Harry had come early to the Great Hall. He was feeling still fuzzy, his fingers brushed over his lips, like testing if they were really there. Cho and he had kissed! His mind boggled at the thought of it. It turned back to that moment over and over, his stomach felt like it was filled with a thousand butterflies and a cube of ice. He smiled thinking about it. To think that that really had happened. It was so unbelievable. Harry wanted to yell and jump, feeling so gleeful. That was the reason he was here in the great hall already. He was worried, if he went outside, he would not notice the passing time and miss the evening event but he didn't feel like going to the common room right now. So instead he was sitting here, watching the Goblet.
Its blue flames were burning bright and magical.
Harry leaned back on the bench when a commotion was turning up at the door. The tall seeker of Hufflepuff seeker team Cedric Diggory walked in with a couple of friends. All were smiling and cheering for the guy, who seemed a little embarrassed due to the noise his friends were making. He walked up to the goblet and put a small piece of parchment into the flames. The blue fire roared up for a moment then turned back to its previous state. The brunette boy seemed to have held his breath and then he grinned towards the others, while still blushing a little. His eyes swept over the gathered students and for a moment his gaze connected with Harry. Even though they hadn't talked a lot over the years, both of them were seekers and therefore had a little in common. Harry raised his hand and gave him a thumbs up with a grin on his face. Cedric smiled too and let his friends drag him away. Harry chuckled a little to himself and resumed playing with Dawn. She was sitting on the table and he used his wand to let a feather dance over her, letting her chase it around. It was her favourite game, chasing something. Harry had learned that phoenixes were birds of prey, hunting insects when they were younger and later small rodents. Not that Dawn would ever need to hunt herself, but it was her instinct and she enjoyed chasing things around, so Harry often did this. For a few minutes, he was by himself when he heard a group approach him. Harry turned his head, seeing Fred, George, Hermione, Ron and Angelina come join him. He waved with a smile. Ron fell on the bench beside him, his hand stretched out and nuzzling Dawn's head for a moment, receiving the familiar chirp.
"Hey mate, what are you doing down here?" The redhead asked, leaning against the table watching the Hall. Harry nodded in greeting to Hermione and the others, who were settling down around him.
"I just felt like watching the Goblet you know? Quite a few people placed their name in." Harry gestured to the flaming object. Hermione leaned over to him.
"Like who?"
Harry lowered his wand, letting Dawn catch the feather, which the small familiar proudly showed off to Hermione and Angelina. Both girls cooed for a moment over the small bird. Angelina hadn't had much contact with the small bird as of yet and watched it in amazement, something that worked well with the ego of the black bird.
"You just missed Cedric and half an hour ago Patricia Stimpson. Other than that there was Roger Davies, some others I don't know. Oh, Cassius Warrington and Adrian Pucey as well." The others frowned a little at the last two. Both were Slytherin Chasers and neither of them was really pleasant. Warrington was an arrogant tosser, heir to House Warrington and a pureblood thinker. Pucey, on the other hand, was not from a noble house but still was not a nice guy. He tended to bully quite a lot and had gotten into trouble for his inability to control his anger.
"Let's just hope it is neither of them," Ron stated, and the others nodded in agreement. Ron then stared longingly at the Goblet.
Hermione leaned over.
"What about the other schools?" She looked around, but none of the German and Japanese delegations was present. Harry leaned a little to the side.
"Basti told me all of their school put in their names. Said this was why they were here anyway. I think it is probably the same as the students of Mahoutokoro."
Angelina eyed the goblet while nodding. "Probably right. Those who came here are here for that reason. They probably decided to join weeks ago."
Fred grinned a little, leaning over.
"Any guess who it will be of those?" He asked, nudging George before grinning mischievously at his brother. His eyes stayed on Harry. The black-haired boy shrugged.
"I've only talked to the guys from Germany. Basti said it would probably Ulrich or Jonathan. I wouldn't know really, so I guess he is right."
Ron hummed in agreement. "Sounds right. That tall thin guy was duelling champion this year, wouldn't be surprised if it was him." His eyes were also focused on the goblet, watching the flicking flames carefully.
"Bloody bad luck for us not to be old enough to join. They will probably won't have another one while we are here in school." he started muttering. Harry shook his head. Ron raised an eyebrow to that.
"You don't want to compete?" He asked and Harry shook his head again.
"Nah. I had enough danger over the past few years and the whole eternal fame thing, not my cup of tea. I am quite fine with watching from the sidelines this year, let others dive into danger for once."
Fred jumped from the bench, grinning. "Yeah, leave some fame to us mere mortals oh our highly vaunted lord." He said with a mocking bow before Harry. George also stood up and pulled two vials from his pocket. He handed one to his brother, both uncorking those two.
Ron frowned at his twin brothers. "What's that?"
George leaned forward, showing the vile to the other four.
"Aging Potion. Just a little bit, since we turn seventeen soon. Enough to give us the edge you know? We can't have one of the snakes turn out to be the champion, so we thought, this competition needs a little Weasley blood you know?" Both grinned. Everyone looked at the two surprised when suddenly a snort was heard. Everyone turned his eyes to Hermione who was holding back laughter.
"It's not gonna work." She said, still trying to reel in her emotion. Fred and George turned over to her. "Oh yes, and why would that be?" One of them asked.
Hermione pointed at the floor around the goblet, where a simple line was drawn with chalk.
"That there is an age line. Drawn by Professor Dumbledore himself. He is a genius. Do you really think you could fool his work with a potion we learn in the second year?" She asked with great amusement. Fred and George returned the grin without missing a beat.
"Of course, because it is so out there. It is so simple and stupid, no one would do it so no one will guard against it you know?" George said, raising his vial. Hermione shook her head in amused disbelief. Fred and George raised their vials to each other.
"To good health." They said in tandem before downing the potion. Nothing happened but since they only aimed for a few weeks, nothing was to be expected. Both drew quite a few pairs of eyes to themselves when they walked over to the chalk line. Nodding to each other they did a little hop over the line and...nothing happened. The two grinned and applause echoed through the room. The infamous troublemakers had done it again.
Bowing they received the applause, smiling and waving. Then they pulled out both a piece of parchment, grinning at each other. The people surrounding were watching eagerly.
"Don't forget me when you are famous, brother of mine!" Fred chuckled. George winked at him.
"Hard to forget someone whose face you see in the mirror. Okay, one, two, three."
Both reached out with their hands but failed to notice the line glowing. When the parchment almost touched the flames, a bright flash was to be seen and both teenagers were blasted out of the circle tumbling over the floor. For a moment it was quiet, then laughing started. Both of the twins rose from the ground, touching their faces, where white beards grew out of them. They looked at each other, for a moment blinking then a burst of laughter roared out of their lungs, leading the laughing from thereon.
"The look suits you Messers Weasley." A deep voice from the door stated. Everyone in the room turned at that. Standing there with a bright smile, Professor Dumbledore was also chuckling a little before winking at the two. Fred and George threw an arm around each other's shoulder and bowed to the old man.
"Well played professor, but we will be back." Fred hollered with a bright grin. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he nodded.
"Feel free to try my dear boys. I am eager to see what you come up with next. Remember, you have still four hours." With these words the old headmaster turned and started walking away, humming to himself, while his hands were folded behind his back. He seemed like he wasn't bothered much with what just happened, obviously confident that his safety measures would hold up against the combined minds of Fred and George. The two twins looked at each other, stroking their new beards.
Harry chuckled watching this non-verbal communication the two were obviously having. He turned back to Hermione, Ron and Angelina. His black quidditch teammate watched Fred and George with quiet amusement in her eyes.
"I don't think that was the end of it with the two of them." She stated, pointing at the leaving twins.
Harry chuckled. "Probably not. They will try it again until the end of it. But they probably won't get anywhere." Angelina grinned at him, nodding.
"Yeah, I think they know that. It's trying to break the rule for them, isn't it?" The others nodded in agreement when the older girl rose.
"But in one thing they were right." She said, winking at them, before pulling a parchment from her robes. "We can't let the snakes get the spot." And with these words, she walked towards the Goblet. Hermione frowned.
"I didn't know she was seventeen already." She said. Harry smiled nodding.
"Yeah, she is. Last year we celebrated her birthday with the team only a week into the term. So she got lucky in this." He watched the black girl walking over the line and tossing her parchment into the goblet. Again applause rose from the students around them. Angelina was well-liked by most of the student body, with the obvious exception of Slytherin. The golden Gryffindor trio applauded to the girl with a grin. Angelina smiled herself and nodded towards the door. Harry gathered his things and placed Dawn on his shoulder. Still, peoples' eyes followed the bird, while a few girls off to the side were whispering, watching Harry like a prime rib. The boy was oblivious to it and they all went outside.
Walking around the grounds they all talked to each other. Most of their conversation was about Quidditch and the lack of training. Angelina confessed that she didn't mind it too much since this year was already a hard year for her and also she wanted to be champion. To think she also needed to do practice, was in her mind too much.
Soon Angelina parted from them when Alicia and Katie waved her over. The Gryffindor Trio walked around the Black Lake, while the sun was lowering towards the horizon.
For a while they spoke just about minor things, what they thought about the tournament and about classes, while Harry felt his thoughts bubble in his mind, demanding to be said, it needed an out.
"Cho kissed me." He blurted out finally after Dawn had nipped his ear because his bubbling feelings of anxiety were getting on her nerves through the bond. Ron and Hermione stopped mid-step, turning for Harry. The autumn wind was ruffling his black hair and suddenly he felt stupid saying that. He felt embarrassed and looked out onto the lake.
Hermione was the first to regain her standing as she smiled and stepped closer to Harry.
"That is wonderful Harry." She put her arms around him, hugging the boy. Dawn hopped over to her shoulder at the move, while Harry smiled.
"Thank you." He whispered into Hermione's hair. Then she stepped back from him and Ron clapped his hand on Harry' shoulder.
"Well done mate. Better you than me with the girls." He said with a chuckle and Harry took it with the good humour he heard from Ron's words. Hermione smirked at him.
"Like a girl would ever kiss you, Ron." Hermione joked, with a grin. Ron shoved her in good nature.
"Oi!" He called out and all three of them laughed together. Then Ron smiled, nudging Harry slightly.
"And what was it like?" He asked, smirking. Harry felt the heat rising to his face and looked out onto the Lake.
"Good." Was all Harry could really say. How should he describe the feeling really? It was amazing sure but that was as vague as you can get. Thankfully Ron just nodded and they continued their walk. For a few minutes, none of them said a word, just walking and relaxing really. Ron had the hands in his pockets looking out onto the Black Lake. Harry was trailing behind a little his mind onto other things. Hermione had Dawn on her wrist, nuzzling her tummy with her free hand and whispering to the small bird. The small bird fluttered its wings, chirping at her. The golden eyes turned back to her bonded human. Harry was lost in thought, not noticing really where he walked, his mind with the kiss from before. A small smile tugged on his lips and Dawn felt his fond memory through the bond. All she now wanted was being close to him and she wanted it now.
Suddenly the small creature spread her wings and dropped from Hermione's wrist. The bushy-haired girl shrieked, trying to catch the small bird, but Dawn's wings caught her before the ground and she batted them, gaining height. In a quick swoop, she reached Harry's shoulder, landing there with fluttering wings, a little insecure but still, huddling close to the side of his face. All three friends froze for the fraction of a second, all staring at the small familiar in surprise and amazement. Then Harry's eyes lit up and he picked her from his shoulder, cuddling her to his chest. The bird chirped and cooed, loving the cuddles.
"You did it, Dawn! You flew! That is amazing!" He called out, while Ron and Hermione quickly grouped around him. They all watched the familiar chirp and nuzzle Harry's chest. Hermione and Ron joined in in amazement.
"She did it mate! Awesome little one!" Ron grinned. Hermione smiled also at the tiny creature.
"Dawn! You flew! And at only two months! The book said it could take up to six months really. You are an early bird so to speak!"
"Do you want to try again?" Harry asked, opening his arms. The familiar hopped on Harry's hand and he raised her above his head. Dawn eyed down at them for a moment, stepping from one foot to the other, then she spread her wings, fluttering once before she batted her wings with more strength and tipped from Harry's hand. The children whooped and cheered as the bird flew for real for the first time. Battering her wings Dawn made a big slope flying over their heads. She opened her beak and let out a trilling sound of triumph. Harry felt through the bond the excitement and happiness so powerful small tears filled his eyes. He sniffed, wiping those away while he watched with a proud smile as his small friend enjoyed herself in the air.
For a few minutes, Dawn flew around them, sometimes high sometimes low. Hermione looked at her watch.
"We need to go Harry." she said in a quiet voice. Still watching Dawn Harry nodded, and called out for his beloved familiar. Dawn gained height one last time before she turned, taking a dive and glided over the lake for a short period and returned to them. With fluttering wings she landed on Harry's shoulder, rubbing her head in his messed up hair. Harry laughed, tickling her stomach. "I love you too, that was amazing, girl." He said before they made their way back to the castle.
The Great Hall was already filled with most of the students from Hogwarts. Moments after the three had sat down later the Japanese students marched in, taking the seat once again at the Ravenclaw table. Behind them followed the German students, sitting down a few seats down the Gryffindor table.
"I really hope it will be Angelina," Ron said, giving the black Quidditch girl a thumbs up. Harry nodded in agreement. The table once again filled with food and Hermione picked up some beef for herself.
"Whoever the Hogwarts Champion is, we will support him or her anyways." She stated with a firm voice. Harry frowned a little.
"Even if it is a Slytherin?" He said. Hermione frowned a little at him in return.
"Of course. I think we should support whatever Champion there is, even a Slytherin. Except maybe Pucey." She admitted.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Not because he is a Slytherin but he is a git. Aren't you friends with a Slytherin yourself now Harry?" Hermione pointed out. Harry's ears tingled red when he was reprimanded this way. She was right Daphne Greengrass wasn't bad. They had met a few times over the last weeks, working on his potions and her DADA. It was fun, even though a little stilted at first. Yet over time, Harry had noticed that the girl had a really dry sense of humour he found really funny. One time Tracey Davis joined them and she was not what Harry had expected. For one she was a half-blood to his surprise he had always thought only purebloods were in Slytherin. Apparently, that had been a little problem in their first week, but after Daphne had put her foot down, none of the other Slytherins dared to cross her. Tracey was a little more open than Daphne but he could see that they complimented each other well. So there were two Slytherins he didn't dislike. Oh, and of course Narcissa.
"I wouldn't say we are friends, but...you are right Hermione." Harry agreed, putting some mashed potatoes on his plate. His eyes turned back to the head table, where the goblet was residing. You could feel the nervousness in the room, while everyone was waiting for the main event of the evening. Harry finished rather quickly, not feeling like eating. He had a strange feeling. Something made him feel like something bad would happen. He had no idea why but he felt anxiety he hadn't felt when they had come in. He spent the time feeding Dawn with embers, petting her and all in all trying to focus on her.
Finally, the plates cleared and professor Dumbledore rose to his feet. He wore a maroon robe with golden stars on it and a nightcap, looking as eccentric as ever. He smiled under his half-moon glasses, folding his hands. Madam Greif looked as interested and eager as all the others, while Mr Nobunaga was leaning back in his chair, smiling sagely. To the side was Ludo Bagman and Miss Umbridge, he in dashing robes, while she wore again all pink.
Dumbledore smiled widely at them, raising his hands.
"In a few minutes the goblet will be ready, but before we begin I wanted to say a few words. First of all, I want to wish those that will be chosen the best of luck. To all those that aren't chosen, don't feel like you are worthless. The goblet can only pick one person so it doesn't mean that person is better than yourself. This year is still a wonderful opportunity for connection and meeting new people. You all leave after this year maybe wiser than you came. Speaking of wiser, I want to give an honourable mention to Fred and George Weasley, who outshined everyone else in their attempts to join the tournament even though they are not of age."
Dumbledore clapped his hands and after a moment of confusion others joined in as well. Fred and George rose with wide grins, their beards now so long they had to sling them around their shoulders like a toga from ancient Rome. Both bowed deeply to the cheering school. The twinkling in Dumbledores eyes didn't leave when he winked at them.
"Of course, I have to inform you that you will head for detention with Professor McGonagall for trying to enter the tournament underaged." Dumbledore added with a chuckle. The school laughed, lead by a laughing pair of twins who shouted that this was only fair.
Dumbledore waved his hands again, signalling for silence.
"Those who are chosen, please move over through this door to the side. You will get information on your first task there." He pointed at a door to his right, behind the head table.
"I think it is time." Dumbledore spoke out, looking at the object of everyone's interest.
The goblets fire lowered itself near the brim. Dumbledore raised his wand and with a wave, the candles and fires around the hall turned out. Darkness fell over the Hall, the only source of light was the goblet and its blue flames. Its flickering shine cast deep shadows to all sides. Dumbledore and all the others stared into the flames when suddenly those turned bright crimson and burned high and strong again. Sparks were flying and some students made noises of surprise. Next, a long flame shoot from the goblet and a scorched piece of paper sailed through the air. The flames turned blue again. The entire hall held its breath.
Dumbledore's nimble fingers caught the sailing piece and he raised it, reading what was written.
"The champion of Mahoutokoro is Akiko Musashi." Dumbledore smiled, clapping his hands. The entire hall joined him as a thin girl rose at the Ravenclaw table. She wore a dark crimson Kimono and smiled at the congratulations from her co-students. With long and elegant steps she moved up the table towards the headmaster. Ron leaned over to Harry.
"I would have bet that it would be the good looking girl with the flute from yesterday." He said pointing towards the girl in the silver kimono. Her head was still held high, but you could see her disappointment written on her face. Akiko walked up to Dumbledore in the meantime. When she reached him, she bowed down to him in a short manner. Professor Dumbledore inclined his head and gestured towards the door to his right. Still, the applause continued until she left the room. Again it turned quiet, the hall watched the goblet.
After a moment, the flames turned red again, flaring high. The second piece of paper was flung out of the goblet and Dumbledore caught this one too. His smile turned brighter when he read the next champion.
"The champion of Hogwarts is Cassius Warrington." He said turning to the green table to the side. Their applause erupted as a tall blond guy rose from his seat, grinning at his friends. He shook a few hands, one of those being Draco Malfoy's and made his way through the hall. His head was held high and he smirked at the rest of the students who were clapping politely. Harry and Hermione joined in, while Ron didn't bother. Instead, he groaned and rubbed his head.
"Oh damn." He murmured out, watching Warrington shake Dumbledore's hand and leaving the Hall too. The Slytherin table continued to cheer for their champion long after the others had quieted down and only stopped when the flames turned red a third time.
Once more the flames shot high in the air and a piece of parchment was caught by Professor Dumbledore.
"The Champion of Königsehr is Ulrich Kurfürst." He announced, clapping once more. The hall applauded when the gaunt-looking guy was rising from his seat. He leaned down for a moment, kissing the blond at his side before he nodded at his fellow students once. He walked up to Professor Dumbledore in a tired walk, bowing before the old man like the girl from Japan had done. He then moved off to the side, followed by applause.
"Well, I guess we can cheer for him." Ron said, still clapping as they watched him leave. Harry nodded in agreement when the applause quieted down. Professor Dumbledore smiled warmly, folding his hands.
"Now we have three champions. I hope you all will..." His voice trailed off and the hall would never know what the headmaster was hoped for when the flames turned red a fourth time. Surprised calls came when the flames shot high in the air, revealing a fourth piece of parchment. Every pair of eyes in the room followed the sailing piece before Dumbledore stretched out his long arm and snatched it from the air. His forehead frowned when he read the words written on it. A pause came, while Dumbledore stared at the parchment as everybody was staring at him. Slowly he raised his gaze, his eyes on the Gryffindor table. Slowly they moved along before stopping on a raven-haired boy with a black phoenix on the table in front of him.
Harry felt his stomach drop when the eyes of the headmaster focused on him.
"Harry Peverell." Dumbledore said in a voice void of emotion.
Harry stared back at the headmaster, his mind bare of any thought. He had heard the words, had seen the lips moving but no understanding came to him. He turned his head. Everybody was staring at him with wide eyes. Professor McGonagall got up from her chair and swiftly walked over to the headmaster, whispering into the ear of the slowly nodding man. Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. Both had their mouths open staring at him. Harry felt his hands turn cold and his neck start prickling. Dawn chirped at him, feeling his distress through their bond.
"I didn't...I haven't put my name in." Harry blurted out at his two friends who were just staring back. Around him, whispers rose like angry bees. The people stared at Harry and he felt his insides go cold. Whatever professor Dumbledore had heard from his colleague he nodded and raised his voice again.
"Harry my boy, would you please come up here?" He asked, waving his hand. Harry didn't move. He stared over at Hermione and Ron, needing some sort of reassurance from his best friends. He needed something. Hermione collected herself first. She grabbed Harry's sleeve and tried to pull him upright.
"Harry you have to go." She whispered, leaning forward. Harry stared back at her not moving.
"I didn't do it, Mione, I didn't I swear." He spoke louder now, feeling the panic rise in his stomach. Hermione shook her head.
"Not now Harry, you have to go. Give me your mirror I'll call Sirius." Mechanically Harry pulled out the shining old mirror with Prongs on the back and handed it to her. She took it and pulled on his sleeve again.
"Go!" She hissed. Finally, Harry got to his feet and stumbled down the aisle. He knew every eye was following him down the road. He felt numb and empty, his head was buzzing. It felt like an eternity and like instantly when he finally reached the end of the table. Hearing ruffling behind him, he felt a warm weight land on his shoulder. Somewhere in a detached part of his mind, he was glad that Dawn had taken flight today, still, he felt bad for leaving her behind. Like on its own his hand rose to rub over her belly.
"Sorry girl." He whispered and then he reached the headmaster. Dumbledore was staring down at him, a frown on his face. He gestured to the door to the side.
"Through there Harry." He said at least a little kindly. Harry turned to the right, his eyes straight ahead and walked to the door. The whispering followed behind him. Behind the door was a room that looked like a sitting room. Large portraits hung on the walls and a heart with a warm fire was in the back. The three champions were there already, looking up when he came in. Ulrich was sitting on a chair, the backrest to the front. Akiko and Cassius were standing watching each other near the heart. The came closer when Harry entered.
"What is going on?" Akiko asked. "Do they want us to come out again?"
She thought Harry had come with a message. The raven-haired boy had no idea what he should say. How should he explain this? That his name came also out of the goblet.
Harry stared at them when Cassius eyed squinted and he frowned. The older teenager shook his head.
"It's not that easy with Dumbledore's golden child." Cassius grumbled, moving closer to Harry. Before the boy could answer really the door behind him opened and a large group walked in, lead by Dumbledore himself.
AN
When I started the chapter, I wanted to play out the entire rest of the day. All the conversation in the room and all of that. But then it turned to almost 5000 words and I needed to make a cut, so this is a little less plot moving and more little bits and pieces together with the main plot points.
So we have the champions. First of the Japanese one. I thought about using the girl from the day before but then I thought no I don't want her to be someone we have seen before and also not the obvious choice. What her character will be I haven't thought through really but that will happen. All in all my plans in this direction are still to make up.
Cassius. Yeah, I wanted someone who really contrasts Harry. A pureblood elitist. First I wanted to use Flint, but then I noticed he had his last year in Hogwarts during Harrys. I also noticed a mistake in my story. It says Wood is in school but actually, he would have been done there. I will ignore that mistake but I didn't want it to be a second time so no Flint. Warrington is everything Draco and more. He goes full-on Nazi. I hope I write to him the right way.
It was divided between him or Angelina really. I thought long and hard about this. Both had their merits but in the end, I thought I want a Champion to hate and as an enemy of Harry really instead of her. So yeah, sorry Angelina.
Ulrich...yeah that is a role there. I hope he will not turn out too edgy. The German students all have a certain purpose and character and I am most worried about him. He can maybe come closest to wish fulfillment, we will see.
Dawn finally flew. I put this off as long as I could because I wanted her to still be this baby but I needed it to happen really because she has to grow as well. So the flight was the obvious next step even though it wasn't the last one. So she will be swooping around and probably cause some problems.
What are your thoughts on this chapter?
Next up: Everyone has an opinion about the fourth Champion.
PS: For those of you enjoying Shonen Anime, I can recommend Kimetsu no Yaiba. The story is a little run in the mill but the optic is really cool. Especially the water style.