Esme Morris and the TriWizard Tournament- A Harry Potter f-f

[Rebel Faery]

Welcome to the sequel to my Harry Potter fan-fiction, the second book in the Esme Morris series. Hopefully, this book will be longer then the last... and oh yeah! If you haven't come across the series before, I'd suggest you check it out: Esme Morris and the Invisible Arrow.
Esme Morris and the Flaming Fortune Cookies


Esme Morris is back in her second year at Hogwarts! This time, Esme finds herself once more in the presence of the mysterious Draco Malfoy, and he sets her an... unusual task. This year she is a stowaway, and finds herself as the stunt-double for an underestimated french girl who's intentions may be darker then they seem...




Esme Morris is not, in any way, shape or form, your usual girl. After all, no witch could be, right? For Esme Morris is indeed a witch, one of the many things about this girl that are not visible on the surface.

But on this summer's day in mid August, she did indeed feel like an ordinary girl; she was sat in the park with her friend Jeremy Fisher, waiting to meet his new friends, the Polnied twins, for the very first time. She wasn't exactly nervous, as Esme isn't the type of girl who gets nervous, but she was certainly anticipating the moment they would meet.

It was around ten past two in the afternoon, as she held out a packet of chewing gum to Jeremy. "Want one?" she asked, chewing her own; Jeremy obliged and took one. Esme put it in her pocket as the Polnied's came around the corner and entered the park gates. Esme gulped.

She knew they were her own age, but they looked much older. They wore cool, up-to-date clothes and tacky jewellery; the girl's fiery ginger curls were held up in an elegant style. Esme glanced at Jeremy, wondering how he had come to be friends with these two copper-haired people, who seemed like celebs off TV.

"Ah, you must be Esme!" called the girl, extending her a hand. "Jeremy's told us about you- I'm Angelina Polnied, pleased to meet you." The greeting wasn't what Esme had expected. Angelina had a warm voice, with an odd mixture of a cockney and French accent. But she seemed nice, and that was enough for Esme.

"Pleased to meet you too!" she replied, smiling.

"Oh, I'm Brendon, by the way; Brendon Polnied," her brother introduced. As Esme greeted him, her eyes strayed past him to a girl who had entered the park at the same time as the twins. She looked to be about their age, with silvery-blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes. She was reading a battered leather book, which Esme recognised; The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Two. She frowned, as did Angelina; she had followed Esme's gaze.

"Oh, don't mind Aimee," she said carelessly in her oddly-accented voice. "She's our cousin; she's staying for the holidays. She's a bit strange, to be honest; Mum just made us bring her to get her out the house. All she ever does is sit in her room reading her spellbooks all day.

Esme, however, didn't answer; her heart was hammering in her chest. This was her chance to meet another witch outside of school, and a French witch no less. "Excuse me," she said to the twins and Jeremy, and walked over to sit on the bench beside the girl, who's eyes didn't stray from the page.

"Hi," Esme ventured, and the girl looked up.

"'Ello," she said in a French-accented voice.

"I'm Esme Morris," Esme offered her name. "Are you a witch, too?"

The girl nodded, and smiled. She put down her book and turned to look at Esme. "I'm Aimee Polnied," she said. "Nice to meet you, Esme."

"The muggles are your cousins?" Esme asked, and Aimee nodded.

"Yes; my magic comes from my mother's side. My uncle iz my Dad's brother, you zee, so when I'm 'ere it feels as if I'm ze only witch in the world. What about you?"

"I'm muggle-born," Esme said. "What school do you go to?"

"Beauxbatons," Aimee said with a grin. "'ave you 'eard what'z taking place at Beauxbaton's zis year?"

"No," said Esme in surprise, "What?"

"Ze Triwizard Tournament, zats what!" Aimee said. Seeing Esme's puzzled expression, she clapped her hands. "You 'aven't heard of it? Why, it is famous! It's a friendly competition between the three biggest European schools of wizardry- zat's 'Ogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons- so zat we can make friends and see who's ze best! I vould enter, but only sixth and seventh years can. Too bad you vont be allowed to come and visit Beauxbatons; it really iz a beautiful place. You zee, ve're right on top of zis cliff, overlooking ze sea. And beneath us iz zis cove, and ze beach opens right out of it... yes, beautiful!"

Esme smiled sadly. "It's a shame, isn't it? I'd love to come and see your school, plus it would give me a chance to practise my French."

"You zpeak French? Tu parlor francais?" Aimee asked in excitement.

"Oui!" Esme agreed, and her original reason for coming to the park slipped her mind completely. That evening, she went home, buzzing with excitement.

That Polnied girl is awesome! she thought. Then, Zat Polnied girl iz awezome! in a French-accented voice.




A week after meeting Aimee (who had, unfortunately, gone back to France four days later) Esme was due at Diagon Alley to get her school stuff for second year. In all honesty, she had hoped she might have been able to go with the Weasly's again; unfortunately, that was not the case. Her parents had dropped her off in London and said they were off for a look around the sights while Esme ventured into the Wizarding world- alone this time. Rose had told her there were places where you could change Muggle Money for Galleons (and, of course, Sickles and Knuts), so Mr and Mrs Morris had given their daughter fifty pounds, hoping it would be enough.

Coming out of Gringotts with her purse full of coins, Esme looked around, wondering where to go first. She decided to go to Madame Malkin's first, as her school robes were now inches too short. There wasn't anybody else in the shop when she arrived, so Madame Malkin was able to fit her without a moment's wait. While she was being fitted, Esme found herself chatting comfortably with the elderly witch.

"Ah, yes, Hogwarts! Back in my day I was quite the troublemaker, let me tell you! Nobody quite expected it from a Hufflepuff.. Say, what house are you in, dear?"

"Ravenclaw," Esme replied. Madame Malkin looked up, her eyes shining.

"Ah, yes! 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure'!" Esme tried not to shudder; those exact words had been carved into the tiara she had found in the garden last year. She remembered the way they had changed her appearance, and the man afterwards... What had been his name again? My name is not important right now; best save it for a rainy day.

"There, you're all done now, dear," Madame Malkin said, handing Esme a package with her robes enclosed. "That'll be four Galleons, seven sickles and five knuts." Esme payed dutifully and then left the shop, checking her list for the books she needed. She scanned over them quickly.

Second-Year Students Will Require, it read,
The Standard Book Of Spells, Grade Two by Miranda Goshawk
A Hefty Guide To What You'll Find by Lizabeth Hefty
Dark Arts and Defence Against Them by Peter Roldhinge
Transfiguartion For Moderate Students by Adam Simber

She decided to go to Flourish and Blotts for her books, before going to the Apothecary to stock up her potions set. Then, satisfied, she decided to pay a visit to Rose's Uncle George and set off for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. It wasn't as crowded as last year, but the joke shop was still extremely popular. Esme decided to go and get some more invisibility powder, as it came in useful last year and may do again.

While she was looking about the upper floor for the shimmery pale blue powder, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. "Esme Morris!" a voice said, "How great to see you again!"

Esme turned, grinning. "Hello, George," she greeted cheerfully.

"I've got something for you," George said, and fumbled in his pocket before bringing out a small vial. Inside it contained a shimmery white liquid, like fake snow. "Antidote to the prototype I gave you last year. I've decided not to put it up for sale, though; much too risky. Drink this and the 'Sight' should wear off after a couple of minutes."

Esme stared at him in astonishment. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "There's no way I'm giving this up!"

"Really?" George asked. Esme nodded.

"Really," she said earnestly. "Say, you wouldn't happen to need a tester for something similar, would you?"

"Actually, now that you mention it..." he said, scratching his head. "Follow me," he said, beckoning her to a set of stairs labelled PRIVATE! Staff Only!. Curious, she followed him down to a large room full of test-tubes and vials, all full of bubbling, smoking or dormant liquids.

"Welcome to my inventing room," George said proudly. Esme giggled.

"I feel like I've just stepped inside Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory," she laughed.

"You what? Oh, never mind. Here it is!" George picked up a vial from a row of them. Inside was a shimmery silver liquid, rather like the 'Sight' potion from last year but a different colour.

"This," George told her, "Should allow you to see through walls and the like. Haven't tried it out yet, you'll have to send me a letter when you try it... or get word to me of which ward you're on in Saint Mungo's." He laughed, and Esme smiled, pocketing it.

"Thanks, George," she said, making her way towards the exit into the store.

"Uncle George, dear," George told her. "Geez, Esme, you're practically family now!"

"Okay... Uncle George," she said, waving and slipping out of the shop- not before stealing several vials of Invisability Powder, which would come in useful.




It was the first day of September, and Esme had only just got onto the train; she was closing the door behind her, watching breathlessly as King's Cross Station slid out of sight. She looked around, wondering if she could find Grace or the Weasley's here; sure enough, she soon spotted Rose, leading two younger people into a compartment.

"Hey!" she called, "Rose!"

Rose spun around, bushy ginger hair flying; she broke into a grin as Esme made her way over struggling with the weight of her trunk. She waved, telling the two smaller people to stay there. However, the first of the younger kids stepped forwards; Esme recognised Hugo and waved.

"Hey Hugo!" she greeted cheerfully. "Looking forwards to your first day?"

"You bet!" Hugo said, and pulled a familiar wrapping out of his pocket. "Chocolate frog?" he asked, offering it to her. Esme laughed and took it.

"Do you ever go anywhere without them? Hey, who are you?" she asked the other member of their party she had seen, a small, dark-ginger-haired girl. The girl smiled easily, tossing her red licks out of her face.

"I'm Lily Potter," she announced in a confident voice. "Who're you?"

"Esme Morris, pleased to meet you," Esme replied. Lily looked at her with searching brown eyes.

"Oh," she said. "I've heard of you. You were the girl who saved my cousin last year. It was very brave of you," she added, and Esme found herself blushing. "My brother doesn't like you," Lily continued, in a voice that made Esme feel as if the girl were reading out facts. "He says there's nothing good that will come of you and some things are best staying hidden."

"Oh," said Esme, not quite sure how to reply. As if on cue, a boy appeared from the compartment behind Lily; a familiar boy with messy black hair and brown eyes hidden behind glasses. James Potter put his hand on Lily's shoulder, looking around.

"Is everything al- Oh," he stated, seeing Esme. "It's you."

"Uh, yeah," Esme said. "Er... see you later, then, Rose?" she asked, before turning and hurrying into a different carriage as fast as her luggage would allow it. She let out a squeak of excitement recognising the two people who were stood in the middle of the carriage, greeting each other by an open compartment door.

"Grace!" she cried, "Euan!"

Her two best friends turned to face her; their eyes lit up and their faces broke into smiles. "Esme!" Grace cried, and flung herself at the blonde. The two girls hugged for a moment before separating, and after greeting Euan, the three of them made their way into a compartment together to sit out the rest of the journey. As they neared Hogsmeade Station, Esme began to notice some slight differences about Euan. He looked gaunt, and in his eyes, beneath the happiness, was a gleam of insanity and he looked haunted. Esme didn't question him, though, and nobody else knew him well enough to see the difference. But he was no longer the solemn, sun-tanned boy whom she'd mistaken for a centaur the previous year. Now he looked completely human.

When they got off the train, wearing their wizarding robes, they followed the rest of the school to a line of carriages that Rose had told her were pulled by invisible creatures called 'thestrels'. The three of them entered one and it set off for Hogwarts.

It wasn't long before Esme caught sight of the castle. A slight gasp escaped her lips; over the summer her memory must've faded, as it looked grander than ever before. She felt a thrill of happiness; Hogwarts seemed, to her, a second home.

They arrived earlier than they had done last year, and took their seats at the Ravenclaw table minutes before Professor Longbottom came in, followed by a line of first years. She caught Hugo's eye and gave him a thumbs up, and returned Lily's smile. She didn't understand the young girl one bit. But she did know that the two would be placed in Gryffindor; ten minutes later, as the sorting ended, she was proved right.

After the feast McGonagall stood up. The room quieted, and they all turned to watch her. After she made the usual announcements (at the one about staying out of the forest Esme was sure the Professor was glaring her and Euan's way), she made the announcement Esme had been waiting for- so had, she gathered, a lot of other people.

"This year marks the end of another five years, and the Triwizard Tornament will be held once more. This year it is taking place at Beuaxbatons. However, only sixth- and seventh-years will be allowed to come to Beauxbatons with the school, and only those wishing to contend should sign up. You will still attend your lessons, and will sit your NEWTs in July when we return. No student below sixth year will be allowed on the trip." At this there were loud complaints, but the room quieted as McGonagall held up her hand. "You are all excused," she said, and people from all houses made their way out of the room.

Esme, Grace and Euan made their way up to Ravenclaw tower (Euan, it seemed, had had a private sorting). The phoenix sculpture watched them, before saying a riddle.

"Give me food and I shall live; give me water and I shall die. What am I?" it asked.

"A fire," Grace answered; the wall behind the phoenix slid open for them to pass. Esme took a deep breath, looking around. She loved Ravenclaw tower. In the centre of the common room, where they stood now, was a large, bronze statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, a crown on her head and her motto engraved on the stand where she stood. Around this were arranged different chairs and seats and tables, all in organised disarray. Opposite the door was a large fireplace, taking up almost the entire portion of wall. On either side were the two staircases that led to the dormitories. The room was decked in the house's colours, dark blue and bronze. Esme beamed as she took the stairs two at a time, turning only to bid goodnight to Euan.

They reached the first floor of girls rooms (there were three on each floor). A changeable sign on the wall read that this floor belonged to the current fifth-years. Above it were the floors for the current sixth- and seventh- years, and above that the empty floor reserved for first years. Above that was their own floor, the floor they would keep until the end of their Hogwarts lives. The room Grace and Esme shared with Emmeline, Janice and Janie was the one to the left; it was empty as the girls walked in. They changed (half-way through the process their roommates came in and did likeways) and then climbed into the same beds they'd had last year.

Esme once again left the curtains open a crack, watching the full moon float in the clear sky above Gryffindor tower. Then she sat up; she could see someone looking out the window of the other tower! Curiously, she pressed her face to the window, but couldn't make out who it was. Sighing, she got back into bed. However, as she drifted off to sleep, she realised that the face may have been watching her...




The first day of lessons was what you would call, well, normal.

They had double potions with Professor Sting and Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Oswald. Esme quite liked Professor Oswald; sure, the woman was a loon, and kicked you out of class early, but she was a good teacher. Last year, Esme had learned a lot about defensive magic.

"This year," Professor Oswald announced, "We will be learning about Dark Creatures and defence against them. That means Hinkypunks, Werewolves, Vampires and Boggarts. Those are just a few to name a few. Next lesson I may show you a Boggart- does anyone know what a Boggart is?"

Quite a few people's hands shot up- including Grace's- but Esme's stayed down. She hardly had any knowledge of the magical world, which made her at a disadvantage- in her opinion, at least.

"Yes, Grace?" Professor Oswald asked.

"It's a shape-shifter that will take the form of what scares us most. They like to live in dark, enclosed spaces," Grace said with utmost confidence. Professor Oswald nodded.

"Correct, Grace. It does indeed take the form of something we hate. Has anyone ever come across one before?"

Grace, Janice, Aiden Prior and Louis Wall raised their hands. Professor Oswald nodded at Grace.

"Where did you come across this Boggart, and what form did it take?" the teacher asked. Grace blushed red.

"Um, well, I was five years old and we'd been away on holiday for the summer and when we got back there was a Boggart under my bed," Grace said awkwardly.

"I see," Professor Oswald said seriously; it was all Esme could do not to burst out laughing. "And what for did it take?"

"My old next-door neighbours dog?" It was a question, not a statement, but Esme knew it was the truth. The class burst out laughing, and Grace slunk down in her seat, blushing furiously.

After the afternoon's lessons- History of Magic with Professor Lovegood (who was crazier than Oswald, in Esme's opinion) and Herbology with Professor Longbottom (whom Esme had grown to like after the mud-fight he had caught her and Grace having the year prior).

They'd also gotten a considerable amount of homework- a foot on Devil's Snare from Professor Longbottom, a foot and a half on great moment in wizarding history from Professor Lovegood and half a foot on Boggarts from Oswald. It was this last one that Esme decided to do first, as they met in the Library after school had finished.

Boggarts, Esme scrawled, Take the form of your greatest fear. They become Household pests, but getting rid of them is not just about maintenance but about facing your fears. If you have the courage to face your biggest fear, you have the courage to face anything- whatever it may be.

At this point Esme looked up and caught a pair of small brown eyes watching her eagerly.

"Lily?' she called, unsure, "What are you doing?"

Lily shrugged. "I think... oh, never mind," she said quickly, turned on her heel and walked out. Esme stared after her, wondering what was going on.




Sure enough, as promised, within the week the second-year Ravenclaw students found themselves facing a Boggart. Esme watched fro the sidelines; in front of Janie it became a black hole, while before Aiden Prior it was a headless ghoul of some sort. Finally the Boggart came around the circle to where Grace was stood, trembling.

Esme watched in interest as it hesitated a moment before becoming a large dog. It looked rather like a German Shepard, but was much bigger, and had teeth like a saber-toothed tiger's. Grace stared at in in horror for a moment, before raising her trembling arm and crying out.

"Reddikulus!" The dog became a tiny white poodle; Grace seemed to melt with relief. Then the puppy trotted over to Esme and waited at her feet a moment. Before long, however, it vanished; even Esme couldn't see it, and she stared at the space where it had been in horror.

Then the boggart must have moved on because a giant spider appeared before Gordon Farthing. Esme stood there, feeling numb with shock. What on earth had happened to her Boggart?

After class Professor Oswald called for Esme to stay behind.

"Professor?" Esme asked timidly, "What happened to my Boggart?"

Professor Oswald sighed. "I have waited a long time, Esme, for someone like you to enter my classroom. Never one so young, though... but maybe that's a good thing..."

"What do you mean?" Esme asked, feeling slightly irritated; this conversation was going nowhere.

"Esme, your Boggart didn't disappear. It simply became nothing. Esme, you fear nothing. You believe that the only thing to fear is fear itself."

"That's it?" Esme asked in disbelief. "But loads of people think that- don't they?"

"Esme, that's just it," Professor Oswald said with a sigh. "People say that, but they don't mean it. Because up until now, I would have said that everybody fears something. But you only fear in the moment. Something scares you, but once you know you're not in danger, it no longer does."

"But- fear is just an illusion!" Esme protested. Professor Oswald laughed.

"That's the type of thinking that makes you who you are. You keep that sort of mind- and keep your mind open- who knows what you can achieve?" She smiled. "Go on then, Esme. You really are quite extraordinary."

With that, she turned and exited the room into her office. Esme hesitated in the silent classroom a minute later before following her classmates out.

*

September turned into October. Nothing vaguely unusual or exciting happened- not by Hogwarts standard, at least. And so, on the evening of the thirtieth of October, Esme found herself at the Ravenclaw table, waiting to hear who had been Shortlisted to go to Beauxbatons. Only sixth- and seventh-years had been allowed to sign up, but the whole school remained in the Great Hall after dinner to hear who had been chosen.

"The attenders from sixth year will be as listed," McGonagall announced, "Domonic Wood, Lisa Keyne, Kirk Juan and Fred Weasely." Clapping filled the hall as the Shortlisted students made their way up to the front, and stood there, grinning. McGonagall cleared her throat and the room quietened.

"Students from Seventh Year will be as follows," she announced. "Emma Karabell, Matthew Byron, Lisa Kemp and Victoire Weasley." More clapping followed as the students made their way up to the front. On the instruction of Professor Longbottom they held hands and bowed; the hall burst into cheers as Esme, Grace and Euan slipped out of the doors.

"Shame we can't go," Grace said with a sigh.

"It would have been fun," Euan agreed.

"Oh well," Esme ended, as they entered the common room. She yawned. "I think I'm gonna go to bed. You two coming?"

"Sure," Grace replied, and they bid goodnight to Euan before climbing the stairs. "Shame, isn't it Esme?" Grace asked. "I mean, imagine competing in it..."

"Yeah," Esme said with a sigh. "It's never gonna happen, Grace."

She had no idea how wrong she was.




It was early; actually, by Esme's watch, it was just past five am. Rubbing her eyes, the small girl got dressed, grabbed her bag and went down into the common room. As always whenever she got up this early, it was empty. Deserted. Not wanting to stay in the dim room, she crept out into the corridor and decided to go on a walk around the castle to clear her mind.

She was on the fifth floor when she noticed a door ajar. Upon entering, she saw trunks, all locked up and labelled; she realised this was the luggage of the Shortlisted Students. One single trunk was empty and unlabelled, covered in dust as if it wasn't supposed to be there.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice snapped; Esme whirled around. Watching her was someone she recognised. That thin face, white-blonde hair and grey eyes... she was looking at the man known as Draco Malfoy.

"Master Malfoy, sir!" she gasped, remembering that half-forgotten day on which she had met him. the man eyes her with contempt and interest. Then he jerked his head at the open, unmarked trunk.

"Get in there," he told her. "You're not to make a sound. Nobody must know."

"Why?" she asked in confusion; he glowered at her.

"Just do as I say, girl! In, now," he glanced around, "Before anybody comes."

Confused and nervous, Esme climbed into the trunk and used the leather lining to pull it closed. She could hear the Malfoy man marking the trunk and locking it. Then she heard his footsteps, echoing away down the hall.

That's when the panic began to settle in. The trunk was extremely small; she had to lie on her side, curled up with her knees pressed into her chest. The journey would take a day, and she was going to be trapped in here for the most of it. What if she ran out of oxygen? Her breaths came short and quick.

After about an hour and a half of worry and uncomfort, Esme heard footsteps. For a moment she thought it was someone, come to get her out; then she realised it was Filch, come to take the trunks down to the carriage they were using to arrive. Rose had told Esme about it; apparently they were going to be arriving on a larger version of the thestrel carriages. And esme would be trapped with the baggage.

Esme felt the trunk move, and managed to look through a tiny gap in the side that was her only light source. She was hauled out of the school and into the baggage compartment- which was underneath the proper carriage she realised, only just holding back a groan. This was really going to be uncomfortable.

By the time it had reached seven am, the students and teachers were in the carriage. Esme heard Filch yell, "All clear!" and heard the baggage compartment door slam shut. She was thrown into darkness.

*

Esme woke some hours later. She was uncomfortable, hungry and needed the bathroom badly. However, she was trapped, and there wasn't enough room for her to try grabbing her wand, let alone using magic. In the end she just bit her lip and bore it, though it was by far the worst journey ever. After what seemed like forever, she fell back into a light and fitful sleep.

*

When Esme woke again it was to the sound of cheering. She was confused for only a moment, before realising they must've arrived at Beauxbatons. The trunk she was held in was dragged out of the carriage and up to the castle; peering through the gap, Esme had to stifle a gasp.

Beauxbatons looked like a proper fairytale castle. It was perched on top of a cliff and shimmered in the south of France sunlight. It was a bluish-purple-white colour, with three towers. It looked smaller than Hogwarts, but twice as grand.

Finally Esme was dragged inside and up the stairs to a room where Hogwarts students and staff were finding their stuff. When all the students had left, Professor McGonagall was left alone in the room with Professor Flitwick, whom she had brought with her. The woman was frowning.

"Who's trunk is that, do you think?" she asked. Professor Flitwick shrugged.

"It's locked," he squeaked, "And unmarked. Maybe if I- Alohomora."

Esme heard a clicking and then the lid was wrenched upwards. Esme sat up, blinking in the bright sunlight and feeling queasy after being trapped for so long. McGonagall and Flitwick were staring at her in surprise and fury.

"Esme Morris!" McGonagall snapped. "Explain yourself!"

Esme bit her lip; instantly a lie sprung to mind. "I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. I was walking past a room when I noticed the door was open. When I went in someone snuck up behind me and shoved me into an empty trunk and locked me in there," she said.

"Do you know who that someone was?" McGonagall asked; Esme shook her head.

"I've no idea; I only caught a glimpse of them as they shut the lid. They were older than me- probably a fifth- or sixth- year. I did see that they had brown hair, though."

McGonagall sighed. "Very well, Miss Morris. You will have to miss the feast, but I'm sure the house-elves wont mind if you ask for some food. I'll escort you to the Hogwarts wing and show you your room."

Esme nodded and followed McGonagall. She was limping, as being locked in a trunk for a day had left her with a considerable amount of cramp. McGonagall led her out of the room and down the corridor; at the end was a two-way. McGonagall gestured to the right-hand passage, and the two went through some heavy oak doors. In this part of the castle it was as pretty as the rest, but had a lot more windows. On each side of the narrow hall were seven doors- fourteen in total. McGonagall opened one of the doors; it was second to last on the left.

"My room is next to yours, and on the other side is Victoire Weasley. Enjoy your stay, Miss Morris; now, if you'll excuse me, I'm running late for the feast." She left Esme in the doorway, not noticing how the young girl gaped in astonishment.

The room was painted light blue. Opposite the door was a window overlooking the sea, and next to it a white bedside table with two draws and a lamp. Next to the table was a single bed and at the end of the bed was a door. Upon opening the door she found a small en-suite bathroom, with a white toilet, sink and a bath carved into the floor. Opposite the bed was a chest of oak draws, containing six of them in total. The floor was white stone and covered in a rug the same colour as the room. Esme gaped at it.

Then, grinning, she shut the door into the corridor and flung herself down on the bed. It was soft and bouncy, and she lay back on the blue sheets, placing her bag on the bedside table.

If this was what Beauxbatons would be like, then maybe being a stowaway wouldn't be so bad after all.




Esme was woken at half past seven the following morning by owls rapping at her window. Grumbling to herself, she opened the window and let three ruffled, tired-looking birds inside. They swooped around the room before landing on her chest of draws; Esme took a letter to the first and passed it a scarp of bread from the food McGonagall had brought her last night.

She looked at the letter and recognised Grace's handwriting; with a groan she realised her friends must've found out what had happened. Oh, here we go, she thought, opening the letter and beginning to read.

Esme,
What the hippogriff do you think you are doing?! If you had plans to get to the TriWizard, you could've just told us- there was no need to go and lock yourself inside a trunk. Seriously. And also, can you get the autograph of the winning champion for me? Thanks,
Grace.

After that there was a short space and then some more writing, this time in a different hand.

Esme,
I, for one, actually believe your story. Though, if Grace is right and you locked yourself inside a trunk, wouldn't it have been easier to use that invisibility powder of yours? Have fun, and, more importantly, stay safe.
-Euan.

Esme smiled and placed the letter on her bed; the owl that had delivered it had flown off. Then she turned to the next owl, fed it some bread, took the letter and watched it swoop away. Then she opened the envelope and read it.

Dear Esme,
ARE YOU CRAZY?! Who, in their right mind, would lock themselves in a trunk just to go to France?! Oh, and Hugo says you're awesome for trying that and it's a shame you're not in Gryffindor.
Sincerely,
Rose (Weasley)

When she had fed the last owl, Esme opened the final letter and read it.

Dear Esme,
The school has told us what happened. They've also said you may not be home for Christmas, in which case we will forward your presents on to you. We'll miss you,
Your loving parents.

Smiling, Esme put away the letters, closed the window and got dressed. When done, she made her way out into the corridor and bumped into somebody. She looked up and saw a girl smiling at her; she wore a Gryffindor badge and tie, Esme noticed. She had blonde hair with a bronze sheen and big, blue eyes. She looked to be about seven year and she was positively beaming at Esme.

"Oh, hello? Are you Esme Morris? Well, you must be, you're the only second-year here. Professor McGonagall asked me to look after you- I'm Victoire Weasley, by the way."

Esme blinked. "You're related to Rose and Hugo?' she asked. Victiore nodded.

"They're my cousins on my father's side. Come on, I'll take you down to the Grand Hall." Esme followed Victoire out of the Hogwarts suite and down two flights of stairs. The whole castle seemed to be carved out of some strange, smooth stone that appeared blue, purple and white in different lights. Esme wondered if it was some sort of magic.

"Ah, here we are," Victoire said, leading Esme into a large hall. It was slightly smaller than the one at Hogwarts, but set out roughly the same. However, instead of house tables, there was a large square of tables with a gap that could have fit two tables in each end. In the middle of the square was large open space where the teachers sat on a raised platform, on a smaller version of the tables, except on the inside facing out.

"The second-years sit over there," Victoire told Esme, pointing. "Why don't you go sit with them?" Esme nodded and walked towards a large group of girls her age. The Beauxbatons students wore a blue, suit-like outfit as uniform instead of black robes like the Hogwarts students; Esme was aware she stood out like a house-elf among goblins.

As Esme neared she noticed that there were two or three small groups or pairs of girls, and in the centre of them was a larger group. Esme recognised Aimee and waved; the young girl looked startled, but gestured for Esme to take a seat nearby. Esme did so.

"Esme!" Aimee cried. "Vot are you doing 'ere?"

"There was a... baggage problem," Esme said, not really explaining much at all. But Aimee looked delighted.

"Ah, eet is so great to see you again!"

Esme noticed that there were several foreign foods on the table. She recognised croissants and French toast, but not much else. There were lots of bread-based foods, something that looked like an almond tart, some sort of meat, and what looked like some sort of seeded cupcake. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, she ate several slices of French toast. She noticed that the other side of the square across from them contained only boys, while the side she sat on was a row of girls.

"Are you always split up?" Esme asked. Aimee nodded.

"Yes, but it makes Quiddich very interesting," she said. "'Ave you seen the students from Durmstrang yet? They're over zere," she added, pointing at a group of boys on the over end of the boy's table. They all wore thick cloaks, Esme noticed. Suddenly, a large bell rang, and students departed their seats.

"Come on," Aimee called to Esme, "Maybe you can come to Charms weeth us?" Esme followed, but they were intercepted by McGonagall.

"Esme, you're to come with me; you shall read your books and practise theory while Professor Flitwick and I teach the older years," she said.

"But miss!" Aimee called. "Can't Esme come weeth us to lesson?" McGonagall shook her head.

"Sorry, Miss Polnied, but Esme cannot speak French-"

"I can!" Esme interrupt. "I speak French perfectly well- my cousin is twenty-six and her husband is French- he taught me."

McGonagall sighed. "The curriculum is different here; I would suggest you find a nice spot in the grounds to practise."

Esme sighed but nodded; bidding goodbye to Aimee and her friends she turned and walked out the foyer doors. She wandered around the grassy clifftop for a while before selecting a patch of grass beneath an oak tree, overlooking the fields of France.


Halfway through chapter five of A Hefty Guide, Esme head a noise and looked up; watching her from behind a nearby tree was a small girl. She looked to be a first year, with long, dark brown hair and pretty almond-shaped, dark brown eyes. As Esme met her Gaze the girl let out a surprised squeak and ran away. Esme wondered briefly what that had all been about, before turning back to the book. That girl reminded her, strangely, of Lily Potter.




The following day Esme was walking out of breakfast with Aimee and her friends again. Aimee's friends were all overly pretty, friendly and confident. They were perfectionists to the last detail- and somehow, Esme started wishing she could be as perfect as them too.

"Au reviour!" Esme called after them as they went to class.

"Bye!" Aimee's best friend, Eldeen. Eldeen was also known as Needle (her name spelt backwards), which Esme thought was rather clever. She waved as they headed down to the school's stables, when she heard a snort behind her.

She turned to see a girl sat on the steps behind her, looking after Aimee and her friends in disdain. She looked to be about sixteen, with long, dark brown hair and blueish-grey eyes. Those cold eyes flitted up to Esme.

"So," she said, with no indication of a French accent, "You're friends with the Queen Bees, are you?" she asked. Esme frowned at her.

"Excuse me?" she asked in confusion. The girl stood up, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"You know, 'The Queen Bees'. That's what I call them. Wandering around, acting like they own the place. Making life hard for all those who stand out or are different."

Esme frowned. "Aimee seemed all right to me when I met her in the holidays," she told the girl, whom she was beginning to find quite rude, in all honestly. The girl shrugged.

"Don't let me tell you what to think," the girl said. "I'm Laura Mallard, by the way. Nice to meet you." She extended a hand, and Esme shook it.

"Esme Morris," she said. "What year are you in?" she asked, and Laura grinned.

"Sixth. I was actually going to go put my name in the Goblet of Fire, actually- coming?"

Esme shrugged. "Eh, why not? I've got nothing better to do. Hey, shouldn't you be at lessons?" she added. Laura shook her head.

"Nah, I bunk off all the time. I think the teachers have stopped caring, to be honest. Say, what year are you in?"

"Second," Esme told her. Laura let out a low whistle.

"Well, why'd they let you come, then?" she asked. Esme blushed.

"There was a- problem with the luggage," she said, and Laura didn't question her any further.

They reached a large, airy room just off the entrance hall. It had a domed roof and benches all around the edges, covered in velvet cushions. On the floor was a large, patterned rug, and one wall was made entirely of glass. In the centre of this room, on a raised podium, stood the Goblet of Fire. Victoire had told Esme that this was what chose the champions for the tournament, and the champions would be chosen tonight at dinner.

From her pocket, Laura pulled a scrap of parchment that read Laura Mallard - Beauxbatons, folded it and threw it into the flames. Esme watched from just outside the age line, not wanting whatever trap had been put on it this year (Rose had told her a funny story about her uncles Fred and George when they tried to fool it and ended up sprouting beards).

Laura stepped back to stand beside Esme, her face stony and determined. "There!" she said triumphantly, "Just let them try and stop me!"

As they left the room, Esme turned to Laura. "What made you want to take part?" she asked. Everybody, after all, had a reason- whether it was the fame or the money, it was still a reason. Laura stayed silent a few moments before answering.

"To show them that I can do something. That I'm not totally worthless," she said at last.

"Who?" Esme asked. "Aimee and her friends?"

"Everybody, in general," Laura said with a sigh. "I have no friends, the teachers have given up on me, the students pick on me, my parents hate me and I'm stuck here."

"Why would your parents hate you?" Esme asked in confusion.

"Well... my father's a wizard, you see, but my mother was a Muggle. We had our own house in London, they loved each other, they loved me- we were happy. But then, when I was nine, my mother died. After her death, my father didn't go to work, instead homeschooling me- he says I remind him of her. Then, two years ago, when I was fifteen, my father re-married. They're both widowed pure-bloods, you see, and maybe that brought them closer... I don't know. All I know is that we moved here to her mansion, and that she's awful. At the first chance he got, my father shipped me away to boarding school and we hardly ever see each other anymore. I hate my step-mother and I hate my step-siblings. They're awful, Esme- call me a freak and say I can't do anything right. This is my chance to prove them wrong."

Esme looked at laura sympathetically, then did a double take. "Laura, your hair," she spluttered, "It's gone green!"

"What?" Laura asked, sounding as if she were trying not to cry, "Oh yeah!" Instantly, her hair turned back to the brown it had been before. laura's face crumpled up and then returned to normal.

"What was that?" Esme asked in confusion. Laura's eyes lit up.

"Oh, you don't know, do you? I'm a Metamorphmagus- it means I can change my appearance at will."

"Really?' Esme asked, "That's so cool!" Laura laughed.

"I suppose it is!" she said. "Here- watch!" And before Esme's eyes, she turned into the little dark-haired girl Esme had seen watching her the day before.

"Hey!" she complained, "You were spying on me!" Laura grinned apologetically, turning back into the grey-eyed brunette again.

"Sorry about that," Laura said, "I guess I was just curious." Esme shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "Do you know what? I have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends." She grabbed Laura's hand, and the brunette squeezed it gratefully.

"Yeah," she agreed, "Me too."




That night, Esme sat with Aimee and the other second-year girls again. There were whispers running around the room; Esme listened in to the conversation between Aimee, Needle, Christelle, Laetitia and Sylvie.

"Well, I think that Grigore 'Erin will be champion for Durmstrang," Needle was saying passionately in French.

"No, it'll be Mirela Daygreaves, for sure," Laetitia argued. "And Basile Nontise for Beauxbatons."

"Basile?" Aimee asked. "You're joking, right? It'll definitely be Claudine 'Arris."

Nobody got time to reply as Madame Prince, the headmistress, stood up to address the gathered students. Since everybody could speak English, and the tournament was set up by the English, that was the language she spoke in.

"Friends," she greeted, "Now ze time 'as come for us to greet our champions." As she spoke, the fire in the Goblet turned red and out shot a slip of parchment. Madame Prince opened it, and her eyes scanned the page before she read it aloud.

"Ze champion for Durmstrang will be... Grigore 'Erin. Grigore, please make you way out of that door..." Madame Prince waved a hand at a door that had just appeared in the wall. Grigore Herin stood and walked towards it. He was broad-shouldered and large, Esme could see that much; his hair was shaved to an off-colour stubble and his eyes were dark. His face was stony as he walked towards the door. Esme got the impression he was highly skilled in more ways than one. The cheering and clapping died down as he passed through the door and all eyes returned back to the Goblet of Fire.

The flames once more turned red and Madame Prince once again grabbed it. "Ze champion for 'Ogwarts," she called, "Will be Victoire Weasley." Esme found herself clapping as the older girl made her way to the door. She liked Victoire, and anyway, she was Rose's cousin. Rose would be pleased.

"And finally," Madame Prince called, grabbing the last piece of parchment, "The Beauxbatons champion will be-" She stopped, and her eyes scanned the parchment again. When she finally spoke, her voice was taut with disbelief. "Laura Mallard?"

Every eye turned to Laura. The sixth-year girl stood up, her hair now blonde and her eyes bright blue. Her face remained the same, however. She was expressionless as she walked towards the door, but Esme spotted her clenched hands by her side and knew her friend would be shaking with excitement. She felt she ought to clap, like she had done with Victoire, but felt she shouldn't break the silence.

When the Metamorphmagus passed through the door, and Madame Prince dismissed them, mutters began to run through the students. Esme walked a little way behind Aimee and co- or the 'Queen Bees', as Laura called them- as to hear their conversation. Aimee was shaking with anger as she spoke.

"How dare she put 'er name in! She izn't even a part of our school- what right does she 'ave to represent it?"

"She might be alright, really," Sylvie offered shyly. Needle turned to their silvery-blonde-haired friend, raising her eyebrows in sceptical disbelief.

"Really, Sylv, you're going to go there? That girls nothing but trouble."

Esme walked in the other direction, heading towards the door that the champions had gone through. After ten minutes- by which time the hall had cleared- Grigore Herin exited the room. He stalked past Esme, not seeing her- two minutes later, Laura followed. She was breathless and shaking, her light blue eyes shining with excitement.

"Oh, Esme, I don't believe it!" she cried. "It's incredible- and the first trial is at the end of November! It's my turn to shine now- my chance to prove them wrong," this last part was spoken with fierce determination. Esme smiled.

"See you tomorrow, then, Laura? We can practise, if you like..." Laura nodded.

"That'd be great! Bye!" After hugging Esme out of sheer joy, Laura skipped off, humming to herself.

A moment later Victoire left the room, looking flushed. She grinned at Esme. "You didn't have to wait for me, you know- but thanks anyway," she said. "Come on, let's go up to the Hogwarts Suite."

"Do you know what the first task will be?" Esme asked. Victoire shook her head.

"No idea, but it's gonna be fun!"

[Rebel Faery]

When Esme reached the Hogwarts rooms (she had stopped to go to the toilet down the corridor), she found the fifteenth door opposite her ajar. Not knowing what was in there, Esme ventured forwards and found what looked like a common room. There was a fireplace in one wall and a rug on the floor, with tables around the edge of the room and some chairs littered around. Esme realised this must be where the sixth- and seventh-years had been doing their lessons. Now, though, the WWN was playing on the radio and they seemed to be throwing a party for Victoire.

Esme ventured inside and saw Victoire perched on the edge of a sofa. Sat on the sofa was a dark-skinned boy with dark hair and a girl with short blonde hair. The boy was scowling.

"Hey!" he was saying as Esme approached, "I'm as much of a Weasley as you!" Victoire shook her head, laughing.

"Nah, you've got the hair wrong for a start," she teased him. He folded his arms, feigning hurt.

"What's wrong with my hair?" he asked.

"It's not... ginger. All Weasleys have ginger hair." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Neither do you! Or Roxanne, or Albus and James!" the boy protested.

"Well, my hair is strawberry-blonde, that's at least close to ginger. Albus and James are Potters, so they don't count. And Roxie's your sister, so she's just like you!"

"Get off've it!" the boy said with a scowl, shoving her; Victoire shoved him back, and rolled onto his lap, squashing both him and the girl beside him.

"Get off've me!" the girl snapped breathlessly, speaking for the first time. Victoire was laughing, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Sorry, Emma," she gasped, standing up and shaking her hair; at this point, she spotted Esme grinning nearby.

"Oh!" she gasped, "Esme! I forgot you didn't know about this place. Anyway, this is my cousin Fred-" she nudged the boy- "And my friend Emma. Guys," she added, this time to Fred and Emma, "This is Esme, that second-year that ended up getting locked in a trunk."

"Bet that was an uncomfortable journey," Fred said, laughing. Esme nodded, giggling.

"It was," she agreed. "But it's nice here, isn't it?" At this point, she yawned; Victoire wrapped an arm around Esme's shoulders.

"You're tired. Come on, I'll take you to your room- I'll introduce you to the others in the morning."

*

Five days passed. Esme and Laura would meet in random places- each time with Laura in a different appearance- to practise spells. They had no idea what the first task would be, so they practised basic spells that could help with anything. Laura was better at it, as she was four years older, but Esme felt as if she were getting the hang of it too.

On this particular day, Esme had managed to find her way to the sixth-year girls' dorms. Laura and Aimee had told her that each girl had their own, smaller room, rather than the large dorms at Hogwarts; Esme wasn't sure which idea she preferred. She found one door slightly ajar, and peeked in; there, on the bed, lay Laura. Esme had no idea how she knew- she just did, she supposed. Today, Laura's hair was short and black, and her skin had an olive sort of tone to it. She was lying on the bed, facing away from Esme and reading a spell book. Esme saw two twin wires trailing down from Laura's ears... headphones? They were headphones, she realised, and on the bed lay an old, red iPod shuffle. Smiling, Esme closed the door and tapped laura on the shoulder.

Laura let out a cry of surprise and twisted around; she relaxed once she saw who it was. She smiled, pulling her headphones out of her ears. "Esme! You scared me, you idiot. How did you get in here?"

"You left the door open," Esme told her; Laura cursed under her breath. Esme grinned, and gestured to the iPod. "I didn't know you liked Muggle technology." Laura shrugged.

"It's cool- and besides, this used to be my Mum's. And I like it!" she looked worried that Esme would judge her; the younger blonde just shrugged.

"Okay. Lear-" She broke off as something tapped at the window. They both turned to see a barn owl tapping at the window impatiently, a letter tied to its leg. Esme wrenched open the window and the owl fluttered inside; Laura took the parchment from it and fed it a bit of cheesecake (Esme wondered where the girl had got it off, but then decided she didn't want to know).

"Oh," Laura said, looking crestfallen. "It's for you." She held out the letter and Esme took it, unfolding it curiously.

Dear Esme,
Have you tried out my new product yet? Is it working okay? Send reply with this owl.
Uncle George.

Esme opened her bag (which she carried everywhere) and took out a piece of parchment and a quill. On it, she scribbled

Uncle George,
Not yet, I will try it now. I'll send you the details at a later date.
Esme

and sent it off with the owl. Then she groped in her bag to find the shimmery silver vial; she brought out out, her eyes gleaming. Laura glanced at it curiously.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Oh, it's just an experiment," Esme replied, unscrewing the lid. "You see, Uncle George- well, he's not really my uncle, I just call him that- owns a joke shop, and he gets me to try some of his stuff out."

"Oh, that sounds really cool!" Laura cried. "What does that do?"

Esme held it out and looked at it. "It's supposed to give you super vision and stuff. Not sure if it works though. Oh well, here I go!" She quickly lifted the glass to her lips and the liquid rushed down her throat. Suddenly Esme started to choke; that stuff, however nice it looked, was vile. The vial slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor; Esme saw the silver liquid seep into the carpet. She let out a moan of agony; her eyes were stinging. Spluttering, she closed her eyes and leant on the bed for support. For a moment, all sensation slipped away from her, and she felt as if she were being suspended in nothing. Then her senses returned to her and they were more powerful than before; it was almost too much...

"Esme?" came Laura's tentative voice, "Are you okay?"

Esme nodded, took several deep breaths, and opened her eyes.

The sight was startling. Everything was brighter, more vibrant; she could see every light and shadow, every tiny detail. She let out a shaky laugh, and the quiet noise rang in her ear like a tuneful bell. She found that with very little effor she could see throught walls and doors, zoom in on things and out on others. Her sense of smell had improved, too; she supposed it was rather like a dog's.

She turned to look at Laura; the now white-haired girl looked relieved. Her strange golden eyes widened when she looked at Esme; at this point, Esme found that she could snap 'photos' to relay back later with just her eyes.

"Esme, what happened to your eyes?" Laura asked.

"What do you mean?" Esme said in confusion. Laura said nothing, just led Esme over to the mirror; Esme gasped in surprise.

Her right eye was the same colour it had always been, a light hazel. The other, however, had turned bright leaf-green. She shrugged, trying not to panic.

"It's- it's just a side effect," she said with a shrug. "No big deal, right? I'll just write to George and tell him to find a cure. Or, if that fails, I'll get some contacts."

Laura nodded, then sighed. "Okay then. Too bad you dropped that bottle, it would have been nice to have super vision..."

Esme wrinkled her nose. "Laura? That stuff's rank. I only had half a bottle, and- ugh. It's gross." Laura laughed.

"I'll take your word for it. Now, come on, we'd better get started with all this research or we'll never get it done!"

Laughing, Esme sat on the bed, and reminded herself to thank George someday. He really was a genius.




Weeks passed, and in no time at all, the first task was upon them.

Esme stood in Laura's room, watching as the girl paced. She was wearing her school clothes, and today she had taken the appearance of a tall brunette with hazel eyes.

"Laura, stop pacing," Esme told her friend after a while. "We've got to go- the stadium is a ten minute walk around the back of the castle." Unlike the front, where there was simply a cliff and the sea beneath it, the back of the castle consisted of rolling countryside.

"Al-Alright," Lura stammered. Her brown hair looked slightly flyaway, and Esme knew she had been messing it up with nerves. In that moment, inspiration struck.

"I know!" she gasped. "I'll come with you to the champions tent!"

"How?" Laura asked in confusion. "They'll send you away!"

"They wont," Esme said, her eyes bright as she pulled a bottle of shimmery pale blue powder from her bag. "This is invisibility powder. It makes you invisible for up to six hours at a time, and can only be brushed off by the person who applied it."

"Esme, you're a genius!" Laura gasped, pulling the blonde into a hug. "Thank you!"

With a laugh, Esme covered herself in the powder. "Can you see me?" she asked Laura. The girl shook her head, and the two of them made their way to the Champions Tent. They came in through the back of the large tent (which reminded Esme of a circus bigtop), and Laura sat with the other champions. Esme stood behind her, close enough to let Laura know she was there.

"I'm going to let you take a look at ze challenge," said a balding man with spectacles and a moustache. "Eet is very hard, but nothing too 'ard for you, I 'ope."

Esme and the champions gathered around the tent flap as the man opened it up. The four of them gasped; Esme felt thankful hers was quieter than the others. A large structure that resembled the Eiffel Tower had been erected in the centre of the stadium, with stands all around. Then the man closed the flap and turned to them.

"Ze task will start in fifteen minutes. In ze dressing room you will find some more clothes suited better to ze exercise."

As Laura headed towards the Beauxbatons dressing room (which was just like a toilet cubicle, covered with a curtain and containing a bench and mirror) when the man stopped her.

"Madame Mallard, as eet may be unfair on ze others, ze board 'as asked me to tell you that you must choose un appearance and keep it for all ze tasks. May I see your chosen appearance?"

"Oh, um..." Laura's eyes flickered to where Esme stood, and then back to the man. She scrunched up her face as her appearnace changed. She shrunk a considerable bit and her hair became blonde and wavy. Esme was quite surprised at the girl's eyes, though- one blue, one green. "Will this be good enough?" she asked, and the man nodded before letting her go.

When the two of them entered the changing room, Laura's eyes widened fearfully. "Esme, I can't do this!" she whispered, sounding hysterical. "I-I'm terrified of heights!" Esme's stomach dropped.

"You can do this!" she hissed back. Then, making her mind up on the spot, she continued, "I'll be right beside you the whole way, promise. You can do this, and I'll be right there helping you. Invisible, of course," she added.

"You'd do that?" Laura asked, still sounding scared but maybe a little more hopeful. "Oh, Esme, thank you so much! No, go wait outside while I get changed."

Five minutes later, Laura emerged from the Dressing Room. She wore a black, long-sleeved t-shirt and stiff, black leggings. On her feet she wore matching black trainers, but with blue soles. She also had her wavy blonde hair tied up in a blue bobble, and a blue band around her arm. Esme saw that the other two champions were dressed similarly, and each school had been given a different colour- for Hogwarts, it was red, and for Durmstrang, green.

"Right," the man from before instructed them, "When ze whistle goes you must climb to ze top of ze tower. Up zere will be a box labelled with a number- you must choose the one with ze lowest number. For example, if zere are ze numbers 'two' et 'three', you must choose two. Zen climb back down. Are you all ready? Oui? Out you go, zen."

Esme followed Laura to where the sandy ground had been stamped with the Beauxbatons crest. Opposite them, on the other side of the tower, stood Victoire; on the side nearest the stands was Grigore.

Suddenly a whistle blew, and the champions began climbing. Esme followed Laura as the girl swung her leg over one of the metal bars and pulled herself up. That was pretty much what this whole task was about- holding on and reaching for the next branch. Sometimes the metal would creak beneath their weight, and Laura would jump in fright. Soon Esme was a metre above Laura, still invisible. They were high above the stands now, and the wind was buffeting them on all sides. Esme clung on tight, fearing that she would get blown away.

"Esme!" Laura cried, her voice breaking. "Esme, I can't do this!" Her voice was being rushed away by the wind.

"You can," Esme told her, and reached out to grab Laura's hand. She pulled the girl up the gap between them, until the two were clinging onto the same limb. From there they began to climb, Esme helping Laura whenever the elder girl's confidence began to fail. Esme had never felt so exposed in her life- the wind howled in her ears and the ground was so far down. Still, the structure seemed to be narrowing, and that was only a good thing, right?

Esme looked up to see both Victoire and Grigore ahead of them. Then, suddenly, the metal bar Grigore had been holding onto broke, and the stout boy began to fall. Esme held her breath, but needn't have worried; Grigore dropped only a couple of metres before finding his grip. However, it was enough; Laura was now in second place.

After ten minutes Esme saw Victoire climbing back down, a small box clenched in her teeth. Esme increased her speed until she found what Victoire had just left; a narrow metal platform at the top of the tower. She reached down and pulled Laura up.

The two girls stood up. A strong gust of wind shook the metal, and Esme had to grab onto Laura's arm to stop herself getting blown away. The two girls cautiously approached the middle of the platform, where two small boxes sat. They looked to be made of some sort of metal- most likely bronze- but were tarnished. One was marked with a large number '3', and the other a '2'. Laura grabbed teh latter, and the two girls began to descend the tower.

It was harder this time, with the box; after a while, Laura resorted to doing what Victoire had done, clenching the small box between her teeth. The wind was stronger this time, and Laura kept on losing her grip. Esme was so cold her fingers were growing numb, and felt so tired she could collapse. Then, an idea struck her.

"Laura," she said, "Let go."

"Wfof?!" Laura mumbled around the box. "Wah schoo cwaycwe?!"

"Trust me!" Esme cried, and the older girl hesitated, before nodding. Letting go with one hand, she took the box from her mouth; once this was done, she let go with the other and began to fall. Esme grabbed onto the girl's ankle and let go as well; the two began to fall. Esme noted as they passed Victoire, passed the top of the stadium; then, when the ground was not too far away, she grabbed the iron structure once more and yanked Laura up to hang on beside her.

"Thanks, Esme," Laura muttered out of the corner of her mouth so nobody could see, before replacing the box in her mouth and climbing the last couple of metres to safety.

When all three champions had reached the ground, the board began to tot up scores. Then, Esme saw Madame Prince tap her neck with her wand, and when she spoke her voice was magnified to the whole crowd.

"'Ow wonderful! Ze five judges- I among zem- 'ave talked, and we 'ave decided to award Victoire Weasley first place for reaching ze top first. Forty-six out of fifty points are also awarded to 'Ogwarts."

The assembled students clapped, and there was a loud whooping from the top corner of the stand- from Fred Weasley, no less. Esme rolled her eyes, still invisible.

"Second place," Madame Prince continued, "'As gone to Laura Mallard for reaching the top second." At this, Esme grabbed Laura's hand and squeezed it. "Though 'er ascent was poor, 'er creative descent leaves Beauxbatons forty-two points." More cheering and clapping.

"And finally, to Grigore 'Errin we give third place; 'is descent was good but zat fall cost 'im Second Place. To Durstrang, we give thirty-eight points. Zat will be all." With that, her voice was cut off and students began to file out of the stadium. Laura returned to change back into her school clothes, and Esme was waiting outside. When laura arrived, Esme brushed off the invisibility powder and beamed.

"Thanks, Esme!" Laura said, pulling the younger girl into a hug. "I really owe you one."

"Don't worry about it- it was absolutely terrifying!" Esme said, still smiling, and the two girls laughed.

"Come on, then," Laura said. "After dinner, meet me in my room- let's see if we can work out what this riddle is, eh?" she asked, holding up the tarnished box and giving it a shake. Esme nodded.

"It's a date," she stated, then blushed because of how dumb it sounded.




Esme entered the Hogwarts Common Room that night feeling jumpy. The excitemment from the tournament had not yet worn off; she felt giddy, and had to sit down before she threw up- or worse, fainted.

"Go on, then!" Fred was saying as Victoire's hand hovered over the lid.

"Yeah, go on!" Emma encouraged. Esme perched on the back of the armchair she'd been sat on as all the older students gathered around to watch. Victoire tried to open it, but to no avail; instead, she got out her wand and tapped it, muttering, "Alohomora".

The box lid opened all by itself, and a bright gold light spilled out of it, making everybody blink. A soft tune came up from the box, wordless but nonetheless pretty. Esme yawned, feeling tired; Victoire pulled a slip of parchment from the box and slammed the lid shut. The music was cut off, and everybody was blinking, fully awake once again.

"What's it say?" the sixth year Kirk Juan asked curiously. Victoire cleared her throat before reading aloud.

"I sing to you
Until your eyes fall heavy;
I make pain come and go
Before you're ready

Beware the pain of my song
And the sleep it brings;
If I have may way you will never awake
Fly away on death's sweet wings..."

Victoire looked up, her blue eyes wide and frightened.

"Hmm... sounds like some sort of dark creature," Matthew Byron said after a while. "Maybe try checking out the Beauxbaton's library?"

"Yeah, I'll do that," Victoire said, still looking terrified.

*

The next day Esme met Laura outside the Beauxbaton's library; the older girl held the tarnished box in her hand. If it weren't for that, Esme might not have recognised her friend; her hair was short and spiky, and bight neon orange. Her eyes, in contrast, were neon green, and glimmering with excitement.

"Have you opened it yet?" Esme asked. Laura shook her head.

"No, I'll do it now. In here!" She grabbed Esme by the sleeve and pulled her into an abandoned classroom opposite the library. Then she tapped her wand to the box and muttered: "Alohomora."

The box lid flew open, and a horrible screeching came from it. Esme let out a pained cry and flung her hands over her ears; it did nothing to drown out the awful noise. Black smoke began to rise from the box, making her cough; then the noise was cut off, the smoke cleared, and Laura was staring at the box in contempt. In her hand she held a crumpled piece of parchment, which she now unfolded. She read through it twice, then thrust it over to Esme. Esme read what it said:

We are not to be seen
But instead to be heard
Our teeth are sharp and our claws ready
Of our voices, you would not hear a word

Our language makes your ears bleed
Our teeth make you hurt even more
Our bite is worse than our bark
You will come away a shadow of what you were before...

"...Esme?" Laura asked hesitantly. Esme looked up, and saw Laura's green eyes wide with fear. "What am I going to do?"

"Research," Esme said fiercely. "Lots and lots of research. Victoire's riddle- we heard hers last night- sounded just as frightening. But you wont be in any real danger, the teachers will step in and help if worst comes to worst."

"Okay," Laura said, breathing deeply as if to calm herself down. "So... to the library?"

"Yup," Esme agreed. "Put the box in your bag, you never know... it might come in handy."

"Since when?" Laura asked, her face scrunching up as she put the box into her bag.

"You never know when you might need to make someone's ears bleed," Esme joked, and Laura snorted. The two of them made their way into the library, and Esme stopped for a moment.

The library was made of the same stone as the rest of the school. It was huge, bigger than the Great Hall, with a large glass dome for a roof. The walls were full of shelves and there were more shelves arranged in a sort of maze-like pattern; in the large gaps between several shelf-walls there were long tables with little lamps and a spare quill and parchment for students.

"C'mon, the Dark Creatures section is this way," Laura said, and led Esme through the unnavigable maze. How does she know where she's going? Esme wondered.

"These three sections here," Laura finally said, waving at three gaps to enter the rows of tables. Two of them were empty, but in one Esme spotted Victoire, Fred, Emma and a boy wearing Beauxbaton's uniform.

"You go and start looking stuff up," Esme told her, "I'm just gonna go say hi to Victoire."

"You what? Oh, okay then. I'll be at the far end one!"

Esme walked into the small section- which Esme had decided to call 'Bookrooms' for lack of a better word- and walked over to where the Hogwarts students and Beauxbaton's boy were sat.

"Hey," she greeted, and Victoire looked up.

"Oh, hi Esme!" she greeted. "Isn't this place huge?"

"Yup!" Esme agreed. "Found anything yet?" Victoire's face fell and she shook her head.

"The closes thing we've found so far is a Siren, or maybe a Raven Mocker. I doubt it's those two, though."

"Oh well," Esme said. "Just keep searching!" With that, she bade them goodbye and went to find Laura. The Metamorphmagus had changed her appearance, so now her hair was long again, this time in wavy auburn. When she looked up, Esme saw that her eyes were blue.

"Hey," she said. "Sit down, and pick up a book!" She gestured to a large pile of books, and Esme grinned. Sitting down, she took one off the top, and began to read.




November turned to December and Christmas approached. The Beauxbaton's halls became decked in ice sculptures and fake snow rifting from the ceiling, but never causing real cold. Tiny swans and reindeer pranced the halls, distracting every French student in lesson. The rich countryside turned white with the cold blanket, and the cove at the bottom of the cliff was hung with icicles. Though Esme was upset about not going home, she couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the place.

She had sent off her friend's and family's Christmas presents and had received her own, which she kept in her chest of draws. Another stir was caused among the students, and not just because of Christmas- because of the TriWizard, a yule ball would be held.

"So what's a yule ball?" Esme had asked Laura one day.

"Oh, it's an old tradition," Laura had replied. "It's basically a christmas ball. Because of the Tournament, each of the champions have to lead the first dance. Will you be attending?"

"Oh, definately!" Esme had cried, face lighting up with excitement.

*

On the twentieth of December, the day before the yule ball, Laura sought out Esme as the latter was reading in an abandoned classroom. Today was the last day of schoolwork and tomorrow was the Yule Ball- then the french students would go home, and the castle would be emptier than usual. None of the Hogwarts or Durmstrang students were going home, she didn't think, but Aimee and her friends were. Laura, of course, wasn't- she said her family didn't want nor care for her enough to invite her home.

"Esme, you've got to help me!" she said, looking panicky. "The ball's tomorrow, and I haven't a date- or anything to wear- and I can't decide on an appearance-"

"Laura, calm down!" Esme soothed. "And I know just the way you should dress... you say the Yule Ball's a Christmas celebration?"

"Uh-huh, so what?" Laura asked.

"Then we go for total snow princess looks," Esme said, a smile spreading over her face.

*

Esme stood back to let Laura admire herself in the mirror. She had, on Esme's command, made her hair long, almost floor-length, and snowy white, and her eyes bright blue. Her skin was also pale, and her lips full and red. Esme had managed to find an old dress from Victoire- a simple white pinafore- and change it completely with the help of some handy stitching magic she had learnt from a book in the library. Now it was long-sleeved with a full skirt, white and lacy with crystals stitched onto it, giving the illusion of eraing ice and snow. She had also gotten Laura to transfigure some old black pumps into white ballet slippers, with lacy ribbons that Esme had tied up her leg. Then she had done her friend's makeup, brushing her eyes with silver.

"Woah," Laura breathed, staring at her reflection. Then she jumped up and flung her arms around Esme's neck. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she cried, before laughing and falling back. Then she looked at Esme critically.

"You're not wearing anything for the ball," she commented, eyeing Esme's plain black skirt and white shirt. Esme shook her head, blushing.

"No- I'm not too sure I'll go..." She trailed away, seeing Laura's defiant expression.

"Oh no you don't!" she snapped. Then she grinned. "My little fairy must have something for the ball..." She wandered off. Esme sat down on the bed with a roll of her eyes, but couldn't stop herself from grinning.

*

Esme couldn't stop herself from smiling. In such little time- after all, they only had half an hour left, when before they'd had two hours- Laura had created a whole outfit. "You're a little Christmas fairy, aren't you?" she'd said, "You made me look like magic. Now it's your turn."

She'd also used a stitching spell on an old lilac dress and turned it into a turquoise dress with straps and a flared net skirt that ended just above the knees. The chest was studded with silver and faux diamonds that glittered when caught by the light. On Esme's hair, which was long and trailing down her back, she wore a small tiara, and around her shoulders was wrapped some silver tinsel- spelled so it wasn't itchy at all. And, with a clever twist of magic, she had created some fake fairy-like wings from the back of the dress, made seemingly of layers of falling silver glitter and blue light. However, it was just an illusion; when esme reached out to touch them she found there was nothing there. On her feet she wore ballet pumps similar to Laura's, but turquoise instead of white.

"Thank you!" she breathed, turning to hug her friend. Laura laughed.

"It's alright. Now c'mon, I've got to go meet my date- André Hooper, he's in my Potions class."

"Okay!" Esme giggled, and followed Laura out of the room and down the stairs.

*

Esme watched as the champions stood with their dates on the dance floor. Victoire was dressed in in a pale pink satin dress with a strap that went over one shoulder but not the other. She was stood with Domonic, who was a year below her. All the boys were either wearing Dress Robes or suits, so their wasn't really much to be said about the dark-haired teenager. Grigore was stood with a girl from Durmstrang- Esme didn't know her name. She had long, dark hair that was braided and wore a scarlet dress. Some music began to play, and the champions and their partners began to dance.

After about two minutes, people started to make their way up to the floor. Esme, not having a date, sat at one of the many scarlet-clothed tables with a wine glass full of pumpkin juice and watched instead. Laura seemed to be having a great time, and Esme was glad, considering the stress she'd been suffering from yesterday.

"Ah-hem, Madame?" asked a voice, and Esme turned to see a boy watching her. He wore a suit and tie, and bowed to her. His hair was a golden-blonde, and his eyes a bright, glimmering green. "Would vous care to dance?"

Esme nodded, standing and extending a hand to him. "Oui, monsieur," she said with a light laugh, and he led her to the floor.

Esme soon found out that his name was Joel, and he was a third-year at Beauxbatons. Any students below fourth year would normally not be allowed to attend the ball, but Joel had snuck in and vanished amongst the crowd. Esme told him a bit about herself- that she was a second-year and had ended up here by mistake- as the two danced.

After several dances together and half an hour of sitting and chatting, flushed with excitement, eyes bright with tiredness, a humorous tune started up and students began to do strange, quirky dances. After about twenty seconds Laura approached Esme, grinning like mad.

"Come on, Esme!" she said, "This song is for freestyle, and I want you to dance with me!" She grabbed Esme's arm and pulled her up, and the two made their way to the dance floor, giggling. Then they began a strange spin-around-in-circles dance, but nobody payed them any attention- they were having far too much fun to care. Nobody gave a second glance to the snow princess and her fairy sister, dancing like two mad loons.

When at long, long last the ball was over, Esme and Laura bid their dates goodnight before meeting up in the foyer and walking upstairs together. Esme sighed happily.

"That was the best birthday party ever!" she said with a smile.

"You what?" Laura asked. Esme giggled.

"It's my birthday today!" she told her. The snow princess glowered at her.

"And you didn't think to tell me!" she cried. "Honestly, Esme! Oh, I know what to give you!" she said suddenly, before pulling her wand out of her dress. She waved it over Esme and smiled. "There. I've made the wings and sparkles permanent- normally they'd just fade away. And the crown's become permanent as well. And I've put a light-footed charm on the slippers so you can walk soft as a feather, without making a sound. Happy birthday, Es." They parted ways and went to their rooms.

As Esme took of the dress and hung it in the wardrobe, and left the slippers at its foot. She smiled, resting the tiara on the bedside table. Then she climbed into bed, and a blissful feeling swept over her.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me-e! Happy birthday to... me...

Within seconds, she was sleeping.





Esme woke up on Christmas morning to find the cool air scented with gingerbread. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and pulled an extra blanket from her pillows around her shoulders. She figured one of the house-elves must've put it up here, along with the plate of gingerbread men at the end of the bed. On the plate she also found a note written in icing on a flower-shaped cookie.

Merry Christmas, Esme!
Please enjoy these cookies, courtesy of the house elves.
All my love, Aimee xx

Smiling, she bit into the warm sweetmeat, before opening her other presents. From her mother she found a diary, and from her father was a picture book she used to read as a kid. She'd lost it one day and had been distraught... she smiled as she flipped through the familiar pages, before putting the childhood relic aside.

From Jeremy was a statuette of an owl, and from her cousins- Issy, Miranda and Jake- were some stylish muggle clothes, and she grinned. She also found a small trinket box from the Weasley's, a ring from Grace and a small bottle of potion from Euan. She read the note curiously.

Felix Felicis- makes you lucky. Banned in all competitions and exams.
Have fun!

Grinning, she put away her presents onto her bedside table before slipping out of the door. Since most of her things were still at Hogwarts, she had borrowed a nightgown from Victoire, though it was much too long and trailed on the floor. She stumbled over it, and stopped a moment to regain her balance, before tightening the blanket over her shoulders and making her way into the Common Room.

It was mainly empty- the others were probably still asleep- apart from one figure, curled up on Esme's favourite sofa. Coming closer, she recognised the coppery strawberry-blonde waves- it was Victoire. She came closer slowly, and sat down beside the older girl; Victoire was shaking and sniffling, and Esme gathered that she was crying.

"Victoire?" she asked quietly. "Are you okay?"

Victoire looked up, startled; her eyes were slightly pink, not the usual red most people's were. She wiped her eyes, nodding.

"Sorry, Esme- don't mind me. I'm just being an idiot."

"No, you're not," Esme said quietly. "Come on, Victoire, you can tell me." Victoire nodded, sniffling slightly.

"It's- it's just that- that I miss them all so much. My cousins, friends, family- I miss my sister and brother, a lot. And I miss my boyfriend... You probably think I'm so stupid, for crying like this on Christmas."

"I don't think you're stupid at all," Esme comforted. "I'm sure everyone's feeling a little home sick. I miss my parents, and my friends... I never got to say goodbye to Euan and Grace, and letters aren't really enough."

"I know," Victoire agreed, "I want to see Teddy so bad, not just write to him. It's... not the same."

"You're boyfriend's name is Teddy?" Esme checked. Victoire nodded.

"Teddy Lupin... he's left school already. He's twenty-one, actually... but you wouldn't know him even f I told you what he looks like, since he's a metamorphmagus."

"Is it quite common, then, being a metamorphmagus?" Esme asked. Victoire's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"No, of course not... hippogriff no! Where'd you get that idea from?"

"The Beauxbaton's champion, Laura? She's a metamorphmagus."

"Really?" Victoire asked, raising an eyebrow. "The whole school was really upset when she got picked. Nobody really likes her that much, and she never attends classes unless she's bored."

Esme shrugged. "Well, I like her," she said, and then Fred came into the room, and the conversation was left at that.

*

They never did get a chance to continue. After Christmas dinner Esme hung out with Laura in the grounds; they argued, and ended up having a snowball fight. Laura was much better at enchanting snowballs then Grace, but when a stack of out-of-control snowballs kept on targeting them, the two girls ended up rolling down a hill to get away from them- and getting covered in water.

Then the week flow by, and Esme and Laura once again spent their time in the library. They had given up trying to find the exact creature, since they couldn't find it anywhere, and instead began researching different spells to use against them. The first spell they perfected was Otoaspidas, a charm that created earplugs that muffled sounds. Since the invisible creature's cries were supposed to make your ears bleed, they figured it would come in handy. Then Laura taught Esme Protego, the shield charm, but it was Esme who mastered Vestigium first, a handy spell that would leave marks where a creature had been, like little blotches of colour. Since the things they were supposed to be fighting were invisible, then they needed a way to 'see' them.

*

On New Year's Eve, the school(s) threw a party out on the fields. There were hardly any students left, so instead of something big the Professors had set up a portable gazebo and strung it with fairy lights. Under the gazebo they created a dance floor, chairs, tables, and a longer table which held a buffet. Esme hug around with Laura for most of it. They danced stupidly on the floor, ate until they were stuffed, and went out for a game of 'nighttime tag' at around ten. Esme was exhilarated; it was half past eleven and she had been running around in the dark, with only a weak Lumos to light the way.

At ten to twelve, the teachers announced there would be a firework display at midnight. Students lounged on the lawn, some stood and some sitting, all with friends, watching the skies eagerly. Esme and Laura sat apart from the others, lying underneath an old rowan tree. Esme leaned against Laura's shoulder, smiling.

"Thanks, Laura," she said quietly. "For everything." Laura shook her head.

"No need to thank me! If anything, I should be thanking you! You're... you're my best friend, Esme."

"You're mine, too. Well, apart from Grace and Euan, that is."

"You're like... You're like the sister I never had," Laura said, sounding emotional.

"So I'll be your sister," Esme said quietly. "We'll be honorary sisters."

"I'd like that," Laura mumbled sleepily, and held out her arm; Esme leaned into her sister and the arm closed around her. And that was how they were sat, two minutes later when the countdown began.

"TEN!" everyone roared. "NINE... EIGHT... SEVEN... SIX... FIVE... FOUR..." Esme grabbed onto Laura's hand, excitement coursing through her, "THREE... TWO..." That second seemed to last a lifetime, as Esme looked up at Laura and stared into her sister's eyes as they both mouthed the word, Forever.

"ONE!" the assembled roared, and fireworks shot into the sky, making the most fantastic shapes. A liud cheer rang out among the students.

"HAPPY TWENTY-NINETEEN!"




With the arrival of January came the return of the students. The halls of Beauxbatons were once more alive with the chattering of the students, going to their lessons and hanging out in the corridors. The library began to get full again as Laura and Esme practiced spells and researched dark creatures.

"Hey, guess what!" Laura had gasped one day as she entered the book-room. Esme had looked up from the book she had been reading.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"The second chance is on the fourteenth of February! Valentines day!" She sounded outraged. "And I was hoping to go out into Beauxville- that's a small wizarding town a couple of miles away- with André! It's so not fair!"

"What time does the task start?" Esme asked.

"Ten thirty," Laura replied, sliding into a chair beside her.

"Well then, the task will be finished before twelve, and you can go out in the afternoon!"

"I suppose..." Laura muttered, pulling a book off the pile and squinting at the tiny text.

*

It was Thursday, just after lunch, and Laura had decided to go to lessons for once. Esme was making her way towards a side-door, looking for a quiet place to sit and read. The snows had receded a while ago, and though it was cold, Esme liked to do her reading outside. She was wrapped up well, in a long, navy-blue coat, scarf and hat.

Esme pulled open the door and felt a rush of warm air. Not paying attention, she descended the stairs and then froze, staring.

No... That's impossible!

It was garden- more importantly, it was the garden! The garden that she had found last year. The small, walled garden with the diadem in the middle! She walked towards it, remembering the last time she had worn it- it had changed her appearance. Today she didn't dare touch it.

"Hello again!" called a merry voice, and Esme turned to see the silver-haired man. She was still unsure of what to call him, as he'd refused to tell her his name. What is it that he'd said again? Best save it for a rainy day. But it wasn't rainy at all; in fact, she wondered if this garden was ever anything but sunny.

"...Hi," she greeted lamely. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, sir... How did this garden get here? I mean, it's at Hogwarts, right?"

"That notion would be correct and incorrect at once," said the man. "This Garden, the Diadem's home, will appear to those who need the Diadem to reveal themselves, like you have, Miss Morris. Therefore, it can appear through any exterior door of a magical dwelling at any given time. But only if the person needing it is alone."

"But... I've been through this door loads of times, most of the time I was alone!" Esme pointed out. The man smiled at her.

"Miss Morris, nobody knows everything. There are many things that remain a mystery to us. But, come now; the door has reappeared." And sure enough, it had; the Diadem had also vanished. She made her way up the steps, the man standing at the bottom.

"Oh, and Miss Morris?" he called. "Don't stand around waiting for the truth to find you. You have to find it." And then she passed through the door, and the garden was gone.





January blurred into February, and Valentine's day approached- the day of the second task. Giving up on their book-search, Esme and Laura practiced endless spells together, hoping that one would come in useful. If not... Well, knowledge is knowledge, right? It can't hurt, Esme thought.

Then came the day the two of them were dreading. The large tower had been disposed of, and in its place was a large dome of transparent magic that shimmered every now and then. The tent, though, was the same as it had been before as Esme crept in unnoticed, thanks to the Invisibility Powder.

"Since eet would be cruel sending you een there without a clue of what you'll face," the balding man- Monsieur Comeau, Laura had said his name was- said. "I'll tell you a leettle of your task. Victoire, you shall be ze first to face zere challenge." Victoire nodded looking frightened. Actually, Laura did too- all the champions except for Grigore, who's face was stonily impassive.

"You shall face ze Russian Spyashchaya Volshebnitsa- or SpyaVolshe for short. Zese creatures sing zeir victims to sleep- and often to zeir deaths. Now, if you would, you clothes are in the changing room." Victoire nodded and dashed away, looking frightened beneath that veil of strawberry-blonde hair. Monsieur Comeau turned to Laura, who had assumed her tournament appearance.

"Madame Mallard, you shall face ze Japanese Akusei No, a ferocious creature zat is invisible. No-one knows what zey look like, but zey do 'ave sharp teeth and claws. Zere screeching is also enough to make your ears bleed, or even kill you. Go on, get dressed." Laura nodded, and raced over to the changing room. Esme followed; Laura must have sensed her, for she looked up when she'd closed the curtain.

"Esme?" she hissed. "You there?"

"I'm here!" Esme called back, her voice little more than a mutter.

"Oh, Esme, how am I supposed to fight something I can't see?" Laura moaned.

Suddenly, Esme's thoughts flashed back to little over a year ago. Grace's limp face, the half-cut hair, the realisation, the potion... and watching the invisible become visible.

Watching the invisible become visible!

"I've got it!" she hissed, and brushed the invisibility powder off.

"Esme?!" Laura cried. "What are you doing? If somebody sees you..."

"They will see me. However, they wont see you," Esme told her matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?" Laura asked.

"Laura, that potion? It makes me see invisible things! I can see the Akusei No! I can go in your place!"

"O-Of course..." Laura whispered, grinning. "You genius, Esme!"

"You've said that before," Esme pointed out, handing Laura a bottle of invisibility powder.

"Well, you are!" Laura breathed. "Thanks so, so much!"

She drenched herself in invisibility powder and snuck out as Esme changed. When done, Esme looked in the mirror- her eyes were close enough, and her hair was fine. Her height, though- that was going to be a problem. She spotted something on the desk and recognised it instantly- Laura's wand.

Of course; she couldn't use her own in the tournament. She took it hesitantly, ditching hers, and quickly muttered "
procerus." She grew to about Laura's height, and checked once more in the mirror. Deciding it was close enough, she exited the changing facility, twisting her wand in her hand. Grigore was just sitting down, and Victoire had stood up, about to go face her challenge. Esme wanted to grab her friends hand, stare into Victoire's eyes and bid her good luck. But she couldn't; that would give her away.

Choosing a chair close to the entrance flap, she watched as Victoire entered the stadium, and passed through the bubble. There was a glass tank before her, containing glowing orbs of golden-white light. Esme heard the announcer say some things about the SpyaVolshe, and then the glass cages shattered, the glass melting into the sand ground. The orbs- seven of them in total- hovered several feet above the ground, before a large flash of light followed. When it had faded, instead of seven orbs, there were seven beautiful women. They reminded Esme of a picture she had seen in one of the Dark Creatures books, of a Veela.

The SpyaVolshe opened their mouths and began to sing. Esme realised that the dome of magic must mute the sound, because whist the crowd were looking relaxed, Victoire in the centre was swaying on her feet, looking downright sleepy. Then she shook her head and held her wand out, casting several spells. Esme recognised none of them, and when nothing worked, the SpyaVolshe took a step forwards. The singing seemed to enhance, and Victoire looked as if she were struggling to keep her eyes open.

After several more rounds of missed spells, the SpyaVolshe were almost upon her. Around Victoire a red line glowed, that the announcer said would activate a shield charm if the SpyaVolshe got too close. Finally Victoire sent off six spells in quick succession; two of them hit home, knocking the SpyaVolshe to the floor. The other five took a step too close, and the sheild was activated as Victoire passed out.

Three wizards sent muting charms at the SpyaVolshe. One herded the SpyaVolshe back into their case (a new one had appeared), while the other two took Victoire on a stretcher up to the castle.

"Eet is your turn, Madame Mallard," Monsieur Comeau said to Esme who nodded, standing up shakily.

"Right," she said, putting on her best impression of Laura. "Thanks."

She made her way outside and the judges glanced at her and waved her through. Esme walked towards the dome, feeling a strange tingling sensation as she stepped through. She heard the announcer's voice, telling the crowd about the Akusei No. Several crates had appeared in the dome around her as she stepped into the safety circle. The crates began to rattle and shake; then, finally, the gate slid upwards and out ran the creatures.

There must have been a dozen of them, if not more. Esme may have laughed if she weren't so terrified. They were about the size of a large rabbit, with spiky black fur that stuck out in all directions. In fact, if she didn't know better, Esme would have thought of them as fluffballs. As they emerged into the light, she saw that they had tiny, button-sized, hard black eyes, four black-furred feet with long claws and fangs.

Then, all at once, they opened their mouths to scream.

It was a sound unlike any Esme had ever heard before. The wailing coming from the box had just been a taster of the pain- the pure, blistering pain that pounded her head. With a moan, she doubled over, clutching her hands over her ears. Realising she had dropped the wand, she grabbed it, and fumbled with it a moment to get a grip.

"Otoaspidas!" she cried, and the earplugs appeared on the ground. She grabbed them and shoved them into her ears. They didn't block out the noise completely, but it was muffled, and she could breathe properly again. The Akusei No were throwing themselves at the shield now, and she knew she had to step out if the safety circle. They were all throwing themselves at one side of the shield, and that's when Esme realised- the Akusei were dumb. She could outsmart them.

She jumped out of the circle and pointed Laura's wand at one of them nearest to her. "Stupefy!" she screamed, and the puffball fell to the floor, stunned. The action caused stir and the Akusei turned to Esme. Esme conjured a shield charm, but after several attempts the creatures broke through it. They were upon her in moments, throwing themselves at her and tearing her clothes and skin. She let out a scream as she was pulled to the ground, the wand rolling out of her hand.

Overwhelmed by the mass of creatures, the wailing was much louder now. Esme felt blood begin to seep out of her ears around the plug, making the world sound foggy. In desperation, she reached out her arm, stretching as far as she could reach. Her fingertips touched the roughened wood, and she grabbed it, pointing it upwards at the sky.

"Effringo!" she cried, and a beacon of blue light erupted upwards. The Akusei scrambled away from her, unsure of the beacon, and the spell flickered and died. Back on her feet and taking a step backwards, Esme shot more stunners at the creatures, and they fell rapidly. The earplugs, slick with blood, fell out of her ears. The continuous caterwauling of the creatures made Esme shriek in pain, falling to her knees. The four remaining Akusei made their way slowly towards her.

"Stupefy!" Thunk. "S-S-Stupify..." Nothing.

The world was spiralling away, twisting and contorting into shapes that made Esme's head hurt. The screaming of the creatures mingled with her own as she brought her hands to her ears, and they became slick with blood in a matter of seconds. The creatures were almost upon her now, the screaming deafening, she was going to die...

"Tacetio!" came a cry from far, far away. The screaming stopped, but Esme's did not.

And then she blacked out.




Esme woke minutes later, gasping as if she'd just drowned. She found herself in the tent again, on a stretcher and surrounded by anxious faces: Victoire, Monsieur Comeau, Madame Prince.

"Madame Mallard, are tu alright?" Madame Prince asked worriedly. Esme nodded, opening her mouth to speak, when she felt a pinch on her toes- Laura must've been there she realised.

"I'm fine," she snapped in her Laura impression. Monsieur Comeau nodded, helping her off the stretcher.

"Bon, bon! Now, go and get dressed, Madame Mallard, and you may get the chance to see Monsieur 'Erin if tu hurry." Esme nodded and scampered over to the changing room, pulling the door closed. Unchanging, she saw several long scratches on her arms, and realised that the worst scratches had vanished. Still, her combat clothing was in tatters, and as she unchanged and changed into her own clothes, she hissed,

"Laura? You there?"

A moment Later Laura appeared, brushing the last shimmers from her uniform. She hugged Esme, her blue-green eyes wide and scared. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean for you... to..." Esme waved her away.

"It doesn't matter," Esme said, and then grinned. She moved her hand to her ears- still slick with blood- and rubbed them over Laura's.

"What are you doing?!" she whisper-cried.

"You need to look as if you've been fighting," Esme pointed out.

"Oh, right," Laura muttered. Quickly, Esme rubbed blood over Laura in several places, and the older girl assumed a worn expression similar to Esme's. Then Esme reduced the growth spell and covered herself in invisibility powder.

"C'mon," she hissed to Laura, "Let's go watch Grigore."

The two joined Victoire- Esme invisible- and watched through the tent flap as the Announcer spoke.

"What Monsieur 'Erring will face to day is an 'omeless creature that jumps from land mass to land mass. They are known as Poblcoed, a welsh name as that is where they are thought to have originated from. The Poblcoeds are tree-like creatures that illusion themselves as beautiful women, giving off a very veela-like spirit as they steal their victim's souls. Now, let the task begin!"

A roar sounded from the crowd as the trees in front of Grigore began to tremble. Then they stepped forwards, assuming menacing faces before trembling again and turning into women made of bark with vines for hair. Very beautiful, but not realistic. However, they opened their mouth and began to sing, and Grigore looked enticed. Then, shaking his head, he pulled out his wand and sent several spells at them. Since there were only three of them, they were defeated in less then ten minutes, with Grigore looking no worse for wear.

*

The following day, Esme woke with a groan. Her head was hammering with the memory of those wretched screams, and she cursed softly in french. The day before, she had reached her room, still invisible, at lunchtime, and had fallen asleep straight away. She checked the clock; 9:46. She moaned. Brilliant.

She stood up and shuffled into the bathroom. She looked into the mirror, and frowned. The blonde hair around her ears was matted with dried blood, and there was more of it on her robes. Ditching them on the floor, she took one look at the scratches in the mirror (she had a particularly nasty one on the chest), before turning on the shower and entering it.

After ten minutes Esme exited the shower and pulled on some fresh robes. She wasn't bloody any more, but she still felt exhausted and ill. Nevertheless, she went to meet Laura at the usual place, by her reading-tree.

Laura was already there, grinning all over.

"Hey, Esme!" she cried, waving Esme over. Esme sat down beside her friend. "Guess what? My date with André went gre-eat!"

Esme forced a grin. "That's amazing!" However, Laura noticed this, and frowned.

"Esme, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. Esme nodded, paused, then shook her head.

"I feel awful," she admitted. It was that challenge yesterday; I feel so tired! Not to mention I've a headache since I woke up."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Laura cried, and opened her arm. Esme feel into her sister, and cuddled up against Laura's side. They sat there a while, sister and sister, staring out to see and not caring about the world.

"Your head still hurt?" Laura asked some time later.

"Hurts like hippogriff," Esme mumbled sleepily, and Laura laughed.

[Rebel Faery]

Two days later, Esme was feeling better. Her head no longer pounded painfully and her scratches had begun to heal. She was feeling cheery as she bade Aimee and her friends goodbye and went to find somewhere quiet to read. It was raining outside, and she didn't fancy getting wet.

Twenty minutes later she was in an empty classroom reading A Hefty Guide. It was the issued book for Herbology, and was full of all kinds of plants they would face over their next years at Hogwarts. She was almost finished on the section for second-years, telling them about Mandrakes and Devil's Snare. It made Esme almost glad that she was missing class.

A quiet knock on the door sounded and Esme looked up as McGonagall entered the room.

"Hello, Professor," she greeted cheerfully, her legs swinging. McGonagall held out a piece of paper to her. She slid off the table where she had been sitting, leaving her book there. She took the paper and frowned over it.

"What's this?"

"That's your options panel," McGonagall explained. "All the second-years have to do them, to decide which subjects they'll be taking OWLs for."

"OWLs?" Esme asked in confusion.

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Just a test that you take in your second year, Esme."

"Oh, right," Esme said, smiling at her professor. "Thanks."

"No problem," McGonagall answered, and shut the door behind her.

*

Esme found Laura outside her History of Magic classroom. Laura had begun going to lessons more and more, Esme noticed, and for a moment wondered why. Then she shook it off and wandered over to meet her friend.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hiya Esme!" Laura replied cheerfully. "Hey, what's that?" She pointed to the parchment in Esme's hands.

"My options panel," Esme replied, and Laura's eyes lit up.

"Ooh, let me see!" She pulled it out of Esme's hands. "Core subjects, you have to keep doing those, what do you have? DADA, Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic and Astrology? Oh, poor you, I never go to Astrology- don't fancy getting up at Midnight. Hmm, let's see... Options: Arithmancy, Study of Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies. Cool. What're you going to do?"

"I don't know," Esme replied honestly. "I'm Muggle-born, so I don't think I'll need Muggle Studies."

"Nah, you wont need it," Laura replied. "Hmm... Divination or Arithmancy?"

"What are they?" Esme asked curiously. Laura scrunched up her nose.

"Arithmancy is fortune-telling by numbers and stuff like that. Divination is seeing the future."

"Well, I've always fancied maths, but I think I'll go for divination."

"Right," Laura said, ticking the box with a quill. "What else? You should go for Ancient Runes. You like languages, don't you?"

"Yeah!" Esme agreed enthusiastically. "So, Ancient Runes is a language?"

"That's right," Laura agreed, ticking the box. "Hey, do you like animals?"

"I love them!" Esme agreed. "I've always wanted a dog, but Mum said no. It's so unfair! She wont let me have an owl either." Laura grinned.

"You'll love Care of Magical Creatures then. It's all about magical animals."

"Really? Cool! I'll go for that, then," Esme agreed, and Laura ticked it off. "So what do I have?"

"Everything except Arithmancy and Muggle Studies. Sound okay with you?"

"Sounds great!" Esme agreed enthusiastically. "I'll go give this to McGonagall. Thanks for helping me!"

"My pleasure, lil' sis!" Laura called after her, and Esme grinned.

*

Esme found an owl waiting for her when she returned to her room from dinner. It was carrying two letters- one from Grace, one from Euan.

Hey Esme!
We took our options panels today, did you? I'm doing Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination and Muggle Studies. What about you?
Love, Gracie xx

Dear Esme,
Like Grace said, we took our options panels. I'm taking Arithmancy, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies. I didn't want to take that last one, but Grace forced me into it. She knew you wouldn't be taking it since she you're muggle-born. I tried to tell her that I'm muggle-born too, but she's insisting I've been living under a rock all my life. Which is kind of true, in a way.
So, what did you take? How's the tournament going? I heard Hogwarts is in last place, which Grace thinks is pretty bad. I think it's more about the friendship than the prize to be honest. Hoping to hear from you soon,
Euan.

Smiling, Esme grabbed her quill and some parchment and wrote her reply.

To Euan + Grace,
Yeah, I took mine today as well! My new friend Laura helped me choose. She's the Beauxbaton's champion in the tournament. In reply to your question, Euan, the tournaments great. It's so cool seeing it first-hand. The first task was climbing this huge... thing, like the eiffel tower! And the second was fighting all these foreign magical creatures.
That reminds me, I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes and Divination. So we'll all have Divination together, you two'll have Arithmancy and Muggle Studies together, I'll have Ancient Runes with Grace and Care of Magical Creatures with Euan. I can't wait for next year- it'll be so fun!
I have so many things to tell you when we get home- like my new friends, the tournament, life in France and everything else! And you guys have to tell me what we missed! Have we done anything important in Charms, Herbology or Potions? Those are my favourite subjects!
Well, I suppose I ought to go to bed now. Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the Akusei No bite! (No, seriously don't, it hurts... ow...)
Esme xx




Two months passed. Esme wrote to her friends back home, hung out with Laura or Aimee and read her schoolbooks. There was nothing interesting until the beginning of May, when the Champions were to go down to the stadium and find out what their next task was going to be.

"You have to come, Esme!" Laura insisted. "C'mon, you've done every task so far, it's only fair..."

"Fine, fine!" Esme sighed in exasperation. "I'll get my invisibility powder and come with you. But I've only got three bottles left."

"It'll be fine," Laura bluffed. Esme rolled her eyes and pulled a bottle out of her bag.

"Fine!" she sighed, emptying it over her head and vanishing from view. "Let's go down to the field."

The two of them headed down, Esme humming a soft tune. She shut up as they entered the stadium, her jaw dropping open.

In the middle of the round, sandy ground, was a large, gaping hole. It seemed to be made of damp, wet rock, with steam rising out of it. It was so dark, you could barely see more than several feet down.

"You 'ave faced terrifying 'eights," Monsieur Comeau announced. "And braved un'eard of creatures. Now you shall 'ave to show your strength and courage in ze most challenging task yet." He gestured to the gaping ground. "Zis Abyss is several kilometres deep, right into the fathoms of the earth. First, you must climb down ze rock. Zen, you will make your way across ze chamber filled with creatures to the stage at ze other end. Finally, you will find ze rock with your crest carved into it, and ze portkey will take you 'ome. Dismissed!"

Esme scampered off and brushed the invisibility powder from herself, hiding in the shade of a tree. Laura followed her out of the stadium and Esme joined her friend, and the two of them made their way up to the castle.

"So? What do you think?" Esme asked. Laura grinned.

"I can do this," she announced with a nod.

"I'm still coming with you," Esme told her. Laura nodded, smiling.

"Of course you are!"

They wandered into the entrance hall, where Aimee was stood with Needle, Christelle, Laetitia and Slyvia.

"Zere you are!" she announced, marching over to Esme. "We were looking for you!" Then she saw Laura and her lip curled in contempt. "What are tu still doing 'ere?" she asked, making shooing motions with her hands. Waving goodbye to Esme, Laura scarpered.

"That was mean," Esme chided Aimee. "In fact, you're always mean to her!"

"Zat girl is nothing but bad news," Aimee snorted.

"She's a bad influence on tu, Es," Needle added with a satisfied nod.

"She's my friend- can't you just respect that?" Esme cried.

Aimee turned on her, folding her arms. "Non, actually, I can't," she snapped.

"You can't stop me from hanging out with her," Esme pointed out angrily.

"Non, but we can stop you from 'anging out with us!" Laetitia cried in contempt.

"'Onestly, Es, she's bad for you," Christelle added. "If tu just, I don't know, stop 'anging around with her, it'll be for ze better. Trust moi."

"Zey're right, Esme," Aimee agreed. "Either you stop being friends with 'er, or we'll stop being friends with her."

"Then I choose her!" Esme cried, on the verge of tears now. "You guys aren't real friends anyway! Real friends don't make other friends choose! Real friends don't care! Real friends don't like seeing their friends hurt!" With that, she burst into tears and rushed up the stairs. She flung herself down on her bed, sobbing into the crook of her elbow.

How dare they? What they had done was cruel and mean. Aimee and the others, they were her friends... but Laura was her sister. And sisters didn't let each other down.

She pulled out a piece of parchment to write to Grace on, but her eyes blurred with tears and she couldn't bring herself to write anything down. In the end, she gave up and spent the rest of the night curled up in bed, occasionally sobbing.




Two days later, Esme was following Laura through the hallways, a blindfold over her eyes. It was pointless, as the potion George had given her gave her x-ray vision, but she decided not to use it and instead close her eyes.

"Where are we going?" she laughed.

"Well, since you've been helping me win the tournament- and the last challenge is in two weeks- I thought I should give you a gift. To say thank you- even if I don't win. I just want you to know that I care, I guess."

Esme heard the sound of a door being opened and was led into the room. "Okay, you can open your eyes."

Esme wrenched off the blindfold and opened her eyes. She gasped. On the table in front of her, inside a pretty silver cage, was an owl. It was quite small, with grey feathers and large eyes with a huge pupil. It gazed at her, blinking its eyes.

"Oh, Laura, thank you!" she cried, flinging her arms around her sister's neck. Laura grinned.

"It's alright. I had two, and when you said a couple of months ago that you wanted an owl... I figured you'd like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" Esme let go of Laura and trotted over to the cage, reaching through the bars and stroking its soft grey feathers. "Does it has a name?"

"His name is Nixon," Laura told her warmly. "He may look small, but he's strong. You really like it?"

"Of course!" Esme cried. "I-I love it!"

*

To Gracie,
You know the friend I've been mentioning in my letters, Laura? Well, guess what? She brought me an owl! I'll send him with this letter- beautiful, isn't he? His name is Nixon and he's all mi-i-ine!
And you know my other friend, Aimee? Well, turns out she's a *****. She made me choose between her and Laura! I'm glad I chose Laura now.
Anything interesting happen at your end? The last task of the tournament is in two weeks, but other then that, nothing new. Say hi to Euan for me.
Esme xx

Hey Esme!
Wow, he's gorgeous! I can tell why you're in love with him, I'm jealous! Make sure you take care of Nix, wont you?
And wow, that Aimee girl sounds like a real jerk. I'm glad you're not friends with her anymore- she doesn't deserve it.
Not much is happening here. Except that Janice keeps asking Sting if he knows a potion that will tidy up his moustache. She says it bothers her, and I can't really find fault in that. Looks like a dead mouse, and the girl's a vegetarian.
Euan says hi, and he can't wait to see you again. Adios!
Gracie xx





Two weeks passed, and the last task came around. Esme stood beside Laura on the edge of the gaping Abyss, invisible to everyone else. The crowd's cheers died down as the commentator spoke.

"Well, folks, it's all come down to zis, ze final task! Our trois champions are stood on ze edge of zis challenge, but ze majority of ze task will take place underground. Zerefore, screens 'ave been put up, one for each champion, showing you of zeir journey. Ready? Set!"

The three champions all sat on the edge of the cliff. Esme did the same, feeling a tremor of nervousness sweep her as she looked down into the dark. She saw Laura light up her wand and clench it between her teeth, and decided to stick close to her friend.

"GO!" the commentator cried, and all of them pushed themselves away from the rock walls. Esme found herself sliding a couple of feet, but then managed to twist around and grab onto spurs of rock. The rock was grey and slimy, and Esme found herself clinging on tightly. Laura was just above her, climbing down slowly but surely. There was a sound of dripping water from somewhere below. Esme shivered.

"Esme?" Laura whispered, and Esme tapped the girls ankle.

"I'm here," she murmured, and Laura nodded.

"Stick close to me."

The two of them made their way down into the darkness. Soon they'd lost sight of daylight, the only light coming from the wand clenched between Laura's teeth. The grey-green rocks were slippy and hard to grip on, and the climbing was slow and tedious. It was cold down here, having never felt the heat of day, and the freezing damp just made it worse. Soon Esme was shivering, the moisture in the rocks soaking into her skin.

Finally, when she felt so sore and cold that she couldn't go on any further, Esme heard Laura's gasp.

"Esme! Let go! We've reached the bottom!"

Taking a deep breath, Esme let go of the rocks, and found her feet hit firm ground moments later. "Incendio," Laura muttered, and green fire lit up the cavern moments later. The fire settled in torch brackets on the wall.

The walls were still jagged and uneven, but the floor here was smooth and tiled. The place was flooded with water that was ankle-deep, and at the far end of the chamber was a stone stage. Half way down the chamber, Grigore was making his way across the

"Well that was easy," Laura commented. She began to stride down the chamber, and Esme hurried along after her.

Suddenly Esme jumped; something was growling. "Laura..." she whispered, but the metamorphmagus had already heard. She shot a curse at the source of the noise, and there was a loud whimper followed by silence. The two continued down the cave, and heard Victoire enter behind them.

Around the centre of the cavern, the floor dipped down a bit, making it so that the water was now up to Esme's knees. The water sloshed around as she and Laura walked. Esme found that her teeth were chattering; the cold water had soaked into her bones. Finally, they made it to the stage at the other end, albeit drenched. Grigore was a couple of metres away, wrestling with what looked like a cross between a bull-dog and a spider. Laura rolled her eyes and shot a jinx at the animal, which ran away.

"You can thank me for that later," she told the gorilla-like seventh-year, stalked over to her rock, and grabbed it. Esme made sure to grab onto Laura's hair just in time.

"And Laura Mallard is first back! What a challenge- fifty points to Beauxbatons! Oh, and who comes now? Grigore 'Errin! Et finally, Victoire Weasley returns! That leaves the final standings with: Beauxbatons with one-'undred-and-twenty-three points! 'Ogwarts with nintey-six points! And Durmstrang with one-'undred-and-eleven! Zat leaves Beauxbatons in first, Durmstrang in second and 'Ogwarts last! Well done, well done, all of you! Et that is ze end of another great Tournament. Good night!" And then the voice stopped and a cheer rose from the crowd.

*

Esme came out of her room, towelling her hair dry. She had packed her stuff- they were leaving tomorrow- and now she had the whole afternoon to spend with Laura. She found her sister in her bedroom, kicking back on her bed and listening to her iPod. When she saw Esme, she pulled out her headphones and jumped up.

"Oh Esme, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she screamed, flinging her arms around Esme's neck. "You're the best! Can you believe this? We won, we won, we won!" she chanted, letting Esme go and spinning around the room. Esme laughed as Laura grabbed her and spun her round. "We won, we won, we won!" she sang, and the two toppled onto the bed, laughing and breathless.




"Come ON, Esme!" Laura cried, laughing, pulling Esme by the arm. Esme wiped her hair out of her face, giggling.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming! Where are we going?"

"I thought I'd get you something to say thanks!" Laura said cheerfully.

"You've already gotten me a present, Laure- you gave me Nix!"

"I wanted to get you something else, too!" she said, then paused outside a door. "Esme... you know, when you go home... you'll write to me, wont you?"

"Of course!" Esme cried. "Of course I will! You're my sister, Laura, and that's not going to change. For good or for bad, you'll always be my sister- and I'll always be yours."

"O-Okay," Laura whispered, smiling, then opened the door. Esme scampered in and Laura shut the door behind them. It was some sort of store room, with trunks open and overflowing with stuff. "Your present is in that one," Laura told her, beckoning to one of them, which was closed and a reddish colour. Esme nodded and went over to open it, her heart beating. Laura hovered anxiously behind her.

Esme had pushed the lid open with a great effort, when she suddenly she felt someone shove her and fell into the trunk. She landed funnily on her side, her legs curled up around her chest and her arm trapped beneath her. She cried out in pain, and the lid slammed shut. With her free arm, she tried to push it open, to no avail. It had been locked. Instead, she used her x-ray vision to see through the trunk.

"Laura!" she cried. "Why are you doing this?"

Laura had an ugly sneer on her face. "It's not fair, Esme! I've always tried my best at everything, and yet I'm upstaged by a twelve-year-old. Everyone thought it was me that won the tournament, but it was actually you! You got everything I ever asked for!"

"I-I don't understand," Esme stammered.

"You have a perfect family, great friends and your whole future ahead of you! I have nothing that you do! My mother is dead! My step-family is horrid to me! I have no friends! Nobody likes me- not Mesilee's gang, not Aimee's gang, none of them! What did I ever do to deserve this Esme?"

"Nothing!" Esme cried. "You've done nothing to deserve any of that! You're smart, you're kind, you're funny- you're my sister, Laura! Let me out!"

"No!" Laura cried. "You have everything I ever wanted! Everything I've ever needed! A life I dream of! So now I'm taking it- and don't even think about trying to stop me!" As she spoke, Laura transformed and ended up becoming exactly like Esme. "It's my turn to live now, Esme!" Laura snarled, turned, and stalked out of the room, leaving the door ajar.

Silence fell. Esme found that she was sobbing. Her sister... had betrayed her? Why would she do that? "Laura..." she breathed. "Laura, you know I would've helped you..."

She remembered her own words. "For good or for bad, you'll always be my sister- and I'll always be yours." This was definately one of the bad times, she decided, as she felt the pain in her arm. It felt broken.

She heard voices and saw people walking past the door; Needle, Christelle, Laetitia and Slyvia. Moments later, Aimee followed.

"AIMEE!" Esme screamed. "Aimee, help me!" She beat on the inside of the trunk, and saw that Aimee was rushing towards her, and unlocking the trunk. Esme gasped, sitting up, gulping back air.

"Esme?" Aimee gasped. "What're you doing in there? What 'appened to your arm?"

"Laura locked me in!" Esme cried. "She's- She's-" The realisation dawned. "Aimee, she's stealing my identity!"

"I told you no good would come of her!" Aimee cried, helping Esme up. "Quick, ze 'Ogwarts group left five minutes ago- taking a portkey from the cove. If we 'urry, we can catch them!"

"Right!" Esme yelled, and the two grabbed onto each other's arms, racing down the hallway. Now Esme was sure her arm was broken; it thumped painfully every step she took. Still, she gritted her teeth and ignored it, following Aimee down the steps chiselled into the cliff-side on their way down to the cove and the narrow strip of beach beside it. Soon the Hogwarts party came into view, and the two waved their arms and yelled.

"WAIT!" they cried. "WAIT!"

They reached the bottom of the steps, panting hard. McGonagall rushed over to them.

"Esme?" she asked. "But how're you-" She turned to look at Laura, who was slinking away, and pursed her lips.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"Laura," Esme said, not to McGonagall but to Laura herself.

"I'm sorry," Laura whispered, hanging her head. Her hair turned dark, her eyes became grey and she grew to her full height. Esme smiled; this was Laura's favourite guise, and probably her natural appearance.

"I forgive you," Esme told her, though she doubted her sister could hear her, because at that moment, Madame Prince appeared on the steps, looking furious.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"




The next few days passed in a blur. Esme had come out into the open with her secrets, and had to re-tell the story of the last few months in full- except for the part about Draco Malfoy. He had ordered her to keep that a secret, and so she would.

Finally, when the Hogwarts party were allowed to go back home, Esme was exhausted. She spent most of the carriage-ride home asleep beside Victoire, her head resting on the cool window-pane. They arrived home and the students took their exams, slightly subdued. Esme didn't see her friends often as she was still being interrogated by McGonagall and the other teachers, often slept late and couldn't stay up most evenings to talk to them. It wasn't until the last day of term, when she was sat underneath a willow beside the Black Lake, did they come to talk to her.

"Heya," Grace greeted, sitting down beside Esme. Euan sat down on her other side, and didn't say anything.

"Hi," Esme greeted absently, staring out of the water.

"Listen... Sinistra told us what happened." Esme looked up.

"She did?"

"Yeah, and, we just want you to know... you're awesome."

Esme frowned. "I am?" she asked in confusion, cocking her head to the side.

"Of course! Not many thirteen-year-olds can stand up and say 'I've survived the TriWizard tournament', can they?"

Esme grinned. "Guess not," she said, rubbing her arm. It had been fixed back in France, but it still hurt every now and then.

"Anyway," Grace added, "You were awesome before all that."

Esme rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. And pigs can fly."

"Okay, okay!" Grace said, raising her hands in surrender. "I wont complement you any more, okay?"

"Alright," Esme agreed, and smiled.

*

"See you next year!" Esme told Grace, hugging her best friend as they stood on the platform. She then turned to Euan, who was staying with a foster family, the Creaseys. She hugged him hard, and he laughed, letting her.

"I'll miss you too, Esme," he told her, smiling.

"I'll write to you both, okay?" Esme told them. Grace nodded.

"Of course! Well, guys," she looked around at them. "This is it. Together forever, friends 'til the end."

"'Til the end," Esme agreed.

"Hear, hear!" Euan cried. They all hugged one last time and bade each other good-bye. Esme watched Laura go over to a tall, blonde-haired woman with a resemblance to Grace and another woman, in her early twenties, also with long blonde hair. Esme recognised Grace's sister and mother. She turned and saw a woman with short, dark hair greeting Euan. Beside her stood a ginger-haired man, and beside him was a six-year-old boy, their son.

Esme smiled happily and passed through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Her parents were waiting there for herm and waved. Esme dropped her stuff and raced over to them, hugging them tightly.

"I've missed you," she told them.

"We've missed you too, Es," her dad told her, ruffling her hair.

Esme grabbed her stuff and followed them out of the station, all the while smiling. It was true what Grace had said. She, Grace and Euan would be friends until the end. And Laura?

'Til the end, Laura. Always.

[Kitty-lover93]

Oh my goodness! I loved the prequel; I'm reading this one now. (; Great twist to the plot in the first book, by the way!

[Rebel Faery]

Oh my goodness! I loved the prequel; I'm reading this one now. (; Great twist to the plot in the first book, by the way!

Thank you! I've just put up another chapter, my longest one yet. I'm glad you're enjoying it, and there will be another chapter sometime tomorrow!

[Kay the Cat-Fox]

Still reading. <3

[Kitty-lover93]

Whoa, didn't expect Malfoy to stuff her in a trunk and send her off to the Tournament, though I guessed she'd get there somehow. Great twist!

[Rebel Faery]

Still reading. <3

Thanks Kay! Nice to know my fans are still enjoying this

Whoa, didn't expect Malfoy to stuff her in a trunk and send her off to the Tournament, though I guessed she'd get there somehow. Great twist!

Haha, I bet nobody expected that! But I've had this planned for a while now, and I love surprising my readers. In fact, if you aren't surprised by the time I start the last book, then there's definitely something wrong with you... haha, just joking xD

[Rebel Faery]

Bump! There's a new couple of chapter up, I hope you enjoy them- especially the one about the first task, that was a lot of fun to write.

[daz]

This book is excellent!!!