Author's note: This series follows the books but will include details from the movie series for drama. Please note that the major events of the story remain true to the series and will be summarized into small sections to help progress to the story's love interest. I do not want to be claimed for plagiarizing but the original story line is needed to explain the changes in character development.
M rating for sexual content anticipated to start in year 4.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Harry Potter series. Thank you to J.K. Rowling for bringing us the wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
**I am very excited to get to this next portion of the story line. Thank you for those who have made it through the buildup. I hope you have enjoyed it so far. Please, let me know your thoughts. I love getting your reviews. **
The Doting Rival
Chapter 24
Adelyn sat silently stunned. The entire hall was quiet, staring. No applause followed the calling of her name like the three before her. She saw Professor McGonagall approach Dumbledore to whisper in his ear.
Adelyn quickly turned to Ron and Hermione. "I didn't put my name in. This is a mistake."
They stared blankly at her in reply.
"Adelyn Potter!" Dumbledore called again. "Adelyn, up here, please."
Hermione nudged Adelyn. "Go on," she whispered.
Reluctantly, Adelyn got to her feet and slowly made her way to the front of the Hall. She looked ahead, refusing to acknowledge the hundreds of eyes at her back. Dumbledore motioned for her to continue through into the next chamber.
The door led to a small chamber lined with photos of witches and wizards. A modest fireplace was ablaze in the center of the room, surrounded by the three other champions. They looked up as Adelyn entered.
"What is it?" Fleur asked. "Do zey want us back in ze hall?"
Adelyn stood there in shock. She suddenly realized how much younger she was than the three students before her. This can't be happening. Before she could even think of a response, a shuffling of feet enter from behind. The five judges approached, bickering amongst themselves about the dilemma at hand.
"Zair must be a mistake," Madame Maxime said disdainfully. "She is too young to compete."
Bagman rubbed his chin. "Is it extraordinary. As her name's come out of the goblet. . . she is obliged to compete."
Adelyn looked between the various people in front of her, trying to follow the conversation.
"Adelyn." Dumbledore stepped forward, gently squeezing her upper arm. "Did you put your name in the goblet?"
Adelyn's heart began to race and tears started to pull in her eyes. "No." Surely, he would believe her.
"Ah, of course, she is lying!" Karkaroff chimed in, waving his hand as if to shoo offer her answer.
Dumbledore continued. "Did you have an older student put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?"
"No, sir. Honest." Adelyn was pleading.
"Well, zis is unjust! 'Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions!" Madame Maxime was now soothing her student by the fire.
Dumbledore addressed the group. "Mr. Crouch. . . Mr. Bagman. You are our objective judges." He waited for a response.
Bagman looked at Crouch, who answered, "The rules clearly state that those whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."
"There you have it!" Bagman exclaimed. He was the only excited one in the chamber.
"All our meetings and negotiations. . . I did not expect something such as this! I have mind to leave now!" Karkaroff was fuming.
"Empty threat, Karkaroff." Mad-Eye Moody had been standing in the door. "It's a binding magical contract. Convenient, eh?"
"What are you meaning?" He took a step back as Moody limped into the room.
"It's simple. Someone put Potter's name in the goblet knowing she'd have to compete."
"So?" Fleur Delacour pipped up. "Zat is what we all 'ave been 'oping for. Zis is a chance many would die for!"
"Maybe someone's hoping Potter IS going to die for it," Moody pointed out. "Think on it. Someone hoodwinked a very powerful magical object to trick it into forgetting it was only supposed to choose three champions. A fourth year could never do that. . ."
"Alastor," Dumbledore warned. He sighed. "It seems to me we have no choice. Adelyn must also compete. If anyone has an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it." He paused, waiting for someone else to speak up. No one answered. "Very well. Barty, please give our champions their instructions."
"Ah, yes. . .yes." Crouch stepped forward into the firelight. He had dark shadows beneath his eyes and was much thinner than the last time Adelyn had seen him.
"The first task tests your daring. So, we will not be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is very important. It will take place on November twenty-fourth in front of the other students and judges. You are only allowed a wand. Upon completion, you will receive the information about the second task. Additionally, due to the time-consuming nature of the tournament, you are all exempt from end-of-year terms."
"There you have it. I suggest everyone turn in for the evening, as I am sure your friends will want to celebrate." Dumbledore stepped to the side prompting everyone to depart. Madame Maxime and Karkaroff barely waited for him to finish speaking before leaving with their students.
Adelyn glanced and Cedric and they left together. As they reached the entrance hall, Cedric turned toward her. "So. . . tell me," he asked gingerly. "How'd you get your name in?"
Adelyn sighed heavily. "I didn't. I was telling the truth."
"Ah. Okay. . ." He obviously didn't believe her, but he was too kind to say it out loud. "Well, see you."
Adelyn was so lost in thought over the whole ordeal, she didn't recall ascending the staircase and suddenly found herself entering the Gryffindor Common Room. The roaring applause and cheers brought her back to reality.
Fred startled her with an embrace, lifting her off her feet. "You should've told us you entered!" He was beaming at her when he set her down.
"I didn't," she replied. "I don't -"
"I'm so happy it's a Gryffindor competing -'
"We've got food -"
Adelyn was bombarded by hands, being pulled around the room. Someone had draped her in a Gryffindor banner. Another had filled her hands with crisps and pumpkin juice. Everyone wanted to know how she had done it but wouldn't listen to her try to explain that she hadn't. She made the excuse to find Ron and managed to wiggle away up the staircase to the boys' dormitory. She knocked on the door.
Ron answered. "Oh, hello." He had a smile on his face, but it looked as though he were in pain. "I guess congratulations are in order."
"What?" Why would he say that to her?
"Well, no one else got across the Age Line. What'd you use? The Invisibility Cloak?"
Adelyn was flustered by the conversation and blurted, "the cloak wouldn't get me over that line. . ."
"Oh, right. Thought you might have at least told your best friend."
"Ron, I didn't put my name in the goblet! Someone else must have."
"It's okay. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else, if you want to keep it a secret."
"I didn't put my name in!" Adelyn raised her voice.
"I'm not stupid, you know."
"Well, you're sure acting it, then," Adelyn said in pain.
"Yeah?" Ron dropped his grimace. "You'll want to get some sleep. Probably got a big photo-op to worry about tomorrow." He closed the door in her face.
"Ugh!" Adelyn groaned in frustration and whipped around to descend the staircase. She stepped on the banner hung around her as a cloak and suddenly released her pent-up anger. She tore at the knot around her neck until, at last, it gave in. She wrenched it from her back and tossed it away from her, where it landed on Fred.
"Adelyn?" He removed the banner from his head. "You alright?"
"Just leave me be, already!" She bolted around him and rushed to the girls' dormitory before anyone could stop her again.
The next morning, Adelyn woke to an empty dormitory. She lay in bed an extra moment recollecting what had occurred the night before. She was dreading the day ahead. She resolved herself to give Ron a piece of her mind. She decisively dressed and marched passed through the Common Room filled with applause, refusing to be deterred like last night.
But, as she reached the Entrance Hall, she couldn't bring herself to enter the Great Hall. The few people walking past her sneered in disgust. The only people happy about her situation were the other Gryffindors. Minus Ron, that is. She was peaking around the doors when she heard her name called.
"Adelyn."
She turned behind her to see Draco sitting at the stone bench below the Grand Staircase. He stood to greet her as she approached, holding out a few slices of toast. "I saved this for you. . . Want to go for a walk?"
She gave a sigh of relief. "Yes, thank you." She graciously accepted the food offered and they were soon crossing the lawn toward the lake. It was a brisk morning, and they continued at a steady pace around the lake.
Draco spoke first. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Adelyn came to an immediate halt and turned to address him directly. "I did NOT put my name in the Goblet!" she blurted.
"Of course, you didn't."
Adelyn was taken aback. She blinked a few times, taking in what Draco had just said. "You believe me?" She stood perfectly still, staring straight into his face. She watched his face soften.
"Absolutely! The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name. Anyone could see you didn't do it. . . Hey -"
Draco placed his hand against her cheek and wiped away a single tear that had escaped. She sighed into his hand. For a moment, he considered pulling her into an embrace. But she cleared her throat and straightened herself up.
"Ron doesn't think so. . ." She started walking again.
Draco followed readily beside her. "Surely, he will. With time."
"That's kind of you to say. But, I'm not sure that he will. . . And time isn't on my side here. I can't wait around for his support."
"Well, you can have mine, then."
"What?" She looked at him again, his grey eyes locking onto hers.
"You're not alone. Let me help."
And help her, he did. Adelyn couldn't avoid the rest of the school starting the following day. And it was evident everyone thought she had entered herself for the tournament, like the rest of the Gryffindors. Lessons become very tense. The usual people she would converse with now remained silent, snickering when they noticed she did something incorrectly. The Hufflepuffs had turned cold toward any Gryffindors, claiming Adelyn was trying to steal the glory from Cedric and their house. Only fellow Gryffindors supported her. And Draco.
Lucky for her, Draco was in many of her classes. Whenever someone made a remark at her, Draco stepped in, cursing them or threatening them with his wand. If Hermione wasn't nearby, he ensured he was. He even ripped badges off fellow Slytherins if they tried teasing her with them by pressing them until they read Potter Stinks. The first week was some of the worst of Adelyn's days at Hogwarts, but Draco made it bearable. She found herself relieved whenever she saw him.
"Yes, well he likes YOU, doesn't he?" Adelyn mumbled to Draco. He had sat with her during Friday's double session of Potions class, allowing Hermione to sit with Ron. They were preparing antidotes for the day and Snape was threatening to select one student to test them on. She was certain it would be her.
"You just have to butter him up, is all," Draco replied with a nudge.
"There are some things that are too much, Draco. And THAT is one of them." She sighed, continuing to mix the ingredients in her cauldron.
There was a knock at the dungeon door and Colin Creevy, a younger Gryffindor, slid cautiously into the room.
"Yes?" Snape said irritated.
"Please sir. I'm supposed to take Adelyn Potter upstairs."
"Potter has another hour of Potions to complete. She can come upstairs when she's finished."
"Sir. Mr. Bagman needs all the champions -"
"Very WELL," snapped Snape. "Potter - take your bags and leave my sight."
Draco gave her a reassuring smile as she gathered her belongings and left. Colin Creevy instantly burst with comments and questions as soon as the dungeon door closed. He explained she was heading to a photo shoot with the Daily Prophet. "Good luck!" he said as they reached the right room.
Adelyn entered a small classroom covered in velvet. The other champions were already there. Bagman was talking to a witch in magenta and a wizard in the corner was situating a camera. "Ah! Here she is." Bagman beamed when he noticed Adelyn. "Come on in. We are about ready for the wand weighing ceremony."
"Wand weighing?" Adelyn asked quietly.
"Yes. To check your wands are fully functional. The expert is upstairs now with Dumbledore. We will then have a small photo shoot. Rita Skeeta here -" Bagman motioned to the witch in magenta "-is doing a small piece on the tournament."
"Not THAT small, Ludo," she said. "I wonder. Could I have a little word with Adelyn before we start? The youngest champion – add a bit of color to the piece."
"Certainly!" Bagman answered. "As long as Adelyn has not objection."
They looked at her for a reply. "Uh -"
"Great! Right this way." She dragged Adelyn to a small broom cupboard.
Luckily, just as Adelyn's anger was building – What is wrong with this woman? - Dumbledore interrupted the interview. "The weighing of the wand ceremony is about to start and cannot do so without the fourth champion. Adelyn?" he motioned for her to exit with him.
Rita was trying to justify herself. "I was just trying to -"
"I would be delighted to hear the reasoning behind your rudeness, Rita, but we will have to discuss it later." Dumbledore proceeded to ignore her for the rest of the ceremony. Adelyn made note to do the same.
The Wand Weighing Ceremony was rather nice. Mr. Ollivander was the expert that checked each wand. He obviously loved his work. He was gentle and awestruck examining each one. Fleur confirmed she had Veela in her bloodline; a strand of her grandmother's hair was the center of her wand. Adelyn immediately thought of telling Ron, but recalled the current status of their relationship and grew sad once more.
Mr. Ollivander noted how meticulously cared for Cedric's wand was. Another self-note for Adelyn to remember. She couldn't recall the last time she polished hers and was embarrassed he was to handle hers today. Krum's wand was sturdy, much like himself. Mr. Ollivander recalled Adelyn's wand very clearly. She was thankful he did not mention it's relations to Voldemort's wand.
Once all wands were cleared as functional and acceptable for use, they moved on to photographs. The photographer struggled with Madame Maxime's size casting a shadow wherever she stood. Ultimately, she had to sit with everyone standing around her. They then moved on to photos of just the champions, including individual shots.
Adelyn was relieved when they were finished. It had indeed taken the full hour, so Dumbledore dismissed them to dinner. Hermione was nowhere to be found in the Great Hall, but Draco had readily saved Adelyn a seat. He didn't have to coax Adelyn to confide in him anymore. She just started blurting out the events of the past hour.
"It was horrid! She then asked if I had given much thought to the upcoming task." Adelyn turned to face Draco. Panic was starting to set in. "Draco. I haven't. I haven't once thought about the task. And it's in less than three weeks! I have no idea where to start."
"Relax. We have time." He rubbed her arm soothingly.
Just then some Hufflepuffs walked by teasingly. "How long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? My bet is only ten minutes into the first task. . ." They laughed together.
Draco swiftly stood, putting himself in the fifth year's face. "Shall I give you something else to bet on? Like how many boils I can fit on your face? -" the Hufflepuffs stepped back "- that's what I thought. Bugger off!" Once they walked off, he settled back onto the bench.
"Thanks," Adelyn said, head down.
"Alright. We got some work to do. But first, you need to relax."
"Sure. No problem," Adelyn replied sarcastically.
He leaned in to whisper. "Meet me in the astronomy tower tonight. Eleven o'clock."
"What?"
Don't tell me you're afraid to be out past curfew. . ." he teased.
Adelyn smirked. "Alright. Eleven o'clock."