I Can't Stop Digging the Way You Make Me Feel

"Oi, wake up you lot!"

Mrs. Weasley's voice rang loudly in the room even though, when Emilie opened her eyes, she was standing in the doorway five feet away.

"What time is it?" Emilie groaned sleepily

“It’s a little past nine, but we’re leaving in an hour for the train station.”

Emilie stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes and pushing her messy hair out of her face.

“Good girl. Would you mind waking up Fred and George? I have to get the others up.”

Emilie nodded and Mrs. Weasley smiled graciously before leaving the doorway. Emilie stretched and smoothed out her wrinkled clothes, only to notice then that she was on the floor and Fred was lying outstretched on his stomach in front of her. She looked around for George and found him directly behind her, lying on his back. Emilie must’ve accidentally fallen asleep on him when her, George, and Fred were finishing and packing up order forms. Emilie shook both twins but they didn’t move or make a sound. She looked around and spotted two glasses of water on the nightstand. She grabbed the two glasses and dumped it on the twins. Fred flipped over and sat up.

“Bloody hell Emilie, why are you up so early?”

“Your mum just came to wake us up. We’re leaving for school today, remember?”

Fred groaned but cooperated. He got out of bed and went out the door to his and George’s room. George, however, still didn’t move. Emilie looked at him when she suddenly got an idea.

“Georgie, wake up!” Emilie yelled loudly in his ear

George’s eyes snapped open and he jumped up, running out the door. Emilie stood up straight and laughed. George came back in the room a couple of seconds later, glaring at her. For the first time that morning, Emilie realized he had no shirt on.

“My job here is done. And for goodness sake, get some bloody manners and put a shirt on when there’s a girl in the room.”

Emilie pushed him back out of her room and stood in the doorway, making sure he wouldn’t come back. Before going back in her room, she quickly glanced back at George’s shirtless figure and smiled impressively and then shut and locked. She then changed into a simple purple tee and a pair of jeans. Emilie pulled her naturally curly hair back in a messy ponytail and finished packing all of her clothes, shoes, and school and prank supplies. She then put her sandals on and headed downstairs.

“Emilie dear, do you want some breakfast?” Mrs. Weasley asked from the kitchen

“No, I’m fine. I’ll probably just get something on the train.”

“Oh, rubbish. That food will rot your teeth and your insides. Here, take an apple.” Mrs. Weasley said, coming into the living room with a bright shiny apple in her hand. Emilie knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer, so she took it. Mrs. Weasley smiled sweetly and then went to the bottom step of the staircase.

“Come on, you lot! We’re leaving in five minutes and if you’re not down here, you won’t be going to school! And trust me; you actually want to be going to school this year.”

As Mrs. Weasley moved away from the bottom step, Fred and George came downstairs, dragging their trunks behind them. George glared at Emilie when he saw her and Emilie smirked.

“Why would we ever actually want to go to school this year?” Fred asked

“I can’t tell you. I’m sure Dumbledore will tell you at the feast. You’ll love it, I promise.” Mrs. Weasley smiled a knowing smile and Fred just nodded his head unenthusiastically and unconvinced.

A couple of minutes later, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron came downstairs with their trunks and we all headed out to the Ministry provided car. Everybody packed their trunks in on top of one another, squeezed themselves in, and headed off to Kings Cross Station. When they got there, they headed straight towards Platform 9 ¾. They all went through the barrier and the familiar scarlet train that was the Hogwarts Express came into view.

“Alright, you lot best be off. Have a good school year. Be good you three.” Mrs. Weasley said, looking directly at Emilie and the twins

“What would make her think we misbehaved during school?” George asked sincerely

Emilie smirked as he and Fred got on the train. Before she got on, she turned back to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

“Thank you both so, so much for having me stay with you this summer again.” She hugged them both tightly

“Oh Emilie dear, you are more than welcome anytime. Have a fantastic school year, love.”

The train whistle sounded loudly and Emilie quickly hopped on with her luggage. As the train started slowly rolling out of Kings Cross, she wandered down the hall until she found the compartment that Fred and George were in. She found them in no time and also saw Katie and Alyssa in there.

“Hello ladies!” Emilie exclaimed

Fred and George protested in the background as Katie and Alyssa stood up to hug her. Emilie pulled away and looked at them.

“I’m not taking it back.” Emilie said as she sat down

“You are a terrible person.” Fred said

“No, you’re just being bitter. So, you two, tell me about your trips!” Emilie wittily responded, turning her attention to Katie and Alyssa

“Mine was good, as always. It’s basically the same routine every year. I visit my grandparents and hang out with my cousins and all that.”

“Do you see many other witches and wizards up there?” Emilie asked

“There all mostly Muggles, but we have managed to spot out witches and wizards.”

“We should try wizard-hunting amongst Muggles sometimes. Could be fun.” Katie said

“After a while, it’s really not hard to pick them out. Enough about me; how was Spain, my dear Kathleen?”

“I can sum it up and save you the trouble of going with three simple words: hot, humid, and disappointing. I personally didn’t really think it was as incredible as everybody’s made it out to be. And the hotel we were at had no air conditioning and the temperature almost every day was in the mid-90s. And that’s all, really.”

“Okay, Spain is coming off my list of places to go.” Emilie said

“Good thinking. So, what amazingly wicked pranks do you two have for tomorrow?” Alyssa asked

Fred, George, and Emilie looked at one another and smirked.

“A secret for us to know and you to find out.” Fred responded

He winked at the two girls across from then and they laughed. Emilie stood up on the seat and started digging through her trunk. She grabbed her sizzling deck of Exploding Snap cards and looked back at her friends.

“Exploding Snap, anyone?”

“Wait until the lady with the trolley comes around. We can bet candy instead of money.” Alyssa suggested

“Which should be any minute now.” George said

Emilie closed her trunk and suddenly they all heard the voice of the trolley lady speaking loudly as she walked past the compartments.

“Kudos.” Katie said

George smirked and the five of them took some money out of their pockets. When the trolley lady finally came around to their compartment, they stocked up on Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Licorice Wands, Pumpkin Pasties, Chocoballs, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, and others. They divvied up the candy equally and the game began. For the next two hours, they played many rounds, which made the time on the train pass more quickly.

“I’m done getting burned. I’m out.” Emilie said, laying down her cards

“Yeah, me too.” Alyssa said

“How old are these cards, Em? Usually cards don’t burn you this bad unless their old.” George asked

“Um, let’s see, I’ve had them since our second year. So, four years.”

“Well, guess what you’re getting for Christmas.” Fred said

“Way to ruin the bloody surprise.” Emilie complained. The train suddenly began to slow down just slightly but still noticeable by everyone in the compartment.

“Boys leave. We’re changing in here.” Alyssa declared

The twins, whilst protesting, grabbed their robes and kept up their protesting as they were pushed out of the compartment. Emilie grabbed her robes out of her trunk and put her skirt on over her shorts, took those off, and then put her white blouse on over the tank top she had underneath t-shirt.

“The twins are looking really good.” Alyssa smirked, laughing just a little bit

“You thought so too?! God, I thought it was just me. I dunno what it is, but whatever it is, it’s totally working for them.” Katie exclaimed

Emilie laughed silently to herself, shaking her head at her crazy friends.

‘Yeah, go ahead and think your friends are crazy, but you were totally checking George out this morning, don’t even try to deny it. Quidditch has done wonders for him. Let’s not forget how worried he was about you at the World Cup. And let’s DEFINITELY not forget the couple times since the World Cup that you’ve blushed by his presence.’

There was a loud rapping on the door, interrupting Emilie’s thoughts, and Alyssa let the twins back in. The train suddenly came to an abrupt halt and everybody grabbed their trunks. They got off the train and stepped onto the platform at the train station in Hogsmeade, where a line of carriages was waiting for the students. The five of them squished into one and headed up to the school. When the carriage pulled up to the Entrance hall doors, they grabbed their trunks, went inside, and set them at the bottom of the staircase with everybody else’s. The warm, welcoming atmosphere of the Great Hall practically beckoned the five Gryffindors inside and they took a seat in the middle of Gryffindor table, Emilie, Katie, and Alyssa on one side and the twins on the other. When everybody was seated, Professor McGonagall came in with the new batch of first years. After a half an hour of sorting the new students, Professor Dumbledore stood up.

“Tuck in.” He said simply

A chorus of ‘hear, hear’ rang across the student body and the food magically appeared. Emilie piled tons of food onto her plate and started eating heartily and chatting with people she hadn’t seen all summer. A little ways down the table, she overheard Ron talking to Harry and Hermione with his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

“Ron!” Emilie said, my voice somewhat raised

“Wha--?”

Ron looked at Emilie, little bits of food hanging out from his mouth. She laughed and shook her head.

“Nothing.”

“Hey, what do you suppose is with all of the extra people eating with the teachers?” George asked

Everybody looked up to the front of the hall and saw what George saw: a number of other wizards and witches dining with the professors, all looking official but unrecognizable. Emilie shrugged.

“I bet it has to do with that exciting thing that your mum and my mum mentioned. We’ll find out soon, eh?”

At that moment, the food had disappeared but the students continued to chat happily. Many sat back with their hands on their stomachs, which had been stuffed silly by the delicious feast. Dumbledore came back up to his podium and the hall fell silent.

“Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts. Now that we’re all settled in and sorted, I have an announcement to make. It is my painful duty to announce that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year.”

Fred, George, Harry, Katie, and Emilie, all being big Quidditch players, were the loudest protesters at the Gryffindor table.

“This better not be the exciting thing that’s happening this year.” Fred mumbled

“This year, Hogwarts has been chosen to play host to a legendary event: the Triwizard Tournament. The Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school, a student from each school 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, now, please help me greet the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Maxime.”

The doors of the Great Hall suddenly burst open and a line of very pretty girls walked in. Fred and George, amongst every other guy in the Hall, whistled and applauded in approval as they got to the front and sat down.

“Great. They’re just what this school needs.” Alyssa said grimly

“Stupid French whores.” Katie whispered quietly.

Emilie laughed under her breath and George sent a smirk her way, which she replied by rolling her eyes humorously.

“And now, please welcome the proud sons of Durmstrang and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!”

The doors opened again and group of guys came through with serious looks on their faces. They marched down the middle of the hall just as the girls had done, receiving a wave of whispers across the girls of Hogwarts. Suddenly, a familiar face entered the hall.

“Viktor Krum?” Emilie whispered as he passed by. That same whisper came from not just the mouth of the girls, but also the guys as well, particularly those who were at the Quidditch World Cup. Dumbledore greeted Durmstrang’s headmaster while the students sat at the Slytherin table.

“Great, thanks to those slimy gits, the Durmstrang students will now be corrupted.” Katie muttered as a group of six men brought in a very large castle-like statue. Dumbledore stood in front of it and the Hall immediately fell silent.

“Eternal glory. That is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament. But to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks.”

“Wicked.” Fred and George smirked widely and spoke simultaneously. Emilie looked at them and smiled.

“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 Magical Cooperation, Mr. Bartemius Crouch.”

As the very recognizable Mr. Crouch from the Ministry of Magic got up from his place at the table and walked to where Dumbledore stood, there was suddenly a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder outside which, because of the ceiling, lit up and echoed in the entire Hall. Some people screamed and then it abruptly cleared away with a wand entering the Great Hall. The entire Hall looked beyond the teacher’s long table and saw a man with a limp, grizzled hair, and a swerving magical eye.

“Isn’t that Moody? The Auror, Moody?” Emilie whispered across the table

“Yeah, it is. What in blazes is he doing here?” George whispered back

She shrugged and turned her attention back towards Moody. Dumbledore greeted him like an old friend and Moody then went to stand behind the teacher’s table.

“What do you suppose is in his flask?” Alyssa asked as Moody secretly snuck a sip from a flask he had kept inside his coat. Both Fred and George looked at each other and then at her, stating the obvious.

“No way.” Alyssa said, shaking her head

“Think about it…he’s an ex-Auror who is living alone and is supposedly mad as a hatter. Are you telling me that he’s not going to be nipping the bottle a little bit?” Emilie said

“It’s the route my grandparents took. Our Christmases are much more entertaining nowadays.” Katie proudly said

Emilie gave Alyssa a ‘see-what-I-mean’ look and turned her attention back up to the front. The Hall silenced again and waited for Mr. Crouch to speak.

“After due consideration, 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 Triwizard Tournament.”

After the age was spoken, nobody heard the end of Mr. Crouch’s explanation. People started yelling against the Ministry’s seemingly unfair and stupid rule.

“That’s rubbish! Rubbish!” Fred yelled

“You don’t know what you’re doing!” George also yelled

“Silence!” Dumbledore yelled loudly over the large student body

Everybody who was yelling immediately stopped protesting. With a wave of his wand, the statue began to melt and a brown goblet appeared, immediately erupting blue frames.

“The Goblet of Fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament need only write their name on a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Halloween night. Do not do so lightly. If chosen, there’s no turning back. As from this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun. Now, off to bed I think. Pip, pip.”

The Hall was suddenly a buzz of excitement as people got up from their house tables and headed out. On the way up to Gryffindor Tower, Emilie, Katie, and Alyssa talked excitedly about the tournament while Fred and George sulked behind them, deep in thought.

“There has to be a way around the Goblet of Fire. We turn seventeen in April. It’s hardly fair.” Fred said as they entered the welcoming atmosphere that made up the Gryffindor Common Room.

“The Ministry has a good reason to allow over-aged wizards to participate. People die in this tournament.” Katie said, standing next to the girls’ staircase

“Yeah, but things have improved since last time. New spells have been figured out and we’re learning them at a younger age.”

“You’ll never be able to trick it.” Alyssa muttered

Fred and George nodded and winked.

“Just wait and see, love. We’ll do it.” Fred said

“Do y’know what I just realized? With no Quidditch, we won’t be able to jinx Malfoy’s broom!” Emilie said sadly

“Don’t worry love, we’ll think of something else.” George said reassuringly, giving her a friendly side hug.

Emilie returned it and then gave Fred a hug as well. After bidding goodnight, the girls headed upstairs to their familiar dorms. Emilie grabbed her pajamas out of her trunk, quickly put them on, and crawled into bed. As Maddie and Alyssa got ready for bed, Emma took out a piece of parchment and her quill and wrote her parents a letter, letting them know she arrived safely. She turned off the light after Katie and Alyssa got into bed and the girls fell asleep quickly, thinking of the exciting year ahead of them.