During the time that passed until it was time for the champions to be chosen for the tournament, Rowan made it her priority to check on her brother and his friends daily, especially after DADA. She would spend her time doing homework and asking for future assignment to keep herself occupied when she felt nauseous after Moody's lesson during lunch. She knew it was bad to skip meals- her parents and Madam Pomfrey continuously told her to get out of the habit of skipping meals because of her studies or reading- but sometimes, she just couldn't get distracted and waste her time. 

The day had come. It was time for the champions to be chosen for the tournament. 

She, along with everybody else sat at their respectful tables, waiting for the moment of truth to be revealed from the Goblet of Fire. She could hear the nervous and excited chattering coming from the French girl sitting near her, and although she could;t understand what they were dying, she was pretty sure that they were rooting for one girl: the blonde who was the center of attention during the welcoming feast back at the beginning of the school year. 

 "Now the moment you've all been waiting for: The champion selection," Dumbledore called out after telling everyone to sit down. He turned around sharply, and with his hand outstretched, dimmed the flames that lit up the Great Hall. 

He walked towards the Goblet of Fire, and grasped the metal with an outstretched hand, the lip shaking due to the intense power the goblet radiated. He backed away, and squinted his eyes when the blue flames turned to a vicious red, catching the blackened piece of paper the flame had spat out. 

"The Durmstrang champion is..." he read from the burnt piece of parchment, "Victor Krum."

Loud cheers sprang out from the Durmstrang boys who patted Victor's back with joy. The champion lifts himself from where he was sitting with his fellow peers and the Slytherins, and walked towards Dumbledore. He shook his hands and walked towards an entrance of a room until he disappeared from view.

The goblet's blue fire turned red again, and out came a delicate piece of parchment. Immediately, Rowan could tell that it was from the Beauxbatons' girls. 

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour," it was the blond girl Rowan saw many girls rooting for. The tall girl grinned in victory, shook Dumbledore's hand and walked away to join Krum. Now, it was the moment of truth, who was going to represent Hogwarts in the tournament. Blue flames turned to red, and the answer came forth.

"The Hogwarts Champion, Cedric Diggory," Rowan smiled. She recognized the name and connected it to a sixth year Hufflepuff boy, who had a kind soul and even kinder heart. She watched as he was cheered on by his friends and classmates, wearing a giant grin on his face.

"Excellent! We now have our three champions," Dumbledore yelled out, his arms thrust out to address the entire crowd. "But in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions... the vessel of victory... the Triwizard Cup!" 

Everybody followed to where he pointed, to see Mr. Crouch reveal a beautiful silver trophy that was practically glowing. Rowan's attention did;t stay on the trophy for long, because her eyes caught on Professor Snape's confused expression, looking behind Dumbledore. Following his eyes, she found the Goblet of Fire. Instead of having a calming blue fire it normally did, it had transformed into a blood red. 

More champions, Rowan though with wide eyes. But who and how?

Everyone seemed to catch on, especially Dumbledore. He walked forward and covered his face when the flames roared, expanding up towards the ceiling like a listening bolt, before finally settling in after spitting out not one, but two more small pieces of parchment. 

Two more champions. 

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore mumbled in disbelief as he read the paper through his half-moon glasses. "Rowan Devearaux." 

Rowan could not believe her ears. Her name was on the piece of paper. Harry Potter's name was on that piece of paper. They were both selected to be champions, but how? They were certainly not seventeen yet, and Rowan hadn't gone near the Goblet of Fire since she first laid her eyes on it in the Great Hall. 

"Harry Potter? Rowan Devearaux?" Dumbledore asked, looking around the large room filled with students and teachers. "Harry Potter and Rowan Devearaux!"

The Devearaux girl felt her skin crawl at the level of volume Dumbledore was projecting. She wanting to move, but she couldn't. She was paralyzed, her blood turning ice cold from the shock and disbelief. She felt eyes on her, and hands on her shoulders, urging her to move. Finally, she did. 

"He's a cheat!"

"She's a dupe!"

"They're not even seventeen yet!"

She flinched, her blue eyes were wide in fear as she walked towards Dumbledore, meeting Harry at the end of the tables, both sending each other alarmed looks. They stood in front of the headmaster and slowly took the parchment that held their names. Walking away, they looked at all the professor's faces of suspicion and shock, until they finally escaped the tense atmosphere and the whispers that followed.

Rowan entered what looked like Hogwarts' Trophy Room, mountains of gold and achievements found in multiple areas around the room. She descended the staircase and walked further into the room, catching sight of the three rightful champions of the tournament standing side by side, confused by the two fourteen year olds' presence. Hearing shouts, she looked towards the staircase to see the entire faculty rushing down the steps towards her and Harry, with Dumbledore as the leader. 

"Harry! Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore might as well have growled, by how rough his ancient voice sounded. He clutched at the younger boy's shoulder and unintentionally pushed him against stacks of golden trophies, knocking down a couple of them. 

"No sir," Harry should his head anxiously, his voice sounding panicked. 

"Did you ask one of the older students to do it for you?"

"No sir," Harry gasped out yeses when Dumbledore asked him if he was sure. The wise wizard snapped his head to look at Rowan, who took an instinctive step back, gulping as she felt numerous sets of eyes land on her. 

"And you, Rowan? Did you?" Dumbledore demanded, letting go of Harry and facing her, though not approaching her like he did with the former.

"No sir, I haven't been near the Goblet of Fire since it was first shown to us," Rowan rushed out, feeling her hand shake for a moment. 

"But of course they are lying," Madam Maxine pushed a lantern out of her as she sauntered near the two teenagers. Her thick French accent meddling with her broken english, which made her more intimidating than she seemed in Rowan's eyes, then again, her height gave her enough intimidation as it is. 

"The hell they are!" Moody jumped to their defense, though his eyes shifted more to Harry than Rowan, which she subtly narrowed her eyes at. "The Goblet of Fire is an exceptionally powerful magical object. Only an exceptionally powerful Confundus Charm couldv'e hoodwinked it. Magic way beyond the talents of a fourth year."

"Yes, but the girl is a Ravenclaw, is she not? She might have found a way," Madam Maxine argued, to which Professor Flitwick pressed back, defending his student.

"Ravenclaw or not, Rowan is not capable of producing such powerful magic, and even is she is, she would not yield it for these types of situations," the half-goblin man argued back, causing the French headmistress to send the short man the stink eye.

"And how would you know, little man?" Professor Flitwick looked gobsmacked at the insult to his height. That was below her, and everyone knew it.

"I happen to be the head of house Ravenclaw, and I have taught Ms. Devearaux going on four years now. I know what she is capable of," Professor Flitwick sent the fourth year a reassuring smile when he caught the panicked look in her eye.

"Enough!" Dumbledore bellowed, walking towards Mr. Crouch.  "Leave this to you, Barty."

"The rules are absolute," he sounded grave as he spoke, his back towards them as he spoke. "The Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. Potter and Ms. Devearaux have no choice. They are, as of tonight, Triwizard Champions."

Rowan felt her world crash around her as Mr. Crouch's words left his pink mouth, his dark eyes staring directly at her and Harry. Her fists were clenching around the piece of parchment that may as well have signed her death sentence. She was not ready for this. She didn't put her name in the cup. She was not ready for this. Not ready. 

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, her ribs acting as cages to keep her heart from escaping. She was finally able to leave the room, and right now, she was walking to someplace she did not know. Her legs were moving to some place, while her mind was elsewhere. Thoughts of her brother and parents invaded her mind. What would they think? What would they do? What would she do? She knew the tasks would be very dangerous, so she'll have to have some nifty spells and charms up her sleeve if she wanted to survive, but her mind was like a hurricane. 

Rowan found her way in the Ravenclaw common room, but the stares of her peers filled with atrocious judgment and jealously had her scurrying towards the dorms. She wanted nothing more than to escape. To sleep it off and wake up thinking that it was just a dream. But alas, the world was far too cruel for such wishes. 

She stayed wide awake in bed, her ears perking at every sound. She stayed awake as the other girls got ready for bed. Stayed awake until they'd eventually drifted off to sleep, leaving her in the dark. She stayed awake until the crescent moon slipped behind the clouds, and the sun found its way on the horizon. She stayed awake with her mind running what felt like a thousands miles an hour, a headache thudding against her skull. She stayed awake just thinking.