Hogwarts Infirmary
Harry woke up with a start and he stared at a very familiar ceiling. 'I survived?' he asked himself and with a frown he realised he was feeling quite good actually. He felt better than he had ever done, like a thousand tiny aches were gone and he had never noticed he had them until now.
With some trepidation he looked towards his right arm to find it exactly where it should be. He stared at it for nearly a full minute as he tried to comprehend what was going on when it hit him like a thunderbolt. 'I must have dreamed it.' he realised and then groaned. The last thing that made sense was that the dragon was trying to toast him.
'Did I faint behind the rock? That doesn't make sense… I must have fainted the moment I saw the dragon. They will never let me live with that…' he thought with dismay as he could almost hear the endless taunting and insults from everyone. And despite fainting like a coward Harry was certain nobody would believe he did not want to enter the tournament.
He drew himself out of the pool of misery he was building for himself and noticed he was seeing everything perfectly clear, without glasses. "Madam Pomfrey?" Harry called out but he received no response from the woman in question. What he did get was a mumbled "Five more minutes Patricia."
Harry's head snapped to the source of the sound and a faint blush crept on his face as he saw a very pretty lady using his bed as a headrest. Her long blond hair fell like a waterfall down towards the ground. Harry briefly considered waking the woman up and offering her the bed but her regal looks made him uncertain enough not to wake her up.
So instead he slowly got off the bed so it would not bounce and wake the woman up and he searched for his wand. However he could not find and with a growing sense of depression Harry started to suspect he might have broken it when he fainted. He had drawn the precious wooden magic focus before getting out of the tent.
A gurgle from his stomach reminded him he skipped breakfast in the morning in the face of the threat of becoming dragon brunch. As the last competitor he had to wait for quite a while as the other competitors' dragons were switched out so Harry was certain it was way past lunch.
So that left him with the choice of heading to the kitchens and finding something to eat there, but without the knowledge of when he had fainted. He could head to the library to find Hermione to find that out and endure without food for a while longer. Something Harry had no trouble doing. 'Or I could go to the great hall. One of the teachers will be there so I can find out what is happening and get permission to go out to get a new wand at the same time.'
His heart stung slightly at the loss of his wand and the idea of replacing it. Aside from Hedwig, his photo album and his Firebolt it was one of the possessions he genuinely cared about. The Dursley's had taught him well not to care too much about material possessions as they could be cruelly taken away or destroyed at any moment.
The reminder of the Dursley's got Harry's temper going and for once the boy did not feel like bottling it up. Expending his emotional energy before getting taunted for the rest of the day sounded like a splendid plan to the young man. He was unaware of how the air slightly started to waver under the power of his magic as he started to stomp his way down to the great hall.
As his anger grew Harry suddenly saw a golden rope coming from his heart heading down below. Meanwhile the rest of the world seemed to fade away in darkness. 'What is this?' Harry thought confused as his eyes narrowed to where the rope led. At the end of his rope there seemed to be a creature that reminded Harry strongly of a redcap. Although one that worked out daily in the gym with the help of steroids while holding a wicked looking dagger that zig-zagged like a thunderbolt.
'A ritual dagger!' Harry put together from the third year lessons taught by Remus Lupin. The creature seemed to realise it was being observed and whirled around until it 'saw' Harry. It let out a piercing laugh and raised all four ropes and Harry could see ghostly outlines appear of the other three competitors.
His anger spiked through the roof at the thought that such a cruel bloodthirsty creature held his and the others lifes in its hands and willed his magic to do anything. In response an invisible wave of power descended upon his golden rope and it started to fray.
Harry feet meanwhile continued to carry him towards the great hall without truly seeing the world. The only thing Harry carried about was getting his hands on the malicious creature and strangling it with his bare hands if he had to.
The beast sensed the peril it was in and screeched. It made a threatening motion to cut all the ropes but Harry somehow knew that it couldn't. It was contract bound not to cut the ropes until a vague definition of a task was left uncompleted. With snarl he forced his magic to break the rope and like an elastic it snapped to the creature and smacked it across the face before disappearing. The beast screeched in pain.
With a sense of duty and what he had to do he reached out with his magic and he snapped Cedric's rope first. The beast let out another bellow of pain. Fleur Delacour's rope broke next and Harry saw the creature's eyes fill with panic as his magic started to fray Victor Krum's rope.
As it snapped the creature tried to dig away from the incoming rope and Harry snarled. "No you don't!" He called out and his magic obeyed and yanked the creature out of the hole it had dug into something and the rope smashed straight into its chest and the beast exploded.
In a flash Harry's sight returned to the normal world and with the last dredges of anger he had left, having expended most on beating the beast he was certain that enforced the contracts of the goblet of fire, he threw open the great doors leading into the hall which slammed open thanks to his newfound strength. An angry expression set on his face.
Harry would have marvelled at his ability to throw open the doors had not everyone in the packed hall turned to him and paled at the same time. Harry blinked and tried to focus on something that made sense, the closest was the circle of wizards and witches breaking up around the melted bits of floor where the Goblet of Fire once stood.
An awkward silence fell around the hall and Dumbledore slowly lowered his wand and Harry noted he seemed to be exhausted. "Your... " he started before shaking his head. "Mister Potter. I see you are up. Have you spoken with Miss Alice?" he asked and everyone turned their head towards him. Only to turn it back to Harry like it was a tennis match when he responded. "Miss Alice?"
" I see…" he said with a thoughtful stroke of his beard as he sat down. "How are you feeling?" he asked next. "I am fine. I just fainted after all." Harry snapped and immediately felt annoyed with himself for saying his failings out loud. "Fainted?" Dumbledore echoed and Harry thought for a moment the man seemed to be amused.
"Mister Potter. What do you remember of the task?" Dumbledore asked and Harry frown turned deeper. "I do not remember anything. I got outside the tent and then had this weird dream." he replied as he started to wonder if Dumbledore had lost his marbles. "A dream that involved an arrogant man calling himself Perseus who killed the dragon you were facing, ensorcelled the crowd and then you battled him in the skies on your broom?"
Harry rocked back that Dumbledore gave a very summier description of his dream. "That was no dream my boy." Dumbledore said with a smile that was hidden behind his beard but the twinkling behind his eyes showed his amusement. "You are a Campione. The seventh one to be exact."
It was clear to all present that Harry had absolutely no idea what a 'Campione' was by the look he was giving Dumbledore. The tension was broken Harry's stomach let out an audible gurgle in the silent great hall and he blushed in embarrassment. More than one hysterical giggle bubbled forth from the crowd.
"Ah. I seem to have lost my track of time with my old age. My manners seemed to have suffered as well as the master of the castle. I have not offered my guests refreshments." he clapped his hands. "Food and drinks shall be here shortly. Do forgive me for being a poor host." he asked. "Mister Potter. Why don't you join Miss Granger. I am sure she will be delighted to explain your new status."
The twins who sat beside Hermione immediately moved away to make space. Harry robotically made his way towards his friend and did his utmost to try to make sense of why everyone seemed to look so afraid of him.
He plopped down beside Hermione and immediately noticed how everyone was trying very hard not to be interested in the upcoming conversation between him and Hermione. He tamped down the urge to snarl at them when a plate of toasts and condiments appeared in front of him. A jug of water and pumpkin juice appeared as well. Plates, glasses and cutlery started to appear in front of everyone as well. It started at the Gryffindor table and soon spread out to the other seven tables and the professor table.
Despite the awkwardness he felt from everyone staring at him Harry plowed through it and transferred a few pieces of toast and wasted no time smearing something on them. He dug in with relish as he realised just how hungry he was.
A few other hungry people in the hall slowly reached out and started to fill their own plates. As it provoked no reaction from the new Devil King in the great hall soon the rest of the crowd started to slowly dig in. If only to distract themselves from just watching the young Campione and possibly earning his ire.
Professor's table
"What are you thinking, addressing a king so casually!" Miss Ericsson hissed as she bowed slightly forward to talk directly into Dumbledore's ear. "I am well aware of their power, Miss Ericson. I escaped the grisly fate of becoming a part of Voban's horde of undead servants." Dumbledore rebutted in a kind tone. "Unlike you however I know the temperament of our newest king well."
"Calling him 'Your majesty' would have just confused him further." Dumbledore lectured calmly as he buttered up his toast and secretly took delight at the awful expression Severus Snape suddenly sported. Finding out that the target of both your grudge and vows now eclipsed far beyond both ability render aid and rank must only hit the man now. Now that he did not need to think about maintaining his promises.
"Something that could be simply explained." Miss Ericson protested and Dumbledore sighed tiredly. "Miss Ericson. Although I doubt it is a Pompeii worthy disaster, a hungry impatient teenager who worked himself up into a proper fighting mood is not one you want to deny a meal."
Miss Ericson pursed her lips and stood upright. "Miss Ericson." there was a hint of command in Dumbledore's voice now. "Let us give miss Granger a chance to explain first. Lest you unwittingly cast your organization in a negative light from our young king's perspective."
He bit into his toast he held up in one hand and with his other he lazily waved his wand and fired a pair of spells that were invisible to the eye. The first hit the table and the second struck Hermione to no ill effects.
"Albus?" Minerva McGonagall whispered. "Do not worry Minerva. I am just listening in and if needed, lend a telepathic ear to miss Granger." Dumbledore replied confidently. He saw Minerva's sceptical look and he knew that the woman had no idea how to react to the fact that a student of her lion pack had turned into a Campione.
"So…" Filius Flitwick said musingly as he stood on his chair to get a good view. "Should we address him as 'King' now in class?" "If you want to upset him you could." Pomona Sprout said speculatively. "Is he even going to continue to attend Hogwarts?" she asked Dumbledore.
"I see no reason why he should not. Although I do admit I am planning to go through my personal library tonight to lend him a book or two filled with spells that should allow him to make the best use of his new reserves." he answered. "Kindly shuffle your lessons around if you have to when it involves spellcasting with an active effect on the environment. He will be prone to overpowering every spell he casts".
The teachers nodded their understanding. "Otherwise I suggest we treat mister Potter as any other student. Although I think we must accept the Witenagemot will insist on an escort…" he grimaced for a moment. "... and whoever they will try to insert into Mister Potter's love life." He glanced towards miss Ericson and saw the woman holding up an admirable poker face that gave away little of use.
At the other teachers flabbergasted expressions he sighed and started to explain the finer points of prestige that children of Campione wielded. It was a lesson he took no pleasure in teaching, but sometimes things needed to be known no matter how unpleasant the contents are.
Gryffindor Table
Hermione was fit to burst as Harry seemed to attack his afternoon lunch with single minded determination she wished he applied to his studies. She both had a horde of questions she wanted to ask and a flood of emotions she struggled to keep in.
In the end the flood burst free and she blurted out. "Harry. I am sorry." She was glad it ended being a whisper instead of drawing the attention of everyone in the hall whose mood was still subdued. She was unaware that Dumbledore's face lit up with a small smile hidden behind his beard.
Harry turned his head and green eyes zeroed on the muggleborn girl. 'Were Harry's eyes always this intense?' Hermione asked herself as her friends' eyes seemed different. It took her a moment to realise he didn't have his glasses on. She could see a miniscule frown as Harry thought something over and then he answered. "It is alright Hermione. I forgive you."
Hermione sniffed at his rapid acceptance and sniffed away a tear. "Thank you Harry." she replied and when he turned back to his food she shot a significant glance to Ron who did not pick it up in his nervousness.
"So Hermione." Harry asked between bites as he wondered why he was so ravenously hungry. "What is this Campione thing I am supposed to be the seventh of?" "Ah.. Uh.. A Campione is a godslayer, Harry." Hermione replied. "So it is another title? Great." Harry groaned.
"Uhm.. It is more than just a title Harry…" she replied. Harry glared as an answer and it was clear he was far from happy with that tidbit of knowledge. "And what more does it involve?" He demanded with a growl. A few people jerked away nervously and Harry suddenly got an extra bit of space around him.
"Well.. a Campione is a symbol of leadership." Hermione slowly explained. There was no way she was going to use the term 'devil' around Harry even if his temper sometimes made her wonder if there was a relation. She almost gulped when Harry's eyes took on the same intensity again for a moment before he looked away. "What are they going to expect from me?" he asked in an almost tired tone.
Hermione fidgeted as she struggled to find a good reply when Dumbledore's voice filtered into her ear to her surprise. "Perhaps Miss Granger it would be easier if you discuss this subject in the relative privacy of the library." Hermione glanced towards the headmaster who just shot a eye-sparkling look back in response.
With almost a stutter she relayed the suggestion to Harry. "Sounds like a plan Hermione. It gets me away from all the staring." Harry agreed. It was starting to get to him despite his earlier experiences of being the center of attention.