#eghq.drop

23 OCTOBER, 1994. 

It’s an ordinary autumn Friday at Hogwarts, the middle-of-term lull hanging over all the students. As everyone moves toward the Great Hall for dinner, exhausted after a long day of classes, their attention is caught by a large sign erected at the foot of the marble staircase. Students jostle through the crowd excitedly, craning their necks trying to read its message:

                                  TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

The delegations from Beauxbatons and Dumstrang will be arriving at 6 o’clock on Saturday the 31st 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. 

All at once, the only topic of conversation once again is the Triwizard Tournament. Students wonder and speculate at what the foreign guests will be like, the identity of the “impartial judge” who will choose one champion from each school, which of their peers will be entering their names for consideration. Everyone’s workload is especially large this time of year, but the buzz surrounding the tournament helps to take their minds off things, at least for a bit. 

The rest of the year’s going to have lots more in store; they can feel it. 

31 OCTOBER, 1994.

like years prior, autumn comes in fiercely. the winds are blowing, and warm reds and oranges make the school grounds look lush. it’s a beautiful sight. as students take advantage of the last few unseasonably-warm days outside, their conversations all turn inevitably towards the same topic:

                                 THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

finally, the day is here. the students from beauxbatons and durmstrang are arriving. as the students of hogwarts sit in the great hall, they crane their necks to see those entering. beauxbatons arrive in their pretty blue robes, and their display of magic is flashy and beautiful. durmstrang enters and a hush falls over the hall. there are red sparks and a fierce show. both schools have made an impact. 

hogwarts greets them by singing the school song, and then the delegation from beauxbatons sits with the ravenclaws and the durmstrang students sit with the slytherins. the hall is loud and the energy is crackling. 

a cup is brought out.

dumbledore announces that all students who wish to be in contention to be their school’s champion should write their name on a piece of parchment and put it in the cup. an age line is put around the cup. students stare up in reverence.

whispers break out amongst the slytherin table. a halloween party was planned by derrick and bole and — even with the new students arriving — it’s going to go on as planned. there’s booze and games and magical enchantments to make the night a delight. 

make sure to know a slytherin or at least offer one a favor — the party’s in their common room. it’s going to go all night.