Chapter 1

The Name and The Goblet

"Harry Potter!"

Harry froze. No. No! This could not be happening to me. Not me. Please God, Allah, Buddha! Anyone!

Haven't I been through enough?

Harry couldn't move. When Hermione finally pushed him from my seat he stumbled and almost fell flat on his face. Everyone was staring at him. A fact he was far too aware of.

The hundreds of faces swam through his vision as he walked into the room Dumbledore indicated and Harry briefly feared he would faint.

A door slammed behind Harry and he was only vaguely aware of shouting. He stared at his reflection in a trophy case, unblinking, unthinking. Harry was broken out of my daze by someone shaking me.

"Harry", Dumbledore said forcefully, "Did you put your name in the goblet?"

Harry shook his head, his eyes taking in all of the angry expressions on the adults.

"Did you ask one of the older students to do it for you?" He pressed.

Again Harry just shook his head.

More shouts followed this. Accusations of him lying, speculations of how he had done it, arguments of how they should proceed. Moody's explanation stopped him once again.

"Perhaps someone put his name in the goblet because they wished him harm. People have died in this competition before Albus", Moody sneered at Snape, who had obviously annoyed him in some way.

Died? People had died? He could die?

Everyone was suddenly looking at him. Expecting something, a denial of his guilt? A declaration of his enthusiasm for the tournament he did not know.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "It is late. Perhaps our champions should head to bed".

It took Harry a few moments to realize this statement included him too.

A champion? No, Dumbledore was supposed to stop this. To get him out of this.

Harry walked after the other champions, but caught he edge of a sneer from Snape. "In the spotlight again Potter. Just like-"

Fleur and Krum left Harry and Cedric to walk up the stairs and to their dormitories.

"What happens now?" Harry's voice was so unsteady it surprised even himself.

"Well you'll participate in the tasks with the rest of us", Cedric said, also confused. It seemed odd for anyone else to put Harry's name in the goblet but the younger boy beside him seemed to genuinely have no idea what was going on.

Harry's confused look only fueled his suspicion.

"Didn't you hear what Mr Crouch said?"

Again Harry shook his head. It felt like he was doing little else but that today.

"Once your name came out of the goblet it became a binding contract. You have to participate now", Cedric explained stopping. This was where he should leave Harry to go to the Hufflepuff dorms, but he didn't feel right about the leaving the boy here.

"I have to-", Harry broke off. Flashes of this evening going through his head. Wished him harm. Liar. Spotlight. Binding contract. People have died. Died. DIED.

Harry's breath caught in his throat. He started to gasp as sobs shook his small body.

"Harry!" Cedric exclaimed as the small boy collapsed in sobs in front of him. He wrapped his arms around the shaking boy who started to wail.

"I don't want to die! I-I don't w-wa-want to die!"

This was either the best damn acting he had ever seen, or someone was purposely trying to hurt this poor boy.

Xx – xXx – xXx – xXx – xXx – xXx – xX

"Mr Potter", Professor McGonagall said emerging from the entrance of Gryffindor tower. "And Mr Diggory". I'm sorry to say that you just missed a rather riotous party-".

She broke off when Harry walked past her barely acknowledging her presence.

"Excuse me! How dare you-".

She was once again cut off, this time by Cedric. "Someone's trying to get him killed Professor. How would you feel?" He asked before spinning around and walking away, leaving a gaping Head of Gryffindor.

Hey guys. Short I know but it was a nice break from my other stories and will be updated.

R&R ;D