Chap 6

I know this chapter is a little late, but it is more than 12k words long so it is basically 3 chapters rolled into 1. I am getting busy with work and cannot foresee devoting a lot of time to writing so I will be writing super long chapters like this one perhaps once a month from now on.

This is a very important chapter as it sets the tone for future story direction. Hope you like reading it as much as I did writing it. Cheers and don't forget to review.

*Flashback 1st year day after the last Quidditch match of the season Slytherin vs Ravenclaw*

"Well Harry, color me impressed. I must say you really were in a different league yesterday. To beat that Cho Chang chic, on a school broom no less, was something else. That bird is very nimble though, I wonder what kind of tricks she could pull off on a broomstick if you catch my drift," Blaise said while nudging Harry in the side.

"Drift caught Blaise, drift definitely caught. No need for you to explain." He'd rather not be heard discussing the cute Ravenclaw seeker's carnal preferences.

"Fine, let's talk about you then, you party animal. I heard what happened in the common room last night. Making out with a senior, Elizabeth Rosier no less. You dawg!"

A smile involuntarily broke out on Harry's face. "Honestly Blaise, I hardly remember much. I guess it was nice, but with how much firewhiskey I had chugged, I couldn't tell you anything even if I wanted to."

It was true, he was lucky he hadn't woken up in a pool of his own vomit. The night had been especially wild, with senior students smuggling in enough Firewhiskey and Butterbeer to make the whole castle tipsy. Then there were the herbologist enthusiasts who had grown some special psychedelic herbs and mushrooms in their dorms and were willing to share to commemorate the occasion. If there was one lesson Harry learned from the night, it was to never mix Firewhiskey and those weird mushrooms that made colors blend and the world spin.

"You're right, almost everyone got super wasted. I don't think anyone in Slytherin expected to win the Quidditch cup this year, especially after losing that first match to Gryffindor."

"Hey, that's not fair. It's not my fault Longbottom practically fell on the snitch. Honestly, how bad is that guy. He had a brand new Nimbus 2000 and he somehow managed to find a way to fall off it." That match was a sore spot, especially because of all the favoritism Dumbledore had decided to show towards the golden boy.

After both he and Neville found their way onto their respective Quidditch teams, McGonagall decided to tip the scales in her team's favor by buying the latest broom in the market for her star seeker. First years weren't allowed to have brooms so McGonagall worked around the rule by lending the broom to Longbottom. Dumbledore decided to turn a blind eye to the spirit of the rule being violated and allowed Gryffindors to have their merry way.

Snape being the miserable tightwad that he was, never even entertained the idea of doing something similar for Harry. Still, Harry felt that he was the better flyer since he was the one who managed to stay on his broom for the entire duration of the match. It was just his dumb luck that Longbottom somehow managed to almost swallow the snitch on his shortcut to the ground.

"I heard his broom was cursed."

"That's the biggest load of balderdash I've ever heard. More like golden boy was too fat for his fancy broom and is now spinning tales to avoid embarrassment."

"Well, whatever you say. Personally, I don't care either way. All those Gryffindors must be frothing at the mouth now that we stole the cup from right under their noses. Do you think kitty will be extra strict in Transfiguration today now that she lost the cup?"

"She sure will be if we don't drag our asses over to class soon enough," Harry responded.

"Potter, wait up. I need to speak with you in private," the voice of Umar Shafique made Harry stop in his tracks. He looked behind and sure enough, Shafique, a fourth-year student from Slytherin house was making his way over to him.

"Ohh Hi Shafique, we have Transfiguration in about 10 minutes so can we talk later?"

"It won't take that long Potter, a few of us got together to pitch in money so that our seeker flies the best possible broom during the next season. We just need your opinion before selecting a broom. By the way, great game yesterday!"

Harry blushed at the praise from the upperclassman. "Alright then. Why don't you go on ahead Blaise, I will see you in Transfiguration?"

Blaise seemed reluctant to leave Harry behind but relented without protest. "Don't be late mate, you don't want to give McGonagall an excuse," said Blaise before walking on ahead.

"Lead the way Shafique"

"Sure Potter, this way. We are using the charms classroom for fourth-year students." Shafique led Harry to the fourth-floor charms corridor. Harry hoped the meeting would be short since he wouldn't have long to dash down to the Transfiguration classroom on the second floor in the opposite wing.

He pushed the door open to find Marcus Flint waiting for him. The moment he stepped inside, he heard the soft murmur of 'Petrificus Totalum' and the next thing he knew, Shafique had immobilized him from behind. He fell face first on the ground. The metallic taste in his mouth meant he had broken his nose.

"Thank you Shafique, you can leave now. Remember, not a word of this to Warrington. He wouldn't appreciate me roughing up our ace seeker," Flint told Shafique.

With a nod, Shafique left and Harry heard the distinctive sound of the door closing behind him.

"Forgive Shafique, won't you Potter? He's not much magically adept. Then again, what else can you expect from those goat fucking immigrants? Here, let me make you comfortable." Flint waved his wand and muttered a couple of incantations. Harry could feel his jaw and tongue getting unspelled and him being turned so he could face Flint. The boy was crouching over his immobilized body and Harry could see the maniacal look on his face.

"What the fuck Flint, what's this about?" Harry asked angrily.

"You don't know? You didn't think there would be any repercussions after you decided to use your filthy half-blood mouth AND KISS MY GIRLFRIEND?" Flint shouted the last part right in his face. He could feel some of his spittle rain down on his face.

"What are you talking about? Lizzy isn't your girlfriend."

"She is; she just doesn't know it yet. And that's Elizabeth Rosier to you, half-blood." Flint reiterated his point by kicking Harry in the face.

"Now, I suggest you pay attention because I will be giving you this lesson just once. The only takeaway from today's lesson is that half-bloods like you should always remember their status. Reaching for something that's beyond your means results in nothing but pain."

And then, Harry Potter's world exploded in pain.

*Flashback ends*


"So anyone put in their names yet?" Harry asked as he joined his friends on the Slytherin table for breakfast."

"All of Durmstrang contingent. Warrington did it from Slytherin and I heard Roger Davies put in his name by waking up early. No one from Gryffindor or Hufflepuff yet." Blaise informed him

Warrington was a seventh year and probably the best Slytherin had to offer. Roger Davies was more pomp than show, so Harry wasn't much worried about him.

"I am just glad you decided to give up on that nonsense of participating Harry," Daphne spoke with a smile on her face. Harry felt just a smidge of guilt for not sharing his nocturnal activities with her.

"What kept you so long in bed Harry? Dreams about a certain Beauxbatons' student? Most of us got up pretty early because of the excitement but I wouldn't blame you. A lot of students seem to be losing sleep over our French guest." Tracey teased.

He could feel Daphne tense up next to him. He knew Daphne did not like the French girl much. This was too early for the two of them to start arguing so Harry immediately decided to cut the argument short. "No Tracey, some of us actually stay up late on Saturday night to finish our homework. But since you seem to have already decided what I was up to, I don't think you'll be needing any help with the Transfiguration essay."

Tracey's expression immediately turned horrified. "No no no, I didn't mean anything by that. Please, Harry, you have to help me. McGonagall has threatened to write home to my Mum if I get another D- in my essay."

"Tough luck Trace," Harry said, reveling in her misery. He reached for the bacon on the table but that was the wrong move. His sleeve rode up and Daphne saw the cut mark on his wrist. Quick as a viper she grabbed his wrist. "This is the homework you were doing last night Harry? Merlin damnit how many times have I said that I should be there when you…." Daphne hissed in his ear.

He could see Blaise and Tracey give him odd looks. Those two had no idea about his 'activities' and Harry liked to keep it that way. He whispered back," Not now Daphne."

The awkward moment on the table seemed to stretch on until the hall was filled with cheers. It seemed like the entire Gryffindor house had marched together to cheer their main prospect, Angelina Johnson, on her way to the Goblet.

"She is going to be Gryffindor's main entry? Ohh please, I think even I stand a better chance of getting selected." Blaise mocked.

"Unless the task is playing Quidditch. Then she will whoop your ass." Tracey mocked Blaise. Blaise and Daphne couldn't play Quidditch to save their lives, for different reasons. Daphne feared heights while Blaise thought the game was too dirty and hands-on for a gentleman like him.

"Defending a Gryff Davis? I always suspected you'd turn traitor."

"Enough you two, settle down. The Goblet doesn't make its choice based on your power or skill level. It makes its choice based on a person's innate peak potential so anyone stands a chance." Daphne informed.

"Is this why you skipped to the library after dinner last night Daph? You are such a nerd." Tracey teased

Potential? This was good. If he got selected now, it would mean he had more potential than these seventh years. Currently, Harry couldn't say if he was stronger or weaker than all the seventh years at Hogwarts. He knew he could take on sixth year Angelina or seventh year Roger, but he wasn't so sure about Warrington. There was also Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff golden boy, and the top seventh year student. If the two of them dueled right now, Harry didn't fancy his chances much.

"Alright, I am finished. Let's go to Hogsmeade now!" Tracey announced.

"Umm, you all should go. I am thinking about visiting the library." Harry said. He could use the time to study a couple of new spells.

"No" Tracey replied.

"But-"

"No" Blaise came out in support of Tracey.

"I really have to"

"Don't care, you are coming along. Besides, you are already finished with all the homework, aren't you?" Tracey said with a saucy smirk on her lips.

"Daphne, a little help please."

"Why should I help you when you repeatedly refuse to listen to me. You are on your own Potter" Daphne sniped. She wasn't in a good mood after seeing the latest scar.

"Blaise, don't you have a girl to woo?" Harry asked in a last-ditch effort.

"Nah mate, Mandy dumped me, remember?"

"Fine" Harry groused. "You win, let's go." He wasn't as bummed out as he pretended to be. Secretly he was happy that his friends cared enough to not leave him behind and enjoy the village. They could be difficult to deal with at times but Harry wouldn't trade them for the world.


Hogsmeade seemed to be more decorated than usual, in preparation for the first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year. A light flurry of snow the preceding night meant that the place was decked in virgin snow. Madam Puddifoot seemed more crowded than ever, as numerous boys went through the torture as was a tradition for dating at Hogwarts.

The Three broomsticks seemed to be bursting at the seams, much like the gown concealing the busty bartender Rosmerta's assets. Harry and Blaise went to the counter so that Harry could order four butterbeers and Blaise could start up a conversation with Rosmerta's 'jugs'. Rosmerta, of course, wasn't very pleased and somehow slipped and landed a tankard on Blaise's head. So a dripping Blaise and a Harry balancing four butterbeers made their way to a table to find Daphne arguing with Pansy about who reached the table first.

Harry handed Daphne's drink to Tracey, who seemed more interested in watching the two fight than step in. Harry wasn't willing to push his luck anymore and started looking around. Luckily, Pansy left soon after Daphne made her see reason. Or threatened her, both usually meant the same thing with Daphne being so violent.

They talked about inane things like the Goblet, Rosmerta's assets, their foreign guests, Rosmerta's love life, upcoming Charms quiz when Rosmerta took a break from the bar. Basically, it was Daphne, Tracey and him talking while Blaise mooned over their beautiful barmaid.

Harry's gaze drifted over to a table near the opposite end of the bar. Four Slytherins seemed to be enjoying Firewhiskey in the shady corner. There was Warrington, Fawley, Flint and…. Elizabeth. The drink seemed to have taken a toll on Liz as she seemed to be leaning slightly into Flint. So much for not dating the meathead. Harry felt anger blaze through his veins. He wanted nothing more than to beat Flint to a pulp right now.

He saw Flint caress a hand through Liz's hair and her respond by resting her head on his shoulder. No, he wasn't going to sit here and watch those two make googly eyes at each other. "Excuse me, I need some air." Harry excused himself and walked out of the overcrowded pub. Making a scene right now wasn't going to help.

Harry had hardly taken ten steps outside when he felt another person join him. He looked back to find it was Daphne. This was why she was his best friend; she instinctively knew when he was hurting.

"What are you doing out here in the cold Daph? Go on in, I will join you guys in a short while."

"I saw her too you know."

"So you know, like always. I'd prefer to be alone for some time if you don't mind." Not really, but he wanted Daphne to refuse to leave. He could do with someone prioritizing him right now.

"You can have your alone time. I won't talk, but I am not leaving." Daphne spoke with finality.

Harry almost smiled with joy. He could count on Daphne with absolute certainty. It would be a cold day in hell before Daphne stopped looking out for him. He didn't really want to be alone and Daphne somehow had known that. The two of them walked in silence, trudging through the thin layer of fresh snow covering the ground. It wasn't before the two of them had reached near the horseless carriages that Harry spoke up.

"She could've said she was dating Flint. I mean, why lie?"

Daphne just lightly nodded in response.

"I mean, I get it that she might've done it to spare my feelings, but finding out this way is worse."

"Maybe she just isn't meant for you?" Daphne responded.

"Well, then who is? I thought she was into me, you know? And I really liked her too. Maybe she didn't really lie? Maybe she wasn't dating Flint then but she is now?"

"Possibly. Look, Harry, it won't help to ponder over ifs and maybes. I think the best course is to forget her and move on."

But Harry ignored what she said completely. "Maybe it isn't what it looks like. She was drinking Firewhiskey, and we all know how good Liz is at holding her drink. Maybe she went just because she is friends with Fawley. Fawley is dating Warrington who is friends with Flint so he tagged along too. I bet she still hates him."

"Harry,…."

"Do you think he'll try to take advantage of her inebriation? Maybe we should go back and protect her?"

He made to move back but Daphne's hand shot up to stop him. "Harry, that's a bad idea. I have a better idea. Let's go meet Hagrid. You miss him, don't you?" Daphne proposed while dragging him towards a carriage.

"Daphne you hate Hagrid," Harry said while climbing into one.

"I don't hate Hagrid. I just think he could do with being a little more thoughtful and gentle. Hatching a dragon egg wasn't his brightest idea." Daphne climbed after him. The carriage immediately took off.

"You think he lives in a pig sty. You can't stand to be inside his house."

"You have to admit he is a bit shabby. I mean, his place could do with a woman's touch. Wolf pelts and tea mugs hanging from the roof, kettles, and pots lying around just about anywhere. And why does he live in such cramped quarters? We have magic, he could easily expand that hut to make it much comfier."

They argued some more as they made their way back to Hogwarts. The carriage dropped them near the gates from where they made their way towards Hagrid's hut.

"Wait a minute, we ditched Tracey and Blaise. What are we going to tell them?" Harry asked.

"We'll say you weren't feeling well. Besides, I think Tracey will appreciate some time alone with Blaise to make him see what he might be missing by going after Rosmerta."

"What? Is Tracey into Blaise? How did I miss that?"

"I am not sure, but she doesn't think he's too bad either. She was really into you though for a couple of years but you never gave her a second glance." Harry should've checked the calendar today after waking up. It seemed it was Great Revelations Day today.

"What? She never gave me any indications."

"Or you were too thick to recognize her interest. She is a bit shy though so can't blame you completely."

"And she's given up on me now?"

"Yes, which is why she's with Blaise. Why Harry, would you prefer Tracey's company?" Daphne asked with a strange glint in her eyes.

"What? No, that girl's crazy. I much prefer your company Daph, I swear. Please don't hurt me." Harry pleaded. He was relieved to see a smile break on her face.

"Good answer. Ohh look we are here already." They were standing in front of Hagrid's hut. Harry lifted the brass knocker and knocked a couple of times. He could hear Fang barking inside.

He could hear Hagrid's booming voice much before he unlatched the door. "Stay down Fang, I'm getting the door. Ohh it's you, Harry! And you brought Daphne too. Come on in you two. The more the merrier." He heard a sharp intake of breath behind Hagrid. Walking around him Harry came face to face with his three least favorite Gryffindors.

"What's he doing here?" Ronald complained.

"Now now, play nice kids. Harry comes often to visit me just like you three. Sit down you two, don't be shy. I've got tea on the fire. Would you fancy some rock cakes with y'er tea?" Hagrid asked. Harry held a soft spot for Hagrid in his heart. He was the only one who told him stories about his parents. He told him how he brought him from Godric Hollow to Privet Drive.

Though his affection for Hagrid wasn't strong enough to break through his rock cakes. "Just tea would be fine Hagrid."

Harry found a seat opposite Neville Longbottom who seemed more interested in staring holes in his skull. He realized that Longbottom's fingers were clutched tightly around his wand. It seemed like he was wary this time. No matter, Harry wasn't going to start a fight inside Hagrid's home anyway. He saw Daphne was reluctant to sit down, waving her wand over the chair next to him repeatedly to clean it. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her down into her seat just as Hagrid turned around and handed them all a mug of tea.

One could hear the sound of six people sipping tea as no one seemed eager to break the ice and strike a conversation. Hagrid looked from one group to another, waiting for them to talk. When it seemed like all of them were more keen to stare the other party down, Hagrid decided to start talking.

"So Harry, how've classes been? Enjoying y'er fourth year?"

"Good, I guess. McGonagall is as biased as always though."

"Look who's talking. You snakes probably think Snape is a saint, don't you," Neville said.

"Now now, Harry, Neville, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall deserve to be respected," Hagrid said, trying to keep the conversation civil.

"No, Snape's a slimy git alright. Doesn't change the fact that the old hag is biased," Harry replied nonchalantly.

He heard shouts of protests from the three Lions and a slight admonishment from Hagrid. However, he chose to respond only to Granger's words asking for the basis behind his name calling.

"Well, how about I have been completing every transfiguration first in class for the last three years yet she has never awarded me a single point?"

"You haven't been the first. Why just recently there was the hedgehog transfigurati-" Hermione tried to say before being interrupted by Daphne.

"If you believe that Granger, you are both naïve and blind. Try turning around in class next time rather than sucking up to the teacher."

Daphne's words were once again met with protests and insults before Hagrid bellowed," Enough! No more fighting. If you can't get along then you all should leave. I will not have my favorite students fighting in my house."

That silenced the group as all five of them resorted to sipping tea and glaring at the other group. Once again, it fell to Hagrid to start a conversation. "Hermione, say, why don't you ask Harry and Daphne here to join your club?"

Neville and Ronald seemed to blanch at Hagrid's suggestion but Hermione's face sported a bright smile. "Good idea Hagrid." She fished in her pocket and withdrew a small box with badges in it before rattling the box in their faces.

Harry went ahead and withdrew a badge from the box to look at it. "SPEW? As in, vomit?"

Hermione's face seemed to turn red instantly as a furious expression crossed her face. "Not SPEW, it's S-P-E-W. Society for Promotion of Elfish Welfare."

"So….SPEW?" Daphne said.

"Our short-term aims," said Hermione, acting as though she hadn't heard a word, "are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long term aims include changing the law about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures because they're shockingly underrepresented."

"Wages? Working conditions? What nonsense is this?" Daphne asked wide-eyed.

Her expressions seemed to feed Hermione's rage. "Do you not realize that everyday, your sheets are pressed, your clothes are washed, and your fires are lit by slaves?"

"Of course I do. We have elves at home too, Mipsy and Tipsy. Mipsy is the cute one and Tipsy, well the name itself tells you a lot doesn't it? So what?"

Daphne's words shocked Granger to the core. "How can you? That's…that's slavery. How can you be so cruel as to subjugate another race? I demand you release them."

"There's no slavery. They like working. Have you ever met a House-Elf? They look like they have the best job in the world," Daphne said.

"Daphne, stop patronizing her. No one 'likes' to be a slave. They are a weaker race and we have utterly conquered and subjugated them, just accept it. Just because they have been raised with the concept of servitude ingrained in their psyche since birth for generations doesn't change the reality of the situation," Harry said.

He turned towards Granger. "You, Granger, are terribly naïve. You want justice, well NewsFlash, there is no justice. There are those who are strong and make their own justice, and those that are weak and hide behind rules made by the strong. You want elves to be freed, why should those who have elves give them up voluntarily? Don't say decency and humanity because we as a race have proved beyond any doubt that we have none of those."

"But, it's wrong. They deserve justice," Granger said.

"You think there's justice in this world? If there was, my godfather wouldn't be on the run and the betrayer of my parents wouldn't roam around freely just because it's too inconvenient to actually hold a proper trial. For crying out loud, look at this man. He is living in this squalid hut and has been the groundskeeper of this castle for a better part of his life just because no one ever bothered to conduct a proper investigation. If they had, anyone with half a mind could've figured out that an acromantula cannot petrify students. Do you want to know why no one bothered? That's because he is a half-breed and no one cares what happens to a half-breed."

"No one cares what a mudblood thinks either. That's how our society works. The purebloods sit at the top, some space is given to the half-bloods and whatever scraps are left are passed down to the muggleborns. You think just because you are so smart, you can change the entire society? You'll be lucky if you can even find a job with the ministry after passing out of here. Ask your pureblood friends what kind of career opportunities you can expect after passing out of Hogwarts. Let me give you a hint, you'd always be at a lower rung than this genius called Weasley here, all because of your blood. There have been countless before you, just as smart, probably even more. Yet you can see how many influential positions muggleborns have held over the past century."

"You want justice for House-Elves? You can't even get justice for yourself. Nothing you do matters or will ever matter. You will amount to nothing because you have the power to change nothing."

Hermione broke down into sobs at his words. Everyone else gave him incredulous looks. "I can see that I said too much. Sorry for spoiling your evening Hagrid, thanks for the tea," Harry said before quickly leaving the hut.


All the lights in the great hall were extinguished, save for the luminescence of the Goblet's orange flame. The flame cast long shadows across the hall as every eye was glued to it. Harry found himself praying for the Goblet to choose him as the Hogwarts champion.

Suddenly, the goblet's flame turned blue. A tongue of flame rose high and regurgitated a charred piece of paper. "The champion for Durmstrang is" Dumbledore announced. Harry could hear the entire hall draw in a collective breath. "Viktor Krum"

Cheers broke out across the hall. No matter the school or house affiliations, a majority of the students were Krum fans. He was congratulated by his fellow students and his headmaster Karkaroff slapped him on the back before he made his way out of the hall to an adjacent room.

Once again, the flame returned to its normal hue. Another 5 minutes passed before once again the flame turned blue and another piece of paper shot out. Dumbledore caught the paper with his hands before calling out. "The champion for Beauxbatons is…..Fleur Delacour."

So that's her name, Harry thought as the French girl he had admired from afar got up daintily to accept the applause. He noticed that it was mostly the males across the hall that cheered for her. Some of the girls from Beauxbatons seemed to be crying and many shot Fleur evil looks. Apart from the two girls sitting next to her, Harry didn't see a lot of school support for the Beauxbatons champion. 'Are they jealous or just sore losers?' Harry wondered. She shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair before marching out of the hall and Harry couldn't help a sigh from escaping his lips.

"Her name is 'Flower of the Court'? How cliché!" Daphne commented snootily. Harry didn't mind her name at all. He thought it suited her. In his eyes, she looked like a delicate white rose.

For a third time that night, the goblet flame turned blue and ejected a piece of parchment. Dumbledore caught the parchment. "The Hogwarts champion is.." Dumbledore began and opened the parchment. Harry could see the smile drain right off his face. Dumbledore's face turned pale as his eyes rose from the parchment to meet Harry's eyes. Harry could feel his heart thud hard against his chest, this was it.

In a grave voice, Dumbledore spoke," Harry Potter".

For a moment, the entire hall went dead silent. Harry punched the table in excitement. He had done it. Despite all the roadblocks, despite the competition, he had managed to enter the competition. And as if to reward his perseverance, the Goblet had chosen him as worthy. Not Roger Davies, not Cassius Warrington, not Cedric 'fucking' Diggory. He, Harry Potter, was the one determined to be better than all of them.

He heard Daphne gasp 'no' beside him. He didn't want to look into her accusatory eyes so he got up and made his way to the champion's chamber. He heard the hall break out into whispers behind him but he didn't care. It was the job of sheep to talk for they can do nothing better.

He stepped into the side chamber to find Krum staring into the hearth fire while Fleur seemed to be staring at the door. She immediately got up on seeing him and strode towards him. Harry clamped down on his nerves. It wouldn't do to make a bad first impression.

"What iz it? Do zhey want us back?" Fleur asked him in her magical voice.

"What? No! I…..I am the Hogwarts Champion." Harry blurted out. Fleur and Krum stared at him dumbfounded for an awkward minute before Krum's lips curled into a smile. Fleur was much worse, for she broke out into a full-throttled haughty laughter.

"You? A leetle boy iz the 'Ogwartz Champion? Do the British have nozzing better to offer?" Ok, breathtakingly beautiful or not, no one got away with insulting him.

"This is nice. The fact that you are trying to downplay me means that you are scared of me." Harry said.

"Little boy jokes. This is good. Means he is not scared." Krum said

"Leetle boy, you should leave before you get 'urt bad."

Ok, he was pissed off now. The girl in front of him didn't seem so beautiful anymore. "You will find, missy, that I am not so 'leetle' where it counts. However, do you walk around with that giant stick up your arse?" A little crude, maybe, but at this point, he didn't care much.

A furious look crossed Fleur's face. It looked like little miss perfect wasn't used to being insulted. "Uncouth Eenglish, I will make you beg at my feet."

Harry saw Krum's eyes widen imperceptibly before he walked away with a blank look on his face. Why was Krum suddenly using Occlumency? The answer came as a warm tingly feeling spread through Harry's veins. He turned back to look at Fleur and his heart skipped a beat. If she was flawless before, she had become perfection personified now. Her face looked like it was being illuminated by a thousand 'lumos', her pale skin glowing with an ethereal aura. Her lips seemed to have become fuller and redder, with Harry desiring nothing more than to kiss and nibble at them.

Harry thought he might drown in the midnight blue that was her eyes. His gaze seemed to be forcefully pulled towards the swell of her breasts and the tease of her curves. He could feel himself harden within his pants. His hands started getting sweaty, wanting to rest on any inch of skin this goddess in front of him might allow him to touch. His mind seemed to be telling him to obey her every command, just so that she might grant him the smallest favor because it would be worth it.

Another voice started in the back of his mind. "Pathetic, weak, undeserving." This was the voice he heard when Moody put him under the Imperius. The insults at the back of his mind helped clear away the fog much faster this time since this fog wasn't nearly as clingy as the last one. His mind was no longer ruled by the all-encompassing feelings of lust and want.

"Get down on your knees plebian, and beg for mercy," Fleur said, a smirk gracing her no longer glowing face.

"Why don't you get down on your knees. I promise I won't make you beg for what you clearly desire."

The confused look on Fleur's face was satisfying. More satisfying was hearing Krum laugh and the glimmer of respect he could see forming in his eyes. He had cleared some sort of test, it would seem. Fleur seemed to continue to sputter in front of him, her ability to form a coherent sentence seemed to be temporarily lost.

"What? 'ow? I focused-all of it, at such a close distance. This cannot be"

"Sorry, I don't speak stupid, but if you are not going to go down on me, then I have no use for you. Excuse me." Harry brushed past her and made his way to one of the high backed seats.

His feelings of euphoria were short-lived as the door opened yet again to admit the last person he wanted to see right now, Neville Longbottom.

"What do you want now?" Fleur asked the newcomer irritatedly.

The lost look on Longbottom's face caused a feeling of dread to settle in Harry's stomach. Not again. Could it be? Surely fate wouldn't be so cruel?

Longbottom confirmed his fears. "I was selected by the Goblet."

"What kind of sick joke iz this? First 'im and now you?"

Longbottom was spared from answering as the door behind him burst open to admit a smiling Ludo Bagman.

"Extraordinary!" he muttered, squeezing Longbottom's arm. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen . . . lady," he added, approaching the fireside and addressing the other three. "May I introduce — incredible though it may seem — the fourth Triwizard champion?"

Harry watched with a horrified expression as Fleur began to argue with Bagman.

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," she said contemptuously to Bagman. "Zhay cannot compete. Zhay are both too young."

"Well …it is amazing," said Bagman, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling down at Harry. "But, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as their names came out of the goblet…I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage…It's down in the rules, you're obliged… Harry and Neville will just have to do the best they —"

The door behind them opened again, and a large group of people came in: Professor Dumbledore, followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. Harry heard the buzzing of the hundreds of students on the other side of the wall before Professor McGonagall closed the door.

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" Madam Maxime said imperiously.

"I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore," said Professor Karkaroff. He was wearing a steely smile, and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions — or have I not read the rules carefully enough?" He gave a short and nasty laugh.

"C'est impossible," said Madame Maxime, whose enormous hand with its many superb opals was resting upon Fleur's shoulder. "'Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is most injust."

"We were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, his steely smile still in place, though his eyes were colder than ever. "Otherwise, we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our own schools."

"Don't hold the headmaster responsible Karkaroff. It's these brats who are at fault." Snape said, malice dancing nakedly in his eyes." Longbottom thinks that just because he is a celebrity that he can get away with anything. Potter, well this one has rule breaking in his blood."

'Thanks for the support, Professor' Harry thought.

Dumbledore ignored Snape and walked Longbottom next to him. He grabbed hold of Longbottom's shoulders and stared directly into his eyes.

"Did you put your name in the Goblet Neville? Did you ask an older student to put in your name?"

Longbottom denied and Dumbledore, satisfied with his reply moved on to him. "Did you put your name in the Goblet Harry?"

His occlumency shield went up the moment he felt the first pinprick of Dumbledore's wandless Leglimency. Without a wand, Dumbledore didn't stand a chance of breaching his barriers. Plastering on the biggest shit eating grin he could manage on his face Harry replied, "Why, not at all Professor. How could I, with you yourself taking up the mantle of protecting the goblet?

Not a single person was fooled by his blatant lie. That was the purpose, he wanted them to know that he had breached the ward of a legendary wizard like Dumbledore. It wasn't like they could do anything about it now.

Dumbledore let go of him with a sigh. "I am disappointed with you Harry. This competition is not a joking matter for you to act like an impertinent child.

"Be as disappointed as you like Professor. I assure you, the feeling is mutual. After all, it was your job to prevent something like this from happening." He was laying it on thick, but Dumbledore deserved every bit of it. A pained expression crossed Dumbledore's face on hearing his words.

"Young man, you have no right to speak to the Headmaster this way," McGonagall said.

"But he is right, is he not? Hogwarts shouldn't have had two champions, not to mention that both of them are underage. Is this not a failure on your part Dumbledore?" Karkaroff asked.

How in the name of Merlin's saggy balls had Longbottom managed to stumble his way into the tournament? He hadn't done this himself. He did not have the capability or the skills to bypass the age line. There was no way Longbottom was secretly learning Blood Magic like him, he was too much a goody two shoes for that.

"I insist on resubmitting the names from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang so that our schools can also have two champions," Karkaroff said. He seemed eager to milk the opportunity to increase the chances of his school winning. Maxime nooded her head in response while Dumbledore continued to stroke his beard.

"I really don't understand what all the fuss is about," Harry spoke loudly. Every person in the room turned to give him an incredulous look. "As the frenchie here said, both Longbottom and I are underage. We each have half the magical education of your champions and it's the same half so collaborating won't do us a whole lot of good. Not that collaboration is an option for us, just can't stand this prick. As for Hogwarts having two champions, Professor Dumbledore may I see the parchment carrying Longbottom's name?"

Dumbledore gave him another inscrutable stare but handed him the piece of parchment all the same. "Just as I suspected, Longbottom's name is not followed by a school name. It seems like he was selected as a champion for a fourth no-name school. Since he was the only entry, the Goblet selected him regardless of his… capability. The Goblet must've been confounded to think that there were four schools instead of three. There, problem solved. Hogwarts has just one champion, me."

Longbottom bristled at his insinuation about his abilities but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"An astute observation Harry, though it makes me wonder how you arrived at it so quickly," Dumbledore said.

"Almonds in the morning help keep brain sharp Professor. Maybe you should try some, considering how you are getting on in years. If you are implying that I might have something to do with it, then wouldn't I have done the same for my name instead of risking selection against older students? As I said before, Almonds in the morning, Professor"

"Detention Mr. Potter for insulting the headmaster!" McGonagall screeched at him.

"Whatever, are you all satisfied or do you still think your champions can't take on one fourth year student?" Harry asked. He was ruffling a lot of feathers here tonight but it was fun watching their faces turn purple.

"Impertinent brat!"

"Uncouth English"

"Detention Mr. Potter!"

"Enough!" Dumbledore's authoritative voice quickly quelled any dissent. One could feel magic radiating from the legendary wizard. "Mr. Potter, you will be visiting my office tomorrow after lunch to discuss your behavior and events of today. Based on your response we will decide the future course of your education here at Hogwarts. Now, if there are no more objections, I believe Mr. Crouch has some information for our champions." Threatening rustication was a low blow from Dumbledore, but he had a contingency plan for that.

Mr. Crouch straightened at being addressed. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Yes, the first task will be a test of daring. As such, you will not get any other details. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard… very important…The task is scheduled for November 24th in front of other students and judges."

"The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests." Mr. Crouch turned to look at Dumbledore. "I think that's all, is it, Albus?"

"I think so," said Dumbledore, who was looking at Mr. Crouch with mild concern. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"

"No, Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry," said Mr. Crouch. "It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment…. I've left young Weatherby in charge…. Very enthusiastic… a little overenthusiastic, if truth be told…"

"You'll come and have a drink before you go, at least?" said Dumbledore.

"Come on, Barty, I'm staying!" said Bagman brightly. "It's all happening at Hogwarts now, you know, much more exciting here than at the office!"

"I think not, Ludo," said Crouch with a touch of his old impatience.

"Professor Karkaroff — Madame Maxime — a nightcap?" said Dumbledore. But Madame Maxime had already put her arm around Fleur's shoulders and was leading her swiftly out of the room. Harry could hear them both talking very fast in French as they went off to the Great Hall. Karkaroff beckoned to Krum, and they, too, exited, though in silence.

"Harry, Neville, I suggest you go to bed," said Dumbledore, smiling genially towards them. "I am sure Gryffindor and Slytherin will be looking to celebrate with their champions."

The professors and the officials left for a discussion in Dumbledore's office. He saw Neville quietly slip out of the room and quickly followed him.


Harry quickly caught up with Longbottom in the corridor outside. "Hey, Longbottom, wait up." He saw Longbottom freeze in place as his hand slipped into his pocket for his wand.

"What do you want, Potter?" Longbottom spat out.

"You can never stop yourself from getting in my way, can you? Since first year you have been underfoot. You dragged me down into that godforsaken chamber in year two. You couldn't keep yourself from following me and Daphne into the Shrieking Shack in year three-"

"We were hoping to get our map back"

"Not your map, MY map. Made by Messers Moony, Prongs, Padfoot and that fucking traitorious rat. But that's in the past. Even now, you can't stay away. I bust my ass for months, stay up late at night and spend every free moment studying just for a chance to participate and just when I am about to taste the fruit of my efforts, you come swaggering in here swaying that entitled ass of yours and shit all over my success."

"I DID NOT…ENTER" Neville ground out.

"I don't care. What I care about is that yet again, you are here, an obstacle in my path, overshadowing my success and I hate you for it. I don't care how you wound up finding your way into this tournament, it sure as hell wasn't because of your efforts. But now you are my competitor, so listen up. I will crush you. I will destroy you in this competition and prove once and for all that I am better than you."

"You think I want this? You think I wanted Voldemort to kill my parents and grow up an orphan?"

"Quit with the pity parade, will you? You aren't the only one who lost someone to that monster. Lots of people lost their dear ones to that monster but you don't see us whining for attention, do you? And I don't see you hating the positives too much. You have lived your life like a celebrity, enjoying the fruits of your parents' sacrifice. Book deals, interviews, you have chocolate frog cards after you for Merlin's sake. Don't think I have forgotten how you and Weasley came into my compartment on Hogwarts express in the first year, acting like you owned the entire train."

"We were young and naïve and…"

"As I have said before, I don't care. The point I am trying to make is watch your back in the competition because I am not holding back." Harry spoke into his face before turning around to walk back to the Slytherin dorms.

Soft as a breeze Neville whispered, "You know, you should take your own advice."

Harry's hand flew to his pocket as he swiveled around. Damn it, too slow. He was not going to make it. Neville already had his wand pointed towards him with a curse on his lips.

"Loci Papaver"

A grey bolt of light came out of nowhere and struck Neville's outstretched arm making it go limp. His wand slipped out of his wand and clattered onto the floor. Out of the shadows of a dark alcove came Daphne. Harry was glad to see her, with her long black hair swaying lightly in a mysterious breeze, her sea green eye alight with fury and cold rage etched on her pretty face.

"Attacking me in the back Neville. I never pegged you for a Slytherin," Harry said.

"Screw you Potter" He quickly grabbed his wand from the ground and pointed it at his limp right arm. "Enervate" he whispered but nothing happened. "Enervate", "Finite", "Enervate, fuck. What kind of dark magic did you use Greengrass?"

"Your typical counters won't work Longbottom, you better go to Madam Pomfrey later. Now take a walk, this conversation is over." Daphne said but her eyes were fixed squarely on him. He did not dare move a muscle as he heard Longbottom leave with a curse on his lips. That curse from Daphne was going to ruin his night, wasn't it?

"Ohh hey Daph, interesting night isn't…" His words died on his lips as Daphne pointed her wand straight at him.

"You entered, didn't you? After everything I said, you ignored all the risk and entered the tournament. No, don't even try to deny it, Harry. Is this what you were up to last night?"

"Yes," Harry said simply.

Daphne let out a frustrated cry. "What am I to do with you, Harry? You just jump headlong into trouble. Everytime it is the same, isn't it? I heard you speaking with Longbottom. You are much worse than him. You just had to help Hagrid raise a dragon first year. You just had to go and see the chamber of secrets for yourself in the second year. You just had to follow the map and confront Sirius Black. You just had to enter a deadly tournament where competitors die almost everytime. You just had to, didn't you? When will it stop Harry?"

"When I have my revenge. I need to do this to get strong Daphne. Learning is all good and nice but as long as I don't have the pressure of impending death on my head, I can't reach my true potential. The Goblet showed it tonight. What you see as a death warrant for me, I see it as an acknowledgment of my abilities. The Goblet, a powerful magical artifact itself proclaimed my potential better than all the seventh years at Hogwarts. This competition will be like a crucible, Daphne, and I will make it out of it much stronger than before."

"Is that guaranteed? That you will make it out alive? What if you die doing something as pointless as winning some points from judges? What of your revenge then?"

"Then I will have proved myself as not worthy of avenging anyone. If I am going to falter at a competition for seventh-year students, then I have no chance against seasoned killers and fighters. My goals are much bigger than this Daph, I cannot falter at the first step. No, fear of failure is out of question. The only question is, are you with me?"

He saw tears prickling in her beautiful eyes. He was a cad, wasn't he? Bringing tears to such beautiful eyes. Daphne flung herself into his arms and hugged him like her life depended on it. "Of course I am with you, idiot. You won't know which way to point your wand without me." Daphne sniffled in his ear.

"Thank you, Daphne. Thank you for staying by my side," Harry whispered back as he embraced her harder.

"Always"


Daphne's POV

Daphne stared anxiously as the doorway to the Slytherin dorms opened and in stepped Harry. The entire house, from wide-eyed firsties to seasoned seventh years were waiting for him in the common room. Every pair of eyes in the room felt hostile. It seemed like everyone wanted answers from Harry.

After she had finished making a fool of herself by crying in Harry's arms, the two of them had gotten down to planning. Harry had pulled out the Marauder's Map from inside his pocket. They had seen the entire Slytherin house was waiting in the common room, or at least everyone other than 'weird Wilson'. Initially, they had thought that Wilson was sleeping in his fifth-year dorms, that is until she noticed that his dot seemed to be vibrating in place. That was information they both could've done without. Apparently, not all information from the Marauder's Map was useful.

Daphne had offered to enter the common room together and start blasting everyone away. There was some charm to the idea of entering the room with their backs to each other, wands blazing and kicking as much ass as they possibly could. Harry, ever the realist, had pointed out that they wouldn't last 5 minutes against nearly 70 wands. Instead, he had sent her ahead with a task. Much of the outcome of tonight would depend on that.

Harry entered the room with a calm look on his face. "Wow, everyone's waiting to congratulate me? I am touched." Damnit Harry, antagonizing a room full of angry witches and izards wasn't the way to go.

"Shut up you Half-Blood. You will answer for your crime tonight," Malfoy shouted with glee.

"How can I answer if I shut up Malfoy. Make up your mind will you." Harry's blase attitude confused more than a few students.

"Daph, I can leave quietly and bring Professor Snape over here. I don't like how this is turning out," Tracey whispered in her ear.

"No, Harry has everything under control," Daphne replied, her voice carrying the confidence that she herself didn't feel.

"Enough, Potter, you will answer for tonight's events, specifically about your selection as the Hogwarts champion," Fawley, the seventh year prefect spoke up. Daphne could detect the anger in her voice. Harry had, after all, taken her boyfriend's chance at glory from him.

" Yes Potter, tell us what foul magic you used to trick the goblet into selecting someone as unworthy as you," Malfoy shouted once again. Daphne's fingers tightened around her wand as she wanted nothing more than to curse the emboldened blonde monkey.

" Sure Malfoy, I will tell you all about how I entered my name into the goblet. After that, maybe we can take turns at braiding each other's hair?"

"what? Have you gone mad Potter? What lunacy is this? "

"Well, you seem to be the one who is mistaking us for bloody Hufflepuffs Malfoy. What do you want? For all of us to sit by the fire holding hands and make oaths to never betray each other? Since you seem to be very interested in sharing deep dark secrets how about we trade secrets? Is that something all of you are interested in? I didn't know House Slytherin had changed its characteristics from cunningness to 'sharing and caring' but I am willing to get on board."

Malfoy seemed to sputter, with words failing to form on his lips. An annoyed expression crossed Fawley's face as she fired a stinging hex at Malfoy." Shut up Malfoy and stop embarrassing us. Who gave you leave to speak? Stay within your limits idiot. Potter, no one is asking you for how you managed to get into the competition but we'd like some explanation for tonight's events." Malfoy's outburst seemed to have put the seventh year prefect in a somewhat less confrontational mood.

"Sure Fawley. I used magic, got my name into the goblet and the goblet decided I was worth more than any other name from Hogwarts. Longbottom's selection is a mystery though. He was selected as a champion for a fourth no-name school for which he was the only applicant. Someone seems to have confounded the goblet into thinking there were four schools participating instead of three. As much as I would like to claim credit for this, it wasn't my doing. It would be quite stupid on my part to share my glory with him not to mention if I could do something like that then I would've chosen that route for me instead of relying on the goblet's selection."

Harry's explanation seemed to send ripples across the gathered students. Daphne could see students discussing the new information amongst themselves. She saw Malfoy and his ilk seething in a corner after being chastised by Fawley.

"That's all well and good Potter but Slytherin house had decided that Cassius was the worthiest candidate and he had the support of all of us. By entering your name, you went against House Slytherin's will. We can't let you get away with it," said Fawley.

Jealous much, bitch? Fawley seemed set on hurting Harry. She just couldn't get past the fact that the goblet had preferred Harry over Cassius Warrington. Well, Daphne wasn't going to stand by and watch. She'd see how things played out but if it came down to a fight, she wasn't going to hold back. Her father may be a bastard but he had taught her more than a few useful spells. According to him, a Greengrass needed to always be ready to impose their will on the world.

"Fine, let's settle this then. If Cassius feels I have cheated him out of his rightful position as champion, then I am ready to duel him to prove my worth as the champion."

All eyes in the hall turned to Warrington. This was the moment. Warrington seemed to regard Harry with a hard look in his eye. The two seemed to stare at each other for an eternity before Warrington spoke up, "The goblet has spoken. There's no point in my dueling an underclassman, one who is behind me by three years. A duel will neither change nor prove anything. You better not bring shame to House Slytherin, Potter."

Warrington's declaration seemed to act like someone had released a cat inside a room full of canaries. Everyone seemed to shout at the same time. Some were urging Warrington to beat up the half-blood and show him his place, others were calling him a coward. Still, others were arguing on Warrington's behalf, asking everyone to respect his decision. One thing was clear, no one had expected Warrington to back out like this.

Only one person in the crowd knew the reason behind this unexpected development. This was the reason Harry had sent Daphne on ahead, to strike a deal with Warrington quietly. Warrington had listened to her proposition without telling her his decision. Looked like he had decided in favor of the deal.

Fawley looked like she had swallowed a lemon. Served the bitch right.

"If you are going to be a coward about this Cassius then I guess it falls to me to show the half-blood his rightful place. If I had known you'd turn out to be a wimp like this then I would've entered my name in the goblet too." The shout came from Marcus Flint, a vehemently repulsive and underhanded seventh-year student. Daphne knew about his past interactions with Harry and how Harry had to spend almost a week in the infirmary. The thought of him laying a finger on Harry filled her with rage.

She almost cursed him before being stopped by Tracey. "You can't interfere Daphy. If you do, his friends will interfere too. Harry's best chance is in taking him on one-on-one. Be glad its Flint and not Warrington," Tracey whispered.

"Don't flatter yourself, Marcus. We all know you entered your name too, no need to act high and mighty now. The goblet chose Potter over you too so if you think the goblet doesn't know what it's doing, be my guest and challenge Potter all you want. I have had enough of this nonsense for the night. I am leaving." Warrington turned around and left the common room. Daphne could sense the mood in the common room changing. The fact that Warrington had accepted Harry as the legitimate champion meant a majority of students were beginning to accept the same. Warrington was, after all, the defacto leader of House Slytherin.

By quietly bribing Warrington over to his side, Harry had proved his acumen as a Slytherin. There was no way he could fight off everyone even with her help. A majority of Slytherins followed Warrington's lead in most matters. They would follow Warrington in this matter too and not go against Harry. It would've been the perfect coup had Flint not decided to challenge Harry.

"Ms. Fawley, would you like to adjudicate the duel?" Harry asked. Fawley's face showed that she wanted nothing more than to follow Warrington and demand some answers of her own but as a prefect, she had certain informal duties in Slytherin house, one of which was to oversee duels.

She led the two of them to the dueling platform. "Alright then, I want a clean duel from both of you. So no spells that can cause permanent damage. There will be no seconds. Potter, if during the course of the duel you wish to give up, throw down your wand and I will intervene before you get hurt too much."

Fawley thought there was no way for Harry to win! Well, the duel was surely going to be an enlightening experience for her.

"Get ready half-blood because soon you will be moaning in pain in your rightful place, at my feet!" Flint said.

"Flint, do yourself a favor and shut the fuck up. If only you could duel as well as you talk, I might have had a real reason to worry," Harry said. The two duelists met in the middle of the platform, with Flint towering over Harry's slight build.

"Enough banter, turn around and take a step with my count. You can start at one. Three, Two, One."

Harry brought his wand down sharply, sending a volley of reductor hexes flying at Flint.

"Protego," Flint gave a lazy twist to his wand. Immediately, a silver shield manifested in front of him but all of Harry's spells missed their mark completely. Two fell short of Flint while other two struck the ground behind him, blasting lose some stone from the platform.

"He missed," Tracey whispered.

"Did he?" Daphne smirked.

"Pathetic, now let me show you how real wizards duel Potter." Flint followed his boast by moving his wand in a circle. Three indigo beams of light shot out of his wand, his hand recoiling sharply with each fire. That had to be the 'Bombarda' hex, a much-advanced form of the Reductor hex. Daphne's assumption was proved right instantly as the hex caused much deeper gouges in the dueling platform. Harry hadn't bothered to shield himself, instead choosing to use his superior agility to dodge.

"Incarcerous." Harry fired, sending conjured ropes flying at Flint. Flint casually pushed them aside with a lazy wave of his wand, making the ropes fall limp. He returned fire with a few more "Bombarda" and "Mallus" hexes that Harry dodged easily.

"Is that all you can do Potter? Dance around like a monkey? Is a monkey going to represent Slytherin in such a prestigious competition? You sicken me half-blood."

Tracey seemed to be fidgeting nervously but Daphne spotted the hint of a smile on Harry's face. Harry's eyes were locked with Flint's as if he was staring into his soul. Leglimency was a truly frightening skill, especially when it was used in such a way in a duel. With how enraged Flint was, he might as well be shouting where and when he would be sending the next spell. This duel was as good as over.

"You want a taste of what a Slytherin champion can do Flint? Then let me oblige you." With that, Harry's wand blurred into motion much faster than anything he had shown so far.

"Falx, Canis Multa, Facti Anguis."

Flint shielded himself against the dark laceration curse, but the four dogs that Harry transfigured from the stone that had so far been knocked loose due to the battle proved more difficult to deal with. The dogs were fast and agile, dodging Flint's 'incendio' charm. One of the Terriers managed to sink its teeth into Flint's left leg before he managed to burn it to a crisp. He fired a few more 'incendio' bursts to get rid of the remaining dogs.

The high-cost spells from the earlier battle, the multiple fire conjuration charms, as well as the injury to his leg all contributed towards making Flint's breath heavy. Every move Harry had made so far had been according to a plan. He had used his opponent's power to create rubble for his transfiguration. He had just managed to look back at Harry when Harry muttered, "Fall."

No bolt of light left Harry's wand but Flint fell down all the same. The ropes that Harry had fired earlier had changed into a pair of vipers, courtesy the 'Facti anguis' transfiguration spell. The snakes had managed to creep towards Flint unnoticed, making use of the distraction that the laceration curse and the transfigurations provided. They tied around Flint's injured leg making him trip. The jaws of Harry's trap had snapped shut, and the fly had no way to escape.

"Petrificus Totalus" Harry fired the Petrification spell, catching Flint mid-fall. With his domination over the Slytherin seventh year complete, he walked over to the fallen boy and bent down to speak with him.

"You see Flint, a real Slytherin doesn't go rampaging around like a bull. A Slytherin is like a snake. We wait quietly and patiently in the grass, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. I have been waiting since the first year, quietly increasing my skill and strength, just so I could humiliate and destroy you completely."

"That's enough Potter, you won. Now release him," Fawley said. She had a scowl marring her face. The duel had gone nothing like the prefect had hoped.

"Is that so, Fawley? But he still has his wand in his hand," Harry said. His voice was innocent, but Daphne knew Harry better than most. This was just the calm before the storm.

"Then disarm him already," Fawley spoke irritatedly.

"As you say, Prefect Fawley." Harry made a jagged motion with his wand and incanted, "Ossasula." The sound of bone breaking rang through the common room. Flint screamed.

Harry refused to let up, continuing to rain down bone-breakers on Flint's fallen form. Flint couldn't move a muscle, screaming was the only outlet Harry provided him with to display his pain.

Harry had a maniacal smile on his face as he continued to torture Flint. "Damn his arms are tough, they won't come off easily. I guess I'll try legs then. Ossasula." Harry continued to bombard the fallen form of Flint with bone breaker after bone breaker, shattering every major bone in his arms and legs.

Entire Slytherin house watched with muted horror as Flint screamed himself hoarse before passing out from the pain. His arms and legs were twisted at angles that could make a person of weaker constitution lose their dinner. Many actually did.

"He's gone mad!" Tracey whispered fearfully.

She did not agree; there was nothing mad about wanting revenge. In Daphne's opinion, the treatment may have been a touch overboard, but nothing that Flint didn't deserve for brutally attacking Harry in the first year. Besides, the bloodthirsty look on Harry's face was kind of sexy.

"Flint? You still with us bud? I guess that's that. Now, anyone else who believes I am not good enough to be a champion? Step right up folks, no need to be shy. Malfoy, would you like to take a shot at me? Prove your pure-blood superiority maybe? No? What a shame, but then again, I always thought you were a sissy so no surprise there."

"Now, if you all will excuse me, I have some unfinished business. Malfoy, make yourself useful. Clean up that pile of human waste and dump him in the infirmary." Harry's face carried an arrogant smile, but there was no missing the steel in his voice.

Malfoy looked like he might protest the command but one look at Flint's broken body killed whatever sliver of protest existed within him. Harry descended from the platform and like an unspoken command, the crowd parted to give him way. There was no need to say it. A fourth-year boy had climbed that platform to fight a horribly mismatched duel with a seventh-year student. The person climbing down was the newest unofficial leader of Slytherin.

Harry smiled at her and dipped his head in thanks before making his way to the other side of the room. Daphne's heart chilled to see that Harry was making his way to Elizabeth. A few words were exchanged between the two where Elizabeth blushed and smiled seductively at him before Harry sat down on the sofa and pulled the blonde into his lap. Her work here was done for tonight so Daphne made her way back to her dormitory, furiously crushing the green-eyed monster clawing in her belly.


"Doesn't look like Flint's going to have a problem with us talking anymore."

"Uh huh, other people will be the least of Flint's problems for a while," Lizzy responded. Harry could spot the heat in her gaze.

"You think I am grown enough now?"

Lizzy blushed at his words before a sly smile broke out on her lips. "You looked quite mature up there. But I don't know if you are grown enough to be with me."

"Why don't I show you then?" Harry asked before sitting down on the sofa. He pulled Lizzy into his lap before fusing his lips to her soft ones. Soon, their tongues were battling for domination and Harry felt a triumphant roar in his chest.

Liz was his, finally. Life was good.


The door to the girls' dormitory flew open just as Daphne finished preparing her bed for the night. Tracey seemed to be a little out of breath. The girl needed to work on her stamina if just a quick climb from the common room to their fourth year dorm was enough to make her breathing heavy.

"What are you doing here Daph? Didn't you see what's happening down there?"

"Yes Trace, I saw Harry getting himself a girlfriend. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Go down there, hex her, hex him. Anything other than calling it a night!"

"There is no need for that."

"What do you mean there is no need for that? I have observed you since the end of our first year when you developed a crush on Harry. I have watched that crush blossom into full-fledged feelings of love. Are you just going to give up now?"

"I am not giving up Trace. That relationship will head nowhere, anyone with eyes can see that."

"But why won't you do anything? Merlin, you hexed me for kissing Harry the night we won the Quidditch cup in the first year."

This was the part that no one other than Daphne or Tracey knew. Back in the first year, it was Tracey who was initially making out with Harry in a secluded corner during the party. Daphne hadn't liked the site too much and pulled Tracey out of Harry's lap and into their dormitory. After that, Harry had somehow found his way to Elizabeth Rosier and by morning, his memories of Rosier had mingled with his memories of Tracey. It helped that neither of them had since bothered to remind him of that.

Daphne let out a huff before sitting down. "You were different Trace. You were an actual threat. Your public status is the same as his, a half-blood. You have no familial pressures. You could have had a real relationship with him. Rosier comes from a staunchly pureblooded family. Sure she is fooling around with him right now because he is a champion, but when the time comes to choose between her family and Harry, she'll drop him like hot coal. Trust me, I know what I am talking about. I have grown up in this society. I tried to warn Harry but he wouldn't listen. Maybe this experience will be good for him."

"And what about you? Who will you choose between Harry and your family?"

"My choice was made a long time ago."

"Then why are you going through with this charade? Why don't you just confess your feelings and be done with it?"

"Enough Tracey, I have my reasons that I do not choose to share. You don't have to follow me if you don't want to. If you wish to pursue Harry too, you can leave my friendship behind anytime you want."

"No, it's too late for that. I made my choice a long time ago. I just hope you don't wait too long to make yours," Tracey replied.

"Goodnight then" Daphne spoke with finality before drawing her curtains together. But Tracey's words continued to gnaw at her. Should she give her heart a chance?

Her father's words from an earlier encounter rang in her ears," There are two types of inferior beings that the current Ministry foists upon us, Daphne. You will soon be starting your studies at Hogwarts and as my heir, I expect you to be able to tell them apart and treat them accordingly."

His hand ran through her long hair like a doting father's would but sometimes it would linger a bit longer than necessary on the small of her back where her hair ended.

"The first are Mudbloods. Unlike many of our contemporaries, I don't hate Mudbloods. Their condition is no fault of theirs. They are freaks of nature, or being punished by the gods for past sins if one chooses to believe in gods and karma. Relieving them of their mortal existence is a pure-blood's sacred duty and burden but I take no pleasure in discharging my duties. When you are older and more capable, you too should perform your duty without hatred or glee."

His other hand continued to caress her bare thighs, slowly worming its way under the hem of her summer dress. Daphne's eyes stared dispassionately at this hand, which seemed to have no compunctions to maintain the façade of familial relations.

He continued to speak. "The second kind are half-bloods. These are man-made mutations that are a result of deviants and traitors tainting our blood by muddling it with mudbloods, muggles, or in some cases, even creatures. These are the worst kinds of people because they knowingly tarnish our purity and insult our traditions. They, and their ill-begotten offsprings, deserve neither mercy nor pity. Just death isn't sufficient deterrence for their kind. They should be tortured and punished until they beg for the sweet release of death. Destroy their kind with utmost contempt. Turn their ends into a warning for every pure-blood so that next time, even the thought of mingling with an inferior creature sends shivers down the spine of every pureblood."

"Let me tell you a few stories from our dungeons so you get the idea. Remember the ghoul you used to be scared of till you were six? The one who you sometimes heard when you wandered down to the lower levels? Well, Regina Falange wasn't born a ghoul but by the time she died, I couldn't really tell what she had become. Marlene Mckinnon was an interesting one, I brought her here to my hospitality after our raid on her family home..."

Daphne forcibly broke her line of thought. Remembering her father's words only made her feel sick. No, she couldn't risk Harry's life just to fulfill her rose tinted dreams. Harry was strong, but her father was a monster. He'd crush Harry. Marcus Flint was a flobberworm compared to her father. For Harry's safety, she'd continue to admire him from a distance. Girls like her, who were tainted in such a way didn't deserve to be happy anyway. Maybe someday, when her father was dead and her duty to produce an heir for him over, she'd have the opportunity to seek out who she wanted. Until then, the dreams would have to do.


Disclaimer Time! (before people start flaming me)

I do not endorse the racist, misogynistic views expressed by various characters in this chapter. I do NOT believe that people who suffer sexual abuse are damaged or unworthy. Unfortunately, this is a line of thought that occurs to quite a few people who suffer such traumatic experiences and I am just trying to capture those thoughts and feelings in my prose. Sexual abuse is wrong and I will never support it.

Now, about the story. Could Harry have beaten Warrington? Maybe, maybe not. But being the quintessential Slytherin that he is, he chose the route of least conflict. Bribe where you can and crush where you cannot. Think about what would have happened had Harry chosen to duel Warrington too. Even if he won, Flint would have challenged him next. A tired Harry dueling Flint again could've gone either way. Flint and Warrington are like the two power centers in seventh year Slytherin batch, much like Harry and Draco are in fourth year batch.

The 'deal' will be explained in a future chapter and is a sort of mini shock-reveal so please don't ask me about it now. I would, however, like to hear any speculations you have in the review section and if I get a suggestion which is better than my idea, I might be willing to change the plot to accommodate it.

I hope doubts about Harry's strength and the reasons why Daphne isn't pursing a relationship with Harry are clarified.

Did you get the Regina Falange reference?


Review Replies (earlier ones first)

KnowPein- Harry-Avenger. Remus and Sirius-mostly canonical story so far. Remus was outed by Snape and had to resign after 3rd year. Cloak of Invisibility-not with Harry. It will come up after a few chapters. Isn't being a living horcrux, the only one of its kind in history a strong enough factor to explain Neville's increased core?

Samain96- Patronus-Taught by remus. Wand-different specs from canon. Will disclose in next chapter but if you have read the books, you can guess. Map-Harry. Took it from the trio. Will reveal that story in some chapter in the future. Can't seem to find a good opportunity to reveal that story right now. Cloak-not harry. Grimmauld place confrontation will be really interesting and unexpected.

Magnusss-

I am trying to establish Harry's character here. He has a crush on fleur and he is somewhat greedy, so he wants fleur even when he still has unresolved feelings for Elizabeth rosier. Also, Harry isn't solely focused on revenge and does have a life outside it.

Voldemort's eyes are indeed red in canon. I changed that here. The eye color is a subtle confirmation of Harry's Slytherin descent. There are no Goblin Inheritance tests to confirm this.

I am not looking to expand a lot on domestic abuse of Harry. I will heavily underplay it. A lot of fics tend to garner pity for Harry by expanding on child abuse and other things. That will be a very very small part of this fic.

Ron isn't very strong but the boy-who-lived's sidekick has to be somewhat stronger than average Joe to make him a worthwhile character. It's like Ron has brawn and Hermione has brains. Brawn doesn't mean he has brains to learn complicated stuff hence you see stupid spells like 'Eat Slugs'. If I don't even give him that then what will he be other than a waste of space? Writing him will also become pointless if he is such an insignificant threat. Also, Weasleys are shown to be a strong family in canon. I also wanted to keep Ron and Draco at the same power level.

NotASmurf- Blood Magic is a path that will develop towards rituals and other esoteric branches of magic. It won't have much role in active dueling and spell casting. Like I showed in previous chapter, it can enhance existing spells. Harry basically performed a low level ritual there.

Anonymous1995- Thanks, appreciate the offer.

George1892- That's what I planned initially but I was getting a lot of reviews and messages about Harry's strength relative to this character and that so I just put out the nos for reference. Feel free to completely ignore those nos since those nos won't count for much in actual battles.

Guest99- Do you still have the same view after reading this chapter?

JsLee102-

Dursleys were the closest living relatives. Since Dumbledore didn't care a lot, he dropped him off at their footsteps without worrying about tracking down fourth or fifth cousins. Even if he did, Dumbledore would've sent harry to live with his closest relatives. Taking control of potter mines was impossible because the goblins wanted it to fail as it was a competitor for them. Goblins aren't good little bankers, they are greedy and ruthless. You will see further examples of their ruthlessness later. The signing authority was with a potter and they would've simply stated their convoluted rules and denied access to guardians.

Neville and Harry are distantly related, third cousins, to be exact. I will expand on this in more detail later.

Arata7Kasuga-

Sirius is on the run right now. He hasn't visited Grimmauld Place yet so how can he give Harry those books?

You realize that is a fanon cliché? In books, the wards are charm based which is how I intend to keep in my story. Rituals will be rune based.

What's your view on his strength level after reading this chapter?

Orthankg1- you are right. I went back and edited it. Thanks for pointing it out.

Blackson- How is Harry weak? You are looking at the three people who are stronger than him while ignoring everyone else. The three people are a century old hero, the strongest dark lord in history, and a person who is a living horcrux and has a prophecy backing him. Harry's strength level is on par with students two years ahead of him yet you somehow feel he is weak? I don't know what I can do about it.

Smutley Do-Wrong- You need to brush up on high school chemistry. The acid in water is for when acid and water quantities are comparable. It won't matter whether you add water to acid or acid to water when you have a bucket of water and a few drops of acid. Besides, the ice is magic resistant so it's not melting anytime soon.

I don't understand what the problem with conjuring is. All magic spells ignore laws of physics. Incendio produces heat energy without fuel and aguamenti produces water without any reactions. You can't honestly expect magic spells to follow laws of science.

Sennybee98- yes, blood magic will lead down to that path. Harry basically performed a low level ritual in last chapter in case you didn't notice. I am not big on labels so you won't see him shouting about that he is doing rituals, he'll just do it.

Phew, that's all. Keep your reviews coming. See you next time.


SpellBook:

Loci Papaver: A local nerve paralyzing charm. It cannot be countered by Enervate. Finite Incantatem can work but only if the caster has medical knowledge and can direct their magic towards the paralyzed nerves instead of the whole appendage. This charm is preferred by healers for surgery.

Falx: A dark laceration curse/hex

Canis Multa: Transfiguration spell that turns the base material into a dog. The 'Multa' suffix enables multiple Transfigurations to occur simultaneously. Species depends on visualization.

Facti Anguis: Transfiguration spell that turns the base object into a snake. Species depends on visualization.