Chapter 2 - The TriWizard Tournament
Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or any of its Characters. They belong to J.
A/N : Thanks for your Reviews. Am back with Chapter 2. Parts of it is from Goblet Of Fire By J Ro. Please tell me what you think of this chapter and story so far. Please READ AND REVIEW. It encourages me to keep moving the story.
A/N 2 : Inspired by story by Bobmin356 - Parallels.
Everyone in the room gasped when they got a clean look of the boys face. They knew the boy well enough to recognise him. After all, the lightning bolt scar on his face was a dead giveaway.
Dumbledore stared with shock at the boy lying unconscious on the hospital bed. He couldn't be the Boy - Who - Lived. He saw Harry in the Great Hall, earlier in the night. But there was no mistaking that the boy lying here was anyone other than Harry Potter, though he seemed older and thinner, than the one who must be in the Gryffindor tower by now.
"Albus. How is this possible? Do you think he is Polyjuiced?" Minerva asked from beside Dumbledore.
"No. Minerva. I do not think he is polyjuiced. It has been over an hour since we first laid eyes on him. As for how this possible, I have no earthly idea." Dumbledore replied, his face etched with a frown, before turning to Pompfrey. "Poppy, what did you find during your diagnostics?"
Pompfrey turned to Dumbledore, and replied "Headmaster, This boy had three broken ribs on his left side, his left humerus was shattered, and he was subjected to Cruciatus curse multiple times. Also he is magically exhausted."
Dumbledore's frown deepened after hearing Pompfrey describe Harry's injuries. "How long will it be before he regains consciousness?" Dumbledore enquired.
"Depending on the amount of magical exhaustion he is suffering and the amount of injuries he sustained, I would say anywhere near 1 week to 10 days." replied Pompfrey before moving off to her office.
Dumbledore too, turned around to head to his office, Minerva, Snape and Flitwick following at his heels. They all travelled along in silence their heads filled with various thoughts. Once they reached the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore settled in his chair behind the desk, while Minerva conjured three chairs for the heads to sit in. Dumbledore popped a lemon drop into his mouth, before offering them to his three colleagues, who politely declined.
"Albus, what do your think happened? Where did the boy come from? Do you think he is some sort of time traveller? Or did some one send him here?" Minerva once again asked the questions plaguing her mind.
"I do not know the answer to that Minerva. I have a few theories as to what might have happened, but only the boy can provide us with the answers for the questions we have. I suggest, we all wait patiently till the boy regains consiousness." Dumbledore said.
"I suppose," Minerva said, not at all looking happy, with the wait and watch course of action, but also conceding that there wasn't anything they could do right now. "Will you be informing James Potter and the other Harry Potter about him?"
Dumbledore began stroking his beard pondering over the question posed by Minerva. Should he inform James and Harry? "No. Not until I can talk to him, and find out the circumstances that led to his arrival in such a manner. Let us keep the identity of him a secret until we can get some answers. Now how are the preparations for the Tri Wizard tournament coming?" Dumbledore moved the conversation away from the strange appearance of Harry Potter and on to other topics.
Next Day Morning. Gryffindor Tower.
Harry was the first from his dorm to get ready and venture down to the common room. Ginny too was there. She was sitting at the same place as yesterday night, with a book plopped in her lap and reading. Harry seeing her, made his way towards her.
"Bit early to start studying isn't it?" Harry whispered into Ginny's ear from a few centimeters behind.
"AHH!" shouted Ginny, jumping a foot into the air, the book falling down on to the floor, before turning around to glare at Harry. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack, you prat?" she shouted.
Harry just smirked at her, before bending down to get the book that Ginny was reading. His smirk turned into laughter when he read the title of the book that had Ginny so engrossed.
"Gimme that", Ginny lunged at the book. Harry just held the book higher out of her reach. Ginny being significantly shorter than him, started jumping in vain trying to get a hold of the book. "Since when have you started reading Romance novels, Ginny? Wait till I can show this to your brothers."
"Show me what?" Ron asked from near the base of stairs for the boys dormitories. Harry whirled around, hiding the book behind his back, before replying to Ron, "Nothing Ron. Just teasing Ginny is all. You ready to head to breakfast?"
Ron looked at them suspiciously for a minute, before shrugging his shoulders and said "Sure." Ginny meanwhile plucked the book out of Harry's hands behing his back and pushed it into her bag, before the three of them headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Minerva McGonagall came down the tables distributing the time tables for various students. Harry and Ron looked at their schedules.
"Today's not bad... outside all morning," said Ron, who was running his finger down the Monday column of his schedule. "Herbology with the Ravenclaws and Care of Magical Creatures... damn it, we're still with the Slytherins…"
"Double Divination this afternoon," Harry groaned, looking down. Divination was his least favorite subject, apart from Potions. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry's death, which he found extremely annoying.
"If you are so annoyed with the subject, why don't you just drop it?" asked Ginny. She herself wasn't taking the subject, opting to take arithimancy instead.
"Its an easy grade. Why would we want to drop it?" asked Ron.
Ginny just shook her head in annoyance and went back to eat her breakfast.
Once they finished their breakfast, the trio made their way out, to get going for their classes. "What do you have for today Ginny?" Harry asked.
"Double Potions before lunch" came the reply.
"Ouch" sympathised Ron. "Greasy git for the first class of the new year." "See you at Lunch, both of you" with that Ginny turned around and headed for the Dungeons, while Harry and Ron headed out for the Greenhouses for their Herbology lesson.
"Good morning Class." Professor Sprout greeted the assembled students, once all the students were present.
"Good morning, Professor Sprout."
"Today we are going to be dealing with Bubotubers," Professor Sprout told them briskly. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -"
"The what?" said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted.
"Pus, Finnigan, pus," said Professor Sprout, "and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. Now who here can tell me the Uses of Bubotuber Pus?"
A hand shot into the air immediately. "Yes Miss Granger." called out Professor.
"It is an an excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, Professor" the girl named Granger replied.
"Good Miss Granger. 1 point for Ravenclaw. Now,You will all collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus." Professor Sprout instructed the students.
The rest of the class was spent silently, with the students poking each swelling and collecting the pus. Once the hour was up, the Ravenclaws headed up to the Castle for Transfiguration, while the Gryffindors headed in the opposite direction for the Care of Magical Creatures.
Once the Slytherins too joined the students, Hagrid came out of his hut, Fang at his heels.
"Mornin" Hagrid beamed. "Now tha' yer all hre, follow me. We' ll be heading into the forbidden forest for yer class today." Having siad that Hagrid turned around and headed towards the Forest. After walking a few meters, he turned around to see that none of the students were following him. "Wha' are yer ll waitin' fer?" He asked. The students reluctantly trudged behind him, walking in close knit groups looking this way and that, expecting some monster or the other to pounce on them.
"What do you think he is doing? Taking is into the forest?" Ron asked. Harry just shrugged his shoulders in response.
They could hear Draco Malfoy complaint loudly to all those who would hear how Hagrid was unfit to be a teacher and how he is putting all of their lives in danger by taking them into the forbidden forest.
Once they reached a clearing, Hagrid called them to stop. "Alrigh' yer all. Gather roun'. Now, I ll be callin the creature yer goin to be studyin. He is a friend of mine. So, theres nothin to be scared of. Alrigh'?" Hagrid asked looking at the students. When everyone gave a nod of their heads looking slightly fearful, Hagrid gave a shrill whistle that echoed thru the forest.
Harry had a bad feeling about the type of creature Hagrid wanted to show them. From the clearing a spider came scuttling, its pincers clicking rapidly. Everyone present began backing away in fear. Ron began whimpering in fear beside Harry.
"Isn't he great" Hagrid asked, walking forward to pat the acromantula on its head. The next 45 minutes were spent discussing about acromantulas.
"He is barking mad. Taking us to see an acromantula?" Ron whined, still slightly shaking in fear. Harry and Ginny were sitting opposite Ron at the Gryffindor table, having lunch.
"Is Ronny afraid of itty bitty little spider?" Mocked Ginny, knowing about Ron's irrational fear of spiders.
"Shut up Ginny. You would be scared too if you faced such a monster." Ron replied vehemently, Harry nodding his head in agreement.
"Anyway, how was your class with the greasy git?" Harry asked quickly, seeing that Ginny was going to mock Ron even more. Ginny let it drop, before replying to Harry's question, " It was awful as always. He took 25 points of the Gryffindors today for stupid reasons too."
The trio continued discussing about the classes and life in general. Before they knew it, they were heading back to their afternoon classes.
That night after Dinner, Dumbledore rose to his feet once again. All the students hushed down immediately.
"As I was saying yesterday night, before we were interrupted, the Quidditch matches are suspended for this year. This is because our school will be hosting an event that will last throughout the year. It is with immense pleasure that I am announcing theTriwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly.
Nearly everyone present in the school laughed at it, Dumbledore included. " No, I am not Mr. Weasely."
He continued, "Well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely.
"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."
"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger."
"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."
"I'm going for it!" Fred Weasley hissed down the table, his face lit with enthusiasm at the prospect of such glory and riches. He was not the only person who seemed to be visualising himself as the Hogwarts champion. At every House table, Harry could see people either gazing raptly at Dumbledore, or else whispering fervently to their neighbours. But then Dumbledore spoke again, and the Hall quieted once more.
"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This" — Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the Weasley twins were suddenly looking furious - "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." His light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred's and George's mutinous faces. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen.
"The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"
All the students began heading back, to their dormitories, excited whispers running around, about the Tournament.
Harry, Ron and Ginny too began their trek back towards their Common Room. "What do you reckon Harry? Would you enter the Tournament if You found a way to bypass the age restrictions?" Ron asked.
Harry sighed. "I would love to Ron, but you know how my Dad and Sirius are. They would skin me alive if I entered the tournament."
Ron patted Harry's shoulder sympathetically, "Yeah. You are right. Too bad mate. I am definitely gonna try."
The Trio headed back to their respective dormitories to turn in for the night.
In The Hospital Wing :
The young man laying unconscious on the bed for the past 24 hours began thrashing around, murmuring, "Sirius! Sirius! Don't die." Nightmares were plaguing him, memories rerunning behind his closed eyes. "Hermione. Please don't die. Please. I love you. I can't live without you. Please. HERMIONE" Harry Potter woke up screaming.
A/N : So? What did you guys think? I was thinking of a Harry/Ginny pairing and a Harry/Hermione pairing, since there are going to be two Harry's in this story. Tell me your thoughts about it. REVIEW. If there are any mistakes, point them out. I will rectify them. See you, soon.
