Chapter 88

The Goblet of Fire, and the Champions

Once all the schools students came in the next morning for breakfast, in which there were two new tables, one for Durmstrang, and one for Beauxbatons. They were all eating a quiet breakfast when Dumbledore tapped his goblet with his wand. "Attention students, faculty and guests. I welcome you to the first day of the Tri-Wizard Tournament at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This tournament is open to students who are at least 16 years old or older, and that will be strictly enforced. The large object that you see in the front of the staff table is the Goblet of Fire, and it will be the ultimate say in whom the champion of each school is going to be. After lunch today, it will be in the main hallway, and those that are of age, will be able to go up to it, and place your piece of parchment, with you name, school and age on it, into the goblet, and it will store it. The goblet will make it's decisions in one week in which time we will officially announce the champions, and have the dedication to the beginning of the tournament. Now for those of you that think that they can sneak their way into the tournament by fooling the goblet, there will be very powerful spells put on the goblet, and an age determination line around the goblet, to make sure only witches and wizards of age will be able to put their name into the goblet." He looked directly at the Weasley Twins when he said this, and everyone else got the idea also.

The twins for their part, were trying to make plans on how they were going to outwit the line and spells and to get their names into the goblet. They had heard about how much the winner would get, and were really in need of the money. They were making strange quiet conversation with Lee Jordan about how they were going to be doing this.

Dumbledore gave a smile as he sat down and the conversations around the Great Hall came back up to full volume about the tournament and who was going to be entering for each school. They figured that all the students from the foreign school were going to be entering, for they only brought the older students with them to the school. There were rumors about who in Hogwart's were going to try to get in, and whom was going to be their champion.

The students made their way to their morning classes after breakfast and were still talking about what was going on. Classes went quite well, and the fourth years were beginning to learn the spells and potions that they were going to need to learn for their upcoming Ordinary Wizardring Level tests that they were going to be taking in their fifth year next year. They were learning more and more advanced spells, and were getting used to the extra homework.

"Can you believe that we are already getting ready for our OWLS next year. I thought that they would be getting us ready for it, but not this early. I am going to have to get our schedules ready for extra studying, your Quidditch Practices, Homework and time spent with our significant other and friends into this year. This shouldn't be a problem, and we are just going to have to get used to staying up a couple more hours each night. Then we will also have to figure in time for the Tri-Wizard Tournament cheering on the champion from Hogwart's." Hermione went into her study mode, and Harry just smiled. He gave her a kiss and just nodded in agreement with everything that she said. He was truly proud of her, and her organizational ways. He was happy for this, for she kept him at the top of their class for the boys, like she was the top of the class for the girls. They were the top students of the fourth years, and were already talking about what next year was going to be like, for they were pretty sure that they were going to be the Prefects. Harry was going to recommend Ron for the Captaincy of Quidditch if it was offered to him, for he didn't think he was the right person for leading the team. Ron was the brains of planning for the inevitable in strategy and that stuff.

At the Hufflepuff table that afternoon at lunch there was a young man that had many things on his mind. He was pretty sure that he was going to try to become the champion for the school, he just didn't want to let people know that he was going to put his name in. He decided that since he was a Prefect, that he would put his name in during one of his nightly patrols, when no one else was around to see him. Cedric Diggory wasn't a person to brag or show off. He was a great Quidditch player, and loved to fly. He hoped that he would be able to become the champion, and to show what he could do. After lunch, he walked off with his girlfriend, Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. They walked off hand in hand to advanced Potions and then to deal with Professor Snape one more time. They were talking a bit about what they were going to do after they graduated from school, and were talking about their future. Cedric loved her, and was glad that he got the girl. She was talking about maybe trying out for the tournament, and Cedric confided in her that he was going to try out also. They wished each other luck, and walked into the Potions classroom.

The situation outside the Great Hall right before dinner was one to make someone laugh when they saw it. Fred and George Weasley and Lee Jordan were all unconscious from the spell that found them not to be of age for the tournament. It looked like they had tried to use a aging spell with also a bit of polyjuice potion to get past the line, but it didn't fool it. They were a mix of different hexes and spells that had them unconscious, with boils and bat wings all over their face and body. The next thing that everyone saw after they saw this, was a lineup of students from both Beaxbatons, and Durmstrang walking up one at a time to place their name into the goblet. As they went to put it up, they then went into the Great Hall to sit at their respective tables to eat their dinners after the rest of their schools came in also.

"Well that proves that all the other schools students were of age. I'm glad that it isn't going to be a fix up with students that aren't able to do well by themselves. Let's go sit down and get ready for dinner, I think that your brothers and their friend are going to be spending time in the Hospital Wing for the next couple of days Harry. Hopefully they will have learned their lesson. Now there are some that I hope will become the champion from our school, I wonder if Oliver Wood is going to be trying out, isn't it his last year here?" Hermione was really excited about what was going to be going on this year, and was learning a lot through reading and what she could gleam from the professors.

"Well I heard from him that he was going to try for it, in fact I just saw as we walked in, him go up and put his name into the goblet. There could be a lot of people that would do good in it from our school. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Quidditch players tried out for it, for they have the flexibility and ability to think on the run. Hmmm, I wonder, maybe Cho Chang, and Cedric Diggory would do good to try out, but then again I don't really know." Harry was thinking about this as dinner was finished up quickly and they made their way up to their dorms for the night.

The rest of the week went well, and their were only one more try by the twins to get in, but it seemed that the hexes and spells were twice as bad as before if you were stupid enough to try a second time. They made it back just in time for the ceremony that announced the champions for the school.

Minister Weasley stood at the top of the table with the headmasters/mistress of the three schools ready to have the goblet make the announcements for the champions. It was brought up by Hagrid and placed on the table and the room fell into silence as the Minister spoke. "Welcome to the Tri-Wizard Tournament's selection ceremony. Tonight we will find out whom the goblet has picked as the three champions for the schools." He tapped the goblet three times, and all went quiet as the goblet glowed a brilliant red and gold for the tournament then pushed out a slip of paper with a name on it for the minister to announce. "Attention please, once I read the name of the person that is on each slip of paper, they will stand, and adjourn to the Anti-Room to the front of the Great Hall behind the head table. The first champion that is to be announced will be for Beauxbatons, and the champion is, Fleur Delacour." Fleur stood and bowed to each of her fellow students, then made her way out of the Great Hall into the Anti-Room behind the table to the cheers of her fellow Beauxbatons students and the rest of the students as well.

The goblet waited for the applause to calm down, then spit out another slip of paper for the minister to read. "Ahh, the champion for Hogwart's has seemed to be picked now. Will Cedric Diggory please follow Ms. Delacour to the room for you are the champion for this school." He made his way back there to the cheers of all the students and professors alike, just like the champion of Beauxbatons. After the cheers and applause calmed down, the goblet glowed one last time, it spat out one last slip of paper, and the Minister read it with a smile. "The final champion from Durmstrang is Viktor Krum." Krum got up to the applause and cheers of everyone and made his way to the back. He was followed by the minister of magic and the heads of the schools after the rest had been dismissed to their dorms and wherever for the night.

As Harry and the rest got up to go to their respective dorms, he heard a scream that immediately had him running to the head table along with all his friends, for they knew who the voice belonged to. When they got there, they found...

A/N: Ok, I'm not one for Cliffhangers, but here is one for you. I'm sure you might have figured out who it is by now, and I am sorry that I had forgotten about it til now. We will find out for sure next chapter. I know I said that they were only going to be in 4 or 5 months, but since I forgot about them, they were just coming now. Please as always read and review —Donald