Chapter Seventeen: Irritating Reporters and Annoying Slytherins

"Balderdash," said Harry glumly as the portrait swung open to admit him into Gryffindor Tower. There was a tremendous applause as he was pulled into the common room by a show of hands. He almost stumbled but prevented himself from falling.

"You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred: he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.

"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George. They had tried to enter their names into the tournament and had tried to age themselves by a few months but Dumbledore's age line had recognised their true ages and their names had been eliminated from the draw.

Before anyone else could say anything to him Harry wrenched himself away from the group that had surrounded him, casting his gaze over the crowd searching for Ron and Hermione. He couldn't see them anywhere and ignoring the pleas for him to stay and join them in their party, he made his way up the dormitory stairs till he came to the fourth year dorm room. He smiled in relief when he saw Ron lying on his bed, a strange sort of grin on his face.

"Oh, hello," Ron sounded very mellow. A moment later he added, "Congratulations."

Harry looked up startled. "Congratulations? What do you mean by that?"

Ron shifted uncomfortably on his bed. "No one got across the Age Line, not even Fred and George, how did you? What did you use…the Invisibility Cloak?"

Harry had a bad feeling about Ron's attitude towards him at the moment. "The Cloak wouldn't have got me over it."

"Oh, right, I thought you might've told me you'd used the cloak…because it would've covered the both of us, wouldn't it? But you found another way, didn't you?"

Harry stepped forward so that he was glaring down at Ron who had not bothered to sit up at all. "Listen to me, Ron. I didn't put my name in that Goblet. Someone else did. And if you are not going to listen to reason and understand that someone is trying to kill me, then there is no reason for me to trust you with the truth because your attitude at the moment is telling me that you think I did put my name in."

Ron seemed shocked by Harry's outburst. "You didn't put your name in then?"

"No, I didn't," replied Harry fiercely. "But it doesn't look like you're going to believe me so Dumbledore's idea that you would trust the truth rather than the lies that you think is not going to work."

"Who would benefit from putting your name in anyway?" Ron asked, the trace of bitterness still in his voice.

"Voldemort," stated Harry, glaring.

That one word was enough to turn Ron white but then colour returned to his cheeks and he replied: "You-Know-Who wouldn't be able to get in here, Harry! I bet Sirius put your name in," he fumbled.

"How dare you!" Harry yelled, angrily. "You are so full of jealousy that you are blind to the truth! If you were really my best friend then you wouldn't let your emotions gain control of you, instead you would've waited to find out the truth and you wouldn't blame Sirius for this either!"

Ron scoffed. "If you were my best friend then you would've told me before that you had put your name in to the Goblet! And you wouldn't be lying now either!" With that Ron sat up and pulled his curtains closed.

Harry felt his mouth drop open. How could Ron believe that he had placed his name in the Goblet? And for that matter, how could he even accuse Sirius of it as well? He shook his head. Maybe he just needed time to cool off. He hoped that Ron would see sense by the morning and allow him to tell him the truth.

"The Daily Prophet had an interesting article on the front page this morning," said Hermione, holding out the newspaper to Harry. When he had woken that morning Ron hadn't been in the dormitory so the chances of his friend wanting to know the truth was unlikely to happen anytime soon. However Hermione had taken it all in her stride: she had known he wouldn't have been able to place his name in the Goblet and couldn't believe that Ron would suggest that Sirius had done it instead. She was quite angry with Ron, but he needed to settle down and work out the truth on his own if he wasn't going to listen to either of them. Taking the paper, Harry unfolded it and read the following article:

THE BOY WHO LIVED: CHAMPION OF HOGWARTS!

By Rita Skeeter

Last night the Triwizard Champions were chosen. Only students over the age of seventeen could enter this prestigious tournament, but not all the champions chosen, were of age.

Harry Potter.

Yes, the Boy-Who-Lived, is the Hogwarts Champion in the Tournament and has the chance to compete. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, claims that the boy could not have crossed the age-line he imposed but this claim is a lie since Harry Potter, a mere twelve-year old, has crossed this line and is now the official champion for Hogwarts. However, there is a substantial amount of evidence suggesting that Sirius Black did the deed, but Albus Dumbledore refuses to believe that a member of his staff would wish to harm a student.

But then, we are talking about Sirius Black and we all know what his reputation is.

"I hate her," Harry stated violently crumbling up the paper and throwing it to the ground. "Why can't she just stay out of my business for a change or at least not tell lies about Sirius!"

"That is her job. She's a reporter and not all of them tell the truth. They twist it to make it more sensational then it already is," Hermione added, trailing beside Harry. They were walking round the grounds wrapped in cloaks and scarves since the cold weather was beginning to settle in.

"Well they shouldn't!" Harry kicked out angrily against a tree and swore under his breath. He sighed, running a hand over his face as he breathed in calmly. "All I wanted this year was to have a normal school year, but that's never going to happen is it?"

Hermione chose not to answer this. All she could do was wrap Harry in a warm hug. She hated that Rita Skeeter twisted the truth to fit her own ends. That woman was a nightmare. Bit by bit she was slowly going to ruin Harry's future with Sirius.

And neither of them deserved that treatment at all.

The first lesson that morning was Herbology with Professor Sprout and that lesson was enough to demonstrate that the Hufflepuffs were not pleased that Harry was a champion. Hufflepuff rarely got any glory and he was certain that they felt that he had stolen their champion's glory. Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley, who he usually got on well with, refused to talk to him, even though they were using the same tray to re-pot Bouncing Bulbs.

Ron did not acknowledge Harry's presence at all and instead spoke to Neville, Seamus and Dean, intent on believing the lies. Hermione had to sit between them trying to make conversation and though they answered her normally, they avoided talking to each other.

The next lesson after Herbology was Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid, however Harry was not pleased that he would be in close proximity with the Slytherins since becoming a champion. He dreaded hearing what Malfoy would say and he didn't know whether he would be able to keep his anger in check. It had annoyed him that Rita Skeeter had already assumed that Sirius had placed his name in the Goblet of Fire, but it was another for Ron to believe that to. He realised his friend was just feeling spiteful and jealous but that gave him no right to randomly throw out accusations that made no sense at all.

He and Hermione arrived at Hagrid's cabin with the other Gryffindors and Malfoy arrived a minute later with his band of Slytherins. Predictably, Malfoy had his familiar sneer across his face.

"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion," he said to Crabbe and Goyle, the moment he got within earshot of Harry. "Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer! Did you know that half the Triwizard Champions have died? I wonder how long you'll last Potter. Ten minutes into the first task I bet. Your godfather will be glad that he longer has the burden to look after you." He, Crabbe and Goyle laughed, but then Malfoy was on the ground as Harry sent a fist right into his face, knocking him flat.

Harry did not care that Hermione was trying to pull him back and he wrenched his arm away from her.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!"

Malfoy's remarks had been enough to set off the anger that had been brewing the previous night since Ron's outburst. All he wanted to do was hurt Malfoy, make him pay for even thinking of bringing Sirius into this. For daring to say that he was a burden to his godfather.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled again, and without thinking punched Malfoy in the nose, this time breaking it.

"HARRY!"

Strong arms wrapped round him lifting him from the ground as Hagrid pulled him away from Malfoy.

"LET ME GO! HE DESERVES IT!"

Hagrid spoke gruffly into his hair. "Would this be how Sirius would want you to behave?"

Harry stopped struggling as he realised, with guilt in his stomach, that Sirius would be ashamed of him for reacting like that; for letting his anger get the better of him. It reminded him that must've been what Sirius felt like when he discovered that Pettigrew had betrayed his trust and all he had thought about was revenge, which had then turned into the biggest mistake of his life.

Hagrid released him and Harry did not move towards Malfoy, instead he breathed slowly trying to calm himself down. He realised that everyone in the class was standing still with shock. He barely registered Hagrid's next words.

"Hermione, why don't yer take Harry back to the common room?"

Hermione gently led Harry away from the class. He did not notice Ron following behind them.

To be continued...