After they had been dismissed from the room, Harry and Cedric followed Sirius back into the Great Hall. It was empty now, the other students having returned to their common rooms, so Harry took the opportunity to speak to Cedric.

"I'm sorry." Harry told him sincerely. "I honestly never even considered putting my name in the cup."

Cedric studied his expression carefully. "So you really didn't put your name in?"

"Really!" Harry assured him. "I didn't want to be a Champion and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to get in the way of you being Hogwarts' Champion."

"I believe you." Cedric sounded almost surprised. "So there's no reason to apologise."

"I know," Harry sighed. "But I still feel as though I should. You thought you were going to be one of three champions and now you're going to be one of six."

Cedric grimaced. "As though Krum and Delacour weren't going to be hard enough to beat. Especially Krum, my knees go weak every time I see him. I've been following his career for three years – he's my hero."

"I know what you mean." Harry acknowledged. "He's amazing!"

"I heard that you flew with him this morning." Cedric commented.

"You did?" Harry asked in surprise. "How?"

"You were flying on the Quidditch Pitch." Cedric reminded him. "A few people saw you and told the rest of the school. Did he really teach you one of his tricks?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "He was amazing!"

Cedric looked envious. "That sounds incredible!"

"Maybe you could join us next time?" Harry offered. "If there is a next time – I hope he's not too angry about me being in the tournament."

Sirius cleared his throat. "Harry? It's time to go."

Harry glanced towards his godfather guiltily, he'd almost forgotten Sirius was still there.

"Merry part, Lord Black, Harry." Cedric bowed politely.

"Merry part." Harry agreed with a nod, before following Sirius out of the hall.

"You handled that very well." Sirius commented as they walked through the corridors.

"Thank you." Harry acknowledged. "I feel bad for him, and for Victor and Delacour. A six champion tournament isn't what they signed up for."

"No," Sirius agreed. "But then you didn't sign up for the Tournament at all."

"Do I have to take part in it?" Harry asked. "I'm really busy – I don't think I have time to fit it in."

"Unfortunately, yes." Sirius answered as they climbed the stairs up to the fifth floor. "For your name to have come out of the Goblet, you had to have written your name on the paper personally. That, along with the magic of the Goblet, will have created a magically binding contract which will force you to compete."

"But I didn't write my name on the paper." Harry protested. "I didn't even consider entering."

"Your intent in writing your name doesn't matter," Sirius explained. "Whoever put your name in the Goblet likely just ripped your name off a homework assignment or letter. Besides, the Tournament won't take too much time out of your schedule. There are only three tasks, plus a few other events that you will need to be at."

Harry sighed. "But I'll have to be preparing for the challenges, won't I?"

"That depends." Sirius answered as they stopped outside the door to Remus' Quarters.

"On what?"

"Prongs." Sirius said, causing the door to swing open. "On whether you want to win or not."

Harry followed Sirius through the door as he considered that. Did he want to win? Yes, of course he did, though that would hardly be fair to the original three champions. Still, he was at least three years younger than they were, so the chances of him actually beating them were very slim.

"Merry meet, Lord Black." Multiple voices chorused and, as Harry stepped out from behind his godfather, he saw the majority of his friends standing around the room.

They were all bowing, except for Fred and George who were looking rather uncomfortable.

"Merry meet." Sirius acknowledged them, before looking questioningly over to where Remus was standing.

"I thought they might want to see Harry." Remus explained.

"What happened, Harry?" Draco asked, sitting back into the armchair he had been standing in front of.

The others all began sitting down as well. Neville and Luna were sitting together on Remus' small couch, Daphne, Takashi and Theo were sitting in armchairs, and Fred, George and Blaise were all sitting on large cushionsed that had obviously been transfigured for the occasion.

Harry looked around for a place to sit, before giving up and deciding to perch on the side of Daphne's armchair. He couldn't wait to learn how to transfigure things as big as armchairs.

Daphne looked surprised when Harry sat on the arm of her chair, but she didn't say anything.

"What happened?" Fred repeated Draco's question impatiently. "How did you manage to get past Dumbledore's age line?"

"I didn't." Harry denied firmly. "I have no idea how my name got into the Goblet. Sirius thinks that someone else must have put it in."

There was a long silence and Harry could see his friends trying to decide whether or not they believed him.

"I haven't been within ten feet of the Goblet all day." Harry told them. "I didn't even want to enter."

"So what's going to happen?" Draco asked.

"Are you in trouble?" Neville put in.

"I would be if Dumbledore had his way." Harry smirked. "But Sirius defended me. I have to compete in the Tournament, but they're probably going to add two more Champions as well – one from Durmstrang and one from Beauxbatons – to make it fair."

"It still won't be fair though, will it?" Draco pointed out. "You're only fourteen. They're all seventeen."

"Why would someone want to put your name in the Goblet?" Takashi asked. "It seems odd."

"I don't know." Harry sighed. "But you're right, it is odd. Dumbledore was furious."

"I'm sure." Draco smirked gleefully.

Harry looked up as Sirius cleared his throat, before remembering that Sirius had never met Takashi. "Sirius? This is Takashi Noda. Takashi, this is my godfather- Lord Black of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black."

Takashi stood quickly and bowed again. "Merry meet, my lord."

"Merry meet." Sirius nodded, before his gaze swept around the room. "It was very nice of you to all come and see Harry, but Remus and I need to talk to him alone now and curfew is in ten minutes. You should all be getting back to your Common Rooms."

Draco stood quickly, and the other's followed behind him. "Of course, Sirius. Merry Part."

Harry watched as his friends filed out of the room, before moving to sit properly in the chair that Daphne had vacated. Sirius shut the door behind Takashi and then sat beside Remus on the small couch.

"How do you feel, Harry?" Remus asked kindly.

"I don't know." Harry admitted. "I can hardly believe this has happened. I didn't even want to be part of the Tournament. I was glad that I was too young to enter."

"I'm sorry, pup." Sirius told him.

There was a long silence, before Harry spoke again. "What does this mean for the Tournament? You were only expecting three contestants, will having six change things?"

"Yeah," Sirius groaned. "The first task will definitely have to change, I don't know about the other two. Bloody hell, there's going to be a lot of work to do."

Remus elbowed Sirius in the side. "Language."

"But it's not your fault." Sirius continued. "So don't bother apologising. You're the victim here, Harry. Everybody else signed up to take part in the tournament, or help organise it. You didn't."

"Why would anyone want to put my name in?" Harry asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a worried look and Harry's stomach twisted nervously.

"What?" He asked.

"We can't know for sure," Sirius started carefully. "But we think that it might have been You-Know-Who."

Harry stared at him in confusion, and a growing sense of horror. "Why?"

"The Tournament is dangerous." Remus explained. "A lot of students, older and more experienced than you, have died in it. Maybe You-Know-Who is hoping that the Tournament will kill you for him."

"Are the tasks that dangerous?" Harry asked Sirius in horror.

"They're not supposed to be and we could be wrong." Sirius answered. "It's just an idea, but we thought you should be aware that it's a possibility."

Harry groaned. "Then I really will have to spend a lot of time preparing for the tasks. It doesn't really matter if I win or lose, but I definitely want to survive.

17-17-17

Despite it being almost an entire hour after curfew, the Ravenclaw Common Room was still filled with students when Harry stepped through the door.

"Harry!" Jeremy exclaimed. "What happened?"

Harry sighed, he really wasn't in the mood to explain everything again. "I didn't put my name in the Goblet. They think that someone else must have done it without me knowing about it."

The majority of the Ravenclaws looked sceptical, but a few seemed to believe him.

"Are they going to let you compete?" Jeremy asked excitedly.

"They have no choice." Harry answered, beginning to inch his way towards the dormitories.

"Yes!" Jeremy cheered excitedly. "We have a Triwizard Champion!"

"Take that, Gryffindor and Slytherin." A fifth year shouted.

"Did they tell you anything about the first task?" Someone asked.

Harry sighed and looked hopefully towards the dormitories. "No, not yet, but we have a meeting in the morning. So I should probably head off to bed."

The students looked disappointed but, after a few more questions, they eventually let him leave. Harry pushed his dormitory door open in relief, only to wince inwardly when he saw his dorm-mates waiting for him with hostile expressions.

"How'd you get past the age line?" Terry asked belligerently.

Harry almost groaned. "I didn't put my name in the Goblet – as you would know if you had taken part in the question and answer session in the Common Room instead of waiting to ambush me here."

Anthony snorted disbelievingly. "Yeah, right, Potter. If you didn't put your name in, who did?"

Heat flushed through Harry's body. "Well, currently, our number one suspect is Voldemort!"

The other boys flinched and Harry regretted his words instantly. Nothing good could come from them knowing that.

"Why would You-Know-Who put your name in the Goblet?" Michael asked sceptically. "That makes no sense."

"Haven't you heard, Michael?" Anthony asked sarcastically. "Potter here is the most important person in the world. Of course You-Know-Who would go out of his way to give Potter riches, fame and glory."

"Or death." Harry snapped, before taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. "Anyway, it's none of your business anyway."

"None of our business?" Terry repeated. "We're the ones who share a room with you!"

"I hardly see how us sleeping in the same room gives you the right to know about my personal life." Harry pointed out. "We've gone almost two years without really talking to each other, let's try and make it a hundred!"

"We have a business together!" Michael protested.

Harry raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You have a business, of which I own forty percent. Because of this, every month you send me a written update of how much money you have made me. I hardly see how that has anything to do with us talking to each other."

"We were friends!" Terry reminded him.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "'Were' being the key word there. We were friends, until Anthony decided that he wanted to be a wanker and you three decided that you'd rather be his friend thant mine. Not the most logical choice really, given that I have money, fame, and power, but it is the choice you made. Because of that we are no longer friends. Something that didn't bother you in the least, until I started having conversations with Victor Krum and became a Hogwarts' Champion."

Anthony didn't look the least bit impressed, but Terry, Michael and Rodney were all looking shamefaced.

"Listen, Harry," Terry started. "It's not that we didn't want to be your friend…"

"I don't care!" Harry exclaimed in frustration. "I'll admit that I was upset about the whole thing for a few months, but I've got other friends now. I would happily never speak to any of you again, which has been working fine, so let's go back to that, alright?"

He gathered his nightclothes out of his trunk, before stalking out of the room and towards the bathroom – ignoring Terry's attempts to speak again. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

17-17-17

Harry woke at his usual time the next morning and, after having worked on his Occlumency shields, he joined Takashi, Neville and Remus for their morning run. After they had run around the lake, drawing some astonished stairs from the few Durmstrang students who were disembarking from their ship, they worked their way through their fencing exercises.

Harry was still practising with his left hand, so he was paired with Remus who had only been practising for a few months. Harry was still better than Remus, even with his left hand, but not nearly as good as Neville or Takashi.

After he had showered, Harry began to make his way to the antechamber off the Great Hall where he was supposed to meet Sirius and the other Champions.

"Harry?" Neville's voice sounded from a few steps behind him. "Can I have a word?"

Harry fingered his pocket watch in his robe pocket, but turned to face his friend. "Sure. How can I help?"

Neville must have seen something in his expression. "I can walk with you if you like?"

"Thank you." Harry smiled as Neville fell into step beside him. "What is it?"

"I thought you should know about something that happened in the Gryffindor Common Room last night." Neville started. "Ron threw a fit about you being a Champion."

"That's not exactly surprising." Harry commented. "I would have been more surprised if he hadn't."

"Well, he started getting some of the Gryffindors on his side," Neville continued. "And when the twins stood up for you, he went bonkers. Screaming about how you were dark and how you had lured them, Bill and Charlie over to your side."

"What?" Harry asked incredulously. "I've only ever met Lord Prewett and his heir once."

"Then Ron said that they had to choose between him and you." Neville went on.

"Oh," Harry's stomach twisted. He'd been down this path before, both in muggle school and with his dorm-mates, and it never went well. He'd really enjoyed having the twins as friends

"And they said that they would rather be friends with you than a jealous paranoid arse." Neville finished.

Harry stopped walking. "What?"

Neville turned to face him. "They chose you, but if I thought Ron had been off his rocker beforehand what happened afterwards was, well, unexplainable. He's really out to get you today."

"They chose me over their brother?!" Harry exclaimed. "I don't understand."

"I'd choose you over Ron too." Neville pointed out. "He's one syllable short of spell?. Anyway, I thought you should know. I haven't seen the twins this morning, but last night they looked pretty upset and angry. Well, one of them looked upset and one of them looked angry."

Harry nodded, George would have looked upset and Fred angry, but it was testament to how strong their emotions had been that they had actually appeared to have different emotions.

"Thanks, Neville."

"You're welcome." Neville replied as they entered the hall. "I'll see you in Magical Theory."

Harry made his way through the Hall and then into the antechamber that they had met in the day before. Victor and Cedric were already there, as were Madame Brusilova, Ludo Bagman, Dumbledore, and McGonagall.

Cedric and Victor both bowed as Harry entered and Madame Brusilova curtsied. Dumbledore and McGonagall's faces both looked pinched at the sight.

"Ahh, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore greeted his jovially. "How are you this fine morning?"

"Very well, thank you, Headmaster." Harry answered civilly, before crossing the room to stand near Victor. "Dobro utro, Victor."

"Dobro utro." Victor returned, before continuing in Bulgarian. "Harry, this is Madame Brusilova, daughter of the ot Rodyt Brusilova. Madame, this is Harry Potter, Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Black and Potter."

Madame Brusilova extended her hand to Harry, who kissed it politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter."

"The pleasure is all mine." Harry returned.

Cedric, who had apparently moved across the room, cleared his throat nervously. "Excuse me for interrupting, but Harry, you speak Bulgarian?"

"I'm learning." Harry answered. "I've got a long way to go though."

"You speak it vell, for an Englishman." Madame Brusilova commented.

"Cedric," Harry started. "Have you met Madame Brusilova or Victor Krum?"

Cedric looked a little panicked. "N-no, I don't believe I have. Not officially at least."

"Well, this is Madame Brusilova, daughter of the ot Rodyt Brusilova, and Victor Krum, ot rodyt na Krum." Harry explained. "Madame Brusilova, Victor, please allow me to introduce you to Cedric Diggory, Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Diggory."

Victor raised his thick dark eyebrows and he bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Diggory. I vas not avare that you vere an heir also."

Madame Brusilova curtsied slightly. "Merry meet."

"Yes," Cedric looked vaguely apologetic. "I'm not nearly as good at all the formalities as Harry here."

"There are many noble heirs at Hogwarts, yes?" Victor asked. "I have already met three."

"There are six actually." Harry explained.

"Oh," Victor frowned. "Is that usual. To have so many together at once?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "It's a result of the last war."

"Six?" Cedric looked confused. "Who is the sixth?"

"I vould also like to know." Victor added. "So that I might pay my respects to them if ve should meet."

Well, there's me," Harry started. "And Draco, who you've already met, Victor. Then there's Professor Snape, who is Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Prince. Then Neville Longbottom, Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. Then Susan Bones, Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Bones. Then Theodore Nott, Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Nott, and then Cedric."

"Oh," Cedric was nodding. "I'd forgotten about Nott. He's relatively new as the heir, isn't he?"

"Yes," Harry agreed. "His father died at the Quidditch World Cup."

Cedric frowned.

"That vas a terrible tragedy." Victor declared.

"Yes." Harry didn't personally think that Theo's father's death was a tragedy, after all, the man had been a Death Eater, but Voldemort's attack certainly had been.

Cedric and Victor both suddenly bowed, and Harry turned around to see Sirius striding into the room with a tall, thin man following behind him.

"Merry meet." Sirius greeted them all briskly. "Are we all here?"

"We are still waiting on Madame Maxime." Dumbledore told him stiffly.

"And 'ere we are." Madame Maxime declared as she stepped through the door. Delacour was following behind her and, as she stepped into the room, Harry could feel the girl's veela aura. It wasn't very strong, in fact he didn't even need to take any steps to protect himself from it, but it was definitely noticeable.

"Excellent." Ludo Bagman rubbed his hands together. "Sirius, what did you discover?"

Sirius gestured to the man beside him. "This is Mr. Magnus Drottle, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He will explain it all to you."

Drottle cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, good morning, Lord Black has, uh, explained the intricacies of the situation and, while it is certainly unprecedented, there are a few rules of the Tournament that speak to the situation. Firstly, uh, rule seventy six point three, subsection four, any magical creature, whose name should come out of the Goblet, must participate in the Tournament."

Harry nodded impatiently, he already knew that.

"Secondly, uh, rule one hundred and thirty seven, point two." Drottle continued. "Each school that has agreed to, uh, take part in the tournament must have, uh, at least one champion compete. Thirdly, rule three hundred and forty five…"

"Can't you just tell us whether or not we can add two students to the Tournament?" Bagman interrupted impatiently.

Drottle looked affronted, but after having glanced towards Sirius, he complied. "There is nothing in the rules to suggest that such an event could not happen."

"So that's a yes then?" Bagman checked.

"Yes."

"Excellent." Madame Maxime nodded in satisfaction. "I weell call for Beauxbaton's second champion to join us."

"I must object." Dumbledore said gently. "As I said last night, Hogwarts did not get to hand select their second champion, surely it would be fairer for your Champions to be selected randomly."

"Nonsense, Dumbly-Dorr." Madame Maxime shook her head impatiently. "Do not be reediculous."

"What do you think, Madame Brusilova?" Sirius asked patiently.

"I do not see the need to personally select Durmstrang's second Champion." Madame Brusilova commented. "Every one of my students is capable of winning this Tournament."

Madame Maxime drew herself up. "Are you saying zat my students are not?"

"Not at all, Olympia." Brusilova smiled dangerously. "Though it vould seem as though you are."

"I most certainly am not!" Maxime denied. "Every single one of my students could beat yours any day!"

"Excellent." Sirius grinned. "Then we are agreed. We will choose the second Champions from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton randomly."

17-17-17