Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just copies of the books.


Harry was in the Gryffindor common room pacing back and forth. The Triwizard Cup sat on the table next to him, dispelled of the magic that made it a portkey. A month had passed since the end of the Third Task and Harry was declared Champion despite the interference of a Death Eater to make sure Harry won. But now that Harry thought about it, he won the first task without knowing about the dragon, Ron told Cedric instead. Second Task, Harry came in last but was awarded second place for his heroics. Third Task was just a giant battle between the four champions and they were all on even grounds despite Victor being under the Imperius Curse.

Victor, Fleur and Cedric all agreed to give Harry the cup saying he deserved it. In the final task, Harry had not taken advantage of ever opportunity given to him to eliminate his rivals. Instead, Harry fought to keep the round a fair match. Thus the three true contestants, as Harry was not suppose to compete, relinquished their rights to the cup willingly and gave it to Harry. He remembered what each of them said just as Harry took the cup.

"You earned the cup, Harry," Cedric told him. "You earned it with every step you took. Now take it."

"Only a hero deserves the cup," Fleur said. "You are a hero, Harry. One that will become as legendary as Merlin himself."

"A man who fights for justice and righteousness is a true champion," Victor said. "A true champion is the only person who can hold the cup, and you, Harry, are a true champion."

He is Harry Potter. The-Boy-Who-Lived. Hero of the wizarding world. And now Champion of the Triwizard Tournament. With every year, Harry only added more to his fame. Fame that he neither wanted nor deserved. Fame that was given to him because of a prophecy. The ones who truly deserved praise was Ron, Hermione, Severus, Sirius, Remus and all his other friends that helped him along the way. But none of them would ever be known to the world or receive the praise they deserve.

Harry looked down at the speech he prepared for today. Students of Beaxbaton, Durmstrang and Hogwarts were all leaving for their homes, and Dumbledore thought it would be fitting for the Champion to speak before everyone leaves. Ron had helped Harry write his speech, but Harry did not like it too much. It made him sound arrogant and like he deserved this championship more than anyone else. It did not present the message Harry wanted to get across or how Harry wanted others to view him as. Ron complained that Harry's speech made him sound too modest.

Although Harry did not want to use it, he had not written another one to replace the script in his hands. He memorized it line for line since it was fairly easy to remember. Harry wished he had asked Hermione for her input, but she loathed reading anything Ron had come up with. He would always pester her to review his homework which Hermione reluctantly accepted. Harry always wondered why the two could just not get along. It was not like one was a Slytherin and one was a Gryffindor.

But his thoughts were cut short when he heard a knocking on the door. Professor McGonagall walked through the entrance of the Gryffindor Tower and said, "It's time for your speech, Harry. I do hope you have something prepared."

Harry just nodded while looking down at his script. It was better than nothing, he thought as he followed Professor McGonagall to the Great Hall. When he entered, Harry quickly looked over to the Gryffindor table and saw Ron frozen in his seat. Everyone around him was laughing as Hermione beamed. It seems Hermione had won today. Harry knew he would not hear the end of this from Ron on the train ride back.

Cheers erupted from all around except for the Slytherin Table. Only Draco stood and clapped congratulating Harry. He gave a nod at his Slytherin rival as he walked down the hall. Harry did not hate Draco as people seemed to believe. And Draco did not hate Harry as much either. Their relationship was something like one Harry and Severus shared. Harry considered Draco like a brother similar to how he considered Ron his brother. So their rivalry was closer to that of brothers than competing houses. However, he never shared this with anyone except for Severus who knew. Neither did Draco.


The Slytherins glared at Draco wondering why he clapped, but he just sat down and said, "We show respect to those with power, and Potter has won that right despite how we feel about him." Draco watched as Harry walked up to the front of the Great Hall. He was not jealous that Harry won; in fact, Draco had rooted for Harry every step of the way. However, to make it look like he was against Harry, he created small gadgets that put down Harry. Draco knew that they would have little affect on Harry, as Harry was both shameless and cared nothing about pride, a trait Draco wished he could obtain.

For Draco, growing up in the house of Malfoy forced him to be arrogant, prideful and sly. During his first year, when Ron and Hermione embarrassed Draco before the whole school by destroying his clothes and hanging him from a tree, Draco's pride was destroyed. It was with the help of Severus that Draco was able to restore his pride and along the way, Draco learned that his arrogance and pride would prove to be nothing more than a hindrance in becoming someone like Severus.

Severus Snape was the man Draco admired and aspired to become. Although Lucius Malfoy was his father, Draco never had a father-son relation with the man. Lucius pushed him to become someone he was not. Severus did not do the same. Instead, Severus showed him the routes he could take and let Draco decide. Mistakes were made and reprimands were given, but this was how a father-son relationship should be.

It was not until Draco's third year before he could break free from the chains of his father and become his own person. That was also the year a peculiar friendship formed between Draco and Harry. Actually, it was more like a brotherhood because Severus was a father-figure in the eyes of both boys. They were polar opposites, Harry was fire and Draco was ice. But like brothers, they were able to find common ground in which their friendship developed. Draco found that he never hated Harry, but it was his father's hatred that was placed into Draco when they met. As to why his father hated Harry, Draco never knew until Severus told Draco his father is a Death Eater. From that point on, Draco's relationship with his father diminished as with his mother.

At least Draco was able to keep his friends of his house. Crabbe and Goyle were loyal to him regardless of which path he chose. Theodore was never one to support Voldemort, so Draco got along fine with the boy after his third year. Blaise was harder to convince from joining Voldemort. Draco settled on telling Blaise that at the moment, Draco remained neutral on the subject. He was beginning to convince Blaise to do the same, but now that Voldemort has returned, Draco feared he might lose his friend.

Pansy Parkinson just followed Draco around wherever he went. As did many other Slytherin girls. Draco was the prince of Slytherin and held all the power in the house because of his father, but he issued a challenge to anyone who wanted to take his place. No one has yet to respond. The girls were neutral, but Draco had little doubt they would join Voldemort in a flash if he offered them power. However, the girl that captured his heart was not of the Slytherin house.


"How are you feeling, Harry?" Dumbledore asked with a smile as Harry approached.

"Better," Harry replied. He was still nervous about the speech and unsure if he truly deserved the trophy. He took the podium, set his script down and cleared his throat. The Great Hall fell silent as Harry looked around. Cedric, Fleur and Victor nodded to Harry as his eyes fell on each of them. Then he turned to the Gryffindor table where he saw Ron frozen, but turned to face Harry and Hermione staring his direction. He looked down at his script again. "You know," Harry began, "I had an entire speech prepared. One that showed how proud I am of wining this Tournament, but this is not how I feel."

Harry flipped the script around and looked up at the audience. "I am here today, not because I am an excellent wizard as you might all believe. That is a false statement if I ever heard one. I am here today, carrying the Triwizard Cup because of my best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Without their support, knowledge and friendship, I doubt I could make it past the first round. As for the rest of the Gryffindors, although you did not support me at first, you supported me in the end. That is all that matters.

"I would also have not received this trophy without my rivals in this tournament. Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Victory Krum. If possible, an award should be given to each of them for conceding the right to the trophy and give it to me. Eternal Glory is only given to one of the four of us, but I do not wish my name to be the only name that appears in the books when this event has become history. They each should be standing next to me holding this award.

"And last I would like to thank the professors for their never ending support. Without them standing behind me and teaching me the charms, jinxes and curses I know today, I doubt I could compete in this event on a level ground against Cedric, Fleur and Victor." As Harry turned to walk off the podium, he remembered one last bit of information. "Oh, and I would like to thank Fred and George Weasley for making me 25000 galleons. Were my odds of winning that low?" Everyone laughed as Fred and George rose up from their seats and bowed.

Although Harry finished his speech, he was never able to thank the three people who helped him the most throughout this ordeal. Severus Snape, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. His three guardians. They were there in the hall, as Harry saw a dog and wolf dance around at Severus's side. History will not remember their names either. Only Harry's.


The train ride home was horrible. Ron went on nonstop about the events that happened in the Great Hall prior to Harry's arrival. Harry wished he was with Hermione rather than Ron. However, Hermione sat with Dean, Seamus, Neville and Ginny in the compartment across from his. No one wanted to hear Ron's never-ending rants so Harry took the hit and allowed his friends a break.

Ron's rant continued even after they exited the train, but by that time, Harry had stopped listening. Molly was able to get Ron to stop with a single glare when they walked onto Platform 9 ¾. Everyone was thankful of that. Harry bid farewell to his friends as he joined his Auror escort that consisted of Kingsley Shacklebolt, the real Moody and a pink haired woman Harry had never met before. Sturgis Podmore was the usual second Auror with Kingsley, but Harry was told Sturgis was on assignment.

However, Harry was not too disappointed. It was better that new faces were there to greet him. He never really met the real Moody and the pink haired woman looked interesting to talk to. As he turned back at the station, Harry saw Hermione and her parents walking away. It was then that Harry realized he had never met her parents. They seemed like nice people when Hermione mentions them.

"Hiya, Harry!" the woman said in a cheerful tone. "Nymphadora Tonks, pleasure to be of you acquaintance. You can call me Tonks. That's how every addresses me as."

"Sure…" Harry said as he shook her hand.

"I'm only doing this because Albus instructed me to," Moody grunted as he took the lead. Harry smiled as he knew Moody was still angry that he could not bring in Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. His two guardians had told him the story about their meeting with Moody while Harry was in the maze. At least Dumbledore had not told Moody that Severus was his third guardian. Moody still considered Severus a Death Eater. Kingsley knew about his guardians, but Harry doubted Tonks knew anything about Sirius, Remus or Severus.

"So, how does it feel to win the Triwizard Cup?" Tonks asked as they made their way to the car. Kingsley lagged behind pushing the cart of Harry's trunks and suitcases.

"Alright. I only won because I had more help than everyone else," Harry replied.

"You're more modest than the papers say," Tonks complemented.

"Thanks. I try not to be," Harry joked as he helped Kingsley move his trunks and suitcases into the back of the van. Moody did not allow Tonks to help and stated that she was far too clumsy. She was not allowed to drive either. Kingsley was the driver while Moody took the passenger seat. Harry and Tonks sat in the back and continued their conversation until they reached Number 5 Privet Drive.

"I thought you lived at Number 4 Privet Drive." Tonks said as Harry got out of the van.

"I do. But my aunt and uncle owns this house too," Harry stated as he pulled out the first suitcase from the trunk of the van.

"Albus told us not to enter, Tonks," Moody reminded as she moved towards the front door.

"You know, I don't see why he told us not to enter. I doubt there's anything bad in Harry's house," Tonks complained as she made her way back to the car.

Harry looked to Kingsley and then to Moody who wore the same uncertain expression on their faces. "Dumbledore's orders," Moody said.

When Kingsley and Harry finished moving all his luggage to his room, Harry bid his escorts farewell and fell onto his bed. Today had been a tiresome day as he had to face Ron's ranting. His chat with Tonks was enjoyable at least. But what saddened Harry was that Sirius, Remus and Severus would not be here for the summer. They were at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the ancestral home of Sirius's family. He was allowed to visit every so often in the summer, but no where near enough. He missed his three guardians a lot over the summers ever since the summer after his first year at Hogwarts.

Remus and Sirius was there until Harry's third year when the Ministry discovered Sirius and Remus was hiding at Number 5 Privet Drive. Since then, they were at Number 12 Grimmauld Place until Harry's fourth year began. What made the summers worse was that Harry had to deal with his only living relatives: the Dursleys. Last summer, Harry was reminded why he hated his relatives so much. They had taken advantage of Harry's guardians not being there and pestered him to work their house as payment for letting him live there. But that stopped when Severus returned for a short visit.

Harry then thought of visiting Ron and his family in the Burrows, but he would still have to get approval from Dumbledore and receive an escort of at least two Aurors for the trip. Voldemort could not have chosen a better time to make his return. Then Harry thought of visiting Hermione. This was something he could do as it was in the world of the Muggles. Harry had several charmed necklaces that changed his appearance whenever he wanted to leave the house. It was randomized and near impossible to detect, so Dumbledore deemed it safe for Harry to use whenever he wanted to leave.

He drew up a plan in his mind of what to do and when he could visit Hermione as he looked up directions to her house once. The Internet was the most powerful tool in the Muggle world and Harry used it whenever possible. Sirius, Remus and Severus all had trouble working a computer, as they grew up in the magical world, but Harry was exposed to the computer at an early age. He even learned how to fix and build computers of his own because of how many decks his three guardians broke. It was not possible to fix with magic, as most technology did not match well with magic.

Tomorrow Harry would sketch out the plan on paper, as he was far too tired to do it now. Soon, he fell asleep not realizing his last thoughts were on Hermione.


Harry woke in the darkness. He was floating and nothing solid was around him except beneath his feet. And then two figures walked out to greet him. "Hello, Harry," they said with a smile. It only took him a moment to recognize the couple as his parents, James and Lily Potter. In the living room of the house, two giant portraits were hung of his parents.

"Hi, mum. Hi, dad," Harry greeted as they stopped before him.

"How is everything," James asks. Harry begins to tell his parents about the highlights of his life without them. First, about how life was with the Dursleys. Then his adoption. Last, his time at Hogwarts.

Harry enjoyed his talk with parents as they responded to each of his own questions. But it was in the middle of the conversation about the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament that Harry realized a door approaching in the distance. He had not known when he began to walk, but Harry was heading towards the door with his parents. When he finished his the story, Harry stopped in his tracks.

"Something wrong, Harry?" Lily asked as she turned around.

Harry looked from his mother to his father. They both wore a worried expression on their faces. "Yes there is," Harry answered truthfully, although he did not know what.

"What is it?" James asked.

"I don't know. But something is not right." Harry looked up and he was in front of a pair of giant golden doors. They swung open and his parents took a few steps back.

"Come with us and we'll help you figure it out," his mother coaxed.

Harry almost took a step forward, but began to realize where he was. "I'm sorry, mum. Dad. I can't go with you."

"Why?" his father asked.

"Because both of you are dead. As much as I want you with me and by my side, I cannot. One day I will see both of you again, but there are still things I must do, friends I must protect and promises I must keep. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Lily said with a smile. Suddenly, the force compelling Harry to walk forward was gone.

"Sirius, Remus and Severus raised you well, my son," James said with an understanding smile that matched his mothers. "You have learned to let us go, and that we are proud of. You do not linger on the past as we once feared."

"However, one day you will be faced with great suffering and feel like there is no one around you, but remember this, my son, you are never alone as long as you wish not to be."

"Goodbye, Harry. We wish you luck in fulfilling your destiny," Lily waved as she turned around to walk through the doors.

"Goodbye, Harry. We will meet again one day!" James said with a smile as he followed behind Lily.

Harry watched as his parents walked through the doors before it closed. "Goodbye, mum. Goodbye, dad." A silent tear found its way down each of Harry's cheeks before darkness claimed his vision once more.

Then a new voice spoke in the darkness asking a question. Harry turned to see a darker shadow in the darkness. The shadow shook its head and asked another question. Harry still could not understand as he scratched his head. "Interesting," the voice finally spoke in a language Harry understood. "You are Harry Potter." Harry frowned at the shadow, but still could not make out the complete figure. "I must apologize if you cannot see me. I thought you were someone else." Suddenly, the darkness changed into a hallway of Hogwarts.

Now Harry was able to see the full figure of the shadow. It was a humanoid in thick black robes. The face was covered under the shadow of the hood. "Who are you?" Harry asked as he tried to make out the person talking to him.

"Forgive me, Harry. I keep forgetting you and the person I know are not the same person. I am Janus, or better known as Magus of the Shadows." The figure pulled off its hood revealing a young man with brilliant dark blue hair. He had a sharp thin face and narrow but dazzling blue eyes. He was tall and slender, and it made Harry wonder if this man was human at all.

"Magus of the Shadows?"

"Hm… Interesting that you do not know who I am. But that is of little consequence. Do you believe in Fate and Destiny?"

"Fate and Destiny?" Harry quoted the dictionary definitions of the two words before responding, "No. I like to believe we are given Free Will."

The man laughed before saying, "Humans truly are foolish beings. They have twisted the meaning of everything the Ancients created."

"What do you mean?"

"There is no invisible force that forces events to happen, but rather it is human choices that create the fate of the world. You are given Free Will, but you abuse it, and then blame your misfortunes and failures on Fate or Destiny. Some humans are born with the ability to shape the world and it is their decisions that ultimately shape the future. They are born because of a previous human's decisions."

"So there really is no predetermined path?"

"In a way there is. Humans with the power to shape the future has two roads to choose from. One that leans towards good and one that leans towards evil. Franklin D. Roosevelt of America was born with the power to shape America's future, and he chose to help Americans. Adolf Hitler was given the same power and he chose to conquer the world. There have been many others born with the power to change the fate of the world, but that is not to say everyone can change the world through their actions. Everyday human beings can do all the good or evil they wish, and it will not change the direction of fate the slightest."

"And I am one born with a destiny?"

"Yes. You are born because the man before you chose to give you the power to shape the world."

"Chose? I thought you said that everything is predestined or whatnot."

"My exact words were: 'In a way there is'. People like you, Harry, can make choices. And the choice is simple and always the same; conquer the world or save it. What is easy and what is right. Tom Riddle had a choice in doing the wizard world good or evil. He choose to conquer the world which gave birth to the person with the power to stop him. There can be no evil without good, or good without evil. You were born Tom's equal and also have a choice. Will you choose to save the human race, or will you choose to conquer?"

Harry looked at the man, intrigued by his question. The obvious answer was to save the world, but Harry was more interested in which side the man was on. "Save the world obviously. I'm just curious, but which one would you choose if you were given the choice?"

Janus looked at Harry with a smile. "I have already made that choice. I tried to conquer the world in hoped that I can change it for the better, but what I did not know was that by doing so, I was corrupting myself. In the end, I became an embodiment of evil. My sister was able to destroy me and send me to the realm of the Shadow which I reside for eternity."

"Was your sister the person you chose as you adversary?"

"No. She had already finished her task that was her destiny. But she saw how corrupted I have become and fought against me. But since you have chosen the heroic task of saving the world, Harry, I will give you a warning. You will suffer tremendously. The trial of the hero is not one given to those with a weak heart, will and mind. You will lose those closest to you and you will find yourself alone in your darkest hour. That is the nature of the trial of a hero. Only by finishing the trial can one become worth of holding the title of 'hero'. It was in the trail that I failed, Harry. I could not overcome my darkness. Can you?"


Harry shot up in his bed drenched in sweat. He looked around and found himself back in his room at Number 5 Privet Drive. Harry slowly got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen where he got himself a glass of water. Was that a dream or was it real? Harry asked himself as he drank his glass. And what did Janus mean by Fate and Destiny? Harry spent most of the night awake pondering the answer to those questions.

Harry was always told that everyone had a choice in life, which Janus confirmed. But 'Free Will' of the masses had little consequence in the shaping of the world. Those fell on people like Harry and Voldemort who decide which direction the world would lean in. Good or Evil.

Then Harry remembered Janus telling him that he would suffer a great deal in his path to becoming a hero. Harry did not want to become a hero, but he would if it meant saving his friends and family. But it was the last words the man spoke that haunted Harry. Janus stated that he failed to overcome his darkness. Harry wondered if he could overcome his own darkness alone.


Author's Note: As you know, the fourth year is suppose to take place in 1994-1995, but back then there wasn't anything like DSL or Cable internet. Or computers as powerful as the ones we have now. So I decided to push the years of birth forward 10 years allowing for the use of modern technology. So the year is 2005 when this story begins. As for Hermione's year of birth, which is officially one year before Harry and Ron's, I decided to changed that so they are all the same age.