If You've Got the Nerve

“I told you not to do it,” I reminded him in a singing tone. Fred sat on top of the stark white sheets that Madam Pomfrey provided for everyone that was sent up to the Hospital Wing. Lee and George had been here earlier with him, though Lee only came to fulfill his amusement.

Earlier at breakfast, Fred and George had attempted to put their names in the Goblet of Fire with the help of an aging potion that they had cooked up themselves. Lee had also taken a drop of the potion with every intention of joining his friends, but the results of the test had come back before he could step past the Age Line that Dumbledore had drawn around the cup. It was a good thing for him. Only seconds after the twins had stepped over the boundary, they had been launched back past it with matching silver beards. I hadn’t arrived at breakfast until after the three friends had trekked up to the Hospital Wing, but a Hufflepuff had happily explained what had happened after I asked if he had seen them.

Now I sat in a slightly uncomfortable chair by Fred’s bedside. He was clean shaven again, but still resting in the hospital bed. Lee and George had left to snag some food from the kitchen so that we could all have the meal that we’d missed.

“Ah, I suppose it’s too late to try anything else,” he thought aloud while staring at the ceiling. He didn’t seem too disappointed by the failed plan. That was a Weasley for you; always optimistic. I smiled at him, watching his thoughtful expression. I knew he just wasn’t showing his disappointment though. He always did that.

“It would have been cool to see you in there though. I’m sure you could have beaten any of those Durmstrang boys,” He turned his head to look at me and smiled.

“Well, then I don’t have to prove it to you anymore.” I let out a laugh. Silence fell between us and I busied myself with picking through a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans that Madam Pomfrey had been kind enough to supply. I was basking in my luck of finding a pleasant pudding flavored bean when Fred finally spoke up.

“So what’s up with that True kid?” I stared at him in confusion for a moment before it finally hit me who he must be referring to.

“You mean Vinny?”

“Yeah,” his arms were crossed and he was staring at the ceiling with a much different expression than before. His brow was furrowed and his lips were pressed together in a slightly dipping line.

“I mean, he came over all of a sudden wanting to introduce you to his brother but he didn’t even know your name?” I frowned.

“Well, we only just started talking in Divination class,” he snorted. I knew he didn’t have much patience for that class. I put the box of sweets down and crossed my own arms before continuing, “We started talking in Divination that day that Malfoy was being a prat about your father and you and George rushed me off to the Great Hall before I could ever give him my name.”

“Still…” he didn’t lose his tense expression. I continued to stare at him, waiting for him to continue. He turned to look at me again with a softer expression but didn’t get to say any more.

Lee flung open the door with his free hand. He was grinning broadly until he lost his footing and tumbled to the ground. All of the food he had been carrying fell with him. The loud crash echoed around the almost empty space loudly. It was enough to give anyone a headache. George jumped over his friend with his own armful of food. He was laughing at the look on Lee’s face as he lay among the scattered dishes and parcels.

“You two are lucky Madam Pomfrey has gone to get more herbs from Professor Sprout.” I stated blankly. They both grinned at me. Lee scrambled up and began collecting everything from the ground and stacking it haphazardly on the table beside Fred’s bed. George dropped his load among the stacks. Fred was up popping open a bottle of Butterbeer in an instant. George tossed a bottle to me and Lee as well. The earlier conversation with Fred was forgotten as we listened to the update of who had entered.

“Everyone from the other schools has entered themselves. That cup’s going to have a fun time picking,” George said through a mouthful of food.

“Angelina’s entered,” Lee added. Fred perked up at these words.

“Has she? Well if anyone can show them how it’s done, it’ll be Angelina.” I nodded my agreement, too engrossed in the still warm rolls that Lee had brought along from the kitchen to give a proper input.

A sudden thought hit me, “Do you think Artem entered?” The question was more aimed at Fred than anyone. He didn’t seem to care about the answer though and merely shrugged. George and Lee seemed interested though.

“Who’s Artem?”

“Vinny’s brother. He introduced us both to him before Dumbledore showed us the Goblet.”

“Speaking of last night,” Fred interjected, “What was up with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, after they took out the Goblet you just kind of zoned out. You didn’t respond to anything and just kept staring at it.”

“It was kind of creepy,” Lee added in. I wasn’t too eager to relive the events from last night so
I only shrugged. It wasn’t that important anyway. I was probably just imagining things again. With all the excitement about the tournament and rumors flying like crazy, who wouldn’t have their imagination running wild?

“So how was the World Cup, anyway? You know, besides getting attacked by Death Eaters and all.” Lee put in after seeing I wasn't going to talk.

“Brilliant!” the twins chimed together. I took sips from George’s Pumpkin Juice while he and Fred went in to detail about the match, Lee listening intently.

I couldn’t help but watch Fred as he went through a particularly complicated formation that the Irish had pulled off. There was that familiar spark in his eyes that only showed when he talked about Quidditch. Talking about the sport was also one of the only times he used his hands to talk. He always seemed to get so absorbed in it that he didn’t notice his exaggerated actions anymore. A constant grin spread across his face that reached ear to ear and added to the shine in his eyes. That smile was one of the things I really loved about my best friend. He was always smiling, but this kind of smile was something that was a little more rare with him.

Every so often his eyes would land on me and I would return his smile. He would grin ever broader at me then go back to helping his brother explain the entire match to Lee.

Part of my mind went back to last night when I had been introduced to Vinny’s brother. Artem was someone who was extremely handsome and he brought out the pretty features mostly when he smiled. Fred, on the other hand, always had his handsome features in plain view and they only seemed to increase when he smiled like this. Maybe it was just because he smiled so much that he always looked, for lack of a better word, gorgeous. I concentrated on him in an attempt to place the reason.

“And then Krum got to the Snitch,” George finished with a dramatic wave of his hand.

“One hundred and seventy to one hundred and sixty,” Fred said with his grin still spread across his face. In a hurried motion, I sat up straight in my seat. It was only when the twins had stopped their recall of the World Cup that I realized what I had been doing. I messed up my hair a bit in an attempt to get a curtain to fall over my red face.

Lee, who had been staring at the twins in amazement throughout the entire story, leaned back in his chair again. “Wish I could have been there,” he said in a far off tone.

“Come on,” I piped up after suddenly noticing the darkening skies, “It’s almost time for the feast, isn’t it? And we’ll be seeing who the champions are as well.” All three of them shot up and over towards the door with me closely following.

We made it to the feast and situated ourselves close to the front so that we could see clearly. The Goblet sat at the front of the hall in all its glory. I froze up a bit when the blue flames came in sight. I pulled myself away from it long enough to take my seat between the twins.

Everyone in the hall was talking excitedly. They all seemed anxious for the feast to end and the selection to begin. I was just as excited as them. When the food finally vanished from the golden plates, a hushed silence strangled the air. Fred and George were leaning forward eagerly in their seats. I was tapping the table softly in and twitchy manner.

Dumbledore explained the procedure to the silent students and we were finally left to wait impatiently. The blue and white flames waved lazily in their place and, for once, I wasn’t the only one completely hypnotized by them. Suddenly, the flames burst almost angrily in to a harsh red color and sparks flew out like wound up pixies. A charred parchment was lifted in to the air. I sucked in a gulp of air in surprise like the rest of the surrounding people.

“The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum!” a loud wave of applause erupted at Dumbldore’s booming words. I watched the familiar Quidditch player march up to Dumbledore proudly then leave to the back chamber where he would wait for the other two champions.

When the applause settled down, the same display of sparks erupted from the cup. The Beauxbatons champion was a girl named Fleur Delacour. She also held herself proudly with a bright smile spreading across her smooth face. Finally, the loudest applause yet exploded around us when it was announced that Cedric Diggory would be the Hogwarts champion. Quite a few Gryffindors, including myself, were upset that it wasn’t Angelina or someone else from their own house, but I cheered along with the others. Cedric was skilled from what I heard, and he didn’t look too cocky and unbearable. He walked up to the front with a broad grin that was almost bashful. At least, he’d been nice from what I’d seen of him over the summer.

I turned with a grin to Fred who answered my smile with his own. I could tell he couldn’t wait until the challenges started up. No doubt he and his brother had plans for a bit of money making. In a whisper going unnoticed due to Dumbledore’s resumed speech, I spoke to him, “I bet you anything Fleur – ”

I stopped talking, my jaw going slightly slack. He stared at me confused before turning his head to follow my shocked gaze. His whole body was soon turned to face the blazing cup. A burned bit of parchment flew out and towards Dumbledore on a river of red fire. He grabbed it and another, completely different silence fell before he announced a fourth, final, and all too familiar name.