Chapter 72 – Arrival
With the books we brought out from the Scriptorium, I felt like we were going to have something to read for the following decade or more. We spent most of the days going through them after homework, and I felt at home immediately. It was just like when I first got here, our time in the library... with the difference, we spent it in our tiny 'home,' in the old divination classroom. By now, it was completely refurbished by us, and we had desks, bookshelves, and even beds set up. It happened many times that we were past midnight when stopping and sneaking back to the Common Room was a hassle, so... we slept here. Close to each other... it was bliss.
What ended this brief calmness was when preparations were beginning to be made for welcoming the soon-to-arrive delegations of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. While it fell on mostly the fifth-year students and up, I was called to the Headmaster's office one afternoon.
"You know why I called you, don't you?" Severus Snape asked me, looking out his window, watching the lake and its calm surface.
"About the competition, I guess. I know that I am expected to perform well."
"You are expected to win."
"..." Well... I guess, but thanks for putting that on my shoulders and ensuring I get it. "I know my role, Headmaster."
"Every school will send out two competitors. Only your position will be fixed from the two, so whoever your pair will be, I expect you to work with her."
"I just hope they will think the same way!"
"Make them! We can't nudge the Goblet two times, but we will ensure that only capable witches put their names in!"
"Okay." I shrugged as I didn't know what to say to that. The thought of working with someone I didn't even know made me uncomfortable. Then I thought about something, but the Headmaster interrupted my thoughts.
"The delegation will arrive tomorrow. The school will line up on the grounds and welcome them. I want you to pay close attention and take this seriously. You already gathered a bit of infamy around your name, so they will know about you."