Trigger warnings:
• Schizophrenia-like symptoms
...
As the weather got colder and the leaves continued to fall, the excitement in the castle became almost palpable. The castle was cleaner than Ginny had ever seen it. Even the roughhewn stone seemed to sparkle down in the dungeons.
As the weather made the lake less and less enticing, the trio retreated to their makeshift training room to meet instead. With outsiders unwelcome in the common room, Ginny and Colin rarely found themselves in the company of other Gryffindors outside classes and meals. Ginny was never more excited by their routine then when she heard that Hermione had been cornering people to demand their involvement in some kind of house elf rights movement.
Unfortunately, Hermione seemed to notice their lack of presence in the common room and cornered them on the way back from the library. She was annoyed when they refused to join and was actually quite spiteful to Luna who had been the only one brave enough to tell her it was a bad idea.
"You'll only hurt them in you carry on with this Hermione Granger. Have you ever spoken to them to see what it is that they want?".
"They are brainwashed, Luna! They think slavery and abuse is good and I will not stand for it!" Hermione's voice was pitched, her frustration barely contained.
"But all you're doing is hurting them in a different way. It is not your decision to make alone".
"It is if they are making the wrong one! I can't believe you of all people are so callous about creature rights, Luna. Maybe you only care about your stupid made-up creatures and not the ones that actually matter!" Hermione yelled.
"I fear you have too many wackspurts to handle a sensible discussion" Luna responded coldly and turned on her heel.
Colin was at her side in an instant while Ginny confronted the bushy-haired witch.
"You have some real fucking nerve speaking to my friend like that"" she snarled.
Harry gasped and Ron shouted "Hey!".
All this did was bring them to Ginny's attention.
"And you both should be ashamed of yourselves. I can tell you don't believe any of the rubbish she's spouting and playing along to keep her quiet will do more harm than good".
Hermione turned on the two boys looking indignant.
"Oh, so all of you think this is some kind of big joke?!" Her fists clenched by her sides. "Well I'm sooooorry that I'm the only one who seemed to give a damn about house elves!"
Ginny rolled her eyes at the tears spilling down Hermione's cheeks and stomped out of the room.
She found Colin and Luna by their spot at their usual room. She was disheartened to see Luna sobbing quietly in Colin's arms.
"You don't think they are made up, do you?" She whispered quietly as Ginny sat down.
Ginny winced internally.
Of course they're made up. Tom scoffed.
"I don't know, Lu. I'm not sure if they are real or not but all great discoveries start that way". She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"And you know me and Col will always be there to help you find out".
"Th...thank you. I don't need people to believe without proof, that's silly, but to refuse to even consider it, to refuse to entertain the idea when there's so much we simply don't know is ridiculous. She didn't even believe in magic until a few years ago!". She took a calming breath.
"Everyone thinks I'm crazy except you both and Daddy".
"Hey there's worse things you could be" Colin chimed in "like a bossy egotistical bitch".
Luna let out a wet chuckle at that and emerged from Colin's chest.
Together they laid down on the ground and looked up at the stonework ceiling, crossed with abandoned webs.
...
The next day they headed out to the grounds to welcome the visitors together. McGonagall was patrolling and snapping at various students to tidy up their appearance. They were technically meant to be standing with their houses but Luna's presence with the Gryffindors was missed. Hermione sniffed at the blatant disregard for the rules but turned away at Ginny's hard glare.
Soon enough the first visitors appeared. Luna was thrilled to see the abraxans, eyes opened wide in awe at the magnificent winged horses.
Ginny however, was wide-eyed for a completely different reason. Possibly the most beautiful person to ever exist stepped out of the carriage. She had long silvery blonde hair which seemed to dance behind her in the Autumn sun, and floaty blue robes which hugged her in all the right places. Ginny instinctively took a step forward but Luna's hand found hers and held her back.
Beauxbaton's giant headmistress was completely forgotten in the wake of the ethereal woman and Ginny longed to follow her up to the castle instead of waiting for Dumstrang.
She regained enough clarity when the girl was out of sight for the heat to rise to her cheeks. Luna gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze and Colin seemed to be shaking his head slightly as if to rid his ears of water, his eyes slightly glazed. He met her eyes and gave her a crooked smile and a tilt of the head as if to say some woman, right?
Around them the majority of the boys were blinking stupidly. More than one female companion shoved them in annoyance. Hermione seemed particularly irritated in Ron's reaction which seemed rather similar to her own. Though, he was rather unable to shut up about it, expressing loudly how they just didn't make girls like that at Hogwarts. A few of the girls also looked rather dazed, and when they met one another's gaze, looked at each other almost appraisingly.
Ginny was lost in thought for a moment, thinking about her reaction and Charlies teasing suddenly made sense. She liked girls. First Akila and now the French Goddess - which she was somehow going to have to share a castle with, without making a fool of herself.
She ignored Toms less than savoury comments about her sexuality and turned to look at Luna. Why didn't she like girls her own age? Luna was pretty. She had wide silvery eyes, a kind smile and long flowing hair but Ginny felt... nothing?
Luna met her gaze and laughed gently. She leant over to whisper in her ear.
"You're not going to like everyone, silly".
Ginny felt her cheeks flush again and cleared her throat. Luckily her attention was distracted by Colin pulling her arm.
"Look! In the lake!".
She turned to see some kind of whirlpool forming in the middle Slowly, from its centre emerged an impressive ship. The redhead couldn't help but wonder what kind of protections they would have to have to allow it to travel underwater.
"Wicked. It's like a submarine!".
Ginny, having no idea what a submarine was, had no response to Colin's enthusiastic comment but filed it away as something to ask about later.
It seemed to be the girls' turn to go wild as the Durmstrang procession approached. As soon as Ginny saw the Durmstrang's leading student her heart stopped in her chest but for a completely different reason than the French girl. Victor Kum, seeker extraordinaire, was actually at Hogwarts. If only she could get him alone for a few minutes to talk quidditch...
...
Eventually, they followed their guests back into the castle. Ginny was equal parts relieved and disappointed when Beauxbatons sat with the Ravenclaws. Luna was shunted towards the end of the bench with everyone trying to get close to the foreign students. She didn't seemed to mind though, and hummed happily to herself.
Slytherin were full of smug grins when Durmstrang joined them at their table. Krum was sat right at the top near the head table and looked rather awkward at the older Slytherins clamoring for his attention.
The feast was a much more impressive affair than usual. There were plenty of dishes she didn't recognise. She froze momentarily when the French girl came over and asked Ron if he was finished with some kind of French dish. He seemed just as stunned as she felt while Harry at least had the sense to pass her the food.
Hermione huffed and muttered "honestly, Ronald" under her breath. He didn't seem to hear.
Colin nudged her gently.
"So... into tall blondes are we?" He whispered, amusement playing in his voice.
Ginny felt her cheeks flush again.
"Not always! Shut up!" She hit him gently "You were oggling her too!".
Colin shrugged. "Can't help that she's gorgeous. Though, she's not quite my type..." He trailed off awkwardly.
"No? And who is?" She asked, more than happy to pursue this new line of questioning which was more embarrassing for him than her.
"No idea!" He laughed, dodging a friendly swat.
Ginny was glad that was the end of their discussion about girls. Her head felt like it was going to burst. She felt more aware of all the girls around her than she ever had been and blocked them out choosing to focus on her potatoes instead.
Dumbledore, with ever the flair for the dramatic, unveiled an intricately charmed wooden goblet as the Goblet of Fire. Apparently, it would be the sole judge of who would participate in the tournament. It would be placed in the entrance hall until dinner the following day – Halloween.
Fred and George were already heads down making plans with Lee. Thankfully, Harry seemed completely disinterested in trying to sneak his way into the tournament.
Most hung back after dinner to watch the first few enter their names but Ginny felt exhausted and was ready for bed. After bidding goodnight to Luna and Colin she left them together and headed up to the dorms.
Under her canopy her mind wouldn't stop spinning. She had put off writing to Bill and Charlie after the Mad-Eye incident – after all what would she say? Seeing someone's belly button was hardly a crime. What if she said something and they didn't believe her? Well, she knew they would but what could they actually do about it? What if Moody somehow found out she had told someone? She shuddered at the thought. An Auror was probably quite proficient at memory charms after all. If he did have malicious intentions and it wasn't some sick twisted way to check whether she was able to resist the curse then she was sure that his retaliation would be unpleasant to say the least. Her gut twisted in fear at the thought. No, it was best not to say anything for now. Maybe she could speak to Bill in the summer.
Moody aside, she felt like she needed her eldest brother's guidance more than ever but how could she put what she wanted to say into words? At least Luna and Colin didn't seem fased... Even if Tom had some very, very unpleasant things to say about her.
...
The next day was Monday so they had classes but everyone seemed too distracted to really focus. However, McGonagall kept them in line during morning transfiguration. The rest of the classes, except defence, were more relaxed. Moody was as crazy as ever. Ginny was glad to avoid his imperious though she spotted Colin acting off and called Moody out on it, earning her a point. Colin shot her a look of relief she he was released which made drawing his attention worth it.
They laughed together when Lisa was caught under the curse and made to spin around robes flowing out around her. Ginny's laughter died when Lisa lost her balance falling abruptly onto the defence Professor causing them both to topple over in an awkward position.
Rachel and a couple of others rushed over to help her up but Ginny stood rooting to the spot feeling rather weird about it.
At the close of class Lisa, still rather red, tried to run out of the class looking rather mortified but Moody asked her to stay behind to make sure there were no lingering effects of the curse. Rachel had already been shood out of the class. Alarm bells rang in Ginny's head and without giving it much thought she stepped over to Lisa and took her hand.
"I'm sorry, Professor. Lisa and I have to see Professor McGonagall straight after class for some problems we're having in Transfiguration. I'll keep an eye on her and make sure she sees you or Madam Pomfrey if there's any strange effects this evening".
Moody scrutinised her for a moment before nodding "See that you do, Lassie".
Ginny all but dragged Lisa out the door with Colin following behind. The rest of the class had left during the conversation. Rachel was lingering outside the door looking rather perplexed to see Lisa being dragged away by Ginny. Ginny shook her head as they walked briskly, in silence down the corridor. When Rachel opened her mouth Ginny shook her head.
They finally found a private alcove and Ginny released a rather confused Lisa.
"What the hell, Ginny?" She asked turning to stand next to Rachel.
"Look, there's something off about Moody. He's quite... insane" Ginny started, how in Merlin's saggy ballsack was she meant to explain this without the rumour mill coming back to her.
Rachel was still looking at her like she'd grown an extra head. Thankfully Colin stepped in.
"I heard from one of the older Hufflepuffs, who had spoken to a Ravenclaw who said that Moody once cursed someone for sneezing because they made him jump. Luckily it wasn't anything serious and their friend was able to reverse it but I don't know I think he's still a little bit messed up from the war".
Ginny nodded in agreement as if she knew this all along.
"It's best not to be alone with him, just in case".
Lisa still looked rather confused but nodded.
"I don't see why you'd care" Rachel added.
"I don't" Ginny said through gritted teeth "If you want to get cursed it's your call. I just thought that Lisa would appreciate the excuse and warning".
Nobody said anything and Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Look, perhaps if we were all in seventh or something then fine. But we are third years for fucks sake. I don't know if the rumour is true but better safe than having tentacles for hair or something, yeah?".
"Uhhh, sure. Thank you?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and dragged Colin off. He squeezed her shoulder.
"You did good, Gin".
After dropping off their stuff in the dorms they met up with Luna in the entrance hall to watch the last few entries before dinner. Word had it that the other schools had added their names the previous evening along with Angelina the eldest of the three Gryffindor chasers.
Fred and George skipped down the steps to cheers and applause. They linked armed and down the contents of two mystery vials. They paused for dramatic effect before taking identical comically small steps across the age line to tumultuous applause.
With wide grins they took a step closer to the Goblet and drew out slips of parchment from their robes. It looked as though they were going to make it until...
A loud crack and bright blue explosion had Ginny shielding her eyes. When she opened them they laid on the ground sporting bushy white beards and grey wispy hair.
Luna burst out into laughter so hard that tears start falling down her cheeks. Colin chuckles along next to her and Ginny couldn't help but join in.
After a moment Dumbledore swanned into the room with a twinkle. Commanding silence with a deep ringing sound from his wand.
"Unlucky Missers Weasley. It looks as though you will need to attend the feast with your marvelous beards. Though may I say that they are not quite as refined as mine" he added running his hand through his own.
...
The atmosphere throughout the meal was electric. The excitement over the champions was palpable. Even Harry, who she expected to be rather morose given that it was the anniversary of his parents' death, seemed in good spirits as he traded excitable whispers with Hermione and Ron. Ginny hoped that Angelina was chosen for Hogwarts. She wasn't against Slytherins as a rule but Marcus Flint was a dim-witted brute and Cedric was rather boring. She didn't know any of the Ravenclaw seventh years.
After a meal that seemed to stretch forever. The lights dimmed and the Goblet was brought to the centre of the hall in front of the head table. Following his usual dramatics, Dumbledore whispered that the Goblet was ready to make its decision. The whisper echoed in their ears and the air tensed in anticipation.
The first name out of the Goblet was Fleur Delacour and Ginny finally had the name of the beautiful French woman. Her eyes followed her feminine form as she sauntered to the top of the hall and into the side room. It was quite a long walk given that she had sat on one of the last seats at the end of the table. Ginny vaguely wondered whether she had done that on purpose.
She blinked slightly when Fleur was out of sight, followed by the Headmistress into the side room.
The next name was Victor Krum and Ginny was surprised that he was chosen as the Durmstrang champion. She couldn't help but be impressed that the duck-footed man was more than just a renowned quidditch star. How did he even have time to practice?
The Hogwarts champion, sadly, was the Hufflepuff poster-boy Cedric Diggory. His stereotypical good looks had some girls giggling throughout the applause as he flashed a smile and wave to his follow badgers. Perhaps he wasn't as boring as she thought if the Goblet considered him worthy.
Ginny sent a commiserating look to Angelina who returned a slightly watery smile. Fred quickly whispered something in her ear which set the woman off in a fit of giggles. The twin looked rather pleased with himself and Ginny made a note of the potential blackmail material.
As the final applause died out Dumbledore started to give his closing speech when the Goblet roared to life once again. A frown marred his ancient face as he caught the slip out of the air.
"Harry Potter".
All heads turned to the boy in question who looked like he had been petrified. The Hall was so quiet you could hear a house elf.
"Harry Potter, please come to the front of the hall".
Hermione, looking rather wide-eyed, pushed her friend to his feet and hissed at him to go. An ugly frown formed on Ron's face.
Harry stumbled forwards, jaw set. He was half-way across the hall before anyone makes a sound.
Colin claps and breaks the spell. Ginny and Luna joined in followed by the rest of the Gryffindors, sans Ron, and about half of the Ravenclaws. The Hufflepuffs and Slytherins remained in stony silence with the teaching staff.
Dumbledore followed Harry into the side room and McGonagall dismissed everyone. Luna grabbed Colin and Ginny on their way to the tower.
"He will need some friends in the coming months".
Ginny nods "He'll have them".
By the time they reach the tower the majority of Gryffindors have decided that Harry is some kind of mad genius for getting past Dumbledore's age line. The twins are in particular awe and Hermione was getting more and more frustrated that nobody was listening to her insist that Harry did not do it. She even snapped at a sulking Ron for disagreeing with her.
Fred and George managed to disappear and reappear with butterbeer and other assorted snacks.
The party is in full swing before Harry emerges an hour later looking deflated. The twins are on him instantly wrapping a Gryffindor flag around his shoulders. He tried to brush them off and is rescued by Hermione who pulled him into a hug while Ron looked on darkly.
Harry and Ron appeared to have some kind of confrontation that Ginny is unable to hear from across the room. She pushed past a couple of older students in an attempt to reach the other side and sees Harry shoving past Ron to the dorms. Hermione blocked Ron from following and glares at the red head.
"You're being a complete arse, Ronald!".
Ron scoffs "Should have known you'd take his side. Can't you see that he put his name in?".
"Of course he didn't! Why on Earth would he do that? You saw how shocked he was!".
"Yeah, shocked he was actually picked!"
"Because he didn't put his name in!" Hermione almost screamed.
Ginny finally reached the two.
"You're being a dick, Ron. He's your best mate he would have told you if he was planning to put his name in".
Ron rolled his eyes.
"Just because you have a stupid crush on his doesn't mean you always have to jump to his defense" he snarled, voice full of scorn.
Ginny stepped closer to her brother prodding him in the chest with her wand.
"One, I do not have a crush on Harry and two you are being a shit friend so I suggest you shut the fuck up before I make you" she growled temper flaring.
Tom was egging her on and she had to fight to keep some level of calm.
Ron wisely kept his mouth shut while Colin addressed Hermione.
"Tell Harry we believe him, yeah?".
Ron threw his hands up in the air and returned to the party.
"Sorry he's such an arse" Ginny said to Hermione. "Make sure he writes to Sirius. Him and Lupin may think of something to get him out of it".
Hermione agreed and headed off to bed, Ginny wasn't far behind herself.
The next day Harry was absent from breakfast and Ginny struggled to pin him down. Hermione confided that he hadn't written to his Godfather. Ginny rolled his eyes, of course he hadn't, he didn't seem capable of accepting help from anyone over the age of seventeen who wasn't Hagrid. And Hagrid wasn't exactly the most reliable adult role model. She would just have to write a letter herself.
Dear Sirius,
I hope your treatment oversees is going well.
You should already be aware – unless Dumbledore has neglected to inform you – but Harry has been entered into the Triwizard tournament against his will.
He doesn't want to compete. Apparently it's a binding magical contract but I don't see how he could be entered without his permission. Dumbledore is being useless and the new defense professor thinks it might be a murder attempt.
You're basically his guardian, right? Surely you can break the contract? Barty Crouch Sr, the ministry official in charge says there's no way around it but I don't believe him. You should write to Bill he's my older brother who works as a curse breaker he might have some ideas. I'll write him to and tell him to expect a letter from you.
Hope we hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Ginny Weasley.
Bill,
Sorry it's been so long since I've written. I just haven't been sure of what to write.
Things are strange in Hogwarts again. Harry has been entered into the tournament against his will. I recommend that Sirius speak to you, if anyone knows how to break the contract it would be you.
Professor Moody thinks it's a murder attempt. I'm scared that something bad is going to happen again this year. Luna thinks so too.
As always, I won't put many details here. You can never be too careful.
On happier (?) news, the thing Chalie teased me about happened and there is no way I could have been prepared. You knew this whole time, didn't you?!
Love Ginny
She addressed both envelopes and sent them off, along with some money with one of the school owls to the Hogsmead postal office. They would organise the appropriate owl for the international travel and the school owl would take Bill's letter to Gringotts.
She would have waited until the first hogsmead weekend the end of the week but this needed to be sent as soon as possible.
...
She didn't receive a response before the weekend and Harry was nearly outright refusing to go outside except for classes and meals. Quidditch had been cancelled to the outrage of some of the more avid players.
The Slytherins had been unbearable and were all wearing badges that flicked between support 'Cedric Diggory: the real Hogwarts champion' and 'Potter Stinks'.
Ron was also determined to be a complete arse. She had no idea why Hermione kept insisting they talk to one another. Ginny caught her trying to get Harry to apologise to Ron for an argument they had the other night and she couldn't hold her tongue.
"Hermione, Ron is being a dick. Harry has nothing to apologise for so stop trying to force him for fucks sake".
Hermione huffed and tried to drag Harry out to the village but he wasn't cooperating.
In frustration, she threw her hands up in the air and stormed out the room.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Come on, you can come with us if you like. A fresh supply of chocolate and some itching powder for Ron's pyjamas will do you some good".
Harry shrugged but Ginny persisted.
"Come on, Luna even said you can bring you cloak. Which I fully expected you to, it's bloody freezing out".
Harrys eyebrows had nearly disappeared into his hairline.
"Will you all keep a secret?".
Ginny raised a single eyebrow "What kind of question is that you idiot. Go on, go get your cloak. I need to meet Colin and Luna in the entrance hall in a few minutes".
Ginny tapped her foot impatiently while she waited for Harry to emerge. Without warning a gentle Riktumsempra rushed towards her from behind. She felt the tingle of approaching magic on her skin and dropped to the floor, rolling and sending a stupefy back.
Harry lost the element of surprise as he was forced to jump onto the sofa out the way. Ginny could see the indent of his body on the cushions.
"Nice cloak".
"Nice return".
Ginny shrugged.
"I mean it, how did you know the spell was coming?" Harry enquired.
"One, it's really fucking weird talking to someone I can't see. And two, I'm just good" she added with a wink before heading out the common room.
"Hi Harry, Hi Ginny" Luna greeted when they arrived.
Colin looked around comically.
"Where's he hiding?"
"He's under his special cloak silly. But we can't tell anyone about it".
Colin shrugged.
"Cool. Glad you can join us. Even if you are invisible".
Ginny bumped into him gently.
"Come on" she said leading them out.
Hogsmead was very pretty but the streets were little reprieve from the howling winds. Colin steered them into the Three Broomsticks and found room for four. They squeezed into a booth with Harry in the middle of Ginny and Colin. Their knees pressed closely together but it wasn't unpleasant.
Harry for the most part had been quiet, seemingly unsure of what to say to the group.
Luna twirled off into the crowd and returned with seven bottles of butterbeer.
Ginny grabbed one and passed it under the cloak.
"Erm, thank you. But why so many bottles?" Harry asked.
"Well four would be a strange number to get if you weren't here. Seven is much better. It just looks like we really like butterbeer".
"Good idea, Lu" Colin praised pulling her into a one armed embrace laughing.
They chatted for a while about classes until they were disturbed by A blonde-haired Hufflepuff boy sporting one of the vile badges.
"Hey Weasley, Ernie Macmillan" he introduced himself holding his hand out.
Ginny instead cocked her head and raised her eyebrow.
"What the fuck do you want?".
The boy seemed taken aback by her reaction.
"Well, me and some of the others have room at our table if you wanted to join us. We have some spare badges if you're interested?" He said almost hopefully.
"Oh, um. Can I have that one?" She asked in her best shy voice pointing the the badge on her chest.
Ernie beamed "Yes, of course!" And with slightly fumbling fingers unpinned it from his robes.
"Thank you" Ginny smiled sweetly taking it in her hand.
She placed it on the table and drew her wand. Without warning the badge erupted into unnatural red flames.
Colin was fighting the urge to laugh as Ernie jumped back alarmed.
"Ooops. I'm still not very good at spells. Silly me. Do you have any others?"
"Um... Out of curiosity, what exactly were you trying to do?" He asked apprehensively.
"You'll see!" She winked and got up dragging Ernie over to the table where some other Hufflepuffs were waiting.
The other boy scooted over so she could take a seat.
"I'm afraid I don't know your names".
They quickly introduced themselves as Justin and Hannah two other Hufflepuffs in the year above. Justin passed the box of badges into her hands.
"Any you can share in Gryffindor would be a great help. They're showing the most resistance".
Hannah nodded along "I know they like breaking the rules over there but this is a bit much".
Ernie looked distinctly uncomfortable as she drew her wand.
"Don't worry, I know exactly what I mean to do and Flitwick says intent is rely important".
With another flick the whole box set on fire and turned to ashes on the table.
"Perfect".
Justin recovered quickest.
"What on Earth did you do that for?"
Ginny cocked her head to the side.
"I took care of a problem. I hope I don't have to repeat myself".
With that, she stood and returned to her table smirking in satisfaction when they Hufflepuffs scurried out of the pub.
Colin and Luna were openly laughing when she returned.
"That was brilliant" Harry praised from under the cloak.
"No problem, I'm just sorry you have to deal with such pricks. They're in your year, right?".
"Mmm" Harry murmured in response.
Ginny gave him a commiserating smile and downed the rest of her butterbeer.
"Come on then, let's face the cold again. We've got more shops to explore and probably more people to fight".
"I'm not sure the Hufflepuffs could handle another confrontation" Luna mused to the laughter of the rest of the group.
The rest of the visit stayed in good spirits and it was a happily exhausted group that made their way back to the castle for dinner.
...
Harry, once again visible, sat between Ginny and Colin for dinner. Ron scowled when he noticed and Ginny responded with a less than polite middle finger. The older redhead turned away and attacked his roast with more ferocity than necessary.
Hermione was nowhere to be seen and Harry reassured them that she probably got caught up reading - again.
The following week Ginny was heading back from the library after skipping History, a habit she had picked up early in the term, when she bumped into the Headmaster.
"Ah, Ginevra. What a useful coincidence" he said eyes twinkling.
"I need you to go and collect Harry from potions and bring him to the Wang Weighing ceremony. Same room as before, off the Great Hall".
Ah, so that's why he hadn't bothered to tell her off for missing class. It seemed that interrupting one of Snape's lessons was deemed punishment enough.
"Sure thing, Professor" she replied before heading down.
Truth be told, she wasn't really afraid of the dungeon bat. He still continued to provide useful comments and hints at the end of her essays and as a result she had been doing exceedingly well. However, it was no secret that the sour Professor despised Harry for some reason. From the information Harry had shared with Ron and Hermione in her presence it seemed he had some kind of rivalry with Harry's Dad and his band of mischief makers.
The question was, how was she going to interrupt the class without earning more ire for Harry. There was no way Snape genuinely believed Harry was capable of getting past Dumbledore's protections around the Goblet but any opportunity to make his life difficult would be taken.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on respectfully on the door and waited a moment before entering.
Snape turned to glare at her for the intrusion and the class seemed to wait with baited breath.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Professor. The Headmaster has requested Mr Potter's presence for the next couple of hours. He was insistent that it could not wait until after your class" she bowed her head.
A beat of silence.
"Fine. Potter pack up your things. I want an essay examining the potion you were meant to be brewing on my desk next lesson".
"Yes, Sir". Harry replied as he hurriedly packed up his things.
They didn't speak until they were outside the listening distance of the classroom.
"So Dumbledore interrupted your class to ask you to interrupt my class for a surprise meeting with him?" Harry said slowly, clearly trying to figure out how that made any sense.
Ginny huffed out a laugh.
"No, he caught me skipping history and thought sending me into the dungeons to break you out for the Wand Weighing ceremony was a fitting punishment".
Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"You were skipping History?".
Ginny laughed "Of course that's the most important part. Yes, History is a waste of time and I don't have a Hermione forcing me to attend".
"Won't your Mum be... mad?" He said apprehensively.
Ginny snorted "Of course but I'm not about to tell her. Are you?".
Harry shook his head.
"Well there you go then, problem solved".
Harry let out a chuckle. "Why didn't you just tell Snape it was for a tournament thing?".
Ginny looked at him as if he were an idiot "Really Harry? You think me bringing up special class-skipping tournament privileges would have gone down well? I'd rather avoid detention, thanks".
"Good point. Do you know what a Wand Weighing ceremony is?".
"Nope" she said, popping the p. "But I guess we'll find out. It'll be more interesting than History anyway" he added eliciting a further laugh from the unwilling champion.
Nobody commented on her presence when she entered the room so she took that as her que to linger in the back and observe. She shot Harry a cheeky wink earning an eye roll in response.
Ginny evaded Dumbledore's twinkling gaze as he spoke with the French headmistress and settled down on a chair to the back of the room out the way.
Harry was accosted by a blonde haired women with tight curls and a lime green suit who dragged him into a broom closet for an interview. She stepped up to intervene but was spared the chance by a dramatic entrant into the room.
Sirius Black strode through the entrance. He was dressed in dark black robes with blood red accents and looked more vibrant than she had ever seen him, albeit quite angry. Furious really.
"Ah Sirius, I didn't expect a visit from you. I thought you were in the states" Dumbledore said calmly, making his way over to the man.
Ginny, from behind Dumbledore's back pointed at the supply closet.
Sirius ignored the headmaster and flung open the door. There was a shriek from the reporter and Harry wandered out looking rather bemused followed shortly by Sirius.
"My Godson will not be giving any interviews without myself present". He said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding with Miss Skeeter" Dumbledore explained. "Now..."
Sirius did not give him the chance to speak further.
"Now. I demand that someone tell me why my Godson is being forced to compete in this tournament against his will. He is a minor and cannot legally sign himself up without the permission of a guardian.
Crouch looked rather affronted.
"These are the rules, Mr. Black. He should not have entered his name if he did not wish to compete".
"I will only say this once. My Godson did not enter his own name. Now whether it was a prank from an older student or something more malicious remains to be seen. However, rules can be broken. What is the exact penalty for forfeit?".
"The loss of one's magic".
A collective gasp echoed around the room.
"Excuze moi, nobody told us of zis penalty!" The French Headmistress said outraged.
"It is not our fault that you failed to properly read the rules before agreeing to this tournament Headmistress Maxime" Crouch shot back.
Sirius interrupted the debate.
"Which curse breakers have you consulted?"
"Excuse me?" Crouch replied incredulously.
"I said, which curse breakers have you consulted? It is not a difficult question Mr Crouch".
"There is nothing in the rules about curse breakers!".
"My Godson has been cursed to compete against his will to compete in this tournament at risk of losing his magic. Britain's finest curse breakers should be consulted on examining the Goblet to withdraw his participation safely and that of any of the existing champions no longer wishing to complete".
"Now Sirius my boy. I'm not sure this is necessary Harry has accepted his place in this competition and I'm sure he will perform admirably".
"That is not his choice, Dumbledore. And neither is it yours" he snapped. "I happen to have a connection with a curse breaker at Gringotts with no ties to this competition. I will make arrangements immediately for them to examine the Goblet".
"Very well" Crouch conceded.
"Harry, have you been provided with a copy of the rules? I would very much like to see it".
The Boy-Who-Lived shook his head and Sirius turned back to Mr Crouch.
"We did not receive a copy of zis rules either" Maxime stated and Sirius nodded at her.
"You will provide each champion with a copy of the terms of the tournament by tomorrow morning. My Godson will not unknowingly breach one of the rules and loose his magic".
Another nod from Crouch.
"Thank you, Sirius. Now..."
"No Dumbledore. I am not finished. You should have notified me as soon as this happened. I should not have had to find out my Godson is in danger by a letter from his friend!" He barked.
"I don't blame you, Harry. You are still getting used to having me there but please do remember in the future" he added in softer tones.
"The boy should not get any special treatment for his mistakes" Kakaroff snarled.
Sirius turned his glare on the man.
"Harry, I trust that you did not enter your name and there is a simple, but crude way to prove it. I want you to repeat the following whilst holding your wand. You need to focus on your intent to tell the truth. I, Harry James Potter swear upon my magic that I have no memory of entering my name in the tournament and trust that I would not do so knowingly".
As Harry repeated the phrase a gold ribbon snaked around his hand and wand before sinking into his skin.
"Now cast something, anything will do".
The wand tip shone with the Lumos spell.
"There you go".
Crouch huffed "That is sufficient".
"I expect a full-investigation from your team of Aurors".
"Moody is available on site and will be able to conduct a thorough investigation" Dumbledore added.
"I said a team of aurors" Sirius rebuked. "Moody is one ex-auror and should not be involved in the investigation any further than providing theories or any information he has gathered so far".
Dumbledore's twinkle was long gone and he conceded with a simple bowed head.
"You still have not answered my question, Dumbledore".
"Sirius, my boy, you were undergoing healing. As Harry's magical guardian I thought it best not to trouble you during such critical treatment".
Sirius appraised him for a moment.
"Well, I am fully recovered now after my unjust incarceration and I expect that the guardianship will transfer over to me fully. Any breaches like this in the future will be dealt with the relevant legal processes. Crouch, please tell the relevant personal to expect me at the ministry this afternoon to start filing the necessary paperwork".
"Sirius, perhaps we should discuss this in my office".
"There is nothing further to discuss. You have deeply disappointed me, Albus".
"I must insist" Dumbledore commanded the air growing tighter with his magic.
"Very well, Harry and I will join you after the ceremony is complete. We can spare half an hour before I need to visit the Ministry and Gringotts. You have a lot of explaining to do" he replied leaving no room for further argument.
Harry looked rather bewildered at the turn of events. He met Ginny's gaze and mouthed you? She gave him a small nod in return glad that she had reached out to Sirius. She couldn't wait to hear how much Sirius would rip into Dumbledore in the privacy of the office.
Unnoticed by anyone, a beetle flew out of the broom closet.
...
FFN
Thank you everyone!
Setokayba2n – Thank you for the comment! I think students would be afraid to speak out and a lot of them would be young enough to think it was cool rather than scary. Fred and George for example in cannon thought his first lesson was great. Other students may be too worried about retaliation, especially those with alleged Death Eater families. Dumbledore is also very well regarded, people are likely to think it's ok just because Dumbledore said so. This chapter should explain why she hasn't sought help.
~Fiona