Chapter Sixty-One: The Four Champions
After defense the dark arts class Harry and his friends went to lunch and then they went onto charms and transfiguration class where they learned all about the banishing charm and how to transform a hedgehog into a pincushion. (Sarah learned about the disarming charm and how to transform a rabbit into slippers and back again.)
By the end of the day Harry had so much homework that he didn't know what to do with it all, but luckily for him he had Hermione's help. A few days later Dumbledore called everybody into The Great Hall because the champion selection would be taking place. (Much to Fred and George's displeasure even though they had used an aging potion to try and put their names into the Goblet of Fire, the age line detected it and turned them into a couple of old men that took hours to reverse.)
The first name that shot out of the flames was the Durmstrang champion which Dumbledore read to be Viktor Krum. The next champion was Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons. Finally, the third champion was called which was Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts that Harry cheered and applauded loudly with everybody else before Dumbledore took a sheet off of a blue glass cup and revealed it to be the Triwizard cup.
Sarah got to her feet once all the champion names were called. For she was the new Ravenclaw seeker, and she was dying to tell Harry that she would be competing against him before she and Snape turned their heads at the exact same time as the smoke turned red for the fourth time and the goblet spat another piece of paper that Dumbledore caught in midair and looked extremely dumbfounded as he read the name aloud.
"Harry Snape." He read and Severus suddenly felt his heart speed up against his chest while Harry looked even more confused than Dumbledore because he didn't think that he could possibly have heard that name right. "Harry Snape!" Dumbledore hollered on the top of his lungs before he started turning his head and looking around frantically for him before Hermione pushed him forward and Ron turned his head, narrowed his eyebrows, and glared at Harry while he went to go collect his piece of paper.
"He's a cheat!" Ernie Macmillan shouted. "He's not even seventeen yet!" He cried out which irritated Harry because it made him feel like he had a part in this and as he walked over to his father, he squatted down in front of him and got down to his level.
"Harry I want you to meet me back in my office. We're going to get this whole thing sorted out Son. I promise you that." He reassured him before Harry turned back around and was suddenly facing Draco Malfoy who surprisingly had a rather worried and concerned look on his face. He slowly backed out of the way before Harry continued walking past him and into the hallway."
….
"This can't go on Albus." Professor McGonagall began once they all had arrived inside of Snape's office. "First the dark mark, and now this?" She questioned him.
"What do you suggest Minerva?" He began. "I just discussed this over with Barty and the rules are clear." He told her.
"Well to the devil with Barty and since when do you care about the rules? You should put an end to it and not let the boy compete for Severus' sake. It's his son for crying out loud!" She exclaimed.
"Please Headmaster I beg of you." Severus pleaded before Professor Moody spoke up.
"Don't worry Severus, I'll keep an eye on your boy." He reassured him before Professor Dumbledore turned his head to look over at Harry.
"Harry, are you absolutely sure that you didn't put your name into the Goblet of Fire or ask one of the older students to do it for you?" He questioned him calmly.
"No!" Harry exclaimed.
"Well I'm afraid that in the state of things being what they are Harry won't have any choice." Dumbledore began. "He is as of tonight a Triwizard champion." Dumbledore told them.
"No." Severus said within a gasp before Harry hurried out of the office and into the hallway and headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Once he entered the boy's dormitory, he noticed that Ron was already in bed, and he was not even looking at him. Harry climbed into bed and then placed his glasses on top of the nightstand before Ron finally turned his head and looked back at him.
"How did you do it?" He questioned him.
"Do what!?" Harry snapped back at him. "I didn't put my name into the cup Ron, and I didn't ask for this to happen. It just did okay? Stop being stupid." He told him as he laid down.
"So now I'm Ron Weasley Harry Snape's stupid friend, am I?" Ron questioned him.
"Whatever." Harry said while giving a slight shake of his head and a roll of his eyes as he sat up to turn off the light and Patches hopped up onto the foot of his bed and turned around a few times before letting out a yawn and lying down with his head on top of his paws.
"Piss off." Ron told him before he rolled over onto his side and a tear rolled down his cheek before he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
The next morning at breakfast the whole entire school had been talking about Harry and that there were now four Triwizard champions instead of just three. After breakfast Harry decided to go speak with Draco Malfoy. He figured that if anybody knew who put his name into the Goblet of Fire that it would be him.
