Avery's POV
The next morning I made my way down to breakfast early, happy to see Hogwarts filled with students again. After eating I helped Minerva distribute schedules again, coming up on Lily and Harry, not seeing Ron or Hermione with them.
"All right you two, here we are with schedules. Now, some of the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang may be joining your own classes and you may notice that some of your classes have less Hogwarts students and that is so our guests will have plenty of opportunity to still get their own education while they're here. I'll see you in class," I said, handing them both their schedules and I could hear the two talking about their schedules as I walked away from them to get to my classroom.
"I'm almost jealous, you get to be outside all morning," I heard Lily say to Harry.
"Yeah, but you've got your mum's class first thing, see?" I heard Harry say. I couldn't hear anything else they were saying as I got to the door of the Great Hall. Turning the corner of the corridor my classroom was on, I nearly ran head first into someone, that someone being Mad-Eye.
"Oh, excuse me professor," I said but he just grunted at me before going on his way. I had a feeling that he probably wouldn't warm up to me much during his time here, but if he ended up like the other professors in that position he would only be here for one year. I welcomed my second year students as they filed into the room and got class started quickly. The next weeks flew by and before I knew it, Barty Crouch was standing next to the huge goblet that had blue flames coming up and out the top. It was early October now and there was a distinct chill in the air as students and staff alike talked amongst themselves, only getting quiet when both Dumbledore and Crouch were standing next to the Goblet. Crouch rattled off the rules of the Tournament before Dumbledore began his speech and, finally, it was time to find out who would be champion for each school. The air felt very tense as we all watched the flames in the goblet turn red as it spit out a small piece of parchment.
"Our first champion, from Durmstrang, is Viktor Krum!" Dumbledore announced, students erupting into applause and cheers while Krum walked to the front of the hall and through a door to the room behind us. The goblet spit out two more names, Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons and Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts, and I had just stood up to help make sure students went back to their dormitories when the flames in the goblet turned red once again, stopping everyone in their tracks. Everyone watched silently as the small piece of parchment landed softly in Dumbledore's hand before he opened it up and said another name.
"Harry Potter," he said quietly, clearly in disbelief, and my breath hitched in my throat. This couldn't be happening. "Harry Potter," Dumbledore said a bit louder and I watched as Harry slowly walked to the front of the hall, students whispering behind their hands. I knew there was no way Harry had put his name in himself, so the question now was, who had? Minerva broke me out of my thoughts and I rushed after the other students, helping Flitwick and Sprout usher them all back to their own common rooms, but not before Lily found me.
"Mum, there you are," she said, pushing through some other students to get to me.
"Lily, you need to go to the common room," I told her sternly, still in denial about Harry being in the tournament.
"I will, I swear, but do you know what's going on with Harry's name being picked?" she asked me.
"No. I don't. There is absolutely no way he could have put his name in himself, and none of the older students could have done it either, Dumbledore had too many protections up so that kind of thing could be avoided. If I find out anything I'll tell you, but right now you need to go to your common room. Oh, and Harry will need a good friend right now, yeah?" I said and she nodded at me with a smile before disappearing in the sea of students ahead of me. Once I was satisfied that the students were clear of the Great Hall and the corridors, I made my way to the back room of the Great Hall, anxious to talk to Harry myself. When I walked in, Dumbledore and Crouch were talking to each other quietly, the other three champions eyeing Harry suspiciously.
"You all right, Harry?" I asked him, wrapping him in a tight hug. He looked so conflicted and I wished I could help him more than I was able to.
"Yeah, thanks Professor," he said, his return of my hug only half hearted. "I didn't do it. You know, put my name in there," he said once I let him go.
"I know, don't worry. And so does Lily. I saw the way Ron was watching you walk to the front of the Hall, he's very jealous I think. There are people on your side, Harry, I want you to know that," I told him and he just nodded before Dumbledore and Crouch separated from their conversation.
"The boy will compete, it is a binding magical contract that cannot be broken," Crouch said shortly.
"Well, that's it, then. You have been given your instructions for the first task. Off you go," Dumbledore said dismissively. I trailed behind Harry as he and Cedric walked from the hall together, able to hear that they were talking, but not able to hear what they were saying, until Cedric went off to his common room and Harry started up the stairs to go to the Gryffindor common room, turning when he heard my footsteps.
"Oh, Professor Lupin, I didn't realize you were behind me," Harry said, waiting for me to catch up.
"Just going back to my classroom. Are you sure you're alright, Harry?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I thought maybe the attention would be off of me this year with the Tournament, but as usual, that isn't the case. Professor Moody seems to think that someone put my name in so I would die during the Tournament," he said.
"It's not all that surprising that he would think that, but he does have a point. It's suspicious that your name was in there at all. I believe you that you didn't put your name in, but someone did. It's hard to trick the goblet of fire, there could be something going on that we don't know the gravity of just yet. I want you to be careful, Harry, yeah?" I said, stopping as we reached the floor my classroom was on.
"Yeah, thanks professor," he said before continuing up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. When I got to my office I immediately sent a letter to Remus about what had happened. I was sure Harry would write to Sirius, maybe not right away, but soon enough. Once I sent my letter with my owl, I sat down at my desk in my office to grade papers after stoking the fire in the fireplace a bit. I had just finished grading some second year essays and was about to start on some fifth year ones when the fire in the fireplace suddenly turned green, indicating someone was coming through the Floo network. Dumbledore had worked it out to have my fireplace be connected to the Floo network so I could see Remus through the year and not just on the longer breaks, but I had never expected Remus to actually use it to come to Hogwarts. As I stood up he came through, looking slightly panicked.
"Remus, what are you doing here?" I asked him, walking over to him.
"I just got your letter. Harry's name really came out of the goblet of fire?" he asked me as I led him to the couch to sit down.
"Yes. No one is sure how it even happened. It would take some seriously strong magic to trick the goblet like that. Moody thinks someone has it out for Harry, which isn't totally unreasonable really," I said, secretly happy that Remus was in my office and sitting next to me. I hadn't seen him since September 1st and I wasn't sure when I would have seen him next since I was expected to stay at Hogwarts during the Christmas holiday for the Yule Ball, plus the other usual breaks weren't scheduled and it seemed the school year would last a bit longer than usual with the tournament going on.
"While I agree that isn't totally unreasonable, I do think Moody is a bit paranoid," Remus said and I nodded, agreeing with him about that.
"There is no doubt about that," I said with a slight chuckle. Moody was probably the most paranoid person I'd ever met. Remus stayed for a while more before going back home and I went to bed happier than I had all year.
