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DRACO MALFOY AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

By Lady Lestrange

Chapter 2

Champions are chosen

Draco sat in the great hall, flanked by Vincent and Greg waiting for the announcement of the Champions for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He was studiously hiding his nervousness. He had schooled his face into its usual sneer that he reserved for this sort of event, and his legs were stretched out comfortably under the table. Vincent and Greg were not so calm.

"What do you think Dumbledore will do when he finds out there are four Champions instead of three?" asked Vincent

"I just think it was bloody brilliant of you, Draco to think to use another school. Bloody Brilliant!"

Draco wished they would shut up, but he hated to put a damper on their excitement for him, but it was starting to annoy him. Nerves were starting to come up on him. They made him feel like he had swallowed a snitch. He remembered Potter doing just that in first year. Too bad he didn't strangle on the damned thing. Well, this time, Potter wouldn't even be in the running. It would feel good to have Potter rooting for him instead. "Yes, well, Potter," he thought. "You could always hope that Drumstang or the other Slytherin Champion wins, if you don't want to cheer for me." Draco didn't even consider Beaubaton.

They had called the first Champion:

Viktor Krum

As a storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall, Viktor rose from the Slytherin table and slouched up toward Dumb-as a- door. He turned right along the staff table and, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.

Big surprise thought Draco the quiddich star got picked as a champion. Perfect. When he won, it would look all the better to have beaten Krum.

"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff , so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"

The clapping and chatting had died down. Now everyone's attention was focused on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it propelled by the flames.

The next champion was Fleur Delacour! Really! This was going to be a pushover!

When Fleur disappeared into the side chamber silence fell on the Hall. A silence so thick with excitement Draco could all most taste it. The Hogwarts champion was next.

Cedric Diggory

The Hufflepuff table burst into applause. The Slytherin table sat flabbergasted. How could there be a Hufflepuff champion!! The Hufflepuffs hadn't won anything in years—quiddich cup or house cup.

"Cedric Diggory!" thought Draco. "If he hadn't put his name into the goblet, the entire reputation of Hogwarts would be resting on that empty-headed, pretty boy. Even the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors had to see how hopeless that was.

The applause had died down and Dumbledore was giving his little announcement. Ludo Bagman was standing by anxiously awaiting his turn to speak, when the Goblet began spouting flames again—

Here it comes, thought Draco. He checked his robes to be sure they weren't wrinkled. They were immaculate as always.

The parchment flew out of the Goblet.

Come on –come on—read it thought Draco.

And Dumbledore did read it: "Harry Potter."

"What?"

The hall filled with what sounded like angry bees buzzing. Everyone started whispering to their neighbor as the judges tried to figure out what to do with the extra champion. They sent Harry out of the room with the other Champions while Dumbledore tried to explain why whomever the Goblet choose had to compete.

Draco was crushed. Harry Potter must have done the exact same thing he did. He had to have put his name in under a different Wizarding School. If it was the Canadian School, then the Goblet chose Harry over him. It couldn't have. He was better than Harry Potter. He was a Malfoy. Harry's mother was a mudblood for gosh sakes. Of course, seeing that the goblet had picked Diggory. Draco wondered if the thing had any sense at all.

Just then, the Goblet of Fire started to spit flame again. The judges turned to look.

"What iz Theze?" Madam Maxim complained. "Another von?"

Dumbledore caught this parchment, and looked nervously at the judges. "Draco Malfoy," he said and the Slytherin table broke into excited applause. The closest Slytherins congratulated Malfoy and wished him luck.

"Luck has nothing to do with it," said Draco.

In the front of the room, while Draco was accepting his congratulations, the judges pounced on Dumbledore with angry questions and accusations. This was ten times worse than when Harry Potter's name came out of the goblet. One extra Champion could have been a mistake, although they doubted it—but two extra Champions from Hogwarts were an abomination.

"Are you done, Dumbledore?" sneered Karkaroff "Or should we wait to see who the Ravenclaw Champion is?"

Dumbledore finally calmed the judges long enough for him to call Draco to the front of the room. Draco strode up to the stage that had been prepared like he was royalty. The roar of the applause from Slytherin and indeed from some of the Ravenclaw students too, was heartening. He held his head high and smiled a genuine smile at his admirers.

Dumbledore directed him to the room where the Champions were supposed to wait. The tension in that room rivaled the tension in the Great Hall. Viktor Krum was scowling at Harry, until Draco came into the room. Then he turned his scowl toward Draco.

"Vat iz theze? Another lettel boy?" Fleur complained.

Draco glanced at Potter who was standing resignedly in the corner trying to ignore them. Well, Draco thought, as long as she considered him a little boy, he wouldn't have to worry about her turning on her veela charms, would he? That was a good thing.

He tried to shut out her whining. It was getting on his nerves and if she called him a little boy one more time, he thought he would curse her. That wouldn't do, would it? The Champions weren't supposed to curse each other--yet. He was probably in trouble already for putting his name in the Goblet, but at least what ever they did to him, they would have to do to Potter. His father had assured him that if the Goblet chose him he would be bound to compete, but his father had little expectations that Draco would pull it off. Just like the veela, his father thought him a little boy. Well, he was wrong.

There was a sound of scurrying feet, and Ludo Bagman was congratulating Harry and then Draco and the other Champions. Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and the two judges from the other schools, Madam Maxim and Professor Karkaroff, entered next. Dumbledore asked Harry and then Draco if they had passed the Age line and put their names in the Goblet. Both Draco and Harry answered no. "Did you ask an older student to put your name in?"

"Or force an older student to put your name in?" added McGonagall glaring.

"Don't blame Draco. It's no one's fault but Potters," said Snape. "He's been crossing lines ever since he arrived here—"

"Professor Snape," said McGonagall angrily.


"An older student did not put--my name—in--for me," said Draco carefully.

Dumbledore held up his hands for quiet, which lasted about two seconds, before the whining started again. Draco never thought he'd have anything in common with Potter, but standing here listening to these imbeciles argue when there was nothing they could do to change what names had come out of the Goblet was pointless. At last, Dumb-as-a door, got that across to them. He told them the rules of the Goblet of Fire and Ludo Bagman as well as Barty Crouch repeated the rules. Finally, Karkaroff left with Viktor and Madam Maxim started out with her arm around Fleur.

The Great Hall was deserted now, the candles had burned down and the pumpkins smiled wickedly at them.

Cedric accused Harry. "So…tell me… How did you get your name in?"

"I didn't," Harry said, but Draco could see that Cedric didn't believe him. He didn't even bother to ask Draco, He just strode away, but Draco ignored him.

He was listening to the stream of French coming from Fleur. He heard the words once again: " little boy."

With a quick flick of his wand, a pig's tail appeared out of the back of Fleur's robes. Harry caught the movement and stifled a laugh. Draco didn't think it was that funny.

Fleur turned, her hand going to her backside. "You horrid boys! Vat have you done?"

"Nothing," said Harry holding up his hands in his defense.

"We're just little boys, remember?" added Draco, his wand now safely back in his pocket.

Fleur turned and glared in the direction of the retreating Cedric.

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