Chapter 10. Dread part 1

Harry stood with Ron and Hermione on either side of him, waiting in the main yard of Hogwarts for students from other schools to arrive. Naturally, all of student population of Hogwarts was here as well, creating a crowd.

As he watched the visitors arrive, Harry couldn't help a sigh that escaped his lips. These wizards were so eccentric. Their love for dramatics might even surpass his own, and this was saying something. But… Really, Carriages? A ship rising from underwater? Well, the last one might have been impressive if said body of water wasn't a lake! But Harry digressed on this one, he had always preferred shuttles as means of transportation.

xxx

Next evening Harry, Ron and Hermione were seated in the great hall with the rest of the students. The ceremony of champion selection was about to begin.

"Now," Dumbledore stood up as all the food vanished, "I believe the Goblet of Fire is just about ready to select the champions!" With a wave of the old man's hand all sources of light were blue glow from the flame . Harry mentally nodded in approval. This was a very good way to present an ancient artifact of untold power indeed.

Suddenly the flame turned blood-red and a small slip of paper was expelled from it. The paper flew through the air before Dumbledore caught it. "The champion for Durmstrang is Viktor Krum!" Bulgarians clapped and cheered on their fellow student, as did slytherins.

The flame of the Goblet flared red again and another piece of paper was soon in the headmaster's hand. "The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" Another round of applause ran through the hall.

"And finally," Dumbledore said and the flame turned red for the third time, "the champion of Hogwarts is…" his hand caught the parchment, "Cedric Diggory!" The applause and cheer were, perhaps, the loudest. After a minute of cacophony of sound, silence was reestablished. "Now that all the champions have been selected, we can…" Whatever he was going to say didn't leave Dumbledore's mouth as the flame turned red for the fourth time. Another parchment sailed through the air and was swiftly caught in the headmaster's hand. Albus took a double take at the parchment.

"Harry Potter." he said grimly and turned to look at Harry, who by that moment had a proper flabbergasted expression fixed upon his face. Both Ron and Hermione were looking at him in shock… Or was it curiosity on Hermione's face, Dumbledore wondered.

"Harry Potter!" the old man shouted now.

Harry shakily stood up and walked over to the headmaster with just the right amount of confusion on his face, in his posture and in his eyes. He was immediately directed to the antechamber for the champions.

xxx

"What is eet?" the Beauxbatons champion, Fleur Delacour, asked Harry as soon as he entered. Cedric and Krum were surprised, but didn't say anything. Harry just shook his head, he wasn't going to answer them. The door suddenly opened, disrupting the uncomfortable silence that reigned in the chamber, and a number of men rushed inside.

Beauxbatons headmistress, Harry couldn't remember her name, went, her steps oddly quiet for a half-giant, to her student and stood beside the girl like a mother dragon, frosty look in her eyes.

Karkaroff, on the other hand, stood in front of his champion with a vicious sneer on his face. Harry found the fact that Krum was deemed unable to defend himself by his headmaster, while Fleur, a much more fragile looking girl, was trusted by her headmistress to stand up for herself extremely amusing. Though Harry's experience with overprotective mothers told him that should a threat to her student provide severe enough, the mother dragon would tear into any opponent. He could almost hear her vicious roar… And it amused him to no end. After all, he consumed all life on two planets, what's a deluded half-giant to him?

Next entered Dumbledore and Snape, followed by Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman, who was exclaiming jovially about Harry being the fourth champion, his voice ringing in the room like failed fanfares. Snape chose to stay near the window, away from everyone, while the two ministry officials stayed near the door.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, instantly was near Harry, who stood near the only fireplace in the room, just opposite from Snape. The headmaster gripped Harry by shoulders and quietly, but sternly asked,

"Harry, did you put your name into the Goblet?" frosty blue eyes gazed into green ones. Harry was surprised with the sheer amount of suspicion in headmaster's eyes… Did that peculiar presence in the force he felt a couple of days ago have something to do with it?

"No, sir." Harry shook his head vehemently.

"Did you ask some older student to put your name into the goblet?" Dumbledore asked no less sternly than before.

"No, sir." Harry shook his head again.

"Oh, but he ees lying." said Beauxbatons headmistress, her lips in a line so thin, it would have made McGonagall proud. Harry was having trouble holding his chuckles. This woman really though she could intimidate him.

"Dumbledore, ven ve agreed to this tournament, we thought everything vas going to be fair!" Karkaroff said indignantly. Harry found the aged man's voice sounding very much like a whine. "I demand that we choose another champion for Durmstrang and Beauxbatons each."

"I am afraid this is impossible." Crouch cut in. "The Goblet has made it's choice and will not ignite until the next tournament. Your request is impossible to fulfill, headmaster Karkaroff." the man was visibly dissatisfied with having to address Durmstrang headmaster for some reason.

"How could this happen, Dumbledore?" Beauxbatons headmistress asked. "You told us your age line was secure."

"Don't go blaming the headmaster for Potter's obsessive desire to break rules." Snape drawled, his voice sounded like a mocking trombone tune. "That's all he's been doing since he arrived here three years ago."

Harry looked at the teacher and saw his smug smirk. "Well, I might be unable to stop this little spectacle… But it is past the time that you were brought in line." with this though he looked Snape in the eye. He never had to do anything as the professor simply could not ignore the temptation to see Harry's supposed inner turmoil. And so, Snape dived into Harry's mind.

xxx

What Snape found was not what he either saw in Potter's mind on several previous occasions or what he expected to see this time. Usually Potter's mind was a mass of floating red pyramids, which glowed in the dark. Now though… He stood in space, stars were all around him. But they had nothing to do with the potions master's shock. No, he was standing right in front of a giant planet, its entire atmosphere covered by one raging storm.

The most shocking and terrible fact was that the planet felt alive, like a being. A mighty being who examined an ant in front of it, deciding whether said ant was worth its attention and a place in its insect collection or not… and had to be simply swatted away.

"Don't you dare look at me like this!" he shouted. Severus Snape didn't like being dismissed so casually. He was one of Voldemort's most valuable servants, Dumbledore's most valuable…"

"Tool." deep voice finished Snape's line thought. Deep chuckles were heard from all directions and Severus felt himself being pulled to the planet. He didn't reach the surface though, or even atmosphere. He landed on a small rocky island, that floated on the orbit.

Severus stood up and dusted his robes. He looked around and noticed a raised platform. Steps were leading to its top. There a throne with a very high back, that resembled some horns stood. On the throne sat none other than smiling Harry Potter. He was different from the Harry Potter that stood in front of him in Hogwarts.

This wasn't a scared schoolboy, who was lost and confused. Oh no, this, Harry Potter was incredibly amused if a small smile on his lips was any indication. Clothes were also strange. Potter wore some sort of white armor and some weird dark-blue cloak with it.

"Welcome." was all Potter said. Severus didn't reply. "What, confused, professor?" the last bit was said mockingly. Snape though, was again shocked that the deep voice, coming from all around, belonged to Potter. He swiftly regained his bearings though.

"How dare you, Potter!" he snarled. "This will be ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek!" Snape continued glaring at the teen on the throne, expecting an indignant reply or something similar.

Instead chuckles greeted him again. Amusement radiated from Harry. Snape did a double take and took a step back. The teen's eyes turned from green to orange and gained predatory glint.

"You should be careful, when you enter someone's mind, Snape." Harry said, his image distorting suddenly. In a second Harry Potter was replaced by an old man with the same glowing orange eyes and in the same armor. "You never know which trip might be your last." Snape took another step back as the old man in front of him stood up from his throne.

"W-what have you done to Harry Potter?" Snape suddenly pleaded. "Where is he?!"

"I am Harry Potter." the man replied, morphing back into Harry. "I was in Harry Potter's body since it was born. This weak student you used to harass was but a mask that overstayed its welcome." Snape took another step back.

"Don't come near me." Severus said with shaky voice. "Dumbledore will-"

"Dumbledore will not even notice anything." Harry replied, his smile growing and exposing his canines. "And you, Severus Snape, will be a very good servant." The teen suddenly disappeared in purple mist and reappeared near Snape. Severus had just a moment to realize that this Potter was taller than the one in the antechamber and didn't have any glasses before he was grabbed by the neck and lifted in the air.

"You are nothing, Severus Snape. Your soul is worthless to me… But your body will be useful enough." Harry suddenly turned away from his captive and looked at the void. "Darth Vowrawn, come forth."

To Snape's utter shock a specter of a humanoid creature appeared before them and bowed to Harry.

"My emperor." the spirit said.

"You have the link to his body, Darth Vowrawn." Harry said, his glowing magenta eyes boring into Snape's dark ones. "Whatever remains of the fool's soul inside should help you restore your essence. Cliam Snape's body; your mind and abilities are needed by the Empire."

"With pleasure, my emperor." the specter bowed again and turned into a ball of purple mist, which entered Snape's chest and disappeared.

"Now that your body belongs to my loyal servant…"Harry chuckled. "You are no longer needed. Goodbye, Snape." Harry closed his hand around Snape's throat into a fist. The same moment the professor turned into red misty substance, which was absorbed by Harry.

xxx

Back in the antechamber Harry tore his eyes from Sna- Darth Vowrawn's and looked back at Dumbledore.

"So this leetle boy really is to compete with us?" Delacour asked.

"Yes, Ms. Delacour. The Goblet makes a magical contract with the champions. Mr. Potter must compete now, there is no way out." Crouch replied stiffly. "Now. The weighing of wands ceremony will take place in two weeks. You all will be notified. The first task will take place on the 24th of November. It will test your bravery and creativity, we or anyone else is not to tell you anything about it. Goodnight. Come Bagman"

"Yes, yes, Barty." Ludo replied, putting on his bawler hat. "Goodnight." Both ministry officials disappeared behind the door. Silence followed.

"Very well then." Dumbledore said heavily. "Everyone is free to go."

As Albus watched everyone leave, he couldn't help the feeling of dread that settled in his stomach.

Replies to your reviews:

Ataxius: Wouldn't even dream of this. Don't like when writers do so myself.