The next day, at breakfast time, the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students submitted their names, including Viktor and Fleur. Then from Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory and another Hufflepuff submitted their names. Draco Malfoy swaggered over and put his name in, the lone Slytherin candidate. All the while, he was wearing a cocky smirk on his face. Ravenclaw sent three candidates, from different years. Finally, Harry, Angelina, Blenkinsop and Hackett put their names in the Goblet.

Harry then turned to his fellow Gryffindors, "Let's make one thing clear. If one of us gets selected, no hard feelings?"

Angelina and the others nodded firmly. His Quidditch teammate even leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Heard some rumours about how the other houses chose their champions. The Puffs voted on it, the Claws conducted a pop quiz and the top 3 highest scorers were chosen. In Slytherin, Malfoy pulled a power move and went full dictator. Cassius Warrington's quite miffed at him, because he wanted to submit his name."

Harry snorted quietly, "Can't say that I'm surprised."

Later after lessons, the four friends were hanging around in the courtyard when a shadow passed over them. Harry looked up to see Pansy standing and fidgeting a little, in front of him. Along with her were Cassandra, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise. The girl spoke, "Potter, can we have a word? It's important, and it's been bugging me for a long time. Meet in the library, like last time?"

Ten minutes later, Ron, Hermione and Neville were in the library with the Slytherins. They were just waiting for Harry, who told them that he had something important to take care of. Finally, he showed up, but with Professor Daly in tow.

The professor led them to a far corner of the library, where they all congregated. Pansy shifted uncomfortably in her seat before speaking, "Listen Potter. I wanted to ask you about what had happened after our First-Year. My parents quickly forgot about it, but it's still been bothering me. What the hell was that thing that you saved me from? I tried asking Tuttle because she's crazy about magical creatures. She didn't know what that thing was, so I went to Barnaby Lee. You do know that his uncle works in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, right?"

Hermione murmured, "We do, now."

Pansy continued, "Even he had no idea what that thing was."

Harry glanced up at the only adult present and she gave a subtle nod. In response, he took a deep breath, "Okay, fair enough. You deserve to know, but I'm warning you all. Whatever I tell you, does not leave this room, no matter what. The gods of Ancient Greece are real. For centuries, many of them have been taking mortal forms and some have borne children with regular humans, sometimes even witches and wizards. Those children are known as demigods."

Blaise drawled, "Oookayyy… So what does that have to do with you? Are you suggesting…?"

"It started when my mother was hit with a curse that rendered her barren. She and my father hunted for spells to remove the curse. My godfather Sirius Black stumbled upon a Summoning Ritual, which he mistook for a Fertility one. When my parents performed it, Lady Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon, answered the call. She helped my mother get pregnant with me, but the condition was that Lady Artemis is also counted as my mother. I am the only child of Artemis, because she is a virgin goddess. She vowed to never fall in love and have children. My conception was a loophole to her sacred oath."

Daphne scoffed, "Please, Potter… Are you saying that you are the son of a goddess? Are you trying to prove Malfoy's idiotic ramblings that you are arrogant and liar?"

Professor Daly's eyes narrowed and allowed some of her raw magic leak through. She spoke icily, "I can assure you, Ms Greengrass, that Mr. Potter is telling the truth. His accolades as a demigod, are also extremely impressive for his age. I know this because-"

Then, before their very eyes, she transformed into a more regal look. She spoke with authority, "-I am Hecate… Greek Goddess of Magic."

The Slytherins clutched each other in fear, as Hecate was looking terrifying. Mercifully, she calmed down and everyone relaxed. Then Pansy said, "Potter, you still haven't answered my question."

He nodded, "I was getting to that. Just like there are Greek gods and goddesses, there are also Greek monsters. Now, regular mortals, or Muggles, cannot see them. There is a magical veil known as The Mist, that distorts the view of mortals. So if there is a monster wandering around on the streets, the mortals will not see them, but they will see something else. Pansy, you were attacked by a Greek Monster known as the Chimaera. It has the head and mane of a lion, body and hooves of a goat, and a snake acting as the tail. Yes, it is as grotesque as it sounds. Yes, the lion's head breathes fire, and the snake is venomous. The other monster is Echidna, who is known as the Mother of monsters, and the Chimaera is her son."

Cassandra pat a pale Pansy's back and chimed, "Well… Can't say I don't blame you for getting nightmares. But why should we keep it a secret?"

Hecate fielded that one, "The Wizarding World is not ready to learn of the existence of gods. Additionally, the demigod world is on the brink of war. I created the Wizarding World, and I do not wish for it to be dragged into the conflict, woefully unprepared."

Tracey asked, "What war?"

Hecate explained, "Centuries ago, there was a war between the Gods and their predecessors, the Titans. The gods of Olympus defeated the Titans and imprisoned them in the deepest pits of Tartarus. Tartarus is a place so evil that it makes the Wizarding prison of Azkaban look like a vacation home."

The Slytherins collectively shuddered in fear. Hecate continued, "Now, the Titans are rising again and planning to overthrow the gods. Several monsters have already been recruited, and last I heard, some of the minor gods are allying with the Titans, as well as a few demigods. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the origins of the first Titan war, else we will be here for a long time. Perhaps at a later date. Anyway, I trust that none of you shall speak a word of this unless I say so. I only allowed Mr. Potter to let you in on the secret because I was beginning to notice that Ms Parkinson was getting suspicious."

Satisfied with the explanation, the Slytherins left, along with Hecate, who had transformed back into her Professor Daly guise. Meanwhile, Harry's group split up to do their own thing until the Goblet chose the champions.

That evening before dinner, the Great Hall was full. Not many were really in the mood to eat, as they were busy craning their necks to see who would be chosen. At last, everyone was finally convinced to eat their fill, and the empty golden plates were cleared. All eyes were on the Goblet, as Dumbledore stood up.

Then, the flames turned red and spat out a charred piece of parchment. Before Dumbledore could open it, it coughed out five more pieces of parchment. With one white-haired eyebrow raised, he deftly caught the other fluttering parchments. As he read them, both eyebrows raised so high that they disappeared under his wizard's hat. Dumbledore mused loudly, "Well… It seems that the Goblet is full of surprises. Apparently, it has bent the regulations, so to speak."

There were confused murmurs, which only grew louder. Harry muttered to Ron, "I got a bad feeling about this".

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Representing Durmstrang in the Tri-Wizard Tournament are, Viktor Krum and Yuliya Popov!"

Krum stood up, along with a brown-haired girl, who looked a year younger. They walked up towards Dumbledore, turned right and entered another room. Then Dumbledore announced, "Representing Beauxbatons are Fleur Delacour and Marion Hubert!"

Fleur stood up gracefully and helped another girl to her feet. The second girl was also blonde-haired, but had a more golden sheen to it. They too disappeared into the chamber, and Dumbledore looked at the final two pieces of parchment. He intoned, "Finally, representing Hogwarts are… Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter!"

In unison, the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables exploded in cheers. Harry stood up and marched confidently towards the head table. He and Cedric met each other, and the latter grinned, "Good luck Harry."

Harry grinned back, "Back at you, Cedric!"

Then, Cedric seized Harry's hand and raised it in the air, as if they were in a boxing ring after a bout. In response, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff cheers grew louder. On the back of that reception, they followed their fellow champions into the side chamber.

Once inside, Dumbledore stroked his long white beard, "Incredible… Absolutely unprecedented… I do not remember the last time there were more than three champions. On the bright side, no one can accuse the other school for gaining an advantage."

Karkaroff looked like he wanted to protest, but held his tongue. Meanwhile, Mr. Crouch spoke curtly, "We must follow the rules, and they clearly state that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament. Dumbledore, in hindsight, I am glad that you insisted on lowering the age limit. Think of the scandal it would have caused the Ministry."

Meanwhile, Ludo Bagman looked like Christmas had already arrived, instead of being two months away. He rubbed his hands in glee, "Well, shall we crack on, then? Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honours?"

Crouch slowly walked up. In the dull light of the fireplace, he looked ill. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes and a thin, papery look about his wrinkled skin.

The man explained, "The first task is designed to test your daring. So we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard. The first task will take place on November 24th, in front of the other students and the panel of judges. The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests."

The six chosen nodded and were finally dismissed. Fleur and Viktor gave a single nod and departed with their respective school mates. Meanwhile, Cedric escorted him back to Gryffindor Tower. The Hufflepuff said, "So, I guess we're facing off again. Out of curiosity, why are you competing? Is it for the fame?"

Harry scoffed, "I have my own reasons. I just want to become a stronger wizard. I don't care about the fame, to be honest, I get enough of that with the Boy-Who-Live schtick. Don't care about the money either. Uncle Sirius told me that the Potter family was fairly wealthy."

Cedric nodded, "Fair enough. Good night, Harry."

"Night, Cedric. I hope the Hufflepuffs won't kill me for trying to steal your thunder."

He laughed, "Nah, don't worry about it. I'll keep them in line. You do the same for the Gryffindors."

When they split up and Harry crawled through the portrait, a cacophony of sound greeted him. The Gryffindors were in a party mood and Harry was swept into the chaos. After sometime, he finally managed to extricate himself from the thronging crowd and reunited with Ron, Hermione and Neville. The trio led him up to the boys dormitory for a bit of peace and quiet.

Hermione asked, "So, what did they say about the First Task?"

He scowled a little, "They won't tell us. According to Crouch, it is designed to test a person's daring and how they would react in the face of an unknown situation."

Ron scowled too, "Well that is really bloody vague."

Neville quipped, "What now? Do some research?"

Over the next couple of days, things went about as normal. Hermione was a little thrilled that the boys were voluntarily going with her to the library, as opposed to her dragging them. Meanwhile, Harry was a little worried that the Hufflepuffs would resent him. However, Susan Bones threw that notion out of the window when she sat next to him at breakfast, the day after the announcement, and talked as if they were old friends.

A week later, Harry and the Gryffindors were just heading to the Great Hall for lunch, when they bumped into Malfoy and his cronies at the entrance. The blond ponce smirked, "Oi Potter! Got a present for you."

He, Crabbe, Goyle, Snyde and Murk then fished out five large badges which read, "Potter Stinks" in large green letters.

He snottily said, "Like them, Potter? These are just the prototypes. Spent all night on them, and we'll be circulating them soon so that everyone knows how pathetic you are and I should have been the one chosen."

An enraged Seamus started forward, ready to punch him. However, Ron restrained him and glanced at Harry, waiting for his reaction. Had this been in their First-Year, Ron would have joined Seamus in busting up Malfoy. Fortunately, his experiences with Harry's demigod friends matured him. For his part, Harry simply raised a bored eyebrow at the badge.

Then he scoffed, "Juvenile…"

With that, he spun on his heels and ushered his House mates into the Great Hall. Malfoy's triumphant smirk was wiped off in an instant and replaced with a confused look.

Snapping himself out of it, he and his group tailed Harry and called out indignantly, "Potter! Hey! Potter! Get back here, damn it!"

The boy looked at his companions, "Snyde, Murk, do something!"

Ismelda Murk had a sadistic gleam in her eyes. She quipped, "With pleasure, Draco".

On cue, she whipped out her wand and pointed it at Harry. She roared, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Harry reacted instantly. With inhuman speed, he dived forward, tackling Neville, Dean and Parvati, who were right in front of him. Hermione and Ron were a little further ahead, so they had a bit more time to react. Ron dived one way, dragging Lavender, Seamus and Kevin with him. Hermione dived the other way, dragging Faye, Robyn and Jae with her. Meanwhile, Murphy McNully was thanking his lucky stars that he was on a wheelchair, because the deadly curse just about sailed above his head.

Then, there were two audible thumps and a hysterical voice screamed, "ROWAN!"

Meanwhile, Ismelda Murk aimed her wand lower until it was pointed at Harry. She barked, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

This time, knowing the danger he was in, Harry had plenty of time to activate his shield. He adjusted his body, ensuring that he was sprawled over Dean and Parvati. The spell impacted against the shield and ricocheted towards the ceiling. Murk swore and aimed her wand once again, but never got a chance to fire off a third spell.

That was because Hannah Abbott and Penny Haywood sprang up from their seats. They fired a Stunning Spell and an Incarcerous Spell respectively, downing the Slytherin girl. The rest of the students were freaking out and Susan was having a hard time calming everyone down.

Harry collapsed his shield and helped his fellow classmates up. Suddenly, a voice screamed, "YOU BITCH! YOU KILLED HIM!"

Padma Patil flew at the downed Ismelda, arms outstretched, ready to claw her eyes out. She would have succeeded if Ron hadn't stepped in and wrapped his arms around her waist, restraining her. Harry glanced behind his shoulder, and spotted a shell-shocked John Silvertongue sitting on his buttocks and blinking. Next to him was the spread-eagled and unmoving form of Rowan Khanna. Harry glanced back at Padma, who was now wailing.

With a small pang, he remembered that she and Rowan were dating. Meanwhile at the head table, Professor McGonagall shook off her shock and briskly made her way to the scene. She curtly instructed Flitwick to fetch Dumbledore and joined them. The woman turned to Susan, "Ms Bones, if you would do the honours and ask your aunt to come to Hogwarts? Tell her that it is urgent."

Susan promptly sprinted away, and Dumbledore walked in with Flitwick. McGonagall turned to him, "Albus… A student has died. From what I observed, it started with a minor verbal altercation between Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter turned his back and continued towards his seat. Then, Mr. Malfoy asked his friends to 'do something'. At which point, Ms Murk fired the Killing Curse at Mr. Potter's back. Mr. Potter was quick enough to dodge and even tackled some of his fellow students out of the way. Mr. Weasley and Ms Granger were also able to save some of their classmates. The Unforgivable was about to hit Mr. Silvertongue, but Mr. Khanna leaped in the way and was hit instead. Ms Murk continued the assault with a second Killing Curse before she was finally stopped."

Dumbledore looked grave, "I see… Minerva, I think you know what this means. Please revive Ms Murk and inform her that she is hereby expelled from Hogwarts. Mr. Malfoy, as the original instigator, I decree that you shall not be eligible to earn house points for Slytherin for two weeks. Also, I would like you to hand in that badge and any others that have been made. It is disrespectful towards your fellow classmates."

He turned to Snape, "Severus? Would you agree that this is a just punishment?"

Snape glared at Malfoy, who looked very small. He curtly said, "I shall not argue with this, Headmaster. I assume that the DMLE are on their way to arrest Ms Murk? She may be a minor, but she has cast an unforgivable twice, which resulted in the tragedy."

Dumbledore nodded gravely. Five minutes later, Susan was back, with her aunt Amelia and a handful of Aurors. Swiftly, the girl was revive and promptly arrested. After that drama, all of the students sat around, staring in shock.

Padma numbly sat down at the Ravenclaw table. On a whim, Harry got up from his seat and slid next to her. He murmured, "Hey Padma? I'm sorry about Rowan. I could have-"

She cut him off in a hollow voice, "Harry, don't blame yourself. Rowan was at the other end of the hall. You couldn't have been fast enough to save him. I am grateful that you saved Parvati though. If I had lost my twin sister, I would have murdered Murk on the spot."

Padma sniffed and began crying again. Then, Parvati slotted in next to her sister and wrapped her in a hug, "Oh Padhu…"

Parvati began to gently rock her teary sister as they hugged. Then she softly sang,

"Yeh kooche, yeh nilaam,

Ghar dilkashi ke.

Yeh kooche, yeh nilaam,

Ghar dilkashi ke.

Ye lutate huye,

Caaravan zindagi ke.

Kahaan hai, kahan hai,

Muhafiz khudi ke.

Jinhe naaz hai hind, par wo kahaan hai.

Kahaan hai,

kahan hai,

kahan hai." (1)

She quietly mouthed to Harry, 'This is her favourite song. I used to sing it to her whenever she was upset'. Satisfied that Parvati had the situation under control, he quietly re-joined Ron, Neville and Hermione. Ron mouthed, "Bloody hell, both of Trelawney's predictions came true."

Hermione tilted her head curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Last year, she said that Harry would have to bear a massive burden. That burden was him holding up the sky. Then she stopped at Silvertongue's table and predicted that his cup had the Grim, meaning that death was coming."

She argued back, "But John is still alive!"

"Rowan was at the same table, Hermione. Everyone was so caught up in thinking it was Silvertongue, no one guessed that it could have meant Khanna instead."

A few days later, they had just wrapped up Potions class when Colin Creevey poked his head in. Snape glanced at him, "Yes? I don't believe that I have class with the Third-Year Gryffindors until much later."

Colin's face turned pink and stammered, "Sir, I've been asked to take Harry Potter upstairs. Mr. Bagman wants him for some Tri-Wizard duties. He has to take his bags with him as well."

Snape glanced at Harry neutrally, "Potter? Have you finished with your potion?"

"Two more minutes, sir. Just have to add one more ingredient."

"Your partner will finish it. Go."

"Thank you, sir."

Harry and Colin made their way up the stairs, away from the dungeon. They entered a fairly small 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. Five chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them. He was talking to a witch in magenta robes.

Also in the room were the other champions. Cedric was talking to Yuliya and Marion. Meanwhile, Viktor and Fleur were engaging in some serious discussions. Cedric waved at him cheerily and he waved back before sidling with Viktor and Fleur. He muttered, "What's happening?"

Krum grumpily replied, "Wand-weighing ceremony."

Evidently, Ludo Bagman had overheard them. He bustled over and cheerfully said, "We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead. The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot."

He gestured to the unknown woman, "This is Rita Skeeter. She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet..."

Skeeter primly replied, "Maybe not that small, Ludo."

Harry wasn't sure that he liked the predatory gleam in her eye. Neither did Fleur, as she subtly moved closer to him in a protective manner. Krum did the same, and Skeeter hesitantly backed off, though the gleam never left. Finally, Dumbledore swept into the room, with Garrick Ollivander following him.

Fleur whispered in his ear, "Harry… Be careful around Ms Skeeter. She has a bit of a reputation for spreading malicious rumours without an ounce of truth."

Krum also muttered, "Da, after World Cup, she called me overrated has-been who was promoted to national team too early."

Away from their personal discussions, Dumbledore gestured to Ollivander, "May I introduce Mr. Ollivander? He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."

Ollivander stepped into the empty space, "Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?"

Fleur stepped up and handed him her wand. He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it close to his eyes and examined it carefully.

"Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches... inflexible... rosewood... and containing... dear me..."

Fleur proudly said, "A hair from ze head of a veela. It was my mother's"

Harry shot her a wide-eyed look, as if asking how on earth she managed to convince Aphrodite to part with one strand of hair.

Ollivander mused, "Yes, yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands... however, to each his own, and if this suits you..."

The wand-maker ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, "Orchideous!" and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand-tip.

He then checked Yuliya and Marion's wands, finding nothing wrong with them. Then it was the men's turn, starting with Cedric. A more enthusiastic Ollivander said, "Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it? Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn... must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches... ash... pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition... You treat it regularly?"

Cedric grinned, "Polished it last night!"

Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room. Then he held out his hand towards Krum. The Durmstrang student handed his wand over.

The man mused, "Hmm, this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wandmaker, though the styling is never quite what I... however... Yes... hornbeam and dragon heartstring. Rather thicker than one usually sees... quite rigid... ten and a quarter inches... Avis!"

The hornbeam wand let off a blast like a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight.

Finally, it was Harry's turn and he handed his wand over. The old man's eyes widened and he practically snatched it from Harry's fingers. He examined it, and seemed to almost lovingly caress the wand. He gasped, "10 inches… Celestial Bronze and basilisk venom core! By the gods above! This wand… is a masterpiece. Mr. Potter, it was truly a shame that your Holly and Phoenix feather wand broke in an accident. I see that you are wearing a holster… Excellent! You've learned your lesson. Now, as I said, this wand is a masterpiece and I am truly glad that you are wielding such a fine wand. Would all of you mind giving a little space?"

Everyone moved back and Ollivander waved the wand. In an instant, it turned into its sword form, eliciting awed gasps from everyone in the room. He gave a few experimental swings before turning it back into a wand and handing it back to Harry.

The photograph session was a nightmare. Harry and Krum were particularly fidgety, and so was Fleur, but she was better at hiding it. The demigod muttered in Harry's ear, "This why I hate ADHD."

Finally, after what felt like hours, they were free to leave. By the time they were done, it was time for dinner. Cedric sidled up to Harry, "You okay? You were awfully squirmy in there."

Harry groaned, "I have ADHD. That's Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. To put it simply, I can't sit still for too long or I'd go crazy. I also have dyslexia, meaning that I can't read English properly. Words feel like they're floating away and jumbling themselves."

Diggory hummed sympathetically, "That's got to suck. How do you manage during tests and final exams?"

"Usually there is someone who writes for me while I dictate the answers."

"Ahh… That makes sense. Also, I heard that you are 'scarily accurate' in terms of spell-casting. Susan's words, not mine."

Harry laughed, "Haha yeah. Outside Hogwarts, I've taken up practicing archery as a hobby. I guess that helped me improve my aim."

Cedric continued, "You know… I'm glad that Dumbledore didn't stop Quidditch or Capture the Flag. Though I have a feeling that they're probably going to squeeze the games in between the tasks. Cho also told me that they're planning to revive the Duelling Club."

Harry snorted, "As long as Lockhart isn't supervising, we're good."

Cedric laughed as well, "Yeah, I had a lot of fun teasing Cho because she had a small crush on him."

"I think most girls did."

"So anyway, have you made any progress in finding out what the First Task is?"

"No clue, mate. You?"

"Haven't the foggiest. By the way, what's your relationship with the French girl? Delacour? I thought you and Katie were a thing?"

"Fleur and I go way back, actually. We met at summer camp when I was younger. I was around five when I went there and she was one of the people who babysat me. I consider her as a big sister. Katie knows her as well and she doesn't mind our closeness."

"Ahh okay. Just a heads up though. Skeeter's a nasty piece of work. She's probably going to spin some idiotic love triangle in her articles."

"Thanks for the warning Cedric."

"Also, I've been dying to ask, what's the deal with the hair?"

"Oh gods! Not you too! I dyed it at a Muggle hairdresser salon."

Diggory reached over and ruffled the salt and pepper hair, "I like it… It suits you."

"Oi! Hands off the merchandise!"

(1) These are the opening lyrics to a Hindi song Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind from the 1957 movie Pyaasa.