FAV, FOLLOW & REVIEW
Thanks to my beta, Haphne24
Chapter 11: Diggory's plea
"Now, let me introduce the impartial judge that will decide the worthy champions, the Goblet of Fire!" Dumbledore announced grandly, gesturing to the doors. There, slightly out of breath, stood caretaker Filch with an ancient looking if unremarkable wooden cup. He puffed and hastened to place the goblet on the pedestal prepared beforehand. Once it was done, the Headmaster continued.
"Those wanting to participate have to prepare a piece of paper with your credentials: full name and your school. Once done, give it to the Goblet; it will evaluate your magic and choose the worthiest. However, once chosen, there is no turning back, as the Goblet binds participants in a magical contract so think thrice, if you are willing to compete!" He warned all students, and was pleased to note that most of them took his warning seriously. He was almost about to sit down, but then he remembered. "On a side note, I've already drawn an age line to prevent anyone below the age of 17 from participating; please, don't try to cheat it," he said, looking straight at the Weasley twins, who at the moment looked the epitome of innocence. "Now, tuck in!" he exclaimed happily, and followed his own order with passion.
#^#
"It is my great pleasure to announce that the Triwizard Tournament has officially begun! And from now on, till tomorrow evening, the Goblet will accept applications. Please heed my warning... And good luck!"
#^#
The next 24 hours were not as interesting as one might have expected. There were no frantic whispers, trying to speculate on who is going to enter; those submitting their names were usually alone, without entourage of friends, and only few bets were placed here and there. Of course, it would be lie to say, that there was no tension whatsoever. Especially those wishing to participate were nervous to borderline giddy as en evening approached. There were few incidents with younger students trying to approach the goblet, but it seemed that the age line was well done; it even managed to stop an attempt by the Weasley twins, who as a result ended up with very long beards.
Finally, the moment of truth arrived. The lights dimmed, and Dumbledore approached the Goblet.
"It is almost time," he announced. "Only a few minutes left. So if there is anyone left that would like to participate, it's your last chance." To no one's surprise, everyone stayed seated. Then, punctually at 8 pm, the fire in the Goblet flared, rapidly but fluently changing colours from green to purple.
"The Goblet has chosen, and we will now learn the names of our champions. First, we will learn who will compete from Beauxbatons, then Durmstrang and finally Hogwarts. The Beauxbatons Champion is..." Dumbledore looked at the artefact expectantly, but it decided that being cooperative is overrated and stayed stubbornly still. Just when the aged Headmaster was beginning to suspect that something has broken, the Goblet spat a piece of paper.
"Ah, yes. As I was saying, the Beauxbatons Champion is... Fleur Delacour!"
Hadrian looked at the beautiful blond girl that stood gracefully from the Ravenclaw table, to the thunderous applause both from her own schoolmates and other schools. Not surprisingly, the most enthusiastic fans were boys.
"The Champion from Durmstrang is... Viktor Krum!" Continued Dumbledore, to an even louder applause if at all possible. Krum, being who he was, didn't seem too affected by the crowd's reaction; he simply waved and nonchalantly walked to the antechamber.
"Finally, our very own, Hogwart's Champion, is... Cedric Diggory!"
Hadrian cheered with all other students. Cedric was a good choice, if he was frank. Quite knowledgeable, always finishing his exams in top 10 of the school, and what was perhaps even more important, Cedric was a Champion that the whole school could support.
"Congratulations to all of you! Now that we know all the champions, we can..." suddenly Dumbledore looked sharply at the Goblet, which seemed to become active once again, instead of going dormant as it should have. The whole hall quieted down, and so it was with complete silence instead of applause that Hadrian found himself making way to the antechamber, after Dumbledore announced another contestant, 'Hadrian Potter'.
#^#
"What is it, Hadrian? Do they want us to come back?" asked Cedric curiously when he saw Hadrian enter the chamber.
"Hardly," the young heir spat, disgust clearly visible on his face. "Apparently they were unable to..."
Whatever he was going to say got interrupted, as at the exact moment the chamber's door got thrown open and in walked several agitated wizards, loudly arguing with each other.
"That is preposterous Dumbledore! You can't arbitrarily decide to add another champion from your school! If I had known of this beforehand, I'd have insisted on allowing another student from Durmstrang to compete or withdrawn altogether," Karkaroff boomed.
"Oui Dumbuhldaire, ai am most disappointed as well! How could you allow zis to 'appen, espécial-lee when you explicit-lee declaiaiyaired zat non studént below ze aje of 17 would bé allowed to éntair?" Madame Maxime agreed, angry enough to forget of keeping her accent in check.
"I assure you, my dear friends..." Dumbledore started, only to be interrupted again. Hadrian looked at them dispassionately, glad to be temporarily left alone. He knew this wouldn't last, but for now it allowed him some time to think.
He knew, of course, that there was a plot aimed at him. Barty Crouch Junior told him as much several months back, under an oath. Given the way he obtained this piece of knowledge though, Hadrian couldn't very well go and ask authorities for help. He suspected that Moody might have been compromised, as was the original plan, but he abandoned this trail of thought once it was proven publicly that the paranoid ex-auror was not being impersonated. He was also reading tons of books on wards, trying to come up with a way to ward the goblet himself. He even managed to come up with a temporary ward that could distinguish what was written on a piece of paper and banish it, but he wasn't able to cast it properly on the goblet; it was obvious that the age-line wasn't the only protection put in place as his own magic dissipated almost instantly after being cast. The only thing left to him was hoping that the original plan would have to be put on hold or at least changed with the disappearance of Crouch Junior. It seemed nothing had changed, which begged the question: who else was with the Dark Lord, who was aiding him? Crouch told him specifically, and under veritaserum, that he was the only person in contact with Voldemort. Obviously, it was no longer the case...
He was suddenly pulled from his musing when Snape shook him harshly.
"Well, Potter? Answer the question boy," he barked.
"What question?" Hadrian blinked, and then immediately schooled his features.
"We were asking why did you put your name, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore supplied rather gently.
"I didn't," came the earnest answer. From the looks everybody were giving him it was obvious, that he wasn't believed. Seeing their attitude, Hadrian decided to stay silent unless directly asked... and unless speaking up benefited him somehow.
"He eez obvious-lee lying," Fleur Delacour sniffed, to which her Headmistress nodded primly.
"Ze boy probab-lee yairns attenshe-on et came up wiv zis to be een lé spotlights," the giant woman added.
"I can't believe this," a silent voice of Cedric Diggory cut through. "I thought we were friends, Hadrian. I didn't think you would sink so low; I'm very disappointed. I'll be calling to strip you of your SC membership, you disgrace our school," he clipped, gradually raising his voice.
"Now, Mister Diggory, there is no need to be angry," Dumbledore said soothingly, trying to calm the badger boy down.
"Well, I believe there is! He knew all along about the Tournament, knew about the rules! He had time to prepare to cheat, I suppose it is true after all, you can't change a snake! I can't believe this; I can't believe you. You are an asshole you know?" Cedric exclaimed.
"Really mature, Diggory," murmured Hadrian, not able to resist gibing.
"That's quite enough," Dumbledore decided to stop the squabble. "Mister Potter, I'm going to ask once again. Did you, or did you not enter your name? By that I also mean ask a fellow student to put it in the chamber, confound the artefact or, indeed, use any other way to accomplish being chosen."
"I did not," he repeated clearly. "It was never my intention to compete, and I have no desire nor wish to do so."
"If you say so," Hogwarts' Headmaster sighed, clearly not convinced. "Be that as it may, the goblet has chosen you; this means that you are now bound by the magical contract, and must compete. If you don't, you will lose your magic," he declared. "Mister Crouch and Mister Bagman, I believe it is time to give the instructions to the champions."
"It's easy, really," began an excited Bagman. "The first task will take place on the 24th November. It is meant to test your daring and knowledge in the face of the unknown, so no further details will be provided. Barty, was there anything else?"
"That would be all, Ludo. We will now depart, as there is nothing else for us to do here. Have a good night," Bartemius Crouch bowed stiffly and quickly left, followed by a grinning Bagman.
"Yes, we will not keep you any longer," Dumbledore agreed. "You may return to your residences, I am sure that your friends are awaiting your return. Further information on other Tournament events will be provided to you soon."
===#^#===
Dumbledore sighed heavily, sitting in his office this evening. He wasn't expecting this, as it was totally out of character for the Potter boy to behave so. Cheating the goblet to compete in a dangerous tournament was, dare he say it, positively Gryffindor thing to do, and consequently something he most assuredly would not suspect the boy to do. In front of him was lying the proof - a handwritten full name of the Potter heir, next to an imagined, fourth school. He has also managed to inspect the goblet for alien magical signatures, and found several traces of the boy's magic. It wasn't a conclusive proof, more like a conjecture based on solid clues, but it was enough for him.
The aged headmaster didn't know what to think about this newest development. In general, it was worrying, as it was yet another proof of the boy's independence, which was - obviously - undesired. On the other hand, this could present him with a new opportunity to get close to the boy, especially if the school would shun him. He knew it was a real possibility since Diggory's behaviour was a clear indication of that. He would have to think things through carefully.
#^#
"That asshole!" exclaimed Ronald Weasley, once all the Gryffindors were back in their common room. "Fucking glory-seeking psychopath! Did you see his face when he was chosen? No emotions; it isn't normal, I tell you!" he ranted, to the general chorus of agreeing mutterings and nods.
"He's a disgrace, but what can you expect from the slimy snakes?" some more boisterous younger student exclaimed.
"The rotten egg I tell you," Neville Longbottom said sadly. "He should have been here, with us. Something must have obviously gone wrong somewhere, and now Potter is going dark," he asserted.
"Hear, hear!"
#^#
"Cedric, what happened there? How did Potter become a champion?" asked Hannah Abbott, obviously chosen by the house to be their spokesperson.
"He's a disgusting cheater, that's how," Cedric spat furiously. "You should have seen him there, lying through his teeth that he didn't want to be a champion. As if! I can't believe I thought he was a decent person, argh!" he yelled frustrated.
"Was he punished?" Hannah asked.
"That's the worst part, nobody even told him off. No points lost, no detention, and no suspension... It's as if the school condones cheating; I feel like they spat in my face," he said bitterly.
"Well...if they won't punish him, maybe we should do something about that?" Justin Finch-Fletchley proposed, hesitant.
"Yes, we won't tolerate this affront to our house and Cedric. We are Hufflepuff, we help each other", stated Susan Bones.
The following night, many plans were devised.
#^#
"I wonder how he did that," Padma Patil wondered. In Ravenclaw, the choice of Potter to be the fourth champion was met rather with curiosity than hostility. "I mean, many of us tried to bypass the age line, how could he do that?"
"Eh, he is Slytherin, he probably used some mind magic on unsuspecting seventh year Hufflepuff or something to put his name in the goblet. Who cares?" some fellow Raven dismissed the matter.
"Well, I don't think it's wise to ignore it. Most of the school will probably turn against him and it will be expected of us to do so too," noted Lisa Turpin.
"Why should we?"
"We are the wise ones, you dimwit and it won't be wise to stand against other houses," she reasoned, to which most of her housemates nodded.
#^#
"Yes, I agree; I'm terribly disappointed in him," Minerva admitted, sipping slowly her tea. The three heads of houses plus Poppy Pomfrey met in the headmistress' office to discuss the situation. The general consensus was that Hadrian was guilty of cheating, which saddened all present. "I just can't believe that the son of James and Lily could sink so low..."
"It was evident that he wouldn't be following in their footsteps when he went to Slytherin," Pomona Sprout voiced her opinion. "All the Slytherins are, I'm sad to say, disturbed in one way or another or more than one, actually. He must have been living for far too long with his fame. It's not really all that difficult to fathom that he would try anything to get more of it," she asserted.
"How are we going to treat him?" Filius finally decided to broach the inconvenient subject.
"In a professional manner," answered Minerva briskly.
"Of course," Pomona said seriously. "But we shall also remember, that he purposefully entered himself to a tournament intended for the seventh years, so he obviously wants to be treated accordingly."
#^#
"Barty, what it is that I hear?" Cornelius Fudge asked, jovially. "Surely the rumours that reached me cannot be true, can they? I mean, the young Potter boy a champion? Huh!"
"I'm afraid the rumours are true, Minister," Bartemius Crouch answered seriously. "We do not know how, but either he managed to bypass the wards somehow or his name was entered without his knowledge. The crux of the matter is, he is now the fourth participant, and we can't do much about it as the goblet creates a binding magical contract."
"It's true?" Cornelius spluttered. "But... I... Ugh!"
"Yes, sir. I'm afraid, we have a crisis in making on our hands. French will want blood, and so will our own public. We need to decide what do we do."
"What do you suggest we do?"
"I will placate the French government somehow, it won't even be very difficult, from what I understand in France magical education is not nearly as important to the public as it is here, not many people care about some school competition. As far as our own public is concerned though... we need to put the blame on someone; the two obvious candidates are Dumbledore and Potter."
#^#
Severus Snape was pacing angrily in his room. Yet again, Potter decided to show how better he was, breaking rules without any care for the consequences. This time, however, he might have just gone too far. This time it seemed that the whole school would turn on him, teachers included. If Diggory's behaviour was any indication, Potter could finally lose this blasted immunity. Finally.
#^#
"Hadrian, what happened there?" Blaise asked, trying to sound unassuming.
"They are bloody morons, that's what happened," Hadrian grumbled. "Dumbledore failed at securing the cup, and my name was somehow inserted, with a fake fourth school. This pretty much was all it took for the goblet to spew my name, though Moody suspected a powerful confundus charm could have been used."
"So, just to clarify, I'm not throwing accusations, you did not enter willingly, correct?" Blaise asked.
"Correct," Hadrian confirmed. "I had no wish to do so and I have much more money than I can win, and fame is obviously not something that I crave. I'm not some stupid Gryffindor to willingly walk to a danger just for the kicks," he said, gloomily.
"We believe you, of course," announced Draco, grandly. "Well, at least most of us, Amy had some reservations, but then, who cares about her?" Malfoy scion said, dismissively. "The real problem is, from what we managed to discern after you left our table, most students from other houses think you cheated. We can't put it past some of them to try bullying you," Hadrian raised his brows at the evident concern in Draco's voice.
"We like and trust you," Daphne confirmed. "It is a well known fact that other houses don't really like us. Gryffindors are probably right now ranting about you being evil, Puffs are plotting ways to eliminate you to better the chances of their own Champion, and Ravenclaws will go with the flow. You need to be careful."
"I know," Hadrian answered seriously. "Trust me, I will never be a pushover. If they try something funny, I will pay them back tenfold," he said darkly, and not one of his friends doubted him.
"Continuing with the main problem, do you have to compete?" asked Theo.
"Well, organizers surely think so, but I'm not so sure. They say it is a binding magical contract, but I have been a part of a binding oath, and I know how it feels. I felt nothing of the sort, my magic didn't react anyhow to the supposedly unbreakable contract, which makes me question if I really can't quit it," Harry mused. "Were any of you part of something similar?" Seeing all of them shaking their heads, he sighed. "Oh well, t'was worth a shot. Either way, I have managed to secure an appointment with the solicitor for tomorrow, we will go over all the by-laws and see if we can find anything."
"After or before the SC session?"
"What session?" Hadrian asked sharply. He didn't hear anything about it.
"What, you don't know?" Draco raised one brow. "As far as I know we have all been informed by Diggory's patronus. He really doesn't like you right now, does he?"
"So when exactly is this session?"
"4 PM."
"All right. I'll do my best to plan accordingly, hopefully Bowles can arrive earlier. Now, I'm sorry, but I'm beginning to have a headache; I better go to bed," the youngest champion announced, to which all his friends bid him a good night and left.
Good night my ass.
===#^#===
"What are you doing here, Potter?" sneered Justin Finch-Fletchley, who just happened to be arriving to the meeting at the same time as Hadrian.
"There is a School Council session," Hadrian started, deliberately slowly speaking, as if he was talking to someone mentally-challenged. "I am a representative. Conclusively... oh, pardon me, I meant because of this, I'm here," he said snidely, much more so than he would have ever allowed himself under normal circumstances. However these weren't normal circumstances since on his way here, he had been bumped into several times, got sneered and even spat at. Normally, he would have retaliated harshly, but fate decreed that he would wake up much too late, and so he had to hurry. Consequently, he was in a very bad mood and unable to hold his temper.
"Not for longer I hear."
"Come again?"
"Nevermind, Potter; enjoy your status while it lasts," Finch-Fletchley smirked and entered the hall, leaving Hadrian slightly confused behind. Were they so angry as to try to remove him from the Council? Would they? And... could they?
#^#
"I call this session to order. This session is happening because I feel that I need to use the Clause 35 point seven against one of us, against Potter. This clause allows a student to bring a matter they believe important to this body's attention and ask for a punishment to be handed. I want to..."
Draco loudly cleared his throat, effectively interrupting Diggory's speech. Seeing the Hufflepuff temporarily silenced, he wasted no time.
"Yes, chairman, that's all well and good, but the by-laws are quite clear that you can't act in capacity of any function, while you are accusing someone. Therefore, you have to relinquish your chairmanship for the time being. May I remind you, the clause you are calling also demands that if you are against a fellow Council member, the person who will be an acting chairman for the duration of the proceedings must be from the same house as the accused," Draco said, somehow managing to sneer at Diggory all the time, and then sat down.
"Figures you would defend your fellow snake," Ron Weasley butted in.
"Of course I would, Weasley, but you wouldn't know anything about it, would you? After all, it's not really a mere coincidence that your whole family has been considered to be blood traitors for several generations now," Draco said, looking at Weasley as if he was a really big and nasty bug.
"A filthy death eater like you..."
"Enough," a sudden voice cut through. Hadrian turned around and saw Professor Quirrell standing close to the entrance, in one of the hall's niches. "I suspected that this session might be heated, that's why I am here. I don't like what you are trying to do here, Mr. Diggory, but it is your right. You will all stick to the rules, and there will be no pointless squabbles. Mister Weasley and Mister Malfoy, cease it at once. Mister Diggory, you will do as the rules state and choose who will act in your stead from Slytherin," he decided. Such was the respect the man commanded, that not a single protest was raised.
"Of course, Professor. In that case I think it will be best if Greengrass is the acting chairman," Cedric looked decidedly less gleeful than just moments ago. After the changes were done, Diggory continued his accusatory speech.
"We all know what Hadrian Potter did. He entered his name in the goblet while knowing that the rules prohibited him from doing this. He somehow confunded the Goblet, which caused him to be chosen as fourth champion. His actions brought shame on this school and this body. What's even worse, when confronted with the facts he stubbornly lied in the faces of our esteemed guests from abroad, disgracing us even further. The ministry has officially declared him a cheater, or at least that's what Prophet printed today. For all this, I move that we ask the board of governors to suspend him for the duration of this whole year. Thank you."
"Thank you, Mr. Diggory," Daphne said, only barest hint of anger in her voice. "Now, it's time for Mr. Potter. Please, do go on."
"Thank you, Daphne," Hadrian started. "The truth is, judging by the way you all look at me, you have already decided to go through with Diggory's motion. What I can say is this: I have not knowingly entered myself in any way in this Tournament. As for the Ministry's declaration, rest assured that I'll be suing them shortly for libel; I will do so with everyone who publicly states lies about me, so please watch your mouth Diggory. Thank you."
"Thank you, Mr. Potter. As there is nothing left to be said, or so I believe, we will vote now. For this motion to pass, a majority of at least 16 votes is required. Touch the white stone if you want to ask the Board to suspend Mr. Potter; please touch Black if you don't want this. What is surprising," here she quickly shuffled several documents on the desk, "it seems the by-laws don't prohibit either Mr. Potter or Mr. Diggory from voting. Curious, huh. Anyway, now we vote. Thank you. The motion was repealed, as only 15 were in favour of contacting the board. Yes, Mister Diggory?" She asked the boy when she noticed him trying to gain her attention.
"In that case I have another motion. I suggest that we strip Potter from his membership in this very body, as he obviously can't represent the student body honourably."
"Urm," Daphne stumbled slightly. "I'm not sure if this motion is permissible? We will have to make a short recess while I check all the appropriate by-laws..."
"Don't bother," a male's voice from the door interrupted her. "This motion is not permissible, a member would have to be suspended to be stripped from his position which, obviously, is not going to happen as we have witnessed just second ago."
"Mister Bowles, always a pleasure," Professor Quirrell shook hands with the solicitor. "Now, that you are here, I trust you will be able to handle all that might happen here?"
"Of course, professor; I won't keep you any longer."
Just like that, Professor Quirrell was gone, and Cedric was fuming.
"Now, see here, we don't need any solicitor here to tell us how to self-govern!"
"Ah, so now I am not needed, right? Somehow, you didn't complain when I aided you with your chairmanship on several occasions," Adrian smirked. "Regardless, I'm not going anywhere until you are done with this slanderous session, as I'm here today as Mr. Potter's solicitor."
"Fine," Diggory spat. "In that case, I move that we ostracise him informally. I don't care if this motion is permissible or not; I ask all of you shun Potter for his disgraceful behaviour and call for stripping him of his immunity."
"Mr. Diggory!" Daphne was outraged at Diggory's casual dismissal of applicable procedures. "Your first motion is obviously impermissible, we could only vote on ostracising Mr. Potter if we asked the board for suspension and they refused, and you know this very well! As for the second motion..." she looked questioningly at Adrian.
"...it is also impermissible. The immunity might be taken only when asked for by a member of a staff in face of a disciplinary action."
"Well, here you have it. Mr. Diggory, will this be all, or will you inundate us with more ridiculous proposals?"
"That will be all. Please, everyone, think about my plea," and with this, he left the hall.
===#^#===
"I have been reading all night to find all relevant laws," Adrian admitted, when he couldn't finish his first sentence because of yawning. "Here," he said as he uncorked small vial and downed the contents. "This should help. As I was saying, I've checked everything. Many relevant laws are positively ancient. Here is what I managed to uncover: the contract is binding all participants and organizers, it is the second harshest type of magical contract and it is also airtight, there is no turning back once an intent to enter the tournament is expressed in a magically sufficient way, in this case, by putting one's name in the Goblet." Hadrian grimaced.
"So I'm stuck," he ascertained gloomily.
"Not necessarily, Mr. Potter. Please let me finish. You told me that you did not enter knowingly in any way. If that is the case, there has never been any properly expressed intent on your part, which is necessary for a magical contract to fully form. In other words, Mr. Potter, it is my firm belief that you are not bound by the contract, unless of course you were not telling me the whole truth."
"Are you absolutely certain? And please, call me Hadrian, we see each other often enough for the formalities to be cumbersome."
"Very well, Hadrian, then please call me Adrian. Yes, I am absolutely certain. Do you know what happens when you even think of breaking a magical contract? How about a small demonstration? Here," he gave Hadrian a piece of parchment. "This is one of the less severe magical contracts. If you sign it, you will be required to prick your finger within an hour from signing it. If you break this contract, you will feel a magical backlash which will make you ill for at least several hours, and I will be notified of your perjury. Would you please sign it?"
Hadrian took the offered paper and read it carefully. Seeing that it was indeed relatively mild, he signed it, and almost immediately he felt his magic react.
"Very well. Now you are bound by this magical contract. Now think, just think, of not fulfilling it intentionally. What do you feel?"
"I... My magic is trying to compel me to find a knife, and I begin to feel the backlash. My head just started to hurt," Hadrian complained.
"Yes, that would be it. Now, this works the same with any other type of binding oath magic, be it a spoken vow or a written contract. So the surest way to check if you are bound is to intentionally start planning breaking it," he explained. "I would suggest however, just in case, to lie down when you do so, with a magical contract so powerful and harsh, effects will be much more perceptible."
Hadrian did as suggested, and lied down on his bed. And then, he thought about intentionally ignoring the tasks and the whole event. When nothing happened, he grinned happily.
"I see the test was successful," solicitor noted smugly. "In that case, you can, obviously, ignore this whole event and not compete. While perhaps tempting, I would suggest at least considering other options. The other option is you could participate since participating would give you an unexpected side bonus: as this tournament is intended for the of age wizards, you would be declared of age, essentially emancipated. This would allow you full access to your family vault and be rid of Dumbledore as your guardian. The third option is you could declare that you will compete, which will force the ministry and goblins to emancipate you; but then, just before the first task, you may declare that you quit. Lastly, you can quit partially - forfeiting the current task, while retaining the right to participate in the next one, should you wish to do so."
"Huh, many options, eh? Obviously it would be best if I declared my wish to participate and then quit, but then..." Hadrian mused aloud. "All right, I'll have to think about that. Thankfully I have some time before the first task, so I don't have to choose now. What we need to hurry up with though, and what I'd like to talk about now, are those slanderous articles with Ministry's statements..."