‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay I’m on top of the world, ‘ay Waiting on this for a while now Paying my dues to the dirt I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay Take you with me if I can Been dreaming of this since a child I’m on top of the world.

On Top Of The World

To say that Alfred was excited for the events unfolding in his seventh year was an understatement. He'd never heard of the Triwizard Tournament prior, but just as soon as he heard the words he tried to find as much information as possible. Once he found out that students had to be seventeen to enter he found himself grinning from ear to ear. One year earlier and he would not have been able to participate. One year later and he would no longer be in Hogwarts. But the Triwizard Tournament happened to fall directly during the year that he would actually be able to participate. How lucky! Of course, it wouldn't be so simple as signing up and participating, but that he even had a chance to participate in this once in a lifetime experience was enough for the time being!

Even better, the Triwizard Tournament involved three magic schools in Europe - Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. His younger cousin Maddie was a student at Beauxbatons. Though they'd spent a lot of time together during their earlier years, they typically only saw each other during the summer months and holidays owing to school. This year would be different, since this year delegates from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be traveling to Hogwarts. He knew from a owl he received that Maddie would be among those delegates from Beauxbatons. He watched eagerly from the Gryffindor table as delegates from the other schools began to enter the Great Hall. He paid extra close attention to the Beauxbatons crew, hoping to spot his cousin.

The Beauxbatons students were sitting with the Ravenclaws, much to Alfred's frustration. He'd hoped to be able to sit with Maddie, but sitting at a different table did not mean that he could not talk to Maddie nevertheless. Of course he actually had to spot Maddie first..the fact that she wore glasses should make her easier to spot than most, but it was hard to keep a good eye on who was who when there were so many new students filing into the hall at once.

Finally he spotted a familiar mop of blonde hair belonging to a girl wearing spectacles. He beamed and let out a loud whistle to try to get Maddie's (along with half of the Great Hall) attention in his direction before waving. Perhaps she could either stop and say hello to him for a bit before dinner was served, or perhaps he could go and visit her at the Beauxbatons table? There would be a bit of time to settle in before dinner was officially served after all

words: 433; tags: MADELINE ROUSSEAU ; notes: Here, have an Al

made by Wolf of GS

Maddie wasn’t old enough for the tournament, and would really never get to participate, but that was okay with her. Eternal glory just wasn’t something she really needed. Honestly she was fine with just even her friends noticing her a little more. Besides, she thought the chances of her being picked even if she was able to sign up were pretty slim. After all, she had all those around her age to compete against for the champion slot. Still, the tournament meant she got to spend the year at Hogwarts, and she knew her cousin was still there so she supposed that meant she would get to spend most of the year with him. Usually she only got to spend the summers and holidays with him, but this year was different. Idly, she wondered if there would be too much Alfred for her to handle if she saw him basically every day for the full year. Ah well, she was sure she could probably handle it, and if not she could always just sneak off somewhere where he wouldn’t look for her. She didn’t think it would be that hard to figure out a place if it came to that. The girl also wasn’t really expecting it to come to that in the first place. Surely her cousin had other people to hang out with at school after all.

As she entered the great hall she looked around somewhat expecting him to just pop up out of nowhere and tackle her in a hug. She was also admiring the school itself as it really was a rather fascinating castle. They were to be sitting with the Ravenclaws, and that was fine, but her cousin was in Gryffindor so she supposed that meant they weren’t going to be eating dinner together. It just meant she would sit with her usual Beauxbatons friends though. Just like normal then right? As she pondered where she was going to sit she suddenly heard a very loud whistle and jumped. Who was whistling in the great hall so loudly and why? When she turned and saw a very familiar blonde waving she just blinked for a moment. ”Of course it’s Alfred, who else would it be? Why I didn’t think that it would be him in the first place is truly a mystery for the ages.” she said mostly muttering to herself as she waved back at him before skipping over. She might as well say hello before dinner right? Besides, maybe this way she could meet a few of his friends and then later she could introduce him to her friends.

She skipped her way over to him and gave him a hug. ”Hi Alfred. How are you?” she asked him with a smile as she looked up at him. He was taller than her after all. ”I actually half expected you to tackle me in a hug on sight.” she said with a slight laugh. It definitely seemed like something he would do after all.


Alfred F. Jones

‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay I’m on top of the world, ‘ay Waiting on this for a while now Paying my dues to the dirt I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay Take you with me if I can Been dreaming of this since a child I’m on top of the world.

On Top Of The World

Even if Alfred didn't get his chance to be Hogwarts champion, he was still excited to be part of something so huge coming to Hogwarts. That he was old enough to even put his name into the Goblet of Fire was excitement enough. He'd of course prefer to have his name pulled out of the Goblet of Fire and have a chance to represent his school on top of everything else, but the fact remained that there would be plenty of excitement during Alfred's last year of Hogwarts regardless. Not to mention all sorts of new students to Hogwarts in the form of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang visitors. This was going to be fantastic! Though he did wonder if Quidditch would continue as usual this year, or if Quidditch would be put on hold. That would suck if Alfred didn't end up chosen as the Hogwarts champion if he couldn't even play Quidditch.

Alfred grinned when Maddie not only noticed his call for her attention but came over and gave him a hug in the process. "Hey Mads, are you excited for the tournament?" It was clear by the way that Alfred was practically bouncing in his seat that he had enough excitement for the both of them even if Maddie was not. He had to figure that she was at least somewhat excited however - Or else why would she have opted to come with the rest of the delegates to Hogwarts? Sure she'd get the chance to hang out with her cousin, but that couldn't be the only reason!

The corners of Alfred's mouth twitched upward even further when Maddie revealed that she'd expected Alfred to tackle her in his excitement. "It's not too late for that," he teased. It really was when one thought about it. Now it would just look like he was tackling her to the ground while she was standing next to him, and it just wouldn't have the same effect as him running up to her out of nowhere and diving toward her with his arms outstretched in his excitement. Would certainly amuse some of their fellow students either way though.

He glanced around the Great Hall, making certain that the others were not too settled yet. He wanted to have the chance to talk to Maddie and catch up with her a bit longer before Maddie had to go over to the Ravenclaw table and eat with the rest of the school. In some ways it sucked that the students from other schools were assigned to eat at certain tables rather than mingle with students from every house at Hogwarts, but then Alfred was a tad biased on the matter as none of the other students were sitting at Gryffindor's table..

words: 433; tags: MADELINE ROUSSEAU ; notes: Here, have an Al

made by Wolf of GS

It was clear that her cousin was indeed very excited for the tournament by the way he was bouncing. Though, she was pretty sure he always did that, so she supposed that just made him easily excitable. To be fair, she was also pretty easily excitable, but it wasn’t quite to this extent. It didn’t help the fact that she was pretty sure her cousin had some sort of hyperactivity disorder which meant he was just bouncing off all the walls all the time. Perhaps he didn’t, but she was convinced that he did to at least some extent. He asked if she was excited and she smiled slightly. She could feel him bouncing through the hug and it was somewhat amusing. ”Of course I’m excited.” she said simply with a smile. She was excited to watch the tournament at least, as she couldn’t participate, and it wasn’t very often that you got to watch something this extreme after all. Though, it was also dangerous so she did hope her cousin would be careful if he did end up as the champion. He wasn’t exactly known for being careful though, so she was going to end up being concerned the whole time if he was actually picked.

She really had expected Alfred to sneak up and tackle her in excitement. It would have had more of an effect certainly, but it probably also would have sent at least one of them to the hospital wing. Whether it was because Alfred injured one of them while tackling or Maddie ended up accidentally punching him on reflex someone probably would have been hurt. He commented that it wasn’t too late for him to do that and she raised an eyebrow at him. ”It wouldn’t have the same effect.” she said simply. It would look absurd for him to just tackle someone he was mid-conversation with. ”So I’m pretty sure it is a bit too late for that really.” she said with a raised eyebrow at her cousin. Though, she imagined that would just tempt him into doing so later when she wasn’t expecting it. Of course she’d have to get him back eventually if that did happen, but for now they should just catch up a little. ”You’ll give me a tour later right?” she asked him with a slight smile. She didn’t think they were going to be taken around in a whole group, so she thought maybe he could show her around instead.


Alfred F. Jones

‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay I’m on top of the world, ‘ay Waiting on this for a while now Paying my dues to the dirt I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay Take you with me if I can Been dreaming of this since a child I’m on top of the world.

On Top Of The World

While on one hand it was unfortunate that Maddie could not participate in the tournament, Alfred felt somewhat relieved. It meant that if he was selected as Hogwarts champion, he wouldn't be competing against his cousin. It also meant that he wouldn't have to watch Maddie take risks during the tournament that would put her in danger. It was one thing to put himself at risk, it was another to see a close family member (especially one younger than him that he felt a sense of protectiveness over) put themselves in danger like that. It was better this way. At least she was looking forward to watching the tournament. That showed that she had little to no ill feeling about her inability to participate in the tournament herself due to her age.

Though he did have to tease Maddie a tad, just because the opportunity presented itself. "So when I get selected as champion for Hogwarts, are you going to cheer for me or your own school's champion?" He waggled an eyebrow. That was assuming that he was even selected as the champion for Hogwarts, and there was a lot of competition as far as that was concerned. He wanted to be the champion but he would cheer for his school's champion regardless - Unless it turned out to be someone he couldn't stand. And even then..school loyalty would deign that he at least try to cheer for the Hogwarts champion. He wouldn't hold it against Maddie if she cheered for the Beauxbatons champion, but if he was champion he wanted her to be cheering for him too of course!

A slight pout came across Maddie's features as she insisted it would be too late to tackle her in a hug. She was right of course, but that didn't mean that he couldn't get in one last word..or pout as the case might be. "Course I'll give you a tour, can't have you getting lost your first day here." He'd gotten lost on his first day at Hogwarts, but that was less because of the school itself and more because he'd gotten distracted and hadn't paid attention when an older prefect from his house was giving he and other first years the tour.

..somehow he had a feeling he wouldn't have to worry about that happening with Maddie. Maddie always had a better attention span than he did. The greater danger was Alfred getting distracted during the course of giving Maddie the tour and leading her on a wild goose chase through the castle while going through some crazy adventure in the meantime. There was a lot to show Maddie after all. He wondered if Beauxbatons was as large as Hogwarts was

words: 464; tags: MADELINE ROUSSEAU ; notes: Here, have an Al

made by Wolf of GS

Maddie was kind of glad that there was no chance of competing against Alfred. The two of them, when together, could get a little over the top competitive. Honestly it got a little ridiculous at times, so it was probably for the best that they didn’t run into this situation in the first place. Friendly competition between them was fine, but when it came to something as dangerous as a tournament the two of them should probably avoid trying to avidly outdo one another. He asked if she was going to cheer for him or her own school’s champion when he got picked and she raised an eyebrow at him. ”Who says you’ll get picked? You’re a bit overconfident there Alfred.” she said simply. The cup was supposed to pick the most worthy student, and she really couldn’t say if he was the most worthy in Hogwarts. Still, if he was picked she wasn’t sure if she would cheer for him or the Beauxbatons champion. ”I think it depends on who the champion for Beauxbatons is honestly.” she said with a slight frown. Of course there was some level of school pride to consider, but there was also the fact that it could easily be someone she was good friends with. ”I could probably cheer for you and my own school’s champion if it came down to it.” she said simply with a shrug.

Then he was pouting at her and she raised an eyebrow at him. He really better not tackle her right now. She’d probably end up whapping him for it. She eyed her cousin a bit, and instead the subject changed to him giving him a tour as he didn’t want her getting lost. Hogwarts really did seem like a big school that would be easy to get lost in. Thus, she was rather glad to have someone to show her around. ”Good, I would rather not get lost in this giant castle of a school.” she said with a smile. She was pretty sure Beauxbatons wasn’t as large, but that didn’t prevent some students from getting lost. Idly, she wondered if those same students would get lost in Hogwarts all year. That would be rather unfortunate for them, but also kind of amusing if she was being honest. Maybe she would take notes during the tour so she could remember where certain things were too. At least, take notes on the important things if nothing else.

‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay I’m on top of the world, ‘ay Waiting on this for a while now Paying my dues to the dirt I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay Take you with me if I can Been dreaming of this since a child I’m on top of the world.

On Top Of The World

If Maddie were old enough to join the tournament and the two did get picked, Alfred would relish in the opportunity to best Maddie. It would all be friendly of course, but the two could be incredibly competitive when they both wanted something. It was indeed for the best that Maddie could not compete. Alfred would do his best against Maddie (and hopefully win), but he'd still feel a bit awkward competing against Maddie in something as important at this. If Alfred was selected as the Hogwarts champion, he wanted to be able to give it his all with no holds barred. It also meant that he wouldn't have to worry about Maddie encountering anything dangerous in the tournament. It was one thing to put himself in danger, but the thought of his friends and/or family being in danger often inspired him to act.

Alfred laughed at Maddie's response. "Sheesh, rain on my parade. Do you know any of the folks who might be looking to compete from your school?" Alfred was partially asking out of sheer curiosity about those that Maddie went to school with. He also wanted to check out the competition in the event that he did end up the Hogwarts champion. He was mostly at a loss where Durmstrang was concerned, but at least he had Maddie to ask when it came to clarification of who was who at Beauxbatons.

She was concerned about getting lost at Hogwarts? Was Beauxbatons not as large was Hogwarts? Though Alfred was happy to see the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts, he felt that it would have been neat to visit the other schools as well. There were three tasks, weren't there? So why not have one task at each of the schools? Granted that would make things a tad more complicated. "You'll get it a lot faster than you think you will. Certain areas are harder than others though." Alfred wondered if they had enchanted staircases and the like at Beauxbatons. It was one thing to know where you were going. It was another entirely when stairs would disappear while you were in the process of walking up them, and other such phenomenon that occured at Hogwarts.

It also helped that Maddie would get the tour ahead of time from someone who spent all six prior years of magic schooling at Hogwarts. Alfred knew the vast majority of Hogwarts at this point, even a few areas that were off of the beaten path. He wasn't certain what all Maddie wanted to see during their tour, but he'd at least take her around to the more well-known areas of the castle. Given the size of the castle, that was likely all that they would have time for that night

words: 469; tags: MADELINE ROUSSEAU ; notes: Here, have an Al

made by Wolf of GS

Maddie of course would be concerned if Alfred did get picked for the tournament and ended up doing all sorts of dangerous things. He wasn’t the most level-headed after all, and had a tendency to be a bit reckless when it came to watching out for himself. Still, at least she wouldn’t also be in the tournament distracting him, that was probably for the best as well. She would likely never get to compete unless they started holding the tournament more often, but that was okay with her too. Really she was just content to watch and cheer for her school’s champion. She was fond of most of her school mates, so she anticipated cheering for her school’s champion at least a bit. Anyway, she apparently was raining on Alfred’s parade, and she laughed slightly. ”Well, one of us has to be the realist here Alfred.” she teased him with a grin. ”Lili will probably put her name in, Annie and Mihai might as well.” she said simply. She wasn’t sure about anyone else, but those three seemed like they were most likely to at least try and compete. There would probably be others, but those were the ones she was at least moderately friends with.

Her cousin assured her that she would pick up the layout of Hogwarts faster than she thought, and for that she was glad. From the outside it looked rather huge, but maybe it wasn’t quite as complex on the inside? Though, those changing staircases she saw on her way in had her a little concerned. Did they change depending on where the person on them wanted to go or just whenever they felt like it? She thought if it was whenever they felt like it, then things could get rather complicated. Were the staircases changing a valid excuse to be late to class? ”What areas are most difficult?” she asked him for up front clarification. There was no guarantee that Alfred wouldn’t get distracted halfway through the tour and forget to mention things that were more difficult. It sounded like something her cousin would do certainly. In fact, she was pretty sure he had done that before, several times even. Still, it would probably take a while for them to tour the castle, especially considering there was always a curfew to make sure students got to bed on time. There should be some time for it after they all ate dinner though right?

‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay I’m on top of the world, ‘ay Waiting on this for a while now Paying my dues to the dirt I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay Take you with me if I can Been dreaming of this since a child I’m on top of the world.

On Top Of The World

Though the tournament was doubtlessly dangerous, Alfred couldn't help but look forward to the chance of competing in the tournament. It would be so much more fun to get the chance to do all of the stunts himself rather than watch others do it. He also wouldn't have to worry about the 'what ifs'. He'd obviously accept and cheer for the Hogwarts champion if it didn't turn out to be him (unless it turned out to be someone he couldn't stand..and even then he might just because Hogwarts champion), but there was no doubt that he would be disappointed. There was also the matter of knowing that others from his school wouldn't be in as much danger if he was taking the risks..

Alfred listened as Maddie listed off a few names, presumably of schoolmates. Alfred didn't recognize any of the names but tried to make a mental note of them just in case any of the aforementioned Beauxbatons students were the champions. "I think I know of a few others who are going to put their name in. Most of them are from different houses though." Now that Alfred thought about it, most of his friends from his own house were younger than he was. It came with the territory of being on the Quidditch team and playing with students across multiple age groups. Speaking of..was Quidditch going to be cancelled this year or was it still on? Alfred didn't much like the thought of Quidditch getting cancelled if he didn't turn out to be the champion! It was his last year at the school after all!

After that, Maddie asked what areas of the school were most difficult. That was actually a challenge, given that Alfred himself didn't learn about some of the dangers inherent in Hogwarts until his second year (though to be fair, that might have been because he wasn't paying as close attention as he should have during the announcements in his first year). "Well there's vanishing stairs on the staircases. The Forbidden Forest can also be dangerous." There was a reason it was forbidden after all, though that didn't stop students necessarily.

As much as Alfred loved sharing the wonders of Hogwarts with Maddie, there was a small part of him that wished that he could see Beauxbatons as well. Now that Maddie was asking so many questions about Hogwarts, he couldn't help but wonder how different it was there

words: 469; tags: MADELINE ROUSSEAU ; notes: Here, have an Al

made by Wolf of GS

If Maddie was old enough, she had to admit that she probably would have entered the tournament despite the danger. If only for the fact that it would be a chance to challenge her intellect. She was conflicted on whether or not she actually wanted Alfred to compete though. Of course she would support his decision to do so, but she would still be worried for him. How could she not be? Though, if any of her friends got picked she would also be worried for them too. What it was really coming down to was that this year would probably be stressful for her in the long run. Oh well, she’d try to relax and have as much fun with it as she could, but she’d definitely be anxious during the various different tasks that was for sure. Alfred commented that he thought he knew of a few others that were going to put their names in. ”Most of the ones I listed are in different houses. Lili is the only one that I share a house with.” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Many of her friends were in different houses after all. She tried making friends that were close to her age regardless of what house they were in. As long as they were nice to her she was fine with befriending them.

She inquired as to what the difficult parts of the school was, and as she expected the moving stairs were on the list. ”I suppose it’s just a matter of luck if you get to where you’re going or not when it comes to the stairs?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. He commented upon the forbidden forest being dangerous and she blinked at him. ”Wouldn’t that be why it’s forbidden? Students aren’t supposed to go there right?” she asked with a raised eyebrow and a tilt of her head. Things generally weren’t forbidden for no reason, and she was pretty sure students weren’t supposed to just go wandering around the forest in the first place. She was sure that some didn’t listen to that, Alfred was likely one of those that didn’t, but she certainly wasn’t about to go skipping off into the forest for no reason. Though, even if she did have a reason she’d probably be hesitant to go skipping off into it as she was positive that it was forbidden for a very good reason.

‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay I’m on top of the world, ‘ay Waiting on this for a while now Paying my dues to the dirt I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay Take you with me if I can Been dreaming of this since a child I’m on top of the world.

On Top Of The World

Alfred would worry about Maddie if the roles were reversed and she was old enough to not only place her name in the Goblet but ended up becoming the Champion. He also considered the implications involved with the two of them being from different schools. The truth of the matter? Alfred and Maddie's experiences at school could have gone a lot different. Had she stayed in Canada and he stayed in the U.S. for school, they likely would have both ended up at Ilvermorny as Ilvermorny was the top school on the North American continent.

"I can't actually think of anyone I share a house with putting their name in the Goblet, but then again most of my pals in my house are actually younger than me. Most of 'em are on the Gryffindor Quidditch team with me." Peter and Astrit were the main two candidates that he could think of. He did wonder if Matthew would be entering..that would be interesting. He'd prefer if he were the one to become champion, though he would likely root for Matthew if it came down to it. Matthew was also Alfred's cousin, though Matthew was essentially adopted by the Jones family after his parents died in an accident. It was nice to have relatives both at the same school that he was and at other schools, though he thought it would have been nicer if he attended school with Maddie as well.

Alfred couldn't help but grin when Maddie remarked on the stairs. "Well that and you start to get a good idea of which stairs are trick stairs once you've been here long enough. And yeah, though that doesn't stop everyone." The small grin that crossed Alfred's features when he said this would serve to confirm what Maddie probably already suspected - yes Alfred had snuck into the Forbidden Forest. Why wouldn't he? With a name like that, he absolutely had to see what was inside. Not to mention it was practically tradition at Hogwarts. It might be Forbidden in name, but plenty of students found their way into the Forbidden Forest from year to year. It was almost a right of passage for Hogwarts students in a way, to say they'd been into the Forbidden Forest.

Maybe he would get a chance to see Beauxbatons at some point. It wouldn't be another Triwizard Tournament, as Alfred was in his last year at Hogwarts and thus this was the only Triwizard Tournament he'd be around for, but that didn't mean that he would never see Beauxbatons. It just meant that he wouldn't attend it as a student the way that Maddie was attending Hogwarts as a guest. But at least he got to spend his last year at Hogwarts with one of his favorite cousins

words: 469; tags: MADELINE ROUSSEAU ; notes: Here, have an Al

made by Wolf of GS