A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any character thereof. I just like to play with them. =)

Chapter 65

After Albus dismissed the students, Severus saw him turn with a grimace on his face. He motioned for everyone to follow him.

They entered the side room to find Potter looking extremely out of place across the room from the older kids. Albus headed straight towards where Potter was standing. The boy looked like he was trying to become invisible.

"Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet?"

"No!"

"Did you ask one of the older kids to put your name in the Goblet?"

"No!"

Severus used subtle legilimency on the boy from across the room. He was surprised when Potters' eyes darted to him, as if he could feel it. 'Well that's certainly new,' he mused.

"But of course ze boy is lying," Madam Maxime said.

"I do not believe that Harry put his name in the Goblet," said Albus after searching Harry's gaze.

"He had to have done so," spat out Karkaroff. "Your age line must have failed."

"Do not blame this fiasco on the Headmaster. Potter has been breaking the rules ever since he first arrived."

"Severus," scolded Albus.

Severus sighed. Evidently old habits died hard.

He tuned most of the squabbling out and watched as Harry tried to shrink into the shadows in the room while everyone argued about the situation. There was no confidence on the boy's face, just pure terror. He honestly had not put his name in the Goblet of Fire. After 30 minutes of talking and yelling had passed, the Headmaster told the students to leave. Harry was looking exceedingly pale as he headed out of the door.

"I didn't do it!" shouted Harry.

"I don't know why you're not admitting the truth to me. I'm your best friend. I won't rat you out."

"Ron. Listen to yourself. You know that I hate the fame that comes with being me. I don't want this attention and I sure as hell don't want any glory."

"Then you shouldn't have put your name in the Goblet of Fire. You're rarely in your bed at night. I always figured you just went down to the common room. I'm sure it wouldn't have been hard to sneak down to the Great Hall last night after curfew."

"I did not put my name in the Goblet!" The window exploded behind Harry's head as a token of how angry he really was. "How many times do I need to tell you that to get it through that thick skull of yours?"

"Thick am I? Too stupid to be Harry Potter's friend? Well I'm through. You should just go and join the Slytherins, where the hat wanted to put you to start with. You're obviously sneaky enough to get by Dumbledore's age line. Who knows what else your capable of?"

Before Harry could reply, Ron stormed out of the dorm room - slamming the door behind him.

Harry then threw himself onto his bed, put a silencing charm on himself, and screamed for all he was worth.

Unbeknownst to both of them, the Gryffindors' downstairs had heard their argument, much to their disbelief.

"Absolutely not. Find some loop hole. I want him out of this tournament."

"Severus, when someone put his name in the Goblet, it formed a magical contract. He can't back out of it now. There would have been a way to pull him from the tournament had it not been in his handwriting, but since it is his signature, he will have to see this thing through."

"Albus, people die in these things. I will not let him die. I've not even been able to tell him yet. I don't know if I should now," he added in a whisper.

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because he will need to focus on these tasks."

Albus sighed. "I don't know Severus. He may be able to draw the strength he needs from you in order to compete."

"Or the truth will devastate him so badly that he get's distracted and gets himself killed anyway. No. Not until we find out with certainty how his name got in that Goblet. For all we know the Dark Lord had this arranged. For all of Moody's paranoia, he may be right in that whoever put Harry's name into the Goblet does want him dead."

"Very well. Until we find out how Harry's name got into the Goblet, I won't pressure you but soon afterwards you need to tell him."

Severus nodded.

Tuesday dawned bright. Harry knew this because he had not been to bed.

"Harry, have you slept any?"

He looked up to see Hermione staring at him - her eyes full of concern.

Harry shook his head no.

"You can't go to class on no sleep."

"I'll be fine. I've done it before. I don't feel like going to breakfast though."

Hermione frowned. "Go get ready. I'll run down and get you some toast and meet you in Binns' classroom."

He nodded but as he went to stand, she grabbed his arm to stop him. "Harry, you should know that all of Gryffindor heard your argument with Ron last night. They heard him say that the sorting hat wanted to put you in Slytherin."

"Bloody marvelous," Harry muttered. Resigned to the fact that it was going to be a long day, he headed off to the showers. After he was dressed, he looked in the mirror and frowned.

He looked like he had been run over by a herd of hippogriffs.

He quickly applied a glamour to hide the dark circles under his eyes and went to meet Hermione.

"Have you written to Padfoot?" she whispered once they were seated in the classroom.

"What? No! He'd probably come crashing in through the front door if he found out," said Harry shocked.

"Harry, he's going to find out anyway. This tournament is famous ... and so are you. I'm sure he'd rather hear about it from you instead of reading about it though."

Harry sighed. She was right. "I'll send him a letter in between classes. Have you seen Ron?"

"He was at breakfast this morning."

"Oh. Does he still believe that I put my name in the Goblet?"

"Harry, I don't think he ever really believed it but everything does tend to happen to you."

"I don't ask for it," he snapped.

"I know that Harry and so does he but I think this might have been the last straw."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Well, you're famous and he's not. No matter what he does, one of his brothers have already done it."

"He's jealous?' asked Harry incredulously.

Hermione nodded.

"He can have the fame if he wants it that badly. I certainly don't."

Hermione just sighed. Harry was really going to go ballistic when he finds out what everyone was saying about him now that they knew he was supposed to have been in Slytherin.

By lunch time Severus had heard about the fight between Potter and Weasley. He couldn't believe it. Potter in Slytherin?

No. The rumor must have changed some. Harry was the most Gryffindor-ish Gryffindor that he had ever met.

"Is it true Albus?"

Severus pretended to be engrossed in his food.

"What Alastor?"

"Potter should have been in Slytherin?"

Severus heard the Headmaster sigh. "It's not my place to confirm or deny."

Severus growled. He had Potter that afternoon in Potions. He would find out himself.

Severus let his eyes scan up and down the Gryffindor table. No sign of Potter. The boy had missed breakfast too. He then saw Granger run in, say something to Weasley, grab some food, and leave again.

At least his son was eating.

Harry was in a foul mood. All day long he had heard, "Were you really supposed to be in Slytherin?" "Did you really not put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" "Are you going to be leaving the tower?" "Does this mean that you are going to turn evil?" If it hadn't been a first year that had asked that last question so innocently, he imagined he would have hexed whoever it came from.

Thankfully he had not blown anything or anyone up since last night but he'd only been with the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors all day long.

He had potions coming up and he was seriously considering skipping class.

If there was ever a place he was likely to lose it, it would be during that class.

"Come on Harry. You know that if you don't show up, Professor Snape will give you a weeks worth of detention again."

Thus he went to class.

When he entered the room, he was met by dead silence.

'Well that's different,' he thought.

Ignoring everyone, he sat in his normal seat. If Ron didn't want to sit next to him, he could move.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and sat in between both boys.

The room was utterly silent. The Slytherins were staring at him, looking like they simply wanted to dissect him to see what he looked like on the inside. The Gryffindor's had learned by this point in the day to quit asking him questions.

He felt his temper rise but he took a deep, calming breath. He would not blow anything up.

When the bell rang, Snape swooped into the room in his normal bat like manner.

Thankfully class proceeded as normal. As Harry was taking notes on the poison of the day, a knock came at the door.

It was Ginny Weasley. Harry watched her hand Snape a note.

A sneer took over his features. "Potter, gather your things and follow Miss Weasley to the Headmaster. I still expect you to hand in your homework on Thursday."

'Yes sir."

Once they got in the hallway, Harry turned to Ginny. "What does Dumbledore want with me?"

"I'm not sure. I was passing by his office on the way to the library when he stopped me and asked me to fetch you."

Harry sighed. Maybe Dumbledore found a way to get him out of the Tournament.

"And for what it's worth, I'm sorry Ron is being a jerk to you."

"It's alright." Harry was suddenly very tired.

They parted ways at the Great Hall.

"The side room where you met last night," she told him before continuing on to the library.

Harry nodded. "Thanks Ginny. See you later."

November 1, 1994

I'm so tired but I have to say that Rita Skeeter is evil.

Okay, not so much Voldemort evil, but the annoying kind of evil. I can only imagine what that article is going to say.

I can't believe how big of a git Ron is being.

At least I didn't lose my temper today. That aught to count for something.

-Harry

After Harry put his journal away, he crawled back into bed. Hopefully when he wakes up tomorrow, he'll discover that all of this was just a horrible nightmare.

He was sitting in a chair. An owl flew in through the window.

"What does it say Wormtail?"

"Things proceeding as planned. If you want me to execute it earlier, I am in position to do so. From my observation S play's neutrality line. K has crossed completely."

Voldemort let out a hiss of a chuckle.

Harry sat straight up in bed and blinked. What woke him? Glancing around showed that everyone was asleep. Shrugging, he fell back asleep - not remembering his dream.

Susan and Harry were paired up again - this time collecting bubotubar pus.

"I honestly didn't enter Susan," he whispered.

None of the Hufflepuffs were talking to him. Even Professor Sprout was acting cold towards him.

"I believe you Harry," she said softly.

He smiled at her. "Thanks. You appear to be the only one that does, other than Hermione and Neville."

She smiled back. "Are you nervous?"

"I'd say terrified but that's not a horrifying enough of a word. I'm not sure it's sunk in yet."

She closed the jar they had just filled with pus.

"Once you have collected 3 jars, you all can leave. Don't forget about your essay that's due next class," stated Professor Sprout as she made her rounds around the greenhouse.

"Ah, there you are Mister Potter. Come with me."

Harry looked up at McGonagall. "What ever it was, I didn't do it," he said before he could stop himself.

She smiled faintly. "Feeling guilty about something are you? Rest assured, you're not in trouble. The Headmaster needs you."

"Did he figure out a way to get me out of this?"

"I'm sorry Potter. You heard him the other night. It's a magical contract. It can't be broken."

They continued the journey in silence.

"Twisty Tart Taffy."

Harry stepped up on the stone gargoyle and let it take him to the Headmaster's office.

What he saw when he opened the door surprised him.

"Sirius!"

Harry dropped his book bag and ran and gave him a hug. As he pulled away from his godfather, he saw the glowy thing in the corner of the room belonging to Snape.

He wondered why the man was lurking but quickly pushed it out of his mind and focused on his god father instead.

"What are you doing here? Sirius you might get caught. You shouldn't have come for me."

"Nonsense. I'll be alright. How are you?'

"A mess."

"Harry, did you put your name in that Goblet?"

"No!"

"Alright. I had to ask. I'm sorry I didn't write back to you kidd-o. I've been fixing up the place where I've been staying. Mooney is helping me."

Harry frowned. "Sirius you shouldn't stay in any one place for very long. You can be tracked there."

"What did I tell you about letting me be the grown up?"

Harry snorted which caused Sirius to reach out and ruffle his hair.

"Is Ron still upset with you?"

Harry nodded. "During our fight, he yelled out something that I had thought he would keep secret. Everyone is being so odd because of that."

"What did he say?"

Harry bit his lip. He was afraid to tell Sirius. He remembered what the man had written in his letter about Slytherins'.

"It's okay Harry. You can tell me."

"You might get upset."

"I promise I won't."

Harry sighed but never the less maneuvered Sirius into sitting down in a chair. "He yelled that maybe I should have just let the hat put me in Slytherin - where it wanted to."

He heard Sirius suck in a deep breath. He flinched automatically.

"The hat wanted to put you in Slytherin?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, Ron probably didn't mean what he said. People often say things they don't mean in the heat of the moment."

Harry let out a breath of relief and chuckled. "I see Mooney's been talking to you."

Sirius laughed. "Maybe. Now. Have you had anymore dreams?"

"No. Although ... I did wake up last night but I don't know if it was because of a dream or because I heard a noise. It was no big deal."

"You sure?"

Harry nodded.

"I need to go. Albus told me that I could have a couple of minutes with you."

Harry hugged Sirius again. "Thanks for coming Sirius. I feel better already."

"Just be careful during this Tournament Harry. These tasks are designed to test you in the worst possible way."

"I'll be fine Sirius. Please stay hidden and be careful. I can't lose you."

Dumbledore came down the stairs then. "Hello Harry. I trust you had a nice visit?"

"I did. Thank you sir."

"Dinner should still be going on. Run along."

With another quick hug to Sirius, Harry picked up his book bag and left.

"How can Black possibly make Harry that happy? He was only with him the first time for a couple of hours." Severus asked Albus. "Is it the godfather bond?"

When a god parent is named, a ritual is performed to help a bond form between the adult and the child. In the case of a sudden parent loss, the bond helps the adult care for the grieving child. Since Black had been sent to Azkaban, he didn't think it had a full chance to form, but clearly some of it had done so.

"I imagine that is part of it."

"But not all of it." It wasn't a question, just a statement. "He was truly supposed to have been in Slytherin then?"

"He would have done well there too," spoke up the hat.

Severus turned to the hat. "Then why did you put him in Gryffindor?"

"Because he asked me to."

Severus sneered. "I should shred you for depriving me of seeing a shocked Wizarding World."

"Severus. You're threatening a hat," the Headmaster said while chuckling.

Severus groaned. "I've been around you way too long."

A/N: I can only imagine the flogging this chapter is going to get me, but before you all start hunting for the chains and whips, I would like to say that Harry is too curious for his own good. He won't let what Snape had been about to tell him be forgotten. ;0) And as for Ron, I needed some drama so I kept the fight from the book.

Poor Harry, he never wanted anyone to know that the hat had wanted him in Slytherin and now the whole school knows. I figured that it would be fitting for them to find out via his and Ron's arguement.

The next chapter involves Harry going on a little adventure of his own. :) I imagine I'm going to lose some readers with what I hint at in the next chapter, but I hope everyone stays around. I've been trying to make it believeable in the long run with what all I have planned, and I think I've succeeded. I just need everyone to be a little bit more patient with me. And I need everyone to put down their blast ended skrewts that you are planning to throw at me too. Since the next chapter isn't very long, I'll try to have it up tomorrow night. *runs away* :)