Enjoy. Sorry for the long wait.
Chapter 15
The journey to and arrival at Hogwarts was the same as it had been for the past three years. Harry eventual parted from Draco and Hermione to sit at the Gryffindor table, though he had a smile on his face when he saw Cedric, he older Hufflepuff boy waved at him and he lifted a hand in return. He knew both Hermione and Draco found it difficult to understand his fondness for him, but they never said anything outright negative around him.
Soon the sorting was underway, a decent number of students went to each house and Harry marveled at how short they all seemed. He hadn't really noticed over the summer, but he had finally had a growth spurt, he was still smaller than some of the other boys of his year, but it wasn't as great of a difference as it had been before.
He ate dinner with barely a mind on the food, it was good as usual, but his eyes were drawn to the teasing and good natured laughing that surrounded Cedric. Harry would be the first to admit that his crush on the Hufflepuff boy was a little extreme, it was a first crush and he felt a bit entitled to some of the fluttery feelings that came along with it.
He noticed as the plates disappeared that Dumbledore stood holding his arms up and calling attention to his speech. First he gave out the usual start of term warnings and rules. "-the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year." That caught everyone's attention. Shouts of anger filled the hall, Dumbledore looked expectantly at them, waiting for silence to continue. "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continue throughout the school year, taking much of the teachers' time and energy. I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely and I have the great honor in announcing that this year at Hogwarts the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place."
Gasps of shock and amazement filled the hall. From down the table Fred Weasley stood shouting "You're JOKING!"
Laughs filled the hall at his comment, Dumbledore chuckling right along with others until McGonagall loudly cleared her throat.
"Ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament, no doubt some of you are not aware of exactly what this involves, but for those of you who do, please forgive me for giving a short explanation."
Harry knew the history of the tournament, having looked it up along with Hermione when Tom had first told them about it. He knew that it had been discontinued due to the high number of fatalities-usually due to Tasks involving the more dangerous magical creatures and the gradual misuse and disuse of magic, the ministry had started decreeing some magic's unlawful to use, namely the dark arts. It had also become a way to prove some families worthiness by forcing a child to compete who did not have the proper training. Harry thought that this was similar to Hermione's situation, but at least he knew she was strong enough to face whatever the Tournament threw her way.
"The Heads of Beauxbatons and Drumstrang will be arriving with their shortlisted contenders in October and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."
Harry looked across the Great Hall to catch Hermione and Draco's eyes, both nodded at him. At every table there was some whispering going on of how one student or another was going to be the Hogwarts Champion.
"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Twiwizard Cup to Hogwarts, the Heads of the participating schools along wit h the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age-that is to say, seventeen years or older-will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration." Again Harry caught Hermione's eye, she did not seem worried about the age restriction, and she wouldn't be. To her it would just be yet another challenge to pass, as he was sure Dumbledore would ensure the restriction would be followed. Harry sat up straight and looked around the tables, wondering which of the others would put forth their name.
A little commotion at the Hufflepuff table caught his eye and he stared at the people slapping Cedric's back. Harry had the sudden thought, Cedric was of age, he would probably try to put his name forth then-if only on a dare though. Hufflepuff had not been known to have a lot of champions in the past, usually it was Slytherin or Gryffindor. He didn't let the thought worry him though, Cedric would not get the place as Champion-it would be Hermione, no matter what age restriction or impartial judge Dumbledore acquired.
Weeks passed quickly, everyone in fourth year noticed an increase in the amount of work they received from the professors, McGonagall explained it away as being due to the nearness of the O.W.L.S. Many in Gryffindor tower complained that it was too early to be thinking about the fifth year exams. Harry shrugged when questioned about the amount of work.
Soon it was the middle of October and an energy of excitement ran through Hogwarts, even Harry could not wait to meet the students from the other wizarding schools. He shared his excitement with the other two-thirds of the 'Dark Trio' and Cedric. Draco and Hermione shared the excitement, if only in private.
Harry had become closer to Cedric in the past weeks, he knew the older boy wanted them to go slow-though he didn't deny his attraction to Harry. Harry wanted to share this with Draco and Hermione, but knew that Draco at least wouldn't appreciate it, he still wasn't quiet sure why they didn't like Cedric.
One Monday afternoon he entered the entrance hall after class only to be stopped by a large crowed gathered around a sign erected at the foot of the staircase. He saw Draco and Hermione near it and made his way towards them. Both nodded to him when they saw him standing next to him. He quickly read the sign and let a smile light his face, finally the other schools would be arriving.
"Friday… soon we'll see what impartial judge Dumbledore has found and get this Tournament underway." Draco said softly, he turned to Hermione. "Ready to show them all what you can do?" Hermione smirked at the words and nodded silently.
Harry grinned, but caught the words of a Hufflepuff near them. "Only a week away! I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him…"
Harry wasn't the only one who heard as Draco let a faint sneer grace his face. "Diggory's going to enter? He won't stand a chance."
Harry turned on him, angry. "What do you have against Cedric?" Harry hissed out quietly. "He's nice and smart; can't you just keep your comments to yourself? I don't know what's wrong with you, but can't I date who I want!?"
Draco seemed to be taken aback; he said nothing as Harry stalked away. Hermione put a hand on Draco to stop him from taking after him. "Not here, later." Some of the students around them had heard Harry's words and were staring at him. He glared back and took his leave of the crowd.
Friday evening the students clad in cloaks to guard against the chilly fall air congregated in front of the castle, lined up by house and year, waiting as dusk fell and the moon shined over the Forbidden Forest. There was a nervous anticipation coming from the crowd and students were questioning the means of arrival. Whatever it was, Harry knew it would be a grand entrance-wizards loved to show off when they gathered together.
Dumbledore's voice called from the back row. "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons arrives!"
Harry looked up as someone pointed to the sky. He could see now a large form cutting across the sky. When it came close enough to make out details he discerned that it was a huge carriage, drawn by a dozen pegasi-Abraxan if his was not mistaken. The first three rows of students backed into the others as they flew lower to land. The horse's hooves touched first with a loud crash, then the carriage landed, its wheels bouncing upon the ground at the harsh landing. The golden horses tossed their heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes. Harry knew he was not the only one entranced by the beautiful, yet wild looking creatures, he had only really seen the smaller chestnut pegasi that graced the forests around the Manor rarely. These Abraxans though, were the finest representation of the pegasi he had ever seen.
His fixation on the horses was broken as the doors to the carriage opened and a boy in blue robes jumped out and fumbled around eventually unfolding a set of golden stairs. Then out stepped the largest woman he had ever seen-he suddenly was reminded of the Hogwarts Groundskeeper-now Care of Magical Creatures Professor-Hagrid. Though, it seemed that this woman was a taller than Hagrid.
Claping ensued from the crowd as she stepped fully out of the carriage. Dumbledore soon greeted her and they exchanged pleasantries before the other occupants of the carriage stepped out. They stood behind their headmistress, Madam Maxine, if he had caught the name correctly, shivering in the cool air, Harry noted that their light blue robes were made of fine silk-Draco would appreciate that-and none were wearing coats.
Harry turned his attention away from the French students as they headed inside to escape the cold. Now it was just a matter of time before Durmstrang arrived. The noise of the students chatting about the arrival and the horses moving around in their harnesses filled the night. He let his mind wander until a strange noise reached his ears. He turned to the lake recognizing the sound of water moving.
A large mast rose out of the lake, followed by a magnificent ship that Harry knew to be from Durmstrang-he and Draco had at one time thought that going there would be interesting and had found whatever information they could concerning the school. The ship was anchored and then out of it the students disembarked with their headmaster. He knew that despite the large forms they made in the distance that most were just bundled up in the standard coats that the weather of Durmstrang required.
Harry looked through the crowd looking at the arrivals, they were all boys of course. Durmstrang was the most prominent all-boys school in Europe, there was another all-girls sister school to Durmstrang, but at the moment, its name escaped him.
Pleasantries were again exchanged before they were allowed into the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. Harry saw Draco in the crowd and frowned as the blond refused to look at him. Harry gave a mental sigh, he was still angry about what he said then.
The feast was wonderful, he noticed the ethnic foods that appeared on the table along with the usual Hogwarts fare and talked with a few of the Beauxbatons students learning about their school. Some found Hogwarts to be a bit to stiff and expounded upon the merits of the school of "beautiful wands." The discussion was interrupted as Dumbledore stood, first he introduced the newest arrivals-Ludo Bagman and Bartemius Crouch-Harry had not noticed their entrance.
Harry wondered at the mention of a casket, briefly, before turning back to the speech. At least now they knew who the judges were for the tournament. He and the rest of the students turned to watch Filch when Dumbledore mentioned his name. He carried and old jewel encrusted wooden chest to the head table and laid it before Dumbledore. Murmurs broke out in the hall as Dumbledore again spoke at mention of the danger the champions faced upon entering the tournament the hall silenced.
"Three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each task the tournament brings and the champion with the highest total at the end of the third task will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."
With a tap of his wand on the wooden chest the lid cracked open. Dumbledore reached inside and withdrew a large, roughly hewn wooden goblet, Harry knew that despite the unremarkable way it looked that the goblet was filled with ancient magics, such an object would be difficult for a normal wizard to confound, but he had faith that it would pose little trouble to Hermione.
"Anyone wishing to enter the tournament must write their name and school clearly upon a piece of parchment and drop it into the goblet. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight- aspiring champions have the next twenty-four hours to put forward their names. Tomorrow, the goblet will return the three names of those it has found most worthy of representing their schools." Here Dumbledore paused, letting his words sink in. Harry noted that the age restriction was not on the goblet itself, interesting… "To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line."
Harry almost laughed at this. An Age Line? It was simple to cross one if one had enough knowledge of magic and ancient runes-which Hermione had in spades. He could see a ghost of a smile on her face across the hall. Nothing to worry about then in the case of the age restriction, now it was down to making sure the goblet chose Hermione as the Hogwarts champion.
That night after many were in bed and sleeping off the feast, Hermione entered the entrance hall, she spied the cup in the center of a glowing ring-the age line. She walked up to it silently, she knew that she would not be noticed covered in silencing and notice-me-not spells as she was.
The line glowed innocently as she lifted her wand. The trick to passing an age line was not to break it, rather to split it so that it wouldn't detect those not of age. She bent down to reach the line and waved her wand around near the line inscribing a rune in the air and then moving a little to the side to do the same again. She whispered the activation for the runes and the glowing line split into two between the runes creating an opening that grew until she could easily step into the ring.
She drew out the parchment with her name on it and placed it in the goblet. It flared brightly before going back to its serenely glowing blue flame. She stepped out of the circle careful not to touch the line and waved her wand canceling the runes. On her way back to the dorm she ran through a list of spells, ones she performed daily in class and out of class, carefully masking the presence of the runes. Soon she was back in her dorm and slipping into her bed. Tomorrow night was bound to be interesting when the champions were chosen. For the first time in Tri-Wizard Tournament history, there would be four champions. She knew that it was the only way to make sure she was in the tournament, there was no other way. The Goblet of Fire was an ancient object and would have taken a lot of time to confound properly to choose her as the third champion. She had almost giggled when she realized that the Goblet didn't necessarily have to choose three people, it could choose as many as there were schools competing.
Sleep came to her quickly, her nerves having settled at the completion of her first task.
The next morning was filled with excitement, students had gathered around the Goblet early in the morning to see people put their names in. Cheers were heard after every Hogwarts student entry.
There was some boisterous shouting from a group of Hufflepuffs as Cedric entered the Entrance Hall his hand clutching a slip of parchment. Harry watched from the side, a half smile present on his face, as he stepped into the circle and placed his name in the Goblet. Harry bit inside his lip as Cedric turned to him giving him a smile, he walked over and placed an arm over his shoulders.
Cedric was smiling widely as he drew Harry closer to his side. "Come on Harry, give us a smile." Harry smiled weakly, Cedric's mirth dampened a little. "If I get to compete you'll cheer for me right Harry?"
Harry nodded letting his smile brighten a tiny bit. "Yeah… I will."
From the side of the hall Draco glared at them. He was waiting for Hermione as she had ditched him in the Common room when he had asked about her task. She came up behind him and used a minor shocking hex to get his attention away from the pair. Draco turned on her his own wand ready and a curse on his lips, he deflated upon seeing her.
He glanced back at Harry, noticing the affectionate way he looked at Cedric. "Why Hermione?"
Hermione sighed, letting a softness enter her eyes. "Stop being jealous Draco, it's unbecoming of a prince," a smile lit Draco's face at the inside joke, "Harry is yours, or he will be, he will realize it soon enough."
Draco nodded, but continued to watch Harry with Cedric until the Hufflepuff left. Harry joined them soon after with a contented look on his face that soon left when he noticed Draco's scowl.
"Draco, what's wrong?"
"Stop hanging off that damn Hufflepuff, it's disgusting." Draco failed at masking his annoyance and anger. He realized quickly that his words had hurt Harry, but didn't expect the glare he received or the punch that landed in his gut. He remained standing, though he gasped for breath. He opened his mouth to apologize, but stopped at the look on Harry's face.
"Don't apologize, you said you could accept him, but I know that you won't. I don't want to fight with you Draco, not over this. You're my best friend." Harry turned to Hermione. "I know you don't really like Cedric either, but he's really loyal. We have so few Hufflepuffs… most are only neutral. I know he will leave soon anyway, but…"
Hermione gave him a look that told him he was rambling. "You don't have to justify yourself, Harry."
A blinding smile lit Harry's face. "Thank you."
Draco stayed still as Harry rushed away. He leaned against the wall, still breathing heavily. He looked at Hermione, who had a brow arched in questioning. "You are an idiot at times Draco. He won't realize who he really should be with if you keep acting like that."
Draco nodded, not trusting his voice.
Dinner was a grand affair once again, it being Halloween night after all. Everyone though was focused on the event of drawing the champions. As soon as the plates were cleared from the tables and the visiting ended Dumbledore stood. "Sit down, everyone. Now is the moment we have all waited for, the choosing of the Champions.
Dumbledore moved towards the Goblet as it flared up turning a brilliant red as he approached. A spark from it sent out a strip of parchment which Dumbledore caught in his hand.
"The Durmstrang champion is… Viktor Krum!" Cheers exploded from the Bulgarian students as Viktor stood and walked to the front to shake Dumbledore's hand before being pointed to a side door.
With another burst of red flame another name was spit out of the Goblet.
"The champion for Beauxbatons… Fleur Delacour!" The blonde girl stepped lightly up to the head table, with cheers following her.
The Hogwarts students watched the red flames with baited breath as the parchment with the Hogwarts champion name was read by Dumbledore. "The Hogwarts champion… Cedric Diggory!"
Harry sat in a mix of shock and happiness as the other students cheered around him. At the Slytherin table there was some half-hearted clapping, Draco made no attempt to hide the glare he aimed at the Hufflepuff's back. Hermione was clapping politely, to the shock of some students. At the head table, Remus and Severus waited knowing that there had to be a reason for the Dark Lord's heirs calm.
Their suspicions were confirmed as Dumbledore started speaking; the goblet once again flared red spouting forth a name. Dumbledore picked the parchment out of the air and stared at it in shock and wonder.
"Hermione Granger?" He raised his voice. "Hermione Granger!"
Hermione stood, heavy silence filled the hall. She calmly made her way to the door where the other champions had entered, hiding the smirk that crossed her face as she passed into the ante-chamber.
Ah, a long chapter for your pleasure. If we get inspired this might get finished in a timely manner... R&R.
