Chapter 10: Change of Plan

I finished my A-levels last week, so I decided to update some of my Fanfictions. This is top of the priority list, mostly because it's the one I'm most interested in, but if you want me to sell my soul and update Unconditionally, drop me a review to let me know and I mighttttt do it. Maybe.

Chapter 10: Change of Plan

The day of the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament dawned with a cloudless sky and a harsh breeze sweeping over the grounds of Hogwarts. The delegations of Beauxbatons shivered in their mink furs and muffs as they made their way up to the castle, whilst the students from Durmstrang marched on, seemingly unfazed by what British weather had to throw at them.

The Great Hall was filled with glinting green 'Potter Stinks' badges, with the few Hogwarts students that weren't sporting the emblem cautiously avoiding the gazes of those who were. When Selene entered the Hall for breakfast that morning, her brother gave her a nod, and a slight smirk, his own green badge morphing from Cedric's awkwardly smiling face to Harry's explosion of foul-looking gunk as he did so.

"That brother of yours is a real piece of work," Cho fumed, giving Selene a sideways glance as they took their assumed places at the Ravenclaw table. "Honestly, Harry didn't ask for any of this, he's the least enthusiastic Triwizard Champion ever."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Selene cut in, resting her elbow on the tabletop. "Father was telling Draco and I about one of the Champions from 1792 - by that time, the Tournament was so notorious that they barely ever wanted to compete, and those that did were typical Gryffindors."

"What else did your father tell you?" Marietta asked, leaning forward over her plate. "He's very high up in the Ministry, isn't he? He probably told you what the Tasks are, at least."

"No, he didn't," Selene admitted, spearing a piece of bacon with her fork. "You know what he's like. Didn't want me to put my name in the Goblet, as if I would anyway." Although that was most likely more out of a sense of obligation towards the Nott family than anything else. Marriage agreements still counted for a lot in Pureblood circles.

"Bully for you," Marietta continued, her voice falling to a hush as a large round of applause erupted from around the room. "Sssssh! Cedric!"

Cho immediately got to her feet, joining in the rapturous clapping, shooting Cedric a special smile of her own making. The Triwizard Champion blushed a little, avoiding her gaze as he took his seat, just as Fleur entered the room and received similar treatment.

"But that's not what the real gossip is," Marietta piped up again, eyeing Selene beadily. "What is up with you and George Weasley? We all thought you were the best of friends. Now you… Well, you're ignoring each other!"

Selene stifled a slightly affronted laugh, moving her blonde hair off her face. "We were never friends, Marietta," she couldn't resist a roll of her eyes with this. "And you know how it is. With my family, and his, we weren't going to remain chummy for long."

"Don't tell me you've bought into all that Pureblood bullshit now, Selene," Cho interjected. "George isn't a bad sort, really. Fred's the one you've got to watch out for."

"Tell me about it," Selene grumbled, cutting a piece of bacon in half with perhaps a little more force than was strictly necessary. "Shame I can't even tell them apart. Otherwise I'd know which one to be mean to."

Cho opened her mouth to add something else, but Fleur had reached her seat at this point, placing herself down delicately, between the two friends. "Worried?" she chose to ask instead, tilting her head somewhat, eyes widening as she took in Fleur's paler-than-usual face.

"Yes," the French girl replied, somewhat curtly, immediately turning to her food. Selene shrugged, placing one half of her bacon into her mouth, effectively cutting off all offers of conversation. Affronted, Cho picked up her plate, and walked over to the Hufflepuffs, and to Cedric, who was already surrounded by many adoring fans.

"But really, Selene," Marietta continued, speaking through a mouthful of freshly buttered toast. "You don't have to be cruel to the poor boy. Your dad doesn't have a 24/7 hold on your life. You can have fun, y'know?"

"I was not having fun with the Weasley twins," Selene coughed, prompting a somewhat condescending pat on the back from Marietta. "I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot Hippogriff. And I'm coming up to seventeen. I have better things to be looking forward to than boys." Including a possible arranged marriage, but she elected not to mention that somewhat touchy point.

"Whatever you say," Marietta sighed, prompting Fleur to look up from her furious eating. "But I'll tell you now, I would not turn down a night with those two…"

"Come weeth me," Fleur interrupted, getting to her feet and holding out one hand to Selene, ignoring Marietta's furious gaze. "I need to talk to you. Maintenant."

Selene knew full well not to argue with the Frenchwoman, even when it caused her to leave half a plate of bacon untouched, so she pushed it over to the centre of the table, and climbed to her own feet. "Of course," she said, but raised one curious eyebrow.

"Not 'ere," Fleur hissed, looking around. "I do not trust these Eenglish."

Despite the fact that Selene was among these 'Eenglish', along with the majority of her close friends and family members, she let Fleur enjoy her badly disguised bigotry, as the pair walked into the Entrance Hall, and from there into the grounds. The part-Veela immediately shivered, and wrapped her cardigan more tightly around her arms.

"Dragons," she said simply, hurrying off into the grass, leaving Selene to jog to catch up with her.

"What do you mean, 'Dragons'," Selene demanded, brow furrowing, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "The Task?"

"Oui, the Task!" Fleur stopped dead in her tracks, spinning on her heel, eyes wild. "'Ow am I meant to fight Dragons!"

"With a wand?" Selene suggested, raising a single eyebrow. "How did you find out?"

"Madame told me," Fleur admitted, continuing her march towards the tents, and the stands, albeit at a slower pace. "'Agrid, that groundskeeper, 'e showed 'er. But I 'aven't 'ad any idea 'ow to fight a dragon!"

Selene's mind whirred, trying to think of a million different ways to defeat a dragon. And came up with none. It wasn't really a taught subject at Hogwarts, as dragons were usually kept under chains by those who could wrangle them, and, as a result, were rarely seen in the wild of Wizarding England. Lupin had been thorough, but not thorough enough, as it seemed. And Gilderoy Lockhart had neglected their Third Year Dark Magical Creatures course in favour of having them all sign his photos for him.

"I don't know either," she admitted, after a few minutes, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder to stop her entering the Champion's tent. "Just… Be careful, alright?"

Fleur seemed unsure, but nodded, quickly enveloping Selene in a swift, strawberry-scented hug. "I'll think of something," she released a breath, before a small glint emerged from one eye. "Oh, oui. I will do much better than your 'Ogwarts Champions, non?"

"Without a doubt," Selene replied, somewhat doubtfully, thinking of Cedric's Transfiguration abilities. "Good luck, Fleur," she added, with a smile, before letting go of Fleur's shoulder. She watched the girl enter the tent, before turning away, looking up at the stands, which were slowly filling up with students.

A divide had emerged in the Hogwarts stands, with a small majority on one side holding a banner with Harry's face boldly emblazoned upon it. The other side, of course, bore mostly lurid green badges so far, but Selene knew that Cho and Marietta had a large banner of their own up their sleeves.

Climbing up the stairs reminded Selene a little of the World Cup, which brought a small smile to her face. Despite the awkward tension between the Weasley family and her own, the match had been a remarkable one. She was no Quidditch mega-fan, but she could appreciate a good team, and Moran had pulled out some amazing moves that Selene was hoping she could try to replicate in a match herself.

"Didn't know you were a Harry fan, Malfoy," George and Fred Weasley stood right in front of her, freckled faces turning to stony anger, as they watched her ascend the wooden stairs.

"I'm not," Selene replied curtly, eyeing them both with a steely gaze. "This way was just closer."

"Sure it was," George/Fred said mockingly, leaning against the stair rail. "You're no better than your brother, you know, Malfoy. You're just as slimy, even without the hair gel. Were you just being nice to my brother to make fun of us behind my back with your Slytherin friends?"

Ah, so that was Fred. George, to his credit, was standing somewhat back, not adding much to the conversation, but Selene still took the offensive. "Let me through, Weasley," she snapped, crossing her arms. "I haven't done anything to you. You didn't even listen to what I had to say! You're making a bigger deal of this than it needs to be."

"A bigger deal?" Fred laughed and rolled his eyes. "Don't kid us, Malfoy. We don't take kindly to anyone calling anyone a Blood Traitor."

"For the last time, that was a mistake," Selene retorted, starting forward, pressing one finger into the redhead's chest. "Now get the fuck out of my way before I levitate you both."

Fred threw up his arms in mock defeat, eyes glinting, moving away from her and back to the side of his twin. "Calm down, we weren't going to hurt you," he sniggered. "You get quite pretty when you're angry."

"For the last time, move!" Selene snarled, pulling her wand from her pocket and pointing it at the pair. "I just want to get to my fucking seat, you arrogant arseholes!"

"Now now, Miss Malfoy," a third voice entered the conversation, causing Selene to quickly lower her wand, and the twins to look at each other in slight horror. "Were the Weasleys causing you trouble?"

"Oh, no, Professor," Selene replied quickly, turning to look at the Potions teacher, affixing a slightly wooden smile to her face. "I was just… Speaking to them."

"Is that so?" Snape replied silkily, looking at the pair. "Well, I trust your judgement, Miss Malfoy… Even so, I will have to take five points from Gryffindor, Mr Weasley, Mr Weasley. You are blocking the stairwell."

"That isn't fair, Professor!" George burst out, looking appealingly at his brother. "Malfoy was blocking the stairwell as well!"

"I doubt that highly, Mr Weasley," Snape raised an eyebrow. "Miss Malfoy is a Prefect, I doubt she would be so irresponsible."

Selene bit the inside of her cheek, glancing behind her to look at the twins. "Even so, I don't think your reasoning is fair, Professor," she piped up. "After all, I did stop to speak to them too, which caused them to block the way. Unless you'd like me to take the matter up with my father?"

"Ah, no, that won't be necessary, Miss Malfoy," Snape replied quickly, giving the twins a narrow eyed glance. If there was one person Snape liked, it was her father (who knew the reason why), and she knew that he would do anything to get on Lucius Malfoy's good side. "Yes, yes… Weasley, Weasley, Miss Malfoy… You can all go."

The twins begrudgingly stepped to the side to allow Selene and the Professor passage up the rest of the stairs. As Selene walked past the pair, she caught Fred's eye, and gave him a small nod, not waiting for it to be reciprocated before she continued up to the stands.

Unbeknownst to her, the look that was exchanged between the pair behind her back was one of slight admiration, rather than disgust. "At least she knows the bro code," Fred muttered, after a second, before continuing down the stairs, and, hopefully, to another waiting Harry poster.

oOo

The celebrations at Hogwarts were uproarious that evening, with the sound of booming music from Gryffindor tower reverberating around the castle several times over. Cedric's celebrations, for a well deserved second place, were slightly less echoing, but still just as joyous, with the knowledge that Hogwarts could easily take home a Hufflepuff victory on the table.

Selene's enjoyment of the festivities was somewhat overlooked by the envelope lying on her bed, awaiting her arrival after the end of the First Task. Whilst Cho and Marietta, and Sarah, the fourth girl in the Ravenclaw Sixth Year Girl's Dormitory, all glammed themselves up for the upcoming celebration, the Malfoy heiress was sitting on the corner of her bed, tearing open the embossed envelope.

My dearest daughter Selene,

As you well know, the Yule Ball is coming up, and it requires of you a great service. I have ordered you a set of dress robes I deem appropriate for the occasion, and one I hope you will deem acceptable as well.

Selene reached inside the envelope to pull out a receipt from Messer's Dress Robes, glancing over the price with little surprise, before slipping it back into the envelope.

Also, as I'm sure you would have guessed, I will ask of you to accept Theodore Nott's invitation to the Ball. It will do good for you both to spend time together, and I'm sure his father will be pleased to hear of any developments.

Please write back to me soon, and kindly ask your brother to respond to his letters too. I'm concerned about him.

Your loving mother,

Narcissa.

Loving? Selene stifled a snigger as she placed the letter onto her bedside table and lay back on the four-poster bed. Just like her mother to be straightforward and to the point, with a few words of concern only afforded for darling Draco.

The prospect of letting Nott accompany her to the Yule Ball was repulsive, not only was he two years younger, but he was not someone she would willingly date. His expression seemed to be impassionate at all times, and the prospect of an upcoming betrothal was even worse. But she wasn't about to argue with her parents, especially when it seemed unlikely that anyone else would be interested in taking her.

After all, Roger was now much more interested in Fleur, especially after Selene had accidentally let it slip that she was quarter-Veela.

"Selene?" Cho yelled from the bathroom. "Are you actually coming to this party?"

Selene took one look at her letter, and shook her head to herself. "I'm not feeling great," she called back, not offering any more explanation before getting to her feet, slipping on some shoes and heading out of the dorm, the door banging behind her.

The castle was silent, which was hardly surprising, considering the late time of night, and the worry that Filch would be on the trail of any potential rule breaker. Normally. Selene wouldn't be out this late either, but the cool air and the silence soothed her, slightly, and took her mind away from the letter at hand.

She found herself walking, not back to her dormitory, but in the direction of the Astronomy Tower, and the clear, cloudless night that she knew awaited her there. Sometimes you just had to get up high to think straight, and as much as the quiet of the castle unnerved her, it was relaxing to be alone with her thoughts.

"Sickle for your thoughts?"

Selene jumped, and turned, face freezing as she met the eyes of… Well, one of the Weasley twins. "They're worth at least a Galleon," she responded, crossing her arms over her chest, a familiar gesture. "What are you doing out here, Weasley? It's past curfew."

"I should ask you the same question," Fred/George retorted, rolling his eyes. He gestured to the large crate of Firewhiskey in his arms. "What does it look like? Someone had to get the drinks around here."

"How did yo- you know what? Never mind," Selene sighed, standing to one side and gesturing down the hall. "Go on, Weasley. Get back to Gryffindor Tower."

"Nahhh," he responded, surprisingly cheerfully. "No - I wanted to thank you. For what you did for us earlier. With Snape. I didn't know you had the balls to speak to a teacher like that."

"Professor Snape's an old family friend," Selene shrugged. "He would lick my father's feet if he asked him to. I would be remiss if I didn't take advantage of that from time to time, even if it is usurping my duties as Ravenclaw Prefect."

"Still," the Weasley twin persisted, rubbing at his ear. "Even if you are a Malfoy, and a bit of an arse, I wanted to thank you."

Selene stood in the corridor, somewhat stunned, silent for the next few moments, thinking of a good response to the unexpected apology. "You're welcome," she spluttered out, after a second or two longer than was probably polite. "Just don't be an arsehole and stand in my way with your twin next time. Then we won't have an issue."

"Oh, we'll always have an issue, Malfoy," the twin scowled slightly, although it seemed mostly sarcastic. "I've just decided to give you a second chance, that's all."

"Just so it's clear," Selene cut in, just as the Weasley began to walk off again. "We aren't friends. I don't want to be friends with you or your brother. You Gryffindors are more trouble than you're worth. I'd just appreciate not having a couple of bad storm clouds hitting out at me whenever I try to walk down the stairs."

"Whatever you say, Malfoy," the twin cracked a grin, patting the girl on the shoulder as he continued to walk away. "You aren't slimy. You're just dry. Like a stale biscuit. Me and George - we're like butter. Silky smooth. We'll soften you up right."

Selene just shook her head in disbelief as Fred sped off down the corridor, speed walking as quickly as the crate of Firewhiskey would allow him. What had just happened? She had no idea, but the metaphorical olive branch had appeared to have been extended.

Even if she would have to dance with the short, and unfortunately stout, Theodore Nott at a ball she was meant to enjoy, it seemed that there were two fewer Weasleys out to get her in this world, and that was a blessing she had to accept. Maybe even enjoy. After all, Marietta wasn't wrong.