Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters.

Chapter 6: The Goblet of Fire

There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air, the 30th of October. As all the students have been told a week before, that day at 6 o' clock, the delegations from Drumstrang and Beauxbatons would arrive. The day passed very slowly, and nobody paid attention in class as they all were excited about meeting the foreign students. And, at last – thirty minutes before six o' clock – the students made their way to their common rooms, left their schoolbags and walked to the front of the castle, as they had been told previously.

There, the Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines, and there were seven for each house – Ravenclaw first, followed by Slytherin, then Hufflepuff, and finally, Gryffindor.

Professor McGonagall was sternly giving instructions to all the students who seemed untidy, frightening some of the younger students when she snapped at them, and nodding her head once she was pleased with them.

"Now, be quiet," she told them. "And first years in front… no pushing, please…"

As they waited, the ones who hadn't brought their cloaks with them started shivering. It was a cold night indeed, and some of the students were starting to get impatient. The majority, however, was still excitedly waiting. Charles Potter, as Nightmare discovered, was one of them, as he had been jumping like a mad kangaroo.

"Do you see Potter?" he asked Echo, making a small notion with his head towards his twin.

Echo did, and nearly laughed, earning himself a glare from his Head of House. "I can't believe he is really jumping."

Nightmare snorted. "I can."

"When do you think they are arriving?" Echo asked impatiently. "I am hungry."

Just then, a sixth year girl gasped. "I saw something!"

"Where?" many students asked, while looking in different directions for the something the girl had seen.

"There!" she said, pointing over the forest.

Something large was approaching, and some students were wondering aloud - "Are they broomsticks?", "No, it has to be a dragon!" and "I think it looks more like a kind of floating house."

And it was nearly right, for it was a horse-drawn carriage, a light purple elegant one. As it flew through the rest of the Forbidden Forest, many students expressed their awe.

"It's beautiful!" a first year exclaimed amazed.

But when the carriage landed with a horrible noise, many first years fell backwards, right into the second year students, who helped them into their feet.

Many people gasped when the doors opened. A tall woman – probably as tall as Rubeus Hagrid, the caretaker – had gotten out of it.

Nightmare turned to Echo and mouthed 'Half Giant, too', and his friend answered with a nod of his head.

The woman had olive-skinned face, black eyes, and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in an elegant knob, and she was in a black satin dress, with beautiful opals that embellished the neck.

Dumbledore, who had now walked from the back where he had been, gave her his hand, which she took with a soft smile.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," the old Headmaster started. "Madame Maxime."

"Oui, Dumbly-dort," she told him, before she, and her students, who were by now out of the carriage, moved next to the Ravenclaws.

And so they stood, waiting patiently for Drumstrang, and the students were searching the sky again.

But they were wrong in thinking Drumstrang would be arriving in the same way as Beauxbatons, as a minute later they found out, someone else gasped.

"There! By the lake!" the third year who had gasped exclaimed, and everyone turned to look at the water where, indeed, was beginning to surface something, and the students wondered what it was.

"It's a mast!" Seamus muttered to Charles and Dean, and Nightmare and Echo rolled their eyes – that was obvious.

Slow and magnificent, a ship rose out of the water – it was slightly skeletal, and it kind of looked like one of those ghost pirates ships muggles made movies of. And then, suddenly the ship was completely out of the water, and it was gliding softly towards them – and then it stopped, the sound of an anchor splashing in the water startling some of the students.

Someone – Nightmare knew it was the Headmaster of the school – started disembarking. He wore sleek and silver robes that were made with what looked like a kind of fur.

Dumbledore stepped forward as the last of the student disembarked the ship (all wearing the same kind of robe made of fur, just shaggy and matted.)

"Dumbledore!" the Drumstang's headmaster said, walking towards Albus too. "How are you, good fellow?"

Dumbledore laughed, and the rest of the Hogwarts School looked amused at his antics.

"All right, old friend," he said cheerily. "I trust your journey went without any problem, Professor Karkaroff?"

"Any at all," said Karkaroff. "I suggest we all start heading to your castle – good old Hogwarts – Victor has a little cold. You don't mind, dear friend?"

"Not at all, Igor," assured Dumbledore. "We can start the feast as soon as you all are comfortable with your rooms."

Madam Maxime and Igor Karkaroff agreed, and soon, everyone was heading to the castle to enjoy a delicious fest – courtesy of the House Elves.

.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

Nightmare frowned at that. He really had a bad feeling about that tournament.

Inwardly knowing his friend would never think that feeling was right, he started loading his plate, and started eating, smiling with amusement when he noted Echo was already loading his second plate.

"What?" Echo asked defensively. "I told you I was hungry."

And then, finally, the end of the fest arrived, and Dumbledore got up, and smiled at them in a kind of Grandfatherly smile – or what it was supposed to be.

"It's time. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start," he started. "But before we bring in the impartial judge, I would like to say a few words."

Dumbledore stopped to take a look at everyone.

"There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

Every student seemed excited about the tasks, but somewhere scared too.

"There will be three champions; one for each school," said Dumbledore. "They will be awarded points, the winner, and the one with the most. The three champions will be chosen by an impartial judge: The Goblet of Fire."

The Goblet, once it was showed to everyone, was a simple wooden cup – had it not been by the blue flames dancing in the inside.

Nightmare turned his head to the Hufflepuff table and saw, as he expected, that Flame was looking particularly interested by the cup.

"Anyone by the age of seventeen that wishes to compete," Dumbledore told them. "Must write his name and school in a piece of parchment, and drop it in the goblet. Aspiring champions have only a day to submit their names, and tomorrow, Halloween's feast, the champions will be announced."

.

The Tournament was the most common topic of conversation, as many of the students were excited about this day – and whispers were heard everywhere.

"My parents told me all about it"

"I heard it is very dangerous -"

"I can't wait! I am so excited!"

The group known as the Lightnings, however, wasn't as excited as the rest of the students. It was, after all, protection to the castle the reason they were students in it, and, for much childish they seemed sometimes, they knew in which topics to be more mature than others – and the Triwizard Tournament was one of them.

Nightmare, particularly, was feeling oddly concerned for his younger twin, and, as he tried to console himself the morning of Halloween, he had good reason – for he had heard about all the Charles Potter Adventures.

However, the other Lightnings seemed to think differently, as Nightmare found out some hours later, when they had one of their usual 'Headquarters meetings'.

"Why do you suddenly care for Potter?" had asked Blade. Tornado and Echo agreed.

"I don't care!" Nightmare had exclaimed "I just have this feeling..."

Flame had frowned, clearly concerned for her boyfriend, but the others relaxed a little.

"I think Charles will be alright" Frosty had assured everyone, and Wind smiled at her for breaking the silence.

"Dumbledore wouldn't put his 'Golden Boy' in danger." spoke Rock, who had been quiet the whole reunion.

And then, minutes later, when they had all assured Nightmare that his feeling was wrong, they left each one to their own common houses.

But as they got ready for the fest, they didn't realize their leader was less than calmed... he was completely paranoid, just like Alastor Moody – an ex-auror who they had met years ago.

.

By the end of Halloween, Nightmare should have known it was too good to be truth, as once the Beauxbatons: Fleur Delacour; the Drumstrangs: Victor Krum; and Hogwarts's champion: Cedric Diggory; were announced, one more parchment erupted of the cup; just after the Goblet had turned red, and sparks showered out of it, surprising everyone for a fourth time. And e knew his feeling was right, and felt his heart drop, when he heard Dumbledore gravely say: "Charles Potter!"

.

'I knew it! I knew it!' thought desperately Nightmare as he turned to look meaningfully at his friends faces: they really seemed worried now. But the face that worried most Nightmare was not theirs, but Charles´s, and, as whispers and murmurs and theories began, he just knew his brother didn't put his name in the goblet at all.

Charles Potter just seemed lost, scared and shocked; and Nightmare, not for the first time, feared for his safety.

"Charles Potter!" Dumbledore roared grimly again (Potter was, after all, his most used pawn in defeating Voldemort), but Charles only started to move after his friends – Seamus and Dean – pushed him up and towards the furious headmaster.

Once his twin had disappeared through the door the other champions had passed through, Nightmare immediately stood and left the hall, as the rest of the students and his friends, who joined him a few moments later.

"I told you!" he muttered to them. "I knew something would happen, but this - "

The Lightnings seemed guilty – they had tried not to listen their leader's bad feeling, but they knew they were mostly right.

"We need to help him" whispered Flame, and all less Nightmare turned to look at her shocked. "I mean, Voldemort is after him, and the goblet – I mean, the fire… told me Charles wasn´t the one who put the parchment…"

"How could the fire tell you who it was?" asked Wind, who seemed particularly interested. "I mean, the parchment had name and school, and fire doesn´t have eyes…"

Flame rolled their eyes at them, but Nightmare understood.

"The fire didn't tell her exactly who the person who put in the name was, it told Flame some… characteristics and she knows it doesn't fit Charles."

Flame smiled at him. "Yes, the fire told me the levels of heat of the body, or in this case, the hand that put in the parchment – you know how there are people extremely hot? They could sleep in a snow bed and just make it water. Charles's body heat is not that extreme, but it has more heat than normal. The person who placed the name doesn't have the same heat."

Echo, Rock, Blade, Tornado and Frosty all looked understanding. "So that's why you always know it's me even if you're not looking!"

"Oh," said Wind thoughtful, and ignoring Echo's statement. "It would have to be someone from here. There's a traitor, obviously…"

"Yeah," Tornado agreed. "But who is it?"

"I don't know." Flame mumbled, and Nightmare shook his head at them when they turned to look at him hopefully (he had control too of the element of fire).

"I couldn´t know," he admitted. "As I have control over many elements, I really don't have all – I mean, Flame only has one element, so her capacity isn't full and she can control it fully (and that's why she 'talked' with the fire), but my capacity is full, and The powers I have are not as complete as the one a person has only. I don't know if you understand what I mean…"

"I do," told him Frosty, and everybody agreed. Then she turned to Flame. "I think you should stay in your ward, just in case you feel the person."

"I will," Flame promised, and Nightmare felt a little more assured, a little less worried. "But I still think we should help him. This Tournament is really horrible –"

"I agree with you," spoke Rock, and Blade agreed, somehow hesitant. "We are here to protect, and we should do that."

"Everyone wants to help him?" Nightmare asked.

"We do," said Flame and Rock immediately.

"Us too," told him Frosty and Wind.

"Okay," mumbled Tornado and Blade hesitantly.

Echo looked at him and said clearly: "When do we start?"

Nightmare looked at them all in pride and gratitude, and spoke: "First, lest go to sleep, its late."

And indeed, it was. The once full of students corridor was now deserted. They told each other goodnight and parted ways, each to his common room, for a long night without sleep.

.

A lot of noise, applauses and screaming met Charles's ears when the portrait opened to let him pass, and being dragged in to his common room didn't help his grim mood at all. He was in because someone wanted him dead, not to everyone amusement!

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

"Brilliant!" exclaimed another Gryffindor. "How did you do it?"

"I didn't do it!" Charles exclaimed. "I don't know how – I don't know what happened"

"They brought us food, Charles, let's go over there-"

"I'm not hungry; I had enough at the feast -"

But everyone still believed he had put his name in, everyone still asked him how he had tricked the age restriction.

"I didn't do it," he said exasperated, over and over again, "I don't know how it happened – I still don't get what just happened. Please, I want to sleep…"

And so, he pushed them all off, and climbed the stairs to the boys dormitory. He really hoped Dean and Seamus would believe him – they had to! Didn't they? He was their friend…

But as he passed the door to his dormitory and saw the faces his friends had, he knew they believed it all… 'They think he had put his name in that bloody cup, and that he had left them behind!' He thought grimly. Was anyone going to believe him?

.

'Was anyone going to believe him?' Charles thought again as he closed the curtains around his bed, now fully dressed with his night robes, and looking very defeated. He really had thought Dean and Seamus were going to believe him, but they didn't, as they had told him – and very bitterly -moments before. And now, as he determinedly tried to close his eyes, he realized he couldn't sleep; his mind full of the horrible events that had happened. He remembered clearly all that had happened after his name was announced, and now, more than ever he realized he needed someone who would listen to him, and would believe him. Someone he could confide in.

And the answer came to him almost as quickly as the question. He didn't want nor needed a parent, no; he needed –

"Harry," he whispered as he shook the boy's shoulder gently. "Harry, or Nightmare, or whatever you call yourself!"

Nightmare stirred, but then his breath slowed again, indicating he had fallen asleep again.

"Oh please," Charles whispered, his face wearing an expression between exasperation and amusement. "Just wake up. I need to talk to you about something."

"What happened?" Nightmare said sleepily as he opened his eyes, his gaze turning briefly to the empty bed that was Charles's. "What's up?"

Charles looked at his twin hopefully. "You don't believe that er – rubbish about me entering the tournament, do you?"

"Of course not," Nightmare said honestly. "Why would I?"

Charles turned to look at the bed post, embarrassed. Why had he asked Harry that? Well, maybe it was that Harry had been treated horribly by his family, Charles included.

"Everyone thinks so," he said quietly, as to not wake up their roommates. Even Dean and Seamus do."

Nightmare frowned. He could see that Charles's friends betrayal was really hurting him. "What they did was stupid. They are supposed to be your friends –"

"I know!" Charles exclaimed, before putting his hands over his mouth. "Oops…"

Nightmare chuckled quietly, surprised at how well he could be himself with his twin. Maybe it was a sibling thing…

"Maybe I have to start early," he said in thought. "Come, on, let's wake the others."

Charles didn't ask who the 'others' were; he knew Nightmare meant the other Lightnings.

And so, after many wake ups ("Why, by Merlin, did you had to wake me up!") and walking cautiously to a place Charles had suggested (the Room of Requirement), they were all seated in a comfortable room, not very unlike the Lightnings headquarters.

"So," started Echo. "Why did you wake us up?"

Nightmare sighed; Echo was going to be very moody because of their 'early' day.

"I want to start the training right now"

This caused quite the chaos. "Now, as in right now?" asked Wind, over all the shocked cries.

"Well, of course," Nightmare said, as if waking up at 2 o' clock and starting training was a common occurrence.

"But why now?"

"I just feel that something's coming. Something really big." His statement caused shivers on everyone's backs: the Lightnings because they really knew about his leader's feelings and Charles because something big and bad was frightening.

Author note!

Hi, dear readers! Im sorry, I couldn't update yesterday - it was my Grandma's birthday, and I wasn't home all day. Sorry. So, today, I'll post two chapters, okay? To make up to you! Yay!

See ya!

Lily.

PS. Please, comment anytime, I don't mind it. In fact, It would be great to talk to someone - Im feeling lonely. Why do breaks have to exist? I want to go to school! XD