AN: So here is a heads up for you guys. When this reaches 5th year there will be many more religious references. I hope that nothing I tweak or blatantly change offends anyone.
I don't think this happened in cannon but for this one all the competitors scores are post just outside the main hall.
Also sorry for the extreme errors in the last chapter. Somehow the school names and Felur's last name were saved wrong in my Harry Potter dictionary on my computer. I have fixed them and re-uploaded the chapter. And the missing AN
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The morning after the second task as Harry and Neville were headed to breakfast discussing Luna's mystery plant from last year they head an uproar. Turing the corner curious they saw the angry noise was coming from the growing group crowded around the posted scores.
"What's going on?" Harry asked one of the students on the outer rim of what was quickly devolving into a mob.
"Those cheats are rigging the scores!" the Hufflepuff shouted angrily.
"Harry, this crowd is about to turn ugly." Neville told him.
Not fully understanding why everyone was in such an uproar but not wanting any of his friends he could see in the crowd to get hurt, or punished Harry let off a noise maker to get everyone's attention. "What is all the trouble?" he asked once everyone's eyes were on him
Susan and the twins came from the center of the mob. "Those bastards are cheating." Susan growled. Harry's eyebrow raised Susan was not one to use curse words, ever.
"Yeah/ just because/ you hurt their/ pride." the twins said bouncing back and forth quickly in their anger.
"This is grossly unfair." Hermione added joining them. "Perhaps you should consider transferring to Beauxbaton."
"I have been considering transfer to both schools. But if I do withdraw from Hogwarts it will be to be home schooled." Harry told her calmly. "Now what is going on?"
"Dumbledore and Crouch both gave you a 0 for unsportsmanlike conduct." Hermione said in a huff.
"Yeah and on top of that Karkaroff only gave you 5 points." Susan added.
"With Madame Maxine's 2 20's your still in last place." Hermione told him agitated.
Harry pulled both girls into a hum kissing their foreheads. He had a growth spurt over the summer and was finally taller than the girls. "Thank you both for trying to defend me... Thank you all for your anger and concern about this injustice. But fighting against them will gain nothing but more bad press for me and for Hogwarts." Harry told the crowd.
"But what are we going to do about it?" Cedric asked his arm around Cho Chang.
"Nothing." Harry replied.
"Nothing?" Cedric asked
"Nothing. We don't give the satisfaction. I plan on going into this final task and kicking your arse. And you better not go easy on me Diggory."
"Not a chance Potter." Cedric said. "But will I win just to throw this farce in their face I'll refuse the trophy and split the money between us all."
"Sounds like a plan." Harry said taking his fellow champions arm. "I'll be sure to give you your 250 when I win." Cerdic laughed grasping his arm as well.
"I agree too. But I will be winning." Viktor added grabbing both their shoulders.
"Boyz." A French accent said from behind. "You are delusional. It is I who will be giving the trophy to Madame Maxine for her fairness, but I agree to split the winnings." Felur told them with a flip of her hair.
They all laughed. "There's an idea. The trophy should go to Maxine for embodying the spirit of this competition." Harry said and the whole crowd cheered.
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The weeks leading up to the 3rd task were charged and tense. Students from the other schools were all more visible and dispersed through out the 4 houses. The was a unity in the school that was previously unheard of. But the teachers didn't approve of this international and interhouse unity because the students were rallying together against the adults.
Students that previously would do anything to get their 15 minutes of fame were now ignoring the press and ministry workers as if they had the plague. The only staff exempt were those from Beauxbaton, Hagrid, Sprout, Vector and Flitwick. All the students loved Hagrid even more when he told Dumbledore off in the great hall after hearing what happened.
It was a soft protest. In classes the students would answer direct questions but not even the most over achieving (ie Hermione) would raise their hand or volunteer and additional information. In Gryffindor any time Minerva came into the common room either the students would leave or turn their backs to her. Finally she grew fed up and said something.
"What is the meaning of this?" She asked the students with their back turned toward her.
Ginny was the one to answer her. "We thought we'd make it easier to stab us in the back. You obviously think the headmaster was in the right since you having tried to defend one of your own students." She said not looking at the older Scott.
None of them could see the stricken look on her face. The deputy headmistress turned and left the common room in shame. There was no defense against the 3rd's words. She had left Harry to the wolves and looking back she couldn't find a reason why she had turned her back on him.
Severus was no more pleased than Minerva. The majority of his house that he was grooming to join the dark were now being swayed grey or even light in some cases. If the darkening of his mark meant the Dark Lord was truly close to return then his life would be endanger if he couldn't provide enough young Death Eaters to fill the ranks. If this unity lasted past the end of this accursed tournament then he would have to flee the county to have a hope. Since the return of Black and Lupin his ability to gain information had been severely hindered. Living with that filthy muggle the remaining Mauraders would never allow him to be a spy for the Order.
Dumbledore was sure this would all blow over once the tournament ended. That was till just days before the final task he witnessed 5 separate students hand in transfer applications to one of the Beauxbaton staff. It finally struck home that he was in er when he saw Granger and Bones both hand Maxine their applications in the middle of dinner the night before the task.
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The stadium was packed the day of the event. Much to the embarrassment of the Ministry every single student in attendance was carrying a flag or banner with Beauxbaton's logo on it. Not a single one for Hogwarts or Dunstrang were visible. Each had the name of the champion (or their personal family crest) they were rooting for on it just the school's colors in place of their own. The new minister was fit to be tied. The man was less overt than Fudge but no less a fool or a jackass.
After discussion and a few arguments it was decided that they would all, figuratively, stick together. When the first cannon blast Viktor jogged to the entrance to the maze but stopped just outside. The crowd and administrators were shouting in uproar but the fierce Bulgarian didn't move a muscle. When the second cannon went off Cedric also jogged to the entrance and stood. Just like Krum he refused to enter the maze. The same thing happened when it was Felur's turn. Finally when the cannon signaled it was Harry's turn to enter the maze all 4 champions jogged into the hedges. From there they were on their own. They had decided that they would not attack one another but if one was in life threatening danger they would help rescue them.
The maze was winding and confusing but the point me spell Harry had learned was helping him keep his bearings. From what he could tell while running the maze Felur or Cedric were his main competition. Viktor, who was use to much cooler climates, was sweating heavily and breathing harshly the one time their paths crossed. The Bulgarian was having trouble on the unseasonably warm day in these muggy, stifling hedges. Harry spared a thought for the quiet but very kind young man, 'I hope he doesn't have a heat stroke.' Harry worried before he had to focus and the Sphinx he had just come across.
The Sphinx was an interesting creature, it's riddle about the eye made all Harry's odd feelings about Moody come back tot he forefront of his mind. He had to push away his half formed thoughts and troubles about the man to focus on the rest of the maze.
As he came to the end, he saw the trophy, he heard a scream. In the same clearing as the trophy Cedric and Felur were battling an arachnomantula. Felur was in her vela form throwing fire balls at the beast while Cerdic was trying to take it out with spells. Harry gave a fleeting glance to the trophy before joining his friends in battle.
Together they slew the beast but Felur ended up with a broken leg. Once they determined she would be or and she had sent up sparks the 2 boys looked at each other. With a nod they both took off running for the cup. Harry being lighter and fresher than the other boy pulled ahead and had his hand around the handle of the cup before Cedric could touch it.
Just as Harry turned to grin at the other boy he felt the hook-like sensation behind his navel as the port key activated.
The last thing Cedric saw as Harry vanished was his stricken face. Something didn't feel right. He raced over to Felur and with her fire balls the 2 of them cut a strait path out of the maze.
The crowd went silent when the 2 champions burned their way out of the hedges. They could all sense the foreboding feeling. "Where if Harry?" Viktor asked. His face was still red. He had nearly collapsed from exhaustion and overheating and had to be removed from the maze.
"We were hoping he would be out here." Cedric said. "Fred! George!" He shouted into the crowd. "Harry's gone missing check to see if he's on the grounds!"
The twins pulled out the map and with the aid of all Harry's friends sitting near them they searched the map for his name. After a moment Sirius came down not giving 2 fucks what the ministry thought. "He's not here. What happened in there?"
Cedric gave him the short version for the battle and race with Felur adding a bit while fending off Madame Pomfery. Once the tale was heard Amelia who was their for her niece's friend and to help with security had teams organized to find him while she and Sirius investigated the cup come portkey.
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AN: *pout* This was suppose to be the end of forth year. But this chapter got away from me and I need to get to bed. I have to work early tomorrow.