OPENING CEREMONY (all students and staff)

[Amadora Macrae]

Amadora beamed when the Headmaster named her husband as one of the judges. It was quite an honor, she knew and she was happy for Carlisle and proud of him. He hadn't told her about this and she was surprised, but she wouldn't hold it against him since she trusted that he had his reasons for not having told her he'd been asked to judge.

She would have leaned over to kiss him but they weren't in private and she wasn't about to break impropriety just because she was happy for him. She did however quickly give his hand a light squeeze where it had been sitting on her leg under the table, to show her husband her silent support.

[Eve Mallory]

Eve had entered her name in the cup, no she didn't tell the boys, she knew what they would think. It would have been fine for someone else in their house to go and win, but she wasn't good enough at magic, not only that she could get hurt and it would be bad blah blah blah. She didn't care, maybe this would be how she could show them she wasn't such a little girl anymore.

She raised her eyes and looked at Dumbledore as he talked, a look of anticipation on her face as she clapped.

[Samantha Montgomery]

Sam slowly set her fork down and turned her eyes towards Dumbledore, her eyes landed on the other teachers and she saw that Caleb was not there, well that was strange but fortunate. He'd have an apoplexy if the cup chose her, and it would choose her.

She smiled back at Rystain who had winked as if silently rooting her on, she noticed others with the same inclination, good, at least she was well liked enough by her house, she would have to win this thing, but of course she would win it. She was Samantha Montgomery.

[Albus Dumbledore]

(I've decided to charge on ahead without waiting for the judges to reply, just to save time. I'll introduce each judge, and a couple of people can post, then I'll post the next one, OK?)

After the applause had died down, Dumbledore spoke again. "Our next judge is a representative from the Ministry of Magic. From the Department of Mysteries, I present Mr. Augustus Rookwood!" He nodded to Rookwood and waited for him to stand to be acknowledged.

[Gage Oliver]

Gage clapped along with the rest of the school as Mr. Rookwood took a stand. He looked over toward Maxi and caught her eye. He mouthed the words 'good luck' and smiled before turning back to Dumbledore's attention.

[Andromeda Tonks]

Andi wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to what was going on. She continued to stare down at her plate in misery. She seriously wanted to crawl under the table and hide. It was worse now that the ceremony has started, because all eyes were on the staff table. There was no place to hide now.

Meanwhile, her mind kept replaying moments with Ted, the moments that had made her fall in love with him. Now they were all lies, or maybe something out of a dream. But worst of all, they were memories, empty flashes of a time gone by, close enough to hurt, but not solid enough to touch. She thought again of his little-boy smile and knew she couldn't hold the tears back another second. She abruptly got up from her seat and hurried into the little antechamber behind the staff table to cry.

[Minerva McGonagall]

Minerva clapped along with the rest of the staff table, well except Andromeda that is who looked like she needed to see the nurse or go hide under a pillow and cry, she wasn't sure from her viewpoint at the table. For once McGonagall was smiling as she watched the students eagerness. She was looking forward to the event herself, and hoped to see some good candidates announced soon.

But for now she clapped for the judges as they were each announced, looking at each one when their names were called.

[Rabastan Lestrange]

Rabastan's eyes fell on Rookwood, and he felt a sense of familiarity with him. Yes, their families intermingled, and he was sure they were somehow related... every pureblood was. But this was something different. Something in the man's eyes...

He was torn out of this contemplation as he caught Andromeda standing to leave, and he thought to go to her. He almost even stood up, but he wouldn't be the one she wanted. He could make his moves towards her, but even he knew that now was not the time. He'd win her over, eventually.

[Albus Dumbledore]

Dumbledore was unaware of the little drama going on behind him. He merely continued on with the rest of the ceremony, as planned. As the applause died down, he began to speak again.

"Our final judge will be one of the Ministry's top Aurors, and a good friend of mine. I'd like to present Mr. Alastor Moody!" He waved his arm out, signaling to Moody.

[Eve Mallory]

Eve wasn't sure what was going on with the Herbology teacher except that she was upset. Eve generally caught everything with her large and snooping eyes, she saw how people felt saw what people did, and studied human behavior, she was adept with it.

"I wonder what happen..." she said quietly but returned her attention to Dumbledore.

[alastor]

As Dumbledore called his name as a judge of the tournament. Alastor stood and politely bowed his eyes scanning the students as they sat at their individual house tables.

"Thank you for this honor Headmaster. As for you young witches and wizards who are to be named champions I have only one thing to say..." He paused for a moment to allow the students to pay attention.

"Be true to yourself. Utilize your strengths, embrace and welcome your weaknesses and I promise you, you will go far in this tournament." With that said he promptly took his seat and resumed watching the ceremony in vigilant silence.

[erich]

Erich had sat silent near his cousins with an open book and quill. When Dumbledore spoke, he was suddenly brought out of his own little world and listened to what everyone was saying before hurridely hiding the notebook and quill in his robes. Dumbledore was announcing the judges for the tournament and Erich listened respectively while his mind was busy working away at perfecting the spells he was trying to make.

[Rafe Colby]

Rafe was bored by this whole ceremony. What was he supposed to care about these people? He had no interest in them. He only was interested in Samantha. He continued to stare at her from across the room, fixated on her.

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve nudged Lance with her elbow. Leaning very close to him, she whispered in his ear. "What's with that guy?" she asked, nodding toward Rafe. "He just sits there and stares over at the Slytherin table. He's kinda weird, don't you think?"

[Lance Jordan]

Hid a wince when Viv nudged him right in his ribs where he'd managed to get a bruise from an errant bludger earlier that morning at practice. Why is it that whenever you have a bruise someone always manages to touch it? But he looked over at the boy she'd nodded to.

"He does seem to be a bit fixated, it's like he's not even listening to the annoucnemtns at all. Maybe he has a girlfriend or something over there?" Lance watched the creepy guy a bit longer, "yeah something definatly odd about him. I hope he doesn't get sorted into Hufflepuff." He stated noting that Rafe wore plain black robes that showed no house colors and was obviously not sorted into a house yet.

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve looked at the guy a moment longer, then shjvered. "Maybe. But he, like, just started and stuff. Whatever... I wouldn't want to be the one he's staring at. Definitely not a Hufflepuff, if you ask me."

With one last frown at the guy, she turned her attention back to the ceremony. Surely the contestants would be announced soon!

[Eve Mallory]

"What are you two whispering about?" Eve asked glancing over at them with a somewhat impish expression on her face. She was trying to focus on Dumbledore without looking like she was too concerned. While she had entered her name in the tournament, she was nervous about it, she really didn't want to compete, if anything she just wanted to have a shining moment, even if she didn't like crowds and loudness, she would like to see Josh's eyes light up when she came around.

[Samantha Montgomery]

Sam touched her neck and rubbed slightly, she was nervous, but it was more than just the tournament. She was really feeling someone watching her and she didn't know what it was about, she kept glancing around. Why couldn't she find him...other than the fact that she really, really, did not want to see him here, and when speaking of "him" there was only one person that came to mind. She shivered, please let this Ceremony be quick.

[Lance Jordan]

Lance leaned over, happily sandwiched between Eve and Viv, whispering into Eve's ear about the boy at the end of the table looking like some kind of stalker while he watched the Slytherin table and not even pretending to listed to Dumbledore's announcments. And then he nodded over towards the guy who was still fixated on the Slytherins.

[Eve Mallory]

Eve frowned and tried to see who he was staring at. When she looked at the Slytherin table it was only a little obvious that Sam was the intended object, only because there were enough guys surrounding her that she made an easy target. She furrowed her brow, Sam was a transfer and Eve hardly knew anything about her except that she would never want to stand next to her in line. Merlin had she put her name in the cup too? If she was chosen and Sam was chosen would they have to stand side by side? What a nightmare.

It was a nightmare she was well acquainted with though, everytime the four of them went somewhere she couldn't help but compare herself to Genevieve and find herself lacking.

This insecurity never would have hit so hard if she had gone to school when they did, but she didn't and it seemed that in a single year Genevieve had accumulated as many points in the friendship area as it had taken Eve her whole life to earn.

"How very peculiar." she said trying not to stare at Rafe.