Harry felt more than saw the blue lightsaber strike him from behind. He quickly turned around and blocked it. His blade collided with his opponent's blade. Their lightsabers were locked together, hissing and spitting golden sparks of light. For a moment, Harry wished he could use the Force like the characters in Star Wars. He so wanted to push his opponent away. The reason? Because he wasn't the only one he had to worry about.
While his blade was locked with his opponent's, Harry felt his second opponent position herself to strike his open back. It would not do. Since he didn't have the Force, Harry kicked away his opponent away. The man he had been fighting flew back a few feet and crashed on the ground. His blue lightsaber turned off as it left his hand. Satisfied, Harry turned around just in time to intercept the green blade which was going to burn his back.
"You'll have to try harder than that, Hermione." he teased as his purple blade locked itself with her green one, hissing and spitting. His second opponent — Hermione — snarled before stepping back. Behind him, Harry heard his other opponent — Ron — activating his lightsaber. He was now just realizing that he was sandwiched between Ron and Hermione. That would not do. It would make it very hard to defend himself properly. Instead, he decided to use their advantage for a trap.
Behind him, Harry heard Ron charge. At the same time, in front of him, he saw Hermione take a swing toward him. Harry gave her a mischievous smile before jumping to the side.
He had jumped just in time as Ron was now standing where he had been. His and Hermione's blades had locked together. Both were looking at each other with shock, not expecting to find Harry replaced with their ally. Ron and Hermione were too confused to react in time to any move Harry would do.
This was exactly what he had been looking for.
Using his opportunity, Harry swung his lightsaber — almost like if it was a baseball bat — and hit Ron's rib-cage. His opponent let out a surprised yell of pain before stumbling backward. Not loosing time, Harry rotated his whole body in the opposite direction until his lightsaber struck Hermione. She, just like Ron, gave a yell of pain before taking a few, trembling, steps back.
Both of Harry's opponents fell on their knees, gasping.
"Winner: Harry!" called a third voice with glee. It was Sarah. She had been observing their duel, curious to see how Harry would fare against his friends.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sarah had been spending the whole day of Halloween in the Room of Requirement practising lightsaber combat. Ron and Hermione had arrived after Harry and Sarah had finished their first duel and the four decided to use their free day to further train with their new weapons. They had only left the Room of Requirement for lunch before immediately coming back.
Thirty minutes ago, Harry had realized that there was only an hour left before the beginning of the Halloween feast and had asked his friends how they should spend the rest of their time. Sarah had immediately called for a duel. Harry versus Ron and Hermione. She had known Harry was much better at handling a lightsaber than the other three — even though they were all rapidly improving — and she had wanted to know whether Harry could fight two opponents at once or not. Ron and Hermione had immediately agreed to the duel — whether because of overconfidence or simply because they wanted to beat Harry up in retaliation for winning so many duels against them. Harry, in good sport, had agreed to it — though he did say he didn't believe he would win. Sarah hadn't been so sure.
Seeing a disarmed Ron and Hermione on their knees in front of a standing and armed Harry proved her right. Harry gave them a smirk before helping his grumbling friends back on their feet.
"I knew you could do it, Harry!" cheered Sarah.
"Thanks, Sarah." chuckled Harry. "I wouldn't have managed if they had been working together."
"How did you do that?" asked Hermione, rubbing her arm where Harry had struck her. "How did you win against us? There was two of us against only you!"
"I think I know why." said Ron before Harry could answer. "Harry said we hadn't been working together, and it's true. Had we been, we wouldn't have attacked him at the same time. It was because of that that he was able to get the drop on us."
"Indeed." said Harry. Sarah had come to hate the word 'Indeed' as it was always followed by criticism. Of course, this time, she watched with glee as Harry explained how he had defeated them. "I knew I had my back exposed to Ron while my lightsaber was locked with Hermione's. I heard Ron walk toward me at the same time I saw Hermione take a swing. Because of this, I was able to predict both of your movements and simply move out of the way." he explained. "Had you coordinated your attacks so that you wouldn't strike at the same time, this wouldn't have happened."
"You couldn't even do together what I managed to do alone: defeat Harry." piped Sarah mischievously. She laughed at their defeated expressions.
"Well, anyway. It was all good fun, but we have a feast to attend. Everyone in the showers!" he said as the Room of Requirement rearranged itself around them. Two sets of doors appeared on both ends. Sarah and Hermione walked toward one set of doors as Ron and Harry crossed the other.
They went and took some long, deserved showers...
Harry could easily admit to one thing.
He was nervous.
While training in lightsaber combat had helped him distract his mind to what he practically saw as the inevitable, sitting in the Great Hall with his friends as Professor Dumbledore raised on his feet to begin the choosing ceremony. While Ron and Hermione still believed there was a chance Harry wouldn't be chosen — Harry himself didn't. For him, it was almost a guarantee. After all, not only would his name coming out of the Goblet of Fire be the norm thanks to his stupid alternating luck, but it was also happening on a specific, special day. A day that had never been good for Harry. Not since he lost his parents in 1981.
Today was Halloween.
Harry wasn't sure if it was simply pure coincidence, but Halloween had always brought its fair share of bad luck in the past. Hell, he only had to look back to his previous years at Hogwarts to know it was the truth.
The troll. The first opening of the Chamber of Secret. Sirius Black.
Something major had happened three years in a row. What was it to say that something major wouldn't happen for a fourth consecutive year? The Tri-Wizard Tournament certainly gave an opening for his usual luck to rear its ugly head once again.
The Great Hall turned silent as Dumbledore walked toward the cup. Professor McGonagall didn't even need to cling a utensil to her glass to get the attention of the students.
"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision." said the headmaster as he went to grab something inside of his robes. Dumbledore took out what appeared to be a gold pocket watch. He gave a small nod to the watch before putting it back where it had been. "I believe the Goblet requires only one more minute before making its selection. When the names of the Champions are called, I would ask them to please come up here and walk along the staff table toward the door to the next chamber. There, the Champions will receive their first instructions."
Dumbledore waved a hand. In an impressive display of wandless magic, (which Harry registered in his mind. It would certainly be interesting to study .) Dumbledore extinguished all the candles floating around the Great Hall, plunging them in semidarkness. Now, the only sources of light in the Hall came from the blue flames of the Goblet of Fire and all the small lanterns outside — which were visible through the windows.
"Any second now." whispered Lee Jordan to Fred and George Weasley a few seats down the table.
Harry grimaced. He could tell in his soul had his name was soon about to come out. He could already predict the mess it would cause. A fourteen-year-old chosen to be Champion in a competition designed for of-age wizards? A fourteen-year-old that was already popular across the country? Yes, that was about to go well he thought sarcastically.
Suddenly, the blue flames of the Goblet of Fire became red as they grew to be bigger and bigger. Sparks began to fly from it. For a moment, Harry felt like he was looking at a rocket engine, not an enchanted goblet. Many in the Great Hall gasped at the display. Then, a slightly charred piece of parchment shot out of the Goblet before slowly floating down toward the ground.
Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment with the grace and speed of a Quidditch seeker. For a small moment, Harry began to think about something especially unimportant — as one usually did when they very, very nervous. Had Dumbledore once been a seeker? It was amusing to think about it, especially since Harry couldn't imagine a younger Dumbledore playing Quidditch. All he saw in his mind was Dumbledore flying through the sky, wearing bright purple robes and chasing a Golden Snitch, his long, silver hair and beard flying in all directions thanks to the wind.
"The Durmstrang Champion is... Viktor Krum!" said Dumbledore in a clear, strong voice. It snapped Harry out of his musings. The students cheered into applause as the international star Seeker walked across the Great Hall toward the door leading to the next chamber.
"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff very loudly. "I knew you had it in you!" Harry and Hermione glanced at each other before both rolled their eyes. Both of them had theorized earlier in the day that Karkaroff would only allow the Quidditch superstar to enter the Tournament. It was rather obvious considering the display Karkaroff had given the previous evening concerning Krum.
The clapping and cheering quieted down once the new Durmstrang Champion had disappeared behind the door. The attention of the students and adults alike were back on the Goblet of Fire. Then, as sudden as the first time, the flames of the Goblet of Fire flared again, shooting another piece of parchment in the air. Dumbledore caught it expertly as well.
"The Beauxbatons Champion is... Fleur Delacour!"
Harry joined in on the cheering, being one of the few to raise on his feet. Fleur, seeing him, gave him a smile before she too walked out of the Great Hall. As he sat back down, Hermione leaned in to whisper something in his ear.
"Look at those two Beauxbatons witches! They're all disappointed!"
"'Disappointed' is an understatement, Hermione." commented Harry. Indeed, two of them had burst out crying.
"It's time for the Hogwarts Champion!" said someone near Harry excitingly.
His guts clenched. Suddenly, he felt a wave of sickness hit him. His heart began beating faster. It felt as if the whole Great Hall went completely mute. He couldn't hear anything. His head was pounding. Harry looked as the Goblet of Fire flared once again, shooting it's last piece of parchment. Dumbledore grabbed it as it floated down. He was so nervous he couldn't hear what Dumbledore was saying properly.
"Hogs... —pion... Cedric Diggory!"
Harry let out a loud exhale of relief as the Great Hall went mad. He started laughing. "It's not me. I'm not the Champion!" he exclaimed to his friends, sounding very relieved. Looking at his friends, he could tell that Hermione was the most relieved of the three. While Ron and Sarah only gave him their smiles, Hermione grabbed Harry in a hug.
People cheered and applauded as Cedric Diggory crossed the Great Hall. He was saluting his friends and even shook Professor Sprout's hand as he walked in front of the Staff table.
"Good!" said Dumbledore loudly. "Congratulations to our Hogwarts champion — sixth year Cedric Diggory of House Hufflepuff!"
Hufflepuff cheered louder than anyone else in the crowd. Everyone around the table of the badgers was standing on their feet, cheering as if they had just won the Quidditch Cup.
"Congratulations to Hufflepuff." smiled Dumbledore. "Now, we have our three champions! I am sure I can count upon all of you to give your support to your respective champion — I believe Mr. Diggory is already into good hands." he said. The Hufflepuffs laughed. "By cheering for your champion, you will contribute—" Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking. Harry, who had been celebrating with Hermione as wildly as if they had been Hufflepuffs themselves, looked to see what had caused the interruption.
The Goblet of Fire flared a fourth time, spitting a fourth name. Students from all three schools began chattering as they all looked at the piece of parchment with shock. The professors looked at the parchment, perplexed. Harry and his friends looked at it with horror.
"Oh no!" gasped Sarah.
"No, no, no, no!" Harry whispered. "Please don't let it be me!"
A baffled Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and slowly looked at it. Then, the headmaster raised his eyes and caught Harry's. He felt his heart drop. Before Dumbledore even announced the fourth champion, Harry knew the truth.
"Harry Potter!"
Harry felt numb. He wanted to throw up. This could not have happened. He could not be a fourth champion of a deadly Tournament. He knew he had to expect it — he had been expecting it since the beginning of the school year — but it did not make the truth less horrifying.
His eyes glanced across the Great Hall. While the Gryffindors only looked at him with surprise, the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Slytherins and those from the other two schools looked at him like they had collectively bitten in lemons. It was as if all of them saw him as a disgusting pest. Their looks chilled him.
He could already see how his year would go on. Not only would he have to willingly participate in three very dangerous — and possibly life-threatening — events, but he would also do so without the support of the school. He could already see the abuse he would go through.
"Harry Potter!" called Dumbledore again.
Harry gulped before he forced himself on his feet. He felt dizzy and prayed he wouldn't pass out on the way to the side chamber. As he took his first few steps toward his doom, he noticed something move on the edge of his vision. Looking back, he saw that Ron had raised on his feet. His fist was on his heart.
"I stand with Harry!" he said loudly, silencing the few whispers that could be heard across the Hall. Harry looked at his friend, baffled. Did Ron not know he had just made himself a target of the other three houses? Before he could ponder more, he saw Hermione and Sarah raise on their feet as well.
"I stand with Harry!" they said as one. Harry felt even more dizzy, though for different reasons. He was very touched but, just like for Ron, he feared what the consequence would be for his two female friends.
Hermione and Sarah were followed by Fred and George Weasley and Lee Jordan. "We stand with Harry!" they said. Before he could comprehend what was going on, Ginny, Colin and Dennis Creevey and Natalie raised on their feet. "I stand with Harry!"
Then, almost as one, the remaining of House Gryffindor also raised on their feet. "I stand with Harry!" they all cried. Then, all as one, they yelled "WE STAND WITH HARRY!"
Harry felt hot tears dripping down his cheeks. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He was very touched. All of Gryffindor was standing on their feet, fists on their hearts, pleading their support to him. He had feared he would only have the support of his closest friends. Instead, he was supported by the entirety of his Hogwarts house.
Harry gave them a nod. "Thank you." he said emotionally. House Gryffindor cheered as one. Harry gave them a smile and whipped his tears. Then, he walked toward the door to the side chamber. As he passed the Staff table, he saw Professor McGonagall. She gave him a smile. She looked very proud of her house. Harry gave back a smile before he walked inside the door.
As he entered, he saw that the other three champions were all standing around the fireplace. They were silent. Harry suspected that the reality of the Tournament had just hit them.
Fleur was the first one to spot him. "Harry?" she said, prompting the other two to look behind them. "Are you alright?" she asked. Harry was surprised at her question — and confused. He had expected to be asked why he was here, not if he was fine. The confusion must have showed on his face as she proceeded to point at her own cheeks.
'Ah!' he though. 'She's still seeing the traces of my tears.' Harry wiped his cheeks once again and blurted "I'm fine."
"What's wrong, then?" she asked.
"Something just happened." answered Harry. He was about to explain how his name had come out of the Goblet when the door behind him opened, revealing Ludo Bagman.
"Extraordinary! Absolutely extraordinary!" exclaimed Bagman cheerfully. "May I present to your the fourth champion of the Triwizard Tournament!"
Harry winced when the other three champions turned to stare at him. He felt his face heat up. He had always hated staring.
"You've got to be joking." said Cedric.
"Joking? Of course not! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire."
"But how is that possible?" said Fleur. "There must have been a mistake? Harry is too young! He's not of-age!"
"There has been no mistakes, Miss Delacour. Dumbledore himself was the one to announce his name! It is, of course, strange that Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire but, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as a safety precaution."
"Didn't stop anyone of-age of entering my name, did it?" snarled Harry quietly to himself. It seemed like Bagman had not heard him as he continued talking.
"I don't think Harry will be allowed to duck out of the competition at this stage. It's down to the rule. You'll have to do your best."
"I can't get out of the Tournament?" asked Harry. Bagman shook his head. "Why not?" he asked.
"Magical contract, my boy!" said Bagman.
"But I was never willing to enter! Was it even my handwriting on the paper? How can the cup even tell who wrote what?"
Bagman grimaced. "I'm not sure how the Goblet of Fire works exactly. All I know is that the Goblet will create a magical contract with whoever's name is on the paper. As for whether or not it's your handwriting—"he said before grabbing something in his robes. "You can check yourself." Bagman gave him a piece of parchment. Harry tore it off Bagman's grip before looking at it. He sighed. It was indeed his handwriting. Something intrigued him, though.
"It's my name alright." said Harry. "However, I did not write this for the Goblet of Fire. I even know where it most likely came from."
"What do you mean?" asked Fleur. Harry gave a small start. He hadn't noticed she was now standing behind him.
"Well, it's the parchment." said Harry. At the baffled expression on the faces of the other four, he explained himself. "I own two types of parchment. One is cheap and rough to the touch. The other is expensive and smooth. This parchment is smooth. It's the expensive one! The thing is, I would never use the expensive parchment to enter my name in the Goblet of Fire!
"Not only would it be a waste of good parchment, but I also use it exclusively for essays in class. Otherwise, I use the cheap parchment, which serves different purposes like taking notes or drawing scribbles. I would never use the expensive one to enter my name in the Goblet of Fire! There would be no point! So, I can be ruled out! As for who entered my name, considering I only use it for essays, it mean that it must have come from one, which tells me that it must have been a professor who entered my name!" he exclaimed.
Bagman and his fellow champions all looked at him with shock and disbelief. "What?" he said. "It makes perfect sense."
Before anyone could say anything, the door behind opened again. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape entered, followed by Karkaroff, Madame Maxime and Barty Crouch.
"Sorry." said Dumbledore. "Took a bit longer than expected. We had to stop a few fights between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff." he said to Bagman. Harry winced again. He couldn't believe some people were fighting because of him. "Did you bring them up to speed?" he asked.
"Not quite." answered Bagman.
"Wow! Before that, we need to know how Hogwarts ended-up having two champions, Dumbledore!" said Karkaroff angrily.
"Igor is right." said Madame Maxime. "Hogwarts has two champions! It's an outrage! It's unjust!"
"Ah — well..." stuttered Dumbledore before looking at Harry. "Did you enter your name in the Goblet of Fire?" he asked calmly.
"No." said Harry firmly. Snape and Karkaroff scoffed.
"Did you ask an older student to put your name in the Goblet of Fire for you?"
"No!" Harry answered loudly. Dumbledore took a few steps back, raising his hands in surrender.
"I had to ask, my dear boy." Harry gave him a nod. He understood why Dumbledore had to ask. It didn't mean he had to like it.
"I do not see how we should take the word of a student who has the unusual habit of causing trouble." said Snape softly, his eyes alight with malice. "I have no doubts that Potter is lying — as he always is — and has himself entered his name in the Goblet of Fire."
"Thank you!" exclaimed Karkaroff in agreement.
"You could have made a mistake with the age-line!" said Madame Maxime to Dumbledore. It was Professor McGonagall's turn to scoff.
Harry spoke up. "I didn't know you thought of me so highly as to believe I have the knowledge and power to confuse an ancient magical artifact into selecting a fourth champion, Snape." he said cheekily. To his side, Harry heard Cedric attempt to hide a laugh under a cough.
"Why you little..." said Snape, taking a step toward him.
"Severus, enough!" said Dumbledore firmly. Snape stopped moving, though his eyes full of malice were still glaring at Harry.
"Dumbledore, could you have made a mistake with the age-line?" asked Madame Maxime. Harry rolled his eyes. Of course she was still onto that.
"Of course not!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall. "Professor Dumbledore wouldn't make a mistake such as this!"
"I'm not infallible, Minerva." said Dumbledore solemnly. "However, no, I do not believe I have made a mistake — though it is certainly a possibility."
"I believe Harry." said Cedric, interrupting the staff members.
"I do too." said Viktor.
"And so do I." said Fleur. "In fact, Harry had a possible theory on how it had happened."
"It's true." said Bagman, who hadn't said anything since the professors had arrived.
The teachers turned toward Harry. "You have a theory, Harry?" asked Dumbledore.
"Huh, yes." said Harry, clearing his throat. "It's all about the parchment." he said, knowing it probably made him sound crazy in the eyes of the teachers. Still, Harry explained his theory and how he had come to the conclusion that the piece of parchment with his name had come out of one of his essays. "I doubt its from Potions or Defence Against the Dark Arts since I'm sure Professor Moody and Snape have their offices locked under tight enchantments. I also don't believe it's from a Transfiguration essay because no student would be crazy enough to break in Professor McGonagall's office. So, it must have come from one of the other professors." he finished.
"Not bad, kid." said a new, gruffy voice. Harry turned toward the door. Professor Moody was standing in front of it, looking at him with something akin to pride and admiration. "You would certainly make an excellent Auror with a brain like yours."
"Don't tell me you believe his ridiculous theory, Moody!" said Karkaroff. Moody took a few steps toward the group.
"It certainly makes as much sense as any other theory I came up with." said Moody. "Like Potter said, someone must have ripped his name from one of his essay. It means we will have to check any essay Potter gave-in during the past four schools years from all the classes he attended. We also need to find who did this. We must not ignore anyone, including the staff of all three schools. Everyone could have access to a professor's office if they put the time to it. We'll have to investigate everyone, including ourselves."
"You're crazy!" exclaimed Karkaroff. "I'll certainly not going to let you investigate me!"
"Why? Something to hide, Karkaroff?" hissed Moody, taking a few steps toward the Durmstrang Headmaster like a predator going for the kill.
"Alastor, enough!" said Dumbledore with a tone of warning. Moody stopped his advance. "We do not know how this situation arose — and it seem improbable that we will find the culprit. Unfortunately, both Harry and Cedric have been chosen as Hogwarts champions."
"But, Dumbledore...!"
"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it!" Madame Maxime stayed silent. Dumbledore looked back at everyone. "Ludo? Barty?"
"Of course!" said Bagman, sounding rather excited. As for Crouch, he looked rather sick, Harry noticed. "Barty? Do you want to do the honours?" asked Bagman.
Crouch nodded before he began speaking. "The first task is designed to test your daring, courage and thinking in the face of the unknown! Because of this, we aren't going to tell you what the First Task is. The First Task will take place on the 24th of November — in front of the other students and the panel of judges, of course. The Champions are also not permitted to ask or accept help from any staff member of their own school. The students will only be allowed their wands during the tasks." said Crouch.
Harry didn't like that one bit. He wanted his lightsaber with him during the tasks!
"The First Task will end by giving a clue to the Champions. The clue will give information on the Second Task, which will take place on the 24th of February. Due to the time-consuming nature of the Tournament — not mentioning on how demanding it will be —, the Champions will be exempt from their end-of-year tests. The Champions currently in their O.W.L or N.E.W.T year will be allowed to take their respective examinations at their local Ministry of Magic on the 24th of July during the summer."
Crouch turned to Dumbledore. "I think this is all?"
"I think so." answered Dumbledore with a nod. Harry noticed that the Hogwarts Headmaster was looking at Crouch with concern. He most likely had noticed how the Ministry official was looking. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"
Crouch nodded rather forcefully. "No thank you, Dumbledore. I must go back to the Ministry. We are very busy at this time of the year. I've left young Weatherby in charge. He's too enthusiastic, in my opinion. I don't want to leave him in charge for too long."
"Come on, Barty! Stay here and relax! I'm certainly staying!" said Bagman brightly. "All the interesting stuff is happening at Hogwarts! It's much more exciting than at the office!"
"You can't do your job properly from the castle, Ludo." said Crouch with some impatience. "I'm going back to the Ministry." he said, his decision final.
"As you wish, Barty." said Dumbledore. "Igor, Maxime? A nightcap?"
Karkaroff shook his head, still looking grumpy and angry. Madame Maxime answered. "No thank you, Dumbledore. I must go back to my pupils." Dumbledore gave them a nod.
Harry observed as Karkaroff and Viktor — followed by Madame Maxime and Fleur — left the room. Both champions gave him a small nod before they disappeared. Harry was rather relieved that he had not only the support of his friends, but of his House and his fellow champions.
Professor Snape was the next to leave, leaving only Harry, Cedric, Dumbledore and McGonagall. "Well, Harry, Cedric," said Dumbledore. "I suggest you go back to your common rooms. I wouldn't dream of depriving Gryffindor and Hufflepuff the chance of making a great deal of mess and noise."
Harry and Cedric nodded before leaving the room as well. As they crossed the doorway, they heard Professor McGonagall huff. "Honestly, Albus." she said. "You don't need to give excuses to the students for making parties!"
"My dear Professor McGonagall," answered Dumbledore. He sounded rather amused. "You should really learn to — uh — let your hair down."
"Excuse me?" hissed Professor McGonagall coolly before the conversation was cut off by the door closing. Cedric let out a snicker.
"Do you think Professor McGonagall will let this go?" he asked to Harry as they began crossing the empty Great Hall.
Harry chuckled. "I don't know. On one hand, Professor McGonagall has immense respect for Dumbledore and admire him greatly. On the other hand, McGonagall is not the type of person to simply let a comment like that slide, no matter who said it."
"In any case, I wouldn't want to be Dumbledore right now." said Cedric with a laugh. The two Champions reached the Entrance Hall. "Well, I guess this is where we go our own ways." said the Hufflepuff.
"Thanks for believing me, Cedric." said Harry gratefully.
"No problem. To be fair, I didn't believe you right away." said Cedric with shame. It was only when I really looked at your face that I realized you were as confused as us, and that you really didn't want to be in the Tournament."
Harry shook his head. "My friend Hermione looked at the Tournament in detail when Dumbledore first announced it at the beginning of the year. She had already known that the death toll was rather high but not how much. She found out within a few days that nearly half of all the Champions died during the Tasks, Cedric!" said Harry. "In fact, there has always been at least one Champion being severely injured for every edition of the Tournament, the only exception being in 1444!"
"What?" gasped Cedric.
"You didn't know?" he asked. Cedric shook his head.
"But Dumbledore said that the Tournament had been revised to be less dangerous." said Cedric with a hint of nervousness. "It must mean something, right?"
"Maybe, but the Tasks were still designed with seventeen-year-olds in mind, not a fourteen-year-old like me! I'm so fucked!"
Cedric put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "Harry, relax!" he said. "You're going to be alright. If the rumours going around are true, then the Tasks will be a walk in the park for you!"
"You shouldn't believe the rumors, Cedric."
"So it is true or not that you confronted our Defence professor in your first year as if was trying to steal something valuable? And defeated him?"
"Well yes, but..."
"Is it true you killed a Basilisk with a sword?" asked the Hufflepuff.
"How do you know that?" gasped Harry. As far as he was aware, only he and Ginny knew what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets, and he knew Ginny would never speak to someone about something so traumatizing. Not unless she had complete thrust in them. And sure, he had told the entire story to Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley but he doubted any of them would have told the story to anyone not in the know.
"Answer me this." said Cedric. "Did you defeat a horde of a hundred dementors last year?"
Harry gaped. "How do you know that?" he repeated. "It happened in the middle of the night! Nobody could have seen me!"
"So, you see?" said Cedric, ignoring Harry's protests. He removed his hands from Harry's shoulders. "I don't believe you will have a harder time than us in the Tournament."
Harry sighed before rubbing his eyes. "I guess you're right." he said. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
"True. At least you don't have to worry about winning, do you? You're already famous and have a ton of money." he said.
Harry snorted. "I doubt any of us will need the fame associated with the title of Champion of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Just the fact that there is four champions instead of three will be enough to guarantee us a place in the pages of history books."
"I guess so." said Cedric with a chuckle. "Well, anyway. It's getting late and, just like Dumbledore said, our Houses are waiting for us."
"You're right. See you later Cedric. And thanks for believing me." said Harry gratefully.
"No problems, Harry." said Cedric with a smile before he walked away.
Harry turned and began his walk toward the Gryffindor common room. Along the way, the reality of his situation seemed to be coming back. He was starting to panic when he remembered Cedric's words. The Hufflepuff was right. Harry had already encountered dangers of equal levels to what he would face in the tasks. It did not mean that he had to be complacent, of course, but he also didn't have to freak out.
'Also, I have my lightsaber.' he thought. While he would prefer to keep it secret, it did not mean he wouldn't use it if his life was in danger. Better lose the secret of the lightsaber rather than die.
Harry reached the entrance of the common room quicker than he had thought. "Password?" asked the Fat Lady.
"Balderdash." answered Harry. The portrait opened. An explosion of sounds reached his ears. It almost knocked him backward With slight dread, Harry entered the common room.
"There he is!" yelled someone before he was grabbed by the shoulders and dragged to the centre of the common room. All around him, Gryffindors were screaming, applauding and whistling. They were cheering their champion, who they believed could win them the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Suddenly, he felt himself being grabbed by two people before being dropped on their shoulders. Sitting on the shoulders of the Weasley twins, Harry could see the entirety of the common room. In one corner, he could see Ron, Hermione and Sarah. All of them were looking amused at his situation. Sheepishly, Harry waved to them. Ron started to laugh while the girls rolled their eyes goodnaturally.
"Speech! Speech! Speech!" cried the Gryffindors around him.
Harry raised his hands in the air, silencing the common room. He was amazed at the power such a small gesture had on people. For a moment, Harry felt himself flush under all the stares. Unfortunately, he was a Champion and, while he might not look the part, it didn't mean he couldn't act like one, even if he didn't like drawing attention.
"Attention everyone!" said Harry loudly. "First off, I want to say that I did not put my name in the Goblet of Fire!" he said.
"We know that, mate!" said Seamus. Around him, the Gryffindors muttered in agreement.
"Yeah, you looked like you were about to throw-up." added Dean.
"To be fair, I almost did." said Harry with a chuckle. "Still! I might be an unwilling participant in this Tournament but it doesn't mean I won't try my hardest to win this bloody thing!" The Gryffindors cheered. Feeling more confident, Harry continued. "The Tournament is dangerous, but it never stopped me before!" Another cheer. "For so long, Gryffindors have been seen as nothing than reckless fools who throw themselves into danger and risk their lives for nothing! Other Houses see our courage as something dumb and stupid! We'll show them why courage is important! We'll show them why Godric Gryffindor chose that trait to represent his house!" The cheers began increasing more and more. Harry had to talk louder and louder. "We'll show them why Gryffindor is nothing to laugh at! When I win the Tri-Wizard Tournament, we'll be able to show them why House Gryffindor is the best House in all of Hogwarts!"
The Gryffindors cheered loudly. Harry felt his ear-drums vibrate. Despite his shyness, he couldn't help but grin. "Go Gryffindor!" he yelled.
"GO GRYFFINDOR!" joined in all of his fellow Gryffindors.