Masay De Aiden

"MASAY DE AIDEN"

Chapter five-The Arrival and The Tournament.

In the morning, I headed down to breakfast. Ron and Harry were already at the table.

"Morning!" said Harry brightly.

"Morning," I said to him.

"Hey! Nervous about the tournament?" asked Ron.

"Not really. Why?" I asked, sitting beside Harry.

"I dunno. I just thought you might be nervous. Remember how Harry felt last year in the Tri-Wizard Tournament," said Ron shrugging.

"Harry had every right to be nervous. He was thrown into it. I volunteered," I replied, helping myself to some pancakes.

"Still, you aren't nervous?" asked Harry incredulously.

I paused.

"Alright...maybe a bit,"

"Knew it," said Ron grinning.

I gave him a smirk.

"Neville...how are you feeling?" I asked, softly and gently.

"Better. Thank you, Hermione," said Neville softly.

I continued to eat my pancakes.

After Potions class, where poor Neville over did his Ouicay Potion, which was for nausea, we went down to the Great Hall once again for the arrival of Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch.

We all sat at our tables. Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"It is time to introduce the people responsible for the tournament...Mr. Ludo Bagman,"

Mr. Bagman was a bubbly man with dark hair and kind blue eyes. He was dressed in burgundy robes. He used to play on the Wimbourne Wasps, a famous Quidditch team a few years ago.

"And Bartimus Crouch."

Mr. Crouch was a well-dressed man in a dark tan robe. He had a thin mustache above his upper lip.

The Hall broke into polite applause.

"They will be staying with us until Monday. Now, enjoy the feast!" said Professor Dumbledore.

Talk resumed.

"I wonder where they're going to be staying..." mused Ron.

"I dunno," said Harry thoughtfully.

"The only place I can think of is the hospital wing, but I doubt it," I said.

"Unless they stay with Hagrid," said Ron.

"Or maybe Hogwarts has a guest wing!" said Ginny appearing beside me.

"It's possible. Hogwarts is such a large castle, there could be guest wings," I said, shrugging.

"So, are you nervous, Hermione?" asked Ginny.

I laughed.

"Ron and Harry just asked me not too long ago! But a little bit I am,"

"You'll do fine! You've beaten Malfoy and had a great time!" said Ginny grinning.

"Yeah, I reckon you'll win this thing!" said Ron nodding.

"Please. Right now I just want to make it till the tournament," I said, sighing.

"You'll do fine! Stop worrying!" said Ginny.

I had to grin.

"Listen, how about you and I just go visit the horses and talk?" asked Ginny as she stood up.

"Yeah, that sounds nice. It might relax my nerves," I said, as I stood up too.

"Hermione, We've got Herbology soon!" said Ron, looking at his watch.

"I know Ron! Don't worry. I won't be too long," I said.

"Can I come too?" asked Harry hopefully.

I grinned and put my palms on the table, leaning forward slightly so our faces were inches apart.

"We're probably none the less going to talk about you two. Why on earth would you want to hear what we have to say?" I grinned.

Harry grinned too.

"Just curious I guess," said Harry.

"Sure. If you want to," I said, smiling. "Ginny? Would it be okay if Harry tagged along?"

Ginny blushed and nodded.

"Alright then, come on," I said.

Harry stood up and followed us out onto the grounds.

The horses were also eating breakfast when we arrived at the paddock. Hagrid was dumping fresh oats, and pellets into the large trough next to the water one.

"Mornin'! How are yeh doing, 'Ermione? 'Arry? Ginny?"

"Just fine, Hagrid. How's the horses?" I asked, as I went over to where my horse was. She was sticking her head over the top railing and her ears were pricked forward. She whinnied the minute she heard me.

Immediately, I broke out into a grin.

Harry and Ginny came over to the horse with me.

He stroked her forehead.

"They're fine. She's happy to see yeh!" said Hagrid beaming.

"And I'm happy to see her," I said.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch are suppos'd to come and see 'em soon. I reckon he wants to check the horses' conditions or summat," said Hagrid shrugging.

"Or to check out the course," offered Harry.

"It's possible," said Hagrid.

Just then, Draco and Crabbe were walking toward us.

I moaned.

"Aw crud. Look whose coming now. Quick. Get the tranquilizer," I muttered.

Harry snorted with laughter beside me.

"Gee, look. It's Potty and the Mudblood," said Malfoy snickering.

"Shove off, Malfoy," said Harry angrily. "Or else I'll dunk your head in that water trough."

"I'm scared, Potty," snickered Malfoy.

"You should be since you're in for a rude awakening Monday," I snarled.

"Are you threatening me, Granger?" asked Malfoy his blue eyes glittering maliciously.

"Maybe I am," I snapped.

"Don't. I don't like threats," said Malfoy.

Just then, Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch approached from the castle. They were walking across the grounds toward Hagrid's hut and the paddock.

"Lucky, Mudblood," sneered Malfoy as he and Crabbe turned and walked back to the castle.

"Hello Hagrid!" said Mr. Bagman cheerfully.

"Hullo Mr. Bagman," said Hagrid beaming.

"Hello, Mr. Crouch," said Hagrid looking at him.

"Why hello, Hagrid. How's everything?" asked Mr. Crouch.

"Jus' fine," said Hagrid.

"Ah now. Let's see the horses," said Mr. Bagman rubbing his hands together eagerly.

They stood in front of the paddock railings.

"Nice animals!" said Mr. Crouch, sizing up the mare I was riding.

"Where'd you get them from?" asked Mr. Bagman.

"A nice muggle farmer just outside London. He was sellin' them. So, I bought 'em,"

"But how? Not with galleons or sickles," said Mr. Crouch looking worried.

"Naw. Muggle money," said Hagrid.

Mr. Crouch nodded looking much relieved.

"What about the saddles and bridles, Hagrid?" I asked.

"Sellin' them too! I reckon he was moving and couldn't keep the 'orses anymore," said Hagrid.

"Hello, young lady!" said Mr. Bagman. "Are you in the tournament Monday?"

I nodded, grinning.

"Well, good luck them," said Mr. Crouch smiling warmly.

"Thank you, Mr. Crouch," I said politely.

"Well then, we'll leave you to it," said Mr. Crouch. "Ludo, let's say we go take a look at the course. Tomorrow, we'll be setting up the judges table."

"Good idea," said Mr. Bagman as he waved and beamed at us before following Mr. Crouch in the direction of the course.

"Wow. I can't wait till Monday," said Hagrid happily.

Harry, Ginny and I looked at each other, then at him.

"Why? Excited, Hagrid?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah and I can' t wait to see Malfoy's face when 'Ermione beats him!"

We all laughed.

Shortly after that, the bell rang and the three of us headed to Herbology.

My shoulder was slightly sore, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to let Malfoy get away with rubbing the fact that he won in our faces and flaunting the money in our faces.

Just the thought of that made me angry and I clenched my fists at my sides.

I seriously didn't know what Malfoy got out of tormenting others. I think he just likes it and more than likely, he's a miserable person to begin with. He's got to be the world's biggest git.

Monday, he was going to be proven wrong.

I doubted he liked that idea.

After Herbology, we went to the rest of the classes.

Sunday came. The judges, including Professor Dumbledore, were out on the course setting up the table.

"I'm literally a bucket of nerves," I confessed to Harry and Ron later that night at dinner.

"I've never known you to be this nervous," said Ron, plopping a helping of chicken casserole onto his plate.

"You're usually so calm and cool," said Harry.

"Well, what am I then? Superhuman? I'm a person after all," I said, rolling my eyes.

"We know you are," said Harry winking at me. "We're just making an observation."

I immediately felt guilty. I knew what they meant. This tournament just has me on edge.

I sighed.

"I'm sorry. The tournament just has me on edge," I apologized.

"It's alright," said Ron grinning.

After dinner, we went up to the Gryffindor common room for a bit of more talk, then we went to bed.

I woke up the next morning with butterflies in my stomach. I pulled the armband on with my number and house over my robe sleeve and tightened my robe around me tighter. I was about to go to breakfast, when Professor McGonagall pulled me aside and told me to go straight to the paddock. Feeling even more nervous, I left the castle and headed across the grounds to the paddock. I was hoping by seeing Ron and Harry, I'd calm down a bit. When I approached the paddock, I saw all the horses were tacked up. Their riders were standing next to them. My horse was also tacked up. The volunteers were already there.

"Okay. Mount your horses. Then, I will talk to you," said Professor McGonagall.

I got on the left side of my horse and mounted. I slid my foot into the right stirrup and gathered up the reins. Cho and her teammate were next to me, then the Hufflepuffs, followed by the Slytherins with Draco and Crabbe.

"First, I want to wish you all good luck. Secondly, your time today will determine the tournament winner. Just do as we practiced. Relax...all of you," said Professor McGonagall winking. "Follow me."

I looked back at Hagrid and grinned nervously. He grinned and winked. We nudged our horses. They began walking toward the field. As we got nearer, we could hear the laughter and talking of the other students. The sun was shining brightly in a baby blue sky. We hit the field. One set of stands had the Hufflepuff colors, the next Slytherin, and Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. I spied Harry and Ron sitting in the middle waving. I grinned. For some reason, I felt more relaxed now. Professor McGonagall held up her hand and we all stopped behind a white line, which was magically drawn on the ground. The judges' table was set up in front of the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor table. Professor Dumbledore was sitting on the end, then it was Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch. The table was covered in a light blue cloth. We patiently and nervously waited.

Mr. Bagman stood up and pointed his wand at his throat.

"Sonorus!"

His voice echoed throughout the field.

"Let's begin the Masay De Aiden tournament!"

Cheers rang out on an ear splitting level.

He sat back down.

"Numbers two, six and seven!"

Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw nudged their horses into a full gallop.

"Slytherin has an early lead! But wait, Ravenclaw isn't too far behind!" cried Mr. Bagman excitedly.

They cleared the first jump.

"Oh no! Hufflepuff's horse refused! Ravenclaw's still going strong!"

They hit the second hedge jump. Cleared it. I had to admit it...Cho was a good rider.

I shifted my weight in the saddle.

They hit the boggart section. Cleared that. It was a tight race. Then, came the lake.

"Whoops! Looks like Ravenclaw's horse liked the water more for a swim! Slytherins' coming down the stretch!"

The cheers from the Slytherin bleacher were deafening.

"Slytherin has cleared the course! Time and score!"

Crabbe was grinning broadly as he came to a stop by the judges' table.

"Time: One minute...fourteen seconds! Ravenclaw: One minute, twenty-four seconds. Hufflepuff: One minute, 29 seconds. Score for Slytherin: 15, 19 and 11. So far, Slytherin's in the lead!"

I gripped my reins. This was it.

"Next numbers...One, eight and four!"

I nudged my horse. She took off like a rocket. Her mane was blowing back into my face and I slightly rose out of the saddle. Malfoy came up suddenly on my left.

"Don't even think about it, Mudblood," said Malfoy as he reached over and punched my arm. The same arm I broke. I cried out in pain and leaned forward, almost pressing my face into the horse's mane.

"Oh no! Gryffindor's in pain! Slytherin and Hufflepuff are in the lead!" I heard Mr. Bagman cry. I lost my grip on the reins and was really in pain.

I heard the startled cries of the Gryffindors and the jeers from the Slytherins. I grabbed my left shoulder with my right hand. Renewed strength came over me. Ignoring the pain, I nudged my horse faster.

"Gryffindors coming back real strong!"

We approached the first jump. I cleared it. The second jump, Hufflepuff's horse went right through it and it threw the rider clear off. My horse was at a full hand gallop now. I could hear the thundering of her hooves on the ground, and her snorts. We came up on the second jump, gaining on Malfoy.

"Gryffindor's gaining!" Mr. Bagman cried.

We were now side by side. We cleared the jump at the same time. I looked over at Malfoy.

"Guess what, Malfoy? You're gonna loose!"

I nudged my horse again. She began pulling away from Malfoy. We cleared the boggart section and turned toward the lake. She began trotting across it. I glanced back. Malfoy tried to cross it after me, but the stones disappeared and he and his horse went right into the water. I gently pulled on the left rein as we galloped down the stretch. The horse's hooves kicked up the dirt.

"Gryffindors got it!"

The cheers from the Gryffindor section could be heard clear as a bell.

I stopped the horse in front of the judges' table and patiently waited, nervously grinning. Slytherin came stopping beside me next, then Hufflepuff.

"Scores and time!" said Mr. Bagman.

Each of the judges raised their wands and drew numbers, which came out in a gold glittering cloud.

"20, 20, 20 for Gryffindor. Time: One minute, eleven seconds! 20, 14, 12 for Hufflepuff. Time: One minute, sixteen seconds. 19, 18 and 13 for Slytherin. Time: One minute, nineteen seconds! Gryffindor wins!"

All the Gryffindors rushed out of the bleachers and over to me. Grinning, I dismounted and stood by the horse. Ron and Harry were running toward me. The entire house was hugging me and cheering. Ron hugged me first. Then Harry shyly kissed me on the cheek. Mr. Bagman came over and handed me a small velvet pouch.

"Three thousand Galleons!"

"Plus one hundred points," said Professor Dumbledore, his blue eyes twinkling.

Malfoy and the Hufflepuff student dismounted. Malfoy looked subdued as he angrily led his horse back to Hagrid's. I heard him muttering, "Stupid animal," under his breath.

"Malfoy, the only stupid animal I see isn't the horse...it's his rider," I called.

Harry and Ron chuckled. All the volunteers were dismounted and leading their horses back. We began leading my horse back.

"Wow. You were great, Hermione!" said Ginny excitedly.

"Yeah. You blew past Malfoy like a burst of air!" said Ron laughing.

"That's what happens to his brain. It just explodes from all the hot air," I muttered.

They all laughed.

We reached Hagrid's. All the horses were being un-tacked and the students were heading back into the castle. I leaded my horse into the paddock and un-tacked her.

"Hey, 'Ermione! Yeh won!" said Hagrid beaming.

"Yeah. Listen, what's going to happen to the horses now?" I asked, lifting the saddle onto the railing.

"I reckon they're going to be sold back to the muggles," said Hagrid.

I nodded. I had grown quite attached to the mare. I was definitely going to miss her.

We began heading back to the castle as well. Harry put his arm around me.

"Don't worry, Hermione. The horses will be fine," he said, softly.

I smiled.

"I know. Thanks,"

"I've got a question for you," said Ron. "How are you going to spend three thousand Galleons?"

Harry and I looked at each other. He winked.

"I'm going to buy as many books as possible,"

We all laughed and stepped into the castle.