It was now October 29, 1999.
The day before Halloween.
It was also the day the Hogwarts delegation would depart for Beauxbatons Academy of Magic to attend the Triwizard Tournament.
Miss Natalie Pavlova held a piece of parchment tightly in her hand.
Minerva McGonagall had given it to her the day before. It was her permission to travel to France.
The sixth- and seventh-year students of Hogwarts had gone through a fairly intense competition before the final ten places were decided.
But Natalie had secured her place without much difficulty.
Now, there was still one hour before departure.
Natalie had decided to do something.
Something that could get her expelled from Hogwarts.
And something she had no choice but to do.
...
Moving through the endless stream of students, Natalie quietly made her way to the Potions classroom.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one nearby was paying attention, she drew her wand and whispered, "Alohomora."
There was a faint click, followed by the soft creak of the classroom door swinging open.
Horace Slughorn might have been an excellent Potions master, but he had always been careless.
And when it came to securing his classroom and office, he was never especially strict.
Natalie had spent the past two months quietly testing that fact.
And the reason she had come here was simple.
She clearly remembered that during their first Potions lesson of the term, Professor Slughorn had introduced them to a miraculous potion.
A potion that could help her.
She wanted to steal a little of it and take it to France.
The young witch searched from cauldron to cauldron, her heart lodged in her throat.
Second by second, time slipped away. Professor Slughorn could push open the door at any moment.
Natalie's hands trembled slightly.
At last, she found the familiar cauldron.
That distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen.
That unmistakable steam rising in spirals.
And that wonderful scent.
Natalie smelled grass in the snow. It was her favorite scent from childhood.
And also... the scent she had first noticed the day she went to Diagon Alley.
She had succeeded.
Very carefully, Natalie took several glass vials from her pocket and filled each one.
Then she restored everything as closely to its original state as she could.
Of course, even if someone discovered it later, it would not matter.
In another hour, she would leave Hogwarts and board the train to France.
By then, Professor Slughorn would have no way of finding her.
She took one final look at the little glass vials in her hand.
These were powerful Love Potions.
The strongest and most effective Love Potions in the wizarding world.
One hour later.
Among the peaks of the Pyrenees stood a beautiful, dazzling castle suspended high in the sky.
This was Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, one of the three great magical schools of Europe.
In the square, groups of children dressed in pale blue silk jackets stood in neat formations beneath the guidance of their professors.
Of course, the most eye-catching figure among them was the enormous headmistress herself.
Olympe Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
Madame Maxime was dressed with impeccable formality, wearing gleaming black high heels, black satin robes, and splendid opals glittering around her neck and on her thick fingers.
The headmistress, teachers, and students of Beauxbatons were all waiting for the arrival of the other two delegations for this Triwizard Tournament.
Suddenly, a golden shape appeared in the sky.
It was tiny at first, but it shone with extraordinary brilliance. Slowly, it flew toward Beauxbatons, drawing nearer and nearer.
"It's a phoenix!" someone whispered.
But when Madame Maxime shot a cold glance in that direction, the voice fell silent at once.
The phoenix flew toward the floating island where Beauxbatons stood. A few hundred yards from the assembled students, it turned gracefully in the air.
A golden ring of light appeared before everyone.
Then came the clear blast of a whistle.
A deep red steam locomotive emerged from the golden ring.
The sign hanging from the train read: Hogwarts Express.
At the front was a great shield-shaped crest bearing a capital H surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.
Amid clouds of steam, the train rolled to a stop by the roadside.
"Let us welcome..." Madame Olympe Maxime announced loudly, her powerful voice carrying across the entire floating island.
"Headmaster Jon Hart of Hogwarts, and the delegation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
A young man in a suit was the first to step down from the train.
After him, about a dozen boys and girls followed, quickly gathering beside Headmaster Jon Hart.
Judging by their appearance, they were all around seventeen or eighteen years old.
And Natalie Pavlova was one of them.
...
All the students entered the Great Hall first. Then came the teachers, who filed in and took their seats at the head table.
Walking at the very rear were Olympe Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons; Professor Vance, Headmaster of Durmstrang; and Headmaster Jon Hart of Hogwarts.
The Beauxbatons students rose the moment they saw their headmistress appear. Only after Madame Maxime had taken her seat at the center of the head table did they sit again. Headmaster Hart and Headmaster Vance took the seats on either side of her.
"Welcome to Beauxbatons, Headmaster Hart," Madame Maxime said warmly as the three heads of school conversed together in the Great Hall. "And of course, Headmaster Vance as well."
Headmaster Vance glanced at Hart and gave him a respectful nod.
...
Dinner began, and the tables soon filled with every kind of French dish.
Natalie ate only a few bites, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.
All around her, the others in the Great Hall kept craning their necks, anxious expressions on every face. No one seemed able to sit still. Every so often, someone would rise just to see whether Madame Maxime had finished eating.
They were all waiting impatiently to learn who would be chosen as Champions for the three schools.
At last, the golden plates returned to their spotless state, and the noise in the hall swelled at once.
Madame Olympe Maxime stood.
The Great Hall instantly fell silent again. Hart and Vance, seated on either side of her, looked just as expectant as everyone else.
Natalie gently clasped her hands before her chest like a prayer.
She prayed silently.
In an instant, every light in the castle went out.
The Great Hall was plunged into a strange half-light.
The Goblet of Fire now shone with a dazzling brilliance, brighter than anything else in the hall. Its blue-white flames spat sparks so fiercely they were almost blinding.
Suddenly, the flames inside the goblet turned red. Sparks crackled and burst outward.
Then a tongue of fire shot into the air, and from it flew a piece of scorched parchment. Everyone in the hall held their breath.
Madame Maxime caught the parchment.
The flames returned to blue-white.
"The Champion of Hogwarts!" she called.
"It is Natalie Pavlova!"
A wave of disappointed sighs rose at once from the Hogwarts table. Two girls who had not been chosen burst into tears, burying their faces in their arms and sobbing bitterly.
Applause and cheers broke out just as quickly.
Natalie clenched her fists tightly.
She had succeeded.
She had done it.
And none of this was for the glory of Hogwarts.
It was for that person.
...
"Well done, Miss Pavlova!" Headmaster Jon Hart was waiting for her in the small chamber.
Now the two of them were alone.
Natalie hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Call me Natalie... Headmaster Hart... You used to call me that."
Her voice grew softer and softer until even she could barely hear it herself.
"All right." Hart smiled and nodded, failing to notice the deeper meaning hidden in her words.
"Don't worry too much about winning or losing. The purpose of the Triwizard Tournament is simply to build friendship among the three schools. When you compete, make sure to look after your own safety. Don't use any overly dangerous spells or magical items. And of course, if you run into any trouble, you may come to me at any time."
Natalie had been waiting for that final sentence. A happy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"I will, Headmaster Hart," she said, nodding seriously.
After another moment of hesitation, she spoke again in a soft voice. "I remember the Triwizard Tournament five years ago. You represented Hogwarts and won in the end, didn't you?"
Jon paused, then nodded.
"I suppose so."
"Then this time, I'll represent Hogwarts and win as well!" The young witch clenched her fists again.
"Then I'll congratulate you in advance." Hart gently patted her shoulder.
"If... I mean, if..." Natalie suddenly asked with a sweet smile, "if I win the Goblet of Fire, Headmaster Hart, what reward would you give me?"
"If you truly win in the end, I'll grant you any request," Hart said without thinking. "So long as it doesn't violate the laws of the wizarding world."
Natalie's heart suddenly tightened.
Just then, thunderous cheers erupted from outside the room.
Most likely, the Champion from another school had just been chosen.