Disclaimer: I do not own anything of this story. Harry Potter and all of the notable characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
Magnolia Crescent
Chapter Thirty-Two
An Unsurprising Last Minute Addition
Harry took another bite of his food, looking up at the Goblet of Fire sitting in front of Dumbledore's chair. It seemed to be on everyone's mind. Harry kept to himself but a few students gossiped about who would be the Hogwart's Champion.
"I've got two Sickles that says Diggory's going to be our Champion," Leo said, snatching a biscuit from Ron's plate. Ron nearly snarled through a forkful of eggs at the Slytherin who only grinned as he took a bite in response. He swallowed forcefully.
"You're on. Two Sickles says that he's not going to be our Champion," Ron said competitively. "Angelina will."
"I'll back that bet, Ron," Fred said, pulling out a roll of parchment and a quill.
"In fact," his twin said, "we'll even record your bets for you." Harry listened quietly as his friends debated over who would be the Hogwarts Champion. He was personally leaning towards the only known Ravenclaw entry.
"What about you, Harry? Care to place a bet?" Leo asked, pausing to wave Luna over.
"Why not?" he said with a shrug. "Two Sickles on Fawcett."
"Fawcett? That Ravenclaw bookworm?" Ron said, astounded.
"I think we'll have a Gryffindor Champion," Luna said in her far-off voice.
"Yes!" Ron shouted, fist pumping the air. "I knew it!"
"And it's going to be Harry," she finished, making everyone freeze. Even Ron, halfway through a fist pump, stopped to look at her.
"Wait, what?" Leo and Ron said together.
"But I didn't enter my name, Luna," Harry protested, looking at her curiously.
"That makes no matter," she replied simply.
"Luna, the possibility of Harry being our Champion is absurd," Hermione argued. That was all she got to say on the matter. Dumbledore approached the podium, clapped his hands and cleared away the remains of dinner. Leo and Luna slunk off to their own tables, Leo with a smug look on his face.
"Now then, it is time to call out the Champions for each school!" Dumbledore announced, clapping his hands twice to get everyone's attention. He paused to glance over at Brom, who smiled and waved back. "Now that the Goblet of Fire has gotten its extra school. If your name is chosen, head past the staff table to the room back there," he directed. Nearly every student glanced at the door in question.
Dumbledore lowered his hands, dimming the candles and lanterns as he did so. With the Great Hall darkened, the attention of everyone inside the room was drawn to the Goblet, as lashes of blue-white flame curled through the air.
When it seemed as though nothing would happen, the Goblet released a piece of parchment in a shot of red fire. Dumbledore snatched it from the air, glancing at the name scrawled upon it. The suspense was almost palpable. Finally, he spoke.
"Our champion from Durmstrang, Viktor Krum!" he shouted. The Durmstrang students erupted into cheers and applause, urging a crowd-drunk Krum to go where he needed. He had barely made it through the door when the Cup released another jet of red flame.
Fleur Delacour was named champion of Buexbatons and she left the room gracefully, as only the French could do. Their own champion was announced as Cedric Diggory, much to the delight of the Hufflepuffs. Harry could have sworn he had heard Leo celebrating from the Slytherin table. With one last jet of red flame, Salem's champion was announced as Zachary Jackson. Harry recognized the American that had talked with them a few days ago. He was solemn-faced, unlike the other Champions who had grinned widely as they made their way through the Great Hall.
Dumbledore turned away from the Goblet to address the students remaining. "Now that we have our champions, it's time to meet your judges," he began. But not one student was paying attention to him. Instead, every single one of them was gazing over his shoulder at the Goblet of Fire. It seemed unsure of what it was doing. The flames kept leaping high, alternating between red and blue, as if it couldn't decide if it wanted another Champion or not. Dumbledore gazed at it curiously, his brow furrowed in thought. It finally let loose a red jet, a scrap of smoking parchment falling lightly through the air. The headmaster caught it with nimble fingers, staring at the name incredulously.
The tension in the Hall was almost palpable as the student body waited to find out who it was. Just when it seemed like to burst, Dumbledore murmured the name quietly.
"Harry Potter," he said and then seemed to realize that no one could hear him. "Harry Potter!" he almost shouted, turning to find his face.
Harry, who had stood to his feet only to find out what was going on, quickly dropped back down to the bench. His blood had run cold and his heart was racing. It was Hermione who finally urged him back to his feet.
"Go on, Harry. Get up there," she hissed, almost pushing him out of his chair. He stumbled into the aisle, making his way up front on numb feet. He could feel the eyes of every student, teacher and Ministry official alike on him as he walked. Even Dumbledore was looking at him with a critical eye.
"Through the door," the headmaster instructed. Harry swallowed and pushed the door open. He saw the other four Champions waiting within. The men looked up at his entrance but it was Fleur who spoke.
"Do zey want us back in ze hall?" she asked in a heavy French accent.
"Um," Harry said, unsure of what to say when the doors crashed open and saved him.
"This is incredible! Never before have we had four Champions, let alone five!" Ludo Bagman shouted with glee. The initial reactions were varied but all came down to shock.
"Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman," Fleur said, tossing her silver hair back with a smile.
"Joke? Oh no, this is no joke. His name came out of the Goblet," he explained.
"Zair must be a mistake. He is clearly too young," Fleur argued.
"I would hate to remind you, Miss Delacour, but the age restriction was a line. It is possible for younger students to compete if they could get past it in some way," Zachary said, looking at Harry impressed.
"Don't," Harry warned the American. Zack frowned at his comment but they could say no more as a large group of staff walked in, including his godfather and Mad-Eye Moody.
"Madame Maxine!" Fleur cried, walking away from the rest of the group. The rest of her words were cut off by an outraged Sirius.
"You need to get Harry out of this tournament!" Sirius shouted, voice completely over-powering Fleur. "We know how this works; this is another attempt on my godson's life. And I want him taken out, immediately," he demanded.
"I agree, we have enough Champions with the American involved," Karkaroff added. Brom said nothing, simply nodding for Zack to join him. "Hogwarts cannot have two Champions. We were under the impression your Age Line would keep out younger students," he sneered as Dumbledore calmly walked through the door.
"It's no one's fault but Potter's," Snape said, coming to Dumbledore's defense. "If anything, I'd bet Black put Potter's name in the Goblet himself."
"How dare you!" Sirius roared, spinning around to glare at the Potions master. His fist curled up and he looked ready to deck Snape. Moody stepped in before anyone got sent to the hospital wing.
"Now is not the time for this," Moody said, setting the tip of his staff on Sirius's chest and one palm on Snape.
"Harry," Dumbledore said calmly, "did you put your name in the Goblet?" Harry shook his head. "Did you ask anyone of the older students to put your name in?" he asked, looking at Harry with a twinkling eye. Again, he shook his head. Dumbledore nodded.
"I told you!" Sirius shouted defensively.
"'E is clearly lying," cried Madame Maxine. Snape was shaking his head.
"My godson would not lie on such a matter," Sirius growled, turning his attention to the tall woman. She seemed to puff up as if challenging him.
"Sirius," Harry snapped, cutting into the argument. "It's okay," he said, trying to placate him. Sirius released a long sigh but stepped down.
"What do the rules say on the matter?" Brom said, his gentle voice booming over everyone. "Mr. Crouch, you know them better than anyone. Would you be so kind as to put a solid end to this argument?" he asked, staying just as calm as Dumbledore. Harry felt a sense of calmness finally come over the room.
"We must follow the rules. Any name that comes out of the Goblet of Fire is legally bound by a magical contract to participate," Mr. Crouch said.
"So, the matter is closed. The Goblet has gone out for another four years and we all know what happens to those who do not fulfill a magical contract," Brom said with a hard voice, clearly sick of all the arguing. Nobody spoke up while Maxine and Karkaroff were particularly silent. "You should be ashamed, each and every one of you, for acting like children on this matter." His eyes scanned the room, from Karkaroff to Sirius. "Now then, as Sirius said, I do believe that someone put his name into the Goblet with the hopes of his perishing in the Tournament. Harry's history is more than enough evidence, and yet, he is acting more like an adult than the rest of you," Brom chided.
"Now that everything is cleared up, and your opinions on the matter noted, the first task shall take place on November the twenty-fourth," Mr. Crouch said. "The Champions cannot ask for, nor accept, help from any teacher to complete the tasks in the Tournament. They will face the first challenge with only their wand. Information on the second task will be revealed after the first is completed. Other than that, Champions are exempted from end-of-the-year exams."
"Now that we have that out of the way, I feel like clearing out. Come on, Zack, no sense in sticking around," Brom said, making his leave. Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder and pushed him towards the door.
"Harry," Sirius said, his voice cracking a bit as they left the room.
"Sirius, I didn't put my name in that cup," Harry said in a voice that brooked no argument. Sirius only smiled.
"Kind of wish you had, but I believe you. The implications that you didn't are far worse – whoever put your name in that Goblet is no friend of yours. Damn that contract, if it wasn't for the magically binding part, I would drag you out of school tonight," he said. Sirius slammed his fist into the wall, barely wincing from the pain. "I will not watch you die, Harry," he said, looking him in the eye. "Rules or no rules," he said in an even voice. After a moment's pause, he started down the hall again.
"Sirius, what do we do? I am competing against people who are three years my senior. And with tons more magical experience than I have," Harry said, rushing next to Sirius.
"Forget the competition. Harry, your job is to survive. I am going to see if I can dig something up on the first challenge. And if I know my school competition, you're not going to be the only one with 'help'," Sirius said, pausing on the second floor. "Now, head up to your dorm and get some sleep. Things are not going to be easy this year."
"When are they ever?" Harry murmured, heading up to Gryffindor Tower. Absorbed as he was in his thoughts, he gave the password to the Fat Lady without thinking and headed through.
"Congratulations!" the common room shouted. Harry skidded to a halt, a celebration staring him in the face.
"Guessing no one thought this could be another attempt on my life," Harry thought to himself, forcing out a smile as he shook hands. "But it could be worse," he realized, thinking back to his second year.
"Look, everyone," he shouted and the common room quickly calmed down. "This has been eventful, and thanks for the support, but I am tired and going to head to bed," he said, doing his best to look sleepy. "Buy it," he thought to himself as quite a few people looked disappointed.
Thankfully, his dorm mates smiled and gave him a pat on the back as he headed up the stairs. As soon as he was in the clear, the smile fell from his face. "How did Lockhart do it?" he wondered, already feeling drained from his latest brush with fame. Harry frowned; glancing back, he knew this would not be the end of it. But Sirius had shown that having some public back could make things much easier.
"Hey Harry, how did you get your name in the Goblet?" Ron asked later that night.
"I didn't," Harry replied in a dead tone.
"Well, I figured you would at least tell your best friend," he grumbled, shifting in his bed.
"Ron," Harry started. "You know what, never mind," he sighed, shifting away and wondering what in the world he was going to do in order to keep his head on his shoulders.
"I just realized something," he said.
"What?" Ron said in a curt tone.
"Who is going to replace me on the Dueling team?" he asked. Ron shot up from his bed, eyes wide.
"No, no, no, no," Ron repeated two days later, shouting at the top of his lungs. The Phoenixes were gathered in an empty classroom, waiting to practice. They hadn't done much since meeting as Harry and Ron had been at each other's throats. "I am going to ask Fred or George. We have better people we can ask," Ron declared. Neville did his best impersonation of a wallflower.
"Look, he is good. I taught him and he can hold his own," Harry defended, trying to keep his growing frustration out of his voice. Meanwhile, Hermione was reading a book with Luna looking over her shoulder. Leo simply glanced back and forth between the two.
"Do I get a say in the matter?" Leo asked, raising his hand.
"Sure," Harry said.
"No," Ron said at the same time.
"Look, guys it's not that big of a deal," Neville said, trying to cut the argument off.
"Yes, it is. This is the first time I get the chance of winning a trophy. We have a really good shot and I don't want to screw it up," Ron explained, slapping the back of one hand into the palm of the other.
"And I am telling you, he will help," Harry said. "Besides, your brothers both have other plans so outside of Ginny, we don't know anyone who can and is willing to join up," Harry reminded.
"Harry has a point," Leo said. "Besides, my chest can attest to his skill," he said, rubbing his chest. Ron turned red. Harry had a feeling it had less to do with Neville and more to the why his replacement was needed.
"Fine," he said in a low tone. "But if we lose this, it's on your head," he said, pointing at Neville.
"Finally. Now that that's over with, let's get back to practice," Hermione said, shutting her book as she stood up. "Oh, Harry, any ideas on what you are going to do for your first task?" she asked, pulling him off to the side.
"No idea, I guess I'll just do what I do best and wing it," he said with a forced smirk.
"Sirius is rubbing off on you," she said with a sigh. "Look, I made up a small list of spells you should practice," she advised. "I would much rather be helping you, but Ronald would have a fit if I quit on him now." She let out a sigh.
"Well, at least he will talk to you. I have been getting the cold shoulder as of late," Harry said, disappointment coloring his voice. "I don't get why everyone seems to think I am a glory hound. It's really annoying."
"Better a glory hound than an Heir of Slytherin," Hermione said, reminding him of second year.
"I think I should get an agent to help my image or something. But at least then I didn't have issues with my friends as well," Harry said, glancing at Ron. He was doing his best at a pep talk.
"Harry, if you do need some help, Ginny could use a partner as well," Hermione said thoughtfully. Harry glanced back at her for a moment.
"No thanks, I'll just sit back and watch."
"Sorry Harry, I would feel more comfortable if you left. Seeing as you're not part of the team," Ron said curtly. Harry shrugged and got to his feet. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with Ron's petty issues at the moment.
Harry and the team had found a free period. Since Ron didn't want him in the practice room, he found himself wandering the grounds. Before long, he was making his way to Hagrid's cabin.
"Oh, hello, Harry. Congratulations on entering the Tournament and all," he said when he answered the door.
"Hello, Hagrid. Thanks," he said with a dejected sigh while Fang drooled at his feet. Harry dropped himself into a chair, scowling at the wood of the table.
"What's got you so blue? You're the youngest Champion, that should be something to be proud of," Hagrid offered, slapping Harry on the back. His chin nearly hit the table and only through sheer force of will did he manage to stay upright through Hagrid's pat.
"Ron's jealous," he said, getting right down to it. "He's upset that I have to quit our dueling team and that I even got into the Tournament. It's not like I wanted this; if I had, does he honestly think I would have signed up for the dueling club? We weren't allowed to do both." Harry let out an angry sigh as he accepted a mug of tea. After taking a sip, he calmed a bit.
"I hope he's not getting mean on ya," Hagrid said, seating himself at the table.
"Silent treatment. I got kicked out of their practice because I'm no longer on the team," he ground out.
"Sounds like he's goin' about it all the wrong way," he replied. "But I can see why he would be jealous." Harry perked up, looking at Hagrid with curiosity.
"How so? He's my friend. At least, I thought he was," Harry said.
"Harry, you've had so much fame that you're used to it. But Ron ain't got none of that. Especially when he's got that big family of his to contend with. That's probably what he really wants and is just upset that you went out of your way to get more, in his eyes," Hagrid reasoned, scratching Fang behind one ear.
"Yes, but he should be able to just tell me. He didn't even take my word at face value, Hagrid," Harry cried, glad to be able to vent some. Hagrid had no reply right away. They sat there in silence for a few moments. Finally, Hagrid spoke.
"Well, if I know anything you three, he'll get over it eventually. Be patient and give him time, Harry. Ya know, I remember an American saying something once and it's really quite fitting for you right now," Hagrid said, pausing to take a sip of his tea. "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked with a scowl, running a nail over a small crack in the tea mug.
"Harry, you're not listening and you're not getting it," he replied bluntly. "Try and see things from his point of view. Maybe if you're the bigger man in this situation and don't rise to his bait, he might just come back to his sense quicker. Heavens know that we don't need you two quarreling during your Creatures class." Hagrid smiled, causing his eyes to crinkle above his beard.
With a tired smile, Harry nodded his thanks to Hagrid. He knew he was right, but he was just so tired of Ron's petty arguments. If he kept up with the cold shoulder, this year was going to be rough.
In the company of Hagrid, the afternoon passed quickly. He helped take of the Beauxbatons' horses. He was even given a peak at their upcoming class project. Harry was confused when Hagrid took the lid off the box and saw a lobster looking creature.
"Blast-Ended Skrewts, and I've a fair few over here that we're going to raise. Should be fun," Hagrid said, grinning proudly. Harry tried to hide his grimace. Hagrid had a very different idea of fun that most people. But he tried to feign excitement for his friend. If anything, taking care of the Blast-Ended Skrewts would help take his mind off of the Tournament.
Much as he would have liked to stay, Harry was forced to leave a few hours before dinner. He still had one more class of the day. He really didn't want to be late for Sirius' class. Besides, he wanted to see if his godfather had dug up anything of use.
So, yes, things are going ahead as canon so far. But Harry got smart and vented. I have a feeling that we won't be going over the classes too much, so I figured I'd sprinkle in some future Creatures classes so you didn't think we forgot about them. :) We're going to get started on the next chapter soon, so stay tuned.
~LE