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ericnohr-blog · 7 years ago

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twtoc challenge: 1/?

“idiot. i’m an idiot.”

F I C U N D E R C U T

Eric was all giddy the entire morning of the first challenge. He couldn’t wait to see what it would bring, and he’d hoped it would all go incredibly well. Knowing himself, things normally went okay in his favor in competitions- he was a fair guy, and nature preferred to be on his side at times.

That day, they stood before the water, their Head Mistress standing with her head held high- she was a firm lady, but truly something else. Most of the students at Hogwarts respected her. Very hard not to, it was. And as Eric watched her, the more he knew he could not let her down. So he listened very closely when she began to speak.

“Hello Champions, are you ready?” she asked, a smile hiding on her small lips. Eric glanced out at the clear, but dark water and felt his nerves rustle deep inside him, but the action was merely slight. “You being in two minutes- you can take this time to discuss your strategy, or give one another a pep talk.”

Eric glanced at the other three girls and suddenly felt very self conscious. He was the only male, and seemingly the only one who seemed nervous. They all gave a stern look- a look of determination, and Eric knew immediately he had to refrain from showing his anxiety. Instead he smiled devilishly and rubbed his hands together. “‘I’m ready- I think we truly have this down pat.”

One of the girls, Emerett gave an easy smile. “This is only slightly terrifying.”

Hearing this, Eric felt more at ease- he was not the only nervous one.

“Make Hogwarts proud!” Headmistress spoke confidently. A tip: expect the unexpected and be prepared in situation.”

Eric giving Em a kind smile he said, “It’s all fine- we just have to stay in focus! I believe in all of us, truly.”

Headmistress then gave the instructions to start the task, and the sparks flew from her wand, giving the sign that the challenge had now begun. Eric and his other teammates immediately performed the bubble head charm, and dived into the water quickly. Eric was beginning to grow uneasy due to the deepness and darkness of the water. He enjoyed nature and swimming, but he had to be honest and say that he’d never swam this deeply before.

He turned to his teammates and nod, noticing that the blonde girl from the group had disappeared- but Eric knew to not worry of that now, they had to find their first task. He could look for her later.

“You must dive deeper into the water in order to find the mermaid,” a voice spoke softly in his head, and only then did he realize it was the Headmistress.

Pointing towards the deeper end, he motioned for his teammates to follow and began his trek towards the water, checking every few seconds on his teammates.

“It’s quite dark down here,” Em noted as they began to reach their destination to the deep end.

As they swim, the water began to grow colder and darker. Creatures swam around them, and they all tried their best to avoid them.

“Do you see any mermaids down there?” the other girl called out to the two.

Shaking her head Em replied, “Not yet- keep swimming.”

Eric then pulled his wand from his pocket and said, “Lumos,” very quietly, causing a sudden ray of light to beam from the tip of his wand. As he did this, he tried to avoid the creatures swimming around him. “We should keep swimming, all I see are creatures and water.”

With a nodding of the head, the two girls begin to follow him once again. They all watched the creatures float by, minding their own business mostly, and watched the water ripple around them. As a large creature hurried by Em, she ducked. “Who feeds these things?” she muttered.

Suddenly, a bright glow beneath the rocks had caught Eric’s eye as he heard Em say, “I see something!”

Pointing at the rocks, Eric asked, “The ones over there?”

As he mentioned them, the light began to grow warmer and brighter, causing Em to nod quickly and swim faster towards it. Eric followed closely behind Em, glancing around and scanning the perimeter to make sure there were no harmful creatures near. “Stay close and stay safe- we can’t go disturbing any creatures down here!”

As they approached the glistening rocks, a beautiful mermaid appeared, glistening from the light off Eric’s wand. Floating backwards slightly, he gasped. “We can’t frighten it,” he whispered softly to his two teammates.

“It? She’s beautiful!” whispered Em, who’s face was full of shock.

The other girl, obviously not amazed asked, “What do we do now?”

“Move slowly?” Em suggested, a slight shrug followed.

The mermaid then swam closer to the champions where she was incredibly visible. Eric’s eyes were wide in shock- he had never seen a mermaid before.

“Hello,” he spoke, introducing himself. “I’m Eric- we are students of Hogwarts.”

Lowering her head respectfully, Em smiled, “I am Em.”

As they begin to chat, Eric learned that the mermaid already knew of their existence due to the bathrooms and such, hearing their names and of them being champions. The group conversed of stories and such of Hogwarts after the mermaid stated how lonely she felt during her time alone out in the sea. Eric and company told stories of the Weasley twins and the marauders, speaking highly fond of all the mischief that came along with the stories. After what seemed like forever, finally the mermaid sighed and gave a smile.

“Such beautiful stories, shall you stay and tell me more?”

“I hate to decline, since we are having so much fun, but we’ve really got to continue with our journey- perhaps another time?” Eric suggested.

Suddenly, it was as if the entire atmosphere had shifted. The mermaid’s once beautiful face has contorted into something evil- something awful. She began to hiss, her eyes dark as midnight, turning catlike. She began to grow scales, dry and rough on as her skin. “Ungrateful mortals, turning down such an invitation!” she cried out, her voice sounding like a screech.

Em jerked back quickly, mumbling her apologies and her cursing.

Quickly, the creature reached out for Em’s leg, clawing into her flesh, and immediately drawing blood.

“Em!” Eric shouted, as she began to kick and scream the creature away. Grabbing a hold of her arm tightly, he pulled her away sharply from the creature, causing enough distance for safety. “We have to find another way!”

Grabbing onto her leg again the creature spoke. “Such a pretty little girl, I think I’ll take on your appearance.” After, she began to morph right in front of the student’s eyes.

Suddenly confused, Eric couldn’t tell the two apart.

“Oh my gosh!” one of the Emerett’s cried. “Guys, attack her!”

“No guys- don’t listen to her, it’s /me/,” the other said, emphasizing her words clearly.

“I- I don’t know what to do, Em!” Eric said softly, his eyes darting from both figures, his wand pointing at both.

For a moment, the two tried to prove their true identity. Backing away, Eric paused and furrowed his brow. “Prove you’re the real Em, and I will let you go.”

“Come here and I’ll show you,” one of the Em’s said seductively, and Eric felt in his guts, that it wasn’t her.

“Don’t go near her!” the other called out.

The other teammate turned to Eric. “Which one is the real her?”

Pointing at the Em that was beckoning him to come forth, Eric growled. “You’re not the real Em! Why would you ask me to come closer?” Glancing around, he swallows back his fear and continues to point his wand.

Suddenly the other Em asks, “What does the Great Hall look like?”

Grabbing her arm, the evil Em whispers, “It’s… A… Great… Hall!” The proceeds to slice down her arm deep enough to draw blood.

“No!” Eric cried out, dashing quickly enough to knock the creature away from Em.

Screaming, Em points her wand at the creature and shouts, “Obscurio!”

“We’re running out of time!” Eric warned, watching the mermaid, cower and hiss, covering her eyes.

“Let’s go!” Em grabbed her arm and pushed away from the creature, and dashing past her.

“The rocks!’

Pointing her wand at her arm, Em granted a spell to help heal herself. Then, pointing at the rocks, she shouted, “Confringo!” causing the rocks to blast open, and revealing a hole. “Let’s go!”

As he gazed at the opening, he glanced at the other two and asked, “Should I?”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

Immediately the three swam through, trying to avoid the evil creature and to gain composure. As they swam, their surroundings grew darker and darker causing them to soon be blind from any sight. They then decided to swim together despite the ragged ends of the rocks, and kept quiet the entire time. Suddenly the cave mouth closes and the three champions groaned.

Beginning to worry, the three began trying to come up with a plan, when they were interrupted.

As they began to speak to the mermaid, they noticed her kind nature and how she had offered to help. Before speaking- Ava, the fourth champion appeared in the water.

“Hey, guys! I’ve been here the entire time- I just used a charm on myself to blend in with my surroundings and try to get ahead, but I’ve decided it’s best to stick and work together!”

Already suspicious, Eric turned to the mermaid as she again, offered her help. As he opened his mouth, Ava interrupted him quickly.

“Can we huddle for a second? We need to talk!” Ava said, motioning to the others.

“W-what? Why do we need to huddle?” Eric asked as Em pulled him into the huddle.

Giving a smirk, Ava whispered, “Okay, so I totally know it’s the worst time to ask you all to trust me, but I think we don’t need the mermaid’s help.”

The three girls nodded and one said, “What if she turns all psycho like the last one?”

“She seems really nice,” Eric interjected. “I’m not sure I want to deny another mermaid again- didn’t quite go so well the first time. Em got hurt then too, we don’t wanna take the chance.”

“Look,” Ava spoke, shooting a glare at Eric for no reason, “They are sentient creatures. I live with them basically, down in the Slytherin dungeon. And lemme’ tell you, they are not be trusted.”

“Slytherin students can be just as bad,” Eric joked slightly, still wondering why she had been glaring at him.

“I don’t know,” Em whimpered, shaking her head and closing her eyes with confusion.

“They’re sentient creatures! They can read our feelings and thoughts clearly so that they can manipulate us. She’s obviously sweet talking because she knows we need her help,” Ava pushed.

“Wouldn’t that mean she knows exactly what we are saying currently?” Eric asked. “There would be no point in this conversation then.”

“I apologized for being stealthy already, don’t push me. It’s not the time for house rivalry,” Ava growled, her glaring growing hotter.

“Ava- no one’s upset with you for that,” Em had begun to say. Suddenly the girl, Corona, said, “I agree we don’t need the mermaid.”

Eric looks at her in shock. “What- this is ridiculous! If anyone gets hurt, it’s not my problem. We saw what happened just minutes ago-”

“Really, Eric?” Em spoke dryly before turning to Ava.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Ava asked, “”So do you want my brain and experience, or not?”

“Yes, please.”

Eric sighed and shook his head. “ I still don’t like this idea at all.”

“I have no time for this nonsense,” Ava began. “We’ve really got to say no, God only knows what sort of favor she will ask for afterwards.”

The mermaid sat there patiently as the champions argued, fumbling with her jewelery.

“And I’m not willing to pay for something that I am not clear of,” Ava finished.

“I say give the mermaid a choice, that’s my vote,” Eric said firmly. “Don’t join. I have faith in people, and I won’t deal with anyone getting hurt due to disagreements.”

As Em began to move, she accidentally hurt her leg, causing a cut to bleed. The mermaid offered her seaweed and murmured, “Wrap it.”

“Are you sure we can’t trust her?” Em asked quietly, taking the seaweed and wrapping her leg.

Turning to Eric, Ava sneered. “Eric, I really don’t think it’s time to be pessimistic towards your teammate. And Em, look, it’s wiser that we stick together with the people who have the same goal in mind- which is winning.”

“You weren’t even here when Em got hurt!” Eric cried out. “How can we even trust you when you watched that all happen, and didn’t even offer your help?”

“Guys-” Corona warned, “We don’t have much time left.”

“That’s why I’m here now!” Ava snarled.

“We need to make a decision and stick with it,” Corona pushed.

They bickered for a few more minutes and finally Ava said, “I’m doing it solo.” “WHAT?!” Eric cried out in disbelief. “You can’t just do it solo, are you out of your mind?”

“Stop being emotional, Eric,” she said. “We don’t have time for it.”

“Ava, you can’t just /leave/!” Em snapped.

“You’re crazy!” Eric said, shaking his head, almost laughing.

Ava smirked. “Suck it up and join with me, or not.”

“GUYS,” Corona said louder, her voice warning.

Suddenly the mermaid was next to the group and whispered, “Sorry for barging in on your discussion, but she’s right. You’re a team, you have to stick together to win this.”

“We should trust her,” Eric said, motioning his hand towards the mermaid. “She’s being too kind, and I see no use in not using resources.”

“I’m being kind!” Ava said. “Hello, earth to Eric? I could’ve won and gone solo- I chose to stick it out with you all.”

“You aren’t being kind,” Eric said through clenched teeth. What was with this girl? First she hid the entire time until they were close to the win, and now she suddenly wants to bark orders? Eric was normally easy going, but when it came to things like this- he wasn’t going to be pushed around. Not him. “We have to worry about safety.”

Ava sighed and shook her head. He could tell that she was bossy, but he didn’t think she would be this bad. “Winning for the team, Eric!” she cried out. “I’ve got an idea- okay, the Occamy-”

“I’m not going with you, especially when you’re truly only thinking of the win and not of everyone. You’re focusing only on yourself,” Eric growled.

“Can’t we all just go now?” Em begged.

Pulling out a string bag, Ava turned to Em. “You’re good at transfiguration, right Em?”

Before Em could answer, the mermaid swam back behind the four. “Look, do you want my help or not? I’m half siren- I could enchant the Occamy into a lull if you’d like.”

“Come on,” Eric murmured. “Give her a chance.”

“Aelia,” Ava said firmly, “Thank you for your kind offer- but if you could not interrupt me while I’m talking.” Turning back to Eric, she groaned, throwing her hands. “Eric, give /me/ a chance.” Eric had enough. “You just burst out of nowhere to save the day? I don't play that way, we worked to get here as a team and you're wanting all the glory for yourself. This girl is trying to help us. All of us.”

“I think we should be resourceful,” Em finally said. “If she’s a resource, why don’t we use her?”

“She’s a strong resource,” Eric added.

Thumping her legs, Ava laughed bitter laugh. “You’re kidding! If the Occamy awakes through it all, you’ll definitely be glad what I’ve got inside my bag.”

“I don't trust that you hid from all the action and now that the glory is right in reach you want the title. Typical. I trust that we can at least use her as a resource instead of hoping for something that could hurt,” Eric muttered.

As they argued, Ava slowly began to wear down and finally she snapped. “Fine! Say yes to the stupid mermaid.”

Eric turned to Em. “Are you okay with this choice?”

Em nodded quickly, as did Corona and Eric turned to the mermaid. “Yes, we will take the help.”

Avan snarled. “If anything goes wrong, I’m only taking Em with me.”

Eric glared and smirked. “I’m not too worried about myself anyhow.”

The mermaid smiled and nodded. “Excellent, let’s enter the cave.”

As they entered the cave, Eric admired the structure as much as he could with the limited source of light. As they observed the Occamy, on sight Eric noticed how gorgeous looked- but knew just how awful it could be. They swam and Eric kept a close eye on the three girls, hoping nothing would go wrong. That was just what he needed. Something to go wrong and for Eric to be blamed.

“Please, Occamy, eat Eric,” Ava snickered, causing Eric to roll his eyes as they made their way through the inside.

“Please do, berid me of her presence,” Eric muttered.

They all stopped feet away from the Occamy and watched it warily. The Occamy began to rise and glance around, its vision out of focus.

“Oh please tell me she’s got bad eyesight,” Em murmured, her gaze wide.

The mermaid began to back up to the edge of the cave, leaving the four champions floating in the middle. The Occamy suddenly sees the intruders and roars, causing the entire cave to tremble.

“Oh yeah, she’s got 20/20,” Em sighed, tightening her grip.

“I guess we should-”

The mermaid grabbed Eric’s arm. “No! Let me go first!” Then she begins to sing, her song sounding enchanting and sweet.

Eyes wide, Eric turns to the mermaid, not knowing what to say.

Ava rolled her eyes. “It’s official, men only think with their dicks.”

As they all began to swim towards the Occamy, Ava shoved Eric out of the way, causing him to fly out of the way and growl obscenities as he followed closely behind. When they reached a close enough distance, the mermaid abruptly stopped her singing and lets out one large shriek, causing the Occamy to wake up.

“I knew it!” Ava cried. “You’re dead meat, Eric!”

The mermaid then blocked off the entrance and caused everything in the cave to begin to tremble and rumble as rocks began to fly. The Occamy focused on Em and growled. Em stood there silently, not knowing what to say. Her body shook with fear as she slowly held out her hand to stop the others. “Stay-stay calm,” she called out.

Quickly dashing towards the Occamy, Eric holds out his wand and cries, “Stupefy!” Unfortunately, the Occamy ate the spell and snorted, leaving Eric to be confused, and almost angry.

“Idiot,” Ava muttered, deserving a glare from Eric.

“You’re not helping,” he snapped.

Em still stood frozen in her place, afraid to move. “I-”

“Move, Em!” Ava called out, shoving her aside and pointing her wand. “Conjunctivitis!”

As this occurred, the mermaid had continued her shriek. “I’m sorry, I have to…”

Em begam swimming closer to the Occamy, her heart racing.

Water was rushing around him as he watched Em, wanting to cry out for her to watch out. The Occamy slashed out towards Ava’s leg, but luckily she dodges quickly.

“Flipendo!”

The Occamy ignored her, and swiped its teeth near Eric. Eric rushed forward and grabbed the mermaid and covered her mouth as he dodged the Occamy. At that moment, Em spotted something with a glint of silver, and began swimming fast towards the eggs, trying her best to keep silent.

“Immobulus!”

Ther mermaid struggled against Eric’s grip, grasping at his arm and hand, tight around her.

“Accio, egg!” Em shouted, pointing her wand at the egg in hopes the spell would work.

The Occamy let out a roar as Eric pointed his wand at the mermaid and shouted, “Stupefy!”

Ava, who was currently distracting the Occamy, shouted out to Em, “Use the spell defodio! Perhaps it’s underground,” before shouting, “Incarcerous!”

At the same time that the Occamy whipped its tail and hit Eric, was the same time that Em had shouted, “Defodio!”

Eric flew across the water, and suddenly the bubble that protected his head, popped, and water began to flood his mouth, trying to reach his lungs. Gasping for air, his wand flies out of his hand and he reaches out to grab it before choking on water.

“Just in time!” Ava cried out, “Cave inimicum!”

Earth by the eggs began to rumble, and Eric could hear Em grumble, and shout the spell again. Water was flooding around Eric, and he grew terrified. Was he going to die here? Would they let him die? A failure?

One silver egg was unearthed and revealed three shiny eggs behind it.

“Oh come on,” Em groaned, “Accio, egg!”

Ava rushed over to Eric quickly, pulling gillyweed from her bag and shoving it in Eric’s mouth. “You better be thankful,” she muttered in his ear, “Or I’ll kick your ass later.”

As this happened, Em received one egg, and was working on retrieving the second one. Ava helping Eric up, pointed her wand out and shouted, “Stupefy!”

The Occamy then froze, and there was a loud roar from outside the cave. “You won’t make it out of here alive. There’s a reason it’s a female- the male is coming,” the mermaid called out.

“Shit,” Ava said, her eyes wide.

Em rushed forward towards the other eggs and shouted, “Accio, eggs!”

Eric turned to Ava and said quickly, “Men can be easily rid of! Just distract the female as much as you can!”

The roar begins to grow louder and Ava and Eric come up with a plan.

“Em! Go get the eggs! I’ll try to attack- Eric can you distract?”

As she asks this, the female Occamy unfreezes and lets out a large roar, causing the place to shake. Eric nods and says, “You keep eyes on the female and help Em. Find a way to get everyone out and attack the female. I’ll take care of the male.”

“I have two more eggs left!” Em called out.

Ava raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Better swallow your pride better than gillyweed.”

Eric smirked. “Perhaps when we are out of here alive. Just keep going Em!”

The female Occamy suddenly advances towards Em, and Ava points upwards trying to shoot off a boulder, but the boulder does not budge. Next, Em cries out stupefy in defense, to only be let down.

“Swim, Em!” Ava shrieks out, reaching out for Em. Then, the Occamy’s teeth grazes Ava’s shoulder while chasing after Em.

“Ava!” Eric cried out. “Go, Em! Go!”

Despite her hurt arm, she pointed at the Occamy and cried out, “Flipendo!” Ava then winced as the occamy cried out loudly.

As Eric is distracting the Male Occamy with simple spells and swimming back and forth, he spots Ava and her hurt shoulder. He dashes towards her, losing sight of the male and grabs her arm. “Come on! We can’t continue getting hurt!”

“Ava- are you okay?” Em asks, beginning to turn around as the female Occamy swings her tale into Eric, hitting his entire lower body and causing him to fly away from Ava.

“Shit!” he cries out, his body swinging back and forth, as his gaze becomes fuzzy from the sudden shock.

The cave begins to rumble as Eric tries to return to his position, but the rippling of the water causes this to be difficult. Eric watches as Em cries out, continuously pointing her wand and screaming, “Accio, eggs! Accio, eggs! Accio, eggs!”

“Accio, egg!” Ava cried out, the last egg flying into her free arm. “Let’s go!”

The cave begins to shake violently as the entrance begins to open once again.

“Let’s go, come on! Em, swim ahead!” Ava called, slightly struggling.

As the four began to swim towards the entrance, Eric winced. “I’m an idiot- I’m sorry-”

Ava sighed and grabbed his arm. “I’ll punch you in the throat later, but right now, let’s go!”

“It’s fine, Eric! Now’s not the time for grudges or apologies!” Em shouted.

They all swim quickly, but suddenly Ava stops abruptly. “My shoulder,” she winces.

“Ava!”

The mermaid swims up and wraps her shoulder with the seaweed like Em’s from before. “I know you don’t trust me right now, but here. Take this.”

“I’d say we have a right,” Eric growled.

“You’re the dumb one who fell for it-”

Ava held out her hand for the mermaid to shut up, then turned to Eric. “The Occamy hurt me earlier- just Eric, we will hold onto you, and you perform ascendio, alright?”

“We need to hurry!”

“Of course.” Eric offered his free hand, and allowed Ava to take it. With his wand, he pointed upwards. “Perhaps in a different life, I hope you regret this,” he spoke to the mermaid before shouting, “Ascendio!”

Only bubbles appeared from his wand and Eric couldn’t help but have tears spring into his eyes. Nothing he was doing was right…

“You have no time,” The mermaid mutters before hauling the four on her back. “Let’s go.”

She swam upward so quickly, that it had felt like no time at all. Suddenly the four champions flew onto the ground, coughing and groaning. Hearing the voice of Headmistress call out, “You have successfully retrieved all 4 eggs, with thirty seconds to spare. Congratulations.”

Eric was launched to the ground, and coughed, pulling himself up and shaking the water from his hair before pulling the other three girls in for an embrace. “Thank god-”

Em hugged back and was breathing heavily, but Ava pushed Eric away. “Save it, jerk.”

“I’m sorry,” was all Eric could say.

Em frowned. “”It’s not your fault, Eric I fell for it too.”

As they all grabbed their eggs, Eric grinned. “Egg cracking anyone?��

“I’m down to crack your skull,” Ava smirked, holding her egg tightly.

“Bring it, princess,” Eric said, grinning.

“Sod off, Eric.”

The four opened their eggs and received their item for their next challenge. Eric admired his egg quietly, the silver shining beneath his hands. It almost felt calming to just touch it.

After about fifteen minutes of bantering and bickering between Ava and Eric, finally Em had sighed. “Ava, let’s go to the hospital wing, please!”

Ava grinned and nodded, latching herself to Em’s arm. “Yeah let’s go, see you around, loser.”

As they walked away, Eric watched them peacefully, hearing Em say: “You two are going to get married.”

He watched Ava swat her and shout, “Don’t ever say that again!”

Eric then rose and made his way towards the entrance of Hogwarts. His heart was racing, and he felt like an absolute idiot. Why did he even try? Aside from the fact of his parents- he didn’t like letting anyone else down either.

Scratching his neck, he thought about how Ava suddenly hated him. Was it because he was a Gryffindor? He could never tell, but he knew she had some issues she needed to clear up. Laughing he shook his head. That would be settled another day.

#mine #twtoc #fic #fics #eric #ava #hogwarts #challenge 1

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harrypotthr · 7 years ago

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twtoc champions

we are proud to announce our six new champions who will have the honour of competing in the triwizard tournament!

Hogwarts: @holy-snitch and @smlfoy

Koldovstoretz: @luthienthefair

Durmstrang: @biharry

Uagadou: @bqllarke

Castelobruxo: @robertsrebellion

If you have been chosen, please do the following:

msg rach to confirm your place. if you do not respond before july 18 @ 5pm pst, you will be automatically eliminated from the twt

read through all the posts here and here

follow kaiser, moreau, mercier + your own headmaster/mistress

msg me to be added into hangouts chat and blog

start creating your oc and use this format. try to send the info to me asap! for examples, check the other champions about pages

Unfortunately, the practice challenge has already passed so you won’t be marked on that, but feel free to write a fic or something so everyone else knows more about your character!

#twtoc #champions

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maevaroux · 7 years ago

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The First Task: Through Deeper Waters - As seen by Maéva Roux

Maéva knew that the other Beauxbatons champions were discussing the task ahead, yet she didn’t seem to be able to focus on their words. Her head was filled with only one thing – water.

As soon as the first task had been announced, Maéva had begun her training; and while it hadn’t been difficult to force herself into a routine of swimming at dawn and spell searching at dusk, it had grown harder and harder to deal with anticipation. It was a feeling Maéva was estranged to – to wish for something never to come; for time to simply stop. It was a wishful thinking she did not associate with broom racing at all.

The feeling became stronger that morning as the mass of water that was the lake grew bigger before her eyes. The four champions were approaching the edge of the lake and, just below the surface of the water, a stranger came into view. It was a girl. She shivered mildly in her bathing suit but her blue eyes she held still, fixed on Maéva’s.

"Oh, it's cold!” Violette had bravely dipped her toe in the water, making Maéva’s reflection waver. “Do you think they'll take points off if I transfigure a wetsuit?"

"No need," Maéva assured, looking away from the water. With a well-practiced wave of her wand she turned their bodies temperature to a steady thirty-six degrees. "This particular one has come in hand several times when I was racing."

Violette sighed in relief, yet her attention had gone elsewhere. She was looking up at the Headmasters. All eight of them had taken their seats at the judges table. "I think they're about to start the countdown."

Violette was right. Headmistress Mercier was casting the Sonorus spell and explaining the task to all who had missed the first briefing - get in the lake, find the Occamy egg and bring the keyring inside it. Couldn’t be more straightforward than that.

“So, champions, if you’re ready… Three… Two… One…”.

Maéva could barely recall the hour that followed, remembering only fragments of it.

When the canon had sounded several teams had jumped straight into the water, but the Beauxbatons stayed ashore. The pack of blondes was delayed by the need to cast the Scuba-Diving spell that Jean-Marie had trained them on. It was a complicated Transfiguration spell with a very ugly ending result, yet, if well done, it allowed them not only to breathe and speak underwater but also to endure the high pressure one might find at an Occamy’s underwater hideout.

Diving in was the real test that morning. With the weight of their metallic helmet head forcing them into the deepest parts of the lake, Maéva could only hope that she’d correctly cast the Scuba-Diving spell, or Beauxbatons could kiss one of their champions goodbye. Fortunately, danger lurked in every corner, distracting her from the haunting thoughts.

The first set of creatures they found were the Grindylows. With them, the first evidence of other champions. Maéva wanted to see what strategies they had used to breathe underwater, but there was no time. The small horned creatures were already coming for the French.

“Arresto momentum”, Maéva shouted inside her diving helmet, instinctively.

It was a show of lights. The four of them all cast different spells with no coordination whatsoever. Sparks of green, violet and yellow hit the green devils spot on. Still, with such little team work the Beauxbatons were lucky to put the Grindylows behind their backs.

The next fragment of memory that Maéva had was the mermaid. She could tell they had been set up to find it – or it to find them. There would be no way to get to the egg without getting through this obstacle first. The realisation of it made them hesitate.

“She doesn’t look like she wants to fight us.” Violette pointed out. “Maybe we can just… politely ask her to move aside?”

Maéva almost smiled at her roommate’s persistent optimism, but she knew Violette didn’t really think that. No, they all knew it – the mermaid was giving them a chance; a chance to turn back and throw the towel. She glanced at Sabine instead. “How do we go about this?”

Sabine looked almost surprised to be sought after for guidance, but Maéva had treated each of her teammates as a racing opponent. She had learnt their strengths and discovered their weaknesses. She trusted Sabine to know her creatures as well as she knew her broomstick. Better even.

“Well, I haven’t done that much research on merpeople,” Sabine started, hesitantly. “But a few stun spells combined are strong enough to put out a dragon…”

Said and done – they had one shot and they’d nailed it. Once again, Maéva tried not to dwell too long on what would have happened if four spells hadn’t been enough; or if they hadn’t been able to time them perfectly; but sooner than not, Sabine was pointing out a hidden cavern. The Occamy’s hideout.

“It’s a very protective creature,” Sabine was explaining, having just told them about the Occamy’s shapeshifting abilities. “I’m not even sure it’s possible to get to its eggs. One mistake and its body fills up the cavern, crushing everything in its wake.” Crushing us.

“What about the eggs?” Violette inquired. “Won’t it crush them?”

Sabine shook her head. “The eggs are the only thing that matter to it – it’ll adjust to them."

“Then we bring an egg with us.” It was Jean-Marie who had spoken. There was clearly a plan forming in their mind already, as they searched around. After a few moments, Jean came back with a clam about as big as their head and a small rock that could easily fit into it. They then pulled their wand out and started transfiguring the rock into a large, silver egg. Finally, they pushed the clam and the egg into Sabine’s hands.

Maéva couldn’t quite explain what happened next. She remembered Jean and Sabine didn’t exchange any words before Sabine nodded and entered the Occamy cavern. She remembered somehow knowing that she wasn’t supposed to follow Sabine inside, even if her instincts screamed the exact opposite. And she remembered, after what seemed liked long waiting hours, Sabine’s triumphant look as she came back out holding a closed shell and a keyring.

“What about the nest?” Jean-Marie wondered, as the Beauxbatons champions started swimming back to the shore. “I have trouble imagining you destroyed it.”

“I used a Revealing spell to find our egg and left the rest intact.” Sabine told them. “I’m just bringing this thing back with me because I sure don’t want to be there when they set it free again.”

As she spoke, Sabine gestured to the big shell, which Maéva fiercely suspected now contained a shrunk Occamy.

#twtoc #challenge one #beauxbatons

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aubriannepelipa · 7 years ago

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enter the students of ilvermorny wizarding school of witchcraft and wizardry

A/N: It’s separated by scene, just fyi!

Mentions: Sappho Mutter, Headmaster Elijah Kaiser, Elbiba Staples, Saraswati Jain, etc - just read it for the rest.

The Lovette-Gwyndor family was a history of sneaking out into the nearby village before an event starts. Her brother, Joseph did just that with his bestfriends but Aubrianne was different. She stayed behind to brush up on her foreign languages before the ceremonial banquet started.

Aubrianne started to pace herself before the selections started. She knew that her father would want Joseph to get selected for the Triwizards and her mother didn’t want Aubrianne to do anything dangerous and outside of. She kept that part of her family life – a secret from everyone at Ilvermorny. She was trapped in a box full of disappointment.

She kept all the disappointed feelings inside her by writing in a new language everytime that she felt depressed.

In Ilvermorny, twelve students were selected a week prior from traveling to the host school of witchcraft and wizardry for the Goblet of Fire Ceremony. When Principal Kaiser started the selection ceremony with a speech that he had prepared about beating the Bauxbatons Academy and all of the horrible things that the principal of Bauxbatons does to the losing team.

“Do you believe any of this shit?” her brother asked his friends. Aubrianne rolled her eyes.

“Didn’t you say the same thing about Quidditch?” she raised an eyebrow at her brother.

“Shut up, Aubrey!”

“Shut up, Joey!”

As soon as she told her brother to shup up, the principal started to read out the names of the students to place into the Goblet of Fire. “Sappho Mutter. Elbiba Staples. Saraswati Jain. And…” The Principal said. “Aubrianne Gwyndor. I’ve placed your names in the Goblet of Fire.”

“What?!” Aubrianne and her brother said in unison.

“Dude, at least, you get to sneak out whenever you want while we’re in Hogwarts.” One of his friends told him. “It’ll be fine because you have nothing to do with the Triwizards.”

“That’s true.” Joseph responded.

She sighed, softly. “It’s also true that you five might get expelled for sneaking out. And don’t use my device while we’re there, I don’t want to get caught by Principal Kaiser again just like what happened last month. Remember?”

“Yeah, but you’re always in the library studying so that doesn’t count.”

“Of course, it does!” She told her brother. “You don’t want to disappoint dad now. Do you?”

“Fine. Have it your way, princesa!”

A week later, the Lovette-Gwyndor twins started to explore Hogwarts and the world around it. As they expected, Aubrianne stayed inside and in the school library and Joseph went out of campus to hang out at a nearby village.

Aubrianne stayed in the library for hours and noticed the reason why her fellow Ilvermorny students called her the Sinister Polygot. She would use her magic to translate foreign language speakers from their native language to English or translate herself from English to a foreign language.

“C’est une mauvaise nouvelle! (That’s bad news!)” She overheard a Bauxbatons student say.

“Oui et il est horrible d’entendre parler de tout le monde! (Yes and it is horrid to hear from anyone!)” Another student said.

“Au moins, il y a beaucoup de livres á padres dans… (At least, there are plenty of books to get lost into…)” Aubrianne spat.

“Oh, bon dieu, il y a quelqu’un ici! (Oh gosh, there’s someone here!)”

“Nam die meisjes lang genoeg om op te merken! (Took those girls long enough to notice!)” She said in a hushed tone to herself. “Mijn baan is heir klaar! (My job here is done!)” Aubrianne got off the chair and poofed herself out of the library and into the Gryffindor quarters.

Right around midnight, a girl found Aubrianne‘s brother and his friends sneak into the quarters as quietly as they could. “You know this could ruin your wizarding career.” The girl said to the boys.

“We know.” One of her brother’s friends retorted. “It’s not like we’re doing anything illegal, buttercup.”

“Just stop! Stop this sneaking out business.” The girl snapped as she folded her arms across her chest. “Or I’m telling Kaiser!”

“Fine. Fine. Have it your way, Missy!”

When the Announcing Ceremony came around, Joseph sat with his friends while Aubrianne sat with hers. “Ilvermorny Wizarding School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Headmistress Mercier announced.

“My three champions are…” Principal Kaiser began, as he pulled out three names from the Goblet of Fire.

“This is starting to sound like the hunger games.” One of Joseph’s friends uttered.

“No, it’s not like the hunger games!” The same girl from last night retorted.

“…Sappho Mutter… Elbiba Staples… Saraswati Jain…. and… Aubrianne Gwyndor.”

“Fuck.” “Shit!”

“We’re screwed!”

#☙❆ this game is just twisted (official)#twtoc #&. practice #☙❆ its uniquely magical by itself (editorial)#☙❆ the adventure begins in massachusetts (fiction)

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missvictoriam · 7 years ago

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Horacy Antończyk - @horacyantonczyk, Triwizard Tournament Champion @triwizardtournamentoc

I would rather die of fire than of void. - Emil Cioran

cred

#yay all three!#horacyantonczyk #edits #/unofficial stuff i made #twtoc

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triwizardtournamentoc · 8 years ago

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APPLICATION

Submit the following application filled out to @antiochpeverells submission box. Make sure everything is filled out completely and reasonably.

Creator’s name/ URL: School: Name: Age: Gender: Sexual Orientation: Being/ Ability: FC: Personality: Magic Strengths: Magic Weaknesses: Hobbies: Patronus: Wand: Biggest Fear: Greatest Desire: Quote:

If you have any questions you can message @headmasterkaiser @headmastermoreau or @headmistressmercier

Here is a reference to help you when you’re making your OC. Make sure you think everything through and most importantly have fun with your OC!!

#twtoc #triwizard tournament #application #info

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kctiebell · 8 years ago

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CHAMPIONS ANNOUNCED

Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the Champions chosen from the Goblet of Fire.

We are pleased to announce the Champions participating in the Triwizard Tournament:

@ladyattiffanys @pamsyparkinson @remusluvpin @hoggyworty // @ultrawafflehouse @expectopaula @emmawntson @hermiione @neilsperry @softcurses // @vincentvansgogh @leejorden @queeenpersephone @askjamessirius @audrxyweasley @enfperks // @angelinajohnson @lilyevansh @asoftdante @ginervamollly @pctter @loveqood @nargles @mollywecsley @slyttherin @hermioncgrangr @karkaroff @wolfqng @ravenclw @stars-make-for-greatstories @isalkvaltersen @saladtsar // @perfectchekov @slyherins @lucypcvensie @aurorevans

Excellent! Congratulations to our Triwizard Champions! In the end, only 4 of you will go down in history as winners of the Triwizard Tournament! If chosen, please do the following:

please msg me to confirm your place in the Triwizard Tournament within 3 days. if not, your spot will be given up for an alternate. from there, i will add you into the TWTOC Net & tell you all the information you will need to know.

also, message me your top 3 choices for schools (please do not just select Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, we want variety). please understand that only 4 champions come from each school and we cannot give everyone their first choice. you will receive your acceptance letter from your offical Wizarding within 2 days of your msg.

Hogwarts; England

Beauxbatons; France

Durmstrang; Scandinavia

Ilvermorny; North America

Koldovstoretz; Russia

Castelobruxo ; Brazil

Mahoutokoro; Japan

Uagadou; Africa

optional: follow main 3 headmasters/check out the rest

@headmistressmercier

@headmasterkaiser

@headmastermoreau

@headmastervladmska

@headmastersousa

@headmistressmiyasaki

@headmistresslenox

@@headmistresskamau

message vivian to be added into the hangouts chat!

thank you for joining, we hope you have fun!

Let the Triwizard Tournament begin!

#twtoc #champions announced

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championkatya · 7 years ago

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@triwizardtournamentoc: task one

Ничто не горит, как холод

The Three Broomsticks is surprisingly crowded given that there’s school in the morning, but Katya doesn’t know what she was expecting the night after the first task. She orders a firewhiskey at the bar and manages to find an empty table in the back corner that’s partially obscured from the rest of the room by a large column. Shutting her eyes, she lays her head down on the table, taking her first moments alone since the task to breathe.

She isn’t sure where her teammates are. Natalia and Valya were both hurt by the Occamy, and Katya knows she should make sure they’re alright, but she can’t stomach the thought of talking to anyone right now. All she wants is a good, strong drink. Which, granted, she isn’t likely to find in Hogsmeade, but she downs the liquid without complaint or ceremony and waits for whatever buzz it might bring.

By the time her glass is empty, there’s a new presence at the table. Katya barely has a moment to glance over the woman before she is assaulted by a shrill voice and blindingly white teeth.

“I’m Priya Sharp,” the woman announces, dark curls bouncing for emphasis. She reaches out a manicured hand to Katya, who shakes it begrudgingly, making a note of her own ragged fingernails with as much shame as she can muster–that is to say, none at all.

Katya opens her mouth to introduce herself, but Priya cuts her off with a, “You’re Ekaterina Razumova.” Katya winces at the woman’s butchered pronunciation, but doesn’t bother to make the correction. The less she has to interact with anyone, the better. Still, Priya seems persistent.

“I work for the Daily Prophet,” Priya explains. “I’ve been doing the interviews of the Triwizard Champions for ages. Do you mind if I interview you?” Before Katya can give a dissenting answer, Priya draws a quill from her bag, and Katya sighs. She knows exactly what it is, and it means that no matter what she says or does, Priya will have an interview to publish.

Priya snaps her fingers and the quill begins its task, scribbling down paragraphs of praise for its owner. Katya follows the words as best she can from across the table, feeling resigned dread pool in her stomach. She fiddles with her empty glass and braces herself for a painful night.

“So, Katya,” Priya says conspiratorially, leaning in as if the two women are friends sharing gossip and secrets at a sleepover, “tell me about yourself. Why did you decide to put your name in the Goblet of Fire?”

“I fancied a bit of warmth,” Katya says dryly. On the parchment, the quill continues to scrawl: the Ice Queen bites. Katya laughs shortly. “I see my reputation proceeds me,” she says, nodding at the words.

Priya smiles, though Katya wouldn’t quite describe it that way. The woman’s lips curl up and shrink away from her teeth, creating a sinister smirk that reminds Katya of a crocodile. “Don’t worry about the quill, dear,” she says in a tone that is supposed to be reassuring. “All jokes aside, what spurred you to put your life at risk for this competition? Was it a bet amongst friends? Are you seeking glory? Looking to impress a certain someone? Make your family proud?”

Katya bristles at the mention of family, but she slaps a polite smile on her face and spits out a bullshit version of the truth. “I see the Triwizard Tournament as a way to jumpstart my future,” she says carefully. “Participating in an event so renowned will help put my name out there.”

“And what makes you so sure you deserve to have such recognition?” Priya shoots back. Katya glances down again to see the quill continuing its slander and internally chuckles at the irony in her statement–she certainly won’t be jumpstarting her future talking to Priya Sharp.

“I’m talented,” Katya says. She knows full well that any perceived arrogance will provide enough fuel for a page and a half at least, but she isn’t worried about impressing the readers of some British wizarding magazine. She is worried about impressing the judges of the tournament and her fellow champions, and to avoid failure that she needs to get this Priya woman out of her hair so she can figure out how to be more useful to her team in the second task.

Unfortunately, her answer is a wrong one. Priya pounces on it like a predator–claws and teeth out. “Really?” she asks with a grin. “Perhaps you could give me an example of your talent. Say, from the first task?”

Katya freezes. She thinks about her performance yesterday, running through the task frame by frame, looking for something to spin into proof of her self-proclaimed ‘talent’. There’s hardly anything she can use; her teammates handled almost every situation while she flailed around like an idiot having a prolonged stroke.

“I invented a spell,” Katya says finally, hoping her confident act will stop Priya from asking, “Did it work?”

Deep breaths, Katya tells herself. “No.”

Priya lets out a little “ha” and looks down at what her quill is writing with pride. There’s a fracture in the ice, dear readers. It seems this Koldovstoretz champion can’t put her money where her mouth is. Katya shuts her eyes briefly and reopens them with a new purpose. She stares down the reporter, determined not to let this interview get the best of her.

“I don’t think my small failures should be your main focus, Ms. Sharp,” Katya chirps, smiling her most innocent smile despite the bitter taste the word ‘failure’ leaves in her mouth. Before Priya gets the chance to question her, Katya continues. “We should be looking at the overall triumph of the Koldovstoretz team. Together, our weaknesses don’t matter. We are a well-rounded group and we completed the task with time to spare.” She doesn’t mention that the spare time was 49 seconds, and that without the help of a mermaid they wouldn’t even have made it to the surface in time.

“Well then,” Priya says, seemingly surprised that Katya has the ability to acknowledge the skills of others, “why don’t you enlighten me? For those of us who didn’t get to watch the first task, please tell us what happened.”

Katya nods, refusing to be shaken by anything that comes out of Priya’s mouth. She isn’t sure what she’s allowed to share about the task, but she pushes on nonetheless. Anything to bury her mistakes. “I’m sure your dear readers know what the task entailed,” she remarks. “We were required to take a swim in the lake for an hour and to figure out our own way not to drown.” Priya and her quill follow along, bobbing in affirmation. Katya smiles. “One of my teammates, Valya, is very skilled with potions,” she brags lightly, feeling her chest swell merely by mentioning their name. “They created a gillyweed draught that allowed the effects of the plant to last as long as was necessary.”

She remembers the taste all too well, the burning sensation it left underneath her tongue and down her throat. But mostly she remembers herself giving a shaky toast of “Cheers” before the team plunged into the water. Not her most witty remark, but given the state she had been in before the task, Katya thinks it was a miracle she’d managed to get anything out at all.

Priya sneers her crocodile sneer and snaps her fingers in the direction of a waiter. “A round of drinks,” she orders, staring Katya down. “I think we’ll be here a while.” She waits until the drinks arrive to resume her questioning, but Katya smiles when her empty glass is replaced with one full of vodka.

“If you want to get me drunk, you’re going to have to try harder than that,” Katya quips. She feels like she’s somehow outsmarted the reporter. That is, until Priya’s smirk grows wider, as if it’s trying to stretch its way off of the woman’s face.

“Drink up, Katya,” is all she says. Katya pushes the glass away. Priya shakes her head but soldiers on, seemingly undeterred by anything Katya does. “Once you entered the water, what did you see? What did you do? Don’t skimp on description! I want every last detail.”

Every last detail, Katya muses, her mind already back at the lake. Everything was slimier, she thinks. Valya’s Gillyweed did its job. She remembers having only a moment to get used to her new flippers and gills before she and her teammates began their journey.

“Which direction should we go?”

“I’d say down is a safe bet.”

That was the only thing she’d said that day that actually sounded like her. Everything else had been slightly off, like someone other than Katya was in control of her words. Her anxiety should be counted as another being. It practically turned her into a completely different person.

Katya reaches for the glass of vodka in spite of herself, recognizing her use of alcohol as a way to ignore her mental problems and promptly choosing to ignore that fact as well. She takes a sip, appreciating the instant effect it has on her. “It was difficult to see in the lake,” she tells Priya truthfully. “Natalia compared it to a forest–an obstructed view. Of course, it’s rather more murky than a forest down there.”

The narrative she’s weaving for Priya is fast approaching the first of her many shortsighted actions, and dread bubbles up in her stomach like a potion in a cauldron. Still, she continues, picking her words carefully. Technically what she’s saying is true. It’s just not the whole truth.

“Once we were sure there was nothing to see, a bright light appeared,” Katya says. “Of course, my teammates knew not to approach it without caution.”

Katya herself, however, was another story. She swam forward eagerly without a second thought, even managing to ignore the presence of her wand in her easily-accessible pocket. As Valya, Natalia, and Valeriya discussed the possibility of a Grindylow, Katya drew closer and closer to the light, only pulling back when Natalia, luckily, grew fed up with her stupidity.

“The light turned out to be a mermaid,” Katya continues, brushing past her own mistake. Fortunately, Katya is a decent liar–though only a liar by omission–and Priya seems much more interested in the mermaid than any missing parts of Katya’s story.

Priya leans forward, clasping her hands together. There’s a menacing twinkle in her eye that only adds to Katya’s sense of unease. “What was this mermaid like?” Priya questions, glancing at her quill to make sure it’s capturing whatever description Katya comes up with.

Katya takes another sip of her drink, tapping on the glass. She isn’t too eager to say something that will bring her sexuality into question; Koldovstoretz may be a safe haven, but the rest of the wizarding world has some catching up to do, and Katya won’t let anything stand in the way of her success. Still, something compels her to speak her mind. A thought flits by–it could be the alcohol Priya’s given her–but it passes before Katya can really grab hold of it, so she shoves her doubts to the back of her head.

“She was the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen,” Katya says. There, she thinks, that’s not so incriminating. But her mouth keeps going. “Truly stunning,” she continues. “Breath-taking, captivating… I almost wish I could take her to the Yule Ball.” She laughs like it’s a joke, but her heart beats just a little faster as she remembers how beautiful the mermaid was.

“What’s the catch?”

“Hmm?” Katya mumbles, distracted.

“The catch,” Priya says pointedly. “The thing that makes this all interesting. An attractive mermaid is all well and good, but where’s the story?”

Katya breathes out. “Oh. Right. Well, it wasn’t actually a mermaid.”

“What was it?” Priya’s eyebrow jumps up sharply. Her quill hovers above the page in anticipation, waiting for Katya to share the exciting truth. Instead, all Priya gets is a shrug.

“It was a fish.”

“Oh.”

“Or a jellyfish.”

Priya laughs breathily. “That school of yours must not be very good if you can’t tell the difference.” Already, words are being written about Koldovstoretz’s faults.

Katya gives an obliging smile, her lips stretched thin in poorly veiled disgust. “Koldovstoretz is a fine institution that has taught me a great many things. I simply stated my confusion because the creature was a shapeshifter of some sort. Either way, it isn’t of much importance, it swam away and that was that.”

Priya looks disappointed. Even her quill droops a little in solidarity, but Katya couldn’t feel more pleased. Every second she bores Priya Sharp, she brings herself closer to escaping this horrid interview. In celebration of this small victory, she brings her glass up to her lips again.

It’s this action that triggers a realization: Priya has slipped Veritaserum into Katya’s drink. It explains the strange way she’s been telling the truth. Katya pretends to have a sip and carefully puts the glass back on the table, sliding it as far away as possible without being noticed. In an attempt to distract Priya from her sudden discovery, Katya plasters a wide smile on her face. “Of course, that’s not where the task ended. That would be dreadfully boring, wouldn’t it?”

This seems to reenergize Priya, who grins back, the tip of her tongue showing through her teeth. “Of course.” She laces her fingers together and shifts her weight towards Katya. “Why don’t you tell us what happened next?”

What happened next was the real mermaid, a hideous creature who slunk from out of the depths screeching about being returned to her former glory. Her teammates stuck to the plan, letting Natalia take the lead. Except that the mermaid couldn’t have cared less about the locket Natalia had charmed specifically as a gift, which had led to an impromptu ballet class instructed by Natalia.

Katya smiles at the memory of Valya attempting an elegant twirl in the water. She doubts even the talented Natalia could have looked graceful doing that move with flippers instead of feet. Though Katya’s own performance was pitiful at best, and Valeriya’s was only marginally better, Natalia’s quick thinking had been undeniably beneficial for the team. Despite the rather large amount of time spent praising a mermaid whose skills could hardly rival Valya’s, Katya is grateful they didn’t have to resort to violence.

She relays the gist of the memory to Priya, praising Natalia more than she ever would to her teammate’s face because she knows her team needs to appear supportive and together. She glosses over the difficulties of herself and Valya, choosing instead to ‘offhandedly’ mention Valeriya’s impressive beginner’s talent. She keeps the memory of the mermaid’s prior attempt at tap-dancing to herself. Priya’s readers don’t deserve that laugh.

“Once we got past the mermaid, all we had to do was face the Occamy,” Katya continues. She desperately wants to speed this process along, and hopefully if she does her job well, Priya won’t ask questions about her part in the last stage of the task. She mentions her use of ‘Spongify’ to transform the jagged rocks guarding the Occamy’s cave into a safe passage, flushing with pride despite herself. As she and Priya trade meaningless comments, Katya’s mind races for a way to put a positive spin on her performance throughout the rest of the story. She comes up blank.

As the Koldovstoretz team neared the nest of the Occamy, Valeriya began to cast various defense spells, creating a shield that, in theory, would work well as long as everyone stayed close. Valya, however, didn’t appear to get the message, as they wandered ahead of the group. With Valeriya and Katya’s attention on getting Valya to return, no one noticed the new mermaid approaching Natalia.

“Hey, do you need some help?”

Natalia and the mermaid, Alessia, began to converse. As Valya, Katya, and Valeriya watched from a short distance, Natalia offered Alessia the locket that had failed to appease the first mermaid. Katya could feel the unease pass between herself and her two teammates, but Natalia seemed to be trusting this new mermaid. Despite a warning from Katya to stick to the plan, Alessia led the way into the cavern, promising that her half-siren abilities would allow her to lull the Occamy to sleep.

It seemed too good to be true, and everyone could sense it. Valeriya, in a whisper, reminded the team about the sirens of ancient mythology. “Will she lull us to sleep as well?” A quick ‘muffliato’ took care of those concerns, but unfortunately, getting a nice nap was the opposite of what Alessia had in mind.

A loud shriek pierced the air before anyone could even begin to implement their plan. As the Occamy awoke in distress, Alessia caused the rocks at the entrance of the cave to tumble down, blocking their only hope at an exit. At the same time, Valya and Katya blurted out an eloquent “Shit!” that, while providing an emotional release of sorts, did absolutely nothing to help the situation at hand.

Valeriya somehow managed to remain calm, going through her spells with determination. Though the girl’s cheerfulness was usually somewhat grating to Katya, she had to admire her defensive talents. Once Valeriya cast a disillusionment charm on her, Katya regained some composure and attempted to follow the one part of the plan that still had the potential to work.

She crept closer to the nest, barely registering the Occamy’s attacks–first slicing Natalia’s cheek, then growling at Katya herself. As Valya went on the offensive and Valeriya continued her work, Natalia and Katya tried to reach the eggs. Natalia was undeniably closer, but Katya gripped her wand and hoped what she’d prepared would do its job.

“Transparo,” Katya hissed, pointing her wand at the first egg within her sight. The x-ray spell she’d created didn’t work, causing a brief flutter of disappointment until she realized she was distracted by Alessia’s incessant screeching. “Someone shut up the mermaid!”

Valya, thankfully, heard her and managed to stun Alessia for the moment. Katya breathed for a second, appreciating the absence of the painful ringing in her ears the mermaid had caused. Unfortunately, she didn’t breathe easily for long.

As Valeriya began to cast the disillusionment charm on Valya, the Occamy caught them in the shoulder, forcing them to reel back. A reflex deep within Katya was triggered and she shouted their name, hoping to stop them as they began to pelt the Occamy with stones from the floor of the cave.

Panic once again reared its ugly head as thoughts of Valya getting seriously injured swirled around in Katya’s brain. She forced herself to take a breath and turned her attention back to the eggs. Valya could take care of themself. Every one of the Koldovstoretz champions was in the cave for a reason.

“Transparo,” she tried again. And again, “transparo!” It wasn’t working, and Katya was getting more frustrated by the second. She moved to try the spell again but was knocked off balance by the Occamy swinging at her. Her wand slipped from her grasp, carried away from her by the water. As she reached for it, she heard Valya cry out her name. Natalia, close enough to the nest to brush it with her fingertips, stopped in her tracks.

For a brief moment, the world felt as if it was standing still. Then, almost simultaneously, Valeriya yelled “impedimenta” and Valya cast “serpensortia”, shooting a snake at the Occamy, which it promptly ate with a burp. Natalia mentioned poison, posing it as a question to Katya, but Katya was still recovering from her fall and she focused instead on grabbing her wand.

“I’m fine,” she muttered. “Transparo!” Still, nothing happened.

Valya, still trying to distract the Occamy, instructed the group to shoot snakes to the opposite side of the room, and collectively they shouted “Serpensortia!” The Occamy trampled over to the snakes, but Katya didn’t bother to see the effects of the spell. Instead, she continued to try her own.

She was close to tears, but she pushed through it, hoping her frustration and anger would be channeled into making the spell stronger. One more time, she thought. “Transparo, damnit!” she cried, a last hurrah.

Natalia reached the nest, expecting Katya to succeed, but Katya had failed. “Just grab the eggs!” Valya yelled, their breathing heavy. Natalia followed the instructions as Valeriya shouted to the rest of the team to cast a stunning spell simultaneously.

The combined power of four stunning spells knocked out the Occamy, and Katya took the opportunity to grab Natalia and get to Valeriya and Valya at the mouth of the cave. Valya cast a spell in an attempt to move the rocks, but nothing happened.

“Singing…” Natalia muttered. “What if we sang?”

As if on cue, Alessia began to shriek again, and the entire cave began to rumble, pebbles falling. “She sang!” Natalia cried. “The cave likes her!”

“Now she decides to be helpful?” Katya mumbled.

Valya leapt into action. “The Koldovstoretz anthem?” they suggested. They began to sing, and Katya immediately joined them, her voice pitifully shaky. In a moment, all four champions were singing their school’s song.

The cave rumbled more, and they all took it as a sign to sing louder, more passionately. Feeling vaguely more confident, Katya’s voice ceased to shake. Valya moved to tear away the rocks, and as they did so, everything blocking the exit came crashing down.

With four minutes left, Katya wasted no time admiring their work. “Go, go, go!” she yelled to her teammates. “Natalia first!” She had to prioritize the eggs. If Natalia went first and took the eggs up to the surface, even if the other three champions didn’t make it in time, they would still have the keys.

As the Gillyweed began to wear off, everyone’s tensions rose. They only had three minutes to reach the surface, and without anything helping them, no one would make it at all. Frustrated and a bit panicked, Katya yelled, “ascendio!”

To almost no one’s surprise, nothing happened.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Valya cursed.

Natalia turned to Valeriya, asking if there was something defensive that could help. But before the other girl had the chance to answer, Katya noticed a familiar figure emerging from a clump of rocks.

“Natalia,” she cried, “the mermaid!”

Without any prompting, the mermaid grabbed each one of them and lifted them onto her tail. As she dragged them all as quickly as possible to the surface, Natalia promised to return for more dance lessons in exchange for her help. Valya mumbled under their breath, “please,” over and over. Katya, however, stayed still. She was starting to feel numb.

They broke the surface and Katya gasped for air, the fading gills flapping in protest. Next to her, Valya flailed gracelessly on the dock as Valeriya began to laugh hysterically. The two launched into a conversation about how unbelievable the past hour had been, but Natalia and Katya both stayed quiet.

Black spots danced before Katya’s eyes, but she knew she wasn’t hurt. Rage bubbled up within her, threatening to spew out of her mouth in a rather unpleasant manner. Then, everything cleared for a moment. The mermaid, lying on the dock like the rest of them, suddenly transformed into a vision of beauty.

Natalia, looking like she was in shock, managed to say a few words to the mermaid. Valya and Valeriya did the same, but Katya was too stunned to say anything. As the mermaid revealed her name–Aella–and dove back into the water, all Katya could do was wave.

Eventually, someone came to tend to Valya and Natalia’s wounds. Valeriya followed, but Katya remained lying on the dock with her thoughts. She bitterly remembered the hours she’d stayed up in the Ravenclaw tower, practicing and perfecting her x-ray spell, annoying the students by revealing the contents of their bags or dressers or pockets.

It should have worked, she thought. She was supposed to be impressive. She was Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Razumova, 19 year old spell inventor and champion for Koldovstoretz. Her spells worked. That was non-negotiable.

She forced her brain to pause, picturing her swirling thoughts as a large clump of black dust. After breathing in, she pushed all of the air out of her lungs, imagining the black dust dissipating into the wind. She focused on her body, the way the wooden dock felt beneath her fingers, the slight twinge in her ankle probably caused by her tumble, the stray hair that chose that moment to slide down her face and rejoin its companions.

She was alive. She would try harder next time.

“Katya?” Priya asks shrilly. “What were you saying about the Occamy?”

Katya presses her fists into her leg, bringing herself back into the present. She shuts her eyes briefly and smiles. “We worked together and got the eggs,” she tells Priya. “It was as simple as that.”

Priya pauses, glaring down at the parchment in front of her. Even she knows that Katya’s story didn’t have enough details to spin into a scoop. Taking only a moment to bounce back, she flips over the parchment and snaps her fingers at the quill again.

“Tell me about your family,” she smiles.

Katya laughs with a dry humor. “I don’t have one,” she says briefly.

Ever the reporter, Priya’s eyes flash with a new purpose. “What happened to them?” she asks, but Katya just shakes her head.

She slides her glass closer, picks it up, and finishes off the liquid within. Priya looks eager, knowing the effect the Veritaserum will have, but Katya knows she’s in for some disappointment. “We’re done here,” Katya tells her. “Thanks for the drink.”

“But–” Priya stutters, looking for the first time thrown off guard.

“We’re done,” Katya grins, raising her glass in a sort of toast. “You know I’m telling the truth.”

Priya scowls and snatches up her quill and parchment, shoving them into her purse with a huff. “You really are what they say,” she hisses at Katya. “Your heart is as cold as they come.”

“Funny,” Katya says. “I could have sworn I didn’t have one at all.”

Katya watches Priya storm off with a sense of pride. She feels like she’s begun to redeem herself for her failures in the first task simply by fending off Priya Sharp. In a much better mood than she was at the start of the evening, Katya leisurely makes her way to the bar.

“A round of drinks for everyone,” she whispers, sliding the bartender all of the money she has with her. Before anyone can notice what she’s done, she slips out of the Three Broomsticks and out into the cool air. A subtle smile warming up her face, Katya turns and makes her way back to Hogwarts.

The next day, she ‘borrows’ a copy of the Daily Prophet from an unsuspecting Ravenclaw, just to glance at the headlines. There are several ridiculous titles, but nothing about Koldovstoretz’s Ice Queen. Katya tosses the paper into the common room fire and chuckles to herself.

She grabs a chocolate croissant from the Great Hall and takes to the corridors, waving to her teammates on her way out. Just like her first night as a champion, she wanders the halls for a while, but she finds herself drawn to the same place: the astronomy tower.

Katya sits on the floor of the tower, leaning against the edge. She eats her croissant in silence, then pulls out her wand. “Transparo,” she says softly, pointing at a school bag left behind by some poor, forgetful student. The spell works, revealing a mess of ink and parchment.

She smiles. She’ll be alright.

#twtoc #entry: first task #ooc: i'm never using italics again wtf tumblr #ooc: as it turns out i don’t know how to write confident characters so have a crippled by anxiety™ katya instead #ooc: also priya is basically just rita skeeter by a different name bc in this au rita doesn't exist

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headmistressmercier · 7 years ago

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THE FIRST TASK

The Triwizard Tournament begins now, which means you will start earning points towards your School for your submissions. This will be Task 1 out of 3. Do not take the first one lightly: this may be the easiest but can possibly be the one to determine who gets a head start. And who doesn’t.

Your entire School has gotten settled at Hogwarts. You’ve become acquainted with your competitors and teammates, and you are ready to begin your first task. Headmistress Mercier gathers the 32 competitors from each School and gives each person a tiny box, no bigger than your palm. Each person’s box is different. There is no way to open it, even using magic, unless you have the key.

YOUR TASK

Your task is to retrieve your key from underwater within an hour. You will be diving underwater first with your teammates. You must stick together. Use any means necessary to keep yourself breathing. You will encounter a mermaid which you must get past, whether it be violence, persuasion, seduction, etc. Once you get past the mermaid, you will enter a cave in which an Occamy rests with her eggs. She is very protective of them and you must somehow get past her without killing her. There will be 4 eggs, only 1 which will contain a ring of 4 keys. Each key is designated for a teammate’s box, which will reveal a clue for the next challenge.

RULES + GUIDELINES

This task is mandatory, which means you will receive 0 points if you do not submit anything at all. It is better to submit something than nothing at all. However, if you completed the practice challenge, you can use that to substitute. Keep in mind you only have 1 PC to substitute and you have 2 more tasks.

The Task 1 deadline is Friday, July 28. You will not be receiving scores anymore but you may still ask for feedback privately. You may not ask for your score however. We will be releasing hints about who is close/tied and such.

This challenge requires RP as an entire School. You will be diving underwater with your teammates and solving this together. The RP will take place on your Hangouts School chat. If you do not have Hangouts, you may RP individually on tumblr or ask your teammates. Your administrator (Viv, Rose, Rachel) will be controlling the RP.

If you are given a task such as casting a Patronus, you may not immediately shout “Expecto Patronum”. Keep in mind you are a student and you are not invincible. The admin will be controlling the RP. You will get the hang of it once you begin.

Discuss a good time when everyone is free to RP. You may not RP without the admin.

If you write anything that did not happen in the RP, you will lose points for your School.

Everyone must create their own submission, despite having a group RP. You may use anything to fulfill this challenge such as fics, edits, videos, moodboards, etc. Please tag your submission with #twtoc and reblog it to the net.

The points given for this challenge will be based off of creativity and originality. You will earn points mostly on your submission. Your RP will add extra points. Keep in mind that even if your OC did amazing in the RP, that does not necessarily mean you get more points. The points of the RP will be based on how realistic your OC is, their cleverness, etc. Remember, there are always multiple ways to solve a problem. Creativity will earn you the most points.

And the competition begins. Best of luck.

#twtoc #task 1 #challenge 1

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championminji · 7 years ago

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@triwizardtournamentoc practice challange

notes: set in july 8th. july 9th is a full moon, minji is a werewolf. written as if she’s writing a letter to her brother, who is back in japan, and telling him about the new things in hogwarts.

Taejin-ah!

How was the day with mom and dad? I believe that by the time you get this it’s already Sunday night, I suppose, and that means a family dinner! I hope to get a letter back from you, just for me to know how you’re doing. We only arrived, and I miss you a lot. I hope it’ll get better, though.

Hogwarts is truly beautiful. Not as beautiful as Mahoutokoro, but still beautiful. You would like it - when you grow older and go to Mahoutokoro, you’re going to visit here as well. Who knows, maybe you will get chosen for the tournament!

Oh, did you know I was chosen for the tournament? I am really excited to start this competition. The only thing I’m scared about is the dates. I think you understand why, Taejin. I don’t want anyone to find out i’m such a monster. Headmistress Miyasaki is really nice, but she will not be able to let me stay in Mahoutokoro if she knows about it. But apart from that, I’m really excited!

The Hogwarts students are great. They are really funny and kind to us. They have houses, and we are sleeping at the Hufflepuff’s dorms. They are really nice to us and they explain us about everything, and I believe this is exactly what I need. The other schools are also really cool. The Beauxbatons ones might not be as kind as the others, but I still like them.

Tomorrow is another full moon, but I’m glad I have today to get to know Hogwarts a bit to know where I can go when it’s getting dark. I believe I’ll go to the forbidden forest - from what a Hufflepuff boy told me, there are werewolves there. Maybe I’ll find my way back before people will notice I was gone, who knows.

I can continue talking about myself for a few years now, so I will stop writing and wait for your answer. And remember - I don’t want mom or dad to write the letter for you. Take your time and write me this on your own! You can do this, and seeing your amazing handwrite will light up my mood.

Love and kisses from Hogwarts,

You Unnie, Minji ♥︎

#twtoc #challanges

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championaino · 7 years ago

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@triwizardtournamentoc: practice challenge, aino koskinen

they would think she was weak. and weak people don’t survive for very long.

fic under the cut

this was aino’s shot. her brothers outshone her in everything. this was her way to glory, or possibly, death. she could feel how the waves hit the ship, causing it to sway. the waves that hit the ship were forceful and aino was happy that she didn’t get seasick. the durmstrang students were sitting in the ship, waiting for it to arrive. aino was sitting in her bunk, tapping her foot against the floor, making an uneven melody.

aino had never liked to talk much, she said what she had to say and that was that. typical for a finnish person like her. she didn’t have many friends because of that. she kept to herself mostly and didn’t see anything wrong with it. she didn’t like the most of her class mates, they were always talking, saying things that didn't need to be said. well, she had some people that she could hang out with that she didn’t want to murder the minute she saw them. those few people were horacy antończyk and adrian nykvist, both classmates to the finnish girl.

aino looked over to the rooms small window and hoped that she would soon get a letter from home. she waited and waited. she could hear the others in the room talk but her eyes were still on the frosty glass. she waited ‘till she could hear the other girls say that headmistress lenox wanted everyone on deck. she put on her uniform and her crimson rope. she glanced at the window one last time, hoping that an owl from her family was going to be there, but it wasn’t. she had waited and waited but no owl came that day.

***

all of the students were on deck and as much as aino tried to get away from everyone and find a quiet corner, always someone followed her. somehow, she was now located in the middle of the deck. fellow classmates were crowding around her in small groups, talking about if they were going to enter the tournament. aino wondered if it wasn’t visible that she didn’t want to be there. it was too crowded, it felt like she was going to faint.

***

when they entered the castle they immediately saw the goblet of fire. the blueish glow gave aino uncomfortable feeling. headmistress lenox told them that this was their only chance to put their name in the goblet. aino’s already written note was in her hand. she took determined steps towards the goblet that could change her future. small flames swallowed the note when she threw it in. it was too late to back out now she thought. she walked back to the crowd of durmstrang students and passed by several other students that chosen the same thing as her. she was scared but she couldn’t let the others see it, they would think she was weak. and weak people don’t survive for very long.

***

the durmstrang students were ready to start their performance. white fog crawled over the floor, and the grey stone floor disappeared underneath. the doors to the hall opened wide and the icy fog was crawling inside. aino could hear spells being casted around her and the floor rippled, making it look like a lake. aino, along with several of her fellow students casted a spell making the ceiling’s once grey appearance darken and the look of a storm took over. aino smirked as stars with a golden shimmer started to fall down towards the students. more spells were casted and the stars were no longer falling. they were creating a storm, flying around, crashing into each other. then for the grand final. jörmungandr, the great world serpent circled around the floor and around the feet of surprised students along with many other creatures before it all started to fade slowly.

***

the students of durmstrang had taken their seats at a table when the headmistress of hogwarts cleared her throat and spoke up. “good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and — most particularly, — guests. i have great pleasure in welcoming you all to hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry as headmistress lyra mercier.” she said and look over the hall at the sea of students. she continued her speech with how nice it was to have guests but aino couldn’t care less about the headmistress. “second, everyone is forbidden to enter the herbology greenhouse for 2 days unless you wish you go deaf." this caught aino's attention. how could it be so dangerous? surely she wasn’t the only one curious. she looked around to her classmates and saw a glint of mischief in some of her classmates eyes. “welcome to hogwarts!” there was a slight pause before the applause came, loud and clear.

after a performance of a choir, dinner appeared on the tables. but aino couldn’t eat, despite not having eaten much on the trip from durmstrang she couldn’t swallow a single bite, the nervosity was killing her. time couldn’t go any slower it felt like. but, at last the time had come, they were announcing the champions. twelve champions had already been chosen. people were whispering about who they thought would be chosen next.

"and for the durmstang champions" aino was on the edge of her seat. the first paper note jumped out of the goblet. "victoria meyer" victoria got out of her sat and walked gracefully over to the headmistress that showed her a door. it took a while before the next piece of paper flew out of the goblet. it was wrinkled and the headmistress had a hard time to unfold it. "horacy antończyk" horuś stumbled up and walked the same way as victoria did. a new note flew out of the goblet. it was folded nicely and the headmistress unfolded it without any difficulty. "adrian nykvist" the norwegian boy jumped up and almost ran towards the headmistress. a boy to aino's left sighed, probably realising that it wasn’t a big chance for him to be picked now. the last note was folded messily but this time the headmistress didn’t have any problems with unfolding it. “aino koskinen” aino could hear her own heartbeat. she was a champion.

#twtoc #practice challenge

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