Chapter 9
"Come on Harry let's go out tonight and relax. I can tell you have the tournament on your mind but you need to have some fun."
Who was I to argue, so that evening I transported us to a vacant alley near our destination. We were near the club so we strolled along holding hands enjoying the evening. Ava was cuddling with me as we waited in line and continued cuddling as I paid the cover charge. The club had been set up for this underage disco night, and there were a lot of other teens and loud music playing setting the scene for a great time. As the night progressed everyone was having fun and even I forgot about the magical world and what would be happening in the very near future. After we had staked out a table we headed out onto the crowded dance floor. As we started dancing, Ava was shaking her butt at me and grinning, her message clear. All in all it was very enjoyable beginning to a very enjoyable evening.
/Scene Break/
After a Ava's completion of her OWLs at the ministry, and a trip to Las Vegas in celebration of my birthday, we were expecting my owl from Hogwarts. I had again updated my Harry clone glamour so it looked as if I was growing. Unfortunately there was always something as an owl came from Gringotts. The letter requested that I contact Gringotts at my earliest convenience. In goblin speak that meant, now!
The next morning I was heading for the lobby of Gringott's bank. I had of course removed my clone Harry glamour charms so the members of Dumbledore's bird club walked by unaware. I checked out the lobby for any additional problems before making my way to an available teller. The goblin looked up, nodded, and escorted me to a plush conference room.
"Lord Potter, thank you for arriving so quickly. There is at least one area that we would like to share information with you." This got my attention immediately as the goblin had not mentioned the cost I would have to pay for this information. The goblins never did anything without some kind of payment.
"KnifeSlasher, you have my full attention."
"As you are well aware we run a betting agency on the side. This tri-wizard tournament has leaked out so many wizards are betting in many aspects of the tournament. One very large wager has been offered to us that you will be one of the contestants. While this would not normally raise our curiosity the second larger offered wager concerning you does. This second large wager is that you will win the tournament. Our inside sources state you will not meet the requirements, age wise, and therefore unable to enter the tournament. Lord Potter are you planning on entering this tournament?"
"KnifeSlasher, if you can assure me that this will not be released outside the goblin nation I do have information."
"Rest assured Lord Potter anything you say will be held in the strictest of confidence."
"While I have no interest in entering the tournament my name will be submitted and I will indeed be in the tournament. This knowledge has come to me from a Seer's prophecy. Voldemort's minions are ensuring that I win as an attempt to resurrect Voldemort. You see Voldemort has made numerous horcruxes and until they are all destroyed Voldemort cannot be totally killed."
"Oh Great Maker! We thought the ring was the only horcrux, no one is insane enough to make more than one of those abominations."
"Dumbledore has a diary that used to contain a piece of Tom Riddle, you found the ring, and if I'm not mistaken there's another one in Black Manor."
"Lord Potter does Dumbledore know that the diary was a horcrux?"
"KnifeSlasher, Dumbledore is not stupid but he has given me no indication that he knows that the diary was a horcrux."
KnifeSlasher, damn near gave me the bum's rush out of the bank. I was laughing to myself as I walked down Diagon alley. I wish I could see the can of worms that I had opened. The goblins were not thrilled with Voldemort. From KnifeSlasher reaction to the horcrux I could see them reacting in different ways. Assuming that I had not messed up the timeline too badly I could see Dumbledore being questioned as to why he was hiding that information from the Goblin nation. In my fantasy I could see the goblins storming Black Manor and accusing Lord Black, a.k.a. Draco, of assisting Voldemort and now an enemy of the Goblin Nation.
Meanwhile Peter Pettigrew sat in a Knockturn pub called Kellys with a hood pulled over his head. A shot of firewhisky held in one hand while he contemplated his miserable life. The Tri-wizard tournament had made the front page of the Daily Profit and he was ordered by baby Voldemort to make a portkey out of the tri-wizard cup. He was considering snagging a ride, as a rat, on some tramp steamer. Hawaii would be a nice place to hide.
/Scene Break/
Since I never received an owl from Hogwarts I assumed they wanted nothing to do with me. Skipping the train ride and the carriage ride through the entrance gates, which were flanked with statues of winged boars, I also skipped the sorting. No, I was not attending school and I had missed the first few weeks of school. I waited to sneak into the castle late in the night after the goblet was lit. I was going to spread the wealth around. I wouldn't make my first appearance until the night the names were drawn from the Goblet of fire. They wanted a tournament well I would give them one!
/Scene Break/
It was time for me to begin my returning to Hogwarts over that stupid goblet. I slipped through the open doors of the Great Hall doors and slid into the shadows along the wall as Dumbledore caught the first piece of parchment from the Goblet of Fire. Everyone's attention was riveted on Dumbledore so my entry went unnoticed especially since I was under my invisibility charm. Dumbledore held a piece of parchment at arm's length so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned from red back to blue-white.
"The champion for Durmstrang is Viktor Krum." And so it went...
"The champion for Beauxbatonsis Fleur Delacour!"
"The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!"
Dumbledore stopped speaking as everyone's attention returned to the fire in the goblet which turned red again. Sparks were flying followed by as a long red flame which borne upon it, another piece of parchment.
Then in a loud voice Dumbledore read out, "Harry Potter." That's when I made my appearance in the Great Hall and shouted, "Death to the soon to be rising Voldemort and all of his lackeys."
Well this statement would normally have caused a lot of commotion but the hall stilled as a long red flame came from the goblet which borne upon it, another piece of parchment. I had to maintain a stoic appearance while I really wish to be laughing my ass off as I rolled around on the floor, it was pranking time.
Dumbledore read out…"Draco Malfoy". This announcement was followed by a mousy squeak and Draco passing out cold onto the stone floor. All in all I was somewhat shocked that Draco was still here at Hogwarts. Did Dumbledore now have a dark mark club for aspiring Death Eaters? Have people forgotten that he had taken the dark mark? Damn if I was going to ignore that fact if he got in my way.
Before another sound could be heard in the hall the long red flame belched another piece of parchment, and of course it was holding a name. I was now sure that I would be momentarily rolling on the floor in laughter.
Dumbledore was silent and frozen in place while the hall was silent waiting the announcement of the next name.
When the silence appeared to be everlasting Madame Maxime grab the parchment from Dumbledore's hand which sent him stumbling backwards. Madame Maxime then read the name, "Albus Dumbledore." That's when the hall erupted and I returned to my house and Ava.
/Scene Break/
Rita Skeeter had a field day blasting Dumbledore for trying to weasel out of the tournament. While everybody agreed with Alastair Moody that an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm was used to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament. It was a binding magical contract, the tournament continued. The big question that was being asked was with Dumbledore participating if there was any reason for the other contestants to try and win the tournament. Dumbledore of course had to be the obvious winner as he was the great and powerful Oz, making the other champions participation in the tournament redundant.
/Scene Break/
Of course I had to return to the school periodically because of the tournament but did I ever tell myself that Ron Weasley was my best friend? He was quickly pissing me off. Ron was acting like Draco at the slightest mention of the tournament. I told him repeatedly that I did not put my name in the goblet. Having Draco entering into the tournament did not seem to bother Ron one bit. Yet this did not stop him from hanging around me when I was at Hogwarts.
"What is it that you are not telling me or is the great Harry Potter is afraid of competition?"
"What the hell is your problem now Ron?"
"You want to know what my problem is with the famous Harry Potter? I'm sick and tired of being your sidekick and not allowed to best the great Harry Potter."
I just shook my head and walked away. At least I knew that I was not stopping him from doing his best and out doing the great Harry Potter. I definitely was not stopping him from doing his best and if he did, well that was life.
/Scene Break/
"Mr. Potter, a word please, my office."
"Sure Professor McGonagall."
"Mr. Potter do you know how to dance and have you acquired date for the ball?"
"No Professor I had not planned on attending."
"Mr. Potter you have no choice you must attend the ball it is in the rules. Furthermore, we cannot have our champion attend without a date."
"Yes Professor McGonagall." There was no use my arguing. They would force me to attend and would probably select someone to attend with me if I did not get a date for the ball. However! Evelyn had said my life was up to me and I could make my own decisions, didn't she? This fell out of the area of things Evelyn said I had to do. Besides Ava would probable kill me if I invited some other female to the tournament's opening ball besides her. No, I wasn't going to risk Ava's life.
"Dobby!"
"What can Dobby do for the great and wonderful Harry Potter?"
"I want to take this bag of galleons and here's I want you to do..."
/Scene Break/
"Mr. Potter where is your date? The ball is going to start any second now!"
"POP!"
"Professor McGonagall I like to introduce you to my date, Twinkie." Twinkie was decked out in the finest robes. There was nothing in the rulebooks about one house elf giving another elf clothing. We stepped past Professor McGonagall and into the Great Hall before she could explode. After the first dance, which was a little awkward, I thanked Twinkie and went home to Ava. Dobby appeared in a weird tuxedo to take my place and so they both could enjoy the ball as my personal guests.