Mountains to Climb
"Get up."
A cold, unfeeling voice penetrated Fi's mind and she moaned. A sharp pain fire-worked through her side. It took her a minute to realize that someone had kicked her. Not having the energy or spirit to care, Fi rolled over in the snow, comforted by the freezing bed. Another kick hit her back. Fi felt a spark of anger ignite in her, an odd flicker of light in her dark, dull emotionless world. Golden sparks flitted from her finger tips like starlight. Fi stood up quickly. She looked about her, realizing that she was still on the tower. In front of her, to Fi's utter shock, stood Tanya.
"You look terrible." Tanya's monotone voice was as sharp as the wind licking the air around Fi. Fi wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. Tanya's perfect red hair was whipping in the wind as well. She saw Fi shiver and her gray eyes softened marginally. "Oh, sorry," she said. The wind around Fi immediately died down. Fi turned around, looking about her.
"How did you do that?" she asked Tanya, too tired to be as curious as normal. Tanya's full pink lips pulled into a disapproving grimace.
"Don't act stupid." She informed Fi, "I know you're an Elemental too."
"An Elemental?"
"Seriously. Drop the act. You have the ability to control one of the elements of the earth without a wand."
"I know, I've just never heard me-us- called that before; an Elemental."
Tanya's eyes appraised Fi and she said, "So what's your element? By the looks of you..."
"The looks of me?"
"Let's see, blond hair, blue eyes... You look so wholly- good."
"Good?"
"Yeah, you look so trustworthy. Let me see if I can guess: people like you and confide in you, which is all great. But, they also think that they can walk over you. What they don't know is that the quiet ones are the dangerous ones. People would never guess that you have an arsenal of weapons against them, like things you've heard them say or seen them do, because you're always watching. You have the power to destroy them-" Tanya paused and looked at Fi, "emotionally or physically. And yet, you're too nice to hurt people, because you don't want anyone to feel the way you've felt." Tanya cocked her head and gave Fi a wry, sideways grin. All Fi could do is stare, astounded at the pure accuracy in everything Tanya had just said. Tanya continued, "So to recap, you seem nice, quiet, subdued. But you definitely aren't. Based on the scarily-piercing blue eyes and the sparks I just saw, you're Fire."
Fi's eyes turned to ice. She didn't like being appraised and dissected, like a stock animal.
"Okay," Fi said, "my turn." Tanya raised a thin, impeccably arched eyebrow.
Fi started in, "Red hair, gray eyes, very pretty. You're sharp, like a hawk. You probably had a bad family background- maybe your parents didn't love you, or something like that." Tanya's eyes showed raw pain. Fi softened, "Oh. I see. Can I guess? You're parents were either absent or they died. I'm guessing they were absent. And you had a sibling, probably an older brother, that cared for you and loved you like their own. You loved them just as fiercely. But something happened to him. Perhaps your parents decided he had too much of an influence on you and sent him away. Or sent you away. Or maybe he died." Looking at Tanya, Fi noticed the tears glistening that Tanya was fighting to keep inside. "Tanya," Fi said, "I'm sorry."
Tanya gritted her teeth, "Go on."
Fi shook her head, protesting, but Tanya insisted. Fi sighed, "You were soft and nice- one of the most compassionate people around- when you were young. But time sharpened and hardened you to the world. The pain you endured taught you not to trust people, to isolate yourself. You're cruel to people because it's your defense to keep them from hurting you."
Tanya nodded and shakily said, "You're right." Wiping her eyes and gathering her pride like the skirts of a dress, Tanya asked, "Who knows about you, Fire?"
"My family, Kael Griffin, and Neve." Fi didn't mention Neve's powers. She and Tanya may have been forging a careful alliance, but Fi still didn't trust her.
Tanya scowled, "You trusted Kael Griffin with this kind of secret?"
Fi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to combat her oncoming headache.
"It's a long story, but yes, I told Kael, and I trust him." Fi looked up to glare at Tanya, "more than I trust you."
"Whatever." Tanya spat, "I'm going to breakfast." Fi waited until a minute or two after Tanya left to head to the Gryffindor dorm.
-=+=-
After a shower and change of clothes, Fi's appetite had awoken- barely. She trudged to the Dining Hall. Arriving, she found that only a few students were left and thankfully, none she knew.
Fi picked at a few bites of food. She didn't eat much until she spied a pile of uneaten chocolates. Fi gorged herself on those, drowning her fiery troubles in truffles, cherry cordials, nougat, caramel chocolates, and maple flavored pieces.
-=+=-
Surprisingly, Fi actually showed up for dinner as well, because it would be the first dinner the students from Ilvermorny and Uagadou would be here. Not only that, but it would also be when the Triwizard Tournament teams were announced, as the other two schools had submitted their entries before arriving. Fi admittedly felt a bit uncomfortable having the American students here, as that was the school she was supposed to go to. That was a story for another day. Hogwarts had been better for her, though it was hard to fake a British accent all the time. Fi didn't have to do that, she wasn't even afraid of not fitting in, but she loved the way British accents sounded.
-=+=-
There were two more tables at dinner, causing the usually large Dining Hall to feel cramped. The students from both schools were almost indistinguishable from the Hogwarts students, except for the school crests on their uniforms. Fi spotted someone across the hall and excitement spread throughout her. It was such an odd feeling after the emptiness of the last few weeks. An attractive boy sat at the Ilvermorny table. His brownish-golden hair was wavy, but well kept. His eyes were brown and warm. The boy's skin was tanned gold. He appeared to be a seventh year and was swarmed by several girls on either side of him. Fi chuckled. She stood up from her table and walked away, leaving Kael behind. Dimitri and Neve were at the other end of the table. Fi walked up the Ilvermorny table, and tapped the boy's shoulder. The other girls, most of them six or seventh years, stared at the fourteen year old, glaring. Their glares intensified as the boy turned around and smiled broadly at Fi. He stood up immediately, towering a good foot over Fi. He stepped over the bench and wrapped his long arms around Fi, pulling her close to his slender body. After a minute, he released her. Fi felt Tanya's stare from across the room, and knew that she was no doubt thinking of her brother.
The boy exclaimed, "Fia! I missed you, little sister!" The girls surrounding them practically sighed in relief.
"Elian!" Fi couldn't stop smiling. Elian, the youngest of her five brothers, was in his last year at Ilvermorny, where all her siblings had gone. Elian and Fi had always been almost inseparably close. It was hard for her when he left for school and even harder for him when she left for school. Fi watched the other schools from her brother's side, not paying much attention to the students around her. Elian was talking to a friend across the table from him when a Hogwarts student approached the table. He appeared to be Fi's age- a year older at most. The boy's blue-black hair looked like night incarnate. It's perfectly slicked waves drew attention to his piercing, ice blue eyes. He walked up behind Elian's friend and clapped him on the shoulder, but glanced quickly at Fi.
Elian's friend turned around, and exclaimed, "Levi!" After greeting "Levi," Elian's friend turned around and introduced him, "Elian, this is Levi, my little brother. He goes to Hogwarts."
Elian grinned broadly at Levi, "Hey- I'm Elian. This is my little sister Fia, she goes to Hogwarts too."
Levi's eyes shifted to Fi and he smiled entrancingly. "Hi," he said and extended a hand.
Fi shook it, saying, "Hi! Call me Fi."
Headmaster Weasley walked up to the podium and clapped, silencing the hall. "Everybody back to their school tables, please!" he said gently. All the students obeyed, silence electric in the air. Headmaster Weasley said, "It is time to announce the teams for the Triwizard Tournament. There will be one team representing each school, with four people on each team. Team applications were presubmitted and then chosen at random. Are you ready?" The hall burst into staccatos of cheering and noise. Headmaster Weasley raised his hands and silence fell again. "For the African school of Uagadou, the team consists of students Adanya, Dakari, Eleanor, and Kurtis. Would you all pelase stand?" Four people from the Uagadou table rose and cheers erupted about the hall. Headmaster Weasley smiled, "Would you all please head to Team Room One? It's down the hall and to the left. Thank you." When the students had exited, Headmaster Weasley wasted no time going on. "From the American school of Ilvermorny, we have: Andrew, Elian, Kate, and Sarah." Fi's mouth fell open- her brother was in the Triwizard Tournament... Headmaster Weasley talked on before Fi could even process the news. "Please stand," he directed the students. Those called stood, including Elian, and the hall clapped for them. "Could you four go to Team Room Two, down the hall and to the left please?" The students exited. "And from the British school of Hogwarts, we have Levi, Tanya, Fi, and Neve." At this point, Fi almost passed out.
In Team Room Three, barely minutes later, Tanya looked around the awkwardly silent room. Fi spoke up, "I didn't sign for a team with you three, not that I'm complaining." Neve and Levi shook their heads as well, saying they hadn't signed either. Neve still pretended not to know Fi.
Tanya sneered, "Isn't it obvious? I signed us up. We all have one thing in common."
Levi spoke up, "What?"
Tanya sighed and flicked her wrist. Suddenly, Levi's black waves were whipping in an unseen wind. Tanya said blandly, "We're all Elementals. I'm wind." She motioned to Fi, asking her to speak up.
Fi lit large balls of fire in both hands, "Fire."
Neve said in an emotion-less tone, "Snow and ice." She didn't bother to show the other students.
Levi grinned mischievously, "Water." Suddenly, Fi and Tanya were getting rained on.
Tanya said, "I have a feeling this is going to be a very interesting Triwizard Tournament.”
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