Potter Couple and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 2: The Tri-Wizard Tournament

After boarding the Hogwarts Express, Harry and the others talked about the Dark Mark for a while. "I can't believe it!" Annie said while reading the paper. "They couldn't find the man responsibe for it, and they're not doing anything to help!" Harry sat there quietly and waited for a while. A while later, the whole school stood on the covered bridge and watched as a carriage pulled by winged horses and a large ship appeared.

In the Great Hall, Professor Dumbledore said his speech. "Welcome to Hogwarts! This year, Hogwarts will not be only your home. You see, Hogwarts is hosting a legendary event, the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Everyone in the hall, excluding the teachers, stared in awe at him. "Now, let us welcome our friends from the north, the young men of Durmstrang Institute of Magic and their Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!" After Durmstrang did their demonstration, Dumbledore continued. "Also, let us welcome the young ladies of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their Headmistress, Madam Maxime!" The girls from Beauxbatons did their intro, which caused almost every boy in Hogwarts to drool, including Ron.

A very violent storm raged outside as everyone ate and a man with one large eye and one leg stopped the ceiling. "What do you think he's drinking?" asked Hallie as she watched the man drink from a hip flask.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's pumpkin juice," said Harry slightly suspicious of the drink in the flask. "Oh, Dumbledore's speaking again." Dumbledore introduced the man who had accused Harry and the others of conjuring the Dark Mark, Bartemius Crouch. "Oh, joy."

"It is the Ministry's decision that no student under the age of seventeen will be able to submit their names for the tournament," said Crouch. He had to talk over the booing crowd. "This decision is final!"

Dumbledore stood next to a jeweled case and waved his wand down it, causing it to melt and vanish. "The Goblet of Fire!" he said. "Anyone wishing to enter their name need only to write their name on a piece of parchment and throw it in. Remember, this tournament is not for the faint-hearted. Once you enter, there's no turning back." He paused, then said, "Anyone who's chosen will have to go through three tasks...three extremely dangerous tasks."

That night, Harry, Hallie, Ron, and Annie watched as people put their names in the goblet. Hermione was sitting and reading a book, as usual. Cedric put his name in, then Viktor Krum submitted his name. Fred and George ran in with two viles in their hands. "We did it! We made an Aging Potion that should work."

"It's not going to work," said Annie with a wide grin. Fred and George asked her why that was. "You see that right there? That is an Age Line. Professor Dumbledore drew that himself." Fred just stared at her. "So, he's not going to fall for something so pathetically dim-witted as an Aging Potion, is he?"

"That's why we're doing it," said George, "because he's so pathetically dim-witted." The twins stood at the edge of the line. "Bottoms up!" they said in unison. Both drank their potions and jumped over the line. Once they put their names in, Hallie stepped back as the blue flame in the goblet rose twenty feet into the air and threw them backwards.

"They never listen," Annie muttered sitting down. Ron was talking about the cup.

"Eternal glory," he said in wonder as he stared at the goblet. "Just think, three more years and we could enter that tournament."

"Better you than me, Ron," said Harry truthfully. "I have enough publicity as it is with my marriage to Hallie still leaking through the newspaper and Sirius's breakout." Ron nodded and left.

The next night was the champion selection, which Hallie and Annie were looking forward to. Everyone got quiet as Dumbledore dimmed the torches on the walls. After a while, he touched the Goblet of Fire once and a bright red flame shot out, a piece of parchment floating to his hand. "The champion for Durmstrang is Viktor Krum!" he yelled. The Bulgarians cheered him on, as did Ron. "The Champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" The girls from France gave their cheers. "The champion for Hogwarts...Cedric Diggory!" Everyone in the hall cheered Cedric. "That's it! We have our three champions, and they will go down into the trophy room to be briefed..."

Dumbledore stopped talking to see the goblet spit out one more parchment. At first, he read the name on it so quietly, nobody could here, until he yelled it. "Harry Potter!" he called. Hallie put a hand to her mouth and stared at her husband. Harry shrugged and told her it was nothing. "HARRY POTTER!" Hermione and Annie puhsed him forward and he went into the trophy room.

"Ron, what's up with you?" Hallie asked Ron. He was looking quite angry at Harry for something. "He didn't enter it! You saw him last night. He never put his name in the cup." Ron grunted, and Hallie and Annie went down to the trophy room. "Professor, could I see my husband for a moment?" Dumbledore nodded and led them down since he was on his way as well.

Before the girls could say anything, Dumbledore took Harry by the collar of his robes and pushed him agains a case. "Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire?" he asked. Harry shook his head. "Did you ask an older student to do it for you?" Harry, again, said no. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Of course he is lying!" yelled Madam Maxime angrily. Hallie stood up for her husband, which she had second thoughts about after seeing how larget this woman was. "You, dear, what are you doing here?"

"I'm Harry's wife, and he is not lying! I was there when everyone put their names into the Goblet and Harry didn't do it! After we left, Harry was with me the whole time!" Hallie told her. "He's been blamed for a lot of stuff in the past two years, so don't start on him now."

"I agree with Mrs. Potter," said Professor Moody. "It would take a particularly strong Confundus Curse to have hoodwinked it. Way beyond the talents of fourth year." Hallie smiled, but Karkaroff was not ready to give in. He suggested that Moody had a lot of thought into it. "It was once my job to think as Death Eaters do, Karkaroff. Perhaps you remember?"

"This isn't helping, Alastor!" Dumbledore said. "Hallie, may I ask you to return to your seat? This is very important, and as a second year, it is against the rules to be in a champions' meeting." Hallie nodded and left, but listened from the top step. "Well, Barty?"

"The Goblet of Fire contains a binding magical contract." Crouch said. "From this point on, Harry Potter is a Tri-Wizard Champion." Hallie's eyes swam with tears as she ran out of the room and into her dormitory. Harry wasn't exactly happy with it either.

Harry went into the dormitory to see Hallie crying on their bed. Rubbing her back gently, he said, "Hal, I didn't put my name in the goblet, okay?" She said she knew he didn't but was worried about his safety. "Hallie, I went through worse than this. I saw Voldemort in my first year, you saved my life two years ago, and we went back in time with Hermione last year!"

"I know, that, but I heard Hermione talking about the death toll in the Tournament and it scared me to think that you could die in this thing!" Hallie said looking at him. "It didn't help when Crouch said that you had to compete, since the Goblet contains a tight contract." Harry assured her that he'd be safe. "Harry, what if you're up against something dangerous or something hurts you too bad?"

"Hallie, how long have you known me?" Harry asked rhetorically. "Ron and I flew a car into a tree that could hit back, got my arm broken by a Bludger, and then risked my life against a werewolf. You'd think I'd be killed during one of those times!" Hallie gave a slight smile and gasped when Ron came in looking angry. "What's wrong?"

"How did you do it?" Ron asked angrily. "What does it matter? I'm your best friend, and I know." Harry asked what he was talking about. "You know bloody well what."

"Ron, I didn't put my name in that cup, okay? I just got done telling Hallie that!" Harry said, his anger rising a bit. "I don't want eternal glory! I just want to be...me! Live my life with Hallie, have kids someday!"

Hallie was expecting Ron to apologize for his attitude, but soon had an urge to punch him when he said, "Piss off." She rose, took hold of his pajama collar and growled at him.

"Ronald Weasley, my husband did not put his name in that cup! He told me just now that he didn't want to be in it, and doesn't know who did put his name in it! You can either accept the fact that he's in the tournament, or not be his friend. Take your pick."

"Fine!" Ron said, and closed his bed curtains. Hallie groaned and went to the common room to sit down. Annie was there, so she told her what Ron had said, which made her twin very angry and promised that she'd handle Ron in the morning.

Harry and Hallie woke to Annie yelling at Ron, whose reply wasn't pleasant. "I don't care! Harry got into that tournament at the age of fourteen!" he yelled. "You're out of your mind protecting him! He knew that this tournament would get him publicity, so that's why he went for it!" He heard the door slam upstairs and turned to see a very angry Harry glaring at him. "Well, look who it is. It's Mr. Publicity himself!"

"Shut it, you git!" Harry growled. "I've had it up to here with your attitude" Ron scowled at him. "I don't know what got your wand in a knot, but it's going to stop here and now. I didn't put my name in that goblet, and I didn't want the bloody publicity! Someone put my name in, but I can't back out, okay? I have to go through this."

"Well, keep going then!" Ron shouted. "I'm tired of helping you with every bloody problem that Hogwarts has! Second year, we had to go into the Chamber of Secrets! Last year, we had to save Sirius!"

"Hang on, I went into the Chamber, not you, and Hermione, Hallie and I saved Sirius while you were stuck in the hospital wing getting your leg fixed!" Harry seethed. "So don't say that you did anything, because you didn't! All you did in second year was move rocks away so Ginny could get through."

"That's not the point! What I'm saying is that you're in this tournament, and there's no doubt going to be an article in the paper about you in it!" Ron said. Harry watched as he stormed out of the portrait hole.

"I can't believe him!" Harry said sitting down with Annie. "He's completely mental! Hallie being worried about me dying is one thing, but Ron calling me a git about this? That's mental!" Annie patted him on the back as Hallie came down looking very upset. "Hal, don't worry about it. He'll snap out of it. Once he realizes that I didn't do it, then he'll be back to normal." Hallie nodded and they went to breakfast.