Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Goblet of Fire.
Chapter two: The Fourth Champion Ronald Bilius. Part two. The Goblet of Fire chooses the wrong champion.
Beta: Alix33. Thank you.
- Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Goblet of Fire. -
Finally it was Halloween and the headmaster was wondering what else could possibly go wrong. Since the Goblet of Fire went on display it has been one disaster after another.
First there was the little flying blue car incident with the fireball that caused the three tragic deaths of some unredeemed Slytherin students, and the injury to his pet Death Eater. Plus he had to find a replacement for that cantankerous old Squib caretaker, Argus Filch, who had foolishly managed to get himself burnt to death.
Then there was the unnecessary investigation by the Head of the Department of Magic Law Enforcement that had wasted so much time, and Madam Bones didn't have much sympathy for the grievous injuries to his pet Death Eater.
Followed by the Minister of Magic sending his obnoxious Undersecretary to interfere in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. What a painful, horrible, disgusting, bigoted creature, and he could understand why his old friend professor Moody utterly despised the obnoxious pink toad. He had to stop the loathsome hag when she tried to examine the Goblet of Fire insisting only proper Pure-blood witches and wizards should be allowed to enter.
Then there was the boy and his muggleborn witch, since the unfortunate falling-out with young Ronald over the incident with the boy's owl, the boy and his muggleborn witch have been inseparable, and have been using the boy's father's cloak to avoid an angry young Ronald, a very angry Severus, and his portrait spy network. The two had used the cloak so much that they were in danger of wearing it out. He only hoped that the boy's grooming with a loveless childhood that they wouldn't get up to too much mischief before the boy's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire. Yes he knew about that little secret by reading his old friend professor Moody's mind. Once the boy's name comes out he will be hated by the whole school again. Just like second year and the Heir of Slytherin incident, and then it should be easy to separate the two.
It was what the headmaster has been waiting for, and he just had to remember to look surprised and play his part.
Now the Halloween feast was over and it was time for a little payback to the right boy, while everyone else was waiting for the Goblet of Fire to choose their name for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and their chance of fifteen minutes of Eternal Glory.
Fleur Delacour was chosen as the Beauxbatons champion, much to the disapproval of the Minister's obnoxious toad. She tried to have the Veela disqualified, but thankfully Barty Crouch was able to keep her quiet as he explained that it would cause an international incident and she shouldn't worry as having a Veela for a champion would place Beauxbatons at a disadvantage ensuring that a proper British Pure-blood Hogwarts' champion would win anyway.
That was followed by a surprised choice for the Durmstrang champion, Serge Poliakoff, a big monstrous Russian, who looked he had so much Kamchatka brown bear blood in him that his nickname was Misha. Everyone including Serge was expecting Viktor Krum to be chosen. The Durmstrang headmaster tried to protest but the Goblet of Fire had chosen the next champion.
Ronald was very angry when Professor Dumbledore announced Cedric Diggory's name as the Hogwarts Champion and not his own. Cormac McLaggen was laughing in his face as was Draco Malfoy who had been making fun of him since he found out that Ronald had claimed to have put his name in the Goblet of Fire.
Then it seemed to be over as Professor Dumbledore was giving his congratulations to the champions, drawing the moment out.
Then the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames of the Goblet of Fire just turned violently red again. Sparks were shooting out of it. A long red flame spat out suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.
Professor Dumbledore stopped talking and caught it, acting very surprised.
He examined it very carefully. Obviously the piece of parchment had been ripped off the top half of someone's Defence Against the Dark Arts homework which he thought was clever thinking by his old friend professor Moody, but the only name on the piece of parchment was.
"St Brutus?" He questioningly announced, no longer needing to act surprised.
Ronald jumped up. "Turn it over, you old fool!"
"Oh!" Dumbledore chuckled. "Silly me."
"Detention, Weasley!" Screamed Professor Snape.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley?" Announced Professor Dumbledore in a genuinely surprised tone. He was expecting Harry Potter's name as he looked at Professor Moody, and then realized his error. He knew he should have just announced the boy's name and vanish the evidence. But it was too late. He knew this mistake would come back to bite him.
"YES!" Screamed Ronald who was still standing and threw his arms up in victory.
"SCREW YOU, POTTER! AND IN YOUR FACE, MCLAGGEN!" Ronald screamed while he continued in triumph to do his happy dance to a stunned silent hall as he gave Malfoy the one finger salute, and everyone wondered why the redhead idiot didn't have any friends.
"I am a champion! I am a champion! No time for losers!" Ronald sang. "I am king of the world!"
While Harry and Hermione were stunned at the viciousness of the redhead's abuse. They had been avoiding him since the insensitive git demanded to use Harry's owl, and were not aware just how bad the redhead's attitude had got. They looked across the Gryffindor table to see an angry Neville, who with Luna, were not surprised of the terribly bad attitude of the red dunderhead.
"Hem, hem? Why is there a fourth champion in a Tri-Wizard Tournament?" The toad asked in her annoying high-pitched girly voice, but was ignored as irrelevant at that moment. As if Albus Dumbledore would share Tom's secret plan for the boy with the toad.
While Professor Moody and Barty Crouch moved towards the headmaster. Barty was quicker and grabbed the parchment out of Dumbledore's fingers. He read the name and turned to Moody.
"You told me that you were going to put Potter's name in the Goblet!" Barty said and then realized what he had done and shrank away as Professor Moody glared at him and pulled his wand out.
"No! Please not that curse again!" The old man screamed.
"Crucio!" Professor Moody screamed as he pointed his wand at Crouch.
Barty Crouch's screams filled the Great Hall until Professor Moody was brought down by a stunner to the back from Dumbledore. But Dumbledore had taken too long to realize what was happening, and had to first cast a wandless Confundus charm on the pink toad so she couldn't interfere, before he could act to stop Moody. Barty was an old man, and his mind had been fried.
- Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Goblet of Fire. -
Harry and Hermione had tried to ignore the bitter effect of the verbal abuse from their former friend, but it still hurt. They had to focus and watch carefully the scene that was playing out with the professors since the fourth piece of parchment came out of the Goblet of Fire. It was Halloween, after all. Their sharp eyes had caught the expression on the headmaster's face as if he was trying to find Harry's name on that burnt piece of parchment. Then the genuinely surprised tone of professor Dumbledore as he announced "Ronald Bilius Weasley?" They saw the questioning glance at professor Moody and heard Barty Crouch's mistake that gave the game away. They realized that Harry's name was supposed to have come out of the Goblet of Fire, and the headmaster was expecting it to as was Barty Crouch, and it appears that Professor Moody was the one entrusted to put his name in the Goblet of Fire.
But it was the red dunderhead's name that came out of the Goblet of Fire and was announced!
Harry was free!
Harry was free and he remembered how Dobby felt to be free!
Harry was so happy that he kissed his girlfriend then and there.
Right in the middle of the Great Hall as pandemonium erupted over the fourth champion not being anyone named Harry Potter.
Luna followed Harry and Hermione's example, and kissed Neville as they sat opposite the Golden Couple across the Gryffindor table. Luna needed to clear the Nargles from Neville's head.
Then Harry was so happy he deepened the kiss with Hermione, and as it intensified in the passion of the moment, Harry's famous scar started to burn, and burst open as blood and a black mist came shrieking out. Its vociferation was drowned out by the pandemonium in the Great Hall but Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna recognized who the wraith was before it faded away, and so did the headmaster as they glared at each other across the Great Hall.
"That was one hell of a humungous Wrackspurt, Harry!" Luna said trying to cheer them up. "You must have had that for a very long time for them to get that big."
"Apparently since that Halloween night in 1981." Harry said with a straight face.
Hermione wandlessly vanished the blood away and kissed Harry's scar better. It quickly healed under her administrations and the pain went away. From the glare the headmaster gave them, they knew that this evening wasn't over yet, and they had to prepare for the headmaster's next move.
"Dumbledore knew what was behind my scar, and has done nothing to remove it." Harry said to Hermione as they watch the calculating headmaster. "After all the times he said he was afraid and feared that I needed protection from the dark, and he left that dark, evil thing inside my head."
"The headmaster has proved that he is not our friend, Harry, he has his own agenda and I don't believe it ends with a happy ever after for you and me." Hermione said, finally cured of her authority issues. "Leaving that dark thing in your scar must have been his security backup. If you left him, he would claim you have gone dark, and use that scar to prove it."
"That is despicable, but you know he would do just that." Neville added.
"It makes you wonder what else he has done for his Greater Good." Hermione continued.
"Yeah, this is obviously going to be a manipulation piggybacked onto someone else's plans for me, as Dumbledore would never share his plans and secrets with an official from the Ministry of Magic." Harry said.
"Nor would he allow his minions to use an Unforgivable curse on a wizard in the Great Hall." Neville added. "But there is somebody who is happy to allow his minions use all three Unforgivables on anyone they like."
"No guess who that somebody is, but for Dumbledore to help them?"
"I don't know what the headmaster's game is, but if he gets that insensitive git out of the Tournament, then we will know he is determined to get you into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It is more obvious than when he brought that stone into the school or ignored the Basilisk, and with no care or concern for your safety." Hermione said.
"Or your safety or the safety of all the other students." Harry added as they looked around the Great Hall full of angry students.
Students angry at Ronald Bilius Weasley and not Harry Potter.
- Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Goblet of Fire. -
The headmaster was quickly thinking on his feet, when the scream of the wraith that was Tom's anchor behind the boy's scar, sent a chill down his spine. He looked at the boy still wrapped in a kiss with that muggleborn witch as they turned and glared at him. Then he knew that they knew what that wraith was, and now they know that he knew it was there behind the scar all this time. Very dangerous knowledge for the boy to have but they were too far away for him to safety obliviate them again.
But there were others closer that needed the cursing of the Elder Wand. Barty's unfortunate faux pas reaction, and Moody's overwhelming response to the wrong name coming out of the Goblet, had given him the opportunity to accidentally wandlessly hit the obnoxious pink toad with a Confundus charm so she couldn't interfere, and then to stun and silence the conspirator, the undead Death Eater, Barty Crouch junior, before he could do any more damage. He had known from the start that it was not his old friend Alastor who was hopping about on one leg. He had read the Death Eater's mind and found out his plan to enter the boy's name into the Goblet of Fire so he could be kidnapped at the end of the third task and used to bring back Voldemort.
The headmaster was desperate for Voldemort to return and kill the boy to complete the prophecy, and leave him free to capture Tom and bag his second dark lord before he got too old to enjoy it.
Note captured and not killed.
Killing Voldemort is what he would tell the boy to do for the prophecy so he would die trying. But he, the Great Leader of the Light, would not lower himself to take a life, even Tom's, and he didn't need kill the weak, the ignorant, the misguided, or the unredeemed, if he could capture and show them the error of their ways. And he certainly didn't have to bother to find all of Tom's anchors if he didn't have to kill him, as the anchors would be useless if Tom died of old age in captivity.
The headmaster had brought the Philosopher's Stone to Hogwarts in 91 to bring Tom and the boy together, only for the boy to destroy Quirrellmort with the protections that the muggleborn witch had placed on him.
Then he had allowed Lucius to give that cursed diary to young Ginevra to use to raise Tom-mort only for the boy to kill a perfectly good Basilisk and destroy Tom-mort.
The headmaster had to say that this plan to kidnap the boy to be used in a very dark resurrection ritual to gain a new body was brilliant, as it would taint the boy forever, and using the boy's blood would negate the protections that the muggleborn witch had placed on him. So Tom would be certain to kill the boy this time.
But, somehow, Ronald Bilius Weasley had ruined everything, and now the muggleborn witch had in some obviously dark witchery ways helped the boy to destroy the Horcrux behind the scar.
The headmaster couldn't worry about the scar now; he had a Tournament to save. He knew Barty junior would have had to confound the Goblet of Fire to let him add a fourth school with the boy's name, and circumvent the anti-cheating runes. So it was more unbelievable that somehow young Ronald had managed to place his name in the Goblet on the same piece of parchment. He will have to find out how Ronald did that, and somehow get young Ronald out of the Tournament and the boy back in, or he would never hear the end from Molly.
No mean task to achieve but the headmaster had an unbeatable ace up his sleeve; he was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, leader of the Light, defender of the Greater Good, the best Merlin impersonator, and all-round good guy.
The Great Albus Dumbledore's word was law.
- Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Goblet of Fire. -
The headmaster's twinkling blue eyes looked deep into Ronald's shallow eyes, not too deep as he didn't want to be sick or get a headache. The headmaster had done this many times with Ronald, as he had done to so many other students before. It was a quick easy way of finding out what was happening in his school. Ronald was aware through his mother that he was to befriend the Boy-Who-Lived. He was not aware of the headmaster skimming his mind made him his spy on the boy, but his mind was an open book to a master Legilimens of the caliber of Albus Dumbledore. This time he needs to find out information on what the young Ronald had done. To calm redhead idiot down, the headmaster sent a compulsion to behave with a warning of what his mother might do to him if he didn't. In the few seconds he had seen enough including the bit about the little blue flying car but it was a pity that the boy wasn't with him. Then he could have had him sent to Azkaban to soften him up, if Voldemort failed to kill him again. Quickly the headmaster planned his strategy to manipulate the boy into the Tournament.
"Er, Ronald, my boy." Looking the concerned grandfather, the headmaster started his line of questioning, as he needed the redhead idiot to reveal only the right information to the waiting hall. "Did you get an older student to put your name into the Goblet of Fire?"
"No!" Ronald wanted to yell back, but facing the twinkling eyes of the headmaster made Ronald to want to behave and not use his anger to bully. It was hard but he tried and he spoke in his not so loud voice. "I put my own name in the Goblet of Fire."
"Oh? But if you did I am afraid that I would have to disqualify you." The headmaster asked again, still not believing that Ronald could get past his Age Line.
"No!" Ronald said back. "I put my own name in the Goblet of Fire all by myself. I didn't have anyone else to help me."
"Stop lying, you dunderhead, or I will have in detention for the rest of your short miserable life!" Professor Snape added his two Knuts.
"I am not lying! I put my name in myself, you greasy hair..." Ronald screamed at the sneering Potions professor, and then stopped as he remembered that the greasy hair git was now bald.
"Now, now, Severus." The headmaster calmed things down with a glare at his pet Death Eater and turned back to Ronald. "Now Ronald, did anyone see you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"
"Er No, not really." Ronald said in his not so loud voice to the headmaster.
"Now Ronald, how did you manage to get past the Age Line? You saw what happened to your dear unfortunate twin brothers."
"Yeah, ickle Ronniekins. How did you get through the headmaster's awesome Age Line?" Fred and George asked as they stood up, threw their long white beards over their shoulders and crossed their arms. Since that unfortunate event the twins have been using their long white beards and pretending to be the great Albus Dumbledore.
"I didn't get through the Age Line."
"Oh?"
"Er, I went over the Age Line." Ronald carefully said without any mention of a particular little blue flying car. "The barrier didn't go right up to the ceiling so I, er, used the Levitation charm to raise myself up and over the Age Line."
"Oh, could you give us a little demonstration now." Dumbledore mentally kicked himself for that little mistake of not putting the Age Line up to the ceiling.
"Er sorry but I am a little tired. Full stomach and all." Ronald stalled. "Maybe tomorrow."
"Okay, I shall like to see that." Dumbledore said, not believing for one moment that Ronald's stomach could ever be full.
The headmaster examined the piece of parchment again. He knew Barty junior had got the name of the fourth school, St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys, from a conversation he had with him while he pretended to be Alastor, about where the Dursleys said that they had sent the boy. He held up the final piece of parchment that had come out of the Goblet.
"This piece of parchment was torn off someone's Defence Against the Dark Arts homework."
The headmaster showed it to professor Snape. The piece of parchment was torn off the top half and the little bit of writing on it was about the Cruciatus Curse that was studied in Defence Against the Dark Arts with professor Moody.
"That's Potter's writing. I would recognize that chicken scratch scribble anywhere." Snape sneered. "Did you steal his homework to copy, Weasley? Fifty points from Gryffindor."
Ronald was starting to sweat and get very angry but he knew that he could not use his anger to bully the headmaster like he did to the greedy git and the bookworm, his anger would could cost him everything now. "No, I didn't steal it! Granger does all my homework! What else is she good for?"
Snape smirked as he felt a banishment coming on. He will have the ignorant Gryffindor failed back to first year for cheating, and Potter's muggleborn witch expelled for assisting. But no one else was surprised to discover how the redhead could slack off and play chess all the time and still pass. While the other professors wondered how brilliant Miss Granger was to be able to do the idiot's homework in his own hand at his level of incompetency, and were sad that they had not done more to protect the witch from the angry git.
"Then how did you get this piece of parchment to write your name on it?" Dumbledore asked.
"Er it fell out the Goblet."
"It fell out of the Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore asked to confirm what Ronald was saying.
"Er yes."
"How did it fall out of the Goblet of Fire?"
"Er it may have fallen over a little."
"The Goblet of Fire fell over?"
"Yeah."
"How did the Goblet of Fire fall over?"
"Somebody could have bumped it?" Ronald said as he rubbed his upper thigh.
The headmaster raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I dunno, it was like that when I found it. I stood the Goblet of Fire back up and found that piece of parchment on the floor. I wrote my name on it and placed it back in the Goblet." Ronald said trying very hard to control his Prewett rage.
"So when you landed inside the Age Line you found the Goblet of Fire fallen on the floor?"
Ronald nodded.
"So you stood it back up?"
Ronald nodded again.
"That is very commendable of you, Ronald my boy." The headmaster said to calm Ronald down before he sprung his trap.
Ronald smiled a little as he thought the headmaster was going to let him off the hook. "Yeah, that's me. Always helpful and considerate."
"Was there by chance, someone else's name on the piece of parchment as it did come out of the Goblet of Fire?" The headmaster asked tranquilly, wondering about the possibilities as he triggered his trap.
"Yeah, it had that slimy cheater Potter's name was on it." Ronald said without thinking.
The headmaster smiled as he got Ronald to admit what he needed to win this argument. "So Harry Potter's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire?"
"Yeah that slimy cheater Potter's name was on it." Ronald said sadly in defeat. "It was a piece of parchment torn from his homework."
The headmaster put on his sad, disappointed game face as he manipulated a victory from this disaster. Now to show the true power of the Great Albus Dumbledore's magic, to get the boy into the Tournament and to get Ronald out of it. If only Tom could see him in action, he would have realized that resistance to the Greater Good was futile, and would have never gone down that dark path.
"I am afraid, Ronald, that I will have to disqualify you." The headmaster said sadly with his blue eyes twinkling, trying to control the redhead's temper.
"Bloody hell, are you mental? My name came out fair and square!" Ronald yelled, forgetting for a moment who he was yelling at, but he couldn't give up without a fight.
"But you are underage and didn't have your mother's permission to enter." The headmaster explained sadly.
"No but my name came out not Potter's! That mental Goblet chose me!" Ronald said in a more controlled voice.
"Well, if you wish to go and ask for your mother's permission, I might be able to bend the rules a little." The headmaster offered, as he watched the fight go out of the idiot.
Ronald went white as a ghost at the thought of facing his mother. There was a greater chance of Snape dressing up in those ghastly old-fashioned frilly dress robes that his mother had sent him, than for his mother letting her precious Ronniekins enter the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
"Er, you could ask her, headmaster? She would listen to you!" The idiot pleaded.
The headmaster chuckled, he had won again. "It takes a brave boy to stand up to his friends but only a fool with a death wish would come between your dear mother and her youngest son."
Ronald shook his head and sat down in defeat. He didn't know what a death wish was but asking his mother would be certain death.
- Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Goblet of Fire. -
The headmaster was doing a happy dance in his mind as he saved his eardrums and removed the redhead idiot from the Tournament. Now to seize the victory! Carpe Victoria! He looked at the boy sadly.
"The Goblet of Fire has indeed, selected, a fourth champion." The Great Albus Dumbledore announced gravely as he looked around the Great Hall drawing out the suspense.
"Harry! Potter!"
The Great Albus Dumbledore had spoken, and his word was law.
- Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Goblet of Fire. -
"That foul... loathsome... evil…. Manipulative…. Little cockroach!" Hissed H….
- Harry Potter and The Revenge of the Goblet of Fire. -
Thank you for reading.