Sunny 30th October

Filch was drenched in sweat as he exited the room. He was terrified of being in this place, but escape was impossible. His fingers brushed against the crown in his pocket, which felt unnaturally warm. He thought about the things he'd done under the influence of the voice inside the crown and felt a pang of guilt. He now knew it was the Dark Lord's commands he'd been following, and he wasn't sure if what he'd done was right.

"Regret?" Shafiq sneered, emerging from the shadows. "This is the price of greed, Filch. You reached for something that wasn't yours, and now you're paying for it."

Filch looked at the young man who had graduated two years ago. Shafiq was almost unrecognizable—his once-handsome face had sharpened into something cold and statuesque. Filch still remembered the grip of Shafiq's fingers digging into his flesh when he'd been dragged here. The Slytherin had transformed into a formidable wizard, but in this strange place, his familiar face was a small comfort.

"Will Dumbledore…" Filch began hesitantly.

"Do you want to die?" Shafiq cut him off sharply. "Mentioning Dumbledore here is like ringing your own death knell. If you want to die, don't drag me down with you, Squib."

The word "Squib" stung Filch. He'd thought he'd never hear it again, but here it was, spat at him with disdain. He missed Hogwarts terribly, but he knew he couldn't go back. What he'd done might bring disaster to the school. The thought made him shrink further into himself.

Shafiq glanced at Filch's pocket, his expression cold and indifferent. "Keep that crown safe. It's very, very important to the Dark Lord."

Filch nodded, his eyes darting to the small golden key Shafiq was twirling in his fingers—a Gringotts vault key.

"This is important to me too," Shafiq said with a half-smile before turning and walking away.

Filch couldn't quite place it, but Shafiq's demeanor felt colder and more ruthless than before. He'd heard whispers that Shafiq's mother had died under mysterious circumstances, and since then, the young man had become unpredictable and cruel.

---

Back at Hogwarts, the castle sparkled with cleanliness. Even the stone knights lining the walls had been polished to a shine. Joey suspected the house-elves had worked through the night to achieve this. Of course, she couldn't mention that in front of Hermione, who would launch into a passionate lecture about house-elf rights.

Dumbledore and the staff were waiting to welcome the guests. Joey, Fred, and George were huddled together, joking about selling French and German trinkets to make the foreign students feel at home.

"I heard there are lots of beautiful girls in France. Today's going to be an eye-opener," Fred said with a grin.

Joey pinched his ear and hissed, "And I heard German boys are very handsome. Should I give them a try?"

"Really? Joey, break up with Fred! I've been waiting for this day!" Derwent Comstock, a Ravenclaw Quidditch Chaser and one of Fred's rivals, chimed in.

"Sure, Derwent. I'll call you after Fred and I break up," Joey said, twisting Fred's ear until he yelped.

Fred, freed from Joey's grip, lunged at Derwent, but George and Lee held him back. "Not the time for a fight, mate!" George said, laughing.

Fred turned his attention back to Joey, promising he'd never look at another girl again. Joey reluctantly agreed to forgive him, though she was still fuming.

The commotion died down as the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations arrived. The sight of the powder-blue carriage pulled by twelve winged horses and the skeletal black ship emerging from the lake left the Hogwarts students in awe. But the real showstopper was Madame Maxime, the towering headmistress of Beauxbatons.

The Beauxbatons students, mostly girls in light blue silk robes, shivered in the cold but still managed to look stunning. The silver-haired girl among them, in particular, captivated the Hogwarts boys.

Ron's jaw dropped, and Harry had to nudge him to stop staring. Hermione looked ready to dump her drink on Ron's head. Fred and Lee were whistling, while George gave a half-hearted whistle before Flami shot him a look from the Slytherin table.

"Let's break up," Joey said flatly to Fred, who had just returned from ogling the Beauxbatons girls. "I think Derwent might be a better match for me."

"No, Joey! I was just having fun!" Fred protested, trying to hug her.

"Don't touch me!" Joey pushed him away. "There are plenty of beautiful girls for you to chase. We're done!"

Fred, desperate, promised he'd never look at another girl again. Joey finally relented, but her attention was soon stolen by the Durmstrang students, who marched in with their headmaster, Karkaroff, and the famous Viktor Krum.

"Krum!" Joey squealed, standing up and waving. "It's really him! My heart's racing! Is he sitting here?!"

Fred, exasperated, pulled her back onto his lap. "You said you wouldn't look at other guys!"

"We should break up," Lee joked. "Then you can both chase new crushes!"

Joey ignored them, craning her neck to see where Krum would sit. "We have plenty of space here. Maybe he'll sit with us!"

"We're full!" Fred snapped.

George, ever the wise older brother, leaned over and said, "You know why Joey's always interested in other guys, Fred? Because you're moving too slow."

Fred glared at him but realized George had a point. He'd been trying to take things further with Joey, but something always seemed to get in the way. Who was cursing him like this?

When the Durmstrang boys sat at the Slytherin table, one of them shook hands with Flami. George stood up and shouted, "Hey! Hands off, mate! That's my girlfriend!"

The Great Hall erupted in laughter.

Joey, finally snapping out of her Krum-induced trance, realized she was sitting on Fred's lap. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Making sure you don't launch yourself at Krum," Fred said, mimicking her earlier tone. "'I didn't take a second look'? Ha! You didn't take a second look—you lost your eyes!"

Joey blushed and kissed Fred's forehead. "He's just an idol. You're my favorite!"

Fred pointed to his lips. "More here." Joey kissed him loudly, and Fred whispered in her ear, "And here. All of it."

Joey felt her face heat up but remembered Flami's advice. She couldn't back down now. She straightened up and bumped her chest against Fred's. "Then you'd better make up for lost time."

Fred's eyes widened. "I'll make up for it. Right now."