⌗ ⌗ ⌗

"Anything from the trolley?" The familiar voice of the old trolley woman echoed down the train hallway.

Hear her approaching, Ron quickly shut the Quidditch book he was reading and rifled through his pocket, pulling out a few sickles. The old witch pushed her cart up just outside their train compartment, peeking her head inside the open doorway.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?"

Iris lowered her potions textbook, elbowing her brother who was sitting next to her. When he looked at her she gestured at the trolley mouthing, 'Get me a wand". Harry's face scrunched up at her, his mind asking why she couldn't do it herself. She raised her eyebrows at him, pointing down at the sleeping ball of fluff named Buttercup that was currently holding residence on her lap. He huffed at her, standing up behind Ron as Iris went back to her reading.

"Packet of Drooble's and a liquorice wand," Ron told the trolley lady. He then realized he wouldn't have enough for both the gum and the wand and changed his mind, "On second thought, just the Drooble's."

"It's alright, I'll get it," Harry offered, getting Iris' liquorice wand and handing it back to her.

Ron shook his head, "Just the Drooble's, thanks."

Iris peered over the top of her book at her brother as he searched the trolley for anything he would want. At least, that was until a girl by the name of Cho Chang walked up. Immediately, Harry's head snapped overt her, and the corners of Iris' lips pulled up as she listened to Harry's fanciful thoughts running madly through his head.

"Two pumpkin pasties please," Cho requested.

Iris' eyes flew back and forth from her brother to Cho, coming just over the top of her textbook in a way that resembled a hippopotamus in water. She felt a soft kick in the shin and looked across the small compartment to Hermione who was sitting opposite her. Her best friend raised her eyebrows, slightly tilting her head towards Harry as she tried to hold back a laugh.

Cho thanked the trolley lady when she got her treats and gave Harry a smile before walking away with her friends. Iris' poor, lovesick, brother stared after her, practically drooling until the old witch brought him back to reality.

"Anything sweet for you dear?"

Harry looked at the woman, stuttering for a second, "Oh, no thank you, I'm not hungry."

Iris snorted. He took one last look down the corridor after Cho before returning to his seat next to Iris, staring off into space with the expression of a lost puppy. Iris' head cocked to the side and she squinted as she observed him, wondering if she looked this pathetic when she was thinking of Cedric.

"This is horrible," Hermione's voice broke the silence, talking about the main article on the Daily Prophet paper she was reading, "How can the ministry not know who conjured it. Isn't there any security?"

Ron, who was sitting beside Hermione with Crookshanks snoozing between them spoke as he chewed his Drooble's gum, "Loads. According to dad... that's what worried them so much. Happened right under their noses."

Iris tossed her liquorice wand at him, hitting Ron square in the chest with it before it fell into his lap. She looked back to her potions book, continuing to read the chapter about antidotes to common poisons.

There was a pause and Iris noticed out of the corner of her eye, Harry rubbing his forehead.

Hermione spoke quietly, "It's hurting again, isn't it? Your scar?"

He tried to play it off, putting on an innocent expression as Iris peered over at him, "I'm fine."

"No you aren't," Iris retorted, snapping her book closed and placing it on the seat beside her.

She moved her hands to pet Buttercup, the cat leaning into her touch as Iris ran her hands through her fur.

"You should write to Remus," Iris suggested.

Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement. Hermione leaned forward, "You know he'll want to hear about this. What you saw at the world cup, and the dream."

Harry sighed, looking perplexed as he cast his gaze out the window and at the quickly passing scenery. Iris followed, leaning her head against the cool metal of the window trim. She listened to the rhythmic humming of the train, letting it drag her away as she slowly closed her eyes and let the darkness take over.

⌗ ⌗ ⌗

After arriving at Hogwarts and witnessing the unusual sight of both a flying carriage and large ship make their way up to the castle, the students and faculty of Hogwarts enjoyed their usual dinner and first-year sorting. Of course, it was not without lots of excited chatter about the reason for the unexpected arrivals. Iris didn't speak much during the feast, too enraptured with her food and her book, 'Magical Drafts and Potions', to pay much attention to the whispers of her classmates, especially when she already had all the answers she needed.

Once everyone was done eating, Dumbledore stood, making his way to the golden podium that he always made his beginning of year speech at.

"Now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement." The door the The Great Hall opened with a long squeak, making way for Filch to come running up the aisle as Dumbledore continued speaking, "This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen..."

He paused. Filch had come up beside him and was whispering through out of breath pants. They spoke in low voices, inaudible to all the students, before Filch nodded and resumed his odd running back out the door.

"So! Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. The Tri-Wizard tournament."

Instantaneously, almost everyone turned to their friends and began whispering excitedly. Iris rubbed her temples, already knowing there was no possible way for this tournament to end well. She flipped the page of her book, half listening to Dumbledore and half reading as she leaned lazily on her hand which was propped up on the table.

"Now for those of you who do not know, the Tri-Wizard tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete," His voice turned serious as the mood darkened, "Now let me be clear, if chosen you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint hearted."

Lovely, Iris thought.

His tone suddenly perked back up, back to its happier mood, "But more of that later. For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madam Maxime."

The large doors swung open revealing about fifteen to twenty girls, all dressed in blue and looking very prim and proper. Iris barely glanced up as they sashayed into the room, blowing butterflies around the room as they danced. There was a younger looking girl doing acrobatics down the aisle, followed by a very tall woman. She was quite regal looking and her size reminded Iris of their good friend Hagrid.

She had to resist rolling her eyes as she heard a bunch of the Gryffindor boys making some choice comments about the Beauxbatons girls. They finished their dance routine, landing in a group pose and receiving thunderous applause from the students, mainly the boys, before gracefully walking off to the the side where the Ravenclaw table had been extended to make room for them.

"And now our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and the high master Igor Karkaroff," Dumbledore introduced, gesturing back to the door.

A series of older boys walk up the aisle brandishing bo staffs, twirling them around and periodically stabbing them into the ground with a spark effect. Iris glanced down at the stone flooring where there were now cracks and indents left behind. Her face scrunched up.

"Did they actually just break our castle already?' she muttered to herself.

Then a few more men entered the Great Hall, both very stern looking with broad shoulders and serious faces, as everyone from Durmstrang looked. One was the headmaster, Igor Karkaroff and the other was someone Iris recognized almost immediately.

"Blimey... it's him," Ron said, watching his every move with wide wondrous eyes, "Viktor Krum!"

As the older wizard and student reached the end of the aisle another boy used his wand to create fire, blowing into it and causing a large phoenix to emerge from the flames.

After a little while, everyone had gotten settled in and a large decorative five-tier box had been carried in and placed at the front of the room, just before Dumbledore's podium.

"Your attention please! I would like to say a few words." Dumbledore placed his hand on the large box, the attention of everyone in the room solely on him, "Eternal glory, that is what awaits the student who wins the tri-wizard tournament. But to do this that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks."

Iris' attention was then taken by the opening of the side door behind the table the Professors' sat at. A strange man entered, his face was perhaps the strangest part of him all, and it was a face unlike any Iris had ever seen. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening.

One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye - and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head so that all they could see was whiteness.

"For this reason the ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this we have the head of the Department of International Magic Cooperation, Mister Bartemius Crouch."

Iris recognized the older Ministry wizard from the World Cup where he had basically accused her and her friends of being Death Eaters. He began walking around the staff table when a large bolt of lightning lit up the projection of the sky floating above them. Thunder boomed throughout the Great Hall causing half the students in the room to start shrieking. Iris flinched as fifty different screams echoed from the minds of the students around her.

It didn't last long as a bolt of magic went shooting up into the ceiling, calming the storm. Everyone's head's snapped to the caster who turned out to be the mysterious man.

"Bloody hell, it's Mad-Eye Moody," Ron spoke.

Hermione turned to him, "Alastor Moody? The auror?"

Dean Thomas, who sat two seats down from Iris looked back at them, questioning, "Auror?"

"Dark wizard catcher," Iris explained, receiving an understanding nod from the boy.

"Half the cells in Azkaban are full thanks to him," Ron continued, "He's supposed to be mad as a hatter though these days."

He limped, breathing heavily as he met with Dumbledore, the two wizards greeting each other with a firm handshake. As Dumbledore walked back to the podium where the tall box rested, Moody took a large swig from a flask that sat on his hip.

"What's that he's drinking do you suppose?" Seamus asked lowly.

Harry's eyebrows were furrowed, "I dunno... but I don't think it's pumpkin juice."

Iris' lips pursed in agreement. All eyes were now on Barty Crouch as he stood before them, Dumbledore lingering just behind the man as he came forth to explain this 'new rule' they were adding.

"After due consideration, the Ministry has concluded that for their own safety, no student under the age of seventeen --" The outrage began, "-- shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Tri-Wizard tournament."

Almost every student fourth-year through sixth-year was booing at the announcement.

Mr Crouch had to yell over the angered chatter, "This decision is final."

"That's rubbish! You don't know what you're doing!" The Weasley twins yelled, also booing loudly.

Iris watched the students yell rude and angry remarks around, struggling to understand why they were all so eager to enter a tournament they could very easily not survive. Dumbledore had had enough, his voice booming over all the complaints,

"Silence!"

Everyone stopped almost immediately, looking to the Headmaster as he waved his wand over the box which melted, revealing a goblet containing a blue flame.

"The goblet of fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back," Dumbledore warned, "As from this moment the Tri-Wizard tournament has begun."

The momentary relief Iris had felt when they had announced the age restriction, knowing none of her friends were seventeen, left her in a flash.

Cedric.

His birthday was Thursday. He would be turning seventeen. Her face morphed to one of terror as her head whipped in the direction of where her boyfriend sat, short caramel colored hair flying around her face.

As everyone stood, making their way out of the Great Hall and back to their respected Common Rooms, Iris elbowed her way through the other students, heading straight for where Cedric was standing with his friends.

Walking briskly up to Cedric's side she immediately started talking, "Tell me you're not going to enter that tournament. It's a death trap. And it seems like bad things always happen to people I care about."

Maddie, Issac, and Kasper shared a look and then quickly walked away to give the couple some space. The rest of the students and faculty filtered out as well, off to have a restful night of sleep before classes began, quickly leaving just the two behind standing beside the Hufflepuff table.

Her boyfriend turned toward her and took both of her much smaller hands in his saying, "I think it's adorable that you care so much, It's one of my favourite things about you, but I promise nothing bad will happen. What are the chances I'll even get chosen to be a champion?"

"I'd say pretty high." She frowned, "It's meant to be the most worthy student who gets chosen... Have you even met yourself?" She clutched his hands tightly, her lips drawing down further with worry as her wide doe-like eyes stared up at him.

"I'll be fine. I promise you I won't die in a silly school game." He pulled her into a tight embrace, his hands combing soothingly through her hair. "Besides, I plan to live a long life and die beside a beautiful girl with short, brown hair, and stunning hazel eyes, who blushes as bright as a tomato," He said chuckling as Iris turned red.

She pulled back, one hand reaching up to rest on his jaw as the corners of her lips drew up, "I'm sorry I worry so much... it's just -- I..."

The words were right there, just on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't make herself say it. Those three words. Because if she said it, that would seal the deal, he would never be safe from the tragedy that followed her around like a constant dark cloud raining above.

She inhaled slowly, "I know I can't stop you... but just promise me..." She paused, "Promise me you'll be careful."

He nodded and before separating, the two shared one last kiss, one that Iris wished could have gone on forever so that she would never have to let him go.

⌗ ⌗ ⌗

yikes I think I'm dying I'm literally so tired

this week has be so incredibly busy for me and I apologize that this chapter took so long to be posted! but it's a lot longer than I usually do and there are also several things about these scenes in the movie that bothers me which didn't help make me want to write it.

regardless though, it is done!

I also want to say sorry about my slacking when it comes to replying to comments this week, I usually try to reply to most, if not all, of them but, again, this week has been crazy for me and I unfortunately just didn't have time to respond :(

some exciting stuff has happened this week! I hit 400 followers, and thank you to anyone who reads this story and has followed me, you all are too kind! In The End is also nearing 50k reads!! I want to do something special and I have a couple of things in mind but I would love to hear if you guys have any suggestions for something I can do to celebrate hitting the milestone!

sorry for the super long author's note, I love you all ❤️ -elle