Hermione

We were all seated in the Great Hall having been herded inside like cattle at a much faster pace than we ever had been before for some reason. I groaned as Ron was once again harping on about the Quidditch World Cup and the fact that the Bulgarian team lost.

"I mean, Viktor caught the Snitch! How could they lose?" The redhead complained.

I rolled my eyes at the boy, "Yeah he caught the Snitch, but aside from that, they were only able to score one goal on Ireland who scored seventeen. Ireland was just far superior to the Bulgarian's," I explained for the umpteenth time.

"But still-"

I was saved by Ron's constant complaints by Professor Dumbledore standing up and moving behind the large podium placed in front of the teacher's table. He looked over the vast array of students before him as he waited for the room to become silent, which didn't take very long as the man's presence was one of the most calming I'd ever encountered.

"Now that we have all settled in and all the new students have been sorted into their houses, I have an announcement to make." As the Headmaster continued to speak the large double doors to the Great Hall opened slightly, and Mr. Filch squeezed through the gap and started to run down the hall. Thanks to the vast expanse it took the groundskeeper a good half a minute to get to the other side of the room even while running.

"This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen to host, a legendary event. The Triwizard Tournament." At the mention of the Tournament, the room erupted into a soft murmur of surprise and excitement over the competition. "The Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete, now let be clear. If chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say, these contests are not for the faint of heart. But more on that later. For now, please join me in a welcoming, the lovely ladies, of Beauxbatons Academy and their Head Mistress, Madame Maxime."

The ornate double doors opened revealing a small group of female students dressed in light blue dresses that finished just above the knee. A short cape of the same colour was draped over the shoulders and tied together at the front by a thin blue ribbon. The hats they wore, also the same shade of blue as the dress, was pointed very slightly at the top and I had to wonder what the point of having such a small point was. Their legs were covered with simple black stockings, and each girl wore a set of light blue high heels.

As I watched the girls walk down the middle of the room, I couldn't help but feel insecure, I usually didn't care how I looked compared to others but these girls, they were something else. Each one was more beautiful than the last, especially as they walked with their perfect posture, pronouncing their apparently perfect bodies. The girls sighed, for what was the third time, before a kaleidoscope of light blue butterflies fluttered out from between them.

"Blimey, that's one big woman," One of the guys sitting across from me said as Madame Maxime walked by, watching over her students with a look of pride etched deep in her features.

I was quickly distracted from the large woman as the Beuxbatons girls were finishing up their routine with one of them bowing low in the middle of all the others, hand in hand with a younger girl dressed in a silver leotard. I felt my heart start to beat a little faster as I looked into the girl's dark blue eyes. The girl's eyes locked with my own and I quickly looked away blushing deeply as I fazed out everyone around me for a few moments to collect my thoughts once more. Once I had come back to the world of the living Dumbledore was once again standing by the podium, the cheering had subsided while everyone waited for the Headmaster to continue.

"And now I hope you'll all show the same appreciation for our friends from the North. Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their High Master, Igor Karkaroff."

Everyone in the Great Hall turned towards the sound of the doors opening again and watched as a small group of boys made their way into the large room. They swung around their staff's before hitting them on the floor creating sparks, and I couldn't help but wonder why the school felt they needed to make such a grand entrance. I just shrugged at though as I took in the much more practical uniform that the Durmstrang students were wearing. Their simple blood-red robes were covered by a thick cape made from the fur of various animals for warmth.

The display from the boys was, of course, finished with a flashy sprinkling of magic as one of the students blew at the end of his staff summoning a fire that was magically crafted to be the shape of a bird. The fire-bird flew around the teacher's table before dissipating into nothing. Karkaroff and Professor Dumbledore embraced in a quick, friendly hug as the two drew nearer to one another and chuckled as they greeted each other.

I watched in silence as the two groups of new-comers found their pre-designated seats, the Durmstrang students sat with Slytherin and the Beauxbatons students sitting with Hufflepuff. Notably, I watched as the students from Beauxbatons stayed standing until their Headmistress had taken a seat on the right of Professor Dumbledore. I also saw that Hagrid couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the large woman and I couldn't help but grin at the sight.

It took more than a few moments for the students to settle once again and in that time, Mr Filch led a small group of men into the Great Hall. The men carried a large, intricately decorated spire down onto the small wooden stage that usually held the podium that Professor Dumbledore used to address us in the Great Hall. With the spire placed precisely in the middle of the stage Mr. Filch promptly shooed the four other men before stepping off to the side and allowing Professor Dumbledore to stand by the spire.

"Your attention please, I'd like to say a few words," The Headmaster spoke with a seriousness that I had never heard from the older man. "Eternal Glory. That is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard tournament. But along the way you will face three, extremely dangerous tasks, the possibility of death will be not only present but abundantly apparent to not only the Champions themselves but also to those who watch. For this reason, the Ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this, we have the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation Mr. Bartemius Crouch."

The aforementioned man took to the small wooden stage and stood before the smattering of students with a serious look on his face, "After due consideration, the rest of the Ministry and I have concluded that, for their safety and yours, no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Triwizard Tournament and that decision is final."

I couldn't believe my ears when it seemed that the entirety of the Great Hall erupted into jeers at the announcement, especially when the decision made absolute sense to me. I just shook my head at the morons that wanted to get themselves killed trying to take on deadly challenges when they were nowhere near ready to take them on.

The jeering went on for longer than I expected before Professor Dumbledore placed his wand against his throat, "Silence!" The word was elongated and loud, but his voice still seemed to be of the same softness that he always spoke with. Either way, it had the desired effect, causing everyone to shut their mouths so we could continue through this extended welcome.

Mr. Crouch took a step back as Professor Dumbledore waved his wand at the large spire, the gold that it was made of seemed to melt down into nothing and revealed a sizeable wooden goblet. Whispers and murmurs broke out amongst the students questioning what goblet was and what it would be used for. I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes as the questions being asked were obviously going to be answered in just a moment.

A blue flame appeared above the goblet; it's flames dancing in a wind that wasn't there, "The Goblet of Fire." Professor Dumbledore stated, "Anyone wishing to participate in the Tournament need only write their name on a piece of parchment and place it into the fire before the dinner feast tomorrow night. However, you should not do this lightly; I can not understate the danger you will be in if you decide to enter the Tournament. And if you are chosen, there is no turning back. As from this moment the Triwizard Tournament has begun."

With that, the feast was finally started and I quickly fixed myself a small plate of chicken and side of vegetable. I glanced at Ron and saw that he was staring at the Slytherin table, jealousy clear in his blue eyes. I looked back at the Slytherin table and where he was looking.

"Why are you staring at the Durmstrang students?" I asked in confusion as I turned back to Ron, his plate still empty.

"Isn't that obvious?" Ron asked like it should be obvious, the redhead huffed at the blank look on my face, "Viktor Krum is one of them, and the damn Slytherins get to sit with him," Ron muttered before finally grabbing a mountain of food to distract himself.

"Wow, he's just Quidditch player," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"He's not just a 'Quidditch player' Hermione; he was the seeker of the Bulgarian team!" Ron said with pride.

I rolled my eyes once again, "Oh, okay, so he's the one that ended the World Cup by catching the Snitch when his team was down by one-hundred and sixty points, so his team had no way to win. I see you're right what a great guy," I said knowing it would get a rise out of my friend.

Ron glared at me, "There is more to it than that," he said although he didn't elaborate.

"What about Harry? He was able to catch the Snitch on his first year at Hogwarts, isn't that commendable?"

Harry blushed a little at the compliment, but I could see that his mind was pre-occupied as he was once again staring at Cho Chang sitting at the table across from ours. Ron waved in front of the boy's face, but even that wasn't enough to get his complete attention as all he did was utter the words, "I'm listening."

"Just talk to her Harry," I said as I reached across the table and pinched his arm to gather his attention.

"What?" He asked as he finally turned back to his friends, rubbing the spot I had pinched.

"I said just talk to her; it's a little creepy when all you do is stare at her all the time," I scolded the dark-haired boy.

"She always smiles when she notices," Harry said in his own defence.

"Which is exactly why you should talk to her," Ron chimed in from Harry's side, although I was sure Ron wasn't one to talk, he's never spoken to anyone he'd fancied in the past.

"If you don't someone else might and then where would you be?" I asked, hoping to push Harry in the right direction, even if it was just by a little bit.

"I'll get there," Harry mumbled causing Ron to snicker at his friend. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, but I was lucky, I still hadn't met anyone that made me feel that way.

Fleur

I was sat at the Hufflepuff table with my fellow students and my little sister; I had just finished praising Gabrielle's performance and gushing about how beautiful she was. It didn't seem to matter what was going through my mind; I could always push it all aside when it came to my little sister; at least, I thought I could. But the entire time I was chatting with Gabrielle, hell, ever since I stepped foot into Hogwarts' Great Hall I had been distracted.

As the doors opened, I could feel something, someone, someone that I didn't think I'd find for a long time. As I walked down the length of the Great Hall and between the students, I couldn't stop my eyes from flitting about the room, searching out the presence that was undeniable. But my efforts were in vain until I reached the front of the Great Hall and started to bow for the students before me. That's when my eyes met with a brunette that was sitting at the Gryffindor table; her chocolate eyes drew me in in the split second that they were connected and I found myself falling into a vast emptiness.

I shuddered as the split second lasted almost an eternity in my mind, only stopping as the girl turned away, her unruly mess of brunette hair swaying ever so gently with the turn of her head. I sighed in content as I remembered the way it felt to lock eyes with the girl that had suddenly and dangerously become everything to me. I felt as my heart beat picked up once again as I sought the girl out, now knowing where she was sitting it only took me a few moments before my eyes landed on the familiar head of brunette hair. She was busy talking with two boys sitting across from her about something or another, and I couldn't stop the pang of jealousy that flared within me.

As I sat and watched the girl converse with the two boys, it took all of my strength not to stand and sprint over to the girl. I wanted nothing more than to whisk her off her feet and take her away from any other person that could even have a remote chance of being competition. Suddenly I was thrilled that I was only a quarter Veela and I wondered just how my mother was able to keep calm at the sight of my father considering the Veela in her was stronger than in me.

A tapping on my right shoulder took me back to the present, and to the miniature carbon copy of myself, I looked into my sisters questioning eyes and smiled, "What is it, Gabrielle?" I asked, having decided that I should speak mostly English since I was at an English-speaking school.

"You were staring at someone," Gabrielle said as she glanced at the Gryffindor that I was staring at, "Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "No reason in particular," I said nonchalantly, "I just thought she seemed pretty."

Gabrielle nodded at the statement before looking back at the Gryffindor, "I agree," She said with a smile, I knew she was just copying me, but it still felt good. At least it did until the possessive Veela in me tried to surface, and I had to catch myself before I snarled at my little sister over nothing.

I took a deep breath and tried to focus on eating, "Hey Fleur?" My sister spoke up once again. I looked over to her and could see that she was worried about something. I gave her as much of my attention as I could, cursing as I couldn't seem to get the fact that my mate was sitting across from me out of my mind when my sister needed me.

"What is it, Gabrielle?" I cooed, brushing my fingers through the girl's platinum blonde hair softly.

"I just… Do you have to enter the Tournament? Madame Maxime and that old man kept saying how dangerous it was going to be, and the Ministry isn't allowing people under seventeen to participate cementing the fact that it is, in fact, very dangerous."

I pulled Gabrielle into my side and ran a hand up and down her back as her lithe body trembled, her small arms gripped at the cape at my back as she held onto me tightly. "I know it's scary to think about Gabi, but I promise you that, if I am chosen to enter the Tournament then above all, I will keep myself safe. It doesn't matter how close I get to winning, if it looks like I'm not going to be able to stay safe then I'll stop trying to win and instead keep myself from getting hurt, okay?"

Gabrielle nodded her head against me before she pulled away with a satisfied smile, I, however, was being eaten away from the inside. I hated lying to my sister like that, but I knew if I had a chance of winning, I was going to take it, not for my school, not for my family, not for myself or for the glory that would come with winning the Triwizard Tournament. But for her, I looked back at my mate sitting at the Gryffindor table and laughing at something the redheaded boy across from her had said. For her I would win, if selected I will show the Gryffindor what I'm truly made of and then ask her if she would go out with me.

I smiled a little as the plan set in my mind, I would win the Tournament, and then I would win the girl, it had to work. I once again focused on my food, glancing at the Gryffindor every now and again, as I allowed my mind to wonder about what the girl was like. I knew it didn't really matter, whatever she was like I would love her all the same, she was made for me after all, even if she didn't know it.

The rest of the evening progressed smoothly, and I soon found myself alone in the tiny room that had been assigned to me on the carriage we had used to get to Hogwarts. I was sitting on my bed wearing the powder blue, silk nightgown that I always wore to bed and was quietly brushing my hair. The smell of vanilla with a hint of cinnamon wafted off of my skin, and I made a mental note to thank my mother for buying such a wonderful smelling soap for me to use.

With my hair brushed, I pulled out my diary and ripped out a small square of paper using the edge of the small desk in my room to make sure the edges were perfectly straight and neat. I inked my quill and pressed the feather down onto the piece of parchment, writing out my name in the most elegant, delicate handwriting that I could. I held the paper before me and smiled at the results, "Beautiful," I sighed before placing the piece of parchment down onto the desk.

I reinked my quill, pulled my diary onto my lap and started to write on the same page that I had torn the paper from.

1st of September 1994

Today was a fantastic day, quite frankly it was the best day of my life so far, I saw her, I found my mate. Although I am yet to meet her, am yet even to find out her name I am giddy with excitement. Just from looking at her head of untamed hair, the smiles she was giving to other people, the hue of her hazel eyes and the pink of her perfect lips I found myself completely mesmerised.

And now that I am thinking about the girl, I am finding it hard to concentrate, but I know that I need to chronicle the event for when I grow old, and my memory is no longer what it is now.

When our eyes met for the first time it was like life came into perfect focus, the colours and sounds around me seemed brighter, even cheerier. For that brief moment that her hazel eyes were locked with mine, I felt as if I was falling, falling into an endless abyss of beauty. But I wasn't afraid; I wasn't afraid because that beauty had instantly become everything I ever wanted, everything I always needed without knowing so.

But even with all this joy came something I wasn't expecting, I can no longer focus on just one subject as I used too. Throughout the night, I've found myself thinking solely about the Gryffindor that has me so enraptured. When my sister needed me, I wanted nothing more than to give her my full attention but I couldn't, my mind was always preoccupied with the girl… By my mate.

I could hear the fear in Gabrielle's voice, but I still couldn't focus only on her, that's not right… Is it? Is this what it means to have a mate? Is everything going to be second to her now? Even if Gabrielle is dying? If my parents are dying?

Great, now I'm shivering, my teeth are chattering, my fear is skyrocketing as the enormity of the situation is starting to become clearer…

I stopped writing as my shaking hand was quickly becoming useless, and took three deep breaths to calm myself down before returning to my diary again. I looked at the words that had tumbled out of me and onto the page, I quickly picked up my quill once again.

No, that's not all there is, the situation is becoming bigger, and yes, scarier, but it's also becoming better, it has to be. I've been afraid these past two years about the possibility of never finding my mate but she's here, she's real now. These feelings are because I've just found her, my mother told me as such when she was telling me about the whole mating process.

Everything is just imbalanced right now…

I looked down at my diary and wondered why I felt the need to write out the explanation but quickly found myself writing once more.

Enough about insecurities, enough about fears, today is a miraculous day; today I found my mate, today I saw the girl that I was one day going to marry. One day I will be waiting for that beautiful brunette at the end of a long walkway filled with friends and family, I will be wearing the finest silk dress that money can by while I wait for the brunette to walk down the long corridor. I'll smile at her as she slowly walks, all the while wishing she would just throw tradition out the window and break out into a full-on sprint and embrace me in a loving hug.

It will happen, but until that day you must be strong, the future will hold many twists and turns. Maybe even some pain and heartbreak sprinkled in, but our time will come, and I will be waiting patiently for it.

I closed my diary with a smile on my face, what I had written down had opened up a few questions about my future, but I was confident I could win the girl over. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, I didn't want to sound narcissistic, but I knew I was an attractive woman, I could see it myself. But I knew that that probably wasn't going to be enough, and if it was then did I really want the girl to be my mate.

I closed my eyes and pushed those worries aside. Instead I chose to picture the young Gryffindor in all her beauty. I felt myself starting to get excited once again when all I was doing was picturing the girls face. I didn't know what she looked like under her robes and I didn't want to guess the amazingness that sure lay just beneath the fabric, but still, I could feel a fire igniting in my core.

I walked backwards towards my bed and fell back onto the soft mattress the instant my I felt it against the backs of my legs. My head was swimming with lust as I ran my hands down over my breasts, my hard nipples poking into my hands as they brushed over my chest. I moaned softly as I allowed my left hand to squeeze my left breast softly.

My right hand didn't stop, however, and quickly found its place resting at the base of the hard shaft that rested just above my vagina. I ran my hand up the length of the shaft, biting my lower lip as shocks of pleasure ran up and down my spine. I opened my mouth as if to speak a name, but no noise escaped my lips as my hand slowly moved up and down my shaft, the feeling of the silk gown I was wearing adding to the pleasure I was giving myself as my shaft had worked its way out of my panties.

My mouth flapped uselessly as I pushed myself onwards, the only sounds escaping my body were gasps and soft moans of pleasure but what I wanted was to say a name. All I wanted at that point, even more than to feel the release that was building in my core, was to say the name of the Gryffindor that I had mated too. But I couldn't, I didn't get to meet her, and there was no way I was going to hear her name from someone else before I heard it from her, so I hadn't bothered asking anyone during dinner.

My left hand abandoned my breasts and quickly trailed its way down the left side of my body until it reached the hem of my silk nightgown and started to pull the light blue garment up over my smooth, white thighs. My right hand joined the motion for but a moment and the cool night air embraced the throbbing shaft above my vagina. Missing the contact, I immediately restarted my movements with my right hand while my left ghosted over the smooth skin of my thighs and I pulled the light blue panties I was wearing down, so they were stretched out between my knees.

I brought my left hand back up between my thighs and started rapidly rubbing my fingers against the moistness of my vagina, pushing myself entirely over the edge. Ropes of white liquid shot forth from the tip of my shaft as the knot that had been building in my core was unravelled in an instant, and I wanted nothing more at that point than to moan out the name that I knew was going to be the most beautiful word that I had ever heard.

But I was unable to say her name, and as I came down from the high of my orgasm, I felt insurmountable loneliness and felt a sting in the back of my eyes. I quickly pulled my panties back up and pulled my nightgown back down over my thighs, crawled under my blankets and hugged myself as I felt the surge of tears spring forth and I cried myself to sleep for the first time in my life.