The students of Hogwarts stood uncomfortably in the cold Scottish weather, awaiting the arrival of the two other schools competing in the TriWizard cup. Harry looked to his hands, seeing small green flames appearing in his palms. With a start he rubbed his hands together to put out the flames.
He had been having problems with his magic ever since the quidditch world cup, for example he had woken up a few times to find long black feathers in his bed, small green flames would randomly ignite on or around him and the weirdest of all he would often find girls around the school staring at him when he went past, some even walked into things because of their lack of attention. He figured some of it must have been the twins pranking him, a few well placed compulsion charms and igniting spells and the feathers were obviously placed while he slept. The only thing he could think of that would make him a target for the twins though was that he wasn't as strongly affected by the Veela magic from the Bulgarian cheerleaders.
Harry was so focused on trying to figure out the reason for this apparent prank that he missed the Durmstrang students arriving in a boat that rose out of the black lake. It was only when Ron almost swooned at the sight of Victor Krum did he look up to see the stern faces of the North-Eastern European students, leading them was a stern looking man who sneered upon sighting Harry but immediately became timid upon sighting Dumbledore.
"Ah Igor, it's so good to see you again!" Dumbledore explained with a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smirk.
"It is, uh, good to see you too Albus." Igor Karkaroff said in reply, putting extra emphasis on the 'U'.
"You and your students may go inside and sit in the great hall, a feast will begin as soon as the students from Beauxbatons have arrived." Dumbledore explained as Igor nodded and led his students inside, about half of the Hogwarts students followed them inside having had enough of waiting in the cold.
It was only a few minutes later that a cry filled the air.
"I see them!" Was yelled as fingers pointed straight up into the air where the freezing students of Hogwarts saw a huge carriage being pulled by equally large winged horses flying through the air. It came to a stop in the castle grounds and the door to the carriage swung open allowing a set of small stairs to drop down.
From the door stepped a woman who was as tall as Hagrid or possibly even taller. She walked forward with a purposeful stride, behind her came the students of Beauxbatons. Most of the students appeared to be girls but there were a few boys mixed into the group. The boys of Hogwarts were struck dumb by the appearance of most of the girls but then one girl stepped out of the carriage and all eyes turned to her.
Fleur Delacour, a part Veela had long gotten used to the stares of the male gender but one thing she wasn't used to was seeing the girls of Beauxbatons stare at a boy. For while she had the attention of the males of Hogwarts there seemed to be a boy, who was only looking on curiously, that attracted the attention of the girls of Beauxbatons. There wasn't much special about the boy, his eyes were an amazing shade of green, and his hair did look good, despite it covering his forehead and seemed untamable.
It was with a start that she realized what was causing it. Veela magic radiated off the boy in waves but it appeared he was pre-awakening.
A little known fact about those of Veela heritage is that to protect the species a Veela's magic will make the witch or sometimes wizard go through an awakening during a time of emotional distress that converts them into full Veela. She had undergone her awakening when she turned thirteen and her sister was on the way to awakening soon too. The boy must not know he was Veela though otherwise he would have seen the signs and started preparing and he most certainly wasn't prepared.
Fleur was so distracted by Harry that she missed Dumbledore's welcome to the school and just followed her headmistress into the great hall of Hogwarts.
Harry stared after the silvery-blonde girl as she walked with the rest of the Beauxbatons students. His theory of a prank was gone now, there was no way for the twins to have charmed the visiting students, but his curiosity had been piqued by the one girl that had just glanced at him, looked him up and down and then looked forward again with a contemplative look on her face.
The feast began as the students all took their seats. The Slytherin table had been extended to accommodate the Durmstrang students and the Ravenclaw table which now housed the Beauxbatons students as well. Throughout the feast Harry and Fleur could feel eyes on themselves, almost every male would glance at Fleur every now and then and the females would let their eyes wander towards where Harry sat at the Gryffindor table. Both had long gotten used to people staring, Fleur was well accustomed to lust filled eyes ever since her awakening and Harry was used to his fame from being the-boy-who-lived.
Neither was bothered by the staring until suddenly they both looked up from the remainders of their food, their eyes met and seemed to lock in place. Harry could admit that she was beautiful, she had long silver-blonde hair and dark blue eyes that almost perfectly hid a deep loneliness within, a loneliness he had often seen in his own eyes. She had flawless pale skin that seemed to glow in the torchlight of the great hall.
The two of them continued to stare at each other until suddenly a crack of thunder from the enchanted roof caused the two to start and look towards the head table where a grizzled man with a limp and a magical prosthetic eye whipped his wand out and fired a spell into the roof causing it to return to its usual calm state.
"Ah thank you Alastor." Dumbledore said, "Seeing as I appear to have everyone's attention I may as well explain to you how the champions for each school will be selected. This method has been used for every single TriWizard tournament ever held. An unbiased judge will be given the names of the students who wish to compete and one week from today the champions names will be released to the schools." Explained Dumbledore.
As he said this Argus Filch came into the room through the large doors pulling a jeweled casket behind him.
"Ahh here is the judge now" Exclaimed Dumbledore with glee. "Thank you Argus."
Filch sneered to the students he passed as he pulled the casket all the way to the front of the hall. Upon arriving he gingerly lifted it up onto the platform that the teachers table rested on, with a nod of approval from Dumbledore (and a muttered "Filthy squib" from Karkaroff) Filch left the great hall, Mrs. Norris hissed at students from the door into the hall until Filch walked back out taking the cat with him.
Dumbledore pulled his wand out of his robes and the three sets of students stared transfixed as he touched his wand to the top of the casket and dragged it down to the base. As his wand moved down the box it seemed to disappear, leaving behind a large wooden goblet on a base made of stone.
"This is the impartial judge that has chosen every TriWizard champion since the tournaments conception. The Goblet of Fire!" Dumbledore exclaimed, as he said it's name the goblet activated, blue flames ignited within the cup and started to dance around creating intricate patterns and shadows. "Any student who wishes to enter must write their name and school on a slip of parchment and place them within the cup before the champions are chosen."
Excited whispering broke among the students, several of Harry's year-mates from Gryffindor began boasting amongst each other on who would be selected by the cup, until…
"Due to the danger posed by this tournament the Ministries of Magic of England, France and Scandinavia have decided that any student wishing to participate must be of age, thus I will be drawing an age line around the cup. Only students 17 years or older will be able to cross it without repercussions." Dumbledore cut through the whispers, and silenced them immediately.
Harry sighed in relief, if there was an age limit he might actually have a quiet year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Both Harry and Fleur forgot the minute of connection they had shared and finished their feast before going their separate ways, Harry returning to Gryffindor tower and Fleur returning to the Beauxbatons carriage.
Over the course of the next week things had seemed pretty normal, the staring had died down and the other little things seemed to be happening less and less. Each time he saw the girl, Fleur he had learned was her name from a few Ravenclaws, his magic seemed to settle just a little bit more and with it his normally turbulent emotions fueled by teenage hormones didn't seem to bother him as much anymore. Although that was all about to come crashing down.
All the students seated in the great hall ate their dinner and stared at the Goblet of Fire that still glowed with the same ethereal blue flames as when it was first lit. All waiting the selection of the champions. Nearing the end of the meal the flames began to die down before flaring up with a brilliant gold.
"It is time for the champions selection." Exclaimed Dumbledore as he rose from his seat and strode to the Goblet. The golden flames flickered before turning into a brilliant red and spitting a scrap of parchment out of the top.
"The Champion for Durmstrang institute of Magic is, Victor Krum!" Called Dumbledore as Victor stood up to the cheers of the assembled students. With a small bow Victor strode to the front of the hall and was sent into a room off to the side of the hall. The flames started to glow a brilliant sapphire now, the flames seemed to swirl around themselves until another piece of parchment shot out.
"The Champion of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is, Fleur Delacour!" Dumbledore said with a smile towards the girl, Fleur stood up in shock having not expected to be selected. With a small curtsey she got up and walked towards the front and into the same side chamber. The flames now turned to a bronze colour and continued to swirl and send shadows dancing around the room. The seemingly final piece of parchment shot out and was nimbly picked out of the air by Dumbledore.
"And the final Champion, the Champion of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is…" He let the tension build within his own student body, "Cedric Diggory! Do us proud my boy." He said with a grandfatherly smile. The cheers for Cedric were almost deafening as even the Slytherins clapped (as the house of the cunning they knew that putting on a mask of happiness was sometimes necessary to achieve their goals). Harry let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.
"Now that our champions are selected the Headmasters and Headmistress will meet with the judges and champions to…" He was cut off as the flames within the Goblet turned a brilliant emerald green and spat out a final piece of parchment.
"Harry Potter" The silence that followed that statement was in a way even more deafening than Cedric's applause. Dumbledore gestured to Harry to go to the chamber and he resignedly got up and walked over, the judges and school heads arguing quietly behind him as they followed.
Upon Harry's entrance into the room the champions looked at him strangely.
"Do they want us back in there Harry?" Questioned Cedric, Harry looked up at Cedric and sighed, he had always been good competition in quidditch and a friendly lad at the world cup over the summer and now he couldn't help but feel like he was stealing his spotlight.
"Just wait." He said calmly before counting down from three on his fingers.
Dumbledore, Madame Maxine, Karkaroff, Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman all entered the room and immediately came over to Harry who had leaned against the wall.
"Harry did you enter your name into the Goblet of Fire?" Questioned Dumbledore calmly, Harry was surprised he hadn't burst into the room and shaken him violently.
"No sir I didn't" He said calmly.
"He is lying, he must have gotten an older student to put his name in!" Yelled Karkaroff. "I demand a redraw! And this liar and cheat to be severely punished."
"There can be no redraw, once the goblet has chosen there is a magically binding contract in place." Explained Bagman as he shook an annoyed Harry's hand vigorously.
"Anyway a confundus charm powerful enough to trick that cup would have to have been pulled off by quite a powerful wizard." Explained Moody as he limped into the room and took a swig from his flask.
"A wizard like you perhaps seeing as you know so much about it" insinuated Karkaroff.
"No but I am trained to find and think like dark wizards or don't you remember Igor" Moody snarled.
"Whatever, I do not care how it was done I want this cheater punished!" Karkaroff yelled, "Was your fame not enough for you boy? Do you have a compulsive need to be better than everyone else?" He snarled.
"I just want a quiet year at school, if a dark lord, a basilisk and an escaped convict coming after me doesn't warrant a calm year I don't know what does." Harry retorted.
"You don't even try to invent convincing lies do you, you foul little boy!" Karkaroff was now right in Harry's face, the other champions looked on worriedly as both student and headmaster reached for their wands.
"I am not a liar, I don't care about fame nor this stupid bloody tournament. I JUST WANT SOME DAMN PEACE!" Yelled Harry as his eyes seemed to glow with the same emerald green fire as the Goblet. He looked ready to curse Karkaroff but suddenly paused as a pulse of magic radiated off of him and knocked back everyone but Fleur.
With a scream Harry fell to the floor clutching at his head. He continued to scream as his fingernails extended into talons and scratched at his skin, leaving tracks of damaged flesh. His hair started to grow longer and longer and slowly melded together forming into long black feathers that reached all the way down his back to his hips, his robes began to rip and tear as two large black scaly wings ripped through the back of his robes leaving his torso bare. His shoes exploded open as his feet became more birdlike talons. Emerald green flames coated his hands and created a ring of fire around him. His lips hardened and extended out from his face into a beak.
His screams were now muffled from the sudden change in appearance. Dumbledore tried to move to the boys side but was beaten to it by Fleur.
" 'Arry you must focus on my voice." She whispered, "Ignore your emotions entirely and let it all fade away."
Harry groaned weakly as his transformation began to reverse leaving him shirtless and unconscious.
"Professor Dumbledore. Where is ze infirmary?" Questioned Fleur quietly. Dumbledore seemed to be the only one not struck dumb by what they had just witnessed but Fleur's question seemed to snap everyone out of it, before anymore questions could be asked Dumbledore intervened.
"Ludo could you explain to Victor, Fleur and Cedric about when the first event will take place while I take Harry to the infirmary?" Asked Dumbledore, getting an affirmative response he levitated Harry up and rushed to the infirmary. All the while Fleur watched on confused with herself.
A/N New story… Probably some unhappy followers somewhere… oh well ;P
This is one of the few ideas I have been toying with lately and wanted to write down while it was fresh and decided what the heck, I haven't got any Harry Potter fanfics anyway. Expanding my fanbase is always a good idea I guess. Any of my older followers reading this just a heads up, there are ideas for my established stories swirling around in my head too and hopefully they'll be put to paper in the next few days… or weeks…
Thanks Trigger2332 out!