Summer to Remember
Harry Potter/ Fay Dunbar
XV
Harry sighed, he got up from his position on the Gryffindor Table and strode across the Great Hall, ignoring the calls and jeers of 'Cheat' and 'Not old enough'. He passed by the Teacher's and only reacted once when Snape muttered something under his breath.
"It's this habit of muttering insults about my mother and father that drove mum to my dad. Just, think about that." Harry replied before turning away and smirking as Snape went white as chalk. His hand flickered only for a resounding slap to be heard.
McGonagall had slapped her colleagues' hand away from his wand. Harry was oblivious to this but grinned, he knew something had happened. He opened the doors and he strode into the Antechamber.
"Do zey want Us back in zee hall?" Fleur asked.
Harry shook his head and took his position by the wall, one hand going for a wand and the other resting on a knife. "No."
"Then why…" Began Eobard only for his eyes to widen "I'm sorry Harry. Dude, this has got to suck."
Harry was about to respond when the doors literally flew off their hinges and the Headteachers, Professors McGonagall and Snape with the Ministerial Officials thundered in. Harry found himself staring down his Headmaster and Professor Snape "Harry, did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire?"
"No." Harry responded looking at the Headmaster.
"He's lying! He bribed another student!" Hissed the Potions Master.
Harry sighed "Stop hating me because of my genetics Grease-brains, and maybe look back past the fourteen-year-old vendetta on a deadman and his wife and maybe grow the fuck up."
Snape turned on the fourteen-year-old fury evident in his face and he went for his wand. Harry couldn't help it and he began to cackle "Oh this is rich, a petulant thirty odd year man carrying on a vendetta against the son of his childhood nemesis."
"Det…"
Harry snorted "Let's not forget the utter glee on your face about having my Godfather and the Best Defence Teacher we had killed before Ron, Hermione and I knocked you the fuck out, I can guarantee you this, with what I've learnt over the summer I'll be happy to do it again."
"Mr. Potter that is enough! You'll treat Professor Snape with respect." Snapped McGonagall.
Harry turned to her his eyes ablaze with power and it appeared to flashing like electricity and his robes were beginning to flicker and flutter as if there was a breeze fluttering through the building then it was quite faint it was the smell of woodsmoke. "Respect? My respect for him is the fact that I've not decided to try and remove his entrails, the amount of animosity between us is just perfect for a water and hatred-based entropy spell. If it wasn't for the fact that I've just announced it and Snape happens to be a total cunt to everyone in Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor; specifically, myself, Hermione and Neville others want in. Professor McGonagall, you're my Head of House and WE'RE meant to BE ABLE to go to you WITHOUT being judged you've well and truly fucked that up. Now are we going to deal with this 'shock and awe and quite frankly obvious finger pointing and haranguing the fourteen-year-old for getting involved in a DEATH GAME? Or are we going to settle this as hopefully responsible adults and tell us when this task is to start.'" Harry asked.
It was total silence before Barty Crouch began to speak. Harry paid next to no attention to what was being said aside from November 24th and it would challenge bravery and daring. "Harry!"
Harry turned to find Cedric moving to follow him "Yes?" Then the inquisition began again but in Harry's mind this was third time that this investigation had already played out. He delivered his curt and clipped responses and left a confused and disbelieving Cedric in his wake and he headed for his dormitory.
Upon reaching the Common Room he was met by raucous cheer, applause and laughter. It wasn't common knowledge that Gryffindor House liked to party, but what wasn't known was just how often they happened. Harry remembered that Hermione's birthday and Ginny's had been in September just after term had started and thus Gryffindor had thrown a party and celebration for all who had a birthday in September and repeated throughout the year. It was typically done in the middle of the month and normally on Friday's or Saturday's when repercussions were definitely lighter.
The moment he entered Fay, wearing one of his green and black chequered flannel hiking shirts, though this one was slightly torn and had some sort of hardened slime on it "That's…"
"The shirt you had had a Pennsylvanian Runespoor and a West Coast Forest Wolf Cub that got attracted to the jerky." Harry shook his head, as he remembered that particular day off from the Law Enforcement Heavy Assault Team 1. Fay stepped close, then jumped up and wrapped her self around her boyfriend before kissing him deeply.
"I believe you." She whispered in his ear as Alicia separated them to hug him, and congratulate him on entering the Tournament.
However, the sinking feeling in Harry's stomach was replaced by ice when he came face to face with Cormac McLaggen. "Harry, my man, I have to ask. How did you do it? I mean Gryffindor's honour, be honest how did you do it?"
McLaggen was many things. Stupid wasn't one of them but short sightedness and the ability to put his foot in his mouth was one of them, and the fact that he had stupidly invoked one of the few incantation's applicable to the students. The Students of Gryffindor House stopped as a rolling through all of them. Those that were not present entered the Common Room entered, the sconces, braziers and the fire dimmed and turned gold and red.
"McLaggen, what have you done?" Growled Harry as he pulled himself away from the large wiry haired teen. But Cormac's hand landed firmly on his shoulder.
"I'd hate to…"
"Remove your hand from my shoulder you up jumped pretentious shit. Explain, what you did."
"He called up the Spirit of Gryffindor and used it to have you confess to how you did a certain stunt…In this case how you entered the Tournament."
Harry sighed "On the Spirit of our House Founder, I swear I did not put my name in the Goblet of Fire. Why would I, McLaggen? What can I get from participating in this Tournament?"
"Fame! Fortune! Women! Anything you want…You really didn't do it? How can you lie so blatantly about this?" Snapped McLaggen.
"Fame? What have I done that no-one else has? Fortune? I'm an Ancient and Noble House Heir Apparent and Heir Presumptive to another? Women? I have a Girlfriend." Retorted Harry rapidly losing his temper.
Alicia turned on McLaggen "End the spell. Either you didn't perform it correctly or Harry really didn't put his name in name in."
McLaggen turned red, something Harry distinctly remembered when he got angry or frustrated. "How…dare…you. How, very dare you, you little…" McLaggen began.
Harry's magic began to flare in response to McLaggen's pulses of magic "Cormac, son of Robert, Heir to the House McLaggen are you questioning my integrity and honour?"
McLaggen gulped "No! Well yes. I do not doubt your integrity and honour, but I doubt that you managed to enter the Tournament. You may have fooled our Noble House Founder but you do not fool me."
Harry coiled his magic back into him and the party began to resume. The tension was unmistakeable but for now everything was going to be okay. Time would tell but for now Gryffindor would keep an eye on easily the unluckiest one of their house.
The weeks ground by at some point Harry had lost his temper with McLaggen for interfering with Harry doing his homework by casually knocking his ink-pot off the desk. "Sorry, Potter."
Harry pulled out his Thunderbird Oak wand and levelled it at the intruding fifth year and before anyone could say a thing Harry murmured "Futon: Renkudan!" It happened to quick for anyone to see what had happened, all the students noticed was Harry's wand appear and suddenly a transparent orb erupted from the wand, slammed into Cormac and then detonated sending him not only across the room but also out of the Common Room throwing the doorway open.
"What? Japanese Battle Magic, painfully and painstakingly learnt in the very same language. Very useful and quite interesting."
The hubbub returned to normal. Ron looked at Harry and quite frankly glowered at him, he was in the same boat as McLaggen and brought it up with Harry and since then an evident rift had opened between the pair of them.
However, with the distancing of Ron and Harry not caring Neville, Seamus and the other members of the house slowly began to approach him. This seemed to be occurring on outside the House as well. But, with all of the progress there were also people who didn't believe. Thankfully they were much reduced in numbers but anyone with a brain could tell who they were.
However on November 27th the first task dawned.