Beta: Mrs. ThorfinnRowle
This first chapter also contains inputs from Srikanth1808
Chapter 1 – The Goblet of Fire
Who will be our Champion?
The Triwizard Tournament –which is unarguably said to be the most prestigious competition ever to be organized between the three largest wizarding schools in Europe, needs no further introduction, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent for the Daily Prophet. With this fierce, demanding and equally rewarding tournament being brought back into our traditions once again, the credit for which goes to none other than the leader of Britain, the Supreme Lord Voldemort. The public interest throughout the realm has been unprecedented ever since its announcement a month ago. The revival of the Tournament after almost a century can be said to be a small part of the Supreme Lord's pledge to bring back our wizarding world to its former glory.
As our regular readers are certainly aware, the representatives from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, the two other participating schools, have already been made comfortable at the host school of Britain, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. One champion from each of the three schools' eligible contenders will be selected by an unbiased judge, the Goblet of Fire, conforming to the age-old traditional practice. For those of our readers who are out of touch with the customs, the selection by the Goblet constitutes a binding magical contract, compelling the Champions to participate in three extremely dangerous Tasks failing which they would forfeit their magic. With the grand prize of one million Galleons at stake and not to mention the chance to bring glory for themselves and their school, up for grabs, the Champions need no further incentive to participate and compete – and yet, the daunting nature of the Tasks has forced many a Champion in the past to compete against their will, and in some cases, give up their life in the process.
Rumors have been abounding that the Supreme Lord Voldemort will have a vested interest in the Tournament, on account of this event being his own brainchild and a culmination of his untiring efforts. If the grapevine in the Department of International Magical Cooperation is to be believed, the Supreme Lord may offer yet another surprise reward to the victor of the Triwizard Cup, if he or she manages to impress him. We are all aware that Lord Voldemort is not an easy person to sway, so convincing him in itself will be quite an accomplishment.
Severus Snape, the curt Headmaster of Hogwarts was only available for a short comment. When asked if he wanted a Hogwarts student to win the Tournament, he replied, "Of course, I wish for the Hogwarts Champion to win the Triwizard Cup. Keeping in mind the safety of students, the new rules will allow only the students who are of age, to participate. Our school curriculum is undoubtedly the most extensive there is, which makes me confident that our Champion will manage the Tasks better than the others." He gave no comments when asked if he had any particular student in mind who could be the Hogwarts Champion. It is well worth noting, dear readers, that the heir of the current British Minister of Magic Lord Lucius Malfoy, is currently a seventh year student at Hogwarts.
It seems fair to say that, just like you, our dear readers, we at The Daily Prophet are very excited to find out who the Hogwarts Champion – and by extension, our own contender – will be. If the rumors prove to be true, the proceedings of the Tournament will make for quite an interesting show. The Ministry officials are being unusually tightlipped about the traditional three Tasks of this tournament; no doubt restrained by the secrecy clause. Don't miss out on exclusive coverage of this grand affair by your beloved correspondent, Rita Skeeter.
Harry Potter quietly put aside the copy of his Daily Prophet after reading the front page article, and perused the options available for his breakfast. His seventh year at school had just begun and the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament this year had to be the most important thing to have ever happened in his entire school career. The entire country was thrilled over the renewal of this tournament and the undivided press attention was just fueling their interest further, and selling more copies on the account, no doubt!
It was almost twenty years since the famous battle of Hogwarts, after which the reign of Lord Voldemort over the wizarding Britain had begun. Harry's own parents were the students here, both Head Boy and Girl at the time and had even participated in the battle themselves against the Dark Lord Grindelward's forces. A war memorial stood at the gates of Hogwarts to commemorate those students who had died fighting for their school, a grim reminder to everyone how innocents are the first ones to suffer in a conflict of ideals.
Lord Voldemort had taken over the title of the Supreme Lord after his glorious victory and had ruled the British Wizarding world ever since. In the new era of his rule, the law and order were given top priority. Many reforms had been undertaken but any connections to the muggle world or people were actively discouraged. People had eventually left the dark times behind them and the wizarding society and trade was now prosperous as ever. The Supreme Lord had never interfered in the affairs of Hogwarts but it was well known that he regularly tracked the school records and gave priority to uplifting the standard of magical education. In all his time at his school, Harry couldn't recall any impositions from the Supreme Lord or the Ministry when it came to the matters of Hogwarts, other than his ex-DADA professors who were alleged to have been recommended by the Ministry on the Supreme Lord's instructions.
Ronald Weasley, the only student at Hogwarts that could be called his friend – not that Harry had a choice in the matter, with the boy following him everywhere since they were kids, on an excuse of being a family friend– also the person whose mouth was currently stuffed with the sandwich he was eating, asked him, "What does Skeeter say in the article, Harry?"
Harry had stopped telling Ron off for his eating habits long ago; however, he couldn't help shaking his head at the indolence of his friend to even read the article himself. He replied to him in an even tone, "That the winner of the Tournament may get a reward from the Supreme Lord himself."
Even though Skeeter had labeled this as a rumor, Harry was smart enough to know that the rumors she usually placed inside her articles, more often than not, turned out to be true in the end. The reporter had to have an insider working in important circles, or she was a very good spy herself. In fact, Harry himself had been wondering at the reason the other two schools had agreed to participate. They could have easily afforded the million galleons themselves, but a prize from the renowned Lord Voldemort must have obviously motivated them to take part.
Meanwhile, Ron had opened his still almost full mouth in surprise. "That's wick…"
Before Harry could bring himself to point this out to his friend, he was beaten to it by Hermione Pritchard, the adoptive daughter of the honorable House of Pritchard, and currently the Head Girl of the school.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Weasley?" she said, in her high, condescending voice. "Don't open your mouth while you eat! It's been seven years since you joined here, and you still lack the basic manners and etiquette. How were you even chosen as a prefect, I will never understand!"
Ron shut his mouth pretty quickly and turned bright red with embarrassment after the angry rebuke. Harry was well aware of the secret crush Ron had on the brown haired Gryffindor for some time now, but the boy had not been able to tell her about his feelings yet. Seeing as how she hated anything that went against her Pureblood upbringing with a passion, Harry had a good idea of how she would react to Ron's declaration even if he could bring himself to it. It was a lost cause, and being a good friend or rather preferring to not be the shoulder to be cried on when Ron finally broke his heart, Harry wisely did not want to involve himself in the matter.
It was however funny that Pritchard was openly declaring that she could not understand something. As far as Harry knew about the girl, she was rather obstinate with comprehending anything that caught her attention.
"Well, we are going to know who the champions will be by tomorrow night anyway," Harry told Ron, eyeing the Beauxbatons students who looked far too comfortable at the adjacent Ravenclaw table.
Ron, who had swallowed his food hastily by now, spoke up. His voice came out loud. "So Harry, are you going to put your name in?"
Unfortunately, the question seemed to garner attention from the other surrounding students at the Gryffindor table.
"Of course, Ron! My birthday was in July itself, so I'm pretty sure I qualify," Harry told him, not forgetting to keep the uncomfortable tone in his voice. Reflexively, his hand went to his face, straightening his glasses. It was for times like these that Harry really wore his square rimmed glasses, to shield himself behind them whenever he acquired unwanted attention; his eyesight had been corrected long ago. Besides, his Uncle Padfoot would never forgive him if he didn't even volunteer his name for the tournament.
Harry's godfather, the newly crowned Lord Black, lived his life solely for adventures, and Harry himself had often been unwittingly caught along in the man's adventures. However, Harry soon found out that they didn't always end up being as fun as Uncle Padfoot persistently promised. One time, Harry had ended up saving his godfather from the brink of death when they had encountered some rogue Dementors on one of their adventures gone wrong. He still got chills whenever he thought about that time.
"We are in the House of Brave for a reason, Weasley. We have to put our names in the Goblet, it will be against the honor of our House if anyone didn't." Hermione Pritchard spoke up, brushing aside her brown bushy hair, haughtily. Trust a Gryffindor, to make everything all about pride!
There were murmurs of agreement all through the seventh year students, and some even from the excited sixth years. Ron, whose face had turned red at the head girl's response to his question, replied quickly, "I didn't really doubt it, Pritchard. We were going to put our names together, that's why I asked Harry about it."
"Whatever," was Pritchard's response before she turned her attention away; something Harry was thankful for. The girl was much too observant for Harry's liking. In fact, Harry had a suspicion that she was suspicious of him for some reason, for he had caught her observing him several times with a mistrustful look on her face; Gryffindors never really learnt the art of being subtle.
At his side, Ron heaved a sigh of relief. "Wow, that girl is as Gryffindor as they come!"
Brash, demanding, intrusive, loud; Harry couldn't agree more!
Harry rolled his eyes at his friend, sensibly refraining from making any verbal comment. He couldn't help but glance at the Slytherin table, where the students were gathered around Draco Malfoy, son of the current Minister for Magic and the Hogwarts Head Boy. Malfoy's characteristic bright blond hair was clearly visible from Harry's seat. Judging by their unusually enthusiastic faces, it looked like the Slytherins were pretty confident who the Hogwarts champion was going to be. The Prophet too had subtly mentioned the Malfoy Heir as the only possible candidate. Harry couldn't help noticing that Malfoy looked rather subdued than he had expected him to be, and was gazing down at his plate in silence. Whether Draco Malfoy did not want to compete or he was merely nervous, Harry couldn't tell.
Looking back at his own plate, Harry thought about what this opportunity meant for him. For the last six years at the school, Harry had mostly lived in shadows if one excluded his brief stint as the Seeker for his Quidditch House team. He had mostly spent his time here learning as much as the school and its resources could offer him. He had never needed any friends, his godfather more than made up for any teenage company whenever he needed it. Even during his holidays, most of Harry's time was spent on learning something new, mostly about the muggle world.
It was Harry's mother who had always insisted that despite the narrow minded views of the wizarding society about muggles, her son learnt everything that was worth knowing; the best of both the worlds, she used to say. And so, despite the undeclared rule to not intermingle with the muggles, Harry did precisely that.
Lily Potter had been the best mother that ever was, which made her loss that much painful for Harry. Since the time he had gained consciousness of the world, his mother had always been there for him; be it as his nurturer, his protector, his teacher or his friend. Lily had been the one constant that never changed for Harry till death had parted their ways. His father, James Potter, had always been busy as his taxing job as Auror required him to be. Seeing that, Lily had downright refused to work until Harry had begun Hogwarts as a student. Harry had always been her top priority in her life, there was never any doubt about that.
Harry could recognize the passion his mother had for researching the complex strands of magic, not that he could apprehend any of her advanced work at the time. But even then, Lily devoted most of her time on her son and as a result, she knew him more than he himself ever did. She was the first one to spot his skill on the broom, which his father and godfather had devotedly then aided him to improve.
For all her constant love and guidance, his mother only ever asked one single thing of Harry, to keep some secrets between them. He was to never tell anyone else about the magic that they practiced together, he was to make no mention about his Parseltongue ability in front of anyone, nor about the details of his wand and neither about the frequent visits they made to the muggle world. Of course, these requests made by his mother had made no sense to Harry then, but now he could appreciate her wisdom quite aptly.
His mother had introduced Harry to her sister Petunia Dursley and her small family consisting of her husband and an only son. Harry had been introduced to his muggle cousin Dudley, and even though Harry never liked his extended family much, he regularly visited them nonetheless for the sake of her mother. Despite his many faults, Dudley had an extensive knowledge of computers and gadgets as well as muggle combat fighting, something Harry had been thankful to learn and get updated about by his cousin. He had come to appreciate the prospects muggle knowledge offered and so he had continued his familiarity with the muggle world even after his mother had passed away. Harry missed her terribly, and whenever the longing became too much for him to bear, he could always turn to the muggle world for distraction and it was yet to disappoint him.
Lily Potter had been a respectable name among the Unspeakables and she was known for her creative and ingenious mind. She had been advancing rather well in her department in the brief years that she had worked there. She had always told Harry that all of her creative ideas usually had an inspiration from the muggle world. Looking at how the muggle world was making strides in advancing their technology and inventions, Harry knew that his mother was right. The muggle world definitely helped widen the scope of his imagination with their innovative concepts.
Yes, Harry thought that it was definitely now time, for him to test his skills as well as his limits. And this tournament promised to be exactly the opportunity Harry needed at the time.
Yes, he was definitely going to enter this tournament with a clear and convinced mind and hope that the Goblet of Fire would deem him capable enough to participate.
That very night after dinner, Headmaster Snape announced the names of the judges who would be on the panel to evaluate the Champions.
"A representative from each participating country's ministry has been chosen to be on the panel of the three judges. First, please welcome, Madame Juliette Moreau, Head of the Department of International Cooperation, French Ministry of Magic," Headmaster Snape announced in his deep clear voice, which was devoid of any emotion, just like all the speeches the man ever made.
There was a slight applause which substantially increased in volume when the lady in question stood up to greet the Great Hall. If Harry could explain her in one word, attractive was the word which instantly came to mind. Blond hair, clear blue eyes and an allure like Harry had never felt, except…
…except when he had seen the Veelas at the Quidditch World Cup. Oh, so this lady was a Veela, who was using her charms, quite successfully, to earn the loud applause from her audience. Harry tightened his Occlumency shields and effectively repulsed the Veela magic out of his mind. Moreau was only a part-Veela, and hence it was too easy for Harry to overcome her allure. He had effectively overcome the full-fledged Veelas that were Bulgarian Quidditch team's mascots, much to his father's pride. His godfather hadn't been so lucky; Harry wasn't sure the man had even tried to use his Occlumency shields.
Harry could now appreciate how the woman had come to occupy such a high position and why she had been selected in the first place. Her magical allure aside, she had a winning smile on her striking face and an elegant grace about her, which itself was bound to get her access inside many élite circles. The British magical community usually underestimated the Veelas but Harry knew that underneath all their charms, they could be as cunning politicians as the ordinary wizards. Their position in the French community and in its ministry was a clear proof of that.
A sharp cough from the Headmaster, and the entire Great Hall turned their attention back to him.
"The next judge will be Lord Vladimir Dashkov, an alumini of Durmstrang and currently a member of the International Duelling Federation," the Headmaster continued in his bored tone.
This time, a bulky man in expensive black robes stood to face the audience. Harry could tell that this man had seen many battles, for he had the hard look in his eyes that spoke of his strong disposition. His eyes were inspecting the Great Hall the familiar way Aurors did when they arrived at a new scene. Harry had often seen this look on his father's face. There was a polite applause for the grouchy looking man until the Headmaster raised his hand to silence them.
"And finally, from the British Ministry of Magic, Mr... Todd Droller Markov." Harry noticed the rare hesitance in the Headmaster's voice before announcing the name of this man, piquing his interest. Also, Harry had never heard of this man before – which was saying something, since his father and godfather were both respected and well-known Aurors in the Ministry, meaning that Harry was familiar with just about every important name there. The Headmaster hadn't even mentioned the Department this man belonged to, now that Harry racked his brains about it. Who was he, then?
The man who now stood up seemed to be in his late twenties or at most early thirties. Dark hair, chiseled face and sharp dark eyes that were currently surveying the Great Hall with interest … and some strange emotion that Harry couldn't ascertain and yet it was quite strong in its sense that much Harry could tell. The man had a small smile on his face, a borderline smirk the Slytherins usually wore, as if he knew something the rest of them were ignorant of. Harry couldn't help but be wary of the man.
Only after the applause had died out on its own and the third judge was comfortably seated in his chair, did the Headmaster resume speaking. This reluctance on the Headmaster's part didn't go unnoticed by Harry either.
Now that he thought about it, Harry had not seen much of the Headmaster Snape during the last six years of his school life. The man was very private and never ventured out of his tower unless absolutely necessary. His speeches were always short and straight to the point, never anything out of proportions. The Headmaster still carried the air of authority around him, although he customarily ignored the students and mostly kept out of their way.
Severus Snape was also a much respected Potions Master, and was reputed for coming up with new potion inventions quite frequently. Harry suspected that the man was more interested in his potions lab than the functioning of the school; the suspicion which had also been shared by his mother; and she was one of the very few people close to the reserved man. Harry had of course, been told many embarrassing tales from the Headmaster's own school days, by his godfather. But then, he was smart enough not to take anything his uncle Padfoot said, at its face value.
"As you have already been told, three Champions shall compete in the tournament," Snape spoke after a long pause, still sounding disinterested as ever, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be awarded marks based on how resourcefully they perform each of the three Tasks, and finally, the Champion with the highest total after the third Task will win the Triwizard Cup, as well as the prize money of one million Galleons. Now as the tradition goes, three Champions are to be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."
The Hogwarts Headmaster then took out his wand and with a wave, summoned the casket kept at the far end of the Head Table. Judging by the awed cries of the students, it was clear that many of them hadn't even noticed the rather unremarkable looking object till now. The Headmaster then tapped the lid with his wand and the casket opened. Guided by his wand, a large hand-carved wooden cup floated up from inside the casket, earning gasps from the audience. It was fascinating to see the brilliant blue color of the flame that the Goblet of Fire seemed to hold inside it. Harry could barely see some runes carved at the top of the cup in the blue light of the flames.
Closing the casket, the Headmaster set the famed Goblet of Fire on top of it. Harry was amused to see that even while handling such an ancient artifact, Snape still showed no emotion on his face. Even the judges seemed momentarily lost in admiring the famed object. Madame Moreau was unabashedly admiring the beautiful blue flames of the goblet; Lord Dashkov was staring at the unremarkable casket, while Mr. Markov was looking more interested in the runes carved on the goblet.
"The Goblet of Fire, has been the traditional selector of the Champions for centuries. The process of selection is very simple. The interested candidates are to write their names, as well as the name of their school, very clearly, on a piece of parchment and then drop it into the Goblet. You have twenty four hours to submit your candidacy; for tomorrow, that is Halloween night; the Goblet of Fire will select the three worthy Champions who are to then compete for the Triwizard Cup in three Tasks." Snape announced, as if he was addressing a bunch of kindergarten kids.
"I would like to remind you again that only the students who have completed the age of seventeen can volunteer to participate in this tournament. The Goblet of Fire has been told to take into account the set age criteria so I wouldn't suggest wasting your valuable time as well as energy, in submitting your name if you are still underage."
"On another note, once your name comes out from the Goblet of Fire, designating you as the Champion of the school, you will be under a binding magical contract, obligated to complete the Tasks of the Tournament. I advise you to think through the consequences before placing yourself under such restraints. The people, who have made this mistake before, have had to pay for it with their lives." Snape finished with a sneer aimed at the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students.
The announcement ended with a less enthusiastic applause, and Harry left the Great Hall with Ron at his side, who had already started chattering excitedly about the Tournament; well, once he had recovered from his momentary shock at the end of the Headmaster's speech. Harry's own mind had, however wandered over to the identity of the mysterious third judge. And the possible reason the Headmaster of Hogwarts, who was famous for his inflexible personality, had been hesitant to take his name.
The Gryffindor Common Room, quite expectedly, was bustling with the excited chattering of the students, whether they were qualified for the Tournament or not. It looked like people had gathered round in groups, according to their respective years, and felt no need to keep their voices down as they discussed the upcoming Tournament, especially the announcement regarding the Goblet of Fire tonight. Ron quickly found out where their classmates were lounging and led Harry there. All the seventh years were already engaged in a heated discussion, and nobody paid them much attention as the two boys took their seats, and that was how Harry always preferred it.
The less people who notice your presence, the less likely they are to discern your absence; this had been Harry's experience till now at school. There was no point in keeping up appearances when Harry was sure none of his classmates could handle his true colors if he decided to show them. Also, being in the shadows helped him keep to himself and do whatever he wanted without being questioned or asked any clarifications.
Hermione Pritchard, it appeared, was urging the other girls of their year, to participate in the Tournament. "You can't let the Headmaster's words affect your decision, Lav." She told Lavender Brown, a girl with a fickle disposition.
Brown looked to her friend, Parvati Patil, with pleading eyes. Patil spoke up, "I don't know, Hermione. It doesn't matter whether we put our names or not, the Goblet is never going to pick us anyway."
Harry could easily understand the hesitance on the girls' part; they both'd never had any interests other than gossiping and dressing up in all of the six years he had known them. But Pritchard, to her credit, looked affronted. "How can you say with certainty that you won't be selected, when you will not even put your name in?"
Seamus Finnigan decided to cut in. "Does anyone know how the Goblet will decide who gets to be the Champion?"
Dean Macmillan, his best friend, snickered, "Seeing as it is a Goblet of Fire, you might just have a chance, mate!"
"Or you could end up burning your own parchment before you even submit it in!" Neville Longbottom, usually the quiet guy, quipped in.
The group, except for Harry, broke into a loud laughter following that comment. Finnigan was infamous for accidently setting things on fire, since their very first year. Harry had a little hunch that the boy had a natural affinity for elemental fire magic, but he had never voiced it to him, lest he was wrong. His mother had been researching about the elemental magic but she had died untimely before completing it, just like her many other unfinished projects. Harry had been going over some of her old papers, and had found them very enlightening. It had also made him try out some of her theories, which had proved to be all true till now. Elemental magic though very difficult, was not impossible to perform.
"At least Finnigan is going to put his name forward." The Head Girl was the first one to sober up, and then she fixed Seamus Finnigan with a sharp look. "Aren't you?"
"Yes, yes, I will! Blimey, when did I say I won't?" The guy in question assured her hastily, not wanting to come under her wrath.
Pritchard proceeded to question everyone else and they all answered positively, Ron with a bit much of enthusiasm.
"And you, Potter? You are going to put your name in, aren't you?" She finally turned to Harry, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Somehow, the girl always found a way to bring him to attention. Maybe she had caught on to the fact that Harry actively avoided the public eye.
"Yes." Was the short reply Harry gave her, keeping an uneasy smile on his face for further effect.
"Fine, we'll put our names in too!" Brown told Pritchard, with Patil nodding as well. Judging by the secret glance the two girls shared, Harry suspected that they were probably lying to get out of the Head Girl's way.
"I don't understand why you're forcing them to compete, Pritchard. Wouldn't it be better for you to reduce the competition?" Ron asked, genuinely confused.
Pritchard rewarded him with a patronizing look and replied, "There's only going to be a single Champion from Hogwarts, which I assume you do understand, Weasley. And, if I'm not selected, I want a fellow Gryffindor to represent our school and win us the Cup." Her eyes turned briefly towards Harry before she continued.
"If the Slytherins somehow manage to get that glory, we'll never be able to breathe peacefully inside the castle again. Not to mention that it would mean we'd have to cheer for a Slytherin Champion throughout this year." Harry thought there was enough venom in her voice to bring a Basilisk to shame. And yes, Basilisks did have venom but not as much potent as an Acromantula.
The entire group clearly understood what she was referring to. The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses was currently at its zenith, courtesy the two Head students of the school. It was common knowledge how much Hermione Pritchard and Draco Malfoy hated each other, and in turn their Houses. They were both strong contenders for the selection of Hogwarts Champion themselves, and if any of them ended up getting selected, they would not waste a single second to rub it in the loser's face.
Harry personally had no ill will towards the Slytherin House; they were bound to consider themselves superior, with most of them coming from influential wizarding families. In fact, if it wasn't for his Gryffindor legacy, he himself would've been in Slytherin. However, he wanted to have the Championship for himself, rather than any other Slytherin or Gryffindor for that matter.
"Well, looks like all of us are going to submit our names then!" Dean Macmillan said after a long pause, trying to diffuse the tension.
"Yes, why not go and put our names in right now? Won't hurt to be early, will it?" Finnigan suggested. He did not notice the death glares Lavender and Parvati were sending his way.
"That, is actually a brilliant idea!" Ron exclaimed, in an effort to salvage his reputation with the Head Girl.
Pritchard considered the offer, looking around at each of them in turn. Finally, she shrugged. "Fine, let's go, then."
There was still some time for the curfew and so the group of Gryffindors easily made their way into the Great Hall, where the magnificent Goblet of Fire stood aflame. The Hall was almost empty; barely a couple of students had come to submit their names till now. It seemed like the Headmaster's warning had had its effects, but Harry was positive that a good night's sleep would be enough for the students to forget his words and come tomorrow morning, students would be swarming up to the Goblet to get their names in.
Seeing the ancient Cup up close, all of them spent some time looking it over. Harry and Pritchard were the only ones to be interested in inspecting the runes while the others were still overcome by its magnificence. Brown and Patil had chosen to focus on the brilliant blue flames. The runes carved on the Cup were in an ancient dialect that Harry couldn't recognize much to his annoyance. And judging by the look of consternation on her face, neither could Hermione Pritchard. Harry was soon intrigued by the intricately carved serpents on the Goblet, which on looking closely resembled a runespoor.
When everyone was finally able to focus on the task that they had actually come for, they took out their parchments and wrote their names above 'Hogwarts'.
"Fred and George would've died to get this chance!" Ron whispered to Harry.
Ron's elder twin brothers had already graduated from Hogwarts and hence were not qualified to participate. The boys had been good acquaintances of Harry, since he was once on the Quidditch team with them. Judging by their brilliance at pranking and penchant for trouble making, Harry thought they would've made brilliant Champions. Now that he thought about it, even Uncle Padfoot would've wanted to enter his name very much. Maybe Harry could try entering in his godfather's name under another school's name, as a prank. And what a spectacular prank it would be!
On a second thought, Harry realized that the prank was not a good idea when it could potentially bite him back, botching his own chances if he was caught, which finally made him decide against it.
Harry ended up being the last one submitting his parchment after the rest of his classmates had already entered. He watched as the flames flared brightly, accepting his entry. It was all so incredible, that he couldn't wait to tell his godfather all about this when they talked. Judging by the unusual solidarity that his House was showing this night, he would have to wait for tomorrow to talk to him. Two-way mirrors were not exactly allowed inside the school and Harry couldn't really trust any Gryffindor with his secret.
Anyhow, they were among the first ones to volunteer their names into the Goblet of Fire, which seemed to delight Hermione Pritchard in particular. Everyone else apart from her looked apprehensive and nervous, now that they had submitted their names.
"Come on, let's get to the Common Room now. We'll get the results tomorrow." Pritchard told them, cheerfully. And then, she proceeded to lead the anxious group back to the Gryffindor Tower.
For now, everything else rested on the Goblet's decision.