"Why me? Why does it always have to be me?" Harry Potter whispered, shaking his head.
All of these has to be a dream, not a bad one though, just a little misfortunate. He was just tired morally, that was it. He looked around his dim tent. It was covered in Hogwarts' colours and symbols- a red lion, a blue raven, a yellow badger, and a green serpent. Why did they have to choose him? Weren't there any other school heroes around?
"Well, apparently the hunting season is open for the ones that defeated Lord Voldemort a month earlier", he thought to himself.
Since September, instead of school, Harry has been hunting for him, willing to kill him, revenge for all his loved ones. Hermione and Ron never left his side. They were great friend, the best a person could ever find and Harry was thankful. They managed to gather all the remaining horcruxes and destroy them. Except one that is, the closest to Voldemort. That's when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named started hunting for them. Ironically they met at the old cemetery near the Riddle house. Voldemort was more hideous then ever, Harry noted. His eyes were flaring red, his snakelike nostrils reduced to barely seen slits, his expression of pure furry and hate. Harry faced him alone. Ron and Hermione went off to kill Nagini, the last horcrux. Harry was a little nervous, because he didn't know when they would find the snake. It might just be a little too late when they did. Voldemort might just finish him off. He swallowed and gripped his wand tighter, looking the Dark Lord straight in the eyes. This was it, his last battle. He expected it to be more crowded. He expected Deatheaters and the Order fighting around him, reassuring him with their presence… or at least that Ron and Hermione would be there to urge him on… no, that would have been too egoistic, he couldn't let his friends be killed if he screwed up. Alone was better. Alone face-to-face with the one he loathed so much… but Harry couldn't pretend he wasn't scared.
Voldemort raised his wand. Harry was prepared to block the magic… unless of course it was Avada Kedavra. Suddenly You-Know-Who's wand dropped from his hand. His face screwed up in a distinct expression of agony. He gripped his stomach, and Harry could see sweat forming on his smooth colourless forehead. Harry's heart raced. It could mean only one thing. Ron and Hermione killed Nagini. Harry prepared himself for the battle, being in much better spirit now. He waited. He couldn't strike now. He had to see his face; he had to the face of the murderer. After some time Voldemort straightened. He looked at Harry and laughed.
"Being your noble self, Potter? Not striking a man when his back is turned?"
But Harry saw something else in those horrible eyes. It was not only the pretence of amusement and not only the hate… he saw fear. He hated him, hated him! He killed his parents! It was his fault Sirius and Dumbledore died! And the Longbottoms tortured! Voldemort raised his wand but Harry was ahead of him.
"You are no man!" he screamed, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Voldemort's body never hit the earth of the cemetery. He didn't belong there. His shriek melted into ashes, as did his body. His remains were swept away by the wind.
"TEN MINUTES, MR. POTTER!" someone yelled from outside Harry's tent, making him jump and knocking him out of the spell of his thoughts.
He looked at his watch. They were new and waterproof, unlike the old one that broke during his second task of the Triwizard tournament in his fourth year. It was a special gift from Hermione. Just in case there will be water in this Tournament, she said to Harry, giving him the watch and a friendly smile.
Harry still couldn't believe he was chosen in this Triwizard Tournament, which was set in celebration of the defeat of the Dark Lord. Sometimes looking around at people, Harry had this stupid thought, that they were celebrating as if they did it themselves, as if they stood in front of him and looked into his hate filled eyes. Anger boiled inside him at these moments and he tried hard to stop it from coming to the surface. Did they know what it felt like? They didn't! They knew nothing!
Harry forced himself to calm down a little. He was nervous. Maybe the people chose him as a champion thinking that he can do anything if he killed You-Know-Who. After the Goblet was destroyed accidentally during one of Voldemort's attacks upon the Ministry, people voted for their champions. Hogwarts voted for Harry, but it didn't make him feel any braver. Good thing the Tournament was at Hogwarts again. At least he felt like he belonged. After all, Hogwarts was his home.
"FIVE MINUTES. THE CHAMPIONS ARE TO GATHER IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL!"
Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was it. Maybe he didn't really want to be a champion, but he might as well try his best to win. He slowly exhaled and stepped out of the tent into the bright June morning.
Harry walked towards a group of people standing right in front of the Great Oak doors. There were Headmistress McGonagal and Madam Maxime and Potapoff, who was Durmstrang's headmaster now. Professor McGonagal looked her usual strict self, but nevertheless, Harry could swear her lips twisted in a brief smile as he approached. Madam Maxime was as gigantic as usual. She was standing with Hagrid, who was as red as a tomato, whispering something in his ear and covering with a fan and giggling like a schoolgirl, which sounded more like a neigh of a mad horse. Her other arm was placed on Beauxbaton champion, who was a young man of extremely delicate aristocratic appearance. His knees were shaking a little now, as Harry observed, and it was not because of him being nervous. He tried to escape from underneath his headmistress's more then average arm but in vain. Every time he almost succeeded, she pressed him closer making him suffocate from the sudden and inevitable contact with her more then average belly. Potapoff, very contrary to the previous Headmaster, was a round little man with a little more then healthy blush on his puffy cheeks. He always ran out of breath and his students had to float him up the stairs if it was a long way. Nevertheless Harry liked him. His smile was kind (although some could say, he smiled because he has no idea what's going on) and his eyes reminded Harry of Dumbledore, although there wasn't a glint of all knowing intelligence in them.
Harry stood not far from the judge's table, waiting for their instructions. A big magical screen hung right in front of the crowd. Harry recalled seeing one like that on the Quidditch World Cup, the one that flashed advertisements of products. This time it was divided into three equal parts, showing the faces of the champions. Harry hardly recognized his firm set features. Steady emerald fire blazed in his eyes.
He turned away from the screen. His eyes scanned the crowd on the stands, searching for friendly faces. Hermione, Ron and Ginny stood up and waved at him. Harry smiled and waved back. Hermione pointed somewhere to the left of her and winked. Harry's eyes shifted in that direction and he noticed a big poster in Dean's and Seamus' hands. It was an old one, from his first Quidditch match. It flashed, "Potter for president", in different colours and had a roaring lion on it. Harry beamed, feeling his eyes sting a little. All of them, they were great friends. The best in the whole world!
"Attention students and champions!" boomed the voice of the Minister of Magic, "The first round of this year's Triwizard Tournament is about to commence! Let me inform you all about the regulations. The Tournament will have three tasks. This year it is decided that it will take form of a scavenger hunt. You will have to find three absolutely random things. Clues will be given out in riddle forms. In this task you will not have a prior clue to your piece of puzzle. You will only have directions on how to find it. However in this task you will find not only the piece of puzzle you are looking for but also the clue to the origin of your next puzzle piece. It is all up to you to figure out your directions. Do not try to ask help from anyone or anything what so ever. Teachers will be observing your progress. All your puzzles are hidden in the same place, but we will send you into three different directions. The length of the way depends only on your ability to figure your clue our. The clues will be able to give you hints, however points will be taken for the number of hints you asked for, as well as time extensions. Champions from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang have a very detailed map of Hogwarts charmed into their minds. The Hogwarts champion will do without it, to make the game fair. You have an hour. Upon my signal, you may enter the castle", he paused. "On your marks, get set, go!"