Disclaimer:I do not own Harry Potter, I am writing this fanfiction for my own amusement and make no profit, all recognizable characters in this story are the property of J.K Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Brothers, etc.
Hogwarts Head's Office, 11/3/1997, 21:38
Albus was having a trying week and already having serious regrets about endorsing the revamp of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. There were so many problems that kept cropping up he was constantly in meetings or doing damage control.
When Barty had first suggested bringing the tournament back after three hundred years, Albus would admit that the idea had intrigued him.
In his third year, he had read about the ancient tournament while doing a history of magic essay. He could still remember the daydreams he had about competing as Hogwarts champion and how he wished that he was born when the tournament was being held.
As a young and if he was being immodest, very gifted wizard it would have been the perfect avenue to prove himself. The Gryffindor side of him loved the idea of testing his mettle against certain death while being cheered on by his classmates. He would have shown the world how talented he was when he brought glory to Hogwarts and won the tournament.
When he first heard the proposition his boyhood dream pushed itself to the forefront of his mind. Albus knew that he was too old to enter the tournament now but one of his pupils could live out his fantasy of eternal glory.
He was much wiser than he had been at thirteen and knew how dangerous those tournaments had been. Truthfully, they were little more than bloodsport with a high mortality rate and more often than not innocent bystanders were caught up in the consequences of the tournament.
So he had pushed for an age limit, Bagman and Crouch had fought him on this but he had not backed down. In the end, he had gotten his way, no one under the age of seventeen would be allowed to enter the tournament.
He had then pushed to make the tournament safer, he did not want any champions dying with this rebirth of the tournament.
He also knew that other students were often used in the tasks as an extra incentive for the champions to complete the tasks. So he also wanted to ensure that no one not directly bound to the goblet was put in any real danger.
Once again Bagman and Crouch fought him on this but with the assistance of Olympe Maxime, Albus had succeeded in pushing this rule into the tournament as well.
Unfortunately, that was where his victories in organizing the tournament ended. He had tried to have the goblet of fire removed from the champion selection process.
He had been outvoted, the goblet of fire was part of tbe tradition of the tournament and even the heads of the foreign schools baulked at the idea of removing it from the champion selection process.
'I bet they're regretting that now,' Dumbledore thought wryly.
Now the first task was closing in and he was getting worried. Albus had tried to convince his colleagues to choose another obstacle, anything other than a nesting mother dragon but they would not hear of it.
Bagman wanted a spectacle, a show, something grand, and what could be grander than a dragon? Albus also suspected that Bagman was looking for something to bet money on.
It was an open secret that Ludo Bagman had a gambling problem. As a tournament organizer, he could theoretically rig the tournament's outcome in his favour and make enough to pay off his gambling debts.
Barty Crouch wanted the tournament to be a spectacle for other reasons. The man's career was about over and he wanted his name to mean something again.
After Barty had sentenced his own son to life in prison his popularity had plummeted. Within six months Bartemius had been shuffled to a lesser department and his name had started fading into obscurity.
Albus thought that Crouch wanted one last shot at leaving his mark on the wizarding world.
Regardless of their reasons, they were not thinking about the champions' well-being.
The fact was, one misstep in the dragon arena would almost certainly be fatal. If something went wrong Albus doubted the dragon handlers could get to a champion in time to be of much help.
This was not something that sat well with the aged headmaster.
He consoled himself with the knowledge that the goblet would only pick someone who could rise to the challenge a Tri-Wizard champion was capable of facing.
Then on the night tbe goblet chose the champions, the unthinkable happened, William Potter's name came out of the goblet!
Albus had been flabbergasted, he had taken great pains to ensure something like this could not happen. It shouldn't have been possible for anyone under the age of seventeen to cross that ageline, it was tied to the school wards after all.
Right away Albus knew something else was afoot, something much more worrisome than dragons.
William Potter had always found his way into places he had no business being, the boy's first year was a prime example of that. The
In ninety-three Albus had planned on luring Tom to him with something he knew Voldemort wouldn't be able to resist, a way to regain his body.
But due to three nosy first years, a loose-lipped groundskeeper, and a very inconveniently timed summons from Cornelius Fudge, Will Potter very nearly lost his life 'saving' the philosopher's stone.
To make matters worse, the boy's mother had come to the school to tear strips off of him, and rightly so. Albus knew he never should have placed something so dangerous inside of Hogwarts.
Similar circumstances had taken place in the boy's second year, though this time it was not Albus' doing.
From what he had pieced together, Lucius Malfoy had slipped Ginevra Weasley a very dangerous artefact at Flourish and Blott's the summer before her first year.
The object, which looked like a common diary had slowly taken possession of Ms Weasley throughout the school year. This diary had used the girl to release the monster inside the Chamber of Secrets, setting it loose on the school at large.
Towards the end of the year, the diary had forced Ms Weasley to go into the Chamber of Secrets with the intention of consuming her soul to gain a corporeal form.
In the end, Young William Potter had gone into the chamber to save the poor girl and just barely made it out alive.
Once again Albus had to endure a nasty tongue lashing from an irate Lily Potter, though in his opinion he had not deserved it that time.
How could he have known the boy would take it upon himself to go in the chamber with that puffed up peacock Lockhart and another student armed with a broken wand?
What still baffled him was why the Weasley boy had thrown Lockhart's perfectly functional wand out the window and attempted to enter the Chamber of Secrets with the broken twig he had been carrying all year?
In the end, it was a lucky mistake on their part. Gilderoy had somehow wrested the Weasley boy's wand from his hand and attempted to cast a memory charm.
Thankfully the charm had backfired because of said broken wand and Lockhart ended up losing all of his own memories, a just punishment in Albus' opinion.
Though Albus still believed they should have kept Lockhart's wand, it would have been useful to have a backup when going into the unknown.
Last year had been fairly uneventful, the only exception being the manhunt for Petter Pettigrew but as soon as they found signs Pettigrew had crossed into France, the ministry had handed the case over to the I.C.W.
Then the other night happened!
Not long after William's name come out of the goblet, the Potter matriarch arrived in his office to give him a piece of her mind.
The older Potter boy should really count himself lucky, the Snuggly Bear routine would have been much prefered to the telling off he got for allowing William to be entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
The older Potter boy was so different from William it was like day and night. Where Will was a bit introverted and insular Harry was outgoing and got along with almost everyone. He was frightfully intelligent a trait he no doubts inherited from his mother and was very popular amongst the other students.
Truthfully the only reason Pomona hadn't made the boy prefect last year was that she had already given him the Quidditch captaincy. She didn't think it wise to bestow too much responsibility on one student.
For some reason his brother's bad luck never rubbed off on Harry, the elder Potter brother had not experienced any of the unusual circumstances that befell young William. In short, Harry's experience at Hogwarts had been that of a normal student.
Albus had been pleased when the boy's name had been chosen by the goblet as he knew that Harry Potter would be Hogwarts' best bet at winning the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
The elder Potter boy had always been a favourite of the teachers since he started his first year (Severus excluded of course).
Harry Potter had been the top student in his year since he had entered Hogwarts and had deeply impressed his colleagues with his grasp of magic.
Harry was also the youngest house quidditch player in a century having impressed Pomona so much in the first flying lesson she had pulled a few strings to get him a place on the house team as a left-wing chaser.
The older Potter boy would help get his brother through the tournament as he seemed to look out for William whenever he could.
Albus had already witnessed Harry put his foot down regarding those badges the Malfoy boy had been trying to get started. Harry had prevented tbe Hufflepuffs from wearing them which had reaching effects in the other houses, particularly Ravenclaw.
As the Hogwarts champion was from Hufflepuff and the house of Hufflepuff refused to wear them, Ravenclaw house likewise rejected the badges as being rather silly and childish.
Albus would have to put his faith in Harry to watch out for his little brother as the headmaster could not interfere in the tournament.
True he was not bound by a magical vow but by his honour. He was a tournament judge and could not condone going against the rules he had helped put in place.
So Dumbledore could not help his students through the tournament (directly anyway) he did ask Alastor to give William the occasional nudge in tbe right direction.
Albus knew the elder Potter boy would not have any problems with the tournament, he was quite resourceful but young William would need all the help he could get.
Albus was still baffled as to how someone had entered the boy's name in the goblet to begin with. The goblet of fire was an artefact of immense power and would take an uncommonly skilled wizard to bewitch it into believing there were four champions instead of three.
William Potter had a dangerous enemy very close to him and Albus was still unsure what the endgame could be though he doubted it was an attempt to kill the boy.
He had tried to look into it but without being able to run any scans on the goblet and his lack of leads, Albus feared that by the time he got the answers he was seeking, it would be too late.
'I just hope I can get to the bottom of all this,' Albus sighed as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth.
Great Hall, Hogwarts, 11/8/1997, 09:28
Harry sat at the Hufflepuff table lazily eating his breakfast as he read from his charms books, it was Saturday and most of his group of friends was still asleep.
Harry wouldn't admit it to anyone but he was starting to get nervous about the upcoming task.
He had entered for one reason, to get his name out there. He loved his brother but he had spent his whole life under the younger boy's shadow, that is not to say that he resented William or blamed him for his fame.
Will was not raised to believe he was better than anyone else, their mother had ensured that the fame never went to his head. That was the main reason she had raised them in the muggle world after all.
Still, Harry hoped with his entry into this tournament he would stand out for his own accomplishments for once instead of being known as Will Potter's older brother.
That point was moot now though, Will had somehow been entered into the tournament This was most likely the start of one of those infamous disasters Will often found himself in.
So now he was not only competing to win the tournament, now he had to make sure Will made it through alive.
The closer the day of the first task got, the more the reality of being a Tri-Wizard champion was sinking in. The tasks were dangerous and one in three champions had been killed in the early tournaments.
Harry was starting to understand how very dangerous the tournament truly was and feeling a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach at what awaited him on the twenty-fourth of this month.
'ello Snuggly Bear why are you sitting 'ere all alone?" Came the voice of Fleur Delacour pulling him from his thoughts, Harry looked up to see her sitting across from him buttering a croissant.
"Saturday students usually sleep in later," Harry shrugged as he shut his advanced charms book to look his competitor in the eye.
"What were you reading about?" Fleur asked curiously.
"Complex animation charms and how to weave them into transfigured objects," Harry said as he pointed his wand at the pepper mill and transfigured it into a tiny crystal horse filled with peppercorns.
Focusing on the animation he desired, he silently cast the animation spell and grinned when the little glass horse pranced around the table, moving almost perfectly though Harry noticed its motions were a tad jerky.
"Zat was good but you overpowered ze animation charm. Zat iz why ze motions are not very smooth" Fleur said as she studied the transfigured horse closely.
"Right," Harry said as he reversed the spell and tried again this time turning the salt shaker into a unicorn that he animated to rear up before galloping around the fruit bowl.
"Oui, zat was much better, still a slight jerking in the joints but animating something tiny can be more difficult zan something lifesize," Fleur said watching the tiny unicorn with interest as it galloped around the fruit bowl.
"I take it you like charms then?" Harry asked as he went back to eating his breakfast leaving the unicorn to run around the table.
"Oui, I want to become an enchantress and charms is ze main course of study for ze field," Fleur admitted before taking a bite of her croissant.
"Sounds interesting, we don't have an enchanting class at Hogwarts," Harry admitted somewhat enviously.
"We do not 'ave one at Beauxbaton eizer, I will have to apprentice under an enchantress after I graduate," Fleur admitted.
"Oh, where are your classmates?" Harry asked noticing the absence of the Beauxbaton students at the Ravenclaw table.
"It's ze same with your classmates, we usually sleep in on ze weekends, I was just visiting ze library," Fleur answered looking irritated.
"Something wrong?" Harry asked idly noticing the almost pouty look on her face was kind of cute.
"Ze book I was looking for was checked out already," Fleur explained grumpily.
"What book?" Harry asked.
"Tri-Wizard Tournaments through the Ages," Fleur said making Harry snort in amusement.
"What is funny?" Fleur asked her eyes narrowing.
"William's little girlfriend checked that out last week," Harry explained.
"Ze bushy 'aired girl?" Fleur asked finding the girl and William Potter seated at the Gryffindor table.
"Yes, if you ask her nicely I am sure she will let you borrow it," Harry answered as he saw the Gryffindor chaser trio entering the hall.
"I zink I will go now, I see your master approaching," Fleur smirked before she rose from her seat and made a beeline for William and his friends.
Harry found it amusing to see the Weasley boy turn a deep shade of purple when he he saw the French champion approach, before his view was obscured by the dark hair and narrowed brown eyes of his girlfriend.
"What was she doing over here?" Alicia demanded as she crossed her arms under her well endowed chest and looked at him expectantly.
"Just talking about charms," Harry shrugged as he got up from his seat.
"Where are you going?" Alicia asked looking a bit put out when he got up.
"The library, I'll see you at lunch," Harry said as he made his way out of the hall.
Harry was starting to have second thoughts about dating Alicia. For the last week, she had been acting ridiculous about Fleur Delacour. Harry had no interest in the French champion but Alicia telling him who he could and couldn't talk to was grating on his nerves.
They had only been dating since September and at first, she had been amazing. They were both chasers so they had a lot in common, they got on pretty well on an intellectual level and communicated well.
Then there was the physical side of things, the main reason he had started pursuing her if he were honest with himself, she was smoking hot.
Alicia was a tall girl a few inches shorter than him, she had gorgeous brown skin that put him in mind of rich caramel, long straight dark black hair, smoky bedroom eyes, and killer curves that Harry loved to squeeze when the two of them were secluded in a broom closet or down by the lake. For the last few months, they had a lot of fun together, she was very... adventurous.
Though here lately she was getting very possessive and it was really... offputting.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts when he realized he had arrived at the library, stepping through the door he made his way to the creatures section.
Fleur wasn't the only one reading up on past Tri-Wizard tournaments, the reason Harry knew Hermione had the book was because the girl had been waiting for him in the library the day he was due to return it as she wanted to help Will prepare. Harry had been reading every book he could to try and decipher any patterns about the tournaments.
After reading three different books Harry was pleased to discover that there was a pattern to the Tournaments, the first one was almost always a creature task.
They varied between XXXX and XXXXX but they were always very dangerous creatures oftentimes known as maneaters.
So Harry had been studying up on as many different creatures as he could in his free time. He hadn't bothered looking up nundus, dragons or basilisks yet as he highly doubted the tournament organizers would be reckless enough to use one of those creatures
Mostly he had focused on things like acromantula, manticores, and chimaera which had all been used in the tournament in the past.
He doubted they would use a cockatrice again considering the last time they had used one it had killed the champions, some of the judges and members of the crowd. That particular task was directly responsible for the tournament being cancelled in the seventeen hundreds.
No, the officials wouldn't use them again so he would just have to familiarise himself with as many of the creatures that he thought could be used in the task.
Harry was pulled from his reading about quintapeds when he heard his brother and Hermione Ganger bickering from inside the stacks.
"I do not want to study anymore, it's Saturday, Hermione," he heard Will almost whine.
"We are not studying, we are researching the tasks, that book I let Delacour use was not the only one that documented past Tri-Wizard Tournament tasks," Hermione explained testily.
"Oh, why bother it isn't like they are going to use the same tasks again?" Will pointed out.
"We are studying the other tournaments for the same reason the Beauxbaton champion wanted the book, we can pick up patterns in past tournaments to get an idea of what the organizers will do next. It's obvious your brother has been doing this. Every time I see him he is looking up books on creatures which is what I believe the first task will be," Hermione had said in a lecture like tone.
"You've been watching my brother?" Will asked sounding amused.
"I h-have noticed him in the library, that's it," Hermione sputtered out indignantly.
"Still nursing that crush of yours, I see," Harry heard Will sniggering.
"Shut up William or you can look this stuff up for yourself," Hermione hissed angrily.
Deciding it was time to leave, Harry packed up his things and darted out of the library.
Hermione had visited their house last summer and had developed a rather annoying crush on him. She had started blushing like mad whenever he spoke to her and he constantly caught her staring at him when she didn't think he would notice.
Harry liked the girl well enough, she was intelligent if a bit full of herself but a nice enough girl all around. The problem was that she was three years younger than him and something felt wrong with encouraging her crush on him.
Deciding he would go for a flight before lunch since he hadn't had much air time this year, Harry made his way toward the quidditch pitch.
The quidditch inter-house cup was cancelled because of the Tri-Wizard tournament and he had only been having practices once a week to keep the players sharp for next year.
Reaching the pitch, Harry unlocked the broom shed and removed one of his most prized possessions, a Nimbus two thousand racing broom.
He had done chores around the house all summer after his first year to buy his first real broomstick. His mother had refused to let him blow money from his trust fund to buy a new broomstick, she had told him flatly that if he wanted a racing broom he could do chores to pay for it.
Harry remembered Will making fun of him all summer that year as he washed dishes and mowed lawns around the neighbourhood of Lower Whinging.
Two years later the tables had turned when Will had to work to buy his own broomstick. William had made seeker on the Gryffindor team and wanted a faster broom than their dad's old Cleansweep. Harry made sure to return the favour and take the piss out of Will all summer long.
Harry mounted his broom and kicked off of the ground hard, shooting high above the pitch before taking off towards the goalposts on the other side of the pitch.
He arrived within seconds, weaving in between the goal hoops before flying back in the direction he had just come from.
He passed the other hoops in seconds and continued flying as fast as he could towards the lake in the distance, deciding there was no reason he had to restrict his flight to the quidditch pitch. He started to weave through the air building up speed as he carved a path out over the centre of the lake before pulling back on the handle so he was flying almost completely vertical.
He flew upwards higher and higher until he got to cloud level before pulling back so that he flipped into a dive, Harry grinned as he accelerated towards the water below feeling the thrill of the wind on his face as he sped towards the lake.
"God, I love flying," Harry thought as he pulled into a corkscrew spin feet from the water that sent him shooting high into the sky again.
Hogwarts Classroom, Scotland, 11/13/1997, 15:37
Harry was sitting in the classroom he had been instructed to meet the judges at for the weighing of the wands ceremony. He had been here for ten minutes already and so far none of the other champions had arrived yet.
Honestly, he didn't see the purpose of this ceremony, obviously, the champions had functional wands or they would not have entered the tournament in the first place.
The last week had been nerve-wracking as the date of the first task was steadily getting closer, his nerves were starting to build up and he was starting to wish he could just get it over with already.
He had read up on all of the creatures he thought could be used as an obstacle in the upcoming task. Harry was putting his money on something exotic like a chimaera but he was prepared for anything, they could throw at him... he hoped.
There was some good news, he and Alicia were starting to get back to normal again and she seemed to have eased up a bit, much to his relief.
"Dis is da vand veighing ceremony, ja?" A heavily accented male voice asked from the doorway.
"Yeah, I think so," Harry chuckled when he saw Viktor Krum.
"Vas that you flying over the lake yesterday?" Krum asked as he entered the classroom and took a seat in one of the chairs set up for the champions.
"It helps with the nerves," Harry shrugged.
"I am jealous my headmaster vill not let us fly at Hogwarts," Krum scowled.
"I gotta ask, what's it like to fly a Firebolt?" Harry asked looking at the Durmstrang champion.
"Unbelievably fast, I haff never flown anything like it before," Krum admitted.
Before Harry could ask more Madam Maxime and Fleur Delacour entered the room followed by Ludo Bagman.
"Excellent, you two already made it," Bagman beamed at Harry and Viktor as Fleur came to sit beside Harry.
"I wasn't starting to think I was waiting in tbe wrong classroom," Harry chuckled.
"The wand expert has been delayed but he and Dumbledore should arrive shortly," Bagman assured him.
Harry's eyes narrowed when a curly-haired blond woman and a paunch bellied man carrying a camera entered the classroom.
This woman had been on his mother's shitlist since she had written a piece on William three years ago. Harry knew his mother would give anything to get something on Rita Skeeter.
"Who iz zat?" Fleur whispered to him.
"Rita Skeeter, gossip columnist," Harry whispered back before he heard the unmistakable sound of a camera, a flash of bright light before the room was filled with a purple smoke that quickly dissipated.
"She just took our picture," Fleur said sounding annoyed.
"I noticed," Harry said as the door opened again and Will entered the classroom looking annoyed.
"Harry watched as Bagman started talking to Will introducing him to Rita," I would like to do some private interviews starting with the youngest champion, I think," Rita said with a predatory gleam in her eye as she looked at Will.
"You know that's not going to happen, Skeeter, my brother is a minor and will not be going anywhere alone with you," Harry cut in as he stood from his seat. and made his way to his brother's side.
"This is just a piece for the tournament, nothing untoward," Rita simpered.
"Are you really so eager to meet my godfather's solicitors... again?" Harry drawled as he led Will away from the reporter before she could reply.
"Thanks," Will whispered as he took the seat Harry had just vacated.
"Don't mention it, little brother," Harry said as he took a seat between Krum and Fleur.
A few minutes later two familiar figures entered the room, the headmaster entered first wearing robes of Sapphire blue and a matching hat followed by the silver-eyed white-haired wandmaker, Garrick Ollivander.
"Ah Albus, I see you have brought our expert, we might as well get this started," Bagman said cheerfully from his place at the judges seating area at the front of the classroom.
"Very well. Mr Ollivander will be calling each of you up so he can inspect your wands to assess their condition," Dumbledore explained looking between each of the four champions and receiving a respectful nod in return.
"I believe it is customary for ladies to go first," Ollivander said cheerfully.
Fleur gracefully stood from her chair snd walked to the front of the room before offering her wand to the wandmaker.
"Ah I have seen very few of these, nine and a half inches, rosewood I believe with a very interesting core," Garrick exclaimed as he brought the wand to his ear and seemed to listen to something before continuing, " this wand is very well in tune with you, do you know the veela who donated the hair for your wand?" Ollivander asked curiously.
"Oui, ze 'air came from ze 'ead of my grandmuzzer," Fleur said with a soft smile on her lips.
"I thought so, this wand is in perfect working order," Ollivander said as he flicked his wand conjuring a bouquet of roses.
Harry watched as Ollivander handed Fleur her wand back as well as the flowers and sent her back to her seat.
"Elder Mr Potter next, if you don't mind," Ollivander said gesturing for Harry to come to the front of the classroom.
Harry got up from his seat and walked to where Mr Ollivander was standing, then he slipped his wand from his holster and offered it to the ancient wandmaker.
"Ah yes, I remember this wand as if I sold it yesterday, eleven and a quarter inches maple with the heartstring of a magnificent Peruvian vipertooth, flexible and strong, this is a travellers wand," Ollivander grinned as he brought the wand to his ear and listened to it as he done with Fleur's.
Harry remembered the day his mother had taken him to get his supplies in Diagon Alley, she had picked him up from primary school towards the end of May before his first year. The two of them had spent the day together getting everything on the list he had been sent the previous October. Harry had been amazed at finally seeing the world he had only heard stories about from his mother and Sirius since he had learned about magic.
Ollivanders had been their last stop of the day, the crazy old man with the silver eyes had scared the shit out of him appearing out of thin air when they entered his shop.
Ollivander had taken his measurements and then started handing him wands to try. After what felt like the hundredth wand, the old wandmaker handed him the maple and dragon heartstring wand.
Harry could still remember that rush of euphoria he felt when he gripped his wand for the first time, it was as of the wand made his very core sing and warmth filled his entire being.
Harry was snapped out of his reminiscence when Ollivander cast a spell with his wand that sounded like a cannon blast making Harry jump in surprise.
"Your wand is in excellent condition, Mr Potter," Ollivander said as he handed Harry's wand back.
Harry made his way back to his seat and zoned out while Krum's wand was inspected. Harry listened with half an ear, idly he heard that the Durmstrang champion's wand also had a dragon heartstring core but he wasn't all that interested.
A few minutes later William was called forward, Harry already knew his brother's wand specifications, eleven inches, holly, and phoenix feather, the brother wand to Lord Voldemort's blah blah blah.
That information had been a hot topic around the Potter household the day William had come back from doing his school shopping. William had wanted a new wand because of its connection to Voldemort but his mother had told him that the wand chose the wizard, if that wand was meant for him then there had to be a reason for that.
Will was soon handed his wand back and he returned to his seat after Ollivander pronounced his wand in fine working order.
"I believe that will be all for today, it is nearly dinner time so you may all-
" We still need to get some photos, Dumbledore," Rita said rudely cutting the headmaster off midsentence.
The photos seemed to take an eternity as they posed for multiple group shots and what felt like a thousand single poses before they were mercifully allowed to leave.
"Finally, I thought that would never end!" Harry exclaimed as soon as he stepped into tbe hallway.
"I know, zat cameraman gave me ze creeps," Fleur exclaimed irritably.
"He seemed very interested in getting your picture," Harry agreed as Will caught up to them.
"I hate theDaily Prophet," William scowled.
"Yes, we could have been out of there twenty minutes ago if not for that damn photoshoot," Harry agreed.
"Thanks again for saving me from Skeeter," Will said as they made their way down the main staircase.
"I didn't want Hermione to get jealous when she found out you were in a broom closet with Rita Skeeter," Harry smirked making Fleur giggle beside him.
"I told you nothing is going on with me and Hermione," Will protested hotly his cheeks turning pink.
"Alright, mate but you have to explain that to mum. I already told her that you two had finally gotten together," Harry smirked.
"You wanker, why would you do that!?" Will demanded.
"Because I know how important your happiness is to mum and she thinks you two would be a good match," Harry said in faux sincerity as the three of them entered the great hall.
"Just when I think you're an alright guy you go and pull something like this," Will sighed before heading off to the Gryffindor table shooting Harry the bird behind his back.
"Such a rude leetle boy," Fleur said disapprovingly.
"Agreed", Harry said before making his way to the Hufflepuff table while Fleur went over to the Ravenclaw table with the other Beauxbaton students.
" Oi, where have you been and with the French bird no less?" Cedric asked as soon as Harry had sat down.
"A tournament function, they had to inspect our wands and then the Prophet took a load of photos," Harry shrugged as he filled his plate.
"You're going to be in the paper?" Cedric asked in surprise.
"Yeah I guess," Harry said between mouthfuls of food.
"Do you know what the task is going to be yet?" Cedric asked between bites of his casserole.
"I believe I will have to defeat a creature of some form," Harry admitted.
"I bet it's those skrewt things Hagrid has us working on in care of magical creatures," Hannah Abbot spoke up.
"Don't be ridiculous Abbott those things are still babies," Susan cut in.
"I think it will be something bigger than those overgrown slugs," Harry chuckled.
"Well don't get eaten," Cedric said feigning concern.
"Awe Diggory, are you worried about me?" Harry sniggered.
"No, I just don't fancy trying to try and find a replacement chaser if you get eaten by a dragon or something," Cedric smirked.
"I highly doubt they will have dragons," Harry assured him.
"So where is Spinnet?" Cedric asked as he changed the subject.
"Chaser practice, the flying foxes had a free period after lunch," Harry grinned.
"Good thing, your bird would have thrown a fit if she saw you walking into the French champion," Cedric chuckled.
"Speaking of birds, where is Chang at?" Harry asked as he refilled his plate.
"The library, she has a big project for arithmancy she needs to finish by first period tomorrow," Cedric shrugged.
"You know it's considered offensive to call us birds," Susan cut in.
"You're still a chick, you're too young to be a bird just yet, Bones," Harry argued back.
"Watch it Potter or I'll make sure Spinnet hears all about you arriving in the hall with the veela," Susan threatened
"Easy there Bones, you have my apologies," Harry said smoothly giving Susan a charming smile that had her cheeks going pink.
Great Hall, Hogwarts, 11/14/1997, 09:37
Harry had just filled his plate with eggs and bangers when the post arrived, he didn't pay it any mind until Cedric tapped his shoulder looking highly amused.
"What?" Harry asked looking annoyed.
"You might want to find a good place to hide," Cedric said cheerfully.
"Why is that,?" Harry asked nonplussed.
"Because of this," Cedric grinned as he handed Harry the morning issue of theDaily Prophet.
Harry took the paper and unfolded it and his jaw dropped in shock at the picture that took up most of the paper under the fold.
It was a shot from the weighing of the wands where Fleur was whispering in his ear, however, the camera angle made it look like they were kissing, the photo was stuck in a loop every so often they would pull apart and look around furtively.
Under the picture was the headline.
Love Blossoms in the Tri-Wizard Tournament
"Oh bloody hell!", Harry exclaimed angrily.
" Run mate," Cedric grinned.
Harry got up from his seat he needed to do some damage control.
'If it's the last thing I do I will make Skeeter pay for this,' Harry thought angrily as he made his way to the Hufflepuff common room to get in touch with his godfather.