Chapter 7
The Four Champions Aftermath
Disclaimer: Recognizable sections of this chapter come directly from Chapter 17 of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" by J.K. Rowling. I do not take claim to these. Only my own additions.
Saturday, October 31st, 1994
Much like the previous evening, Remus and Rose – the latter dressed in her pajamas – were sitting at the dining room table with mugs of hot cocoa, when Lily, Harry and Sirius returned to the House Potter Tent. Harry retreated into his bedroom to change into his own pajamas. Sirius sat down at the table with the three Triwizard Tournament rulebooks, while Lily made mugs of hot cocoa for herself and Harry. As she sat down at the dining room table, she found Remus and Sirius already skimming through the rulebooks, and rolls of parchment, quills and vats of ink sitting on the table.
"I see, Remus, that you were already predicting we were going to discuss the initial stages of preparation tonight," Lily said, motioning to the supplies on the table.
"Lily, how long have we known each other?" Remus asked, "I know you don't like to waste time, especially when it concerns your children. Of course I predicted we were going to spend the rest of the night preparing for the Tournament. I predicted that as soon as Albus named Harry as Ilvermorny Champion."
Lily smiled at her long-time friend. As Harry walked over to the dining room table, Rose jumped up and hugged him.
"Congratulations on becoming Champion, big brother!" Rose exclaimed.
"Thanks, Rosie," Harry said.
Rose backed away moments later and the siblings sat down at the table.
"You know, I half-expected to walk in here and find the rest of the delegates waiting to congratulate me," Harry said, "Like some kind of party or something. Are they... okay... with me being Champion?"
"Of course they are, Harry," Remus said, smiling when a look of relief crossed Harry's face, "They're very happy with you. Yes, they're kind of jealous and envious, as is expected. But leave no doubts that they're going to support you as the Ilvermorny Champion. You didn't hear it from me, but I think they are actually planning some kind of celebration for you, to take place in the Classroom Tent tomorrow evening. They predicted, correctly, that you would want to spend this evening with us."
"So... I shouldn't plan on having dinner in the Great Hall tomorrow night?" Harry asked.
"Not unless you want to face nine angry sixteen- and seventeen-year old Ilvermorny wizards and witches," Remus said, grinning.
Harry grimaced. "Duly noted."
"Alright," Lily said, "This discussion is going to take a while, so let's get started so we can have a relatively normal bed-time."
"I think the first thing we need to discuss is the unexpected fourth Champion, Neville Longbottom," Sirius said.
"Wait... fourth Champion?" Rose asked, "But... Professor Dumbledore told everyone in the Great Hall that he would do everything he could to make sure Neville wouldn't be in the Tournament."
"Yeah, well," Sirius said, "Either he lied to everyone, or decided there was nothing he could do about it."
"I'm going to take an educated guess," Remus said, "and assume that Neville didn't enter his own name into the Goblet of Fire?"
"No, I don't think he did," Lily said, shaking her head, "He looked absolutely shocked and afraid when Albus said his name. He also denied it himself."
"He could have been lying," Rose said.
"I could tell there were a few people inside that room who thought Neville was lying," Sirius said, "Including the Beauxbatons Headmistress. But I don't think he was lying."
"I believe Madame Maxime is simply upset that Hogwarts now has two Champions," Lily said. "No, I firmly believe that somebody else entered Neville's name into the Goblet of Fire."
"Yeah," Sirius said, "And I am quite sure they made it so there was no question Neville would be in the Tournament. It is quite likely that whoever placed Neville's name in the Goblet did so by also naming him the only representative of a fourth school – like Durmstrang, for example."
"But why would they do this?" Rose asked, "What's the point?"
"Assassination-by-proxy," Sirius said.
"Sirius!" Lily scolded her friend.
"What?!" Sirius retorted, "You know I'm right. Obviously someone wants Neville Longbottom dead. Instead of risking themselves by trying to murder the boy, they place him in the middle of the Tournament, with three dangerous Tasks! They're hoping he gets killed in the Tournament!"
Lily frowned as she saw Rose's hands shivering so much that her mug of cocoa was vibrating.
"While I believe you're right, Sirius," she said, "You didn't need to spell it out."
"But there has to be contingencies for this very thing, right?" Harry asked, "I mean – anybody could enter anyone's name into the Goblet. They could have entered an eleven year old's name!"
"If there were contingencies," Sirius said, "I think they would have been named in the post-Choosing meeting, Harry. I'm willing to bet there is nothing in these rulebooks that states contenders must submit their own name into the Goblet of Fire. You heard Bagman and Crouch. All they said was that the boy had to compete. It's complete bull, of course, but there you go."
"So there is nothing we can do?" Harry asked.
"We can do what we've already done, Harry," Lily said, "We've already offered to help Neville. He just has to make the decision to accept our help."
"You want to help another Champion win the Tournament?" Rose asked.
"Not win, Rosie," Lily said, "Survive."
Rose frowned and nodded.
"Enough about Longbottom," Sirius said, "Harry's the Ilvermorny Champion. We need to focus our time tonight on him."
Lily stood up and headed into her bedroom. A few moments later, she returned with a notebook of parchment. Inside the notebook was a checklist of prepared notes.
"I've been skimming through this Tournament rulebook these last few minutes," Remus said, "And it is filled with jargon and stuff that – for me – could be a foreign language. That's how very little of this stuff I can understand."
"Let me guess," Sirius said, "Typical Ministry of Magic mumbo-jumbo?"
"Yes," Remus said, "I'm sure if I took the time to dissect the entire rulebook, I would come to understand it. But between the lessons I have prepared for Rose, Harry, and the rest of the students here – and helping Harry prepare for the First Task – I don't think I could set aside enough time. I probably wouldn't be finished by the time the First Task comes around, and that doesn't help any of us."
"So what do you think we should do?" Lily asked.
Remus smiled and looked between Lily and Sirius.
"When was the last time either of you spoke to Ted and Andromeda Tonks?" he asked. "Ted is still the House Potter and House Black Solicitor, right?"
"Well, if he isn't, I'm sure he'd like to take up the role again," Lily said. "As I'm sure you remember, the Tonks were some of the few people who knew Harry and I survived that evening. So I think Ted was likely planning for the time he would be House Potter Solicitor again."
"Sirius, you need to write to your cousin and her husband tonight before you go to bed," Remus said.
"Why tonight?" Sirius asked.
"Because you and Lily need to meet Ted no sooner than sometime tomorrow," Remus said, "Breakfast or lunch, perhaps, at the Leaky Cauldron. I can't go, because someone needs to be here to be chaperone for the other students."
"Diagon Alley?" Lily asked, "Why do we need to go there? The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade is just as good for a meeting place."
"Because you're also likely going to be visiting the Daily Prophet Headquarters in Diagon Alley," Remus said, "We're lucky there was no article in today's Daily Prophet about the glorious return of Lily and Harry Potter, back from rumored death. Tomorrow, however, we may wake up to an article. After all, the Champions for the Triwizard Tournament were chosen this evening, and one of them is Harry Potter."
"Why is that so important?" Harry asked, frowning.
"Harry, you're well educated in the history of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter," Remus said, "You know how important House Potter is to Wizarding Great Britain. Until yesterday, Wizarding Great Britain thought you and your mother were dead."
"Right," Harry said, slowly.
"Harry," Remus said, "You and your sister are the last generation of the House of Potter. If you and your mother had died as a baby on that Halloween in 1981, if Rose – sorry Rosie – if she never existed -"
"Oh," Harry said, "House Potter would go extinct."
"Exactly," Remus said, "These past thirteen years, Wizarding Great Britain believed House Potter was extinct. Now the Heir Apparent of House Potter has returned, and he's the Ilvermorny Champion to boot! The Daily Prophet is going to latch onto that very quickly."
'Why is that a problem?" Harry asked.
"Oh," Sirius said, "I believe I understand what you're saying, Remus. Harry, unlike the United States, there are no libel and slander laws in Wizarding Great Britain. The Daily Prophet has a history of slandering names and reputations."
"Exactly," Remus said, "We need to nip this in the bud before it even begins. We need to control the media. If I remember correctly, House Potter and House Black share a total of forty-percent ownership of the Daily Prophet. According to what I read in the Daily Prophet today, Barnabus Cuffe is the current Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper. Even though he's not a journalist, he does write articles from time to time. I read one of the articles he wrote for today's issue. It was rather impressive, and respectful. That is who we need when it comes to your media presence during the Tournament, Harry. We promise him exclusivity – only Cuffe can interview you, or anyone else, affiliated with Ilvermorny. Only he can write articles about Ilvermorny's part in the Tournament."
"And if he refuses?" Sirius asked.
Remus grinned and waved his wand. A moment later, a very colorful magazine appeared in front of him on the table.
"Luna Lovegood gave me this magazine before Rose and I left the castle," he said, "It is called The Quibbler. Luna's father is owner and Editor-in-Chief. As far as I can tell Xenophilius Lovegood, and his daughter, Luna, are the only two journalists for this magazine. There may be guest journalists from time-to-time, but the Lovegoods seem to handle ninety-percent of the work. With that said, according to Luna, the Quibbler is the main rival of not only the Daily Prophet but also Witch Weekly and Teen Witch Weekly, both of which are affiliates of the Daily Prophet. How do you think Barnabus Cuffe would react, if we tell him we've decided to give exclusivity to the Quibbler, which is owned by one of House Potter's Allies?"
Sirius barked out a laugh. "He'd do anything he could to change our minds. Which means he'd accept pretty much any decision we propose."
"Precisely," Remus said, grinning. "Tomorrow, the two of you – and Harry and Rose, if you allow them – will meet with Ted Tonks – either for breakfast or lunch – and discuss all of this with him. He could help us not only with the media coverage, but I think he could also tackle this rulebook far better than we could. Then you meet with Barnabus Cuffe in the Daily Prophet Headquarters."
"I like it!" Sirius said; "What say you, Lily?"
Noting that both Harry and Rose looked happy with Remus' idea, Lily smiled.
"It is a very well thought-out idea, Remus," Lily said, "Let's work with it. I'm sure Ted will be happy to help us. And yes, Harry and Rose, you're both allowed to join us."
Harry and Rose cheered.
"I will start writing a letter to my favorite cousin and her husband right now," Sirius said, grabbing a blank piece of parchment. "Good thing we brought a few owls with us. Hopefully one is ready for an overnight delivery."
"Next on the Agenda," Lily said, looking at her check-list. "Headmaster Winston had several meetings with the judges and officials of the Triwizard Tournament, before he had to back out due to his declining health. So I think we can trust him when it comes to the schedule he laid out. Remus, when you were skimming through the rulebook, was there anything about a 'Weighing of the Wands'?"
"Ah, yes!" Remus said; he flipped through several pages and landed on one. "Weighing of the Wands. Sometime during the first week after the three – or, in this case, four – Triwizard Tournament Champions are chosen, there will be a Weighing of the Wands ceremony. A wand-expert will be on hand to make sure each Champion's wand is functioning and legal."
"There should be no problems with that," Sirius said.
"In addition to the ceremony," Remus said, as he read, "The media will get their first chance to interview the Champions, and there will be a photo op."
"Excellent!" Sirius said, "So we have until the Weighing of the Wands ceremony to convince Barnabus Cuffe."
"Which could mean anytime between Monday and Friday," Lily said. "I doubt it would be as early as tomorrow, or we would have been informed during the post-Choosing meeting. Your idea to meet with Barnabus Cuffe tomorrow is looking better and better every moment, Remus."
Remus smiled. "Between tomorrow and the Wand Weighing ceremony, we'll do a test interview with you Harry, to prepare you for incoming interviews. We'll ask several questions which might come up, and you can figure out answers for them. We'll help you with that, of course."
Harry grimaced. "I suppose they're going to be unavoidable?"
"Yep," Lily said, "Sorry, son. We'll make sure you're ready. No worries. Next up, the First Task. I have a note here from Headmaster Winston. He says, and I quote 'While the first task is set to test a Champion's skills and abilities in the face of the unknown, it is rare that all Champions go into the task without knowing what they are facing.'"
"So what he is trying to tell us," Remus said, "Is that there are no rules against discovering what the Task is before Harry has to face it."
"Sounds like it," Lily said, "Headmaster Winston also says that, traditionally, the first task usually has to do with some kind of magical creature. The Champions are supposed to get past the creature, and retrieve something in the arena that will help them out in the Second Task. In the past, there has been... my god!"
"What?" Harry, Rose, Sirius and Remus asked at once.
"In the past, they've brought in Nundus, Manticores, and Hydras," Lily muttered. "They wouldn't – they're not -"
Harry and Rose went very pale as they stared at their mother.
"I don't think we need to worry about something as dangerous as Nundu or Manticore, Lily," Remus said. "We have to remember, the last Tournament was roughly two centuries ago. Back then, the rules regarding such dangerous creatures were a lot different than they are today. While I'm sure the creature will be dangerous, I don't think we have to worry about something along the level of the XXXXX Category."
"So," Sirius said, "Between tonight and November 24th, all we have to do is figure out what Harry's facing. Then we can prepare for it. Easy enough."
"It may be easier than that actually," Remus said.
"How?" Harry asked.
"We'll write out a list of possible creatures you might have to face," Remus said. "Then we'll figure out a range of strategies and prepare you for them. I'm sure we can think of some strategies that would work out no matter what creature you're about to face."
"Good thing we have an expert on Magical Creature Defense with us," Lily said, grinning.
"And if it turns out that the Creature I'm facing is one we've discussed," Harry said.
"Then we'll obviously continue to prepare that strategy," Remus said.
"I like that idea," Lily said, "We'll be vigilant between now and the First Task, and see if we can discover the Creature. If we can't, then with our plan, you should be prepared enough anyway. Next... okay, the Second Task won't take place until late February. But between the First and Second Task, there is the Yule Ball at Christmas."
"Christmas?!" Sirius asked, "As in Christmas Day? Good Merlin, do these people have any respect for family tradition? Christmas Break is for students to go home and celebrate the holidays with their families! I mean, we could have been planning something ourselves, but now we have to spend Christmas here for the Ball?"
"Well, we didn't have any plans otherwise," Harry said.
"Yet, Harry," Sirius said, "We don't have plans yet. I think we should expect invitations to at least one or two social parties during Christmas Break, if not more. Once the news that House Potter and House Black have returned gets out, there will be other Houses – and not only just our Allies, mind you – who will want to mingle with us, and talk politics and Alliances and everything else. If we're invited to social parties, it would be rude of us to turn all of them down. So I think we should prepare to attend one or two. Also..."
"Also what?" Lily asked.
"Also," Sirius said, "There may be several offers between now and then for Betrothal Contracts for the both of you."
He pointed at Harry and Rose, who looked pale again.
"Don't worry," Lily said, "We'll deny all Betrothal Contracts. Won't we, Sirius?"
"Huh?" Sirius asked; he looked up from the letter he was still writing, "Oh, yeah, of course, of course. There shouldn't be any problems when it comes to Betrothal Contracts."
"'Shouldn't be'?" Lily echoed, glaring at Sirius.
"I'm being cautious, Lily!" Sirius exclaimed. "Betrothal Contracts are a nasty business!"
Lily huffed. "Let's move away from that topic. I forgot how much I hated Pureblood Politics."
"These possible social parties you mentioned, Sirius," Harry said, "They're not going to interfere with the Yule Ball, right?"
"I highly doubt it," Sirius said, "The Yule Ball is not exactly a secret. It is the biggest social event of the year. If, on the off-chance, we do get invited to one on that same day, we'll decline it."
"Why do you ask, Harry?" Lily asked, grinning, "Are you looking forward to the Ball?"
"He's expecting to take Hermione to the Ball," Rose said, giggling.
Harry groaned. "Don't jinx it, Rosie! I don't even know if we'll have a nice time on our date next Saturday!"
"I don't think you'll have a problem with that, Harry," Remus said, smiling, "Hermione looked quite pleased that you chose to sit with her this evening. I'm sure she's looking forward to the date. So I am quite sure you'll have a nice time."
"Hey, that reminds me!" Rose said, "What were you and Hermione talking about in whispers earlier tonight during the Feast?"
"Oh," Harry said, "Hermione wanted to talk to me in private about something. She said it was important. But I told her if I was chosen Champion then I wouldn't have a chance tonight. I imagine she was already back in Ravenclaw Tower by the time the post-Choosing meeting was over. I'll just find her tomorrow sometime."
"We may not have a chance tomorrow, Harry," Lily said, "It appears we have plans to go to Diagon Alley."
Harry shrugged. "We won't be there all day. Even if we leave tomorrow morning, I'll talk to her when we get back."
"I think I know what she wanted," Sirius said.
"What?" Harry asked.
Sirius grinned. "I bet she wanted to kiss you to see whether or not going on a date with you is worth it!"
Harry sputtered. Rose giggled. Remus snickered.
Lily smacked Sirius over the head with a rolled up piece of parchment.
"Behave, Sirius," Lily said, "Okay. We need to continue, or we're never getting to bed tonight. Alright... the Second Task..."
A few minutes earlier – Gryffindor Common Room
Neville Longbottom was quietly fuming as he walked through the seventh floor corridors toward Gryffindor Tower with Angelina Johnson. His fellow Champion in the Triwizard Tournament, Angelina Johnson. When the Goblet of Fire spat the fourth piece of parchment out, Neville didn't need Headmaster Dumbledore to call his name. He already knew it was his name. Even though he hadn't entered his name into the Goblet, he knew it was his name on that piece of parchment.
Why wouldn't it be? It was the icing on the cake that promised yet another eventful year for him at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Two out of the past three years had been quite eventful and dangerous for Neville.
During his first year at Hogwarts, there had been the whole Philosopher's Stone fiasco.
On Halloween during his first year, a troll had invaded the castle. Neville had heard from Parvati Patil that Ravenclaw student Hermione Granger had been hiding in a bathroom, and didn't know about the troll. Apparently his fellow Gryffindor first-year Ron Weasley had insulted her, causing her to hide in the bathroom. Ron's older brothers, Fred and George, offered to find Hermione – to apologize for their stupid brother – and Neville joined them to find her. They had ended up in a girl's bathroom with Hermione and a troll. Together, Neville, Fred and George had defeated the troll, saving Hermione. Professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrel – the Defense Professor that year – had found them in the bathroom moments after they defeated the troll. Fred and George saw that Snape was limping, and they privately told Neville that they figured out why he was limping. Apparently he had tried to get past a giant three-headed dog.
So began an investigation between Neville, Fred and George as to what the dog was guarding. During the beginning weeks of second term of their first year, Hermione Granger found them doing research in the library about what the dog was guarding. So she joined in. With her help, they discovered it was the Philosopher's Stone. They soon suspected Snape was going after the Stone. In June of their first year, Neville, Fred, George, and Hermione went to rescue the stone from Snape – actually, it turned out to be Quirrel. Neville was shocked to discover Voldemort was on the back of Quirrel's head, like a leech!
During their confrontation, Voldemort slipped out the information that Neville was destined to defeat him, so Neville had to die. Dumbledore had arrived in time to help Neville, and Voldemort escaped from Quirrel's body, whom he had been possessing. Quirrel died as soon as Voldemort left him.
Dumbledore later told Neville that Voldemort simply wanted revenge on Neville for surviving an attack against some of his followers. When Neville asked what Voldemort meant by 'destined', Dumbledore said Voldemort was lying to him.
Neville's second year would be just as interesting. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened. Muggleborn were being targeted and Petrified by a creature. Fred and George Weasley convinced Neville to join them in this investigation. Unknown to them, Hermione was also doing her own investigation with her friend, Luna Lovegood. The events culminated in June when Hermione Granger had been Petrified, and Luna had discovered a wadded up book page in Hermione's petrified hand. She gave it to Neville, and Neville found out the creature was a Basilisk, and that it was using pipes. Luna had even suggested talking to Moaning Myrtle, who had died during the last Chamber of Secrets incident. Talking to Myrtle led Neville, Fred and George to finding a sink in the bathroom Myrtle resided in. The sink had a snake etched into its faucet.
Neville's Great-Uncle, Algernon, was an Unspeakable, and also a Parselmouth (something Neville was quite relieved he didn't inherit from the Croaker bloodline) so Neville contacted him to help out. On the day Algernon had come to Hogwarts, Ginny Weasley had been taken to the Chamber. So Neville, Uncle Algie, Fred and George all went into the Chamber. There they were confronted by a ghost-like figure of a boy named Tom Marvolo Riddle. Riddle told them that Ginny had opened the Chamber of Secrets, and she had been writing in a diary. Riddle possessed her through the diary. Riddle then told them that he was Lord Voldemort. He then summoned a Basilisk, which was quickly defeated by Algernon Croaker using the crow of a rooster he had brought with him. Uncle Algie then stabbed the diary with a Basilisk fang, and Ghost-Riddle disappeared. Ginny had survived, and was found innocent of any crimes concerning the Chamber of Secrets. Neville's Gran, Augusta Longbottom – who was also named Ginny's godmother, sponsored Ginny and paid for her to attend Mental Healer counseling to help with the trauma.
Lucius Malfoy was later discovered to have given Ginny the diary and was later arrested. During the most recent June, Malfoy was sentenced to life in Azkaban, but en route to Azkaban, escaped custody and has been a fugitive ever since.
Third year was a surprisingly normal year for Neville Longbottom. Nothing of interest happened. Unless you counted the Defense Professor that year, Emmeline Vance, romancing a seventh year student much of the year, ending up pregnant by said student, and giving her resignation when the relationship and pregnancy was discovered. But that had nothing to do with Neville Longbottom.
But it appeared Neville's fourth year would be like his first two. Eventful and very dangerous.
"Neville?" Angelina Johnson asked.
Neville broke from his reverie. "Hmm?"
"I believe you," Angelina said, "I believe you didn't enter your name. I wish I know who was responsible, but I don't. If anybody believes you put your name in the Goblet, I'll help dissuade them from that belief."
"Thank you, Angelina," Neville said, "That means a lot to me."
"I know Lady Potter said she would help you during the tournament," Angelina said, "But so will I."
"Thanks," Neville said.
Neville got a shock to find himself and Angelina facing the Fat Lady already. He had barely noticed where his feet were carrying him. It was also a surprise to see that she was not alone in her frame. Neville recognized the witch who was now sitting smugly beside the Fat Lady. She had a portrait in the same room where the post-Choosing meeting had taken place. She must have dashed through every picture lining seven staircases to reach here before him. Both she and the Fat Lady were looking down at him and Angelina with the keenest interest.
"Well, well, well," said the Fat Lady, "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion, then?"
"Balderdash," said Angelina.
"It most certainly isn't!" said the pale witch indignantly.
"No, no, Vi, it's the password," said the Fat Lady, and she swung forward on her hinges to let Neville and Angelina into the common room.
"Congratulations, both of you!" Violet said.
Neville merely nodded and followed Angelina into the Gryffindor Common Room. The blast of noise that met Neville's ears when he stepped inside almost knocked him backward. Next thing he knew, he was being wrenched forward by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling.
"Everybody leave Neville alone!" a familiar voice, at least to Neville, shrieked.
Neville smiled when his Betrothed, Ginny Weasley, pushed her way through the crowd and pounced on him, hugging him.
During the start of the previous summer, Ginny's mother – and Neville's godmother, Molly Weasley had invited Neville and his Gran, Augusta, over to the Burrow for dinner with the Weasleys. During the dinner, Augusta and Molly together announced a Betrothal Contract between Neville and Ginny made when both were very young. At first, Neville was quite shocked, and rather reluctant. But a week after the announcement, Ginny had written him a letter saying that she had fancied him for a few years now even though he was technically her "god-brother". Augusta suggested to Neville that he ask her on a date, and start courting her. So during four Saturdays of the summer, Neville and Ginny went out on dates – each date at the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, with dessert at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Either Augusta or Molly was a chaperone every time, but they had always kept a marginal distance.
By the second date, Neville had gotten the courage up to ask Ginny to be his girlfriend, and they had their first kiss. Aside from those original dates, they had also spent time at the Quidditch World Cup together – Neville had been invited by the Weasleys – and they had gone on a date during the Hogsmeade weekend in September. It had been Ginny's first trip to Hogsmeade, and she loved it.
"You okay, Neville?" Ginny asked, her voice muffled into his chest.
"I will be," Neville said; he wasn't sure if that was a lie or not.
Ginny's twin brothers, Fred and George, pushed through the crowd.
"Angelina!" the twins roared.
"We're so happy you're the Champion!" Fred said.
"You and Neville!" George said.
"If it couldn't be us," Fred said.
"We're glad it was you!" George said.
"How did you do it, Neville?" Fred asked.
"How did you enter your name?" George asked.
"I didn't," Neville said, "I didn't enter -"
Those students who heard him started jeering and muttering – obviously very few believed him.
"SILENCE!" Angelina Johnson roared over the crowd of Gryffindors.
Miraculously, the Common Room went silent almost immediately.
"Neville did not enter his name into the Goblet of Fire," Angelina said; she glared at several Gryffindors when they scoffed and murmured, "Neville and I were both there in the Post-Choosing meeting. You weren't. We were. I was there when Neville was interrogated by Headmaster Dumbledore about whether or not he entered. Neville said he didn't enter. Several adults, including the Beauxbatons Headmistress, and Professor Snape didn't believe Neville. But Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall do and that should be enough!"
"So what happened?" Neville's dorm-mate, and fellow year-mate, Dean Thomas, asked. "Why is Neville in the tournament?"
"Because somebody thinks the Tournament is going to kill me," Neville said, dully; he winced when Ginny whimpered into his robes – she had not let him go since she pounced on him.
"Be serious, Neville!" Seamus Finnegan – another dorm-mate - said.
"He is, Finnegan!" Angelina said, "Professor Moody thought the same thing -"
"Yeah, well, Moody's a paranoid bugger!" Lee Jordan said, "Of course he's going to think that!"
"There was a theory," Angelina said, "That somebody wrote Neville's name and the name of a completely different school – like Durmstrang – and put it into the Goblet."
"Blimey," Fred said, "If there was only one student named for a fourth school -"
"- then that student's name would automatically come out!" George said.
"Why didn't we think of that?!" Fred and George yelled in unison.
"Fred and George are correct," Angelina said. "That's the theory anyway. So as you can see, Neville's innocent here. I don't want to hear anyone here accusing him of cheating!"
"That goes double for you, McLaggen!" Katie Bell said, "We all heard you tonight in the Great Hall, calling Neville a cheat!"
Cormac McLaggen blushed furiously, as everyone glared at him, and he hurried off up the stairwell toward the boy's dormitories.
"Neville's a Gryffindor," Angelina said, "Like all of us. We're all going to support him as Champion..."
"Both of you!" Parvati Patil said, "You're both Champions!"
Angelina smiled as the students yelled in agreement with Parvati.
"Fine," she said, "Both of us. The other three Houses are going to be jealous. We need to convince them that, if either of us win, it is a win for Hogwarts! Everyone needs to know that Neville is a Champion, but is in this tournament involuntarily. Don't let anyone call him a cheater!"
There were murmurs and mutters of agreement.
"Now go on and give Neville his space," Angelina said.
"Come on, Neville," Ginny said; as the others walked away, "Let's go cuddle in front of the fireplace."
"Not tonight, Ginny," Neville said, "I'm too tired. I'll spend time with you tomorrow. All day if I can manage."
Ginny frowned. "Neville -"
"I need time to myself, Ginny," Neville said, "I need time to think. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."
"You better," Ginny said, frowning.
Neville pecked her on the lips. When she tried to deepen the kiss, he smiled and kissed her again. Then he backed away.
"Sweet dreams, Ginny," Neville said.
"Good night," Ginny said, smiling, "Love you."
It was the first time Ginny ever said it to him. But Neville barely registered it as he walked past her and headed up the stairs to his dormitory. When he arrived at his dormitory, he found Ron Weasley sitting on the end of his bed with his arms crossed, and glaring at him.
"Already getting ready for bed, are you?" Neville asked, "I thought you'd be downstairs celebrating."
"Why would I celebrate you becoming Champion, Neville?" Ron asked.
"I don't care whether or not you celebrate for me," Neville said, "Angelina deserves it, however."
"I don't care about Angelina, Neville," Ron said, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Neville asked.
"Why didn't you tell me you found a way to enter your name into the Goblet of Fire?" Ron asked, "I'm your dorm-mate! Your friend! Your god-brother! You know I wanted to enter too! You were there when I complained this morning when Harry Potter was able to enter! You should have told me!"
"Ron," Neville said, "I didn't enter my name into the Goblet of Fire."
"You're lying!" Ron snarled.
"I'm not lying!" Neville shot back.
"Yes, you are!" Ron growled. "You don't need to lie to me! If you don't want everyone else to know, fine, but I don't know why you're bothering to lie, you didn't get into trouble for it, did you? That friend of the Fat Lady's, that Violet, she's already told us all Dumbledore's letting you enter. A thousand Galleons prize money, eh? And you don't have to do end-of-year tests either. Could have helped me enter too, though..."
"I didn't enter my name into the Goblet, Ron!" Neville repeated, "I do not want to be Champion! Why would I need a thousand Galleons? House Longbottom has a fortune already – not that a load of Galleons mean trip to me!"
Unlike you it would appear, he thought coldly, as Ron muttered darkly under his breath.
"I don't have a chance in this tournament," Neville continued, "More than likely, I'm going to get killed! You think I want that?!"
"So you're still determined to lie to me," Ron said, "Even after I told you I'm not going to get you in trouble. You know what. Fine."
Neville glared at Ron as the boy backed up onto his own bed. Why didn't Ron believe him? Out of everyone, Neville thought all of the Weasleys would believe him. House Weasley was allied with House Longbottom, after all!
"I think I'm going to write to my mother tomorrow," Ron said, "I doubt she's going to want a rotten liar and a cheat for a son-in-law anymore. I think I'll suggest to her that she cancels the Betrothal Contract between you and Ginny."
"Ron," Neville said.
"Consider your Betrothal Contract terminated," Ron said, then he snarled, "That means stay away from sister, Longbottom! And stay away from me!"
Before Neville could say anything, Ron yanked the curtains around his bed. Fuming, Neville walked over to his bed and laid down on it, without bothering to undress. This was not his fault.
He picked up his pillow, so he could beat it and make it more comfortable. He found his Invisibility Cloak – which he had received from Albus Dumbledore – for Christmas during his first year of Hogwarts. He stared at the Cloak, as an idea swept through his mind. He took the Cloak, covered himself with it and stood up, then headed back out of his dormitory.
No, this wasn't his fault. And it was time to get answers from the one person who Neville blamed more than anyone else!
Several minutes later – Albus Dumbledore's Office, Hogwarts Castle
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was in a quandary.
He was relaxing in his comfortable leather chair behind his magnificent mahogany desk, and currently sipping from a glass of dazzling oak-matured mead. Sitting on the desk in front of him was one-quarter filled with the remainder of the mead. Ludo Bagman had just left his office moments before, after drinking his way through half of the bottle. Bagman had spent the last half-hour or so getting Albus' opinions on each of the four Triwizard Tournament Champions. Given that Ludo Bagman was a well-known gambling addict, Albus had easily deduced that Bagman was going to bet on one of the Champions to win the Tournament, and the man obviously needed pointers. In the end, Bagman had chosen Ilvermorny Champion Harry Potter, though it was a close choice between him and Neville Longbottom.
When Albus asked Bagman why he was choosing one of the two youngest competitors instead of the older two, Bagman said he usually liked to go for the underdogs.
"Nobody should ever count out an underdog, Albus!" Bagman had said, "I was considered an underdog, and look how my career went!"
Albus seriously doubted Harry Potter was an 'underdog', but he wasn't about to tell Bagman that. Nor did he tell Bagman that he had to agree with the man. Harry Potter had a good shot at winning the Tournament. A shame, he had to admit, since he was the Ilvermorny Champion. But Harry Potter was obviously a skilled, talented and powerful young man. How could he not be, having been raised by Lily Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin – each of whom were excellent and talented students when they attended Hogwarts. Plus, there was the fact that Harry had placed third in a contention tournament, beating out twenty-seven students all of whom were older than him. An impressive feat!
However... Albus had to admit that Neville Longbottom also had a good shot at winning. Not because he was skilled and talented. He was barely above average in his age-range when it came to that category, and definitely nowhere near the best student in his year group. But he had a good chance because of something completely different.
Albus had a secret. A secret he wasn't about to tell anybody. While he wasn't responsible for entering Longbottom's name in the Goblet of Fire, he did know exactly who had done it. Longbottom's name had been entered by a servant of Voldemort, using Polyjuice Potion. Being Headmaster had many advantages. One advantage was that he was alerted when someone was using Polyjuice Potion in his school. Obviously Voldemort had ordered his servant to guide Longbottom through the tournament. The end-game was questionable. Whether Voldemort wanted Longbottom to die, or whether Voldemort was setting up a trap for the boy, Albus didn't know. At least, not yet. But it was obvious that Longbottom was in the Tournament for a reason.
Like Albus, and everyone else in Great Britain, Voldemort was obviously under the assumption that Harry Potter was dead. In June of 1992, after Neville had told Albus about his confrontation with Voldemort, while rescuing the Philosopher's Stone, Albus had realized that Voldemort had changed his mind about who was prophecized to defeat him. Since Harry Potter was dead, and Neville Longbottom alive, there was no other way about it. Neville Longbottom was the Chosen One.
Albus, of course, had predicted this even before Neville had survived the attack on his family on November 5th, 1981. When he had heard that not only had James and Lily Potter been killed on that Halloween in 1981, but Harry Potter too, Albus had deduced he had been wrong about the prophecy. The Chosen One was Neville.
Upon hearing about the Potter's deaths, Albus had visited Gringotts. He had planned to convince the Goblins of Gringotts to turn over the House Potter fortune to him. He planned to use the fortune to fund the war when Voldemort inevitably returned. But the Goblins had refused. They had closed the House Potter account, and the House Potter Vaults, until the Potter Heir returned to open them. Once a year, for the past thirteen years – on Harry Potter's birthday, in fact – Albus met with the Goblins in hopes to convince them that House Potter was extinct. But it was to no avail. Each time they told him they were waiting for the Potter Heir. Now Albus realized that the Goblins knew Harry Potter had survived that Halloween night in 1981.
When Neville Longbottom survived the attack by Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange and Bartemius Crouch, Junior, Albus predicted that Voldemort would target Neville as the Chosen One of the Prophecy. So Albus convinced Augusta Longbottom that he could help her raise Neville. It turned out that Augusta's brother Algernon Croaker – an Unspeakable – had told her that Neville was prophecized to defeat Voldemort. This was unfortunate for Albus. He had wanted to raise Neville as a boy who would sacrifice himself when it came time, so that Albus could defeat Voldemort in the end.
But Augusta opposed him. She planned on training her grandson, preparing him for his destiny. In the end Albus agreed, deciding his plans might still work out anyway. In a way, Albus' plans did sort of work out. Neville wasn't the hardened warrior his grandmother wanted him to be. He was barely an above-average student, and definitely not the top of his year. At fourteen, as a Triwizard Champion, he was nowhere near ready to face Voldemort. Albus' plans could still go forward.
Long before Neville became a student at Hogwarts – back when he was still a toddler – Albus convinced Augusta Longbottom to remove House Longbottom from the late Charlus Potter's Great Alliance. Albus knew what the Goblins of Gringotts didn't. House Potter wasn't returning. The Great Alliance was done. Albus was wrong, of course, but back then he thought he was right, and he had convinced Augusta anyway. Augusta did as was asked, removed her family's House from the Great Alliance, and she joined Albus' new Alliance, which would rival the Great Alliance's power. House Weasley soon joined the Alliance, and upon Neville's second birthday, Albus made his next move. He convinced Augusta Longbottom and Arthur Weasley – through Arthur's wife, Molly – to pen a Betrothal Contract between Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley – the youngest child and only daughter of House Weasley.
Albus' plan regarding the Contract was simple. Neville and Ginny would marry, and Neville would impregnate Ginny, before the boy had to confront Voldemort. When Neville died, the pauper House Weasley would inherit House Longbottom's fortune. Arthur Weasley was far more malleable than Augusta Longbottom. Once House Weasley had House Longbottom's fortune, Albus would simply remove House Longbottom from his Alliance.
With the Longbottom fortune, his political power, and immense popularity after he destroyed Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore could meld the British Wizarding World to the paradise he wanted it to be.
But a new problem had arisen as of October 30th, 1994. Harry and Lily Potter had returned to Great Britain, alive and well. With the addition of Rose Potter, House Potter was flourishing! Neville Longbottom was no longer the prophecized Chosen One. Harry Potter, the real Chosen One, was alive. And he was talented, skilled and powerful. Even if Albus wanted to get Harry Potter under his influence, there was no way the boy would be a martyr. The boy had a family and a sure future. Plus there was the fact that he was now a citizen of the United States of America. Why would he care for Great Britain when he hadn't lived there in thirteen years, and barely remembered it? Great Britain wasn't his home. Voldemort's terrible tyranny didn't reach American shores. Harry Potter's life and future wasn't threatened by Voldemort.
Albus smiled at that thought.
"At least, as far as Harry Potter knows, that is," Albus said. "I wonder what would happen if I informed him and his mother of the Prophecy, of the reason Voldemort killed his father, and nearly killed him, his mother and his unborn sister – at least unborn at the time. I wonder what would happen if I told him he was destined to defeat Voldemort once and for all. If, without him, Great Britain and everyone in it, would be doomed. Could he live with the consequences? Or would he decide to remain in Great Britain and fight Voldemort?"
Harry Potter, student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Albus raised his glass in a toast, at the very thought, and gulped down his drink.
As he filled his glass with more mead, the small statue representing the larger gargoyle which guarded his office sprang to life.
"Neville Longbottom is requesting entrance," the statue said.
"What's he doing here?" Albus asked, "He should be celebrating with his fellow Gryffindors! Not breaking curfew to come see me! Fine! Let him in!"
Albus poured the mead back in the bottle, capped the bottle, and placed the bottle and glass in a desk drawer. He relaxed in his chair, composing himself in his grandfatherly Headmaster role. When Neville knocked on the door of his office, Albus waved his wand toward the door, which opened. Neville walked into the room and slammed the door behind him. He marched toward Albus, glaring at him.
Oh, dear. Albus thought internally, I do believe Longbottom is mad at me.
"I am surprised to see you here, Mr. Longbottom," Albus said, "I thought you'd be celebrating with your Betrothed and the rest of Gryffindor."
"I don't feel like celebrating," Neville said.
Yes, Albus thought, He is definitely angry.
"I saw Ludo Bagman walking away from your office," Neville said.
"Oh?" Albus asked, "And he didn't see you?"
"I was under my Cloak," Neville said.
Ah, the Invisibility Cloak, Albus thought, I'm going to need that back before he leaves. It belongs to Harry Potter, after all. I would be in a heap of trouble if Lily discovered I had given her husband's cloak away, even if it was to her godson. Angering Lily Potter is not on my top ten list of things to do. More like a bucket list. Because it is likely the very last thing I'd ever do if that ever happened.
Which was also why he had only used that piece of parchment with Harry Potter's magical signature on the Age Line, and did nothing else with it. Even though he wanted to. If he had used it for other things, and Lily Potter found out, he would have problems with her. Like Augusta Longbottom, Lily Potter was not a witch you wanted to cross.
"I assume you were meeting Mr. Bagman to discuss how to remove me from this Tournament?" Neville asked.
"I'm afraid, Mr. Longbottom," Albus said, "That there is no possible way of removing you from the Tournament. It is a binding magical contract -"
"I didn't sign a contract!" Neville growled, "I didn't even sign my own name!"
"You did, actually... unknowingly," Albus said.
He pushed a strip of parchment across the desk. Neville walked over to the desk and grabbed the parchment and looked at it. He turned pale.
"This – this is my – my writing," Neville stammered, "The word 'Durmstrang' is not my writing. But my name is in my writing. How –?"
"How indeed," Albus agreed. "It could have been ripped off of an assignment you did. Or it could have come from a letter you wrote to the Ministry of Magic. We do not know. But, as you said, it is your writing."
"Do you recognize who wrote 'Durmstrang'?" Neville asked.
"No," Albus said, "Sadly, I do not."
"This isn't right!" Neville said, "I didn't put this parchment in the Goblet! I shouldn't be the Champion!"
"No, you shouldn't," Albus said, "But you are."
"I don't want to be in this tournament, Dumbledore!" Neville said.
"Mr. Longbottom," Albus said, "I am your Headmaster, and you will respect me."
"Fuck that, Dumbledore!" Neville growled; Albus blinked; the boy had never sworn at him. "I told you this would happen! I guess your suggestion of putting me in Divination gave me foresight! When I heard the Champion Choosing Ceremony would be on Halloween, I told you my name was going to come out of that Goblet, and you promised me it wouldn't happen! You promised me!
"Ever since I stepped foot in this Merlin-be-damned school, things tend to happen to me on Halloween! First year, the troll – Hermione Granger would have died if Fred, George and I hadn't saved her! Second year, the Chamber of Secrets opening, and Mrs. Norris petrified. On Halloween! Third year, nothing too bad, except for Malfoy cursing me so bad he put me in the Hospital Wing! Today is Halloween, of course something was going to happen to me."
"Dear, boy, you can't count the first two years at Halloween as something happening to you," Albus said. "You made the choice to save the Granger girl. And Mrs. Norris' Petrifaction had nothing to do with you. Now, please be seated, Mr. Longbottom. At least do this old man the courtesy of not having to look up to face your properly."
Neville continued to glare at him. He huffed and sat down in a chair.
"You must compete in the tournament, Mr. Longbottom," Albus said, "If you refuse, I'm afraid you will lose your magic. You'll become a Squib."
Neville's jaw dropped. "Surely you can do something about this!"
"If I could, I would, I assure you," Albus said, "But I cannot."
"I'm – I don't stand a chance!" Neville exclaimed, "I'm going to be killed! Whoever put my name in the Goblet wanted to kill me -"
"We will discover who is behind this, Mr. Longbottom," Albus said, "This, I promise you. Actually, you can be a lot of help with that."
"How?" Neville asked.
"By competing in the tournament," Albus said, smiling. "They put you in the tournament for a reason, after all."
"Yeah, to kill me," Neville huffed.
"Perhaps," Albus said, "Or perhaps... they placed you in the tournament, hoping you would win."
"What?" Neville asked.
"Yes," Albus said, "There is a possibility that the person behind this will do their best to help you win. You just need to compete, and let myself, and your fellow Professors, and the judges, be on the lookout for anyone taking a particular interest in you."
"The Ilvermorny delegates!" Neville gasped. "Lady Potter, and that bloke she was with. They offered to help me this evening! And the bloke – he – he mentioned Durmstrang! Which is on this parchment! I bet it is him!"
Albus raised his eyebrows. So Lily Potter and Sirius Black were offering to assist Neville in the Tournament. Though it was an interesting development, it wasn't so surprising. Lily was one of Neville's Godmothers, in addition to Molly Weasley, who had been given the title by Augusta Longbottom, after both ladies agreed the Betrothal Contract. Lily and Sirius Black had been friends of Neville's parents.
"While I am quite sure they're innocent, Mr. Longbottom," Albus said, "I would urge you to be cautious around them, just in case you're right. It may turn out, however, they're just simply wanting to help you."
Neville frowned. "Or they might be trying to kill me."
Albus merely shrugged. While he knew Neville was wrong, it would be interesting to watch the boy's actions around the Ilvermorny Champion, his family and the delegates. If Neville discovered he was wrong, Albus would simply say 'I told you so'. So he found no fault there.
"Mr. Longbottom," Albus said, "Professor Moody has volunteered to train you for the tournament."
"I have my own tutors," Neville said. "Gran, Uncle Algie, and others. They'll be of more help."
"But they're not readily available," Albus said, "Professor Moody is. And, as I said, he was already volunteered. As you know, he's an ex-Auror. He is the Defense Professor -"
"One of my Defense Professors tried to kill me," Neville said, "Another one was a complete fraud. I'm not very trusting with them. Another might have been flirting with me."
"Neville," Dumbledore admonished.
"Alright, probably not," Neville said, "But you can't deny what she did with that Hufflepuff. The proof is in the baby they had this summer. And the wedding my Gran couldn't help but gossip about with her friends. She didn't even go! She just read it in Witch Weekly!"
Albus cleared his throat, stopping Neville. He didn't want to be reminded of that whole fiasco. Never before had Riddle's DADA Curse done that to a Professor to remove them from the post before! Thank god it was an adult being impregnated by a student, and not the other way around, with a Professor – like Lockhart – impregnating a student!
"I trust Professor Moody, Neville," Albus said. "You should too."
"I plan to write to my Gran anyway," Neville said, "I'll get her advice. If she says Professor Moody can help me, then I'll trust her."
Albus sighed. Neville was supposed to be trusting him, more than his Gran!
"Very well," Albus said. "Is that all?"
"I guess so," Neville said, slumping his shoulders. "May I be excused?"
"Not just yet, Neville," Albus said, "I'm afraid I need the Invisibility Cloak back."
"What?!" Neville yelped. "But you gave it to me!"
"I gave it to you," Albus said, "Because I thought the owner wouldn't come back to claim it. But they have, and I have to give it back to them. The Cloak belonged to James Potter, and Lily Potter has asked for it back so she can give it to her son."
Neville frowned and took the folded Cloak from his robes. He placed it on Albus' desk.
"That Cloak was the only reason I was able to get to your office tonight," Neville said, "I would have been caught otherwise. I'll surely be caught going back."
"That is your fault, Mr. Longbottom," Albus said, "If you're caught, then the next time you'll remember not to break curfew. You're excused."
Neville stood and proceeded to leave the office. Albus huffed, reached into his drawer and took the bottle of mead and glass back out. He filled the glass a quarter of the way and drank it all, then filled the glass halfway and set both the bottle and glass on his desk.
He knew now that he no longer had Neville Longbottom's complete trust. He suspected such when the boy was glaring at him earlier that evening after his name came out of the Goblet. He suspected it more when the boy stormed into his office, looking angry. And by the end of the meeting, Albus knew – he had lost all influence he had on the boy. The boy no longer trusted him.
Albus shrugged. Oh well. It no longer mattered, did it? Harry Potter, the true Chosen One in the Prophecy, was alive. Neville Longbottom no longer mattered. Albus now hardly cared whether or not the boy survived the tournament. Competitors die in the tournament, after all. The Ministry of Magic wouldn't blame him on that, would they? After all, it was the Ministry, not him, who wanted this godforsaken tournament!
His focus was now on Harry Potter. Now he just needed to bring the boy into his influence. The task would be a difficult one, perhaps a more difficult task than the three Harry would be facing in the Tournament. But Albus knew he needed to succeed.
The Greater Good demanded it, after all.
Riddle Manor – Little Hangleton
"Speak, my loyal follower," Voldemort hissed.
"Your plan worked, My Lord," Bartemius Crouch, Junior said, as he bowed in front of his Master, "Neville Longbottom is in the Tournament. And so is Harry Potter."
"Well done, Bartemius," Voldemort said, "Let us now discuss our next move..."
Chapter finished! Longest chapter of the story by far! Might be the longest in the whole story by the end. We'll see!
So much happened in this chapter. I don't know where to begin first! So I won't!
I will add, however, that everything regarding Former DADA Professor Vance's reason for being booted from the post was a last minute addition for humor purposes. (yes, I chose her, because she's the sole reason I can brag my first name is being represented in Harry Potter canon – not that I had anything to do with that, of course).
Next Chapter: Harry wakes up to letters and articles. Then he, Lily, Rose and Sirius go to Diagon Alley. There will probably be two or three Diagon Alley Chapters in a row coming up. I know my readers want Harry and Hermione to talk, but... unfortunately, that won't happen until he comes back from Diagon Alley.
Hope you liked this one!