AN: This is literally my first fanfiction. Don't expect high quality content because I certainly don't. In the future I will probably read this and think it is a piece of garbage. But right now, I am proud of it. Therefore, advice is not only allowed but encouraged. I shall also warn you, I am going to change most canon events, so don't expect the timeline to be precise.

On a happier note, please join the Haphne server! Link: discord dot gg/pKSdvJQvhU
We do several weekly activities such as a discussion club, Care of Magical Creatures lessons and our own movie/anime club!

28th of August 1994, Grimmauld Place

Harry was reflecting in what had happened the last few days, and he didn't like any of it. Three days ago, the Death Eaters had attacked for the first time in thirteen years. The Quidditch World Cup celebrations were interrupted, and several tents were burned, and the Dark Mark was showed again in the sky.

Ron was initially accused of doing this last thing (someone had stolen his wand) but he had been cleared due to the appearance of Barty Crouch's house elf, Winky. This same elf had been freed by her master, and started crying (The day later, Harry would find her cleaning the kitchen, because Sirius had decided they needed another elf).

The Daily Prophet made sure to blame Mr. Weasley and the other ministry officials that were present there. The auror force (who were supposed to oversee security) and the minister himself (who was the one who suggested to organise the event) were not mentioned at any point in the article.

Sleep had evaded Harry these last few days. He still dreamt about the fights he had with Death Eaters. He had duelled a couple of them, and Harry was quite sure he had managed to break a few of their bones. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no news about arrests of the Death Eaters.

But that was not the worse part. Harry had a nightmare last night that didn't let him think clearly. He had already sent a letter to Dumbledore (the man had asked him to do it if he had any reactions from his scar), and he was waiting for a reply.

Harry had dreamt about Voldemort last night. He could not see him directly, but he could hear him speaking to one of his Death Eaters. This Death Eater had straw-coloured hair, and Harry thought he reminded him of someone.

They kept talking about a game, and how they could get Harry to participate in it. Voldemort also said that the man would be starting his mission soon, and that would make everything easier. He also told him about another man that would help him. The Death Eater seemed to hate him for some reason…

And that is where the nightmare ended. Harry awoke suddenly and decided to drink some water. He told Sirius and Remus about it, and Sirius instantly worried. His godfather insisted on sending a letter to Dumbledore and being extra careful this year at Hogwarts.

Sirius also told him about the Triwizard Tournament. Apparently, it was going to be held this year at Hogwarts, so this could be the game they were talking about in Harry's nightmare. This tournament had been abandoned centuries ago, due to the high death toll.

This also explained why Harry had been required to buy formal dress robes. It was quite usual to celebrate a Yule Ball during the Tournament, and dancing would be required. Sirius' wink at the requirement of a partner didn't go unnoticed by Harry either.

1st of September 1994, King's Cross Station

Sirius and Remus had come with him to the station. They had insisted on accompanying him, since they hadn't been able to do so during Harry's first year. Harry bid goodbye to the both, before he hopped on the train.

Harry entered an empty compartment and stored his trunk along with Hedwig's empty cage. His owl had preferred to fly to Hogwarts on her own, and Harry would not deny her a healthy dose of exercise.

Harry opened Astoria's book (which had been disguised to look like Quidditch through the ages) and began reading. He hadn't wanted to begin during his stay at Grimmauld due to his embarrassment. So Harry looked at the first chapter of the introduction:

Chapter 1: How to approach a witch

After almost half an hour of reading, Hermione and Ron finally entered the compartment, instants before the train began to move. Thanking the Weasley's timing once more, Harry stored his lecture and began conversing with his two best friends.

He quickly updated them on what had happened since they had seen each other last, and they were quite intrigued, mainly at the mention of the Triwizard Tournament. Hermione had already sworn to research everything about it when the time came, and Ron was thinking about what prize they could give the winner.

This year's journey was being far better than last year's one. There were no soul-sucking demons to worry about, and Harry had something to look forward to when he returned home. Sooner than they thought, it was time for them to leave the compartment to change into their robes, and get ready for the new year.

An hour later, at the Great Hall…

The sorting had just finished. Colin's brother Dennis had joined them at the Gryffindor table, as well as another dozen students. Nothing special had happened, so Dumbledore moved on to the announcements.

"This year, and I have lost count of how much times I've said this, we will have a new member of the faculty. This year, teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, we have none other…"

BANG!

The door opened suddenly, and the strangest man Harry had ever seen, entered the room. He had a wooden leg, that resounded with every step. He was missing a couple of fingers from an arm, and he had a crazy eye that spun continuously.

"None other than Alastor Moody! As some of you may know, he was an Auror in the ministry of Magic for several years, and one of the best we have ever had!"

Dumbledore mentioned a few more of his achievements, and Harry was quite impressed. This was the story of a man that had been through a war and survived several times against superior enemies. He identified with him quite well.

"But now comes the most important announcement: We won't be celebrating our Quidditch cup this upcoming year…"

Loud boos were heard amongst the students, with the Weasley twins being the loudest. Quidditch was something not only the players enjoyed, but the spectators as well. Removing that was close to criminal.

"… because, for the first time in centuries, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament!"

Immediately, loud applause could be heard around the hall. The students quickly began to comment to their friends, some explaining what the tournament was. They were interrupted by Dumbledore soon enough:

"Now, for those of you that don't know what that tournament is. The Triwizard Tournament is a competition involving three schools. Beauxbatons, in France; Durmstrang, in Bulgaria and Hogwarts. One student from each school who must be over seventeen, is chosen to represent their institution."

Several boos were heard from the students again, mainly the Weasley twins, who wouldn't turn seventeen until next year.

"The students will be chosen the 31st of October, and you will be told how to do it when the time comes. They will compete in three tasks, and the one with the highest score will win the trophy, along with a thousand galleon prize."

Discussion began between the students, mainly the ones who were seventeen. A thousand galleons were a nice amount of money…

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. They knew what could happen. The-Boy-Who-Lived was quite likely to come out as champion. Hermione had already promised to research in the library for possible tasks.

Harry began to feel worried. A tournament known for people dying in it. Combined with a mass-murderer, that was a recipe for disaster. He would have to fight for his survival, once again.

2nd of September 1994, Potion's dungeon

Today was the first day of class of Harry's fourth year. And they were going to start with potions. Harry was quite happy with that. Potions may not be his favourite subject, but he enjoyed it a lot.

Harry hoped this year would be as good as his third year. And it had been up to a good start. Professor Greengrass had given them a quick summary of the potions they would be studying this year. She had decided to start with the calming draught, the little brother of the Dreamless Sleep potion, something Harry had taken a couple of times at the Hospital Wing.

"And that is all about useful safety warnings, which you should have learned during first year. Now, it is your turn to give it a shot. Since doing it on your own would take too much time, you should do it in pairs."

Whispers could be heard across the room, and Harry had already struck a non-verbal agreement with Ron.

"But since I have seen the same pairs too many times, you should be paired randomly. Unless something comes up, you will be working with that person for the rest of the year."

She then grabbed a hat she had below her table and showed it to everyone.

"This hat has several blank pieces of parchment. Now, all the students sitting on my right will come here and pick a paper. It will magically choose someone sat on my left. You will be paired to that person."

Slow but steady, the students around Harry began moving. Deciding not to be the last one out, Harry lined up at the queue behind Zabini. When it was finally his turn, Harry picked a name from the hat, and his heart did a flip.

Daphne Greengrass

What were the chances? It is as if the teacher had done it to torture him on purpose! He was not ready to strike intelligent conversation with her yet!

Despite these facts, Harry began moving towards her desk. Looking around him, he saw Neville sitting with Pansy, and Tracey had somehow ended up with Nott. He glanced at the teacher, who gave him a wink. Great… Astoria must have had a conversation with her…. He may have gotten Astoria out of Slytherin, but he would never get the Slytherin out of Astoria.

He sat next to Daphne, avoiding her glance, and hoped that she didn't notice his blush. If he paid attention to her, he would have noticed her doing the exact same thing. It was not until everyone had sat down next to their partners that he was able to strike conversation.

"So… are you ready to start the potion?"

"Yeah, if you could go and gather the ingredients from the cabinet?"

And with that, they began brewing the potion. They both struggled more than usual, but in the end, they got a decent result. Which is what really matters.

That night, at Daphne's bedroom...

Daphne and the girls (Tracey and Pansy) were having their daily girl time. Something that Daphne both loved and hated with a passion. It could be really nice to have someone help you with your issues, but it was horrible when they decided to torment you, which is what was going on now.

"You know, Pansy. I believe we are forgetting something."

"And what are we forgetting dear Tracey?" Pansy asked her friend.

"We have forgotten to talk about the latest update on Harry…"

"You are right, Pansy. And I think our dear Daphne is more interested in this than we are, is she?"

"The only thing she is interested in is both of you to shutting up!" The blonde girl responded.

"Oh, come on! You can't deny your cousin did you a favour during potions can you?" Pansy tried.

"Favour? More like punishment! She knows I can't handle being close to him!"

"And why not? It is not as if he has hurt you in the past, has he?"

"Tell us if he has, we will gladly break his legs!" Pansy said creepily.

"It is not that! It is just…" Daphne mumbled something that neither of her friends understood.

"Sorry, could you repeat that, Pansy and I couldn't understand you."

"Because I fancy him okay!" Daphne yelled.

The two other girls looked at each other, before Tracey said:

"Finally! Took her long enough!"

"Been waiting for the last four years! Tracey, bring in the bottle!" Pansy ordered.

The brunette girl left quickly for her room, to get the bottle of butterbeer.

"Wait what? What do you mean four years? You are lying!"

"Come on Daphne! It is not as if we couldn't see you staring at him during the sorting, or every time we had class with Gryffindor! And you know this 'rivalry' only exists as a way to get him to notice you!"

Before Daphne was able to retort, Tracey came into the room with a bottle and three glasses.

"Sorry for the wait, I almost got the second one by mistake Pansy."

"Second one? Why do you have so many bottles stored?" Daphne wondered.

"So we could celebrate that you admitted you fancy him, of course! The second one is for when you start dating!" Pansy replied.

"And we have a third one of Firewhiskey! That is when he proposes though…" Tracey added.

Daphne looked wide-eyed at her two best friends. Had she been that obvious all along?

Meanwhile, at the Headmaster's office…

Harry was talking to Dumbledore about the nightmare he had the previous week. The headmaster had paid attention for the whole story, and only interrupted him to ask questions. The boy had just finished his tale when Dumbledore began talking:

"This is not a good sign, Harry. I had been against the return of the tournament this year, but Lucius Malfoy and his friends insisted until the Minister agreed. I fear it is very likely you will have to compete Harry, but I won't be able to help you."

Harry was about to protest, but a look from Dumbledore told him that it wasn't over yet.

"I won't be able to help you, because I don't even know what the tasks are about. All the documents went through the Ministry, and I have not been informed of anything. I know you will get a clue for one of them, but I can't say more. Difficult times will be ahead of you Harry, and you need to trust people."

Dumbledore's warning wasn't over yet. After the man sat in his chair, he continued:

"We may know what Voldemort is trying to do, Harry. But it is vital to tell the less amount of people as possible. If he were to change his plans, we would be at a disadvantage. I may not be able to help you Harry, but that does not mean that other people can't. You will be competing in dangerous tasks against more experienced wizards. Asking for help doesn't make us weaker, but it makes us humbler."

9th of September 1994, Divination classroom

Harry was going through one of the most boring lessons in Divination yet. Today they were studying the effects of stars and planets. Basically, what muggles called astrology.

Harry would have found it interesting if he was able to pay attention. It was at this time, that Harry was approached by Professor Trelawney.

"And you, my child, I detect the strong influence of Mars in you. Am I wrong in saying that you were born towards the end of the year, maybe close to Christmas?"

"I am sorry to say you are wrong. I was born the last day of July." Harry answered tiredly.

There were several snorts in amusement from his classmates, while Lavender and Parvati looked at him weirdly.

He didn't want to deal with Trelawney's fans anytime soon, so Harry left as soon as the bell rang.

Unfortunately, he was forced to deal with Trelawney's homework. She had asked them to do a prediction diary for the following month, based on the positions of the planets.

Harry was trying to make sense of it all, but found it extremely confusing, and couldn't get the grasp on any of it. He looked to Ron, who seemed to have something on his diary.

"Ron, how did you do that? I got no idea how to begin with?"

"Aah, Harry, it is quite simple. I did it thanks to my superior intellect!" He said smugly.

"You invented everything didn't you?" Harry asked.

"Yep! Want to work together on it? The unluckier we are, the better grade we will get, you know?"

"Sure! So next Thursday I am going to get a nasty burn… Due to the position of Mercury and Venus!"

"Good one to start Harry! Since next Tuesday we have Potions, you may have an 'accident'. Next Thursday I may get buried alive, due to Saturn being in the fifth celestial slot!"

15th of September

The fourth years were walking towards Hagrid's hut, to begin their lesson about Care of Magical Creatures. Harry was quite proud of Hagrid's progress. He had become a quite solid professor, and most students treated him with respect.

Harry and his friends were wondering what they would be studying this year. As it was their second year with the subject, they could begin to study more dangerous creatures, or more exotic. In Hagrid's case, it could be both.

"Welcome everybody to another class of Care of Magical creatures!" Hagrid began.

"Today, the lesson will take part behind the hut, so follow me!"

The students looked at each other with bewilderment. What type of creature could hide there? There were only plains behind the hut last time they checked…

But there was something else. It was plain indeed, but it looked as if it had been freshly excavated. There were also several cages that seemed to purr like a cat.

"As you can see, this is not how this area usually looks like. It will serve for our lesson, before I plant the pumpkins for Halloween. Later I will probably use it for the 6th years' project…"

Hagrid continued. Yes, that area could be a good one for his screwts…

"As for today, I have planned something fun! In this area I have hidden a hundred coins of Leprechaun gold. Whoever gets the most will win a special prize!"

The students got excited at the idea of a prize. But they quickly found a problem. How where they supposed to get them out? Seeing their reaction, Hagrid spoke again:

"For that reason, today we will be studying nifflers!" He announced. Hagrid then opened one of the cages and showed them the niffler.

A niffler was a black fluffy long-snouted creature, quite like a rat. They apparently lived underground and were attracted to anything shiny. They had small pouches to store whatever they stole, and were used to find treasure.

"Before we begin though, a warning first. These creatures will steal anything shiny or valuable if they can. Before you pick the niffler, make sure to store anything of value in the boxes behind me!"

After a couple of minutes, the students picked their nifflers, and the competition began. Half an hour later, Harry only had three coins, but he didn't care because he was busy laughing his arse off.

Ron's niffler seemed to be hyperactive and had picked at least thirty coins by himself. He had removed so much dirt, he had made a mountain. With Ron inside it. The boy could barely raise his head above the dirt while he glared at the niffler annoyedly.

In the end, Ron was declared the winner, and he was handed a good amount of chocolate. Harry was about to congratulate him, when he remembered:

Wasn't today Thursday? Hadn't Ron predicted that he would get buried alive?

22nd of September 1994, DADA classroom

The Gryffindors and Slytherins had sat at the Defence classroom. Ever since Alastor Moody had become the DADA professor, his paranoia had been a subject of conversation between the students. The screams of "Constant vigilance!" still got most of them at class.

A few minutes later, they heard the familiar thuds of Moody's leg. He entered the classroom, and without saying anything, he wrote something in the board. When he turned around, it was clearly visible:

THE UNFORGIVABLE CURSES

"This will be the topic of the day. Why are these curses named like that?" Moody asked the class.

"Because they are unforgivable sir. Casting any of them against a human will lead to life in Azkaban." Hermione answered.

"That is correct! They are also the only curses that can not be deflected by magical shields. There are three of them, can anyone give me their names?"

"The… Imperius Curse sir." Ron replied.

"That is right! Nasty curse that one is!" He grabbed a jar from a cupboard and grabbed a spider that was inside it. "Imperio!"

The spider began moving around as if it were a puppet. Moody then switched it for another spider in the jar.

"This caused a lot of problems for the ministry, since they could not figure out who was acting on their own free will. What else?"

"The Cru…Cruciatus sir!" Neville said.

"True! This will cause an immense amount of pain on the victim. We will need a bigger one for this." After enlarging the spider, Moody demonstrated the curse, and the spider shrieked in pain.

"And the last one?" Moody asked again.

"Avada Kedavra" Harry replied. He had heard it too many times last year due to the dementors.

"Correct! It may be the best of them… An Imperius may force you to kill your family, and a Cruciatus will make you tremble in pain… The Avada Kedavra is merciful in comparison!" He then cast the curse on the spider, that became still. No lightning shaped scars on her.

"There is only one known survivor, and he is sitting right in front of me!" He said, pointing at Harry. Moody spent several minutes expanding on the topic, until they got to the practical part:

"The Imperius may not be shielded against magically, but it can be fought by a superior will! I have been allowed to cast it against you, so we will test the theory now! I will cast it on each of you, and I want you to do your best to resist it!"

The students formed a line in front of Moody, and he forced them to do several things. Dean Thomas kept doing backflips. Seamus sang the national anthem while hopping around the class. Neville did some impressive gymnastics. Eventually, it was Harry's turn:

"Imperio!"

'Jump to the desk Potter!'

Harry's legs flexed a bit, but everyone could see it was forced.

'That is stupid.' Harry thought.

'Jump to the desk boy!'

But this time, Harry's legs did not fold. He stood up, not allowing Moody to ridicule him in class.

"I don't think I will, thank you very much!" Harry said, breaking the curse completely.

"Well done, Potter! They are going to struggle trying to control you!"

3rd of October 1994, Gryffindor common room

Hermione was on a bad mood again. Three days ago, she found out that house elves were the ones cooking the food at Hogwarts. After learning about the nature of these creatures, she was not happy at all.

Hermione had stopped eating that instant, affirming that doing so only encouraged slavery. She had refused to finish her plate, and only ate dinner because she didn't know where the kitchens were.

Knowing what she would encounter if she were to go there, Harry refuse to tell her the location, and made sure that Fred and George wouldn't either. She went on a tirade about 'what a type of friend Harry was' and yada-yada.

Today she had invited Ron and him to a meeting at the common room. Neither of them knew what she was up to, so they decided to go with her to find out. They found her in a table next to the corner of the common room.

They sat in front of her in silence, until she noticed they had arrived. She closed her book with a loud thud and grinned at them. The boys were instantly frightened by that grin. That could only mean she was up to something, and they would be the ones dealing with it.

"Good evening boys, and welcome to the first meeting of S.P.E.W!"

"Hermione, what is this? Who was the one to spew?" Ron asked.

"It is not spew, but S.P.E.W! And it stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare. It is a new organisation I have founded to raise awareness for house elves!"

"What? You do know that you don't make an organisation with one person, right?"

"Of course I do Harry! But I already have four members!" She told happily.

"And who are they? I can't see anyone joining so soon…" Ron added.

"You and Harry, of course. You have been named as treasurer and Harry is the secretary. And I got Neville to join ten minutes ago."

Both guys looked at Neville, who was wearing a red badge on his chest. Once he caught them staring, he gave them a look that meant he had been "strongly suggested" to join.

Seeing where this was going, Harry decided to try something.

"You only have human members? If this is truly an organisation directed towards elves…"

"It should have elves as members. And I don't see any here, Hermione." Ron finished.

The girl looked at them sheepishly, slight blush on her cheeks.

"I was expecting Harry may be able to help here… You told me Dobby worked here, so maybe he will listen to you? I tried to call him a few times, but he didn't answer…"

"Sure, Hermione! I can help you with that" 'Hopefully, he will talk her out of this.' Harry hoped.

"Dobby!"

CRACK!

"Master Harry Potter sir has called Dobby!"

The elf looked quite different as when Harry had seen him for the first time. He was wearing a red bathrobe, and a pair of green socks. He was also quite happy to obey his master.

"Dobby is yours. You have an elf. YOU ARE ENCOURAGING SLAVERY!" Hermione yelled.

The whole Gryffindor common room was looking at them now. Not wanting to cause a scene, Harry dragged Hermione outside so they could discuss it properly.

"I am not encouraging slavery! I needed someone to help me with housework, so I bonded with him!"

"But you are not paying him, are you not?!" Hermione asked angrily.

"Master is not paying Dobby Miss Frizzy. But Dobby lives inside Master's house, and he buys food with Master's money!" Dobby added.

"But what about illness? Or insurance? Or…"

"Hermione, Dobby has been completely healthy ever since he has been working for me. Look at him! He looks far better than he did two years ago!"

"Maybe… maybe you are right. But other elves may want freedom! Winky was treated horribly by Mr. Crouch, so she may be interested!"

"Erm… about that." Harry answered. "She has been working for Sirius for about a week now…"

"What? How? But she was mistreated? How could she accept that so soon? He is treating her properly, right?" She asked worriedly.

"Last time I checked, yeah. The only times I have seen Sirius mistreat an elf have been when Kreacher is around, and he was already insane."

That began yet another discussion. About Kreacher's and Sirius' sanity and the elves' proper treatment. Harry and Ron tried to calm her down as best as possible, but they knew it would take her a while to comprehend that not everyone was like Malfoy.