Mad-Eye Moody's classes continued to prove an oddity for Harry. He still didn't like the man and still couldn't place why, exactly. He had done a few little tests to see if the old Auror could, in fact, see out of the back of his head. As it turned out, Moody could see out of the back of his own head, amongst other things. Harry had put off wandering the castle grounds until he thought he had the old man's nightly schedule down. But Moody didn't seem to have one. He would be lurking about Snape's quarters one night and be loitering about the Owlery the next. It was all very irritating, as Harry wasn't about to risk being caught under his cloak.
Solieyu had continued to be edgy around not only Moody but also Demetra, who had yet to exhibit any further interest in the vampire. She was acting the perfect model Gryffindor. He had spent most of his nights in the hospital wing and had already had to take his potion twice. For some reason, his hunger had intensified. Madam Pomfrey had tried to reassure the boy, saying it was just because he was getting older and that, as with most things, his hunger would grow as well. Of course, this did little to lessen the vampire's worry. The nights he didn't spend in the infirmary he spent up in the Nest, pacing around the outside.
Harry gave his friend as much of his worry as he could spare. But that night was the night the Goblet of Fire was to be brought out, and Harry couldn't shake the twisting in the pit of his stomach. Something bad was going to happen. And he was in no hurry to find out what it was.
"This year is off to a bad start." Harry mumbled as he, Tonks, and Solieyu left a Charms class. "And I don't just mean the extra homework they're already piling on us."
"Yeah, everything's taken an odd turn, huh?" Tonks said.
"Personally, I'll call it a good year if I make it to the end of it without losing myself." Solieyu said, voice quiet.
"You'll be fine, Leon." Tonks said, nudging him gently. "Just gotta keep you out of any fights so you don't get all worked up, yeah?"
"Yeah..." Solieyu said, blowing out a long sigh. "Hell and bother, but this is irritating."
"Tell me about it." Harry said, nodding slowly. "And things are only just beginning."
After depositing their bags in the Nest, the three made their way down to the Great Hall for dinner. In under an hour, Harry would either have one more thing to worry about or he'd be able to cross one item off the list. He was, obviously, hoping for the latter. The less insanity around him, the better.
Nonetheless, he found it difficult to eat much of anything. He was feeling nauseous, something mirrored on Solieyu's face. Harry knew it was for an entirely different reason - so much fresh blood around and all - but he still felt glad he wasn't the only one about to have a fit. He knew it was selfish to think that way, but he had earned a little selfishness over the past three years, he reckoned.
Throughout the meal, Tonks alternated between trying to cheer Harry up (and make him eat more) and trying to distract Solieyu. She wasn't doing so well on either front and, eventually, she gave up so she could finish her own meal off.
As promised, after dinner was over with, Dumbledore stood and asked that everyone remained seated. "As I said when our honored guests arrived, we will be bringing out the Goblet of Fire now! This rare artifact will be what ultimately will decide who is the Champion for each school! Anyone who wishes to participate must write their name and school on a piece of paper and place it into the Goblet within the next week. At the end of that week, the Goblet will spit out one name from each school.
"Now, before we bring the Goblet in, I must add some things. First, there is a strict age limit on who may participate! Nobody under the age of seventeen may participate. And to help ensure this, I will be drawing an Age Line around it. This is, of course, for a reason - the Triwizard Tournament is not something to take lightly. There will be great danger involved to each Champion. And once a Champion has been selected, he or she is obliged to see the Tournament through until the very end. Placing your name in constitutes a binding, magical contract of which you may not break. Please be very sure you wish to compete before placing your name into the Goblet."
Naturally, much booing came about when the headmaster spoke of the age limit. But it made perfect sense to Harry - and it made him relax a little. He certainly wasn't of age yet. He had read of Age Lines before. Very tricky magic, they were. When Dumbledore stopped speaking, McGonagall (who had been absent) walked in floating an ancient wooden chest in behind her. It was absolutely covered in gems of all kinds. She brought the chest up to Dumbledore, who opened it and pulled out the Goblet itself.
It wasn't as large as Harry was expecting it to be. Dumbledore easily held the object in his hands, though it partially obscured the man. It was wooden as well but, unlike its container, was simple in its design. But the minute Dumbledore placed the Goblet down on top of the chest, blue flames sprang to life from within.
"And now," Said the headmaster, peeking around the Goblet, "you would all do well in going back to your common rooms and thinking about who will compete. Remember - you must be sure that you wish to take part in the Tournament. You cannot have a change of heart after entering."
And that was that. The Great Hall began to empty out as people headed back to their Houses. Harry led his group towards the Nest once they managed to break away from the crowd, which was heatedly discussing who should and shouldn't compete.
"Well, that's one problem outta your hair!" Tonks declared, patting Harry on the back.
"Yeah. Age Lines are practically impossible to get around." Harry said.
"'Practically' being the key word." Solieyu said, not sounding so enthused. "Don't stop worrying just yet. Worry after the Champions are chosen."
"Oh, don't be such a killjoy!" Tonks said, frowning.
"No, he's right." Harry said. "I probably just got myself jinxed somehow. Knowing my luck, I'll be the first name the Goblet spits out. Somehow."
"Would you please think positive for once?" Tonks scowled, swatting Harry on the arm.
"I'll think positively once I'm sure I'm in the clear. Anyway, I wonder what Fred and George are gonna do now. They kept talking about entering the Tournament. But if there's an Age Line, there's a fat chance of that happening." Harry said, smirking.
"Oh, I'm sure they'll try something to get around it." Tonks said, smirking as well.
"Anyway, I think I'm gonna risk it tonight and take a walk around the castle." Harry said once the group had reached the Nest. "Not like I can be banned from Quidditch or anything if I get caught."
"True. I'll probably wait up for you. Or try, at least. No promises." Said Tonks. "Leon, what about you?"
"I think I'm going to stay up here again tonight. I'm feeling a bit better. Better than I have in awhile, anyway. May even take a nap. I do feel pretty tired." Solieyu said, stretching. "Be careful out there, though. Moody's a paranoid head case."
"So I've seen." Harry muttered. "Honestly, what was Dumbledore thinking?"
"Probably that if something tried happening, Moody would jump on it and blow it up before it could start any trouble." Tonks said, eyebrow raised.
"I wouldn't put it past him. Dumbledore isn't exactly right in the head, either." Harry said. "Well, I'm going to go grab the Map and my cloak. Coming with, Nymmy?"
"Don't call me Nymmy. And yeah, I am. Night, Leon!"
"Goodnight, you two. Good luck, Harry." Solieyu said, stretching out on the couch as his friends went down through the trapdoor. "You'll need it."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
It was just as well that Harry was spending the night looking for a new place to roost. He had been having bizarre dreams again. They were almost like the ones he had suffered from back in his second year, only they felt more... real, almost as if he was being reached out to in some sense. His dreams consisted of a pair of beautiful gemstones circling one another. The odd thing was, one of them seemed to cry out, begging Harry to come closer. It almost seemed to be in pain and had a hollow, ghostly voice.
Harry hadn't been able to make out any words - it was all a blurred sort of mumbling. It had appeared to him three times already which, while not entirely odd, was still of concern to him. He rarely had recurring nightmares like that. Not where it was exactly the same.
Moody was, for once, holed up in his own quarters, which made Harry feel immensely more relaxed. He was positive Moody's eye had to have a distance limit on it. Harry was walking with his invisibility cloak on, something he hadn't done in seemingly forever, and had the Marauder's Map in his hands. It was nearly midnight, and not many people were out and about. The Prefects occasionally patrolled the halls in an attempt to catch would-be snoggers in the act. And, usually, there was a teacher on duty with them. But tonight was Professor Sprout's turn and she was easy to avoid.
He was searching for a hideout. A certain type of hideout - not just any would do this time. He wanted something bigger. Something with multiple rooms. Something that wasn't a tower. He had begun his search on the second floor and had been working his way steadily downward. As far as he knew, the school had three floors of dungeons, with the lower two being all but off-limits save for one or two storerooms. He was trying to avoid even going to the first level of the dungeons, as that meant being closer to the Slytherins.
It was nearly two hours later that he found what he was looking for. He had just about given up on the first floor, though he had lingered in hopes of perhaps catching something he had missed. He really didn't want to get into the dungeons. And, as if giving in to him finally, the Map seemed to light up in one particular spot. It was around a long, mostly-empty corridor that led to somewhere underneath the main staircase. A few of the rooms along the hall had been used in the past for makeshift dueling clubs, none of which ever lasted long, mostly due to the ineptitude of their teachers. Students were absolute rubbish at teaching properly, Harry had decided. And yet, at the same time, he couldn't help but think that they all had to be better than Lockhart ever was.
Harry glanced back at the Map. The shining spot, which was glowing dimmer by the minute, was just ahead and to the right. But, as he drew closer to the spot, the sudden urge to go down to the lake started to overtake him. He had almost given in when the glowing spot on the Map seemed to surge brightly for a moment.
"The hell...?" He muttered, walking towards the spot of empty wall once more. This time, he fought the urge to about-face. Someone had stuck Repelling Charms on it and he wanted to know why. The desire to just turn and walk off was nearly overwhelming, but Harry was stubborn and fought it the entire way. He thought he was going to hit the wall but, just as he got through the Repelling Charm, he stumbled forward and fell through it instead.
"Another fake wall. Well, that's promising." Harry said, turning around and staring behind him. "Gonna need to do something about that Charm if there's a jackpot lying in wait, though."
The floor only continued a few feet forward before a descending staircase took over. The Map was entirely useless, though - it was reading him as being in the walls of the school. Obviously his father and friends hadn't gotten past the Charm. Which meant that this area hadn't been seen by anyone other than him in a good, long while. The sheer amount of cobwebs and dust seemed to reinforce this.
Harry pulled off his cloak, draping it over his shoulders as he pulled his wand. A few quick cleaning spells later and he felt better in advancing. He walked down the steps carefully, making sure that, should a tricky stair or two lie in wait, he wouldn't fall victim to it. But the stairs were perfectly safe and he made it to the little landing at the bottom in one piece.
"Gonna need to put some lights up, too." He mumbled, holding his lit wand up. There was a door in front of him. Old and arched, it had a large, circular handle and an engraved portrait of a snake eating its own tail on it.
"Right, now I'm creeped out." Harry said. "An ouroboros, huh? Boris'd get a kick out of the luck."
The little taipan was staying with Tonks for the night, discontent in staying with Harry as he wandered. Mostly because Harry had said that he would probably end up in the cold dungeons. The snake was having none of it and, before Tonks knew what was up, she had a new, spiral bracelet in the form of a snake. Harry had apologized and told Tonks what they had talked about and, in the end, she had agreed to keep track of Boris for the night.
"And you are?" Hissed a voice from nowhere, causing Harry to jump.
"Who's there?" He said, glancing around.
"...On the door, stupid."
Harry blinked, swivelling around to stare at the door. The engraved snake was no longer eating its own tail. Rather, it had turned to stare outwards at Harry.
"You're...alive?" He asked.
"Not as such, no." Replied the snake on the door.
"Then you're like a wizarding photograph. Or a portrait." Harry reasoned.
"More or less." Hissed the snake. "Now - who are you? And what are you doing here?"
"Oh, right. I'm Harry. Harry Potter. And... well, I was just looking for a new place for my friends and I to hang out."
"Hang out." Repeated the snake.
"Uh... yeah. You know - to relax, to have fun. Somewhere away from the other students and the faculty." Harry said.
"Ahh. I would seek another place, then. This den has not been used in a long time. Further back than I have memory, in any case." Hissed the snake.
"I think I should be the judge of that if it's all the same to you." Harry said. "I assume there's a password to get in, though."
"There is."
"Are you able to tell me, or am I going to have to guess my way in?"
The snake's tongue flickered out before it replied. "I have long since forgotten the password once used to gain entrance. However, if you intend to use this place, you may give me a new one to remember."
"Well... okay." Harry said, hoping that he would be able to use whatever was beyond the ouroboros door. Even though it wasn't alive, he would still feel bad to just leave the snake alone again. "Leviathan." He finally said. "How's that?"
"Leviathan." Repeated the snake. "As you wish, Harry Potter."
"Ah, that's right - you know my name. What's yours?" He asked.
"I have no name." Said the snake.
"Oh. ...Well, how about the name of the password, then?" Harry suggested.
A moment passed. "Very well. Now then - do you wish to enter?"
"Yes, please." Harry said.
"Then speak my name."
Harry smirked. He seemed to be a magnet for quirky snakes, real or otherwise. "Open, Leviathan."
"As you wish."
Harry took a step back as the old door opened outward, creaking noisily as it did so. Harry made a mental note to fix the creak as well. He stepped through and let the power to his Lumos spell increase so that he could see around better. The room he entered was more long than wide and had a fireplace at the far end. A busted, dust-coated couch sat in disrepair not far in front of it. Two doors were in each side wall, two forward and near the fireplace, two back and near the entrance, all opposite each other.
Stepping into the room, Harry smiled. "Five rooms total. That's a good start..."
The door at the back-left led to a painfully out of date bathroom. It housed a bathtub large enough to make the Prefects jealous. Harry had long since heard tales of how elegant and large their bathtubs were. Unfortunately, this one was crusted over in gunk countless ages old and home to a family of nasty-looking spiders.
The door at the back-right led into another long room that was almost completely empty. What looked like an old, collapsed training dummy sat by itself in one corner of the room. Harry's eyes lit up - this was getting better all the time. He could either restore this to a training hall or fix it up into a bedroom!
The door at the front-left led to a smaller room with a table running almost the entire length. There were no chairs around it, but it was clear what the place was. As he made a lap around the room, looking at the table, he let out a chuckle. "I wonder if I'd be able to have meals here. I should go ask Dobby sometime."
A loud CRACK! threw Harry off balance. He pressed himself back against the wall and thrust his wand hand out, staring wide-eyed across the room. A house elf with exceeding large eyes (even for house elf standards) was staring back at him. And, once Harry realized who it was, he relaxed.
"Dobby!" He cried. "What are you doing here?"
"Harry Potter has said Dobby's name, sir!" Squeaked the house elf, walking around the table. "So Dobby is coming to see Harry Potter!"
Harry blinked. "Oh, that! I was just wondering to myself if I'd be able to have meals served here. I'm kind of searching for a new place for my friends and I to hang out, and I just found this set of rooms. It's looking awfully good. I had said that I should ask you sometime if it would be possible."
Dobby hopped up onto the table and, after staring at it for a minute, he turned and beamed at Harry. "Oh yes, Harry Potter, sir! This table is like what is in the Great Hall! Dobby can tell the other house elves to include this place for meal times!"
"Really? That'd be great, Dobby!" Harry exclaimed. This place was getting better and better. "But... I dunno if we'd be down here that often. Is there a way to... I dunno, be able to eat whenever we'd like? ...That sounds really selfish now that I've said it out loud."
"Oh no no no, sir! That is not any trouble at all!" Dobby argued, walking towards Harry and shaking his head quickly. "House elves love to cook almost more than they is loving to clean! And to cook for Harry Potter and his friends would be a great honor, sir!"
"Really? But... how would we be able to tell you lot when we're here?" Harry asked.
"Dobby can bring in special silverware, Harry Potter, sir! Then when Harry Potter and his friends is wanting to eat, they is simply having to tap the plates and goblets with their wands and speaking what they want!"
Harry's eyebrows raised. "What, just like that? And... and it really wouldn't be any trouble?"
"Oh no, sir! It would be Dobby's honor!"
Harry grinned. "Right, then. Um... I'm not sure when I'll have this place cleaned up, though..."
"That is no problem either, sir. Just be saying Dobby's name and he is appearing!" Said Dobby.
Harry grinned wider. "Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Dobby - this really means a lot to me!"
The house elf tugged his large ears down to cover his face, barely conceiling a blush. "The great Harry Potter is thanking such a lowly house elf..."
"Hey, you're not lowly - this more than makes up for my second year." Harry said.
It took a few more minutes, but Harry managed to pry Dobby off of him (he had launched at Harry's torso in a Molly Weasley Death Hug) and got him to vanish back to the kitchens. He was then able to head back into the main room and inspect what was through the door at the front-right of the room.
"Excellent." He whispered upon entering. A massive four-poster bed took up a better portion of this new room. Like everything else in the quarters, this had long since started to fall apart. It wasn't something a few spells couldn't fix. And it saved Harry the trouble of attempting to transfigure a sizable bed. The fewer things he had to make that way, the better. He was far better than he had been when he and his friends had jury-rigged furniture for the Nest, but it was still a tricky field of magic to operate in.
Walking back into the main room, he gazed around again, a smile plastered on his face. He had hit the nail on the head in one. This was a perfect new hideout. All he had to do was fix it up to be habitable again. And he needed to dispel that stupid Repelling Charm. Walking out of the main room, he carefully closed the arched door and turned to face the snake engraved on it once more.
"I heard talking." Said the snake.
"Yeah, a house elf came to... er... visit me while I was looking at the dining hall. This place is better than I could've hoped for." Harry said.
"Does this mean you will be staying?" Asked the snake.
"It does." Harry said, smiling again. "Does this place have a name?"
"I cannot recall."
"...I think I have a good name prepared. I'll mull it over and see if you think it fits when I bring my friends down." Harry said. "...By the way, it's been bothering me - how come you can speak English?"
"I can't."
Harry blinked, frowning. Had he been speaking in Parseltongue without realizing it? It didn't take him long to realize why, of course. He had been slipping in and out of Parseltongue with Boris since before the school year began. Apparently, it had become almost second nature.
"Will my friends still be able to use the password? They can't speak to you like I can." Harry hissed, this time taking note of which language he spoke in.
"They will so long as it is in your language. And before you ask, you did say it in another language."
"Right, so Leviathan it is." Harry said, switching back to English. "Thanks for letting me in then, Levi."
"'Levi'?"
"Well, Leviathan's a bit long." Harry said, shrugging. "I have a snake friend I gave the name 'Ouroboros' to... but that was a bit long as well, so I just call him 'Boris' for short."
"I see..."
"Anyway, thanks for letting me in. I'll be back down here whenever I can, cleaning and adding furniture." Harry said.
"It will be good for this place to have residents again." Hissed the snake, curling back up so that it looked to be eating its tail once more.
Harry smiled at the engraved snake and set up the stairs. He would bring some things down to transfigure over the next few days - but that Repelling Charm was coming down tonight.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"You look like hell. Again. You ever gonna tell us where you've been going after dinner every night?" Tonks asked, three days later.
"I should have the big surprise ready the day before the Goblet thing." Harry panted, flopping back in his chair in the Ravenclaw common room. Even with spending so much time away from his proper living space, the other Ravenclaws allowed the chair to remain his.
"I take it you succeeded, then." Solieyu said.
"Aye. And it's better than I imagined. You're both going to love it. Though I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with one room until I show it to you." Harry said, tilting his head to each side. Both sides produced a painful, yet strangely satisfying pop.
"One room? How many are there?" Tonks asked.
"You'll see." Harry chuckled. "Was a right pain to find. The Map said it was there, but I kept getting the urge to bugger off when I got closer. Blasted Repelling Charm. Glad I finally got rid of it..."
"It was guarded?" Solieyu asked, eyebrow raised.
"Sort of. But even with it gone, it's through another invisible wall. AND it has a password-protected door!" Harry said, grinning. "It was a wreck when I found it, but I'm getting it fixed up."
"I hate waiting for things. You know that, right?" Tonks mumbled, nudging Harry in the arm.
He just laughed in response. "I know, Nymmy, I know. Bear with me - it's not going to be much longer."
And indeed it wasn't. Their homework kept them busy most of the time. Harry had finally gotten the new hideout cleaned and fixed up. He had had to consult Professor McGonagall on a few things, which caused the old Transfiguration teacher to eye him suspiciously, but it had all worked out in the end.
And, true to his word, the day before the Goblet was set to spit out the names of the Champions to take place in the Tournament, Harry led his group down to the first floor. After carefully making sure they weren't being followed, Harry took them through the invisible wall and down the short staircase.
"Hullo again, Levi." Harry hissed, smiling at the engraved snake on the door.
"Good evening. Are these your friends?" Replied the snake, uncoiling itself.
"Yup." Harry said. And, switching back to English, he turned to face them. "Sorry. The snake on the door's like one of the portraits. I named him Leviathan... but only after choosing that for the password. I realized the next day that that was kind of stupid, so I changed the password. Anyway, Levi will be able to understand it in English, so don't worry about the language barrier."
"The password being?" Solieyu asked.
"Sectumsempra." Harry said, grinning strangely.
"Isn't that a spell in that awful Potions book you got?" Tonks asked.
"Yup. I ran a test of it the other night. ...I cleaved the practice dummy in two. Huge arc of magic flew out of my wand. It was like I slashed the air itself and sent it out to cut the target." Harry explained.
"Sounds... very dangerous." Solieyu commented.
"I'd imagine!" Harry chirped. And then, turning back to the door, he switched back to Parseltongue and said, "Time for the grande opening. Sectumsempra!"
Leviathan hissed and the door opened, squeak-free this time. Tonks and Solieyu goggled when they stepped into the main room. It had been completely changed since Harry had found it. The couch was now whole and severely squishy again. There were reading chairs (and bookshelves to house the items to read) on either side of the entrance. Large, soft rugs covered the otherwise stone floor. Candles in their holders now hung from the walls. And, in addition, several more in floor stands were scattered about the room, a handful near the reading chairs. The fireplace was cleaned up and an inviting fire now danced about in it.
"Harry... this is..." Tonks began, walking around the room. "Wow..."
Harry grinned. "Four rooms, to answer your question from earlier in the week. In addition to the Main Hall here."
Harry managed to pull Tonks away from being awed to show his friends the newly revamped bathroom, which the girl nearly had a fit over. The bathtub had been cleaned and scrubbed until the white, crystal-like substance it had been made from shone anew. The rest of the facilities had also been spruced up, though the immense bathtub was clearly the star of the show.
Up next was the Dining Hall, which had had its silverware delivered by Dobby the previous night. Harry had even tested it to ensure it really did work like the house elf said it would. "This is all thanks to Dobby and a friend of his. Didn't catch her name, but she seemed a bit tipsy. Still, isn't it cool? We can order up anything we'd like whenever we get hungry!"
The dining table itself now sported a quartet of chairs around it, with four more sitting along the back wall, just in case Harry gained a few more close friends in the few years he had left at the school. The table was covered in an elegant tablecloth. A series of ornate candles sat in a circle at the table's center.
"Now then." Harry said, ushering the other two back into the Main Hall. "I'll ask what I wanted to earlier - Leon, do you want a bedroom in here? We've already got one. The other room's not got anything but a few practice dummies in it right now."
"If I want to catch some rest, the couch will be fine enough." Solieyu said. "It isn't like I sleep often. It would be wasted on me."
"And what about Luuuunaaaa?" Tonks asked, her voice singsong.
Solieyu flushed and glared in the opposite direction. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah, I bet." Tonks said, grinning like a cheshire cat.
"Right, so I can turn it into a proper training hall? You sure you don't want a bedroom?" Harry asked again.
"I'm sure. The training room would be more useful, anyway." Solieyu replied, giving a nod.
"Excellent. I'll start work on that tomorrow, then." Harry said. "Well, that only leaves the bedroom! Right this way, if you please!"
The four-poster had been restored to its former glory, drawing yet another cry of delight from Tonks. There were now end tables on either side of it, each holding a candle. A pair of dressers sat along one wall, and a pair of desks lined the opposite.
When Tonks was done stretching out on the bed to confirm that it was as soft as it looked, Harry led the two back into the Main Hall. "And that's that. I'm sure we'll go up to the Nest from time to time for fresh air. But all little birds must leave the nest eventually, to seek out a better home. And that's exactly what this is. We can sustain ourselves indefinitely here. We can unwind in the bath, order anything we want whenever we want, practice any sort of spell we fancy, and sleep somewhere devoid of drafts. This is our new home. Tonks, Leon, I'd like to officially welcome you to the Snake Pit."
"The Snake Pit?" Tonks echoed.
"Yes. Boris and Levi thought it up and I agreed with them." Harry said, motioning towards the fireplace. Boris had been curled up on the mantelpiece, coiled around a candle. "It's much darker, despite the lights I've put up. It's close enough to the dungeons to warrant a snakelike name. And hey, the guardian is an ouroboros, I have a snake as a friend, and I speak the language."
"Sound logic, that." Solieyu said, though he had a smirk on his face.
"In any case... this is our new spot to come to." Harry said, flopping down on the couch. "Leon, you can tell Luna whenever you want. And I'm thinking about telling Fred and George, though I am a little worried that they might commandeer the Training Room and turn it into some sort of laboratory."
"So give them their own little corner if you want." Tonks said, sitting down to Harry's left. "Set up a desk and some beakers and they'll act like Christmas came early."
Solieyu sat on Harry's other side, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "I have to admit, that fire feels nice. I'll be much happier napping on this couch than on the one in the Nest."
"And you're sure you don't want the spare room?" Harry repeated.
"Positive. Now stop asking." Solieyu replied, grinning.
"Aye aye, sir."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
The next day was the one Harry had been dreading. Thankfully, the restoration of the Snake Pit had kept him sidetracked for most of the week. But now he was mostly done with that - the Training Room still needed to be fixed up properly, after all - and the Goblet seemed to taunt him whenever he passed through the Entrance Hall. Tonks and Solieyu had tried to reassure him that nothing bad would happen.
As expected, the twins had indeed tried to get around the Age Line. They had both ended up with white hair and beards that would give Dumbledore's a run for its money. And both of Harry's friends pointed this out to him. It helped ease his nerves, but only just.
The night of the announcement, Harry couldn't eat, though he found himself strangely thirsty. When dinner was over, and the food had all vanished, the Goblet was once more brought into the Great Hall. Harry was quite certain his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest.
Dumbledore rose and made his way around to the front of the staff table. "And now, the moment I'm sure we've all been waiting for!"
As he approached the Goblet, its fire flared up and a small slip of paper shot up into the air. The fire died down as the paper floated lazily into Dumbledore's hand. He gazed down at it for a moment, then looked over towards the Slytherin table. "Durmstrang's Champion is... Viktor Krum!"
Applause rang out, and not just at the Slytherin table. In particular, Ron Weasley seemed to be having a fit over at the Gryffindor table.
Seconds later and another bit of paper burst from the flames. "The Champion for Beauxbatons is... Fleur Delacour!"
And again, applause rang out. And, again, Ron Weasley had an absolute fit.
Once more, the flames came to life as a third piece of paper flew out. "And finally, the Hogwarts Champion is... Cedric Diggory!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted. And, for the first time, Ron Weasley did not.
"The Champions have been selected! And now, the Triwizard Tournament has truly begun! In one month's time, the First Task shall take place! And until that time I--"
But Dumbledore was cut short as the Goblet's fire burned brightly once more. Everyone in the Great Hall, the headmaster included, stopped to stare at it. It was all Harry could do to stare in horror as a fourth slip of paper shot out of the flames, going higher than the other three had.
"I told you..." He whispered, a lump in his throat. "I knew it..."
Dumbledore reached up to grasp the paper from the air, looking down at it for a long time before his head raised, scanned the Ravenclaw table, and came to rest on Harry.
'No!' Harry thought, starting to panic. He wanted to run. He wanted to get up and bolt from the Great Hall. He knew whose name was on that paper. But to run now would make him look guilty. He had been busy that week! Even if he had wanted to put his stupid name into the stupid Goblet, he wouldn't have had time to! Eyes squeezing shut, he heard the headmaster's quiet voice carry throughout the room as though yelled.
"...Harry Potter."
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Author's Notes: Now how's this for a bad updating schedule? I go for like three months or longer between chapters 8 and 9, then turn around and crank out 10 in two days flat. What can I say? I REALLY wanted to get the Pit introduced! It's been in my plans for a good long time now, like I think I mentioned before. The way I see it, Dobby's all ga-ga for Harry, the house elves love their job, so why not include a dining area to the place?
A lot of plot twists are set to happen in the Pit. So much takes place there that even if I wanted to spoil everything, it would probably be a chapter's length in and of itself. Suffice to say, stuff gon' be happenin' hyeah.
And uh...ehehe... I've already broken from the massive chapter guide I wrote during the hiatus between chapters 8 and 9. D'oh. I have up to the start of book 7 written up and my goofy ass has already broken protocol with it. I SUCK at keeping on track. Still, there's enough left to easily fill chapter 11 with. The first part was simply Harry's decorating, which I cut down to a reveal.
In any case, I'll try and keep a more reasonable pace for chapters going, alright? I hope this makes up for the lateness in the previous one!
Post-Edit Notes: God, this is gonna be a long one. At least the Champions have been picked. Ten Chapters in. Hoo lord, what have I gotten myself into?