Cult Potter

Me: I'm back everyone...! (crickets chirp and people shoot me annoyed looks) And I'm very, very sorry. Gundam happened. Specifically, Gundam SEED and Gundam Wing happened.

Edith: And now you're obsessed with Athrun Zala and Duo Maxwell as well as Lelouch...how can a girl compete?

Me: (turns red) I'm not OBSESSED. And I haven't forgotten and you aren't playing second fiddle. I just...! Got distracted. and had a bit of writer's block. Okay?!

Edith: (deadpan) I'm waiting to take over the world. Pray you don't make me wait much longer.

Me: (gulps) Yes ma'am

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter 28: The Fourth Champion

"So these are the gardens?" Fleur asked her two guides curiously, stepping among the flowers. Gabrielle was right at home, gleefully chasing a fairy that had been attracted to the greenhouse. "It's quite extensive."

"Well, Herbology is an important subject in our curriculum," Edith Potter explained, gesturing to the other greenhouses which could be seen from out the window of the one they were in. The redhead had approached Fleur and some of her friends earlier that morning. She said she couldn't help but notice they looked a little lost, and offered to give them a tour of the premises. Fleur had been slightly confused – she had thought she had seen the girl just a moment ago, talking to some of the Drumstrang students – but Edith's companion Sally had explained that they had a friend who looked similar to her, named Ginny.

Fleur had known a bit about Edith's 'legend', such as it was, once she and her family had arrived in Britain. Edith's recent win of an Order of Merlin had been in the papers for several days.

Fleur had expected a girl who was arrogant, who expected everyone to know about her 'greatness'. She had expected a girl who was certain of her superiority, having been the youngest person to ever bring down a Dark Lord. She had expected everything...except what she had gotten.

Instead of being the worst aspect of a child star, Edith was humble and self deprecating. She wasn't above joking around with her friends or poking fun at the name she had been given, and she treated Fleur with respect and curiosity, since she had never been outside her home country before. She asked the foreign students a lot about their school, what it offered, what their favourite aspect of it was. Fleur, who had been warned by her father about Britain's superior attitude towards its schooling, had been pleasantly surprised.

Yes, the Veela hybrid had taken a liking to this friendly, mysterious waif, and her friends. Sally Anne Perks expressed some knowledge of French pop culture, and went out of her way to make a homesick Gabrielle feel at home. Which was part of the reason they were in the Greenhouses right now – Gabrielle, who loved flowers and plants of all kinds, had asked if there was a garden.

"Are there any carnivorous flytraps?" Gabrielle asked enthusiastically, after Fleur's friend Maisie gently pulled her away from the Devil's Snare she had been oogling.

Edith's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure, though I think Neville planted something like that recently." Glancing at Fleur, she explained, "Neville's the herbology ace in my year; he knows more about the subject than anyone else I've met, aside from Professor Sprout."

"I think Graham might displace him there, with the interest he was showing in the previous lesson," Sally commented.

"I doubt it, if only because Graham is morbid and interested in all things dangerous," Edith commented.

Gabrielle's eyes sparked curiously; she, too, was interesting the the occult and the morbid despite her bright and cheery personality. Unfortunately, that meant she didn't have a lot of friends back at home. Though maybe here, she'd get lucky!

"This school is fairly interesting looking," Fleur admitted as they returned to the stone stairwell to the school. "Do you like it here?"

"Oh yeah. Most of the time, anyway," Edith said with a light shrug.

"Most of the time?" Maisie enquired.

"Sometimes, things around here can get out of hand," Edith responded by way of explanation. "I'm sure you've heard the rumour that one of our teaching positions is cursed by now?"

"I did," The brown haired French girl confirmed. "Though I thought it was just a joke. Surely the teachers would have been able to remove a hex if there was one."

"So goes common knowledge," Edith agreed enigmatically.

Fleur's curiosity regarding this girl rose further at this. She seemed to be hinting that not all was right in Albus Dumbledore's paradise, which ran contrary to what everyone surrounding the man always parroted. Her father had little love of the man, saying that the Headmaster liked to meddle in others' affairs. He also said that Dumbledore's 'meddling' often brought about upheaval and left damage in its wake – sometimes minor, other times serious. Her parents would have assumed that Edith, having been essentially a ward of the state, would have been cajoled and programmed to repeat the praises of the country that treated her as their hero.

If they thought that, it seemed that Edith had them fooled. While she hardly had a visible or vocal cross word to say about them, a few quiet, off handed comments – like this one – implied that the 'golden girl' might not be so golden...or so loyal to the idea of Britain's 'paradise'.

Fleur had always loved a good mystery, and Edith seemed to be embodying that right now – the waif who was much more than met the eye, playing those around her for fools. Clearly she warranted further investigation.

Maisie seemed to like her, which was another bookmark in Fleur's good side. Maisie Goodman was her best friend since childhood, an incorrigible troublemaker who nonetheless saw Fleur for who she really was, free of prejudice and expectation of her Veela blood. The two were all but sisters; if Maisie liked someone, it was likely that Fleur would appreciate their presence as well.

"Dinner's going to be soon," Edith said, breaking Fleur out of her thoughts. "Have you had much British food before? I know an elf in the kitchens, if you don't care for anything on the menu I'll see if we can get some specialties on the side."

She smiled warmly as Maisie, Gabrielle and the two other girls with them cheered. Yes, Fleur thought, this girl definitely warrants further investigation.

**~Elsewhere~**

"A Chamber of Secrets? Truly?"

"Strange but true." The redhaired girl smiled disarmingly at Viktor Krum, but her eyes sparked of mischief. She was holding back some information – she had probably been told to, given what they were speaking about – and it seemed to amuse her to make him think about it. "I've seen the entrance, and it's straight out of Gothic Horror. I wonder if the great Salazar Slytherin was an over-emotional gothic teenager at some point in his life."

"Edith! Is that any way to talk about our historical House leader?" The other redhead – firey tempered and spirited as a wild mare – chastised her friend, though she was grinning too.

"Surely he wouldn't begrudge me speculation, Ginny?" Edith Potter laughed, a warm and inviting sound, but Viktor was constantly distracted by the eyes. The eyes that new so much. The eyes that were old, and had wisdom and knowledge that didn't belong to a normal teenage girl. "He's been gone for so long, and the historical records are constantly contradicting each other!"

"If only he'd kept a diary," The young boy next to her deadpanned; he jumped slightly when his cousin – the tall, pretty, and sharp-tonged Megan, who had introduced herself to Viktor by punching out one of his sleazy classmates who had tried to grope her – burst into snickers at the thought.

Viktor spared a chuckle at the thought himself. Unlike the first few students he'd met here, Edith was willing to joke about her history. Everyone else treated it as if it were reverent myth that deserved nothing but worship. If they were any stiffer or prideful about it, they'd be statues. Having been stuck between them and the fangirls – god, they were everywhere, no matter where he went, how was a man supposed to get some peace and quiet? - at first had caused Viktor to prepare to write this whole event off as a catastrophe.

Mercifully, Edith and her friends had come and rescued him from the gaggle – Megan had fired off some choice words at Bulstrode and Parkinson that sent the pair scurrying, while Edith politely offered to show Viktor and some of his fellow students around 'so they wouldn't get lost, or surprised by the moving staircases'.

Edith tried a couple jokes before she got her finger on Viktor's sense of humor, and played to it with gusto whenever the staircases moved beneath their feet. Emmanuel was certainly a fan of her so far, while Pablo wasn't quite sure what to make of her. Viktor liked Edith, but he had a sense that she was holding parts of herself back – whether she was playing a part, or simply not comfortable stating her true feelings, he wasn't sure. The only reason he was sure of this was his ability to read people in crowds, something you couldn't help but develop if you're a celebrity and constantly in such situations.

Megan Jones and Ginny Weasley were also fairly interesting individuals. Ginny was clearly quite attached to Edith, loyal to her friends, friendly to newcomers, and had enough wild spirit in her for ten girls back home. Megan Jones was someone Viktor wouldn't mind taking to the mid-tournament dance – she was blunt, snarky, fearlessly honest and was only mildly impressed by his Quidditch qualifications.

Her little cousin Graham picked up on some of her habits; Viktor couldn't help but find a little boy calling people 'imbeciles' extremely amusing...especially when those he was insulting were usually several feet taller than him. The boy could probably use a better mind-to-mouth filter, but most of that could probably be lain at his immaturity.

"Did you see the mighty monster inside?" Emmanuel asked Edith, with a tone that suggested he was teasing her or expected her to be joking.

Edith smiled brilliantly. "What's the scariest thing you've ever suddenly stumbled across? A large spider? A snake? I might have turned the corner on a basilisk once."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope, she's not...though I wish she was." Megan said sourly. "Two weeks wasted as a garden statue is not my idea of a good vacation!"

"How'd you escape it?" Pablo asked, awed that this kids had tangled with a monster like that and lived to tell the tale.

"A friend of mine guessed what the monster was and had us all carrying mirrors on our person." Edith explained. "I used it to keep track of where I was going and hide from it when it got close. I was lucky; I think its eyes were stuck shut for some reason."

"That must have been terrifying." Pablo said.

Edith shrugged slightly. "I'm a witch. It wouldn't do for me to be afraid of anything I can out-think and outmaneuver."

"She was shivering when she finally got back to the safety of the dorm." Megan put in faux-helpfully, causing Graham to snort and Ginny to smirk.

Edith looked balefully at the black haired, blue eyed girl. "Thanks a lot, Megan. And here I was hoping to offer a legitimate reason the teachers treat me like a special precious snowflake, instead of something that happened when I was too young to remember."

"Ah, don't worry Potter – you've got us convinced!" Emmanuel laughed. Viktor said nothing, but tilted his head in agreement.

Edith gave him a small, grateful smile. "I'm glad to hear that..."

Viktor couldn't help but smile sympathetically at her at that. He knew a bit about being treated as special, to the point where it was difficult to hang out and maintain normal friendships with people. What exactly Edith was considered 'special' for he wasn't sure yet (he had heard rumors about the Girl Who Lived story, but not the whole story – and up to that point he was doubting its legitimacy) but clearly, like him, she didn't like being put on a high pedestal by her peers.

At least, not for no reason.

"But hey, if we're talking about earning glory instead of having it dumped on us, what about the Tournament? You interested?" Pablo asked.

Edith laughed, warm and open, and once again Viktor was absorbed in the riddle of a girl standing in front of him. "Hah! Hardly...I'm too young, and I'm not sure what I'd do with 'eternal glory'. I'd rather be remembered for what I'm doing in the present, and what I'll continue doing."

"You're very ambitious for someone too young to enter," Viktor commented.

Edith tossed him a coy smile. "What can I say? It's a House trait."

Megan snickered again at that, amused. "Shall we show you to the library? There should be plenty of helpful information there, and Hermione, Cho and Hestia would be able to get whatever you need from the stacks. I'm pretty sure they have that whole room memorized, down to whether or not a chair has been moved slightly to the left since they last entered the room."

"I wouldn't put it past them," Graham muttered. "I'm pretty sure they'd sleep there if they were allowed."

"Oh, be nice Graham. There's nothing wrong with that." Ginny chided lightly, but the gleam in her eyes suggested she agreed with him.

Viktor chuckled. "Please, do show the way."

**~Several Days Later~**

Edith let out a content sigh and shut off the alarm she had set an hour before. Sitting up, she saw a few golden lights that showed her past self fading away. She smiled wryly, "Even after two weeks of using this thing, that's still an uncanny sight." she rubbed her eyes and pushed her hair away from her face. "Well the Unspeakables weren't kidding. Nap cycles are important to staying rested and content when using a Time Turner."

She turned her head to the right and smiled. Ginny was lying on the bed next to her, still asleep. Given what she'd seen of Ron, maybe being a heavy sleeper was also a Weasley trait – along with red hair and fierce tempers. Lightly Edith reached across the bed and gently shook her shoulder, until Ginny let out a small whine and opened her eyes.

"Come on, Ginny. We don't want to miss the Choosing Ceremony." Edith said with a smile.

"Are you sure that alarm can't be changed to a less annoying noise?!" Tracey whined from the bed a few feet away. The other girl sat up, missing her own time turner several times as she tried to pick it up. It always took her a few minutes to fully wake up.

"If it was a pleasant noise, would it wake you up?" Edith asked smartly.

Tracey shot her a molten glower, sleepy eyes narrowed. "You do know you're not supposed to answer rhetorical questions, Potter, don't you?"

"I tease, I tease...but come on. Let's see who the school champion will be."

The three walked out of the room, joining Daphne, Flora, Hestia, Graham and Blaise in the common room before leaving the dorm entirely to head for the Great Hall. Hermione, Cho and Luna were waiting for them at the stairwell, Hannah, Susan, Megan and little Leona were waiting for them at the doorway, and finally Ron Neville and Colin were all already inside.

As she walked in, Edith spotted Natalie MacDoland again. The girl was sitting somewhat off by herself, though Dennis Creevy – Colin's little brother – eventually wandered over and tried to start a conversation with her. Natalie smiled and responded, but Edith still saw that tired yet maniac haze in her dark brown eyes. Once again, she wondered what had caused it, and felt as though she was seeing a shadow of herself in that girl...

Once everyone filed in, the choosing began. Edith watched as the fires of the Goblet changed from blue to purple and spat out the first name. "The Beaxbaton champion is...Fleur Delacure!"

Fancy that, Edith thought in amusement as she cheered and clapped; her older blonde friend looked excited as she got up from the table. Some of her fellow classmates were crying with jealously, but overall the school seemed to be enthusiastic about her. Fleur's pretty likable once you get past the 'I'm different so stay away from me' haughty attitude. It's a facade, thanks to her experiences with anti Creature hysteria, but many people aren't astute enough to figure that out. Maisie was cheering the loudest for her friend.

As Fleur stepped off to the side, Dumbledore read the next name. "The Drumstrang champion is...Viktor Krum!"

The whole room erupted into cheers at this; Viktor pumped his fist and strode over to the table. Edith chuckled. Viktor seemed to be having fun around here, excluding the times he had to run and escape his annoying fangirls. Edith remembered sneakily getting Ron to meet him in person...by bringing him to 'hide' in the library when he was studying there. The poor boy had nearly passed out, and had to drum up the courage to shake the older boy's hand.

Yes, that had been amusing. And Ron was very happy to meet his idol in person, something he never thought he'd be able to.

Now, for the final champion...

"The Hogwarts Champion is...Cedric Diggory!"

Cho leapt to her feet and cheered loudly for her boyfriend as the well liked Hufflepuff boy stood up and walked forward somewhat shyly to meet his fellow competitors. Edith and her friends got up and did the same, as a show of solidarity from Hogwarts's usually divided houses.

The redhaired girl smiled when she saw several other children – from multiple houses – getting up and doing the same to follow her example. Her impact among them was growing every day, as she got to know more people, as she showed them her best. Perhaps it would have meant something to enter the tournament when she was of age...it brought people to her.

Brought them together.

As if summoned by her wayward thought – or perhaps by a deity who was annoyed at the implication that she would be staying out of trouble for once – the goblet suddenly started spitting fire straight up. The lights flared uneasily for a minute, before spitting out another name.

Edith knew who's name was on it before Dumbledore called out to her.

**~In the back~**

"Sir, there's been a mistake," Edith said, holding onto her temper with both hands as she looked between the suspicious headmasters, Barty Crouch, and Ludo Bagman. "I did not, and could not have put my name in the Goblet. I was never in the room during choosing time! I was with my friends!"

"I can testify to that," Viktor offered, looking troubled. Clearly he was wondering what the hell had just happened, and why. "Miss Edith was showing me and my friends the gardens on the last night to enter names."

"She couldn't have gotten past the age line!" Cedric threw in. He looked concerned – Edith knew, both through Cho talking about him and the various times they had met, that Cedric was a giant mother hen who was always looking out for younger students in his year. She'd seen him with Leona and other first years just a few nights before. "Sir, someone's sabotaged the goblet. We should put the tournament on hold and investigate it!"

"The goblet constitutes a binding magical contract." Barty Crouch droned. "Miss Potter must compete; she is now a member of the Tri Wizard Tournament."

Edith was sorely tempted to unleash some exceptionally foul language she had learned from Megan, but Fleur got there first. "You mean the Quad-Wizard Tournament?" The French champion threw in sarcastically. "Sir, there is something so obviously wrong I refuse to believe there's nothing you can do about it."

"Miss Delacure, please," Dumbledore said soothingly, as if he was speaking to an upset four year old. This caused all four champions to glare at him, at being talked down to like this. "We will look, but it seems that there's nothing that can be done for now. You should go and get some sleep...prepare for the first task. I wish you all good luck."

The four regarded the group of teachers with a mixture of anger and disbelief before, almost completely uniformly, storming out – leaving their displeasure obvious to those in charge.

End Chapter

And it's done! Thank god, that was a pain in the neck for some reason...so yeah! So far, Edith has been using her Time Turner to a) befriend people from the other schools like Fleur, Maisie, Viktor and Emmanuel - oversees contacts, horray!, b) to do some learning, and c) to rest. In Canon, Hermione never used her time turner to get extra sleep, and I think that's why she couldn't handle it at the end. I mean, stress takes you apart when you aren't well rested!

Now, since Edith has a good rap among the other champions, that dynamic is going to be very different from canon, and I'm excited (and feeling a little evil) about where I'll be able to go with that. And I hope you guys are too!

I'm just sorry to say I have to go back to school in a few days, and I have no idea how that will affect my update speed, but I'll do my best to keep this story (and others) a'rolling!

Read and Review please!