Ok, so quick A/N to The Goode Ravenclaw... Thank you for the suggestion. I probably will not add A/N's in the middle but I will add a * next to a sentence, signaling that there is a A/N about it at the end.
You do not have to read the A/N at the end. Soooo. Yeahhhh. Enjoy the story!!
1 month earlier...
Harry POV
HARRY WONDERED WHAT the Triwizard Tournament is. Fred's reaction was saying that the tournament was important.
"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly.
The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.
"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar. "
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.
"Er - but maybe this is not the time. . . no. . . " said Dumbledore, "Where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament. . . 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. "
"Death toll?" Hermione whispered, looking alarmed. But her anxiety did not seem to be shared by the majority of students in the Hall; many of them were whispering excitedly to one another, and Harry himself was far more interested in hearing about the tournament than in worrying about deaths that had happened hundreds of years ago.
"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".
"But this year", Dumbledore said excitingly, "We will have another school joining us. Olympus school of witchcraft and wizardry".
The entire hall erupted in whispering and talking about the new school.
"New school?" said Hermione, "I've never heard of that school before".
Once the hall hushed down Dumbledore continued to speak.
"This is an American school, if you are wondering. They are very advanced in magic and survival. They are a Auror training school".
Again the hall started whispering about Olympus.
"An Auror training school?", said Hermione, "I'm going to go to the library tomorrow to research this school".
"Of course you are Hermione. Come back when you know every single about Olympus", said Ron sarcastically.
Hermione glared at him for a second before turning back to Dumbledore, who looked about ready to talk again.
"The heads of Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Olympus will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the 4 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 visualizing himself as the Hogwarts champion. At every House table, Harry could see people either gazing raptly at Dumbledore, or else whispering fervently to their neighbors. 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, 17 years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This rule only applies to Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts. 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, who do not have the proper training, will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student of that rule 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".
"But that's NOT FAIR", The Weasley twins said together, outraged. "Why does Olympus not apply to this rule!"
Dumbledore's face suddenly got darker and with his voice low, he said "Olympus students go through a lot. They not only practice magic, they practice sword and survival skills. They have special training to keep them alive. There is only about 200 students between the the 2 sides of the school, Elliniká and Romanus. Many died last year and the year before that. Some kids live there the entire year because they parents left them or died. Olympus is only safe place for them. They each have a scary backstory to their life, locked inside their memories. Don't unlock it".
With that the Great Hall was deadly silent. You could hear a pin drop. Then Dumbledore suddenly put a smile on.
He said, "The delegations from the 3 schools 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!"
Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Mad-Eye Moody. There was a great scraping and banging as all the students got to their feet and swarmed toward the double doors into the entrance hall.
"They can't do that!" said George Weasley, who had not joined the crowd moving toward the door, but was standing up and glaring at Dumbledore. "Just because Olympus students have had it rough doesn't mean some kids don't here. Like us!!"
Hermione suddenly looked angry at the twins. "You haven't been through a lot compared to what Dumbledore said about them. Dead parents. Surviving outside school. Dead friends!"
"We lost our orders for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" George said.
"I can not believe you!!" Hermione said indignantly.
"They're not stopping me entering," said Fred stubbornly, also scowling at the top table. "The champions'll get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally. And a thousand Galleons prize money!"
"Yeah," said Ron, a faraway look on his face. "Yeah, a thousand Galleons. . . . "
"Come on," said Hermione, "we'll be the only ones left here if you don't move. "
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George set off for the entrance hall, Fred and George debating the ways in which Dumbledore might stop those who were under seventeen from entering the tournament.
"Who's this impartial judge who's going to decide who the champions are?" said Harry.
"Dunno," said Fred, "but it's them we'll have to fool. I reckon a couple of drops of Aging Potion might do it, George. . . "
"Dumbledore knows you're not of age, though," said Ron.
"Yeah, but he's not the one who decides who the champion is, is he?" said Fred shrewdly. "Sounds to me like once this judge knows who wants to enter, he'll choose the best from each school and never mind how old they are. Dumbledore's trying to stop us giving our names."
"People have died, though!" said Hermione in a worried voice as they walked through a door concealed behind a tapestry and started up another, narrower staircase.
"Yeah," said Fred airily, "but that was years ago, wasn't it? Anyway, where's the fun without a bit of risk? Hey, Ron, what if we find out how to get 'round Dumbledore? Fancy entering?"
"What d'you reckon?" Ron asked Harry. "Be cool to enter, wouldn't it? But I s'pose they might want someone older. . . . Dunno if we've learned enough. . . "
"I definitely haven't," came Neville's gloomy voice from behind Fred and George.
"I expect my gran'd want me to try, though. She's always going on about how I should be upholding the family honor. I'll just have to - oops. . . "
Neville's foot had sunk right through a step halfway up the staircase. There were many of these trick stairs at Hogwarts; it was second nature to most of the older students to jump this particular step, but Neville's memory was notoriously poor. Harry and Ron seized him under the armpits and pulled him out, while a suit of armor at the top of the stairs creaked and clanked, laughing wheezily.
"Shut it, you," said Ron, banging down its visor as they passed.
They made their way up to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, which was concealed behind a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she said as they approached.
"Balderdash," said George, "a prefect downstairs told me. "
The portrait swung forward to reveal a hole in the wall through which they all climbed. A crackling fire warmed the circular common room, which was full of squashy armchairs and tables. Hermione cast the merrily dancing flames a dark look, and Harry distinctly heard her mutter "Slave labor" before bidding them good night and disappearing through the doorway to the girls' dormitory.
Harry, Ron, and Neville climbed up the last, spiral staircase until they reached their own dormitory, which was situated at the top of the tower. Five four-poster beds with deep crimson hangings stood against the walls, each with its owner's trunk at the foot. Dean and Seamus were already getting into bed; Seamus had pinned his Ireland rosette to his headboard, and Dean had tacked up a poster of Viktor Krum over his bedside table. His old poster of the West Ham football team was pinned right next to it.
"Mental," Ron sighed, shaking his head at the completely stationary soccer players.
Harry, Ron, and Neville got into their pajamas and into bed. Someone - a house-elf, no doubt - had placed warming pans between the sheets. It was extremely comfortable, lying there in bed and listening to the storm raging outside.
"I might go in for it, you know," Ron said sleepily through the darkness, "if Fred and George find out how to. . . the tournament. . . . you never know, do you?"
"S'pose not. . . . "
Harry rolled over in bed, a series of dazzling new pictures forming in his mind's eye. . . . He had hoodwinked the impartial judge into believing he was seventeen. . . . he had become Hogwarts champion. . . he was standing on the grounds, his arms raised in triumph in front of the whole school, all of whom were applauding and screaming. . . he had just won the Triwizard Tournament. Cho's face stood out particularly clearly in the blurred crowd, her face glowing with admiration. . . .
Harry grinned into his pillow, exceptionally glad that Ron couldn't see what he could.
Congrats reader! You made it to the end of this boring page. As you can tell, this is a lot of work from the book. ALL RIGHTS TO JK ROWLING, AND RICK RIORDIAN. I promise the whole story won't just be The Goblet of Fire with small edits. Also now for the *'s.
1. * Here comes a lot of book work. Uhhhhhh.
2. * This is Greek for Greek. Then Latin for Roman.
3. * 1 galleon is $25 in American money, so... $25,000 dollars. I would enter!! Then again some sites say that a galleon is $7 or $6.64. Some sites even say $100-500. (I really don't know the price)
E.V
