A.N.: Getting closer to exams means I've been inspired again… to procrastinate. This is sort of a Triwizard AU branching off of The Life and Lies of Severus Snape, which I can never seem to be done with. But I'm sure you'll be able to pick up from here if you don't feel like reading that entire novel-length fanfic. Inspired by a Marauders-Era Triwizard post I saw on Tumblr, whose credit will be lost to the ages :)
Eternal glory. He couldn't stop thinking about it. As Sev lay in bed, Dumbledore's words kept ringing in his ears. Eternal glory. He wouldn't have to worry about making money right out of Hogwarts that way. Or worry about his mum all that much. He wouldn't have to worry about a lot of things. If he survived. But what a big deal is that, really?
The Gryffindors had been more than ready to enter the moment Dumbledore announced the tournament. His stomach was in his throat as he watched the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students arrive. They looked like tough competition. But if the Gryffindors could enter… Potter and Black had put their names in the goblet right away. So had half of the older Slytherins, who had told him he should enter too. After all, the Hogwarts champion had better be a Slytherin. And a seventh year would never get the chance to enter again, so if he didn't try now...
He turned the thought over in his mind. Hazel. Was she going to enter? He hadn't even thought to look at her when the Triwizard Tournament was announced. She'd become one of his best friends, and yet he had no idea if she'd want to enter. She didn't need the money. Being the only heir to the Ravenclaw fortune came with some decent perks. But eternal glory… anyone would want that. Most of the seventh years in every house were entering.
With a sigh, he got out of bed, wrapped himself in his dressing gown, and crept out of the dungeons towards where the Goblet of Fire was positioned in the entrance hall. Though nights were normally quiet, he wasn't alone. Plenty of others had made their way over, either to put their names in the goblet or watch the others who only dared to enter now that most of the castle had gone to bed.
The soft blue light of the goblet betrayed her. "You're thinking about something," Sev said, settling down next to where Hazel had positioned herself on the stairs.
Wordlessly, she reached for his hand. They'd been doing that a lot lately, at least since the start of seventh year. But neither of them had put words to it, and for now, they had bigger things to worry about. "Have you entered yet?" She sounded worried.
"No. I've been thinking about it, but… Have you?"
"No. I'm not going to. Too many people have died, or lost limbs, or… all sorts of horrible things. Someone in the 1636 tournament got halfway transfigured into a porcupine, and they never got her back to normal. I'm not risking that. There are plenty of other ways to find eternal glory or whatever Dumbledore called it. I couldn't sleep, so I came down here to see who was entering."
"I'm gonna do it." He was determined.
Hazel was incensed. "Did you hear a word I just said? People have died, Sev!"
He turned to meet her eye, noticing how exhausted she looked. She must have been out there for a while. Who was she watching for if she wasn't going to enter? "I didn't grow up like you did. We didn't have a big house. We didn't take trips all over the world. I'm not the heir of Ravenclaw or whatever, I'm not going to inherit anything but the house -"
"That's not the point." She clenched his hand even tighter. "The cockatrice rampage at the last tournament from Binns' lecture was the tame stuff. They're going to throw magic at you that most people could never dream of, monsters that are worse than anything we've ever studied -" He stood abruptly, letting go of her hand and fishing a piece of parchment out of his pocket. He'd carried it with him since dinner, contemplating until that very moment. "Sev no!"
All eyes had turned to him by now, everyone watching as he dropped the parchment into the flaming goblet. He sat back down, a group of second years starting to whisper nearby. Hazel looked betrayed. "Dad's dead. Mum… Even the Healers at Saint Mungo's don't think they can do anything for her -"
"All the more reason for you not to get killed!"
"I've got nothing left. Or I'm about to -"
"You have me." Her lip trembled as she said it, Hazel hopping to her feet. "I… I'll see you at breakfast." Before Sev could stop her, she took to the stairs, brushing her way past a group of four rowdy Gryffindors. Three of them would enter. Two already had, and now, after a bit of coaxing, they'd convinced another of their friends to drop his name in the goblet. The fourth wasn't going to risk his entire life being exposed for the Wizarding world to learn about.
He didn't end up seeing her at breakfast. Or in Charms. By lunchtime, Sev was starting to worry. He'd checked the library. He'd checked Astronomy Tower. When he finally made it in from a thorough sweep of the grounds, he was almost relieved to see her sitting at the Ravenclaw table, Pandora and Xeno trying to ply her with chips. "I can't believe… no one in their right mind would do that. Every three tournaments or so one of the champions dies!" She sounded like she'd been crying.
"He's not in his right mind," Pandora said, reaching to refill her goblet and top Hazel's off while she was at it. "You said it yourself last night, he's worried about his mum, and they've gotta pay for whatever treatment she's getting somehow."
Sev realized he had to say something before they noticed him lurking there. "Hey, Hazel -"
She stood, her eyes still red. "I'm not hungry," she said, grabbing her books and heading for the door. Sev had half a mind to go after her, but he figured he'd better give her some space if she was still angry. So he headed for the Slytherin table, dropping into a seat next to Avery, who was busy talking to a group of boys from Durmstrang. He made a halfhearted attempt to talk as he ate, but soon gave up and took off for the Slytherin common room. Hazel would be in Ancient Runes, he knew. There would be no chance of running into her until Herbology.
Though she made it to Herbology, she planted herself firmly in the middle of a group of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Everyone wearing earmuffs to block out the screams of the adult mandrakes they were working with wasn't much help either. As soon as class was over, Hazel took off, but Sev was on her heels. "Hazel, you've got to listen to me!"
"Severus, please!" she hissed, turning back to Remus, who she'd been talking to as she walked back to the castle. He had no choice but to leave her be.
The entire castle was buzzing by dinner time. Everyone seemed to inhale their food as they waited for the main event: the selection of the three champions. Dumbledore seemed to take his time, but after every dish had been cleared away, he rose, a crowd of Ministry officials bringing in the Goblet of Fire. He hardly had to tell them to quiet down, but he held his hands up nonetheless.
"The goblet is nearly ready to make its decision," Dumbledore announced, piercing blue eyes sweeping the room. "When each champion is chosen, they will make their way up, past the high table, into a room where they will be given further instructions. Now I expect you all to be supportive of your champions, but I also expect to see some hearty competition. Ah!" The goblet, which had been glowing blue since it had been brought out, turned a sudden red. A jet of flame shot out of it, Dumbledore catching a singed piece of parchment. "The champion for Durmstrang is Yekaterina Bostok."
A healthy round of applause followed. Yekaterina stood, nodding her thanks to her fellow students. Her face was set. She knew that danger lay ahead. But she had also been one of the group of seventeen year-olds who had first approached the goblet in the hallway. She squared her shoulders and walked forward confidently.
Another jet of red flame produced a folded-over scrap of parchment. Dumbledore deftly caught it, announcing, "The Beauxbatons champion is Hugo Bernard." Hugo extracted himself from among the Ravenclaws, making his way forward. He was a bit more timid, but resolute as he walked.
A final jet of red light and a final piece of parchment. All of Hogwarts held its breath. They'd taken their bets already. Would their champion be the Gryffindor Quidditch star James Potter? The rebellious and troublesome Sirius Black? One of the gang of Slytherins who had thrown their names in with a devil-may-care attitude? The Hufflepuff Seeker whose name Sev could never remember, though he knew the boy would stare at Hazel any chance he got?
"The Hogwarts champion is Severus Snape."
A thunderous roar of applause came from the Slytherin table. The Durmstrang students sharing their space applauded loudly. The rest of the school clapped politely, though they'd already started whispering in surprise. A Slytherin champion? And Snape at that? There was only one voice he heard as he numbly stood and started forward towards the high table. From amongst the Ravenclaws, there had been a gasp, followed by the rustle of robes as Hazel dashed from the Great Hall.
Sev could hardly listen as Dumbledore and the Ministry officials congratulated them. He barely paid attention to anything they said or bothered to remember any of their names. He shook hands with the others - Yekaterina, who insisted they call her "Katie", and Hugo, who looked more nervous than Sev felt. When they were finally allowed to leave, Sev knew that he'd be greeted with a party in the Slytherin common room. But his instincts told him to stop somewhere else first.
The bathroom was empty at this time of night. Or nearly. As he stepped inside, he could hear someone sobbing. "I wish I could say he wasn't going to get himself killed," crooned Moaning Myrtle, "but we do have ghosts here from the last tournament. If it were any of them, I would hope it's that Hugo boy, he seems sweet..."
"You're not helping, Myrtle." Hazel nearly choked on her words. Sev could see her sitting on the floor of the stall she'd locked herself in. "Who's there?" she called.
Moaning Myrtle floated through the stall door, stopping abruptly. "It's him."
"Tell him to piss off."
Sev tried to protest, but Myrtle was adamant, chasing him out of the bathroom. As he trudged down to the dungeons, Sev tried to force himself to smile a bit. He had to pretend to be happy, at least for most of this party. Sure enough, the common room erupted into cheers as he stepped inside. He wanted none of it.