VERY QUICK AN: AU from the very beginning. Rated T mainly for language and later for violence and threat. Potential triggers early on and thoroughout for anxiety and panic attacks. Anything else appearing brief that may fall into these catogories will be mentioned at the top of the chapter.

Other than that enjoy! x

PART ONE

THE TOURNAMENT

CHAPTER 1

Today was the big day. The day Hogwarts had been waiting for since Professor Dumbledore announced that we would be the hosts of the Triwizard Tournament. Today we were going to find out who exactly we would be backing for the remainder of the year and who the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons Champions were going to be.

At first I hadn't been that excited, I was kind of annoyed about there being no Quidditch, because if there was only one thing I really enjoyed at Hogwarts it was a good, competitive Quidditch match. But as the month of September progressed, I started to feel the hype build within the castle. There was talk about the other schools, talk about who was going to enter and who of those people was most likely to become the Hogwarts Champion. It was a lot better than last year when we had the Dementors at every gate and the year before that when the Basilisk was petrifying Muggleborns. For once this year was making up for the awful summer I'd had.

I'd always considered Hogwarts my home, ever since I stepped foot onto the train at Platform 9 and ¾ at age eleven. Every year right from the very beginning of the summer I counted the days until September first, until I was back at Hogwarts again.

During the summer I was permanently housed at a Magical Children's Home just outside London, Caylrix House. People came and went almost weekly during the Summer, some more traumatised than others, some for just the night and some for longer. I'd been there since, well, forever. Never exciting or interesting enough to be adopted or rehomed, never disruptive or crazy enough to be moved to Caylrix's sister home, Caylarium Institution, never vocal enough to be moved somewhere safer. Caylrix House was a horrible place to grow up in and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

This summer had been the worse because I wasn't able to see Fay once, not until we went to Diagon Alley to pick up this year's school supplies. I hadn't done anything wrong, not really, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I said the wrong thing.

Anyway, on the morning of Halloween Fay obnoxiously woke up the whole dormitory, and for once Lavender Brown didn't complain and Hermione Granger didn't roll her eyes. We all got along just fine and deeply speculated about our future Champion before agreeing, due to house pride, that we wanted sixth year Angelina Johnson to get her name drawn from the cup. She definitely struck me as a good contender and I'd be really happy to support her in the tournament.

Because today was going to be such an eventful day, Dumbledore had declared that there would be no classes on the grounds that we would all be way to excited to concentrate. I was eternally grateful because double History of Magic was not something I wanted to sit through today. Nor did I particularly want search my Inner Eye for something equally depressing in a subject I would rather have not taken at all. So yes, today being a Monday, the general consensus was that a three day weekend was an extremely good thing to all three schools.

After breakfast, Fay and I secured some bench space where we'd be able to A, see who was placing their name in the Goblet of Fire and B, do some work or play cards for a long period of time.

About an hour after breakfast and after a rather violent game of Wizarding Snap with Seamus and Dean, the Durmstrang delegation returned to the hall and one by one submitted their names, Viktor Krum entering last. Fay sighed half-heartedly and muttered something so dirty that I prefered not to react to it. It was sometimes extremely hard to believe, if only just by a month and a bit, that she was older than me: Fay's birthday being the 3rd September and mine the 14th October.

"That was way too graphic, Dunbar," Seamus scowled, mockingly covering his ears with his hands.

"Don't be jealous, Finnigan," Fay responded with a grin as she watched Krum leave the hall with his classmates, "It's not everyday you meet a Quidditch Legend."

Seamus snorted and muttered something to Dean that I couldn't decipher, but both boys laughed so I assumed it was either about Krum or Fay, or both. I knew it wasn't malicious though, Fay and Seamus were constantly arguing and to be totally honest, they were both as bad as each other and had been since the day they met. Dean and I, and on the odd occasion Neville Longbottom (who was currently nowhere in sight), just ended up watching them fight half the time and placing bets on which one was going to win.

Later on that morning, every spectator in the hall was in for a major treat as the Weasley twins attempted to cross the age line that Dumbledore had drew. I knew from the beginning it wouldn't work, but I wasn't about to point it out. Their friend Lee Jordan and the rest of the hall watched and laughed as the twins were knocked backwards several feet just as soon as they had both crossed the line. That wasn't all, when the two sat up they had both sprouted long grey beards, not dissimilar to Dumbledore's himself, and the hall roared with laughter as the two fought, only to be taken to Hospital Wing by Lee a few minutes later. The hall seemed to buzz with excitement and amusement for at least half an hour after that, maybe even longer if I'd been bothered to count.

A steady stream of people entered their names after that including the suspected part-veela girl, Fleur Delacour; Cedric Diggory, a sixth year Hufflepuff; and, as expected, Angelina entered just after lunch. We stayed in the hall most of the afternoon and a good fifteen other Hogwarts students placed their names in the Goblet of Fire. Meanwhile, I actually managed to do something productive for once, completing a piece of Charms work due the following morning.

Getting work done on time was just not something I was too good at. Too many times had I been on the receiving end of a detention for non-completion of work. There was never any particular reason either, bar from the fact I lacked any motivation until it was very last minute, sometimes too last minute.

Soon enough, everyone in the castle had finished their Halloween feast and the Hall had been cleared for the drawing of the Champions. Fay and I found a spot in the corner near the door, where we could pretty much gauge the reactions of the whole hall. Fay was a sucker for people-watching; I simply tagged along just for her commentary on everything and everyone she saw.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore, who had quietened the hall just by standing up. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" - he indicated the door behind the staff table - "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

Once he'd finished, he drew his wand and gave a great sweeping wave. All the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging the whole hall into a state of what to me, was an uncomfortable darkness. Despite disliking the dark, the Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, it's brightness almost painful to look at, making me and many others squint a little at first. Everyone watched, waiting and Fay, who after checking her own wrist, noted in a quiet whisper that a few people were checking their watches in anticipation.

"Any second," someone whispered loudly just a few seats away.

The flames inside the goblet of fire turned bright red and sparks flew in all directions. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, and charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it, making the whole hall gasp in delight. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment between two fingers and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to the whitey-blue from before.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he paused for dramatic effect, "will be Viktor Krum."

A storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall and I was sure over the other shouts I heard Ron Weasley shout something from where he was sat with Hermione and Harry Potter. The red-head seemed to greatly admire the Quidditch player, perhaps even more than Fay did. Viktor Krum rose from where he'd sat at the Slytherin table and strode up toward Dumbledore. Taking his parchment, he turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.

"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, the Durmstrang Headmaster so loudly that everyone in the hall could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"

The clapping and chatting died down soon enough, and everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, pausing one more for effect, "is Fleur Delacour!"

"It's her, the half-veela girl," I shouted over the noise to Fay as the girl got gracefully to her feet, shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair, and swept up between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

"Oh look, they're all devastated," Fay responded sarcastically, pointing discretely towards the remainder of the Beauxbatons party. I figured that was the understatement of the year as two of the Beauxbaton girls, who had not been selected, dissolved into tears and were sobbing into their laps.

When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost feel it. After all this was the Hogwarts Champion about to be drawn. Most of the people in this hall were about to be backing this one person.

And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment. I crossed my fingers for Angelina.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

The uproar from the next table was indescribable. Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly. Of course as Fay and I joined in I smiled, happy that, for once, their house was going to get some recognition. Diggory headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. and the applause went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again over us all.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as we fell into a excited lull. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real —"

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was so very apparent to everybody what had distracted him. The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and thereupon it was another piece of parchment.

I frowned, there couldn't be another Champion. There were only three schools her not four. Fay, just as perplexed as I was, turned to me and whispered loudly, "What the hell is happening?"

Her whisper was one of many unanswered ones as Dumbledore took the parchment from the air and every person's gaze was fixed to him. I could feel the anxiety building inside me, just as I expected it was with many others as Dumbledore cleared his throat and looked towards the Gryffindor table, our table.

"Jamie Williams."