The day after Moody's first class, at breakfast, Sue's tawny owl landed in the middle of the Ravenclaw trio at their table, with a pale blue letter clasped in it's beak.

As Sue grabbed the envelope and opened it to read it's contents out loud, Satomi leaned over her shoulder to read , whilst Lisa slowly sipped her morning coffee, whilst reading the Daily Prophet.

Dear Sue,

It's your favourite cousin (well, your only cousin, really), I hope that your 4th year at Hogwarts is treating you well.

("Yeah, if you consider a live demonstration of the unforgivable curses good treatment." snorted Lisa from across the table, as Satomi nodded subconsciously in agreement.")

In response to your question, YES, Beauxbatons is taking part in the Tri-wizard Tournament, and guess what? I am part of the delegation of students that are coming!

Based on what I've heard, we are to depart for Hogwarts sometime in October, I can't wait to see the 'majestic castle' as you've put it so many times in conversation and in writing.

Until then, take care!

With love,

Victoria. L.

"Well," said Sue, putting the letter back into the envelope, before placing it in her bag, "at least we know that Beauxbatons is coming, I guess." she finished, shrugging slightly as she turned her attention to her scrambled eggs in front of her.

"You know," said Satomi, "I had a thought a few days ago: who in our house do you think is going to try and enter this tournament?"

The three Ravenclaws paused and thought for a moment.

"I think Roger Davis might, you know." said Lisa airily, "he's seventeen, and he might want to help us win some glory, you know." she finished.

The news that Victoria would be coming as part of the Beauxbaton entourage was a piece of news that quickly became irrelevant to mainstream activities, as all of their lessons, even divination, taken only by Lisa, was becoming more grueling. Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, on the other hand, was on a totally different scale. As the students learnt during their next lesson

To their surprise, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.

"But - but you said it's illegal, Professor," Satomi heard Hermione say uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. "You said - to use it against another human was -"

"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," said Moody, his magical eye swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. "If you'd rather learn the hard way - when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely - fine by me. You're excused. Off you go. "

He pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Harry, Ron, and Saori all grinned at each other. Satomi knew that they were thinking about the same thing: the three knew that Hermione would rather eat bubotuber pus than miss such an important lesson.

Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Satomi watched as, one by one, her classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Lisa jumped onto the table and howled, imitating a wolf. Sue marched around the classroom, singing the national anthem. And Saori imitated a squirrel, kneeling on the top of a desk, much to Satomi and Ron's intense amusement. No one seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.

The only one able to fight off the effects to an extent, was Harry, who apparently was commanded to jump onto the desk in front of him, only to have him smash into the desk and knock it over, in a manner that Satomi could only describe as painful.

"Older Nakamura," growled Moody, "consulting his list with his normal eye, as his magical one swiveled to face Satomi, who felt rather uncomfortable under it's gaze, like it could see through her. "You're next.

Satomi moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Satomi, and said, "Imperio!"

It was the most wonderful feeling. Satomi felt as if all her worries and thoughts were wiped clean from her head, with nothing but a vague, untraceable sensation of happiness left. She stood there feeling immensely relaxed, only dimly aware of everyone's eyes being on her.

And then she heard Mad-Eye Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of her empty brain: Walk up to Potter...Walk up to Potter...

Satomi obliged, and walked up to Harry, not feeling the stares of everyone else in the room

Give Potter a hug...

Wait... said a small voice in the back of her head, why would I do that?

Give Potter a hug...

Do I have to? Said the voice in her own head. On second thought, I don't think it matters, guess I'll do it...

The next thing Satomi felt was that her arms were wrapped around a warm object. She looked up, and was startled to find that she had given Harry Potter a hug, her arms wrapped around his torso. It took her one second to process what had occurred, before she quickly took her arms away from Harry. Blushing profusely, she made her way back to where Sue and Lisa stood, Lisa with a Cheshire cat smile, whilst Sue merely looked amused.

Had she paid attention to the boy she hugged, she would've seen that he was blushing as profusely, if not more so than the girl in question. And that Ron was visibly trying to hold back a snigger, Hermione was wearing an amused expression similar to that of Sue, all while Saori was wondering why her twin was blushing so hard.

"The way he talks," Satomi muttered underneath her breath, as she made her way out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class an hour later "you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second. "

"Yeah, I know," said Ron, who had overheard Satomi's words, and was skipping on every alternate step behind her. He had had much more difficulty with the curse than Harry, though Moody assured him the effects would wear off by lunchtime. "Talk about paranoid. . . " Ron glanced nervously over his shoulder to check that Moody was definitely out of earshot and went on. "No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted 'Boo' behind him on April Fools' Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?"

All the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term. Professor McGonagall explained why, when the class gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Transfiguration homework she had assigned, there was so much that even a few Ravenclaws sounded out their displeasure at the amount of homework given to them.

"You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!" she told them, her eyes glinting dangerously behind her square spectacles. "Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer -"

"But Professor!" piped up Terry Boot indignantly, "We don't take O. W. L. s till fifth year!"

"Maybe not, Mr. Boot, but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get! Miss Granger, the older Miss Nakamura, Miss Turpin and Miss Lee remains the only ones in this class who have managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. I might remind you that your pincushion, Boot, still curls up in fright if anyone approaches it with a pin!"

Hermione, who had turned rather pink again, seemed to be trying not to look too pleased with herself. Whilst the Ravenclaw trio turned to each other, and gave each other a thumbs up.

It turned out that every single class was becoming harder and harder, as Saori told Satomi, during one of their weekly tutoring sessions, that even Divination was getting more intensive than usual. And furthermore they had more essays than ever on goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century for Professor Binns, the ghost History of Magic teacher, Professor Snape's assigned work on antidote research (to which he hinted that he might test the poisons on the students before Christmas to test whether or not they worked), and even Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, assigned them three extra books to read in preparation for their lesson on Summoning Charms.

Even Lisa was complaining about the amount of work for Muggle studies whilst Sue was whining about her arithmancy homework.

And there was also increased work for Care of Magical Creatures (which lead to a funny story, as told by Sue and Saori, when Malfoy straight up refused to do the work, Hagrid reminded him of Moody's method of 'teaching'), which highly amused Satomi, as she, her sister, Sue and Lisa joinded up to go to the great hall for dinner.

But when they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase.

Saori, having spotted Ron, the tallest of the golden quartet, who was standing on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of the group and reading the sign aloud to the other two, dragged her sister over to the quartet to listen in with Sue and Lisa:

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY-

"Brilliant!" said Harry. "It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!"

STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOMING FEAST.

"Only a week away!" said Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff, emerging from the crowd, his eyes gleaming. "I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him. . . . "

"Cedric?" said Ron blankly as Ernie hurried off.

"Diggory," said Sue, coming up to the group. "He must be entering the tournament. "

"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?" said Ron as they pushed their way through the chattering crowd toward the staircase.

"He's not an idiot. You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch," said Hermione. "I've heard he's a really good student - and he's a prefect. "

She spoke as though this settled the matter.

"You only like him because he's handsome," the trio heard Ron say scathingly.

"Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!" said Hermione indignantly.

Ron gave a loud false cough, which sounded oddly like "Lockhart!"

Satomi knew what caused this: Hermione was once infatuated with Gilderoy Lockhart, their second year Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who was revealed to be an absolute fraud by the end of the year, who by then, had lost his memories due to a back-fired memory charm performed with Ron's then spellotaped wand.

The appearance of the sign in the entrance hall had a marked effect upon the inhabitants of the castle. During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation, no matter where Satomi went: the Triwizard Tournament. Rumors were flying from student to student like highly contagious germs: who was going to try for Hogwarts champion, what the tournament would involve, how the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from themselves.

Further more, it was like the castle was undergoing an extra-thorough cleaning. Several grimy portraits had been scrubbed, much to the displeasure of their subjects, who sat huddled in their frames muttering darkly and wincing as they felt their raw pink faces. The suits of armor were suddenly gleaming and moving without squeaking, and Argus Filch, the caretaker, was behaving so ferociously to any students who forgot to wipe their shoes that he terrified a pair of first-year girls from Ravenclaw into hysterics.

Other members of the staff seemed oddly tense too.

"Longbottom, kindly do not reveal that you can't even perform a simple Switching Spell in front of anyone from Durmstrang!" Professor McGonagall barked at the end of one particularly difficult lesson, during which Neville had accidentally transplanted his own ears onto a cactus. To which he was assigned Lisa as a tutor for after class studies.

When they went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October, they found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffiindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H.

As Sue and Lisa took their seats at the Ravenclaw table, Satomi shuffled off to the Gryffindor table to ask Saori to return her Charms notes to her. As she neared the table, she saw that the quartet were sat down beside Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. Who, quite oddly, were sitting apart from everyone else and conversing in low voices.

"Who's avoiding you?" Satomi heard Ron ask his brothers.

"Wish you would," said Fred, looking irritated at the interruption.

"What's a bummer?" Ron further asked George.

"Having a nosy git like you for a brother," said George.

"Morning you all!" said Satomi brightly, plopping down next to her twin sister.

"What brings you here? Favourite other twin number one." asked Fred, addressing the older Nakamura twin.

"Just here to collect some notes that SOMEONE," Satomi added with finger quotations, making a pointed look towards Saori, who sheepishly recoiled slightly "forgot to return after studying."

"Okay! Keep your hair on sister, here they are." Saori said, fishing out the stack of parchment from her bag.

"You all got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?" Harry asked. "Thought any more about trying to enter?"

"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling," said George bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon. "

"Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" said Ron thoughtfully. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry, Saori. We've done dangerous stuff before. . . . "

"Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't," said Fred. "McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks. "

"Who are the judges?" Saori asked.

"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," said Hermione, and everyone looked around at her, rather surprised, "because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage. "

She noticed them all looking at her and said, with her usual air of impatience that nobody else had read all the books she had, "It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School. "

"What are you on about?" said Ron, though Satomi already knew that Ron knew what was coming.

"House-elves!" said Hermione, her eyes flashing. "Not once, in over a thousand pages, does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!"

Satomi reached out to grab some scrambled eggs. Satomi, Lisa, and Sue were persuaded by Hermione to join S.P.E.W, or the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. The trio were honestly interested in the cause of the organization, yet they had failed to persuade Hemione to somehow lower her determination to pursue justice for house-elves, as the idea that house-elves were unhappy while working was not exactly easy to persuade others to believe in. In fact, many regarded the whole thing as a joke.

Ron now rolled his eyes at the ceiling, which was flooding them all in autumn sunlight, Saori dug into a piece of toast, and Fred became extremely interested in his bacon (both twins had apparently refused to buy a S. P. E. W. badge). George, however, leaned in toward Hermione.

"Listen, have you ever been down in the kitchens, Hermione?"

"No, of course not," said Hermione curtly, "I hardly think students are supposed to -"

"Well, we have," said George, indicating Fred, "loads of times, to nick food. And we've met them, and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world -"

"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!" Hermione began hotly, but her next few words were drowned out by the sudden whooshing noise from overhead, which announced the arrival of the post owls. At this, Harry looked up at once, and saw Hedwig soaring toward him. Hermione stopped talking abruptly; she and Ron watched Hedwig anxiously as she fluttered down onto Harry's shoulder, folded her wings, and held out her leg wearily.

The Nakamura twins were having their own conversation, and as such, tuned out of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's conversation.

There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even History of Magic was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, the Ravenclaw trio hurried up to Ravenclaw Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.

The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines.

"Boot, straighten your hat," Professor Flitwick squeaked at Terry Boot. "Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair. "

Padma scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait.

"Follow me, please," said Professor Flitwick. "First years in front. . . no pushing. . . . "

They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Satomi, standing between Sue and Lisa in the fourth row from the front.

From their position, they saw the golden quartet, in the fourth row from the front of the Gryffindors, Satomi saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other Gryffindor first years.

"Nearly six," said Lisa, checking her watch and then staring down the drive that led to the front gates. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?"

"I doubt it," said Sue.

"How, then? Broomsticks?" Satomi suggested, looking up at the starry sky.

"I don't think so... I think they're probably flying, but not by brooms.. " said Sue

They scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quite as usual. Satomi was starting to shiver from the cold. She wished they'd hurry up. . . . Maybe the foreign students were preparing a dramatic entrance. . . . She remembered what Mr. Weasley had said back at the campsite before the Quidditch World Cup: "always the same - we can't resist showing off when we get together. . . . "

And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers -

"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

"There!" yelled a sixth year Hufflepuff, pointing over the forest.

Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks - was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first year Ravenclaws, losing her head completely.

"Don't be stupid. . . it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey.

Dennis's guess was closer. . . . As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powderblue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.

The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.

"Oh my.." exclaimed Sue from Satomi's side, "those are Abraxans Winged Horses...they are so breathtaking..."

Satomi just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened.

A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Satomi saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled - followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman she had ever seen in her life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped.

Satomi had only ever seen one person as large as this woman in her life, and that was Hagrid; she doubted whether there was an inch difference in their heights. Yet somehow - maybe simply because she was used to Hagrid - this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting, wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman.

Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts. "

"Dumbly-dort," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," said Dumbledore.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

Satomi, whose attention had been focused completely upon Madame Maxime, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks, well, all but one, who was wearing a cloak in the colour of their uniforms, that the Ravenclaw trio recognized as Victoria. She was looking around with excitement, as well as curiosity, as she seemed to be looking for a person. Then, she seemed to see the face she was looking for, and waved, as Sue, at Satomi's side, waved back at her cousin.

"As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," said Dumbledore. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses -"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," said Dumbledore, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges. "

"Skrewts," Sue muttered to Satomi and Lisa, grinning.

"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong. . . . "

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

"It will be attended to," said Dumbledore, also bowing.

"Come," said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.

"How do you think the Durmstrang students are going to come here?" asked Padma Patil from behind Satomi.

"Who knows?" said Lisa.

They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky.

For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. But then -

"Can you hear something?" said Sue suddenly.

Satomi listened; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed. . . .

"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"

From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks -and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor. . . .

What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool. . . and then Satomi saw the rigging. . . .

"It's a mast!" she said outloud.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.

People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Satomi noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle. . . but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, he saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good. . . . Viktor, come along, into the warmth. . . you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold. . . "

Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Satomi caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. She didn't need to hear Sue and Lisa squeal in excitement to know who it was.

"Oh my lord! That's Krum!"

A/N: another chapter out!

Don't worry, the part where Satomi hugged Harry, I am going to have a part where they talk about it (Harry and Satomi)