Jade stared at everyone. They couldn't mean her, they just couldn't! She was only thirteen, she couldn't possibly have stepped over the age line around the Goblet. She wasn't so conniving as to convince an older kid into doing it for her. There was no one at Eaglesclaw whose name could have been mistaken for hers. Someone had put her name in for her...but who?

She stood, hands behind her back, watching in anticipation. What was going to happen now? Would she have to compete in the tournament? Was she going to get sent home? She hoped not.

Dumbledore cupped his hands around his mouth. "Could all of the champions please come up behind this table?"

Jade looked around to see who was playing a prank on her, but no one was laughing. Her confusion surged into her like fire, and she could feel herself heating up. A faint glow of orange surrounded her, and the toes of her boots started to leave the ground. She inhaled deeply, trying her hardest to keep herself under control. She couldn't start hovering around everywhere. She found the floor again and walked slowly and carefully up to the dais. 

"M-m-me?" Jade asked, looking right into Headmaster Thornbeck's eyes. "I'm too young, sir."

"Agreed," he replied. "I will have to speak to Dumbledore about this. There is no way you could have entered, and you are far too young to compete in anything."

She felt belittled by his comment, but grateful nonetheless. She had heard that there were magical beasts involved in these tournaments, tests of great stamina and magical skill. You were supposed to be a seventh year to compete for good reason. How could she take on challenges and tests designed for those with much greater knowledge and strength than hers? Exactly. She couldn't. 

Headmaster Dumbledore beckoned the champions (and Jade) into a small room, the inside of which was mostly taken up by a huge fireplace. Shivering, she knelt before it, her soul instinctively drawn to the warm light. I must not start glowing, I must not start glowing. 

"Vell, Dumbley-dore, what are we going to do?" Madame Maxime, the massively tall headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy, spoke. She gestured expansively, the large rings on her fingers flashing in the firelight. "Two of ze champions are, 'ow do you say in zis country, underage. And 'Ogwarts 'as been given two champions!"

Headmaster Thornbeck nodded. "I thoroughly agree, Madame." He turned to Dumbledore. "Sir, I refuse to allow a thirteen-year-old to compete in such a dangerous competition."

Dumbledore nodded. "I think that the best course of action is to tell the Goblet that it is wrong and ask it to draw new names."

Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion, let out a little snort. "You speak of eet as eef eet ees a sentient thing."

Dumbledore smiled at her kindly, the corners of his mustache quirking up. "My dear Miss Delacour, it is a sentient thing. The Goblet of Fire has been entrusted with making the decision for this tournament for many a century, and it has never been wrong before." He swirled out of the room, and Jade peered out of the crack in the door to see him talking in a low voice to the Goblet, prodding it with his wand. 

After a few moments, he returned to the room looking absolutely bewildered. "The Goblet has said that it refuses to change the people it has submitted. Jade and Harry must participate in the tournament."

Jade leaped to her feet, furious. "Sir, with all of the respect that is due to you, I'm a third year. I'm not prepared for tomorrow's lessons, let alone challenges that could threaten my very life! I'm too young, and I'm not intelligent or strong enough for anything that might get thrown at me. I won't- I can't- I refuse-" She burst into tears and sat there on the floor, wrapped in her robes. 

Fleur sighed and threw her hands into the air. "See? She 'as proven zat she ees too young for zis competition. Ze Goblet must draw again."

Jade sat up, suddenly feeling a wave of determination. She may not be a seventeen year old, she may not be famous like Harry Potter or gorgeous like Fleur or popular and talented as Cedric seemed to be, but maybe, if she used her abilities, she might just have a shot at this after all.

"I'll do it," she said, painfully aware of the catch in her voice. "I may be young, I may be a little less experienced than the rest of you, but I'm willing to learn. I believe in myself, and I'm going to ask all of you to believe in me too."

Cedric, the handsome older boy in the yellow robes, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Jade, you're too young. You're even younger than Harry is."

She looked at him calmly. "Your lack of faith disturbs me," she quipped, from a Muggle movie about space travel. There were things that looked like popsicles in the movie, and as a result West had eaten every ice pop in the freezer.

Harry snickered and raised his hand to her for a high five. "Come on, you two. If I can do it, she can do it."

"Thank you, Harry," Jade said. "I guess I'm going to represent Eaglesclaw, then."

Headmaster Thornbeck looked a little surprised by her confidence. "If you insist, Jade. But if you get injured badly, Eaglesclaw will be removed from the tournament and we will be going home."

She nodded. "I understand, sir. But I think I can achieve this. Now, when's our first challenge?"