Minerva McGonagall stared at her class of fourth years. The first class since the Choosing, there was only one face not present. That face's name however was on every student's lips in the room. Even the Slytherins were excited, though not for the fact that the Chosen was a Gryffindor but that it was a fourth year. A peer of theirs was a Chosen and it could have been them. While she did not deny them their ability, Minerva knew better. Harry Potter was special. But, it was still time for her to earn her kibble as Albus was fond of saying. Minerva coughed softly. When the class did not quiet down, she flicked her wand. The first five desks, students and all, floated into the air, and switched places. The students were shocked that the straight-laced professor would ever do such a thing.
"Now that I have your attention, it is time for Transfiguration. You may chatter after class. The next one that opens their mouths for reasons other than transfiguration, I will take 20 points and put you into detention. Good. Now we are talking about Simple Conjuring. The laws of creation were our notes earlier in the term, so who can tell me them?
Class continued as such, with the eventual conjuring of a small objects such as pieces of hay, straw and string. Eventually, Minerva called a stop." That is enough class, homework for next time. I want 3 feet on how the Laws of Creation effect conjuring if you failed to conjure your objects to my satisfaction! Dismissed." The students packed up their bags, and slowly trickled out of the room.
For Minerva the day continued as such. She taught three classes that day, grading essays in between them. Finally, her last class was dismissed and the second years ambled out of the room. She flicked her wand, cleaning the room of any stray parchment or quills before she left herself. She had a meeting with Headmaster Dumbledore before dinner and she would not be late.
She knocked on the door to the Headmaster's office and let herself in when enter came from beyond the door.
"Ah Minerva. Two minutes early. Allow me to get your file out and we can get started." Dumbledore began the meeting as the two talked about the school, transfiguration and Gryffindor as a house.
"Albus, I do not know how those twins do it, but they turned the third floor stairs to cheese last week. I took 35 points each, and gave them both detention with Filch. They never showed up for it either." Minerva said to her mentor.
"I am aware. Argus explained that they never showed up. I will transfer their detention to myself, and double its length. While funny, the stairs could have hurt someone since they chose a cheese that was not solid." Albus wrote a note to himself to do as he said.
The meeting continued in this vein, with Minerva updating the headmaster on the topics he cared about. Finally, however, the question that both knew would come up did. "And of Mr. Potter Minerva?"
"I am meeting with him every evening starting tonight. Since Chosen are granted Os for each of their final exams, and are not required to attend classes, I am going to have him use the time to study the theory of magic that should be taught up to 5th year." Minerva folded her hands in her lap. She waited for the Headmaster to give the advice she knew he would.
"Will it be enough for him Minerva?" The question shook Minerva from her thoughts of how to respond to the advice.
"Whatever do you mean Albus?"
"The Goblet will make these tasks much more difficult by design. The two other Chosen are prodigies in some form, and Harry does not have the same experiences in a classroom. I worry about his survival Minerva. That is all." Albus explained as he stared at his wrinkled hands, worn with age.
"I am hopeful that his family magic will help him. Diggory understands family magic better than even I. It is a branch of magic that I have always had issues with, due to its components." Minerva looked sheepish.
"I have told you many times, that should you attempt it now, I am certain you would be more than capable. You are not a little girl anymore Minerva." Albus gently chastised his Deputy. Her reluctance to use Family Magics was not a secret to anyone who knew her.
"You also do not use such things Albus. I would remind you to not throw stones." Minerva testily replied.
"I am unable to use my Family magic Minerva. My reason is much different than a blunt refusal." Minerva did not see Albus' fingers tighten slightly around his wand. She simply apologized and moved forward.
"I do not know what to do if Diggory cannot cover the missing ground with family magic. It is impossible to raise the boy up to the seventh-year curriculum by the time of the task. We will be pushing it with our ambitions now. " Minerva admitted her fear to her mentor.
"While the other students may know more, knowledge is different than application. Remember that Minerva. Harry is also an astounding boy. When pushed, I do not doubt he will soak up all that you will teach him." Dumbledore explained as a clock on the wall chimed that it was time for dinner. Both instructors rose, and began chatting about Puddlemere United Quidditch and if Oliver Wood would be placed as a starter or not. He was a reserve, but the current keeper was thinking of retiring.
As the professors entered the Great Hall, Minerva scanned the room for her advisee. As she glanced over each of her lions, she finally found him. He was laughing with his friends, and gesturing with a fork. As she settled in her place at the head table, and Dumbledore called the dinner to order and proclaimed the food to be served, she watched Harry. The changes in him were astounding, he spoke with more authority, more conviction. He walked with purpose, yet did not lose his playful and joyous demeanor around his friends. She surely hoped that he would survive. No. She could not hope. She would ensure it.
Harry hobbled up to Gryffindor Tower for seemingly the hundredth time since his name came from the Goblet. His entire left side was sore, and his right calf was locked in place. It was currently 3 am, and he was only now finishing his lesson with McGonagall and Cedric. Though torture sessions would be better. It started two days after he was Chosen, with an explanation of how it would go.
"Mr. Potter, come in. No need to be shy. Shut the door behind you." Professor McGonagall gestured him into the room. Cedric was leaning against the blackboard his wand in his hand and his arms crossed. An easy smile was on his face as he met Harry's eyes. Professor McGonagall was in her standard black robes and witches hat. She tightly smiled at her young charge. "Before we begin, we will explain what you will learn. We will drill into you the entirety of the curriculum up to and including Fifth Year. You will learn standard spells, and their applications. We will drill you until you are able to apply these spells to get the most of their effects. I will focus on transfiguration and Defense. Mr. Diggory will cover Charms and any other magic."
"Other magic professor?" Harry interrupted for the first time.
"Family magic Harry. I will teach you the principles behind Family Magic. The professor thinks that I would be best suited for such a job, and she is right." Cedric jumped in and explained. There was not a student in the school who understood charms and Family Magic like he did. Flitwick even claimed he was the best charms student in the last decade.
"I have my Grimoire. You can't teach me Potter Magic Cedric. It isn't possible." Harry said confused. He thought Family Magic couldn't be taught outside the family. His Grimoire said so.
"I can't teach you Potter Magic, just I can't teach you Diggory Magic. But I can make you understand how Familial based Magic, and other magic based around the principles of such magics, react to the world and standard magic. In your story during the Rite of the Heir, your grandfather used a Family Magic amplifying spell. Why? What made that the best choice? That is what I can teach you." Cedric gave Harry the reason that his father got him a tutor in the same subject when he was 12 years old.
"Alright... I think I understand." Harry clearly was skeptical. After all, if people could teach Family Magic, why have a Grimoire? But he chose these people, so he had to trust them.
"We shall get started now Mr. Potter. First, Transfiguration." Professor McGonagall started the lesson with vigor. Harry blasted through the fourth-year curriculum, and only stalled slightly at the fifth year. It was not until Harry had to start using the spells in odd ways, such as transfiguring a bird into a different species, which technically was fifth year, that he faltered. Upon the sixth failure, Harry grimaced when a Stinging Hex hit his left side.
"Mr. Diggory! What in Merlin's name are you doing?!" Minerva yelled at the Hufflepuff.
"That was a pathetic attempt Harry. Your first three tries you put some effort in at least. If that is the rubbish I am going to have to work with however… well you can kiss the Potter family good bye." Cedric stared at Harry, his wand loosely in his hand as he ignored the Head of Gryffindor's rage.
"MR. DIGGORY!" Minerva yelled, her body tense for violence.
"What the hell Cedric?! I was trying!" Harry exclaimed.
"No you weren't Harry. If you can't find motivation, I will give it to you. Every time you fail, I will hit you with a Stinging Hex. Every time you want to quit, I will hit you with a Stinging Hex. Every time you want to fight back, I will with you with two Stinging Hexes. And I will aim for the exact same spot each time." Cedric met Harry's glare with one of his own.
"That is not going to happen Mr. Diggory. I will not allow it." Minerva took her wand out though it was pointed to the ground.
"Sadly professor, we are equals in this exchange. You do not have to allow anything. The fact is, Harry needs this. He clearly thought that entering his name into the Goblet meant he already won Eternal Glory for his Family. But he seems to have forgotten that if he dies, so does his Family!" Cedric, for the first time in Minerva's memory, raised his voice. Reluctantly, Harry nodded his head.
"Professor let's continue. I think I can get it." Harry's voice cut through the tension between Cedric and McGonagall.
"Are you certain Harry? Cedric is correct. In these circumstances, he is my equal and I cannot stop him." Minerva all but pleaded with the boy. Surely, he did not want this abuse. Surely, he would see reason.
"Then I better get it right hadn't I professor? Show me again please." Harry shook his shoulders out and watched as Professor McGonagall went through the motions again, explaining what she was doing.
Cedric looked on with a critical eye. He loathed to do this, as it was barbaric, but he remembered being 15 and needing this exact same form of encouragement from his tutor. Mr. Hogswald was not a kind man during that year, as Cedric had grown lazy from his easy Hogwarts experience. He remembered the average lesson having 15 to 20 Stinging Hexes hitting the exact same spot. The Stinging Hex was designed to teach Aurors to dodge well, and to give First Years a point and cast spell that was incapable of doing extreme harm. The best and hardest cast Stinging Hex could at most amount to a red mark on flesh. It was for this reason that many tutors found their Stinging Hex to be great teaching aid.
Cedric lashed out with his wand as Harry fumbled with a spell. The Stinging Hex slammed into the exact same spot as before. "Again Harry."
The nights continued until finally, Harry could utilize all spells from the fifth year and below. It was then, that the classes slowed, and for the first time, Harry and Cedric had a solo session.
Cedric sat on the desk in the front of the room. It was the only furniture in the classroom. Three of the four walls were covered in blackboards. Weird diagrams, mostly circular, decorated these boards. Harry took all of this in as he stepped into the room.
"Like the art Harry? This used to be an alchemy class room. Each of these diagrams show effects of the magic on a different substance." Cedric smiled at the frown on Harry's brow. It was one of the reasons he wanted to be a professor. "What are you thinking about Harry?"
"I only know of one thing that Alchemy has made and that's the Philosopher's Stone. But it sounds like there is more to Alchemy than just getting to the Stone." Harry explained his thought process.
"You are right. By definition, Alchemy is the study of magical properties. It is split into two forms, physical and magical. Physical deals with how magic interacts with the physical world, and its pinnacle is the Philosopher's Stone. The ultimate shift between physical things due to magic. Capable of extending life, and transmutation of lead into gold without magical backlash. However, Magical Alchemy deals with the study of magic itself. Each magic has properties. A hex is a hex why? What is the difference between a charm and a spell? These are the things that were taught in this room. That is also why I chose this room to teach you why Family Magic is some of the best magic for people like us." Cedric smiled a victorious smile. He loved these moments. It was one of the reasons that he was so popular in Hogwarts. If any person needed help, he gladly gave it.
"Cedric, I was told that Family Magic is not more powerful than standard magic. But you are saying it's the best for people like us. Why?" Harry asked thinking back to his conversation with the Weasleys.
"Well Harry… Magic is made up of three things. Want to share them?" Cedric asked.
"Will, Intent, and Knowledge." Harry answered. Wherever this was review was going, he was sure it would be worth it… at least it better be.
"I'm guessing that the Weasleys were the ones to tell you that Family Magic is not stronger than any other form of magic. And on average, they are right. Most people's Family Magic is not stronger than normal magic. But that is because Family Magic has four factors of influence to function. Will, Intent, Knowledge, and Identity. For Family Magic to be utilized, you must know who you are Harry. Most people, truly do not know. They believe they know, but either they are wrong, or they do not understand."
Harry's eyes widened. He remembered only being able to perform Drax because his patronus galloped beside him. Cedric answered Harry's question even though it never articulated.
"Silent magic is similar, except you do not need to know who you are as a person, but that you must have intense rooted mindset to cast the magic. You must need to cast it. Judging from your face, you figured out either this or a shortcut. Explain." Cedric looked at Harry as he finally understood.
"I could do family magic when my Patronus was shining." Harry whispered.
"Dementors are a failure of a past alchemist to create a being without any identity. The patronus was created by the son of the alchemist, and functions in the opposite fashion. It anchors your Identity in pure joy. However, unlike the Dementor, who's existence without an Identity is eternal, the Patronus Charm is temporary, and thus can never kill a Dementor if such a thing is possible." Cedric explained the spell theory behind one of the most difficult pieces of magic ever created. Cedric knew that most people who went through Hogwarts would never be able to perform a patronus simply because they never understood who they were.
"How do you cast Family Magic then?" Harry asked with his wand in his hand.
"Focus first on your identity. Who are you Harry? Until you can answer that, your patronus will be the only way you can use familial based magics." Cedric explained.
Later that night, Harry walked back to his dorm, easily this time. He thought of the question Cedric didn't answer. He never explained how someone figured out who they were. What makes an Identity?
Albus Dumbledore sighed as he signed the final release to allow the creatures onto Hogwarts Grounds. By that act alone, he had doomed the fates of each Chosen. Finally, Dumbledore pulled out three pieces of parchment and three dictation quills. It was time to write the letters to the three chosen to be delivered in the morning post. His eyes glazed over as he allowed the Rite to hold him and a raspy voice started to dictate.
It was breakfast time in the Great Hall, with nearly 600 students making noises. The tables were weighed down with eggs of every form, bacon, ham, cheese, fresh bread, fried mushrooms, tomatoes, kippers, at least three different types of sausage and food from France and the Netherlands. Harry and Hermione enjoyed a simple breakfast, while Ron was in heaven. Three full plates sat in front of him, each piled with various consumables from three different regions.
"If I wasn't disgusted by the house elves making this from slavery, I would be disgusted by that Ronald." Hermione began her near daily rant now. The people around her all refused to look at her as she spoke on. "It is barbaric! Wizards should be better than this. We don't enslave centaurs and they have less magic!"
"Hermione, don't ever say that to a centaur. It will be the worst thing that could ever happen between wizard kind and the Herds." Ron said seriously after swallowing.
"It was making a point Ronald. Thank you for swallowing before you spoke as well." Hermione said as she calmly cut into her sausage.
"Hermione, I don't want to sound like an arse but can you lay off about the house elves?" Harry sighed out. He really didn't need to deal with this. He normally would hold his tongue, but today was the third day before the task. He simply couldn't do it anymore.
"Harry James Potter! How dare you-" Hermione started before she was interrupted.
"Hermione have you even spoke to a house elf? Or is this another one of those times where "the muggle world doesn't have it, so it must be better" moments? Like the time in Third Year when you were complaining about the ice outside, saying it was a slipping hazard. Never mind the fact that Madame Pomfrey could fix anything short of a concussion in less than three minutes. Yet for three weeks, all anyone heard was you going on about how the muggle world wouldn't have tolerated it. Well hate to be the arsehole here, but no one else is pointing it out. You aren't a muggle. You are a witch. You are at Hogwarts. So, until you find a group of elves that are treated well that want free, shut up about it!" Nearly three whole months of frustration, compounded by the stress of the Tournament, compounded by lack of sleep due to his sessions ending in the twilight hours of the morning and being woken by his housemates as they got ready for class finally erupted. Ron sat with his mouth slightly open, a piece of toast paused in its trek to oblivion.
Hermione looked on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry for having an opinion Harry!" She got up, grabbed her bag and nearly ran from the hall.
Ron spoke from around his toast. "Mate, I know you didn't mean to make her cry, but that could have gone better."
" I know Ron, I know. I just lashed out and I couldn't help it." Cedric settled down in Hermione's vacant seat and listened as the two continued with their conversation without noticing him.
"You know Harry. I wouldn't say anything yet." Cedric casually interjected when Harry wondered if he should apologize. He was amused when both boys jumped at his voice.
"Morning Cedric. Why do you think I shouldn't apologize?" Harry asked his mentor.
"Because, she knows you are right. She just upset by the way you corrected her. She must come to terms with the fact that she is witch and not a muggle and what that means. It was always going to happen." Cedric spoke as he cut up some of Hermione's left-over food. He didn't intend to eat it, but he would send it to her later. He suspected she would be skipping class today, and likely meals.
"I want to apologize for how I said it." Harry started to gather his things.
"Sit down Harry. If you apologize now, you will only harm her. She needs to understand what it means to be a witch. She is stuck between two worlds. And you apologizing will only make her think that she doesn't need to evaluate this. She has to choose." Cedric spoke as he conjured a bowl with a lid. He slowly put Hermione's food in it. "I'll go talk to her. Besides, post is here. And you look to have mail." Cedric got up just as Hedwig swooped down and stole a piece of blood sausage from Ron's plate as she dropped a letter in front of Harry.
"Thanks Hedwig, head up to the room, I made a perch for you there last night." Harry smiled at his owl as she seemingly nodded and flew out of the Great Hall. He lost his smile when he saw the address of the letter.
Hogwarts Chosen
"That is the instructions to the First Task?" Ron asked as he looked over Harry's shoulder.
Without a word, Harry ripped the letter open, the contents spilling where his plate was before it disappeared mere moments after the post was delivered. A gold disk, a piece of parchment with words on it, and a golden bangle with the Hogwarts crest carved into it were the only contents.
"Read it Harry." Ron prompted.
"Not here, Mr. Potter. Come with me. It is not unusual for the Goblet to give each Chosen different instruction for the same task. Mr. Weasley, you may come as well. " Professor McGonagall spoke as she headed towards her classroom to set up for her sixth years in an hour. Harry scooped up the contents of the letter and grabbed his bag as Ron grabbed a piece of toast before it disappeared and both ran after the professor.
As the group made their way to the classroom, Professor McGonagall swirled her wand with the words "Expecto Patronum. Mr. Diggory, come to the transfiguration classroom now please. The instructions for the Task are about to be read. You have 5 minutes." The cat, who looked as if it was a bobcat, flew through the walls in the general direction of Astronomy tower.
Cedric joined them panting by the classroom door as the group arrived. "Are you quite alright Mr. Diggory? When I said 5 minutes, I did not mean 2 and a half. You had no need to run." The professor teased her co-advisor as she tapped the classroom door with her wand, so it would open. The group entered as Cedric responded, "Now Professor, I didn't want to make you all wait."
"Mr. Potter. If you would please read the letter." Professor McGonagall said after the group was settled at the desks.
Harry's hands shook. He was nervous, and it was just the letter for the First Task. He took a deep breath and began to read.
Hello Chosen. Today is the day that you will discover your First Task. Inside this letter you will find a gold bangle, and a golden disk. Should you fail to obey these instructions, the result will be your magic being forfeit. The bangle, during your Task will be on your non-wand arm. Should the bangle leave your arm, for any reason, you will lose the Task, and your magic will be forfeit. The disk will be utilized to end the Task.
Your Task is to press the Golden Disk into the collar of a dragon, then exit the arena. The Task is not over until the Chosen have all existed the arena. The dragons are a Hungarian Horntail, a Victorian Vilispa, and a Shardiun Aquarius. These dragons are the most vicious and dangerous of their particular species. Each disk only presses into the collar of a specific dragon.
Good Luck Chosen, May your Flames Never Flicker.
The Goblet of Fire
Harry looked up at the faces of his closest confidents. The looks of pure fear did not ease his uncertainty. Ron was the first to speak. "Mate, you better hope for the Horntail."
"Mr. Weasley is correct. Those other species were thought extinct, and each pose a unique problem." Professor McGonagall said.
"Both are mentioned in my Grimoire." Cedric and Harry both spoke at the same time.
"Mr. Diggory, enlighten us. I did not know you had unlimited access to your Grimoire." Minerva questioned.
"Pardon Professor, but it was not something you needed to know. Back to the topic. My many times great grandfather killed a Victorian Vilispa, though the effort killed him. Unlike other dragons, Vilispas are landlocked. They are also not fire breathers, but breath out toxic breath that paralyzes the pray. But that isn't the worst part. It has the third worst venom found in the magical world, if the victim has experienced the toxic breath at least. They react together and its nasty. It tears the body apart, piece by piece. And the only cure is phoenix tears or unicorn blood. The Shardiun Aquarius is a northern dragon. It's really odd. Pure white, with scales that reflect light like a mirror, its also known as the Stealth Killer. It blasts pure cold at its victims, so that it can take their iced over corpse and drop it from a high height, so that it is in small enough chunks to eat. My family has never fought one though." Cedric explained.
"Mine has. A cousin from 1554 fought one who attacked a town he was travelling through. The Dragon was justified, but it took the whole village to kill it. Its scales are extremely reflective, and since it soars until its ready to strike, you only have a single shot to take it out. Cousin Nicholi Potter was a crack shot and ended up blasting an Avada Kedavra down its throat as it froze another citizen." Harry spoke as he slipped the bangle on his left arm. Obviously, that combat idea was not an option.
"Harry, it sounds like we are upping our sessions. Professor, I am skipping class. We have things to work on." Cedric stood and grabbed his bag.
"Mr. Diggory, Mr. Potter. See me after dinner. We will drill how to deal with the Horntail should that be necessary. Mr. Diggory, focus on the other two dragons and keeping him alive." Professor McGonagall said.
"I have an idea, though I am unsure if I should do it. I need to mail someone before we get started Cedric." Harry said as the duo walked towards their alchemy classroom, turned training location. Ron had gone to Divination with a pass from McGonagall.
"Do it Harry. You have 30 minutes. I need to set up the classroom." Cedric turned the corner as Harry started to run to his dorm. He knew Sirius said not to use Hedwig, but this was an emergency, and that was the fastest owl he knew of.
Fleur shook her head in denial as she read the letter aloud to her group of Advisors. She had no idea what she could do, short of transforming and hoping her Veela form offered a resistance. While it would stop the fire and ice breath from the Horntail and Shardiun, it would leave her extremely vulnerable to the Vilispa. "Professor Flamel, what do I do?" Fleur asked in French.
"The simplest thing would be, if it is a team event, to tag team the dragons. However, I am certain that the Durmstrang Chosen would not allow it. If that is the case, then you must eliminate the toxic breathe of the Vilispa before you transform ideally in a way that makes the mouth a non-threat. Once transformed, you are relatively safe from the other two at a range, and can possibly maneuver yourself into position to place the disk." Perenelle spoke after a few moments of thought. Her body maybe ancient, but her mind was sharp as ever. The three women thought for several minutes until finally Aimee spoke up.
"Would a permanent sticking charm work?" Aimee asked.
"To stick the jaws together? Not normally, as dragons' jaws rarely shut entirely. A cow, transfigured from a rock, and then given to the dragon with the charm applied to its flesh? That has merit however. The teeth of a dragon are oddly not resistant to magic as the flesh" The Professor changed the plan within a moment of thought. "Could you manage that Fleur?"
"Probably Professor. I would need to practice anchoring the charm to the cow." Fleur spoke her thought process aloud. She also needed to write her family. This was much more dangerous than she ever thought, and she did not want her sister to see it.
"We will practice that tonight then. In the meantime, think of a secondary plan that is swift, but does not rely upon the dragon to attempt to eat the target. It can be more magically intensive, but know it is a secondary option. Make sure you can already do this plan Fleur. It is the fall back incase the first plan fails."
Krum thought silently about the Task when Anton asked, in German. "What are your ideas for survival Viktor? Dimitri?" The two students addressed by the Magical Defense instructor thought for a brief moment.
"Blind them, then use the chaos to have them fight each other?" Dimitri offered.
"Too complex. The other champions could interfere or there may only be one dragon in the arena at a time. I could transfigure the ground the dragons are on, locking them into place in some way" Krum spoke up. While Dimitri's ideas had merit, he really did not want to risk three dragons ganging up on him, blind or not.
"Blinding them is always a good idea Dimitri. Those that can't see, can't fight effectively. Viktor, that doesn't deal with the issue of the breath. My option, put the dragons to sleep. If you hit the inner mouths of the dragons, a Stone Sleep Curse should knock them out." Anton offered his opinion. While the Stone Sleep Curse was considered Dark Magic by most ministries of the world, because if rennervate would be used, it would kill instead of awakening the victim, during the Tournament such spells were legal, even if used on another competitor. The only spells illegal were the Unforgivable Curses and the FiendFyre Curse.
"Negative to the plan is the Shardiun is supposedly extremely magically resistant. If I miss, the spell could hit a champion, and that could be disastrous." Krum pointed out.
"Afraid Viktor?" Dimitri sneered at the Quidditch star.
"I would rather not have to deal with two others firing spells as well as three dragons in the worst situation. At best, it also leaves me with an issue. Using Dark Magic in the Task may be seen as illegal." Viktor responded calmly.
"It is not illegal, but heavily frowned upon. You probably shouldn't utilize such a spell. Three Stupefies should work equally well." Anton spoke calmly through the glare that Dimitri was sending Viktor. "Dimitri, head to class, I will work with Viktor until the task."
After the young advisor left, Viktor spoke. "He is intelligent, though I did not think that he would be so angry at not being Chosen."
"We can discuss Dimitri after you survive and win the Task. Let's see your Conjunctivitis Curse on the dummies below."
Albus Dumbledore sat in his golden chair in a now empty Great Hall. As soon as the Chosen began to leave, the other students began to get up and leave as well. His eyes however, were not on the tables, but the Goblet that was seated in the corner by the entrance. His glare at that infernal cup was heated enough to attempt to set it ablaze. His staring contest with the inanimate object was interrupted by Alastor Moody.
"Headmaster, how are we handling security at the event? I can't keep an eye on all the students and the faculty along with the guests, and the creatures." His gruff voice brought Albus back.
"The Ministry will be providing a team of Aurors, lead by Kingsley Shacklebolt for security. They will deal directly with you Alastor."
"Good. This Tournament was not a good idea. I told ya that for the last six months Albus, but I signed on the dotted line, and can't back out. Any idea on who I should be watching more than others?" Alastor asked and complained in his own way. He never backed out of a commitment, but he also never let it be hidden if he didn't like it.
"Alastor, normally I would say watch the adults. But this time, watch the Chosen. I have a feeling the world will be amazed by the things they see." Albus looked at the Goblet, a smile that some would label cocky on his face though it was hidden by his beard. The Headmaster stood and headed to his office. He remembered watching the last tournament in the family Pensieve when he was 10 years old. While he and the Goblet would always be counter in their stances on human life, they did agree on one thing… the world would witness Spectacle unparalleled in three days.
AN: Well, I got bored in classes, and instead of taking notes like a good student, I wrote fanfiction. Luckily for you all, it resulted in an early chapter. Now, normally I would have added more to this, but this is a perfect stopping point for the next chapter, which will be the three days before, and include the First Task.
Now to explain a few things: One, my characters are not perfect. As outlined in this chapter in particular, Cedric bluntly calls out Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as being wrong. We also see that Snape is still bias toward Slytherin in the last chapter. All of these have their purpose in some fashion. Two, my author notes will not be used to reply to reviews. I received a message from a guest asking that, and while that may annoy someone, I personally hate replying that way.
Finally, the next chapter will either be out Sunday or next Friday. It honestly depends on how work goes tonight and if I can sit down and write or actually earn my pay. That chapter we will explore the letter Harry sends Sirius, how Cedric and Harry train Family magic, and maybe have some Severus in there. Mainly because he is such a delight to write. Til then,
Zero