Challenges

There were certainly other potential ways that the boy's name had been entered, though each was as unlikely as the last. Fleur found it particularly hard to believe that Dumbledore had entered the boy's name, or that someone within the castle might own an artifact that could hide magic - a type of artifact that had been last reportedly seen several centuries ago.

She had not been oblivious to the look of disappointment on Dumbledore's face in the antechamber, nobody had. It was clear that the headmaster believed the boy had some knowledge as to how his name had come out of the goblet, though Fleur could not fathom what that knowledge might be.

Regardless, the boy was now a champion, and would be her third opponent in the competition. That simply meant she would have to collect information on one more person. She was not planning on participating in a tournament when she did not know the strengths and weaknesses of her opponents.

She had gotten her first piece of information on Harry Potter in the antechamber, and what a useful piece of information it was.

He is a Parselmouth.

That was a very interesting piece of information. She had heard rumours of such a thing a few years back; even in France, the boy was very prevalent (although he seemed to be unaware of it). She had not believed it for a second, as she learnt from her father that the only way someone could have the ability was if they were a true descendant of the famed Salazar Slytherin, whose line had supposedly died out.

She was not sure if anyone else in the antechamber had realized that, although most seemed equally horrified. She was certain, however, that Karkaroff had known exactly what it had meant, considering his reaction. Fleur's father had been involved in the sentencing of Karkaroff many years ago, and he had warned Fleur about the man before she had left France.

Fleur had not been necessarily concerned about the boy possessing such an ability; she didn't see how it mattered who someone's ancestor was. Besides, she would be one of the last people to judge someone on any abilities they might have, given the abilities she herself possessed as a Veela.

Fleur had reacted badly to Harry Potter being a Parselmouth for a completely different reason than the others within the antechamber. She had been more concerned as to what being a Parselmouth might mean for the first task. The first task always involved some sort of magical beast, and if it was a basilisk, the boy was almost guaranteed victory. She had calmed herself down upon realizing that basilisks were tied for the rarest magical species (the other being phoenixes). In fact, the last recorded sighting of a basilisk had been several centuries ago.

There was still a possibility that he might rely on conjuring snakes, however. The Serpensortia spell was not particularly hard, and would be incredibly useful for a Parselmouth. Although no snake conjured by the simple spell would be capable of defeating any magical beast, they could still be used as distractions.

It isn't nearly enough to level the playing field. He is far to young.

Still, Fleur would not be underestimating the boy; he was famous for a reason, and even if she did not believe the tales, she was still wary. But he was still many years younger, his magic was likely to be a lot less controlled and powerful than hers, or either of the other competitors.

She had looked into both Victor Krum and Cedric Diggory, hoping to learn any potential strengths and weaknesses they might have. Krum was obviously a talented flier; if he had the foresight to summon his broom, he might do fairly well against most magical beasts if the task did not involve actually fighting the creature.

Diggory seemed to be a hard worker, but was not as magically powerful as herself. He was not likely to be a major threat in the tournament. She had tried to assess the prowess of Harry Potter, but he had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth, making the ordeal rather challenging.

The Daily Prophet, the leading British Newspaper was having a field day. They had made several different articles regarding the selection ceremony, and had even sent in a few reporters to investigate the goblet.

There had even been a reporter who had hidden in the Transfiguration Classroom, apparently waiting for Harry Potter to show up to class. Nearly a third of those in the school had been present as Professor Minerva McGonagall shot spells at the man, chasing him from her class. It had been a rather amusing sight, and Fleur had made sure to include a detailed description of the events in her recent letter to Gabrielle.

The students of Hogwarts had been equally as interested in Harry Potter being selected as a champion, though not at all in a good way. Fleur had spotted one of the boy's redheaded friends bad mouthing him a few days prior. That had angered Fleur quite a bit, regardless of her usual lack of care when it came to what others did. You were supposed to stick by those you cared about, no matter what happens. It didn't help that the redhead had seemingly abandoned Harry Potter out of jealousy, an emotion that nearly everyone felt when they met her - an emotion that Fleur had a rather rough relationship with, in other words.

There had also been a blonde Slytherin boy who had developed badges that read either 'Support Cedric Diggory, the REAL Hogwarts Champion!' or 'Potter Stinks!'. Nearly everyone she had seen in the castle (while under the disillusionment charm, of course) wore one, even many of those in the house of Gryffindor. Fleur had felt a large dose of sympathy for Harry Potter when she saw that; it was something she could relate to very well.

Fleur sighed gently, shaking head and standing up from her bed. She walked over to the desk beside the window, before plopping down on the leather seat. She idly turned the cover of the book that sat before her, labeled 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'.

It was going to be a long and boring day.

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