16 Chapter Fifteen: Special Twenty-Six

The Great Hall was too quiet. Words that many weren't fortunate enough to think up considering the usually boisterous and bustling atmosphere of the humongous chamber. The tables were filled to the brim with delicious delicacies, the dark wood benches mirroring them as every student was sure to attend that day's breakfast due to the announcement. Over towards the front of the room, the staff table was crowded as well, its usually neat area clouded with four extra seats for the caretaker, groundskeeper and two ministry officials.

While the Gryffindors rambled in their den and the ravens and badgers muttered amongst each other, the Slytherins remained perfectly silent in their snake pit, not a flicker of conversation echoing through their tavern. Perhaps some of them were scared to showcase their nervousness and anticipation, or were too deep in their thoughts to notice the chaos unfurling amongst them. But regardless of their reasons (or lack therefore of considering how Crabbe and Goyle squirmed uneasily) the snake pit remained silent.

That was, of course, until Dippet finally set down his cutlery and adjusted his robes, walking forward towards the dark wood podium to give a well-awaited speech. At that moment the entire hall fell silent save for a couple of Slytherins who muttered anxiously amongst one another.

Theodore Nott happened to be amongst the latter as he nervously fiddled in his seat, his left palm suddenly reaching out to clutch Cordelia's right palm.

A perfectly plucked bronze eyebrow was raised slightly as the pureblood witch questioningly gazed at him, her lips sealed to ensure no attention was drawn towards them. After all, it would be extremely inconvenient if Druella happened to turn towards them from her position on Lia's other side.

"I'm not sure whether I want him to speak or if I want to delay the moment."

A smile found its way onto the girl's lips due to Theo's words, her painted fingers curling with his as she rested her head onto his shoulder casually. While the position simply made it seem like she was tired, the bookworm sought out proximity to ensure her voice could be low enough for only him to hear her.

"Relax, Theo. If you want I can listen for you and nudge you when they call your name."

He smiled at this, finally turning his head towards her, murky chocolate pools meeting her icy blue as the boy smiled at her, his brown curls bouncing due to the change in position.

"How will that work?"

Unwilling to make her friend suffer the trials of suspense Dippet's dramatic attention-seeking ways would bring, Lia fished out her wand from her right pocket and subtly pointed it towards the Nott heir, her eyes turning back to the staff table as she cast a non-verbal muffling spell around them.

After the deed was done she cast a quick muting spell on Theo to ensure he couldn't hear anything a foot far away from him.

She waited for Dippet to start speaking, her head still resting on Theo's shoulder for easier whispering.

"Witches and wizards, students and staff-"

Theo squeezed her palm as he realized he couldn't hear Dippet, his gaze turning to Lia for a brief smile before he turned back to their headmaster and pretended to listen intently.

"For the past month, ever since your arrival on September fifteenth, there has been much speculation of the details regarding the Triwizard Tournament. Whether you're a teacher or a student, the majority of this castle have remained oblivious to the proceedings of this majestic occasion. Not anymore!"

The exclamation made a first-year Ravenclaw jump, his book toppling to the ground with a loud thump that drew dirty looks from the snakes, lions and badgers alike. When the snickers died down and everyone was settled, Dippet once again continued with a voice louder than before.

"Tonight we shall be delving into a list that will change the fate of a lucky few. But that's not all, no, the best parties yet to come!"

The dramatic pause was met with groans from teachers and students alike, the sound making the headmaster chuckle and continue.

"Rather than the promised twenty students, we will be adding one extra student to each house due to the spectacular performances showcased!"

Excited whispers and whoops surpassed people's lips, Phyllis going as far as to kick Lia from her position in front of the blue-eyed witch.

"What's going on?"

Theo's whisper made the witch smile, her attention turning from glaring at Phyllis to smiling at the curly-haired boy.

"They're picking six people from each house rather than five."

The relieved expression on his face made her realize the pureblood boy was more terrified than he let on, his fear being rightly placed considering his father's reputation. After all, Arcturus and Theseus Nott were friends for more than one reason.

"Attention!"

Dippet's shrilly, annoyed voice drew everyone's gaze to him, some even laughing at his pitch. The pot-bellied man shuffled on the podium and continued; his gaze sterner than ever.

"While I understand you are excited at this prospect, I am yet to announce the names."

Everyone's lips seal shut as they awaited the names, their gazes once again stuck onto the professor. In turn, Dippet summoned a long sheet of parchment and adjusted his reading glasses, his brown eyes squinting for a moment before he spoke.

"Keep in mind these names are in no particular order and everyone selected is equal to one another. Now, if your name is announced you shall stand and form a queue behind me, maintaining a distance for each house."

The students nodded, prompting him to continue.

"For Gryffindor we have...Dorace McLaggen and Henry Way."

Cheers echoed from the lion den as the red-head girl and blonde boy both hurriedly got up, the latter adjusting his robes as he proceeded towards the balding headmaster.

"Charles Potter and Alessia Sivan."

The Slytherins sneered as the next pair stood, their eyes set onto the mudblood Sivan girl rushing towards the staff table with a huge grin plastered onto her face.

"You sure you don't want to hear this?"

Lia's whisper drew a sigh from Theodore as he slung his arm around her shoulder, her head falling away from his.

"I might as well."

She nodded, removing the charms placed onto them before turning back towards the task at hand.

"And finally, Margarette and Felicia Weasley."

The red-head twins raced up to stand with their fellow housemates, cheers and claps echoing from the lion's den as they smiled at the selected students, some of them subtly sulking, Cordelia even spotted a girl cry and place her head on the desk.

I guess Gryffindors have expectations too.

Her thought made the pureblood witch frown and shake her head. She wasn't supposed to sympathize with such situations, she's supposed to ridicule them! Thankfully, her thoughts were purged as Dippet moved onto Ravenclaw.

"Michelle Swift, Daisy Bloom, and Chadwick Del Rey."

The African-American boy was the first to stand, his arm wrapped around Daisy who happened to have a sprained ankle. Michelle followed after the duo with tears streaming down her face, her idyllic mood evident.

"Shawn McMillan-"

All noise faded to the background as Lia turned towards her brother, both of them sharing an annoyed look as they realized their parents would most definitely kill them if their cousin dearest got selected but they didn't.

It was her turn to squeeze Theodore's hand as she sighed, her gaze sweeping past the girl with dyed blue hair and a bespectacled brunette to meet Shawn's smug look as he sent her a nod and settled a foot in front of his house table.

That little turd! The audacity, honestly!

Her mind was reeling as the pureblood ignored Dippet's next words, her brain set on the punishments due for her if she didn't make it. Not to mention what would happen to Orion if Arcturus found out his only son didn't get in.

"Merlin let Orion get in. I don't care at this point just don't let dad hurt him."

Her whisper was low enough to pass Theodore's unfocused ears but not Druella, after all the Black women were trained to pay attention to such things.

The gold-eyed brunette smiled as she reached out her arm, wrapping it around Cordelia's waist and allowing the Black-McMillan heir to groan into her shoulder.

"It's going to be fine. You'll both get in."

She nodded into her cousin's shoulder, glad that her father was good for at least one thing: his family.

"-Diggory and Felicia Williams."

The halt in Dippet's words made Cordelia jolt up, adjusting her hair and sending Druella a grateful smile before tuning into the headmaster's words.

It was Slytherin's turn.

"And finally, the house I've been waiting for."

The snakes snickered and smiled at the remark, their happiness at the headmaster sharing their house being clear.

"For Slytherin, we have an unusual circumstance. Rather than the usual six, we decided to add two extra students due to their splendid performance."

Whoops of joys and whistles echoed from the snake pit, their idyllic mood silenced as Dippet raised his palm and continued.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle, Cordelia Lucretia Black-McMillan, Orion Arcturus Black-McMillan, Rodolphus Corvus Lestrange."

The announcement made Theodore and Druella portray huge smiles as they ushered Cordelia towards the front, Rodolphus and Orion getting up from Phyllis's either side. The trio made their way in front of the Slytherin table, Tom following right after from his place at the end of the table.

They queued up with huge grins on their faces, Cordelia being sandwiched between Tom and Orion.

"Congrats little brother."

Orion groaned as Lia reached up and ruffled his hair, drawing a laugh from Dippet as he gazed upon the siblings fondly.

"Cordy stop!"

The use of her childhood pet name in front of the headmaster made the pureblood witch flustered enough to retreat hr hand, yet she still smiled and looped her left arm around her brother's right and wait patiently for the other three Slytherins.

Only three.

Thoughts rushed through her mind as Cordelia realized she had five friends and three spots left. Horror wafted through her body as she realized at least two of her friends wouldn't be present with her in Beauxbaton.

"Abarax Malfoy, Phyllis Parkinson, Theodore Nott and Druella Black."

Lia smiled as Phyllis, Theo and Ella made their way towards her, each of the three brunettes standing right beside Rodolphus as Abarax stood on Tom's other side.

"Aurora's crying."

Orion's whisper made Lia turn her head towards the Slytherin table, stormy eyes seeking out the blue-eyed blonde as she buried her head into Ignatius's shoulder and wept freely. However, she wasn't the only one. Several female Slytherin purebloods wept freely as they stared at their eight peers in front of them, each of the girls having mascara run down their face and wands clutched in their fists as if they were planning on collectively hexing Lia, Ella, Phyllis and the others.

"They don't look too happy."

"No, they look pathetic."

This time it was Tom replied to Cordelia, his left hand reaching to comb through his hair lazily. Refusing to entertain his apathetic words, the brunette pureblood waited for Dippet to finish his speech and dismiss them.

"In celebration of the selected twenty-six students, we shall have a ball on All Hallows Eve. This will commence at ten pm sharp, right after Slughorn's Slug Club gathering. And remember, you are expected to dress in a costume. Further details of the ball will be shared with the student body in due time. That being said, congratulations to our potential champions, pray Merlin helps you progress further into the tournament."

The hall echoed with several rounds of applause as the teachers on the staff table stood, each of them holding up their glasses and grinning at the assembled students.

Finally, when the formalities were over and the ministry officials had gotten a good picture of them, the special twenty-six were ushered out of the Great Hall, the rest of the students following right after. Cordelia, however, waited at the side of the double doors along with her friends and brother, each of them awaiting Ignatius and Aurora.

"Hey, at least we can stay back and pull various pranks with Dumbledore, Slughorn and Dippet away."

Aurora laughed at her boyfriend's words, her giggle making Lia smile as she walked forward.

"I'm sorry."

Her words make the blonde furrow her eyebrows as she pulled the bookworm into a warm embrace, the hug melting away Lia's worries of a ruined friendship.

"If it wasn't me, I'm glad it was you."

With her worries thrown out the window and her friends chuckling together as they hurried to Charms, Cordelia couldn't help but think that her heart was finally at ease. Well, at least for now. After all, this was just the beginning of the path set out for her, only Merlin knew the amount of effort it would take to actually become the champion, and then win the Triwizard Tournament.

Because she, Cordelia Lucretia Black would win, and she wouldn't let anyone get in her way. Not Orion, or her friends, and especially not Tom Marvolo Riddle.