The Golden Quartet: Year 4

Chapter 9

"You did what?" Astrid looked up at Harry from her eggs. They were in the Great Hall, eating breakfast the next morning when Harry had informed his three friends that he had woken up early to send Sirius a letter telling him not to bother coming because he probably just 'imagined' his scar hurting.

"You lied, Harry!" Hermione scolded. "You didn't imagine your scar hurting and you know it."

"So what?" Harry said. "He's not going back to Azkaban because of me."

"Harry, look, it doesn't even matter..." Astrid took a swig of her pumpkin juice.

"Thanks I thought you'd be upset-"

"It doesn't matter because he's not going to listen." Astrid stated, placing down her goblet. "You really think you writing, 'oh I just imagined my scar hurting oops no need to fuss' is going to fool my parents?" Astrid scoffed and shook her head. "Send as many letters as you want - it won't make a difference."

Over the next couple of weeks, Astrid noticed Harry looking anxiously around every morning, waiting for a letter to arrive from Sirius. Neither Astrid or Athena had even received a letter from their mother. Astrid wasn't worried one bit though, unlike Harry. She knew nothing could stop her mother from doing something she set her mind to.

One thing that really had a good tendency of keeping Harry and Astrid's mind off Sirius was Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.

"But - but you said its illegal, Professor," Hermione said in uncertainty as Moody cleared the middle of the room waving his wand, moving the desks. "You said - to use it against another human was-"

"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," Moody said, his magical eye swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie stare. "If you'd rather learn it the hard way - when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely - fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

He pointed a gnarled finger toward the door.

Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave.

Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Astrid watched as, one by one, her classmates did the most outrages things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of astonishing gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. None of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse and each recovered only when Moody released them.

When Astrid had first learned about the Unforgivable Curses from her mother, Astrid would use it to threaten Athena whenever they'd fight. "I'll Imperius you!" she'd shout at her older sister.

Amilia soon put a stop to it, explaining even more in depth what the curses meant. How it was too cruel to do - to even threaten to use. Astrid understood why people would feel that way about the Killing Curse, and the Torture Curse, but she thought the Imperius Curse seemed like fun and not at all unforgivable.

"Well, then, let's see if you forgive me when I do it to you," Amilia had said as she pulled out her wand and put her youngest daughter under the Imperius Curse. Astrid went rigid, and then she began to move, walking from the kitchen to the living room where a warm fire was, keeping the room warm. Astrid moved closer to the fire.

"Mummy? What are you going to do...?" Athena asked, tugging on her mother's shirt.

"I'm going to teach her a hard lesson. Under this curse, I can make her do anything. Even burn herself." Amilia said as Astrid stopped a few inches from the fire.

"No, mummy!" Athena cried.

"Fight it, Astrid," Astrid's hand reached out towards the fire, slowly getting closer. "Fight it."

"Mummy, please!" Athena shouted and then reached and pulled her mother's wand from her grasp and threw it.

Immediately Astrid fell back and away from the fire and started crying. Athena ran over to her little sister and hugged her.

"You've learned two lessons today, Astrid. That Unforgivable Curses are all unforgivable. And that you've got a very good sister who you shouldn't threaten to curse," Amilia said, picking up her wand. "I don't want you to forgive me, Astrid. I just want you to understand."

And Astrid did understand. And she never forgot. And though she never brought it up, she never did forgive her mother for such a harsh lesson at such a young age.

"Look at that, you lot!" Moody's voice pulled Astrid out of her own memories. "Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! They'll have trouble controlling you!"

Harry moved and up next was Astrid. "Ah, yes, let's see if you'll be able to fight it off, Black." He raised his wand, "Imperio!"

Astrid felt that same control come over her.

Spin around, a voice said in her head.

Astrid stumbled a little.

Spin around, it said again more sternly.

But another voice began to leak into Astrid's mind. Fight it.

Her mother's voice was there, growing louder over the other voice. Fight it, Astrid. Fight it.

Spin...

"No!" Astrid flourished her wand and Moody's flew right out of his hand and the class gasped.

Moody smirked. "Well, will you look at that. Not only was she able to overcome the curse, but she managed to disarm me as well. Very good, Black, very good."

~~~

Everyone quickly noticed that all the professors were putting the students through their paces. There seemed to be a large increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term.

"You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!" McGonagall stated when they groaned about the amount of work they had just received from her. "Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer-"

"We don't take O.W.L.s till fifth year!" Dean Thomas said indignantly.

"Maybe not, Thomas but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get! Miss. Granger and Miss. Black are still the only ones who have managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. I might remind you that your pincushion, Thomas, still curls up in fright if anyone approaches with a pin!"

Hermione, who had turned rather pink, seemed to be trying not to look too pleased with herself, while Astrid yawned and laid her head down on her desk.

After all their lessons, the four headed from Hagrid's to the Great Hall for dinner, found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students surrounding there, all looking at a sign that was erected on the door.

Ron, being the tallest of the four, stood on his tiptoe and read, "Triwizard Tournament. The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on friday the 30th of October. Lessons will end half an hour early. Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast."

"Only a week away!" Ernie Macmillan, emerged from the crowd his eyes gleaming. "I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him..."

"Cedric?" Ron said blankly.

"Diggory, Ron." Astrid stated.

"He must be entering the tournament." Harry said.

"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?" Ron said as they pushed their way through the crowd.

"He's not an idiot. You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch" Hermione said. "I've heard he's a really good student - and he's a prefect."

"You only like him because he's handsome," Ron said scathingly.

"Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!" Hermione said indignantly.

Ron snorted, "Lockhart!"

During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation no matter where they went: the Triwizard Tournament. People were wondering who'd be the Hogwarts Champion, what the tournament would involve, and how the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from themselves.

When they went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October, the found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls each of them representing a Hogwarts House. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, raven, badger, and snake united around a large letter H.

The four of them sat down beside Fred and George and Athena at the Gryffindor table.

"Its a bummer, all right," George was saying gloomily to Fred. "But if he won't talk to us in person we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid is forever."

"Who's avoiding you?" Ron asked, sitting down next to him.

"Wish you would," Fred said, looking irritated at the interruption.

"What's a bummer?" Ron asked George.

"Having a nosy git like you for a brother," George said.

Athena rolled her eyes, "Oh, its just about-"

"Sssshhhhh, Athena, its none of his bloody business!" Fred whispered harshly and Athena sighed, rolled her eyes once more, and continued to eat breakfast.

"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?" Harry asked. "Thought any more about trying to enter?"

"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling," George said bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon."

"Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" Ron said thoughtfully. "You know, I bet we could do them. We've done dangerous stuff before..."

"Ron's right, we could get picked and win it easily!" Astrid stated.

"Not likely," Athena said. "McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks. You lot break every rule there is to accomplish your goal."

"I say making sure Voldy didn't get his hands on the Philosophers Stone, saving Ginny and again, making sure Voldy didn't come back, and going up against werewolves and Dementors and living qualifies as doing a task well," Astrid said matter-of-factly and again Athena rolled her eyes.

"Any idea who the judges are?" Harry asked.

"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," Hermione said, "because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage."

She noticed everyone was staring at her and with her usual impatience that nobody else read all the books she said, "It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Though of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School."

"What are you on about?" Ron said, though both Harry and Astrid were aware of what Hermione was getting at.

"House-elves!" Hermione said, her eyes flashing. "Not once, in over a thousand pages, does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!"

"Hermione," Astrid said in a frustrated tone, "you've got to respect the house-elves way of life."

"And what a cruel way of life it is! How could I possibly respect it? They don't even know any other way of life because of the hundreds of years of enslavement!" Hermione said in an indignant tone.

"Listen, have you ever been down in the kitchens, Hermione?" George asked.

"No, of course not," Hermione said curtly, "I hardly think students are supposed to-"

"Well, we have," George said. "Loads of times, to nick food. And we've met them, and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world-"

"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!" Hermione began hotly.

Thankfully just then owls began swooping in for posts. They all turned and watched as Hedwig soared down carrying a letter. Astrid though noticed, Athena's hawke, Aldara sore down and land gracefully by Athena. Xander, Astrid's hawke, must still be with her mother, she thought.

Harry quickly unwrapped his letter and began to read it out, "Nice try Harry. I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar. Sirius."

Astrid leaned over to Athena, "What's yours say?"

"Hm?" She put down the letter. "Just the usual. 'Hope you're doing well. Watch over your sister. Your father and I are fine, no need to worry. And I love you.'" Athena folded the letter back up and tucked it into her backpack.

~~~

When classes were over Harry, Astrid, Ron, and Hermione hurried up to the Gryffindor Tower, put their bags and books away, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.

The Head of Houses were ordering their students into lines.

"Weasley, straighten your tie," Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. "Follow me please. First years in front... no pushing..."

They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest.

"Nearly six," Ron said. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?"

"I doubt it," Hermione said.

"How then? Broomsticks?" Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky.

"No way. Could you imagine flying from that far, and for that long?" Astrid said.

"A portkey?" Ron suggested. "Or they could Apparate-"

"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?" Hermione said impatiently.

"Aha!" Dumbledore called out a few moments later. "Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

"There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest.

Something large was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" shrieked a first year.

"Don't be stupid... it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey.

But he was closer. As the light from the castle hit it, it was revealed to be a gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all the size of an elephant.

Quickly and with a few bounces and a skid, the horses and the carriage landed and came to a halt.

The door to the carriage swung open and Astrid saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerge from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled - and then the largest woman she had ever seen stepped out. A few people gasped.

As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large black eyes, and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore began to clap and the students soon followed his lead.

Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore took and kissed it.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr." Madame Maxime said in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form I thank you," Dumbledore said.

"My pupils," Madam Maxime said, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

They turned and now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madam Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their baby-blue robes seemed to be made of silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. They were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.

"'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madam Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," Dumbledore said. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would ou prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," Madam Maxime said. "But ze 'orses-"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," Dumbledore said, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges."

"Skrewts," Ron muttered and Astrid and Harry grinned.

"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," Madam Maxime said, looking as though she doubted where any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong..."

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," Dumbledore said, smiling.

"Very well," Madam Maxime said, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

"It will be attended to," Dumbledore said, also bowing.

"Come," Madam Maxime said imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.

"How big d'you reckon Durmstrang's horses are going to be?" Seamus asked.

"Well if they're any bigger than this lot even Hagrid won't be able to handle them," Harry said. "That's if he hasn't been attacked by his skrewts. Wonder what's up with them?"

"Maybe they've escaped," Ron said hopefully.

"Yeah, that'd be great, a bunch of skrewts wondering around the grounds..." Astrid mumbled sarcastically.

"Can you hear something?" Ron asked suddenly.

They listened; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed...

"The lake!" Lee Jordan yelled, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"

Everyone quickly turned their eyes to the Black Lake. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface waves were now washing over the muddy banks - and then, out in the ver middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor.

What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool... and then they saw the rigging...

"It's a mast!" Harry shouted.

Slowly, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.

People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. As they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming form the entrance hall, they saw their bulk was due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

Karkaroff was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, his smile did not reach his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good... Viktor come along, into the warmth... you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."

Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Astrid immediately recognized him and was amused when she watched Ron punch Harry in the arm and hiss, "Harry - it's Krum!"