DISCLAIMER: THE BOOK BELONGS TO J. I HAVE ONLY BORROWED BOTH CHARACTERS AND PLOTLINE.

CHAPTER 58

Harry did not have to feign his surprise; in fact after his name had been called out as the fourth champion, he'd almost fallen off his seat from the shock of it.

Initially there had been a couple of surprised gasps from the students, but soon the whispers started to get more and more hostile, 'How did he deceive the goblet?' 'Would they let him compete even though it was clearly wrong to?' and most unfair of all 'Was he trying to upstage his brother?'

The whispers gradually became shouts and soon Harry found himself being herded out of the room by Luna and Cho towards their common room where he could lock himself up in the safety of his dorm.

Pulling out the mirror he called out Darren's name and waited. The image before him cleared and his brother came on looking at him with a slightly perplexed expression like he did not know how to handle the situation "Um…you okay kiddo? What the hell happened in there? I thought you weren't entering your name in?"

"I didn't want to tell you I'd joined" Harry said, looking away as it ashamed "I was kind of embarrassed about the whole thing and never dreamed I'd ever be selected!" He had meticulously thought up this answer the last night and could recite it easily now without looking guilty and watched Darren nod slowly as if in acceptance of his fear.

"When you left the great hall after the announcement tonight, Dumbledore called me and told me that before they allow you to participate they're going to do some serious brainstorming. The incident is completely unprecedented, so he asked me to tell you that you'll have to go to his office the next week for the final verdict."

Harry nodded and was grateful that they were not simply dismissing the whole thing off as some malfunction with the goblet and were giving him a fighting chance. What really relieved him however, was that Darren seemed completely incapable of even thinking that Harry was outrageously lying or that he had tampered with the system! True, it made him feel really small on the inside, but he knew it was ultimately for the bigger picture, which was protecting said brother.

He called Draco needing to hear his cut and dry manner of speaking, and was happy when Draco's first words were "Hey Dumbass!" accompanied with loud laughter from him; really Harry thought grinning to himself not saying a word during Draco's long rant, one can always count on friends for support!

The next week was pure torture for Harry, from almost being unknown he'd become infamous overnight. People said really horrible things about him while in class or during dinner, so much so he'd started to eat in the kitchens with either Darren or Draco alternatively to avoid the hassle.

An anonymous vote was taken amongst the students and staff concerning their opinions about whether he should participate or not and the chits were given to Professor Dumbledore for the final tally, so that he could sit down and discuss the outcome of the matter with the other two Judges who had been introduced to them during the week.

The Judges were a Mister Bartemius Crouch from the Department of Magical Games and Sports and a rather giant sized woman who was said to be the Headmistress for Beauxbatons school, a Madame Maxime, who'd recognized Harry's name from the last year's mishap with Sirius and had looked curiously at him for nearly five minutes without blinking, making him feel all squirmy inside.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He was sitting in Moody's class at the end of the week looking disgustedly at the man who had had Neville Longbottom on his knees in front of the class while making him sing idiotic songs by using the Imperius curse on him. He almost looked like he was genuinely enjoying the show as if he wanted to see the boy more and more humiliated.

Harry was about to intervene by asking some lame question just to break his connection, when a first year peaked into the room and said "Excuse me Sir, Harry Potter fourth year of Ravenclaw house, has been called to Headmaster Dumbledore's office right now" looking terrified by Moody's revolving blue eye.

Harry stood up and looked questioningly at the Professor who said "Get out quickly or stay, I don't really care one way or another Potter."

Harry thanked him and walked out of the room trying his best not to look around knowing fully well that the others had started to stare at him yet again.

After getting the password to Dumbledore's office from the first year, he stood on the spiraling staircase that led up to the entrance door and knocked.

"Come in" came the Headmaster's voice from within the room, Harry pushed the door open and went inside to find all three judges sitting at the table looking impassively at him.

"We have come to a decision Harry, it's now entirely up to you to make up your mind whether you want to follow through with it or not" Dumbledore said smiling gently at him.

"You may participate in the tournament on one condition Mr Potter" said Mr Bartemius Crouch, looking sternly at him "The first task that you face will be a level tougher that what the others will be going against, if you agree to go through with this condition you may participate, but do so knowing that you put your life at risk."

Harry looked into their mask like faces knowing that he would not find help from any of them; he had to make the choice on his own.

He could protect Darren from outside the competition as a spectator; maybe even help him practice for the tasks. Suddenly unbidden in his mind rose the image of a green skull with a snake in its mouth and he shuddered, no, his choice had already been made the day he'd put his name into the goblet.

Facing the three adults, he firmly told them of his decision to continue as a champion and watched their hopeful faces take on an almost stricken look.

The only person he told later on about the condition was Draco, who'd sighed loudly and conjured up a white orchid giving it to him while saying "It's been swell Harry, see you on the other side" and ducking wildly when Harry flung it at him in mock outrage.

Darren was a bit harder to approach since Ron, who had finally come to a truce with him, sympathizing over his evil twin and his supposedly nefarious plot of stealing the spotlight, had stood glowering at Harry every time he so much as tried broaching the topic of the tournament, making it rather unpleasant for all of them.

The rest of the school gradually came to agree with the choice and did not give him a hard time again especially when they heard he could be dead at the end of the first task.

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