Before any of the Champions could respond to the vow or the patronus the boy had cast the adults in the room decided to finally take notice, though the stag had long dispersed before they had turned their heads.
Madame Maxime came over to the group first wrapping a great arm around one of Fleur's shoulders and beginning to speak in rapid french to the girl who listened distractedly as she turned and looked at the other three champions. The look spoke volumes and they all knew that things were nowhere near over.
Karkaroff was next though he did not touch Viktor, instead he simply beckoned to the young man. There was a bit of reluctance but Harry shot him a soft but disarming smile, and he understood that there was a time and a place for what he wanted but the time had not yet come.
As Viktor and Karkaroff left in silence Dumbledore turned to Harry and Cedric. His face held none of the turmoil that he had felt earlier though neither of the boys was quite convinced that he was feeling even a bit of the joviality that he was showing.
"Harry, Cedric I think it is time that the two of you went up to your dorms." He spoke with a smile. "I dare say that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are awaiting the arrival of their champions and who would we be to deprive them of this excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise?"
Sensing the dismissal for what it was the two boys shared a look and turned to leave. As they left Harry went to go down a separate hall before Cedric grabbed his arm lightly "We still need to talk."
Harry sighed. "I know we do but I'm sure the others want to know what happened as well. So I will talk but not now."
He took his glasses off for a moment and wiped them with his shirt. The lens weren't dirty, but it was a something he did when he was contemplating, though he did not do it in front of Ron and Hermione because he was often focusing on having fun with them, and rarely had time to lapse into deep thought.
"Right now I need to deal with the fallout of my name coming out of the Goblet, and you need to celebrate with your house." Cedric did not know what came over him but he could see that the boy was more distressed than he let on but for some reason that Cedric was daft to he insisted on putting up a strong front, so the Hufflepuff did the only thing that he could think of to comfort the boy; he scooped Harry into a hug.
It was not the bone of the crushing nor smothering nature that Hermione and Mrs. Weasley often subjected him to but a soft one. He felt himself melt into it a little before Cedric let him go though he did not release his shoulders. The older boy shifted so that they were staring into each others eyes.
"Harry please take care of yourself. You don't have to pretend to be strong for them. Its okay to cry." At Cedric's words all the frustrations that the dark haired boy had felt came crashing forward and he could not hold back the tear that formed, but he did stop himself from sobbing.
"But I do Cedric... I do." with that he disentangled himself from the soothing touch of the Hufflepuff and turned toward the path to the Gryffindor dorms. Cedric could only stare, but soon he too went about his way.
As he reached the staircase that led to the Fat Lady he took a moment's pause to think about the happenings of that night. He knew that someone had put his name in the Goblet of Fire, and that angered him, but only because it was obviously a plot against his life, but because of the reaction that it had gotten out of the students.
They had known him since the first day that he had stepped foot in Hogwarts, and they knew of the things that he had done and seen, but there was one thing the he was beginning to learn about them: they did not truly care for him, but only what he represented to them It was evident.
In his first year when he had tried to tell Professor McGonagall that someone was after the philosopher's stone she had not believed him, because although to her he represented the legacy of James and Lily Potter he was only a student.
As for the student body he was only the Boy-Who-Lived and nothing more, and while that title carried with it the power of the Light it was easily tainted in their view. Like in second year when he had learned that he was a parseltongue. No one had simply thought he was a boy with a talent, but a dark wizard who was out to kill all those who opposed him. No one tried to see that he was only a small child who was just as scared as they were. They only saw the symbol of the light corrupted by "Dark" magics.
It angered him, but he had to think that this time would be different. They had already seen that he was not evil, and they knew that he was famous, but that he hated being so. His fellow Gryffindors should understand that he would never have put his name in the goblet.
Harry took a breath and began his ascent. When he reached the Fat Lady he swallowed thickly. She was rambling on about something but he ignored it.
"Balderdash." He said the password softly, and he himself barely heard it. The portrait swung open and he stepped through. He almost fell backward when he was hit with a blast of noise.
Before him stood the entirety of Gryffindor house. They were screaming, shouting, and whistling. At the forefront were the Weasley twins.
The two of them rushed forward and picked Harry up and put him on their shoulders. "You should have told us that you entered!" Fred shouted over the noise of the common room. His voice was thick with a mixture of annoyance and awe.
"How did you do it without getting a bread? Bloody Brilliant!" George shouted behind him.
Harry felt his anger once again growing. "I didn't do-"
"Well at least its a Gryffindor even if it couldn't be me." Angelina said with a half smile, half scowl adorning her lips.
"Now you'll be able to get revenge against Diggory for last season!" Katie shrieked. Others were also shouting his way and his self control finally failed him. He wretched himself from the grasp of the twins and glared at everyone around him. He ripped his wand from his pocket and fire off a loud bang.
Abruptly all noise stopped and everyone turned to face him. "I did not put my name in the damn Goblet! So leave me alone and stop celebrating!"
All the Gryffindors were stunned at his actions, but no one managed to say a word as he stalked up to his dorm room. He threw the door open and slammed it behind him hoping that they would get the hint.
He surveyed the room for a moment and noticed that Ron was lying on his bed still fully clothed. He gave a sigh of relief. "Ron I'm glad to see you mate."
Ron turned toward him. "Oh hello." there was almost no emotion in his voice, and Harry inwardly cringed at the obviously strained grin that the red head wore.
"Congratulations." Harry knew that Ron did not mean it, but he could not for the life of him understand what was wrong with the boy.
"Congratulations? Ron you know that I don't want anything to do with this tournament." Ron scoffed at that.
"Come off it Harry. Just tell me how you got your name in the Goblet." he seemed to enter a thoughtful pose for a moment "I mean Fred and George couldn't get over the age line. What'd you use your invisibility cloak?"
Harry took a calming breath. He had already dealt with people who had not believed him about what had happened with the goblet but he had not thought that one of his own friends would be one of those people accusing him of putting his name in it.
"Ron I did not put my name in the Goblet, and the cloak would have never gotten me over that line if I had." he spoke slowly so as to keep his anger in check, though Ron seemed oblivious to his near explosive rage.
"You're right Harry it couldn't have been the cloak because you'd have covered both of us if it had, so I guess you found another way right?"
Harry grit his teeth at the idiocy of his "best friend". "Ron I told you I did not put my name in the Goblet. You know I don't want anything to do with this."
Ron just shook his head. "Look mate you can tell me the truth. I don't see why you keep lying about it. You didn't even get in trouble for putting your name in the cup, and we already know that Dumbledore's letting you enter, so come off it. I mean a thousand galleons and no end of year exams..."
He trailed off as he realized that Harry was glaring at him. "You know what Ron why don't you go out there with them? I don't have time for your jealously."
The red head looked shocked for a moment as his face turned beet red. "I'm jealous?!" he screamed. "I just wanna know why my best mate would leave me out of something as big as this! But I guess I never realized that he was such a bloody prat!"
Ron turned away from Harry and flicked his wand causing the curtains of his bed to close. Harry knew right then and there that he had no need for the Weasley boy anymore. There were bigger things to worry about without him being an ass.