Chapter 8 – – The Goblet
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The Great Hall had been rearranged to seat all of the important people at the high table. This ran from the Minister of Magic down to Filch standing in the back behind all the muckety-mucks. The Goblet of Fire interior started to bubble red as multi colored sparks flew from its interior. While I was wondering if the wooden cup actually contained fire or an illusion a tongue of flames bought out a charred piece of parchment. Dumbledore read the parchment and stated…the Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum. The insanity had started.
The Goblet and Dumbledore did the same for each champion. The Beauxbaton champion was Fleur Delacour and the Hogwarts champion was Cedric Diggory.
Each champion in turn receives clapping and cheering with large applause from their respective areas. But then the Goblet turned red again with a series of sparks flying and a long flame carried another name…Lord Peverell/Gryffindor. Dumbledore hadn't even finished saying the name when the Goblet gave a huge belching sound, flamed insanely spewing forth still another name. Dumbledore looked at the piece of parchment, broke into a huge smile and said… Lord Smythe/Slytherin/Potter. The Goblet and the hall went silent.
Well I thought, that's magic for you, you spend your time in school as Smythe and a magical object coughs up all your real names. Another oddity with magic I thought. Yeah right, way to odd.
I stood up and yelled, "I didn't put my name in that goblet nor did I ask anybody to do for me. Scratch my name off the list I have no interest in competing."
"I'm sorry Mr. Potter but your name came out of the goblet and that is a binding magical contract." Dumbledore was first off the mark but then the entire hall erupted in one way or the other. I noticed my school name of Smythe had been quickly changed to Potter by the headmaster plus no one was asking who Lord Peverell/Gryffindor was, is or could be.
Dumbledore set off a canon blast with his wand to silence the hall and directed me to follow him to his office. This turned in to a mini parade which consisted of three headmasters, the three other champions, MadEye, McGonagall and the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge with his six security guards.
I stood in the back while everybody was having a good time arguing over the tournament rules with Dumbledore. Finally Dumbledore got everybody settled down and I was the center of attention once again. I repeated myself, "I didn't put my name in that goblet nor did I ask anybody to do for me. Scratch my name off the list."
"It's a binding magical contract you will have to compete in each test to the best of your ability." Minister Fudge expounded pompously.
"Harry my boy if you do not compete in the tournament you will lose your magic and how will you fulfill the prophecy without your magic?"
Fudge was a buffoon and dense as a rock but... "What prophecy are you talking about Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded. While I personally thought that Dumbledore had overloaded his as...err mouth and had not meant for that information to get out or maybe he was developing Alzheimer's.
"Cornelius it is irrelevant to the matter at hand…"
"Dumbledore I demand you to tell me the contents of this prophecy immediately." Fudge had his teeth firmly in the subject as he probably saw some galleons in the information.
"I'm sorry Cornelius but the prophecy can only be released by certain people so I am unable to help you at this time."
The three champions were talking with each other while the two headmasters were in a heavy discussion with Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore and Fudge were still going at it hammer and tong over the prophecy. I noticed some 'floe' powder on the mantle so I tossed some in the fireplace and called Ragnot.
"Harry step on through the fire to Gringotts and we will sort this out." I did and Ragnot did sort it all out but in the end I had to compete. At least the Ministry and Dumbledore were not going to be happy if I had anything to say about the whole kerfuffle.
/Scene Break/
By the next morning Huffelpuff house was unhappy with me as they felt Cedric was the real champion. Slytherin house didn't like anybody except those in Slytherin. Snape was thrilled to find out that I was the son of his arch enemy James Potter so he could treat me worse than before. The list of those unhappy with me just went on and on. The only one not on my case was Ron Weasley as he was too busy with Victor Krum. He told everybody that would listen that Victor and him with the best of mates.
"And where have you been hiding out?" Daphne entered our secret classroom but didn't look overly happy.
"I'm just avoiding all the people who are not happy with me." I replied as I was giving Hedwig the phoenix a scratch job under her chin.
"Well you are not getting out of being my partner for the Yule ball. We are going to go and have a good time and the naysayers can go suck on a lemon. So let me get to why I tracked you down."
"Let me guess it's because I'm a handsome and male with an outstanding tan." I really was happy just being in Daphne's company. My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden ball of flames.
There hovered Fawkes who extended his long neck and bit Daphne's arm. In a ball of flames he was gone.
"Ow! What the hell was that about?" Hedwig issued a squawk, leapt up and flamed away.
"Daphne are you okay?"
"Not hardly this will definitely leave a mark I don't get to the hospital wing but no I'm not okay. I stop by because I wanted to make sure you are ready for the wand weighing ceremony." Daphne grumbled as she held a handkerchief over the cut on her arm.
"Err, sorry you caught me flat-footed, again."
"Very shortly you're going to be required to produce your wand for inspection at a ceremony but the problem is that there going to be reporters and photographers itching for a story. The Veela would've been the story but since your Harry Potter now you are going to have to watch out what you say and to whom."
Sure enough the next morning I was in Flitwick's charm class when a student hustled in stating… "Professor! Harry is needed right now on the fifth floor their doing a wand weighing ceremony and they want Harry up there now."
I was in the mood to not show up as Dumbledore or someone should have notified me earlier of the event, time and place. I wondered if this last-minute notification was to catch me unprepared or rattle me into not paying attention. Well tit-for-tat I thought as headed off to the Hufflepuff common room.
I changed my everyday school robes for set of expensive school robes, one of which the goblins had insisted on me buying. I settled into a comfortable chair in the common room and started reading an advanced text on transfiguration. After a while my head of house, Professor Sprout, entered and demanded… "Mr. Potter what are you doing here?"
"Hello Professor, I'm reading in advance text on transfiguration. it's quite interesting material."
"Mr. Smythe, you are supposed to be on the fifth floor for a wand weighing ceremony."
"Professor, might I ask when they notified you of the ceremony? I personally got a one minute notice to report."
"Oh! I see. Well you best hurry along, you wouldn't want to keep them waiting much longer." Sprout replied with large grin on her face.
When I arrived I found the other champions and their headmasters but also Ollivander and the Minister of Magic. The Minister further irritated me, if for no other reason, he was a pompous idiot and he added to that fact... "Potter, where have you been? We have been waiting for you for over an hour, I am an important and a busy Minister!"
"Well Minister I had something more important to do, it's called my school work."
"Dumbledore I won't stand for…"
"Mr. Potter may I please see your wand."
Ollivander interrupted and proceeded to inspect my wand but then asked, "I don't believe I've seen this type of work who made this wand for you?"
I let a bit of my ire lose and said, "Special apology gift by Ankou himself. He said the cart was full and I have to wait for the next cart."
Dumbledore's head snapped around as his eyes turned to saucers as his face paled. He suddenly realized that my wand was the spitting image of the one that he carried, a fifteen inch elder wood wand. I was well read on the Deathly Hallows and had a good idea where at least two of the Hollows were located.
"Where is you're holly and phoenix feather wand? The one that Ollivander made for you?" Dumbledore demanded. My cheeky reply was suddenly interrupted by a flash that went off in my face from one of the photographer's cameras.
"I haven't given authorization for any photographs to be taken. You of all people should know that there is probably a copyright issue or haven't you noticed all of the books published about Harry Potter. The photographer started to give me some lip so I pointed at the camera which exploded into several fragments. I then snatched my wand from Ollivander's hands and stomped out the door.
Dumbledore was asking himself, "I had plans for this meeting and what the hell just happened?"
I headed to my secret classroom. This was a hell of a way to start a new week I was fuming mad and I really didn't know why. I thought maybe that I was feeling sorry for myself and why people couldn't just leave me alone. But I really didn't want to be left alone or did I? About then Hedwig flashed in and we had a nice conversation. She told me that I was dumb and an idiot besides a few more descriptive words. Hedwig always was a cranky bird.
Daphne showed up a bit later. She started petting Hedwig and complementing her on being a pretty bird and telling me, "I told you so." Hedwig seemed quite happy with Daphne's comments.
Then out of the blue, "Harry show me how to become an animagus."
/Scene Break/
It was that evening and Dumbledore had me in his office…
"Harry my boy I'm afraid I must insist that you turn over your wand to me and use this ministry approved Ollivander wand."
He got as far as handing me Ollivander's wand when the office got quite busy. As I felt a tingle, like something was trying to enter my forehead, Fawkes screeched, took to the air and dive-bombied Dumbledore. The paintings around the room started yelling as Hedwig flamed in, latched onto my shoulder, and flamed me to my secret classroom. I now had two wands and a focus ring.
I had Hedwig take my wand to my apartment and started to wave around Ollivander's wand when in my classes. While Dumbledore did not say anything more I had the distinct impression that my possessions have been searched that very same night.
/Scene Break/
"Come on Daphne, take off the robe."
"Don't you trust me to dress semi formal in Muggle attire?" I wasn't sure how she meant that but I had made plans.
"Let's not argue, Hedwig is ready to take us to the restaurant for dinner."
I really didn't want to argue or be surprised by the next teacher directing me to with stupid meeting with the headmaster. I'd been stuck in a holding cell for months eating Goblin prepared foods. Not that the food was not okay but the ambience in a Ministry holding cell had a lot to be desired. Arriving back at Hogwarts and getting bum-rushed into the tri-wizard tournament furthered by most of the school hating me was depressing. So eating in the Great Hall produced way too much attention, so a quite meal in a Muggle restaurant where nobody knew who I was, well it was quite appealing.
Daphne and I had just been seated when my quiet evening was destroyed by half dozen reporters.
"Harry Potter is it true your relatives try to kill you?"
"Is it true that you've taken up your title as Lord Smythe?"
"Rumor has it that your uncle kicked you out onto the street, would you care to comment?"
While I made the reservations under the name of Smythe and these reporters appeared to be Muggle reporters, I had a hunch there was somebody from the Daily Profit hidden amongst them.
I started to reply when out of the corner of my eye I could've sworn I saw a Petronas flash away off to the right. What I should've been doing is watching off to my left.
Vernon Dursley scattered the reporters like bowling pins as he grabbed my lapels and jerked me up with one hand. The other hand was a fist heading in the direction of my face. He was yelling incoherently and splattering my face with his spittle.
I was no longer a seven-year-old to be manhandled and punched. My left hand connected with Vernon's face in the form of fist. What nobody would see is the magic that I forced through my focus ring into his fat blubbery face. That punch sent him to the floor but he still maintained a semi grasp of on my lapels and that dragged me with him. The next thing I knew I was being kicked in the ribs which helped me roll off of Vernon.
"You miserable freak! Just like your mother, using your magic to injure respectable people. What kind of magical hocus-pocus did you do get Vernon arrested for your murder? You just wave your wand and we suffer more of your freakishness. Then your other freak magical people show up making everybody that's Muggle forget about magic."
"Petunia Dursley, you are under arrest for knowingly violating the law under the Secrecy Statutus." Stated a wand waving freak that was part of the patrons.
As I got to my feet the restaurant began to flood with Ministry wand waivers. Most of the patrons that evening got obliviated. Daphne and I just left and headed down to the local pizzeria. We laughed at our own ridiculous ideas by the end of the first slice of pizza. Who and why caused that confrontation was irrelevant, it was clear it was a set up! The punch was the punch line for the dumb ideas we came up with as to why.
/Scene Break/
It was only a couple of days before the first task had arrived. As I shuffled my breakfast around on my plate I was hoping the task wasn't too complicated. I was going to try my best but this tournament was for adults and I was sure the tasks would be designed with adults in mind. So far I had heard nothing about what the first task would contain. Then again no one seemed to notice the absence and non-appearance of the other champion Lord Peverell/Gryffindor. Hopefully I wasn't going to have to do the task twice.
Later in the champions tent and was shaking my head. Dragons for crying out loud, these people were out of their minds. Well I only had one choice left and I wasn't going to be happy doing it.
The dragon didn't pay much attention to the silver phoenix until I approached the eggs in her nest. The biggest problem was trying to grab that slick metal egg with my talons. Luckily there was a star shaped protrusion on one end of the egg but I still end up dropping it half way to the hospital tent. Now I needed to go register within the next year with the Ministry for being an Animagus, one of my secrets were gone.
The next morning at breakfast the owls delivered the Daily Profit. Wendy gasped, "Merlin, I don't believe this! Harry you better see this."
The headline read: The-Boy-Who-Lived is back and he's bigger and better than ever!
They intimated that I had arrived at the Tri-wizard tournament ceremonies in a flash of light knowing that I would be chosen by the Goblet of Fire. The Profit continued to state that I was an all-powerful mage and used wandless magic with the flick of my wrist. They went on to say that I defeated the dragon in the tournament, and added a few tales from the pulp fiction books that somebody had published years ago. Had they gone any further they would have made Superman look like a weakling.
"What are you going to do Harry?"
I leaned over and whispered in Wendy's ear, "Don't tell anybody about our place in Knockturn alley. I'll see you at the Yule ball." I got up and stomped out of the hall.
"Libby!"
POP
"Lippy, pack up my belongings and take them to our apartment I'll meet you there later." I then used my animagus form and flashed to Gringotts.
"Ragnot am I still a ward of the Goblin Nation?"
"We have yet to revoke that status and while it normally applies to a minor we look at you more as our protégé, why do you ask?"
"Up front I wanted to assure you that I'm not interested in causing another Goblin war. Nonetheless I have the feeling Dumbledore has plans for my future which I shan't like. Fudge has a article in the Profit building me up into some kind of super individual which also gives me the impression he has plans for me. If being a ward of the Goblin Nation can keep me out from under their thumbs I would like to use that status. I'm leaving Hogwarts."
"I don't see a problem but I would recommend you continue your training as you now have the time."
"If the tutors are ready I'm ready tomorrow morning. I've left Hogwarts and I shall only be returning for the Yule ball and the last two tasks. Oh! that reminds me I need to hire one of your owls for a delivery."
I use the owl to let Daphne know I would definitely be at the Yule ball and for her to be ready to take Hedwig to meet me for our Yule ball robe selection and fittings this next Saturday. I also had Hedwig the owl deliver a letter to Professor McGonagall withdrawing me from Hogwarts.
I was indeed training the next morning and found myself a bit rusty in a number of areas. I blame all this on sitting around in a Ministry holding cell.
Saturday rolled around and I was all tidied up and dressed in my best muggle attire awaiting Daphne's arrival.
"Hi Harry, that's quite the way of traveling. Where are we and where have you been!"
"I'm glad you could come Daphne and were still on for the Yule ball. Let's take this nice and slow and easy as we have all day. Let us stroll down the alley and we can get our robes for the ball. After lunch we can pick up all the accessories."
"Fine! But I still want to know what's going on."
"Well to start with this is my apartment which you need to keep secret and if you're ready for that stroll we can talk along the way."
"Harry we are in Knockturn alley, are we going to be safe here?"
"Believe me 'The Kids' are quite safe in Knockturn alley and I seriously doubt they will notice I've changed partners. So has anything of interest been happening at Hogwarts since I've been gone?"
"There is one scandal of sorts that's all over Hogwarts. You know Ron Weasley and Viktor Krum were supposedly the best mates? Well Krum asked Granger to the ball just before the first task. Weasel got all upset with Krum." Daphne paused and gave me a knowing smirk.
"And?"
"Well there was a big verbal dustup in the Great Hall between the two best mates. Seems that Ron's brother Charlie, is one of the dragon handlers, who brought in the dragons in from Romania."
"Oh brother! I see where this is going but please continue."
"The dustup was that Krum found out that Ron knew the first task was dragons as he had been bragging to Lavender Brown. Ron never told his best mate because he was ticked off about Granger."
"All I can say is I'm sure glad that Ron never latched on to me as his best mate.
Daphne said that Twilfitt and Tatting's did an excellent job on her Yule ball dress and only gave me the color my robe would be. After all I was not allowed to see her's until the ball. After an excellent lunch at the Dragon's Breath restaurant I turned Daphne loose on picking out all the accessories. As I followed her around I explained that I wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts and would be using tutors instead.
"Harry could I ask a favor?"
"Ask away, any time any where."
"I know the Yule ball is going to be held on Christmas night and most students are spending holidays at Hogwarts but I would like to see my parents the next day and exchange gifts."
"Not a problem, I'd be happy to act as chauffeur. All you to do is give me an idea where were going and I can drop you off."
"That would be fantastic! That way you could meet my parents."
"Well then we best be off buying them a bottle of wine or something nice."
