I don't own the story or the characters of Harry Potter, this work is entirely fan-made. The rights to everything Harry Potter belong to J.K Rowling. I also have no beta or proofreader (at least not a human one) so expect some mistakes from time to time. To new readers of my works, please read my profile before you review the story, as it may answer some questions that you could have, including my upload schedule.
If you have not read the previous storie(s) in this series, which are all on my profile, I strongly advise you do so, since you won't understand a lot of the coming story or the context that it is in.
And to the guest review I deleted which read: 'I am a guest. I want to read a very different fic. Ron W and the Goblet of Fire. just see how well th weasel does when he gets what he thinks he wants!'
Why are you here then? Clearly this is not the direction my series is going, so why bother wasting words on a review telling me what you'd like me to write or what you'd like to read (especially in a Harry Potter Fic where Ron is far from a main character) when instead, you could be finding the fic you want without pestering someone.
For the rest, take no notice of my rant, but try to consider what you write before posting a review. Thanks
On the 30th of October, Professor Dumbledore had an announcement over breakfast. Just as the clock was about to strike half-past eight for the first lesson, the Headmaster of Hogwarts stood up at the head table and asked for silence with a raised voice.
"Good morning students. Today, as some of you may have remembered, our friends from overseas will be joining us for the commencement of the Triwizard Tournament tomorrow." Many smiles grew in the Great Hall, none larger than those of Fred and George Weasley, despite the fact that they would not be able to compete according to the Ministry's rules. "From France, Beauxbatons will be arriving this afternoon at 4:00 pm, and the Durmstrang Institute will be arriving just half an hour after them. So I ask you all to be welcoming, cordial and pleasant for our guests. They will be staying until the end of the school year and leaving the morning before you all. That is all for now, and please, remember your manners, especially Misters Weasley and Weasley." Dumbledore shot a smiling glance toward the twins who bowed their heads and nodded noncommittally, then a more curious look towards the Potters, Neville and Hermione, which only they saw. With the last remark, breakfast was over and it was time for the next gruelling day of lessons.
"He was staring at us again, Harry." Zoe commented, sharing a look of disdain with the other three.
The Gryffindors always seemed to have bad luck on the days where it mattered. Their first lesson that morning was Potions with Professor Snape, who was in a just as sour mood as usual. Even when writing the instructions down, his sentences were punctuated with a harsh tap of chalk on the blackboard. He practically spat orders at people, and when the inevitable question came up from a student who wasn't paying attention- "What do I do now?"- Snape glared at the boy and deducted points from Slytherin. It seemed that Snape was in such a mood, he didn't care who messed up, just that they did. And with the same attitude, as usual, their lessons took a turn back to worst. Maybe his mood last year had been an outlier, considering their misfortune with Moody and Snape after Lupin was dismissed. Hermione noted after the lesson, though with an unenthusiastic tone, that next year, it could get a lot worse for their Defence classes, especially if the news about a possessed teacher, a convicted sex offender and a werewolf got out. She, like the rest of the group, knew that it was a completely possible idea that the Ministry would send a teacher sooner or later. Though whether they would and that person would be better than the first four, remained to be seen, as Dumbledore was intent on picking his teachers. With that depressing notion, the four Gryffindors made their way to charms class with Professor Flitwick and the Ravenclaws.
The lesson was far more enjoyable than Snape's lousy grumblings of instructions although it did get a bit heated when a clumsily aimed summoning spell brought half of the Ravenclaw's bags to Neville's feet. After apologising meekly and getting a few tips from the diminutive Professor, he was able to correctly summon a book from Harry's outstretched hand. After getting slaps on the back for a correctly aimed spell, he sank back into his seat with a sigh and practised summoning a book from the floor instead; not trusting himself to try for the ones on the table in the middle of the classroom. Although Harry had already practised this spell dozens of times, after the fiasco of nearly losing his wand to a Death Eater at the Quidditch World Cup, he wanted to learn to do it as best as he could: so he tried using Hermione's wand when she was writing down some notes with her quill, then borrowed Neville's wand for a few tries, attempting to get the feel of different wood and cores under his hand. After a couple of incantations using Hermione's wand, Harry was able to get the books to soar to him almost as smoothly as if he had been using his own. Then, once he had almost perfected the summoning charm, he attempted it again, just this time without saying the incantation.
Harry outstretched his arm and pointed his wand towards the stack of books on Flitwick's desk and thought "Accio!" Nothing happened, but he gained the attention of some of his confused classmates who shot him weird looks. He thought the word again: nothing. Getting frustrated, especially so, now that he had the attention of most of the class, he concentrated on the incantation and tried using it over and over in his head. Miraculously, one of the charms textbooks on the Flitwick's desk twitched and flopped open. Hermione and Zoe stared at him and Neville was agog. No one in the class was saying the spell and the Professor was intently watching him, eager to see something extraordinary. Harry took another deep breath to calm and centre himself, then lowered his left hand. Now calm, he thought 'Accio' and smiled as the book slowly but surely floated its way into his outstretched hand.
"I don't believe it. Thirty points to Mr Harry Potter, for being able to summon a book without using a verbal incantation. No one else will try this without supervision from myself or another teacher and on that note, class dismissed. Mr Potter, please stay behind." Professor Flitwick squeaked out, still wearing a look of shock. Hermione looked at him with a large grin and told him that she'd be waiting outside for him. He nodded and turned back to the Professor, who was waiting in front of his desk, which almost dwarfed him.
"You wanted to speak to me, Professor?" He asked nervously. The Charms teacher nodded.
"That was most impressive, especially so at your age! But I feel as though I must warn you. There are people in this class, and I daresay in other houses and years that will be very apprehensive of your abilities. I know that you did not have a pleasant time in your second year, mainly because people feared you, just for being yourself. And although I am not telling you to stop this pursuit of your talents, I advise you not to make enemies, where you don't need to. And do be careful when doing non-verbal magic." He sighed. "Even Professor Dumbledore, as powerful and as strong as he is, could barely manage non-verbal spells at your age. Though he might not show it, it tires him greatly sometimes, and though part of that is due to his age, there is a good reason that every witch and wizard uses a verbal incantation most of their lives. Please be wary from now on. You may go." As promised, Hermione was waiting outside the door for Harry, so they left side by side to lunch.
Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table with a groan and a rumble from his stomach. He was about to dig into a large plate of toasted sandwiches when he heard the inevitable whisper of the Hogwarts rumour mill start. He put the toastie down and looked to his left with a slow turn of his head. A few seats down were Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who were excitedly chatting to another group of students, including an enraptured bunch of first years, Colin Creevey and Ginny Weasley. Suddenly, the latter looked to her right and saw a disgruntled Harry Potter staring at them as they discussed him and his feat of non-verbal magic. With widened eyes, she shushed her classmates and the two fourth years, telling them that he could hear them. Lavender shrugged, but Parvati went as silent as a mouse once she knew he was listening. The boy in question rolled his eyes and bristled with annoyance. He was fine with answering the queries from his friends and girlfriend, but to have everyone talking about him again was something that although he should have anticipated it, he didn't want in the slightest. Neville clapped him on the back and brought him out of his angsty broodings, however, and told him to forget all about what the rest of them think.
"I will. I just don't want a repeat of our second year. Ginny and Colin are clingy enough as it is." Hermione's smile flickered for a moment, then she shook her head and went back to her food.
"But… You did manage a feat that most magical folk can only dream of at your age. I mean, I knew you were powerful, but non-verbal, at the age of fourteen no less! That is quite literally almost unheard of. Even Merlin and the founders never reported lots of it in their time. All I'm saying is, brush off the comments, and tell me how the hell you did that!" Harry laughed. It was these friends that made all of the murmuring worth it in the end.
After lunch was over, Harry, Hermione and Zoe had Arithmancy whilst Neville had Muggle Studies and after that, the rest of the day was free for them all. As Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would be arriving just before the evening meal, they would all dine together, meaning that all classes that didn't finish at least half an hour before they did were cancelled. Only Hermione was unhappy about that, and she exclaimed it without shame, making Harry and Neville laugh and Zoe shake her head. Nevertheless, she could still enjoy arithmancy for a little while before they had the day off.
And enjoy it, she did. Professor Vector was always a bit strict with her students, but it was hardly a secret that she liked dedicated and eager pupils. Luckily, Hermione fit right into that category. Her knowledge of the fourth-year curriculum was unparalleled among their classmates and it showed when compared with the rest of the class, who had barely scratched the surface of the stuff outside of the first chapter in their textbooks. Harry in particular was more enthused with the prospect of watching the Triwizard Tournament unfold after the Goblet of Fire chose the Champions tomorrow, instead of trying to answer how a volatile spell would be neutralised by other magic. He knew the physical aspects of magic: the spell, the wand movement and the basic effects, but before had almost completely ignored the intricacies of spell crafting and the components to it: despite it being the main reason he took Arithmancy. He wanted to craft spells and to understand them better, but being such an interesting day was not helping his attention span. So when the time came for the guests to come to Hogwarts after Arithmancy, he had a lot of homework to do for the subject, as did everyone in the class besides Hermione, who he would make sure to ask to look over the parchment before he handed it in.
Beauxbatons came to Hogwarts at 4:00 pm on the dot, in all of their glory. The students had been told to look to the sky and soon enough, the carriage came into view, being pulled along by Abraxan Winged Horses. The carriage itself was powder blue and enormous, almost the size of a house and had the crest of Beauxbatons on the doors: two golden wands with three stars shooting from each. Just the presence alone exuded majesty and refinement. Then, as Hagrid guided the horses down to the ground, the doors opened and out came one of the tallest people the school had ever seen. The only contender was the Gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, who had nearly been run over by the Winged Horses and was currently getting up from the makeshift runway. Following the tall woman were around 15 students, each wearing powder blue robes and outfits that matched the colour of the carriage that they had arrived in. They all frankly looked stunning and organized, especially compared to some of the Hogwarts students who had changed into their normal clothes or wore untucked shirts and no ties. The final student emerged from the carriage and shut the door, then went to hold the hand of a younger student who looked almost identical to her, aside from the age. The long, silvery blonde hair and lithe figure had many of the male Hogwarts contingent gawking at the older sister. With a synchronised walk that almost seemed like a dance considering the gracefulness of them, the Beauxbatons students walked through the crowd and through the double doors to meet the host school's headmaster.
After waiting for a few minutes for the other school to show up, one of the seventh-years pointed out a small ship in the middle of the Black Lake, which had seemed to spit the boat out of the depths. As the rest of the school went to try and get a closer look, the vessel rose as the rest of the Durmstrang ship appeared. It looked almost skeletal and slightly ominous, with blood-red flags and a black wooden deck that screamed 'Pirate'. When the ship had stopped rising, there were several layers to it, each lit with a deep orange glow: presumably the rooms for the students. It started to turn and stopped abruptly when it came close to the shore. Even from the courtyard, the entire castle could have heard the heavy anchor drop to the lake. As soon as it did, the large black plank slid out from the side of the boat and adjusted itself so that it perfectly made a set of stairs leading to the shore. Out marched 12 burly-looking boys, all wearing thick woollen coats and carrying large sticks. Behind Harry, a few Hufflepuff boys sniggered and one whispered "Why do they need such big wands? Are they compensating for something?" His friend laughed back, though Professor McGonagall shot them both a scathing look which Harry and Neville couldn't help but smirk at.
"They are our honoured guests Mr Bosworth, Mr Thomas. Treat them with as much respect as you would show your fellow students. After all, they will be here for the rest of the year, and I hear that the Durmstrang boys are quite easy to anger." She shot them another pointed look and the two of them shrunk into the throng of others in their house. In the time it had taken to reprimand the two Hufflepuffs, the Durmstrang pack had made their way up the hill in a synchronised march and were now just inside the courtyard. Their headmaster followed them with a disgruntled look on his face but shook Dumbledore's hand and greeted him like an old friend. With their headmaster's attention somewhere else, the Durmstrang boys looked around at their possible competition, sizing the students up and glaring at anyone who stared too long. One of them, who also wore a dark hood looked towards the four Gryffindors and seemed to cock his head. He brought the hood down and let his eyes adjust to the light as almost every Hogwarts student gasped. Viktor Krum was at their school, and currently, he was staring straight at Hermione Granger. Harry noticed the direction of Krum's focus and reached for Hermione's hand, which she gave him and smiled lovingly at. He felt slightly less jealous now.
The hall was filled up with every student sitting at their respective tables, the Beauxbatons girls mainly choosing to sit with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and Durmstrang committing straight away to the Slytherin table. The chatter amongst all pupils was deafening, until Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, Igor Karkaroff and Barty Crouch Sr walked into the room towards the head table and the Goblet of Fire. Professor Dumbledore led the three to their seats but did not go to his own, instead choosing to stand in front of the Goblet of Fire and wave his wand around it. Suddenly, a bright blue flame burst into being, hovering above the wooden cup and dancing as if eyeing the crowd of students. With another wave of his wand, a circle of white, misty light appeared around the base of the pedestal, shocking everyone into silence.
"The Goblet of Fire is the only decider of the three champions for the Triwizard Tournament. As for the judges, Madame Maxime, Master Karkaroff, Mr Crouch, Mr Ludo Bagman and myself shall be them." He pointed at the fire that was lit in the brim of the goblet. "If one chooses to enter their name into selection for the Tournament, he or she need only write their name on a piece of parchment and place it in the cup. So that no underage or unwilling participants can enter, this age line will stop anyone under the required minimum age from being in the circle, there is also a cancelling ward within this circle so that even if you try and use magic to enter, it will repel you and your slip of parchment by force." He lost the serious look and tone, then smiled brightly and gestured to the tables.
"For now, let us feast to celebrate the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament!"
Author's Note: Yeah, Harry is powerful in this story, just not overly so. At least, that is not the intention.
As for the Tournament, it is finally (sort of) underway, and now, the real fun begins *starts laughing maniacally*