Allison Potter.
Within second all eyes turned from Dumbledore to me. I didn't move; there had to have been some sort of mistake. There was no applause, instead the Great Hall filled with the low buzzing of whispers. I stared down at my shoes for several seconds before looking up to see Harry and Ron gaping at me both with their mouths open wide.
"I didn't put my name in!" I said to them immediately. "I wouldn't, I want no part of this competition. They must be talking about someone else." But they both continued to stare back at me blankly.
"Allison Potter!" Dumbledore roared again. "Alice, up here, if you please."
"Go on!" Emily commanded as together she and Hermione nudged me to my feet. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before walking the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. Once again I was the center of undesired attention as I walked slowly towards Dumbledore. I looked down the line of the staff table where I saw facial expressions ranging from angry to confused, but it was Severus' face that took me by surprise. Only someone with an understanding of Severus Snape would have seen it, but when I saw Severus' face from the other end of the staff table, he looked genuinely afraid. As I made my way down the aisle the whispering grew louder and louder. I reached Dumbledore after what felt like an hour. He looked down at me, without smiling without any expression on his face and spoke plainly.
"Well, through the door Allison." I wanted to close my eyes as I made the long journey down the staff table, but I knew there was no way I could make it to the door without looking. Reluctantly I made my way down the table and exited the Great Hall through the door as everyone before me had done. The room was much smaller than I remembered, and there was a fire roaring in a fireplace across the room. I suspected it was meant to be welcoming, I felt anything but. Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delecour had grouped themselves around the fireplace but all three turned in my direction when the heard the door click shut.
"What is it?" Fleur asked. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?" I stared back at her completely speechless and unable to explain what had happened. Instead I just stood there, taking in each of them in turn wondering what I had done to get myself into this mess. I wasn't standing there long before there was the sound of scurrying feet behind me. Ludo Bagman had entered the room, he took me by the arm and led me forward to join the group.
"Extraordinary!" He muttered squeezing my arm a bit tighter than necessary. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen, lady, may I introduce the fourth, Triwizard Champion?" Viktor Krum straightened up, his dark face glanced at me sideways. Cedric made a confused smile looking back and forth between Bagman and I as if he had misheard what Bagman had just said. Fleur on the other hand tossed her hair and laughed.
"Oh vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."
"Joke?" Bagman repeated in a bewildered tone. "No, no, not at all! Allison's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!" Krum's think eyebrows scrunched suspiciously, Cedric continued to look confused while Fleur frowned.
"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake. She cannot compete, she is too young."
"Well it's amazing, but as you know the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as her name's come out of the goblet, I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage. It's down in the rules, you're obliged, Allison will just have to do the best she…" The door behind us opened again, and for the first time Bagman released the hold he had on my arm. Professor Dumbledore entered the room followed by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall and Severus.
"Madame Maxime!" Fleur shrieked at once. "Zey are saying zis little girl is to compete also!"
"What is ze meaning of zis Dumbly-dorr?" Madame Maxime asked impaciently.
"I'd rather like to know myself, Dumbledore." Professor Karkaroff demanded. Once again he was smiling, but his eyes were chips of ice. "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions or have I not read the rules carefully enough?" He gave a short nasty laugh that was followed by another hysterical outburst from Madame Maxime.
"c'est impossible! Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is most injust."
"We were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore." Karkaroff came at Dumbledore again. "Otherwise we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidate from our own schools."
"It is no one's fault but Miss Potter's Karkaroff." Severus spoke, his dark eyes now full of anger. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for her determination to break the rules. She has been crossing the line ever since she arrived here."
"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore stated firmly, causing Severus to grow quite, but that didn't stop him from glaring down at me through a curtain of his greasy hair. Professor Dumbledore turned from Severus to me. He looked down over the brim of his half-moon spectacles before speaking calmly.
"Alice, did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire?"
"No!" I answered immediately. Severus made a soft noise of disbelief from the shadows but Dumbledore continued on calmly.
"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?"
"No! I think anyone who wants to enter this tournament is mental!"
"Ah but of course she iz lying!" Madame Maxime cried out.
"She could not have crossed the age line." Professor McGonagall stated sharply. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor, but she was also Deputy Headmistress and she took both jobs very seriously. Though she was strict and old fashioned, she tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. "I am sure we are all in agreement on that."
"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line."
"It's possible." Professor Dumbledore agreed politely.
"Dumbledore you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" Professor McGonagall said angrily. "Really what nonsense! Allison could not have crossed the line herself, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that she did not persuade an older student to do it for her, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else." Professor McGonagall concluded her angry lecture by sending Severus an enraged look. Karkaroff turned to Bagman and Crouch for help.
"Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman, you are our-er-objective judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?" Bagman wiped his round face with his handkerchief and turned to Crouch. Mr. Crouch spoke softly but sternly.
"We must follow the rules and the ruse state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire and bound to compete in the tournament."
"Well Barty knows the rule book back to front." Bagman said making it clear the matter was closed.
"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students." Karkaroff spoke again, this time a menacing look on his face. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It is only fair, Dumbledore."
"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that." Bagman explained. "The Goblet of Fire's just gone out, it wotn ignite until the start of the next tournament."
"In which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing." Karkaroff exploded. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!"
"Empty threat Karkaroff." Growled a deep voice from the doorway. It was Professor Moody limping his way into the room, a loud clunk sounding with each footstep. "You can't leave your champion now. He's got to compete. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?"
"Convenient?" Karkaroff questioned. "I'm afraid I don't understand you Moody."
"Don't you?" Moody asked him in return. "It's very simple Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing she'd have to compete if it came out."
"Evidently someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!"
"I quite agree Madame Maxime! I shall be lodging a complaint with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards."
"If anyone's got reason to complain its Potter." Moody growled addressing me for the first time. "But funny thing, I don't hear her saying a word." I opened my mouth trying to again explain that I wanted no part in the Tournament, but Fleur cut me off with another outburst.
"Why would she complain? She 'as ze chance to compete 'asn't she? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money! Zis is a chance many would die for!"
"Maybe someone's hoping Miss Potter is going to die for it." Moody grumbled. I felt my eyes grow wide with fear as I tried to search the dimly lit room for Severus. There was an extremely tense silence before Mr. Bagman made a nervous half laughing sound and spoke.
"Moody, old man what a thing to say!"
"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime." Karkaroff addressed the room gruffly. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too! An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons."
"Imagining things am I? Seeing things eh? It was a skilled witch or wizard who put the girl's name in that goblet."
"What evidence is zere of zat?" Madame Maxime bellowed throwing her huge hands up in the air.
"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object. It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament, I'm guessing they submitted Potter's named under a fourth school, to make sure she was the only one in her category."
"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Moody. And a very ingenious theory it is, though of course, I heard you recently got it into your head that one of your birthday presents contained a cunningly disguised Basilisk egg and smashed it to pieces before realizing it was a carriage clock. So you'll understand if we don't take you entirely seriously." Karkaroff told him coldly.
"There are those who'll turn innocent occasions to their advantage." Moody retorted. "It's my job to think the way dark wizards do Karkaroff, as you ought to remember…"
"Alastor!" Dumbledore spoke sternly as he had before to Severus, though now he was warning Moody. "How this situation arose, we do not know. It seems to me, however that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Alice have been chosen to compete in the tournament. This is therefore they will do."
"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr…"
"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it." Dumbledore waited but Madame Maxime did not speak, instead she glared down at him. Karkaroff and Severus also maintained an livid expression on their face. Bagman on the other hand looked incredibly excited.
"Well shall we crack on then? Got to give our Champions the instruction haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"
"Yes, instructions yes, the first task." Mr. Crouch now addressed myself, Cedric, Fleur and Krum. "The first tasked is designed to test your daring. So we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard…Very important. The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges. The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempt from end-of-year exams." Well at least one thing has come from this whole mess. "I think that's all, is it, Dumbledore?"
"I think so. Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"
"No Dumbledore, I must get back to the ministry. It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment. I've left young Weatherby in charge, very enthusiastic, a little overenthusiastic, if truth be told." I tried my hardest to stifle a laugh knowing that Mr. Crouch was referring to Ron's third oldest brother Percy. With that Bagman and Crouch left the room, followed closely by Madame Maxime and Fleur. The pair of them left swiftly, speaking very fast in French. Karkaroff and Viktor Krum followed behind them in silence. The small room seemed even smaller with the watchful eyes of Severus, McGonagall, Moody and Dumbledore upon Cedric and I.
"Cedric, Alice I suggest you head off to bed." Dumbledore told us, smiling for the first time. "I am sure Hufflepuff and Slytherin are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise." Cedric and I each nodded and I followed him out to the Entrance Hall. When we reached the hall Cedric turned to me.
"So, we're playing against each other again!"
"I guess so…Cedric I…"
"Tell me, how did you get your name in?" I shook my head fiercely.
"That's just it, I didn't. I didn't put my name in, I was telling the truth."
"Ah, Okay." His voice said in disbelief. "Well see you then." And he turned right heading off to the Hufflepuff common room, leaving me standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall, alone.