Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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The following evening, Hogwarts' students and staff anxiously waited to learn who would be chosen as school champions for the Triwizard Tournament.
Severus and Lily sat with their coworkers as they watched from their seats at the High Table.
The Great Hall buzzed with excitement.
Harriet chatted with Ron and Hermione while Draco scowled over at her as Crabbe and Goyle chortled to one another.
The Beauxbatons seemed content to giggle amongst themselves.
Ellery and Gabrielle exchanged a single, poignant glance of repressed shyness.
The students from Durmstrang wore solemn expressions on their faces, as if they waited for a subtle signal to engage in some sort of important battle.
After dinner finally concluded, the place settings vanished as Dumbledore approached the Goblet of Fire.
Whispers and laughter quieted as he waved a hand and dimmed the flaming lamps on the walls.
"Very well, then……" He called as every eye in the room fell on the Goblet, "The Triwizard Champions will now be revealed."
Harriet exchanged apprehensive smiles with her friends.
Dumbledore placed his hand over the Goblet and swiftly pulled it away as a bright burst of blue flame shot from its mouth to send a small piece of parchment floating to the floor.
Before it could land, Dumbledore caught it and read aloud, "Viktor Krum…….The chosen champion of Durmstrang!"
Wild cheers erupted throughout the Great Hall.
Viktor's peers all congratulated him with shouts of joy and playful shoves before he stepped forward to collect the scrap of parchment from Dumbledore with a proud nod.
"I told you he'd make it!" Ron nearly screamed at Hermione and Harriet in ecstacy, "I TOLD YOU!"
"Yes, Ron, you told us." Harriet sighed.
Her humor earned a suppressed giggle from Hermione, but Ron failed to notice as he gazed at his hero, wide-eyed.
After Viktor nodded respectfully at everyone in the Great Hall and walked away, Dumbledore approached the Goblet of Fire a second time to pass his hand over the magical artifact again.
Another burst of azure flame sent a blue scrap of parchment dancing daintily through the air, which Dumbledore promptly grabbed.
He stared down at the parchment as he read aloud, "Fleur Delacour…….The chosen champion of Beauxbatons!"
Happy squeals sounded as Fleur stepped forward with a beautiful smile.
She gladly shook Dumbledore's hand as she took her scrap of parchment and resumed her seat.
"You owe me five Knuts, Hermione." Harriet whispered, "Told you she'd make it, she's the most popular."
"Popularity doesn't dictate talent or skill." Hermione huffed as she shot Harriet a glare.
"...I don't really think they're too worried about talent or skill." Harriet blinked as she gazed at the glamourous, fair students of Beauxbaton in their identical, feminine, silky uniforms, "Besides, haven't you heard?"
"Heard what?" Hermione scowled.
"Fred told me Fleur's grandmother was a Veela." Harriet shrugged, "That has to count for something, right?"
Before their conversation could continue, Dumbledore approached the Goblet of Fire once more, waved his hand over its mouth, and retrieved the third scrap of parchment it coughed up after another burst of blue flame.
"Cedric Diggory…….The chosen champion of Hogwarts!" He read aloud.
Loud cries of celebratory happiness once again broke out, although the loudest shouts came from those in Hufflepuff house as Cedric Diggory, a handsome boy known for his finesse at Quidditch, stepped forward with a bright grin.
At the High Table, Severus and Lily exchanged glances of relief that neither a Slytherin nor a Gryffindor had been chosen.
"Now, we're even." Hermione whispered to Harriet as they recounted the bets they had made with each other.
Harriet playfully pushed her shoulder as both girls smiled while Draco scowled in disgust.
How many boys were going to be in the tournament anyway?
Would every bachelor be offered to Harriet on a platter while Draco waited in the shadows?
As Cedric walked away, Dumbledore lifted his hands to quiet everyone as he spoke, "These three champions will soon compete in tasks designed to test them morally, emotionally, physically, and-"
Everyone in the Great Hall gasped.
Dumbledore turned around once he heard an odd noise.
Severus scowled.
Lily blinked.
Everyone watched in confusion as the Goblet of Fire filled with different coloured flames in a violent display of bright light before it ended abruptly as another scrap of ordinary parchment was sent forth from its wide mouth.
Dumbledore frowned as he snatched the parchment from the air and mumbled the name scrawled on it, "...Harriet Snape."
Gasps of shock escaped the students and staff present.
"Harriet Snape……..?!?!" He shouted incredulously as he looked at the crowd.
Severus and Lily's expressions melted into masks of worried anguish as they threw each other fearful, disbelieving glances.
Startled and confused, Harriet tried to sink down between her friends, but Hermione pushed her onto her feet, "Oh for goodness sake, Harriet! Go!"
Ron furrowed his brow at his best friend as Harriet glanced around, bewildered.
She didn't notice the worried frown on Draco's face as she observed the mixed reactions she received from everyone present.
Surprise, anger, disbelief……..
As Harriet approached Dumbledore to take the parchment from his hand, she glanced behind him and met her father's dark, melancholy stare.
The unreadable expression on Severus's pale face failed to provide her much comfort.
"If each chosen champion will please go and wait in the trophy room…." Dumbledore nodded at Harriet, Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor, "The staff will join you there very soon."
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Those few minutes in the trophy room seemed like the longest of Harriet's life as she paced while she nervously awaited the adults' arrival.
Cedric, Viktor, and Fleur cast her distrustful stares as they whispered to themselves, careful not to include her in their conversation.
Harriet considered various ways to approach them until a great cacophony of irritated, angry voices rang out as the staff members began to descend the winding stone steps.
Harriet, Viktor, Cedric, and Fleur all blinked as they watched the frustrated adults stomp down the stairs and into the cavernous trophy room.
Dumbledore's eyes widened as he dashed towards Harriet, with McGonagall, Karkaroff, Severus, and Lily following behind him.
"Harriet!" Dumbledore shouted as he clutched Harriet's collar and pushed her against the nearest tower of bronze and silver sculptures, "Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?!...Did you?!?!"
"N-No sir!" Harriet stammered as she gazed at the headmaster with her eyes wide, "No sir! I didn't!"
Lily frowned at her daughter.
Severus's heart lurched with fear as he realized Harriet spoke truthfully.
"You're absolutely sure?!" Dumbledore hissed.
"Yes!" Harriet stammered, "Y-Yes, sir, I'm sure!"
"Well, of course she is lying!" Madam Maxime cried as she entered the room and swung the hanging lantern that lowered itself from the ceiling out of her face.
"How dare you call my daughter a liar!" Lily gasped as she narrowed her eyes at the half-giantess, "How do we know you didn't put her name in the Goblet?!"
Severus glanced at McGonagall nervously as his wife and Madame Maxime faced each other with threatening scowls.
Lily practically looked like a doll next to the impossibly tall woman.
"Are you accusing me of fraud, chérie?" Madam Maxime glowered at Lily.
Severus swept over to his wife as she started to retort, "I-"
Dumbledore mercifully ended his interrogation of Harriet and intervened before the battle between Lily and the headmistress of Beauxbaton grew to epic proportions.
"Ladies, please!" Dumbledore gestured with his hands as he stepped between the two warring women, "If Miss Snape insists she did not enter her own name, let us take her word for now!"
"I'll take a dose of Veritaserum to prove it!" Harriet cried behind Dumbledore, "Have my Dad read my thoughts! I'll do anything to show the truth!"
Severus and Lily frowned at Harriet, but Dumbledore quieted her as he waved his hand without turning around.
"You don't really believe this was all a mistake, do you Dumbledore?" Karkaroff scowled.
"I believe many things, Karkaroff." Dumbledore said as he gazed into the wizard's haggard face, "...The meticulous inner workings of each happening is not always understood…..at first."
Lily scowled at Madame Maxime before she glanced between her and Dumbledore as she scoffed, "What does it matter either way?! My husband and I will not allow our daughter to compete! This is outrageous and…..ridiculous! She's still a child!"
"Lily……." Dumbledore said as he turned to look at the distraught mother with a sympathetic frown, "I'm afraid you and Severus have little choice in the matter. The Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract that may not be broken."
Lily drew a deep breath as everyone turned to look at Harriet with frowns of worry and glares of anger as Dumbledore concluded, "As of this night, Harriet Snape is a Triwizard Champion."
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Most girls would have sobbed.
Others would have pitied themselves.
Instead, Harriet wrote to her best friend.
After the disastrous meeting in the trophy room, Harriet furrowed her brow as she sat in her empty dormitory and finished penning her response to Tom on the blank diary page:
I'm scared, Tom. I have no idea what to do or where to begin. I didn't want to enter the tournament and I haven't a clue who's done this to me. My parents and Dumbledore say I'll have to compete.
Harriet frowned until she watched Tom's response appear on the page:
Doubting yourself will be your worst mistake, Harriet Snape. Why do you fear? I'll be here to guide you. Do you have any idea of my power? I am all you need. Depend on me, trust me, and you will not only survive, you will win.
As Harriet began to write her reply after Tom's words disappeared, a small smile formed on her lips.
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Severus sat up against the headboard, cushioned by the mound of pillows that surrounded his neck while Lily clung to him for support.
Her gentle sniffles and the involuntary jerking of her body as sobs coursed through her destroyed Severus.
Their evening after they had arrived home had consisted of a lengthy discussion and wailing sobs of acceptance.
It pained Severus to know all he could do was hold his flower while she fell apart, but his touch and his low, soothing voice did more to soothe Lily than he realized.
As her emerald eyes stared off into the distance, darkened with fear and wide with worry, Severus continued to whisper to her gently as he bent down and placed a gentle kiss of loving reassurance on her forehead.
"The future is uncertain, my love." Severus drawled as Lily finally turned to stare up at him, "Regardless, whatever comes, I will be beside you, Ellery, and Harriet to the very end. My vow will never change, never falter, and never forsake."
Severus sighed as Lily closed her eyes, raised her head, and pressed a kiss against his lips.
As she trembled with another sob, Severus returned her affection while he held her close.