Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
A/N: Thanks to MaeSilverpaws1, who is beta-ing this story.
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Champion
"Ron," Hermione gasped when she turned away from the door that Harry had just walked through after he had been named as a champion. She wasn't necessarily surprised to see that Ron was angry and hurt by this, but she hoped that he did notice the witless expression on Harry's face as his name was called. She hoped that he wouldn't blame Harry for this because she knew there was no way that Harry had put his name in the goblet himself. He had promised her, after all, that he wouldn't, and Harry always kept his word. Ron would know that, wouldn't he?
"Don't," Ron said stiffly, getting up and walking away, not listening when Hermione called after him. He wasn't sure where he was going but he knew that he couldn't just sit there as the rest of the Gryffindors were cheering and happy that Harry had both got past the age line and been picked as the champion. He walked fast, as he wandered the castle, not slowing down as he worked out his emotions.
It was hours later when he headed back to Gryffindor tower, passing through the people that were still celebrating. He saw Dean and Seamus, but Harry wasn't there, and he knew that he was about to come face to face with him and Ron wasn't sure if he was ready for that or not, but he wasn't going to turn around.
"Hey," Harry said when he noticed Ron enter the room. He was still numb with shock about being picked. It had not helped that the other champions were older and looked the part more than him. The argument that went on with the other headmaster/mistress didn't make him feel better either. He had felt a pang of interest when Moody said that someone had confounded the goblet to make it believe that four schools where competing, but that didn't last long.
When he was walking back to the common room he wondered how his friends would react to the news of him being a champion. After all, he had been trying to get in the tournament at the beginning of the year. Will his friends believe him now when he tells them that he didn't do this? When he got to the common room, Fred and George seemed to think he had done it, but they did believe him when he said that he hadn't … though they still enjoyed the party in the common room. It was clear that Hermione had never believed he entered, which was something he was grateful for. Especially, since it showed that she believed in his promises. Ginny told him she could tell by the expression on his face that he didn't put his name in the goblet.
Looking at Ron right now though, he thought that one of his friends wasn't going to believe him. But when he thought of it, he knew that Ron was the one he was worried about from the start. After all, Ron had put his name in to enter the tournament.
"Hey," Ron repeated Harry's greeting, trying to control his anger, but it was still building in him.
"Look Ron … I didn't …" Harry started.
"I know you didn't effing put your name in the goblet," Ron shouted out angrily, gritting his teeth. "You bloody promised Mione you wouldn't. And you effing wouldn't do that to me!"
"You …" Harry gasped.
"Why do you always have to have things happen to you?" Ron said still shouting, he didn't seem to be able to stop himself. He wasn't even shouting at Harry … he was just shouting.
Harry sighed; he was asking himself the same thing. However, he decided not to interrupt his friend, though Ron's rant was stirring some of the emotion that had been numbed to since his name was called.
"Couldn't you have a bloody year off!" Ron clutched his fist, closed his eyes and his face turned red as he tried to stop himself form saying more. It wasn't working very well so he turned and punched the wall … hard. The pain ran through him, ebbing his anger a little.
"Ron!" Harry said, running over to his friend to see if he was okay … it looked like Ron really hit the wall hard.
"I'm an effing arse," Ron announced, his eyes still closed. "I thought … you did it … at first. For a effing minute … and then I was bloody angry with you … YOU! Angry that you were picked! Angry that after everything I did … no one is going to remember it at all!"
"I'm sorry," Harry sighed, because he was … he could see why Ron would feel that way but it seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Ron looked at him incredulously.
"Why. the bloody hell, should you be sorry?! You're the one that's in the stupid tournament!" Ron groaned. "You're the one that has things happen to you."
"You don't know how much I wish you could have been the one," Harry said, not really meaning it, but it had the effect that he wanted.
Ron gave a snort and a small smile. "No, that's okay mate." He then grimaced as he added, "I just wish this didn't have to happen today. Maybe if it was a week later …"
"I don't have control over the time either," Harry pointed out.
"Some best mate you are," Ron grumbled, his small smile broadening a little.
"You might be right that most people aren't going to remember the achievement you accomplish today, but everyone in Infinite Light will."
Ron didn't say anything as he took in what Harry said. He would have liked it if it was more than just his friends that would be impressed, but Harry was right. He had impressed his brother … and more importantly, he'd impressed Hermione.
"How are you?" Ron asked, looking at his hand that had punched the wall, it was bruised but thankfully he didn't think he broke anything.
"I think I'm angry," Harry frowned as if he had surprised himself with that answered.
"I bet … someone's obviously got it in for you," Ron said, wondering how his own anger could vanish so fast after his talk with Harry.
"Er … that's not really what I was talking about," Harry said. "I'm … listening to what you just said … I'm angry that I didn't even get the chance of choosing this. I never have any choices."
"Sure you do," Ron said. "You chose to be an Animagus. You chose to make a bloody brilliant map. You chose to pull pranks and have fun despite everything in your life that should make you crawl in hole and hide."
"I didn't have a choice this time," Harry sighed, though Ron's argument cheered him up. "I can't back out of the tournament, even though I didn't actually enter it myself."
"Yeah, I know," Ron sighed. "There's a magical contract."
"And worse than that …" Harry sighed, sitting down on his bed. "Now I'm going to have to tell Sirius and Remus."
"Well if it makes you feel better, I'm probably going to get a howler from my mum tomorrow and I have several detentions to boot." Ron said grimly.
"Yeah, it helps," Harry laughed as Ron made a face, "and having you on my side helps too."
Ron smiled but before he could say anything Dean and Seamus came in and all the boys got ready for bed.
O
"Congratulations!" everyone shouted when the door swung open and Cedric Diggory walked in. The sixth year couldn't help but smile as he was patted on the back. True, it had somewhat dimmed his excitement when he found out that Harry was a Hogwarts champion too, but that wasn't going to stop him from having a good time now. It was still nice to know that he had been picked out of everyone from Hogwarts that had entered the tournament. He was determined to show everyone that there was more to being a Hufflepuff. They were more than just a bunch of duffers.
Cedric was walking around the common room, allowing everyone to congratulate him personally as they seemed to want to do. It was then that he overheard an argument between some of the fourth years.
"Why are you defending him?" Ernie MacMillan exclaimed. "We all know he entered the tournament himself!"
"No we don't," Neville shouted back, his face was red, but he looked like he was trying to stop himself from yelling because the next time he spoke it was in a calmer tone. "All we know is that his name was entered. He didn't want to be in the tournament."
"As if!" Ernie rolled his eyes. "We all know that Potter would just love being in the tournament. He probably thought that he would be perfect for the tournament after all the trouble he got into the last few years."
"You have no idea about what Harry is really like," Neville said glaring at him. "You still look at him and see the Boy-Who-Lived and you haven't seen that he's not what he was portrayed to be."
"What do you mean?" Cedric asked and Neville turned to him and blushed.
"Er … I'm sorry Cedric, I didn't mean to ruin your party," Neville muttered.
"Don't worry about that," Cedric waved him off. "I'm still having a good time."
"Right," Neville sighed in relief.
"So what did you mean about Harry?" Cedric asked.
"It's nothing really," Neville shrugged. "I just found that most people tend not to get to really know who Harry is because they're so busy thinking he's some story book hero."
"I don't understand how that makes it so that Harry didn't enter the tournament," Ernie grumbled and Cedric sort of agreed with him.
"Well first of all, I know personally that he promised Hermione Granger that he wouldn't enter the tournament," Neville said. "Second, if he was going to enter, he would have done it at the same time as Ron did. We all know that Ron got past the age line, but Harry didn't even try."
"That is a good point," Cedric said, thinking about his talk with Harry as they walked alone back to their common rooms. Harry had said that he hadn't put his name in the goblet. He thought that Harry was just saying that because he didn't want to get in trouble, but Neville was right. "Dumbledore seemed to think that someone else had put Harry's name in the goblet."
"So he hoodwinked Dumbledore into believing …" Ernie started.
"Dumbledore isn't likely to be fooled," Hannah pointed out. "What did he think happened, Cedric?"
"Well, actually Mad-Eye was the one that said that someone probably put a confounded charm on the goblet and made it think that four schools where part of the tournament," Cedric said, " and that Harry was the only one that was in the extra school so naturally he would be picked."
"Do you really believe that Potter had his name entered by someone else?" a seventh year asked. "Who would do that?"
"I don't know who would do that," Neville answered though he had an idea that it had something to do with Voldemort or one of his servants. That wasn't something he was going to say in this room, no one would believe him. "But I believe my friend."
"And I believe you Neville," Cedric said smiling at his younger housemate.
"Thanks," Neville said in relief, it was nice knowing at least someone from his house wouldn't be angry with him for standing behind Harry. It was even better that it was Cedric himself that believed him.