Alexis Halliwell couldn't believe it, as she and Harry walked into the room with the other champions, completely overwhelmed.
They just reached the inside, when the three Heads of the schools came rushing in along with the teachers.
"It's wrong, I tell you!" Madam Maxime exclaimed
"You French tart. Everything is a conspiracy theory with you!" Moody's voice replied.
Dumbledore came up to them, "Harry! Alexis! Did you put your names into the Goblet of Fire?"
"No sir,"
"Did you asks one of the older students to do it for you?" Dumbledore asks again,
"They didn't!" Carmela orbed into the room, "I can vouch for that."
"but of course they are lying," Madame Maxime stated.
Carmela glared up at the woman,
"The hell they are! The Goblet of Fire is an exceptionally powerful magical object. Only an exceptionally powerful Confundus Charm could have hoodwinked it. Magic way beyond the talents of a fourth year." Moody stated. "Or a Charmed One as young as she is."
"You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought, Mad-eye." Karkaroff replied.
"It was once my job to think as dark wizards do, Karkaroff, perhaps you remember" Moody stated.
"This doesn't help, Alastor." Dumbledore snarled. "leave this to you, Barty."
"The rules are absolute. The Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. Potter and Ms. Halliwell has no choice, they are, as of tonight, Triwizard champions.
Everyone turned and stared at them.
Carmela broke the silence by giving a frustrated scream, "Those idiots!"
Alexis turned to look at the Elder, "what's going on?"
"The other Elders have just told me, they're bending the rules for you and only you. You can use your active powers in this bloody tournament." Carmela answers,
the champions were dismissed,
Carmela pacing around Dumbledore's office later that night, they were in a meeting.
"This can't go on, Albus." McGonagall stated. "First the Dark Mark. Now this?"
"What do you suggest, Minerva?" Dumbledore asks.
"Put an end to it, don't let Potter or Halliwell compete" Minerva answers.
"I agree." Carmela added, "Think what this will do to the Balance."
"You heard Barty. The rules are clear." Albus replied.
"Well, the devil with Barty and his rules." Minerva "And since when did you accommodate the Ministry?"
"Headmaster, I, too, find it difficult believe this mere coincidence. However, if we are to truly discover the meaning of these events perhaps we should, for the time being let them unfold." Snape spoke up.
Carmela stopped pacing, her eyes wide in horror, "What-? Do nothing?"
"Offer them up as bait?" Minerva asks, "Potter is a boy, not a piece of meat."
"Alexis is a Charmed One, you might as well hand her over to the Source of All Evil and be done with it," Carmela added.
"I agree. With Severus." Dumbledore replied. "Alastor, keep an eye on Harry, will you?"
"I shall be doing the same with Alexis, one of us has to keep them alive," Carmela snarled then orbed out.
Alexis was sitting beside the window in her common room, just thinking. She looked when Carmela orb in,
"I didn't put my name in that cup, I don't want eternal glory. I just want to be normal." Alexis stated.
"I'm not mad at you, I know you didn't put your name into the Goblet, I'm pissed off at the Ministry for being this stupid tournament back after two hundred and four years." Carmela replied taking a seat on the couch,
"why are you so against me in the tournament?" Alexis asked.
"I don't want the same thing happened to you that happened to me," Carmela answered. "I died in the last tournament, I was the Hogwarts Triwizard Champion back in 1792"
"Could you listen to my reasoning, I'm not frighten about this," Alexis stated.
"Sure, why not since you have no choice but to compete." Carmela agreed
"I want to prove to myself that I'm as strong as Prue was, I feel like it's my fault that she's gone, if I had been there maybe she would still be alive, so let me compete. Let me do this on my own." Alexis explained.
"Alright, but I'm still helping you as best I can. I think you should get some sleep. I think a reporter from the Daily Prophet will come in the morning,"
the next morning, the Champions were summoned from their classes into an empty classroom, where a woman was waiting for them, they were positioned, Fleur and Alexis sat in chairs while the boys were around them, they had there picture taken.
"Hello, I'm Rita Skeeter." the reported introduced herself. "I write for the Daily Prophet. But of course you know that, don't you? It's you we don't know. You're the juicy news. What quirks lurk beneath those rosy cheeks? What mysteries do the muscles mask? Does courage lie beneath those curls? In short, what makes a champion tick? Me, myself & I want to know. Not to mention my rabid readers. So who's feeling up to sharing?"
No one volunteered,
"Shall we start with the youngest? Lovely." Rita asked before dragging Harry away.
Alexis smirked, she was older then Harry by eight days.
"I'm not giving an interview, I don't trust that Skeeter woman as far as I could blast her threw a window." Alexis whispered as she looked up at Cedric,
after they were free to leave, Alexis worst fear she was forced to give an interview. And she burned the quill forcing Skeeter to call it short.
Harry and Alexis went to the Owlary, to see if Sirius wrote back, also to get away from the students who were calling both of them cheaters.
Harry, Alexis, I couldn't risk sending Hedwig. Since the World Cup, the Ministry's been intercepting more and more owls and she's too easily recognized, we need to talk, face to face. Meet me in the Gryffindor common room, 1:00 this Saturday night. And make sure you're alone.
Sirius
Harry reached to pet the black owl that delivered the letter,
"PS. The bird bites," Alexis read outloud, then she went to get Kuari and handed him a letter to Phoebe, with a Power of Three spell, that could call on the Halliwell line of witches to defeat the Source.
That Saturday night, Alexis stayed in the Gryffindor common room waiting for Harry,
"Sirius?" Harry called out as soon as he was downstairs.
"He's not here, but there is a lovely paper that has your interview, and I must say, I hate Skeeter with a passion." Alexis answers, she stood up and handed the Daily Prophet over to Harry, "We're not even in it, I guess my status is lower then yours,"
Harry looked at the paper, his picture was front page,
"Harry Potter, age 12 suspect entrant in the Triwizard Tournament. His eyes swimming with the ghosts of his past and choking back tears." the paper read, Harry crumpled it up and thew it into the fire.
"I told Skeeter, that if Prue were alive, she would be flying out the window." Alexis giggled, "Only time I wish for different active powers, what I wouldn't give for Piper's freezing and it working on witches."
The two looked over at the fire when they heard something, Sirius' head was sitting in the middle of the flames.
"Dad. How-?" Alexis asks looking out the image.
"I don't have much time, so let me get straight to it, did you or did you not put your names into the Goblet of Fire?" Sirius answers.
"No!" Alexis and Harry exclaimed a little to loudly
"I had to ask," Sirius stated. "Now, tell me about this dream of yours. You mentioned Wormtail and Voldemort. But who was the third man in the room?"
Alexis looked over at Harry, she didn't know about this. She knew he was having bad dreams lately but this was at the point of consulting the Book or the Elders.
"I don't know," Harry answers.
"You didn't hear a name?" Sirius asks
"No, Voldemort was giving him a job to do. Something important." Harry replied
"And what was that?" Sirius asks
"He wanted...me." Harry answers nervous "I don't know why. But he was gonna use this man to get to me. I mean it was only a dream right?"
"Yes. It's just a dream." Sirius replied, "Look, Harry, Lexi. The Death Eaters at the World Cup, your names raising from that goblet these are not just coincidences. Hogwarts isn't safe anymore."
"What are you saying?" Alexis asks
"I'm saying the devils are inside the walls. Igor Karkaroff? He was a Death Eater. And no one, no one stops being a Death Eater. Then there's Barty Crouch. Heart of Stone. Sent his own son to Azkaban." Sirius explained.
Someone coming down the stairs.
"You think one of them put our names in the goblet?" Harry asks
"I haven't a clue who put your names in that goblet but whoever did is no friend to you. People die in this tournament." Sirius replied
"I'm not ready for this, Sirius." Harry confided
"You don't have a choice." Sirius stated.
Alexis turned and saw a shadow coming down the stairs. "Someone's coming."
"Keep your friends, Harry, Lexi." Sirius stated
Alexis sat on the couch, and pretend to stare into the fire like she couldn't sleep.
"Who were you talking to?" Ron asks
"What? Who says I was talking to anyone besides Lexi?" Harry asks
"I heard voices" Ron answers.
"Maybe you're imagining things. Wouldn't be the first time." Harry stated.
"You're probably just practicing for your next interview, I expect." Ron stated
"that wasn't nice, forgetting I was here" Alexis stated, as she laid down on the couch, ready for real sleep.
"Night." Harry told her, but Alexis was already sleeping.
Sunday, the two were by the lake with Neville who was wading in the shallow end.
"Amazing. Amazing!" Neville stated holding a plant.
"Neville. You're doing it again." Alexis pointed out.
"Right, sorry," Neville replied.
Harry looked at the book, Neville brought with them. "Magical Water Plants of the Highland Lochs?"
"Moody gave it to me. The day we had tea." Neville explained. He waved at someone, Harry and Alexis turned and saw Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.
"It's already been though enough people. Why don't you just go and talk to them yourself?" Hermione asked Ron. "Ron, this is your problem, not mine."
Hermione walked up the two cousins, "Ronald would like me to tell both of you that Seamus told him, that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid's looking for you."
"Is that right? Well, you—What?" Harry asks
"Dean was told by Parvati that...please don't ask me to say it again. Hagrid's looking for you both." Hermione answers.
"Well, you can tell Ronald-" Harry began
"I'm not an owl!" Hermione exclaimed
Alexis watched them leave, "I'm starting to think Ron's jealous."
"Jealous?" Harry asks "what does he want a scar on his forehead too?"
"No. I mean look at him, he's in a completion for affection from his parents, he has a lot of brothers and one sister." Alexis pointed out.
"Don't tell me your on his side." Harry accused.
"No, I'm not on anyone's side. I just don't like my friends fighting over something we can't change." Alexis replied. "Makes me feel like our own Power of Four is breaking apart."
That afternoon, they met up with Hagrid. Who was leading them into the dark forest.
"Did you bring your father's cloak, like I asked" Hagrid asks
"Yeah, I brought the cloak. Hagrid, where are we going?" Harry asks
"You'll see soon enough. Now pay attention, this is important." Hagrid replies
Alexis looked up at him, noticed he was dressed nicely, there was a flower pinned to his fur skin coat. "What's with the flower?"
"Hagrid, have you combed your hair?" Harry asks
"As a matter of fact, I have. You might like to try the same thing now and again." Hagrid replied.
They stopped when something roared in the distance,
"Hagrid?" a voice called that sounded like Madam Maxime, Hagrid started off following the voice before turning around,
"The cloak! Put the cloak on!" Hagrid exclaimed. Harry and Alexis put the cloak on, and witnessed Hagrid flirting with the Beauxbatons Headmistress. He lead them for another mile and then stopped clearing a branch.
Harry and Alexis' eyes widen in pure fear at what was in the clearing.
"Dragons?" Harry asks as he pulled the cloak off of his and Alexis' heads.
"That's the first task?" Alexis asks "You're joking."
"Come on, Harry, Lexi." Hagrid stated glum, "these are seriously misunderstood creatures." they ducked as one of them breathed fire in their direction. "Although, I have to admit that Horntail is a right nasty piece of work. Poor Ron nearly fainted just seeing him, you know."
"Ron was here?" Harry asks
"Oh sure, his brother Charlie helped bring him over from Romania," Hagrid explained. "Didn't Ron tell you that?"
"No, he didn't. He didn't tell us a thing," Harry stated.
The next day, Harry and Alexis were walking down the halls, every student was wearing Support Cedric Diggory badges and it reversed itself and said Potter stinks.
"You cheat, Potter."
"You stink, Potter."
"ignore them," Hissed Alexis,
they walked up two Hufflepuff students blocking their way,
"Like the badge?" one asks
"No." Alexis replied, "Let me pass or I will burn it off,"
They moved out of the way, Alexis and Harry walked up to Cedric,
"Hey! Read the badge, Potter!"
Alexis glared at Hufflepuff who said that, "Stop it! I'm surprised that none of those says Halliwell stinks, after all I'm a Champion too." then she turned to her boyfriend, "Can we have a word."
"All right," Cedric replied.
Alexis and Harry walked away with Cedric following,
"Dragons. That's the first task." Harry informed.
"They got one of each of us." Alexis added.
"Are you serious?" Cedric asks both of them. Harry and Alexis nodded, "And Fleur and Krum, do they-?"
"Yes." Alexis answers
"Come on, Ced, leave him." shouted one of the Hufflepuffs
"Ced, tell your friends to leave Harry alone or you'll just be finding yourself another girlfriend." Alexis threatened,
"But Lexi..." Cedric started
"But nothing, boyfriends come and go, but family is forever." Alexis interrupts.
"Hey, listen about the badges, I've asked them not to wear them, but-." Cedric stated.
"Don't worry about it," Harry interrupts, then started to walk away.
"Harry," muttered Alexis, she turned on her heel back to the Hufflepuffs, "Take those bloody badges off now or else."
"what if we don't." asks a Hufflepuff girl.
"You don't that pretty blonde hair of yours up in flames, do you?" Alexis asks sweetly.
The Hufflepuffs took off the badges and threw them on the ground, Alexis stared at them until they burst into flames, soon as they were a melted mess, she smiled, "Catch you wearing these again, and you will have to go to class in your under garments,"
Alexis turned away and caught up with Harry as he was calling Ron a right foul git.
"You think so?" Ron asks
"I know so." Harry answers
"Anything else?" Ron asks
"Yeah, Stay away from me." Harry answers
"Fine." Ron agrees.
"Why so tense, Potter?" Draco called out.
Alexis looked up and saw Draco in a tree.
"My father and I have a bet, you see. I don't think you're gonna last 10 minutes in this tournament." Draco stated then jump down, "He disagrees. He thinks you won't last five."
"I don't give a damn what your father thinks, Malfoy." Harry stated getting angry. He shoved Malfoy, "He's vile and cruel. And you're just pathetic." he turned to leave.
"pathetic?" Draco asks reaching for his wand.
"Oh, no, you don't, sonny!" Moody exclaimed pointing his wand at Draco and transfiguring him into a white ferret, "I'll teach you to curse someone when their back is turned! You stinking, cowardly, scummy..." he made Draco the ferret do tricks, "Back-shooting,"
"Professor Moody!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed coming over, "what are you doing?"
"Teaching," replied Moody
"Is that a-? is that a student?" Professor McGonagall asks
"Technically, it's a ferret," Moody replied then put the ferret down Goyle's pants.
A crowd had gathered and was laughing, but the Slytherins. McGonagall flicked her wand and Draco returned to normal. He got to his feet and backed up terrified of Moody, "My father will hear about this!"
"Is that a threat?" Moody asks advancing on Draco, when he ran Moody chased after him,
"Professor Moody!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall
"Its that a threat?" Moody asks again
"Professor!" Professor McGonagall warned.
"I could tell you stories about your father that would curl even your greasy hair!" Moody stated
"Alastor! Alastor." McGonagall warned.
"It doesn't end here!" Moody threatened
McGonagall glared at Moody, "We never use transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Dumbledore told you that." pointing her wand at Moody
"He might've mentioned it." muttered Moody
"Well, you will do well to remember it." McGonagall replied before shooing her class off.
Moody passed Harry, "You. Come with me."
Alexis watched as Moody and Harry left. Carmela came up behind her. "Alexis?"
Alexis turned around "hey,"
"Walk with me," Carmela requested.
"Sure," Alexis agreed,
the two walked away and came to the black lake and sat on the pier,
"So what are going to do about that dragon?" Carmela asks
"Stay alive, sounds like a good plan to me," Alexis replied,
Carmela laughed, "let me tell you about what I found out about Cedric; by your age, he could turn a whistle into a watch and have it sing you the time. Miss Delacour? Is much a fairy princess as we are, as for Krum, his head may be filled with sawdust but Karkaroff's is not."
Alexis looked out at the lake, "Everyone's good at something, Harry's great at flying, Cedric is best at Charms. Fleur and Krum, I don't know because I haven't gotten to know them."
"So what are you good at?" Carmela asks
"I'm good at writing spells, singing, and playing music." Alexis replied, "Unless I can charm the dragon out of killing me, I'm in trouble."
"You know what they say, music calms the savage beast," Carmela stated.
DarkPriestess66 says: Review please.