Rubiey had come in late again and missed the GOF announcing the champions. Looking around, she saw Cameron, the Gryffie prefect from the feast she had met. She looked PETRIFIED.

"Umm, hi, Cameron. Are... are you alright?" She asked. The prefect looked as if she was about to throw up. Oh dear.

Then it clicked.

"You.. you got chosen?!" Duh. *face!palm* "Well, um, congratulations, I guess. You'll do us Gryffies proud, I'll be cheering you on!" She said, as rallying as she could.

Cameron needed to sit down. ASAP. Before she passed out.

Weird things with... french fries and milkshakes.

Right.

"Like what, shoving them up her nose?" Really, what weird things could one possibly do with those two items.

Seemed like Kellen was going to continue in his nonsensical vein. Pictures? Closets? Why would he get himself shoved in a closet?

And more importantly, who thought themselves good and strong enough to do the shoving.

"What?" Raiden stared at him. "You're aware that nothing you've said within the last few minutes has made sense, right?"

And Raiden was the one that had gone all scatter/horror-brained when his name was called. Kellen had waited a few minutes and then taken leave of his senses completely.

"I kinda feel the urge to just... go hole up in my dorm."

Safe, safe dorm with no dragons.

She wondered if Dragons liked redheads particularly. "Do dragons like redheads?" *wibble* He'd munch on her bones and spit them out. She'd be DRAGON DINNNER. *pout*

Caaaaaaalm. She had to collect herself - because they couldn't have Lolly AND her freaking out. That was just tooo much to handle. She was being 'consoled' by Lori, who herself was stuttering and looking pale.

Raiden? Twit!Boy? Oh merlinnnnn. IT WAS ALL BOYS! Three, awesome witchcrafters and.. her. Oh merlin, oh merlin, OH DEAR SWEET MERLIN.
She was going to fail so hard and her entire house would laugh in her face.

*wibble*

"I'll die first," She mumbled, clutching Lori's hand. *dramaqueen*

Cameron saw Sarah approach and couldn't even muster up a smile. No. Just a miserable dimeanour. She sighed. Could one come to terms with it? Y'know.. failing? Probably. She already knew she was going to fail - the actual tournament would just prove her right.

Great.

She didn't answer her question, just stuck a finger in her mouth and started to cry.

She was glad that Sarah was here. Sarah as rational. Right? Yep. Sarah was Head Girl. Sarah would make it better. Cameron didn't even know the girl well but she was HOPING, PRAYING, WISHING that Sarah would be confidant, assured, certain that no one would die.

But when statements turned into questions, Cameron's lower lip trembled.

"I donnoooooo," She moaned, biting her nails. SHE was petrified and couldn't string together coherent thoughts and Sarah was asking her if she was experienced enough.

NO! She was a baby. She was TOO YOUNG TO DIIIIIIE.

"Maybe it was a mistake." Yes. THAT WAS IT! Maybe there was someone called.. Cramer Craddock and it just sounnnnnded like Cameron.

Yes. That was it. Phew. She was fine. It obbbbbviously wasn't her.

*gulp*

Kid was calling her by nicknames. He was being certain. He was being assured. She hugged him.

"Thank you. I don't even CARE that you're lying. I just.. thanks, tots."

Now back to her wibblings..

Alright? Oh. It was a little kid. Perhaps it was better not to burst into tears... but she'd already done that.

Ermm..

She put on a smiley face. "Yep. I'm sweet. Spiffing. Dashing. Absolutely merrrrrrrrrry." Perhaps that was a little overboard..

Chosen. Erm. "Oh me? Nooooooo. It was someone called Cramer. Yep." Was that story really going to stick?

heh..

And whadaya know, guess who decided to join the party....

Salander turns to his sandwhich chomping friend, clasping his hands behind his back and smirks "Tatertot just announced the Champions for the Tri Wizard Tournament... he said as his eyes slid towards the group of Prefects and foreign students ...."and guess who got chosen from the House of Hufflepuff?" he pauses, raising his brows as he looked squarely at Fletcher.

He gives a great big laugh and claps his friend gamely on the back. "Congratulations Champ! Now you really owe me that drink!"

"No, like dips them in her chocolate milkshake and then eats them. It's not natural, it really isn't." The side of Kellen's nose lifted as he remembered it, "And she said banana milkshakes are inferior. Which they are not."

Kellen did a mock-scoff in Raiden's direction. Mock-scoff, "It makes sense to me. You're just shell-shocked so you're not paying attention. But this isn't about me."

He put a hand on Raiden's shoulder. This was about Raiden. And keeping him out of his dorm, "You cannot be a Hogwarts Champion from under your mattress."

Marie continued to look at Carter who now seemed to be waving his arms even more, if that were even possible, and he was still yelling her name. For weeks he had been avoiding her and now he acted like he couldn't get her attention fast enough. Really, what had those French people done to him that he wanted to get away from them so badly that he would resort to wanting to talk to her now?

Huh? The French students were leaving him there. They weren't trying to make him go with them. This had to be a dream, this couldn't really be happening... could it? No, she must have been having one of those false awakening dreams they had learned about in divination class.

Anytime now she was going to wake up and be mad at herself for having this dream.

If Destiny did honk her grandmother's nose off, she would be scarred for life. She was sure of it. One can't just rip a nose off another person and not be terrified! Plus, yeah, she really didn't want to be known as the person that HONKED her grandmother's nose off. How would she ever get a job!? She opened her mouth to comment on her grandmother, but was momentarily deaf by LOUD yelling about changing ears into fruit.

"Jeeeez that was loud. I can show you, though. Wanna seeeee?"



SWEET MERLIN IT WAS TIIIIIIME!

As she waited for Sam to answer her oh so very important question, she turned her attention to Headmaster Tate as he started calling out the names of the Triwizard Champions. She only listened until she heard Raiden and Noel's name, since she didn't know any of the other people. Why bother paying attention to them, right?

Riiiiight.

Nudging Sam a little, she pointed over to where Raiden was standing, "See him? That's Raiden. He walked me on a leash once."

And she did not bother telling him why she was on that leash. That was not important. What was important was that she, Destiny Shepard, was walked on a leash by a Triwizard Champion!

Be jealous.

That was Stern's big issue? Arya dipped fries in her milkshake?

"If she likes it... not like it doesn't mix in your stomach anyway. And the taste of one can still be in your mouth when you're at the other, so..." He wrinkled his nose. "And chocolate milkshakes are better than banana. Chocolate anything is better than banana."

Apparently, Kellen didn't care to make sense to Raiden, as long as... er... HE understood himself. Puh. Shell-shocked or not, Raiden still couldn't understand what closets had to do with his name coming out of the flaming cup o' doom.

"Wasn't planning to stay down there forever, Stern. Just..." He glanced around at all the, er, loud people. "Kinda... can't think here."

And there were people looking at him. Which, normally, wasn't that big a deal, but... he was a bit frazzled right then.

"I just... need quiet. So I can breathe and stuff." Those calm down techniques he'd learned as a kid were going to be so. so. useful. "Doesn't even have to be the dorm, just... not here."

"But the taste buds!" Kellen protested, "They make a dif--"

Another one. Another chocolate person. Kellen's face looked rather like a cat that had just had a bucket of water dumped on it. "Chocolate concrete isn't better," he muttered. It was the best he could come up with.

"Oh. Well, sure, I guess that makes sense." He looked around at the crowd, having not really appreciated how loud it was until Raiden mentioned it. Looking back at Raiden, he shrugged, "So, you can go get some sleep or meditation or whatever, but before you do... silver and green pompoms, and do you want a female voice cheering, a male, or some of each?"

Suddenly this tournament was looming large, and Kellen had orders to fill.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

And whadaya know, guess who decided to join the party....

Salander turns to his sandwhich chomping friend, clasping his hands behind his back and smirks "Tatertot just announced the Champions for the Tri Wizard Tournament... he said as his eyes slid towards the group of Prefects and foreign students ...."and guess who got chosen from the House of Hufflepuff?" he pauses, raising his brows as he looked squarely at Fletcher.

He gives a great big laugh and claps his friend gamely on the back. "Congratulations Champ! Now you really owe me that drink!"

Fletcher just about choked on his sandwich. For the love of Merlin, Great Interrupter, ya just don't clap your friend on a back in the middle of swallowing a thick turkey sandwich! That kid needed to learn the Heimlich.

"I... I'm wwhuhut?" Fletcher dropped the rest of his half-eaten sandwich right onto the floor. Well he could always get that later, right? "Are you serious? C'mon man."

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll buy you a drink if I win. IF YOU'RE NOT JOKING."

Erm, yes.

This girl was either mocking him, or she really spoke like that. Nikolai raised an eyebrow before realizing she was mocking him. He doubted she would like to be mocked, with the funny way she was talking, but, since he was a gentleman, he would do none of the sort. "I knoe you vere looking at me, so I vould call you over." he said with a grin. It worked, so she could stop playing the 'I didn't want to come over' act. She did come over, didn't she?

"Ahh, I see. I guess you can say that my extreme effort vorked, correct? I received your attention." he winked. She would be asking for an autograph soon.

The little girl put her wand away, which was good for the little girl herself. She looked like the type of kid that would do more damage to herself, rather than the person she was aiming for. Ignoring Headmaster Zitnik and the older girl, Nikolai leaned in to talk to the girl, "So. Avout this picture." He was waiting.



Hearing a booming voice through the Hall, Nikolai stood up straight, and looking over all the Hogvartians heads, found the source. Headmaster Tatortot, as he was called by many people, was at the Goblet and about to pick the champions. A grin spread across his face as one by one the names were read; Danika being the first called from Durmstrang. He'd have to find her later and congratulate her. Along with Sandra and Vlad.

And the Headmaster saved the best for last, didn't he? Nik didn't mind being called last, it just built his suspense up that much more. Not that he had any doubts about not being picked. He was Nikolai, he was ready for this, now he was going to win this. Still grinning, he glanced towards the older girl he was standing with.

Who was calling him Onion.

Onion. She knew his nickname? He really hoped Vlad wasn't going around telling people, not that he cared or anything. It was a name to be proud of. He just didn't know why the girl was giggling over it. "Thank you." he said, after she gave her congratulations, "I am quite sorry you vere not picked. Vy the vay, I didn't get your name." She knew his, the least she could do was give hers.

Ellie let her friend hug her without returning the favor. No offense to him but...she was still kinda worried about just what he wanted her for.

She glanced at the prefect. A curse? There goes Eli's imagination again, most likely. "I doubt that. There's no Quidditch this year." She said that sentence quickly. She was NOT going to dwell on that subject. "But... I think he's got bigger things to deal with." Like the tournament. He was picked champion. That would be hard on anyone. Curse or no curse.

"Better than banana concrete? At least the chocolate would taste better while you were breaking your teeth."

Was Stern's Ravenclaw brain failing? Because now was not a good time for that. Raiden kinda needed some Ravenclaw brain to pick. And if it wasn't going to be Kellen's, and Neptune was... Neptune, and mad at him... and Cela wasn't here... well. There was only so far he could go, depending on Miles' smarts. He might have been on the same team, but he was also competition, in the end.

"Yeah, sleep." That was not going to happen. Because Raiden was going to obsess over this... damn... dragon thing. Miles. Rah. "I... what?"

Pom... oh. Oh. That conversation had completely slipped his mind due to the psychotic thing that had just happened.

"I... kinda don't..." he didn't care, Kellen. Not really. Sorry. He just needed to get out of here. "Whatever you think is best?"

He tugged at his earring. Focus, Kururugi. Excitement and panic weren't meshing well.

"I'm... okay, point to you." Kellen grinned, "That's not what I meant, but apparently my linguistic skills aren't up to par today."

He blinked at Raiden. Was Raiden's focused demeanor failing? That wasn't good, how was he supposed to win if he couldn't even say a sentence? Kellen regarded him with a raised eyebrow, "You know what? I think you need a caretaker to make sure you don't stay up weeks at a time. How about that little pink-haired kid who's always tagging around with you?"

It kind of sounded ridiculous, but Kellen wasn't joking. Lots of athletes had dietitians and other people to make sure they stayed healthy, and while he was sure Raiden ate all the right things...

Well. The sleep thing. It was worrisome.

Had...

Had Kellen Stern just suggest that Raiden get a babysitter?

Blink. Blink.

"I don't need anyone watching me, Stern. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, thank you."

Pink-haired kid? Did Raiden even know any pink-haired kids anymore? Jake had had pink hair once. But he was no longer a kid, and there was no reason Kellen would be suggesting him... hrrrrm.

Not enough memory to dwell on this. Just not enough.

"I just... I told you. A bit overwhelmed at the moment." As well as his body had gotten over the years, shock still had negative effects, the same as it did with everyone else.

"Mmkay." Didn't believe him. Did not. But also wasn't going to push the idea further at this point.

He guessed... he should probably say something about the whole overwhelmed... thing. "I obviously don't know what you're going through right now. I'm just trying to be helpful." One side of his nose wrinkled, "I can go back to being an introverted jerk, if you'd rather."

He could, too. In a heartbeat.

"Wanna go eat something?"

Kellen had that disbelieving stare going on. Raiden didn't particularly care if his friend believed him right then or not; he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He was an adult! He could handle it.

He just needed to get away from the loudness. Needed quiet times, you know. That would help.

"I know..." Was he really coming off that harsh, that Kellen was going all soft? "Thanks."

Food? The prefect touched his stomach, wondering if it would even hold anything right now. Knowing him, he'd think about the dragons halfway through and...

Squiiiirm. His stomach did this. Yes it did.

"A drink, maybe. I'm not really hungry."

Either way, out of here. Out. Of. Here.

"You're welcome." He guessed that meant go back to being a snob? Check and check, concerned and caring Kellen was stuffed back in the bowels of his emotions.

A drink? Suited him, but if he remembered correctly, "You... are allergic to pumpkin juice, right?" Or was that Sabel? And Raiden was the butterbeer person. Allergies could be smell to remember when everyone had them and they were all different.

"Lead on." Champ. He'd been about to say that last word out loud, but Raiden didn't really look like he needed reminding.

"Pumpkin in general, yeah," Raiden said with a shrug, giving the surrounding students another once over before turning himself toward the Great Hall. "Was hell finding that out."

He'd... kinda wandered off from Nia. But now he had no clue where she'd been left, or if she'd gone from there, or where the heck she could be... he'd find her later. Yes. And Miles, who had... ran away. His stomach gave another little squirm over that. Miles had taken off. Hrrrrrm.

Nudging Kellen to follow, he walked toward the Great Hall.

Was Salander serious? "Nah, I just told you that to yank your chain--- Of course I'm serious! How many Duncan Fletchers are there in Hogwarts?" he exclaimed, which honestly he doesnt know himself. But what was important was that he knew of one Duncan Fletcher, and he as proud to be a bearer of great tidings. Whether it was good or bad can be anybody's guess.

Now Fletcher has got to be joking "If you win?" he snorted "What if you dont win? What if you chickened out and vanished?" Salander cocked his head and raised a brow. He seemed to recall that there a Fletcher from the Potter stories who abandoned ship 30,000 feet in the air. "Come on this is the Tri Wizard Tournament. You'll be doing tournament-y things. What if you get maimed? What if you drowned? What if you get eaten by a dragon? I'm not gonna walk up and ask the dragon for my drink while you go about getting digested."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

Was Salander serious? "Nah, I just told you that to yank your chain--- Of course I'm serious! How many Duncan Fletchers are there in Hogwarts?" he exclaimed, which honestly he doesnt know himself. But what was important was that he knew of one Duncan Fletcher, and he as proud to be a bearer of great tidings. Whether it was good or bad can be anybody's guess.

Now Fletcher has got to be joking "If you win?" he snorted "What if you dont win? What if you chickened out and vanished?" Salander cocked his head and raised a brow. He seemed to recall that there a Fletcher from the Potter stories who abandoned ship 30,000 feet in the air. "Come on this is the Tri Wizard Tournament. You'll be doing tournament-y things. What if you get maimed? What if you drowned? What if you get eaten by a dragon? I'm not gonna walk up and ask the dragon for my drink while you go about getting digested."

Eyes narrowing, Fletcher bent down to pick up his sandwich and considered Salander's little speech there. He was rather convincing, for one, and for another, how else would he have known the Duncan part of the Fletcher name?

Obviously TaterTot had read the results out and now everyone from oh, only every important magical school in Europe knew his entire hideous name.

Hmmph. "None," Fletcher answered Salander with a steely gaze, "there's only one Fletcher, just Fletcher. And I'll thank you to just go on ahead and forget my first name, all right?"

He took a giant bite out of his sandwich that yes, he had just dropped five minutes ago, and started chewing thoughtfully. "You mean WHEN I win this tourney," he gestured around with his sandwich like the Triwizard Cup was no big deal. "Not if, WHEN. Big difference."

Fletcher chewed some more and swallowed. "And if any of those things happen to me... well they just won't, will they? You'll just have to cheer extra long and hard for me so that I don't die and you do get your drink at the end."

He wink-winked, pat-patted the Slytherin on the shoulder. Ah, Salander was like his brotha from anotha... House. Heh.

"The lottery's always something to try out," Grayson commented, as Salander had taken up her discussion of who'd submitted their name for the tournament. Money was always good, and there was always the chance of becoming known, getting even momentary fame. Granted, the tournament wasn't exactly the lottery, as you didn't actually win by getting selected. It was kind of more like you got selected, then went into a second lottery. But then she nodded as Salander pointed out the Headmaster's arrival. definitely looked like an announcement, and she had a moment of wishing she was back at her perch on the railing, but at least Tate was tall. So she could still sort of see him over the crowd. And she could definitely hear him.

As the names were listed off, her smile grew as she realized she'd gotten her wish that she'd know the Hogwarts champions, and she clapped politely for the names of the visiting students. They didn't get her half as excited, 'cause of the two she'd met, she really only had liked Noel. And she was still going to cheer on Hogwarts anyway, so it would be weird to get too excited over anyone else. Although, she really only knew three of the Hogwarts champions, and even then not very well. She knew Cameron, but only knew Miles as one of the Ravie prefects. And Raiden as the person she thought saw her just as a troublemaker and thought fireworks were bad.

But she craned her neck as their trio was joined by someone else, who obviously was speaking with their mouth full, and was about to say something about what Tate had just done when Salander had spoken. Her green eyes widened at what he'd said. Champ?. Sandwich boy must be the fourth, and as their conversation continued, she'd kept looking back and forth between the two boys. With a slight detour as the sandwich hit the floor. "Um, you . . .," she started to say, before she trailed off as she decided he didn't need to be told he'd dropped food on the floor. There was better things to get involved with. Like helping answer questions. "He's not joking." She may have never met him, but enough had been said for her to definitively say that Salander hadn't been joking. Except for maybe the drink part, but something told her that wasn't a joke either.

And even then that was irrelevant, and she just listened as they spoke of dying and not dying. "I don't think Tate'll let anyone die. Not intentionally," she said seriously. Nobody had died during the actual tasks in recent history, that she knew of. Other than Cedric, and he hadn't died 'cause of the tournament. And she was fully convinced anyone who had died from the tasks was because they'd done something stupid.

Rex hugged Cammy back. " Beleive me, you are a very brave girl, make that person to put your name in the Goblet of Fire and be picked to represent HogWarts" Rex told Cammy. " I really beleive you can win the Tri-Wizard Tournament" Rex said to Cammy. "Again, I am sure all the Lions will be here to root you on to victorty plus protect you ' Rex reassured Cammy.

Taylor listened as the Headmaster called the names. She really only reconized one of the names. She walked over to where Nikolai was standing. "Congratulations Nik." she said to him with a smile. As soon as she the others, she would congratulate them.

Hearing his name, and a congratulations, Nikolai raised his head to find the source. Ahh, Taylor. He hadn't seen her since the feast. "Thank you, Taylor." he said with a wink. "It is very exciting, is is not?"

He scanned the the room, trying to find the Hogvartian Champions, and his nose wrinkled at that Fletcher boy. His name had just been pulled from the Goblet of Fire and he picked a sandwich up off the floor.

And ate it.