will be able to see them." Luna continued on explaining even knowing that it could cause some awkwardness to land on the group, not that it was something that Luna cared to think about. Ron had asked the question and she was going to give him the answer.

---

Eleanor saw the light pink blush that formed across Ainsley's cheek and she wanted to find out what had made her sister blush, but right now they were surrounded by people so it wasn't the right time. But that didn't mind that Eleanor would forget about it, once she had climbed onto the carriage and waited for Luna to join them she smiled as they were getting closer to Hogwarts. She listened to what Luna told them about what was pulling the carriages and she did feel a little bad, these creatures that she couldn't see had to pull carriages full of students up to the castle. Part of her wanted to see what the Thestral looked like, but then she didn't want to witness death either.

She sat beside Ainsley and Harry as silence fell over them once Luna finished talking about the Thestral, "I wonder who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. I hope the Professor is nice," Eleanor spoke breaking the silence as she did like the class, but it wasn't her favourite that was taking but she knew how important it would be. She always tried her best but she wasn't the best when it came to defending herself, she didn't like the idea of harming someone or having someone use dark magic around her. But it could happen at anytime, she knew that better than anyone so the class would be useful at some point in her life.

However her question only gave Hermione a chance to begin talking about the rumor she had heard about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, she didn't know the name but Hermione was certain that it was going to be a man and someone that has a long history with Dumbledore which meant it could be many different people as Dumbledore knew more Wizards then Eleanor cared to think about.

Ainsley looked down at her feet when Luna was explaining the Thestrals to Ron. She felt horrible that not only had Luna lost someone, but that she had seen someone die. Ainsley couldn't imagine that. Her parents must be able to see the Thestrals, as they're always out carrying on Voldemort's dirty work. Ainsley shivered. What her parents did was horrible, and unforgivable. One of these days, there would be a stop to Voldemort. She was more eager than anything to figure out why.

She shook her head to clear the horrible thoughts she was having, and chimed in on the discussion about the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "Whomever he is, Snape is going to be in a right mood about him, I suggest steering clear of him this year." Ainsley knew better than anyone the amount of desire Professor Snape had for the position. She was actually not sure why Dumbledore kept the position from him; maybe he couldn't find a good Potions master? Snape was very good at his job, but it made him bitter and cold towards students who didn't excel in the class. She had seen him do a number on Gryffindor students, specifically Harry. She didn't find it fair.



Harry heard what Luna was saying about the Thestrals, and became confused. When he was just a baby, Voldemort had killed his mother right in front of him. He still sort of remembered it, in his dreams he would hear a woman scream, and there would be a bright green light. Did that not count? Was he too young to really remember? Either way, Harry hoped he would never see a Thestral.

When his friends began talking about the new Defense teacher, Harry perked up. It was his favorite class, and he was beyond excited to meet the new professor. His first year at Hogwarts, the Defense professor was harboring Lord Voldemort in the back of his skull and attempted to kill him for the Philosopher's stone. Luckily, Dumbledore and his friend Nicholas Flammel decided to destroy it, meaning that Nicholas would no longer be immortal. His second year at Hogwarts, the teacher was a complete nutcase, a Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart who obviously knew nothing about the job, and was more infatuated in himself than anything. He lost his memory down in the Chamber of Secrets when he tried to use Ron's broken wand to wipe their memories. Last year was the best year, when Professor Remus Lupin was teaching. He was great at his job, and he was such good friends with Harry's parents and was able to give him amazing memories to enjoy. Unfortunately, the fact that he was a werewolf just wouldn't cut it for Hogwarts, and Lupin returned home to do whatever it was that he did outside of teaching. Harry knew that any other professor after Lupin wouldn't be good enough, but he was hopeful.

Luna smiled when Ainsley's joined the subject that the group was talking about, she didn't hadn't thought about who was going to be the new Professor. She did however find it strange how many Professor's had been and gone while the group had started learning at Hogwarts, it wasn't even for any other subject other than Defense Against the Dark Arts. She had heard something about Tom Riddle cursing the subject when Professor Dumbledore didn't allowed him to teach the subject but she wasn't sure if that was correct or just a rumor, she wanted to believe it was a rumor but it was something that sounded like Lord Voldemort would do just because he didn't get his way.

She did push those thoughts from her mind as she focused on the people that she was sitting with, "I still miss Professor Lupin. He taught us so much and he was so nice, he always listened to my stories." She smiled as she had been fond of the Professor as he treated her like she was a sane person, which wasn't something she got often especially as she continued to tell stories about things that most people didn't believe were real or about things that they simply didn't care about. Luna was pretty sure that Professor Snape wouldn't even notice her, so she wouldn't have to watch out for him. He was normally always in a bad mood, so it wouldn't be anything unusual for Professor Snape to take it out on a few select students in every class that he had.

---

Eleanor smiled as she looked at her sister who was sitting beside her, "Even if we try to steer clear of him. I'm sure he'd still spot us within a crowd, he tends to do that with Gryffindor students." She spoke softly as she glanced over the group, Snape never did bother her usually which Eleanor was certain was because of who her parents are. Otherwise she would probably be treated much like Harry was, she hated how Snape treated Harry but she couldn't really do anything to change it. She had talked to Professor Dumbledore about it before but nothing had happened or changed, she was tempted to speak with the Headmaster again but he was always so busy. She was glad that Professor Snape taught Potions, he was good at it and Eleanor didn't feel like he deserved to teach the subject that he wanted because he wasn't the nicest person around.

She was curious as to why the class went through so many Professors but it wasn't something that she thought about too much, Dumbledore would have his reasons and that was lost on Eleanor and probably most other students.

"My least favorite class is probably Divinations. I mean, the idea behind it is cool, but Professor Trelawny is just crazy," Ainsley spoke. She remembered just last year, when Hermione had that fit and stormed out because she didn't have "the gift". What gift even was it? She didn't understand what she was looking at in tea leaves 90% of the time, and none of the other students seemed to get it either. But the batty old professor was so sure that certain students had a certain gift, and others didn't. They were able to to magic, for christsake! Was that not enough of a gift?

She turned her question to the group. "What's your least favorite classes, guys?" Harry, Hermione and Ron all spoke up almost immediately, and in sync when they shouted "POTIONS!" Ainsley felt a little uncomfortable, because potions happened to be her favorite. It wasn't really the fact that Snape favored her, but it was more the idea that she was excellent at potions. She had never mixed one up, she had never made a bad one. With potions it wasn't about spells and magic like the rest of the year was, it was something different, something that required a more complex way of thinking.

She looked to Luna, and asked her what her least favorite class was. She figured the conversation about the worst classes Hogwarts taught could carry them until they reached the Great Hall, and most of them had to go their separate ways. At least the Slytherin table was next to the Ravenclaw table, maybe her and Luna could still sit near each other to talk.



Harry smirked at what Eleanor said about Professor Snape. "It's true, it's like there's a very large bullseye planted on Gryffindor student's back, and Snape finds his pleasure in shooting the damn center," he mused angrily. He saw Hermione nod in agreement. "Even when a Gryffindor student is good at potions, he still hates them," she added. "Well, you have to remember that the bloke is the head of Slytherin house. We're Gryffindors! We're his natural enemy," Ron chimed in last. Harry nodded. Professor Snape was probably the worst person in the whole school, and he seemed to hate Harry the most. He spat out rumors about his father, made him seem like a disgrace. His father was the best man Harry had ever imagined. He died for Harry, and so did his mother. No one was allowed to insult his parents like that.

Harry had spoken to Dumbledore about him, but Dumbledore seemed to like Snape. Harry was certain that Snape was a Death Eater, how could Dumbledore trust him? He was working for Voldemort, and Dumbledore was blind if he wasn't able to see that. But he didn't dare mention it with Ainsley and Eleanor here. Their parents were Death Eaters, and he needed to make sure he didn't offend the girls. Besides, it's not like they were Death Eaters. In fact, the twins seemed like the furthest thing from Death Eaters. They were kind, funny, and even sweet. Harry couldn't imagine them following in their parents footsteps.

When Ainsley asked about their least favorite class, he spoke up just as Ron and Hermione did. "Potions!"

Luna didn't mind potions class, she loved the idea of making potions but she wasn't all that great at following the directions. "My least favourite class would have to be Divinations as well, but I still enjoy all the classes." Luna spoke as she did like the idea of what Divinations class was trying to try the students, but Professor Trelawny wasn't the best at actual teaching which was a little disappointing. However she was a lovely lady and did believe in what she was teaching, but there were only a few select students that enjoyed Divinations and continued to chose the class to study but Luna wasn't one of them surprisingly. She did like the idea of reading tea leaves and looking into a crystal ball but every time she had tried, she saw nothing at all so she didn't see the point in the class.

She smiled as she listened to what everyone was saying, she noticed that the carriage was getting closer to the castle and it only caused more excitement to fill her body as she couldn't wait to stay this year off. "I'm sure that Professor Snape will be much nicer this year," She commented as she did see the good in every person, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a Professor after you like Snape seemed to be after Harry. She hoped that things would begin to get better for Harry, he had gone through so much already that it wasn't fair on him. But she knew that she couldn't do anything to help him out, she would be there for him if he needed someone of course but that was about all she could do for him. At least that's what she felt like, she'd always support him because he was a good person.

---

Eleanor did agree with what Harry was saying about Snape, the Professor didn't even target all Gryffindor students although he did appear cold towards the entire house. But she didn't want to say anything else about the Professor because she knew that Ainsley loved Potions class and Snape had picked Ainsley out to be his favourite a while ago, Eleanor did like the class and was good at it but her sister was much better than she was. She just didn't like Snape all that much, "I don't really have a least favourite class." Eleanor shrugged her shoulders lightly as she couldn't really think of one, "I guess I'll agree with Ainsley and Luna. I really don't get Divinations," It was probably Eleanor's worst subject that she has taken at Hogwarts, she didn't see anything so she mustn't have the gift that Professor Trelawny was searching for in students.

That got them onto talking about Professor's that they liked and disliked, although there were more liked Professor's than not. And that conversation took them up to the castle, once the carriage had stopped Eleanor climbed down with the rest of the group and she always did hate this part of the night. It was time to part ways with her twin sister, it was only for a couple of hours but it was still time away from Ainsley. At times like this Eleanor was jealous of her sister, she was in the house that their parents and all their family have been in over the years. Their family still loved Ainsley and supported her, she wished that she was in Slytherin just so she could have her sister by her side. "I'll see you later," Eleanor looked at her twin as they stepped into Hogwarts and they all needed to get into the Great Hall before the first years were brought in, she leaned forward giving Ainsley a tight hug before they headed up a grand staircase that lead to the Great Hall.

Upon arrival, Ainsley looked to her twin for a solid rock in the middle of the endless sea of students. She smiled slightly and hugged her tight, nodding and saying that she would indeed see her after the feast. Ainsley hated this part of the journey, as she hated being away from her twin for so long. When they were first born, Ainsley and Eleanor were constantly together, they even shared a room up until the time they were 13. When one twin was hurting, the other knew about it. When Eleanor was getting her first tooth, Ainsley was crying. When Ainsley had a bad dream, Eleanor woke up screaming. It was how the girls had always been. Since they had began going to Hogwarts four years ago, things had changed. They had learned to spend more time away from each other, and how to make friends and form bonds with other people outside of the play groups their parents had made them go to, which were just full of other Death Eater's kids who wanted to grow up to be Death Eaters. Even as a child, the twins wanted nothing to do with their parent's line of work.

Ainsley headed down the long hall and sat down at the designated Slytherin table, across from her good friend, Adma Phoenix. Adma was a sweet girl, with long black hair and green eyes, and was one of the few who genuinely liked Ainsley because of who she was, and not because of who her parents were. They typically laughed and joked together, but they weren't close friends by a longshot. Adma wasn't the type of person Ainsley would go telling her deepest secrets to, but she was a good friend to have in classes.

Her and Adma were deep in conversation about their predictions for the school year when Luna sat down behind Ainsley. The brunette grinned, and turned to include Luna in their conversation. Ainsley was happy when Adma accepted the blonde in with no judgement. She knew Luna was referred to as "Loony Lovegood", and after tonight Ainsley realized how unfair that was to the girl. Luna was sweet, one of the nicest people she had ever met at Hogwarts. Just because she had different views than most of the other students didn't make her crazy. It made her unique. Ainsley really enjoyed Luna's unique qualities.



Harry looked over at Eleanor when she finished hugging her sister. "Did you want to sit near us?" he asked her, testing the waters. Eleanor usually sat on the complete other side of the table from him, but he figured it was worth asking. When he saw her nod and smile, Harry's heart soared. He had been waiting for years to work up the nerve to talk to Eleanor, and finally he had his chance to really get to know her. He had the rest of the year to get to know everything about her he possibly could, and so long as she was willing, he was ready to use up the year to the best of his advantage. He wanted to know everything about her; her favorites, the things she hated, the things that made her happy, the things that made her upset, and everything in between. They headed for the Gryffindor table.

Shortly after they sat down, Professor McGonagall led in the first year students. Harry always liked this part, remembering his time underneath the Sorting Hat. He had basically gotten to choose his house, as he kept repeating to the Hat that he wanted "anything but Slytherin". The Hat had listened, and gave him what he asked for by placing him in Gryffindor, which was basically Slytherin's well behaved brother. The two houses were actually incredibly similar in the traits they possessed. But Slytherin House was always seen as evil.

Once the Sorting finished, Dumbledore rose and began to make an announcement, but it wasn't his typical "welcome back to Hogwarts" speech. Instead, he was introducing two other Wizarding schools who would be spending time at Hogwarts this year. Almost as soon as he finished the announcement, the doors slammed open and a flock of gorgeous girls in blue came dancing into the Great Hall.

"Students of Hogwarts, this is the Beaxbaton Academy of Magic, lead by the lovely Madame Olympe Maxime."

"That's one hell of a woman," Seamus Finnigan breathed upon seeing Madame Maxime. Harry couldn't disagree. The woman was practically a giant, taller and narrower than their own Rubeus Hagrid. Harry had for sure never seen a larger woman in his life. He looked over to Ron, who was completely enamored with the girls from the Academy. He smiled as Hermione whacked his head with a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Following Beaxbaton Academy is the Durmstrang Institute, lead by Igor Karkaroff," Dumbledore announced. When the doors opened again, a galley of men came rushing through the doors, some of them walking ferociously towards the end of the hall, others doing acrobatics, or breathing fire. Walking along next to Igor Karkaroff, was none other than-

"Bloody Hell!" Ron shouted. "That's Viktor Krum!"

Viktor Krum was the seeker on Bulgaria's Quidditch team, which Harry, Ron, and Hermione had seen this past summer at the World Cup. Viktor Krum had technically lost the game to Ireland, but Krum caught the Snitch, which ended the game on his terms. Ron thought he was an absolute legend.

"I have invited these students here for a reason. A very dangerous reason," spoke Dumbledore when the school had settled down. "They will be sharing our castle, because this year, Hogwarts will be home to the Triwizard Tournament!" At these words, Dumbledore whipped out his wand, and with a florish, took the cloth cover off a lump that was sitting in front of him. Under the cloth was the most beautiful chalice Harry had ever seen. It was smokey blue and made of glass and iron, truly a cup for champions. But what was the Triwizard Tournament?

"Eternal glory! That's what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament, but to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks." Harry looked over to see Fred and George Weasley grinning at each other. They were probably going to attempt the Tournament, most likely because of the "three dangerous tasks" part. But the words Dumbledore spoke next ruined that plan.

"Students must be 17 years or older to enter, no questions." At this, most of the students in Hogwarts began to boo.