Year Four - Chapter Nine

The French students were actually surprised we had spare cloaks they could wear. Well, it wasn't like they knew where I had taken them, only that they appeared whenever I tapped a nearby wall and asked Twinkle to bring one out of the right size. They were dry-cleaned, and smelled of freshness. Thus, with such a small group of French students following me wearing spare Hogwarts' cloaks to keep them warm, I ended up chaperoning them through the quirks and surprises of Hogwarts.

"Now Hogwarts has many ghosts," I said in French, "Most of them are innocuous, one's a poltergeist. We tried kicking him out, but he returns. So if you don't know, the charm to fling him far, far away is the Skurge charm. The wand motion is like a three-leafed clover, so-"

As I demonstrated the pale blue flames that would leave a successful incantation, a ghost actually rushed away with a ruffled ghostly hat, grumbling about students and their wicked charms.

"With that being said, nine times out of ten you will get lost at Hogwarts, but that's just the castle's desire to help you out," I continued as I nonchalantly opened a random door by my side, which gave into the main stairway, that we had left behind us not a minute before. "Geometry's meaningless," I said with a smile. "The castle understands your intentions, and acts accordingly ignoring logic, architecture and whatever silly things that might make you able to find a path through it."

"But how do you get to class on time then? It must be madness," one of the boys asked. When they spoke in French, there was no silly usage of the Z letters or the Vs in random spots.

"The castle likes to ensure the students remember magic is wonderful, so as long as you want to reach class in time, it will comply," I answered. "But if you want to discover something new and exciting, just walk without a purpose in mind." I closed the door, waited a few minutes, and then opened it again. It gave into a room filled with suits of armor, a couple tip-tapping and freezing at our sight. "Keep up practicing lads," I said charmingly, closing the door once more. "As I said before," I continued, resuming my walk. "The castle's been magical for a long, long time. It got its quirks, but it's a lovable dork most of the time."

I came to a halt at a nearby corner, "The only thing you need to look out for are the stairs, because they're evil and I think they work on a different principle," I acquiesced, pointing at the far end of the corridor where a set of stairs went up and down, some even twisting around themselves so that they'd go straight, or to the right and to the left. "But as long as you keep in mind where you want to go, the hallways are going to help. Also remember, some doors can't be opened by pulling the handle. Try singing or scratching them, and if all else fails, ask them kindly to open up."

"That is impossible," a female student said. "Secret doors require passwords."

"Well, yes," I acquiesced, coming to a halt in front of a statue of an old, wrinkled lady. I looked at her, and smiled, "You're such a charming young maiden, my dear," I said in English, "Wouldn't you mind opening up for us, pretty please with sugar on top?" and as I finished saying that, the statue winked, and moved to the side.

The group of Frenchmen stared as if I had just broken their poorly constructed brains. "I know," I said hastily. "I know it sounds bad, but you get used to it. Trust me, I practically went native a few years ago," I finished, gesturing for the large hole that had appeared in the spot the statue had been before, "Now this secret passage should lead back to the main hall."

I gave them the most cranked up amiable smile I could, "Who wants to go first?"

And then, I ended up showing them where absolutely never to go. "The Forbidden Forest's forbidden because it contains dangerous, extremely dangerous, creatures," I said as I pointed in that direction from the safest place possible, that is to say the Lake. "If flocks of Hippogriffs, swarms of Trolls, dangerous Werewolves and whatnot aren't enough, I am led to believe there is also a Nundu somewhere in there." I shuddered as a few students looked at one another in fright, "Yes, that Nundu-thingie," I acquiesced. "So, steer clear of it, all right?" I said.

The students began to tremble as a shadow cast over them, and I barely furrowed my brows before turning to stare at the taller-than-the-castle's tentacle that emerged from the lake. "Ah," I said. "This here's Squiddie!" I beamed them a smile, and extended my right hand towards the castle. As if on cue, a couple of large loafs of bread arrived through the air from the kitchen's windows, and as I threw them in the water the giant tentacle came down, quietly tapping on the lake's surface to let some fish come ashore. "Give her bread, she'll give you fish. Don't ask me why," I said, as innocently as I could, "But she's a good squid, so you treat her well."

There were frantic nods.

I kept smiling.

"Stop eye-twinkling to the Frenchies, you traitor!" Amanda all but yelled as I made my way back into the castle proper, having bid goodbye to the students. She was huffing, and puffing, and I reckoned she'd even manage to get a house to come down if she blew hard enough. "The Triwizard Tournament's a moment where the Houses of Hogwarts need to stand united, don't you get it?" she stressed on.

I rolled my eyes, and climbed the stairs back up to the main hall, Amanda grumbling by my side. "Sorry, sorry, I was just showing them a bit of the castle. They must be awfully scared, being so far away from home," I said with a tender smile.

"That eye-twinkling thing is annoying," Amanda retorted instead, and I blinked at that. "Don't tell me you aren't even doing it on purpose. You're like the Headmaster."

I furrowed my brows. "Do my eyes really twinkle whenever I smile?"

"No, not always, just whenever you say something traitorous to the cause of Hogwarts," Amanda huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "There's the dungeon for traitors, you know that? For traitors and for those who make sponge bludgers and then paint them like real bludgers."

I closed, and then opened my eyes very slowly, "Isn't that what I gave you on the first year of-"

"Well, yeah, but I'm a merciful friend and didn't send you into the dungeon on strike one!" Amanda grumbled back, red in the face. "Now there's strike two! So you better not give me strike three or I'm sending you back on the reserve bench!"

I chuckled. I snickered. I full-out laughed.

Amanda didn't take it well, but her pout was adorable, and so I let it be.

To apologize, I spent the afternoon hanging out with her and the rest of the gang.

The laughter in my body, the smile on my face, they disappeared once the Goblet of Fire warmed up that night, announcing with a shower of sparks and flames the names of the contestants.

"Viktor Krum, Durmstrang!" as the name came out, the students cheered. "Fleur Delacour, Beauxbatons!" the silver-haired girl from the french-side stood up, a few girls crying about their loss, one even dropping her head on my shoulder to cry. I quietly patted her back, sighing as I felt a flurry of kicks come the way of my Protego'ed shins. Then, I waited as the goblet seemed to spew forth the third name. Clearly, Cedric Diggory-

"Shade Umbrus, Hogwarts!" I blanched and quietly pulled the crying French girl away. Silence had settled in the hall, even Amanda's wide-eyed form had stopped her kicks, staring at me as if I had grown a second head. Silently, I stood up from my seat and began to walk towards the staff table. Each of them, I eyed.

Each of them, I judged.

"I wish to say something," I said, in the abrupt silence that formed. "I know someone put my name in there. I will find that someone out." I stressed the last part, gazing at the still mute crowd of students, "And then I will ensure they are never able to write ever again," I all but growled, walking towards the door and stepping right through it, ending in the same room as Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour.

They both looked at me with a frown, thought Fleur did have the hint of a smile on it. "Has something happened with the Hogwarts' champion?" she asked in French, looking at me.

"You're seeing it," I answered with a dreadful sigh. "Someone decided it would be funny to put my name in the cup," I grumbled. "Guess you two will have the tournament in the bag." I gave a charming smile. "I'll be doing my best trying not to die," I shrugged, helplessly. Their feelings wouldn't take a turn for the sour unless a fourth Hogwarts student arrived as the champion, and judging by how things had gone, I reckoned Harry Potter would be the Fourth student and-

And then the judges came in, and I bleakly looked at all of them.

There hadn't been a fourth student.

Harry Potter hadn't been chosen by the Goblet.

I had.

"Mister Umbrus," the Headmaster looked at me, and I looked back. "Did you..."

"Put my name in the Goblet of Fire because I sought a new and wonderful way of risking my life? No," I answered, "Trust me, Headmaster, if I wanted to risk my life, I'd ask professor Moody to train me in the Forbidden Forest near the Manticore's nesting spot, or volunteer for one of Hagrid's incredible adventures in cross-species breeding."

A few of the professors awkwardly coughed at that, though Madame Maxime, and Igor Karkaroff, were both sporting big fat smiles.

Things were different when you suddenly had the advantage of having a minor compete against two higher year students, uh?

No complaining about the unfairness of the ruling of the goblet, no grumbling about it, not even a single chance of just letting it be.

I stared, with quiet, contemplating eyes, at the Hogwarts' staff, and at the judges. Any of them could be the culprit. Any of them could be the dangerous Death Eater. Any of them could be guilty, and thus, as things were proper, I would need to kill them all and ensure Exterminatus-no, I'd probably need to keep my eyes open, and ensure nothing bad happened.

"Mister Umbrus," the Headmaster said, catching my attention, "Have you heard what Mister Crouch said?"

"Yeah, yeah," I answered, very calmly. "I'm just thinking about what I'll do when I catch the one responsible for this," I said, "Because mark my word, Headmaster. You'd better find him before I do."

The headmaster grimaced, "Mister Umbrus, rest assured-"

"Probably Polyjuice potion," I said, "Maybe a Death Eater with a grudge? Can't believe Professor Moody was right. I'll really need to ask him to train me, only I can't, because professors' can't help the students." I passed a hand through my hair. "I'll deal with this, Headmaster. I'll deal with this, and I'll ensure it never happens again."

"Mister Umbrus, you are quite shocked, that much is clear," the Headmaster said, trying to be kind. "Perhaps you should return to your House's dormitory? I'm sure it would do you good."

I gave an awkward nod, and quietly stumbled out of there.

I would find the one responsible. I would do unspeakable things to the one responsible.

Now I had a dragon to face, I had a lake to swim through, I had a maze to get past and a cup to touch.

I had a Death Eater to find.

I had practice to do. I had lots of practice to do.

Cause it's the eye of the Shadow....

...it's the thrill of the fight.