Harry
"The bluebell flame is just one of the many types of flames that can be created through magic. The first known use of the bluebell flame spell can be traced all the way back to the Qin dynasty in China. The Qin dynasty used the bluebell flame as a source of light and defense along the Great Wall. Can anyone tell me how it was used for both? Yes, Miss Granger isn't it?" Durmstrang's charms professor, Remy Khao, explained to the full class.
"Yes, Professor it is. And the bluebell flame will stay lit as long as there is magic in the area. So, as long as their was a guard somewhere near the flame on the wall it would remain lit. And the bluebell flame still also carries the same powers and traits of a normal flame, however, the victim when burned would feel cold instead of hot," Hermione answered the question, sounding confident with her answer.
"Well said Miss Granger well said. Now. . ." Professor Khao started to ramble off again.
"I really feel like someone needs to tell this guy it's time to retire. He looks older than half the books I have found in Durmstrang's library," Marik whispered to him. He tried to keep himself from laughing. Marik was right, even if it was rude. The professor did look ancient, making even their very own Professor Binns look like a child.
"He may be old, but he is also the most published author on conjuration magic in Europe," Hermione whispered to them in defense of the professor.
"Hermione, he has probably published more than anyone else because he has outlived everyone else," Harry added playfully, causing Marik and Hermione to have to stifle laughs.
"I miss Flitwick," Marik said after he calmed down his laughter.
"I do too," he admitted quietly.
"He may not be as good a teacher as Flitwick, but I think it is good to get a different perspective," Hermione whispered back.
"You are just saying that because he already loves you!" Marik replied.
"And you are just jealous that not having Kingsley around keeps you from being the prodigy child," Hermione argued back.
"True," Marik said, nodding his head with a smile.
"Mr. Ose isn't it?" The professor asked breaking them all from their conversation. Marik sat up looking pale. He obviously had not been paying attention to the charms professor's words.
"Uhh yes sir?" Marik asked, scratching his head.
"I was just looking for a second volunteer and saw that you were interested in volunteering. Please come," Professor Khao said with a smirk. Harry couldn't help but smile as he watched Marik nervously make his way down to the professor, not knowing what he had been chosen to do.
"Now Miss Delacour, and Mr. Ose I would like to demonstrate for the class how we can combine the properties of two different spells to create our desired result," Professor Khao started to explain and Harry noticed that the Beauxbaton's Champion Fleur had also been asked to volunteer. He sat up in his chair to watch her, hoping to see anything that might help them in the Triwizards' Tournament. He had seen Fleur perform magic each year during the EMSDC, but he would take every chance he could to see what kind of tricks the future competetion could do.
"Miss Delacour, I would like for you to cast the bluebell flame spell to create just a small flame in the middle of the room okay?" Professor Khao asked Fleur who nodded in response. "Mr. Ose I take it you know the incantation for another type of flame spell, it can be anyone of them that you do know?" Marik nodded as well. "Okay then, I would like for you to cast the flame spell that you have choosen at Fleur's bluebell flame once she has finished. I would like for everyone else to observe closely."
"Azure Ignio." Harry watched on as Fleur cast the bluebell flame spell and a large ball of blue fire shot from her wand and began hovering at the center of the room. The classroom was filled with a bright blue light as the flame grew larger. Marik raised his left hand and without saying a word cast the incendio spell and a jet of orange and red flame shot from his hand. The classroom oohed and awwed thinking Marik was able to cast the spell wandlessly and silently, which Harry guessed technically he had done, even though it was really just Marik's rune-tattoo magic allowing him to do so that way.
Marik's flame intertwined with the blue flame that was already present. For a few seconds the flames seemed to be fighting for dominance against each other as they expanded and contracted against the other's flame. After a little while longer though, the two fires seemed to quickly die down and harden into something that looked similar to a crystal.
"Wonderful! As you saw class Marik's choice of the incendio spell was a type of fire-making spell that only remains lit for a short period of time, or for as long as it is fed magic. While it was lit and intermingling with Fleur's bluebell flame spell it was attempting to use the cold flames as its source of magic to remain lit. While the incendio flame eventually died out, it was still able to burn some of its magical properties into Fleur's bluebell spell. The result is this." The professor held up the blue and red crystal to the class. "Can anyone tell me what this is?" Harry had to quickly dodge to his right as Hermione's hand shot up like a rocket again beside him. "Ah Mr. Hoggins." The professor pointed to a Durmstrang student. Hermione huffed in disappointment.
"It is a feeding flame crystal. It is a common source of food for dragon's to eat before they hibernate as the crystal slowly melts inside the dragon's stomach over the years and helps maintain their levels of magic over long periods of time, though, the crystals are normally much bigger," the Durmstrang boy answered.
"Correct! Thank you Miss Delacour and Mr. Ose you may return to your seats now. Now flame crystals are a keen example. . ." Professor Khao continued to speak about the feeding flame crystal.
"Way to show off," he joked as Marik sat back down.
"I didn't show off," Marik argued.
"Seems someone was impressed with your spell casting," Hermione said to them. He and Marik both followed where her eyes were fixated on. Their eyes landed on Fleur Delacour, who seemed to be staring directly at Marik. The Beauxbatons champion quickly turned her head back to the professor as she noticed they were now looking at her.
"She probably is going to tell the other champions I can do magic without a wand now," Marik replied.
"Yeah, you probably should of kept that a secret for as long as you could of," he added. They needed every advantage they could get going into this tournament, especially as the youngest overall team. And every secret that got out about their abilities and magic made things even tougher for them.
"I don't think that was why she was looking," Hermione said, rolling her eye and frowning at them. "Anyways, I think it is safe to assume that Marik isn't the only one who will be able to cast spells wandlessly or silently during the tournament."
"Yeah, true. We already know for a fact too that Beauxbaton's champion, Weiss, can do silent spells," he replied.
"Oh is that what you were telling me about earlier? What was the article in the journal she was published in on again?" Marik asked them.
"She is the one that is working on silent casting against the imperius curse. Britain's and France's Ministry of Defense are pouring tons of money and resources into her research," Harry answered him.
"What's the goal?" Marik whispered his question out as the professor scribbled more notes onto the board.
"The hope is that if just part of the mind of someone who is imperiused can recognize that they are not in control that they would be able to mentally break free from the curse," Hermione answered.
"Wow that sounds pretty impressive. Sounds like a more badass version of bind breaking," Marik replied as the rest of the classroom stood up and began gathering their things. Harry had been paying more attention to their conversation than he was to the class and guessed that meant that class was already over. He quickly put up his books and notes in his bag and headed out of the classroom with his friends.
"Do we really have to do this interview?" Marik asked them as they made their way outside into the halls of Durmstrang.
"Dumbledore said all interviews, events, and meetings are non-negotiable," he answered with a frown. He wasn't looking forward to having to do the interview either.
"Hey guys!" A voice shouted at them from down the hall. They all turned to see Alina waving at them. Luna and the Durmstrang Champion Dedrick were also walking with her.
"Hey Alina, Luna, Dedrick," Harry said, greeting them as they made their way over.
"How was your charms class?" Alina asked them.
"Very informative," Hermione answered first.
"I'm glad you had a good class then, I almost fell asleep three times in transfiguration," Alina answered.
"Professor Tibbins is quite boring," Dedrick replied, yawning at the end of his words.
"Marik do you have any free time before you have to go to your interview? I would like to talk to you please," Luna asked Marik. To Harry it kind of looked like Luna had been crying or something but to be honest it was hard to tell with the dark blue eyeliner Luna was wearing.
"No I don't Alina, sorry. We have to get to this interview thing now," Marik answered her, Harry watched nervously as Luna's face got paler and her expression changed at his friend's mistake. He also saw Alina blush. Harry braced himself for what he knew was coming.
You fucked up. He internally screamed at Marik.
"My name is Luna," Luna pointed out to Marik in a cold tone. Her voice with enough venom in it to melt steel.
"What? I know that," Marik replied, looking confused.
"You just called me Alina. So apparently you don't," Luna said, glaring him down in the process.
"Oh, sorry Luna, just a slip of the tongue. My bad," Marik apologized and gave his girlfriend a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Harry noted that Luna didn't seem to take the apology as one of sincerity and continued to look pissed.
"Anywaysss. . . We better get going. Dedrick can you show us the way?" Hermione asked, thankfully breaking the awkward silence that had arrived in the hallway.
"Yeah, follow me. C'ya later Alina," Dedrick answered, laughing at the predicament and gave Alina a peck on the cheek before heading down the hallway.
The followed Dedrick silently down the hallway towards the room where the nine champions would be doing interviews.
While he and Hermione did not have much of a problem with Alina's new boyfriend, both of them had decided to stay out of things as much as they could in hopes of keeping Marik level headed during the tournament. They needed everyone to be on good terms and in good moods if they were to have any chance at winning. After a few minutes of walking in awkward silence they thankfully arrived at the interview room.
"And here the rest of them are!" a women with a large camera in her hands shouted as they all entered the room. It took Harry a few seconds to adjust his eyes after being blinded by the camera's flash.
They were in a fairly large classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet. Nine chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and the three Headmasters were gathered in the center of the room talking to who Harry could only assume were the interviewers.
Dedrick left their group for the Durmstrang group, who were standing in a corner talking amongst themselves. Fleur and the rest of the Beauxbatons team seemed to be in a deep conversation in another corner of the room as well. Fleur looked a good deal happier than Harry had seen her look previously in the classroom; she kept throwing back her head so that long silvery hair caught the light and seemed to be looking over towards them quite frequently. A large, round man who was obviously wearing a poor attempt at a wig walked to the center of the room and asked the champions to all be seated. Harry followed his friends and grabbed a chair at the end of the table.
"Thank you champions for taking the time out of your busy days preparing for the Triwizards' Tournament to come here. Readers all over Europe have been dying to get more information on the tournament and its champions!" the round man told them all.
"Reporters you may begin with your questions now," the round man announced to the small group of reporters and pointed to one of them as they all raised their hands.
"Viktor, your grandfather was part of the Durmstrang team that lost in the last held Triwizards' Tournament, did he have any words of advice for you?" one of the reporters asked Viktor Krum. Harry leaned forward to hear his answer better. Any answer said here during the interview may be information that would help them win the tournament.
"My grandfather just told me to be ready for anything, and make sure that I help win this one for Durmstrang." Viktor Krum answered. The round man pointed at another reporter.
"Harry Potter-many people are saying that you were given the spot as a champion for Hogwarts because you were the one who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when you were merely a child and not based on your actual skill ability. What are your comments on this?" the reporter asked him.
He felt a tinge of anger at the question. Of course people would think he had been handed this because of what happened to him as a child and not because he had actually earned it. He gave himself a few seconds to calm down before he answered, not wanting to say something he might regret later.
"I don't think that is the case at all. We were all chosen based off the Goblet of Fire's magic, not because of Voldemort. I earned this the same as everyone else and the Goblet of Fire proved that when it chose my name," he answered, annoyed at the question. He saw that a few of the reporters grimaced at the mention of Voldemort's name. The round man pointed to another reporter.
"Dedrick Karkaroff, you are the son of Durmstrang's Headmaster. Does that change how you feel about the tournament at all or how you will approach things," another reporter asked Alina's boyfriend.
"No it doesn't. I would have been chosen regardless of who my father is, and Durmstrang will win regardless," Dedrick answered confidently.
"Smug bastard," Marik whispered beside Harry. The round man pointed at another reporter with their hand raised.
"Harry Potter, champions of the Triwizards' tournament are known to achieve great glory if they win. How will the glory of winning the tournament compare with the glory of being the boy who lived," the same reporter asked him again. Again he found himself getting annoyed and angered at the question.
"I am not the boy who lived. I am just Harry Potter. There is no glory in being a baby who got lucky. I look forward to competing in the tournament and if we win I look forward to getting recognition I actually earned." He tried his best to keep a calm head as he answered.
"Well said," Hermione whispered to him and gave him a smile. Her smile always seemed to calm him down a little. Another reporter was given permission to ask a question.
"Oliver Minoit, you have been ranked as the number one ranked wizard in Europe in both your fourth year and last year as a fifth year. What can the audience expect from Europe's number one student?" The reporter asked the older looking boy with long black hair.
Harry found this bit of information very interesting and informative. They had not known that Oliver had been ranked the number one student in Europe for two consecutive years. That was an impressive feat. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Oliver would still be number one if he were in the same year as Hermione though. Unfortunately, since European wide rankings did not start until fourth year, he would never know the answer.
"They should expect a magical performance and nothing less," Oliver answered the reporter. His response short and to the point.
"Marik Ose, You have won the EMSDC three years in a row now, and have been proclaimed by European Dueling Champion, Filius Flitwick, as the future of great duelists. Do you think your ability dueling will translate well in the tournament?" another reporter asked Marik.
"Well I would certainly hope so," Marik answered sarcastically. Harry, Hermione, and a few other of the champions snickered at his sarcastic response. The round man pointed at another reporter.
"Fleur Delacour, you were the sole fourth year chosen by the Goblet to be on a team with two sixth year students. Why do you think the cup chose you?" the reporter asked Fleur.
"Because I am good at what I do and have proven myself to be able to compete with older witches and wizards more than enough times," Fleur answered the question without hesitation. That was no lie, Fleur had certainly proved over the summer tournaments that she was no joke, especially in a duel.
"Miss Delacour, I also have a question for you," another reporter started. "You have lost in three straight EMSDC, all of them to current Hogwarts Triwizard Champions. One to Hermione Granger, and two to Marik Ose, do those losses add any extra motivation to your desire to win the tournament or do they evoke fear of another defeat?" Harry leaned forward again, interested in this answer.
"Of course they motivate me. I detest losing. I want to win in everything I do. I look forward to getting a shot at the two of them during the tournament and hope to redeem myself a little. And no, I don't fear them or losing," Fleur answered and gave their group a smile.
"Guess we can't expect her to easy on us then. Thanks you two," he joked to Hermione and Marik. Another reporter stood up to ask a question.
"Harry Potter, many people in the German, Ministry of Magic were concerned that there may be an attack by death eaters at Durmstrang during the tournament because of you, since you were the reason for the attacks on Hogwarts, what do you say to this?" The question hit him like a ton of bricks, bringing back all the emotions he had felt before his talk with Remus on the bridge last year.
"Harry was not responsible for the attack on the school. Just because he may or may not be one of Voldemort's targets does not mean he is responsible for everything Voldemort, or his minions do," Hermione answered angrily from beside him. Her answer made him feel a little better, though it was hard to repress the bad memories.
"Thanks Hermione," he said, giving her a half-smile.
"My question was for Harry dear, not you. A few of the captured death eaters expressed when interrogated that they were there in fact at Hogwarts to find Harry Potter, so I ask you the same question again Harry," the female reporter asked him again with a grin. He took a few moments to gather himself, or else he might have cursed the women then and there.
"I do not feel responsible for what happened at Hogwarts. I am just a student. It wasn't my job to defend the castle, and I wasn't one of the aurors on guard, and I certainly wasn't the Minister of Magic who issued the defense plans for the school. . . I am not responsible for what Voldemort does. He was a crazy idiot before my time, and me being in this tournament now doesn't change that. He will always be a crazy idiot," Harry answered, his last few words coming out with some added venom to them. Hermione placed her hand on his knee below the table and gave him another smile. There was an awkward silence in the room before another reporter stood up to ask a question.
"Weiss Marceau, your Headmaster was reported saying that you were the next big name in the long list of famous French witches. How do her kind words make you feel?" another reporter asked the tall blonde girl. Harry wished he got questions that easy instead of all these pointed questions.
"I am grateful to have such a kind person as my Headmaster say things like that about me. Her words have only added to the motivation to win this tournament that I already have. I look forward to making her proud," Weiss answered the reporter with a large, pretty smile. Another reporter stood up.
"Rosa Westerwelle, when we spoke to some of your professors they all praised you for your work in your charms and dark arts courses. How much do you feel your strength in these subjects will help you during the first task?" the reporter asked the lone female Durmstrang champion.
"While we have no idea what the first task may be I am sure that my abilities will find their ways to make a positive impact. From what I have read on about previous tournaments it seems like charms especially will come in very handy," Rosa answered.
"Hermione Granger, you have been published in The Brewers Batch already at such a young age and have also made it quite far in the EMSDC. Besides dueling and potions what do you feel will be your greatest contribution to your team," another reporter asked Hermione.
"I think I am very well rounded in all my courses and abilities, so I will be able to give a little bit of everything. I will just be looking to help us win anyway that I can, and will contribute where I am needed. Harry, Marik, and myself have all been friends for a while now, so I think we will all contribute in a lot of different ways. I think our chemistry will be the greatest contribution in winning the tournament though, not our individual strengths," Hermione answered and received nods of agreement from he and Marik.
"Harry Potter, how much will you use your reputation as the wizard who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to your advantage during this tournament?" the same witch who had asked the other pointed questions to him asked again. This question almost put him over the edge.
Nothing more in his life pissed him off more than people like her. People who thought he was the chosen one or that he was given everything in life because of that title. They were always the people who thought he had never actually earned anything for himself and had been given everything on a silver platter. He had done nothing to survive the killing curse, nor did he ever once in his life take credit for actually doing something like that. If anything he and his family had always done the opposite. He had denied countless times his role in everything, and countless times people still ignored him.
Harry hated being the boy-who-lived. The title made him sick. He had worked his ass off ever since he was a little kid; he had put in countless hours studying, working, and practicing to become the wizard that he was today. He had become a completed animagus not because of Voldemort, but because of his work ethic. He had become number two in his year not because of Voldemort, but because he had put everything into his work. He was chosen for this tournament because he was part of the best team at Hogwarts, not because Voldemort tried to kill him back then. He was not given anything, he had earned everything. Hermione grabbed his hand under the table, calming him slightly before he spoke.
"I won't. To all the people like you that think I am where I am today because of Voldemort, or because I survived the killing curse you are ignorant. I was a child when Voldemort attacked me, I did nothing but cry. His error did not make me who I am today. My family, my professors, and my friends made me who I am today. My hard work and my obsession with magic is why I am in this tournament. I will use my friends and my magic to my advantage this tournament, not a stupid title. I will gladly use the reputation I have earned as a talented wizard, a top student, and a good friend to my advantage, but I will never use the reputation of the-boy-who-lived. I earned everything I have," he answered the annoying reporter again. He made no attempt to hide the anger in his voice as he did.
"That is all the time we have for questions," Durmstrang's Headmaster Karkaroff announced to the reporters who all stood up and exited the room.
"Holy Hell that was rough," Marik said while looking right at him.
"Are you okay Harry?" Hermione asked him looking concerned. He was glad she was still holding onto his hand, it was helping from chasing after that stupid reporter.
"I will be okay. Thanks Hermione." He smiled at his best friend.
"What the hell was that witches problem?" Marik asked him, looking pissed himself.
"No clue, but it took all I had to not stun the mess out of her," He answered honestly.
"That was Rita Skeeter from the Daily Prophet. She is the reporter that writes all the misleading articles like the one that claimed Dumbledore was actually the dumbest wizard of our age." Hermione answered him.
"Well that makes since then," he said, eyeing the witch angrily as she left the room.
"Champions thank you again for your cooperation. We wish you good luck in last minute preparations before the first task. You are free to leave now," Karkaroff said again to them and they made their way out of the classroom. As pissed off as he was now he didn't have time to concern himself with dumb questions and ignorant people. He had a tournament to prepare for, which meant it was time to go hit the books.
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