The opening feast had been … interesting.

Harry felt bad for Cassy and the other quidditch players who had a whole year taken from them unexpectedly. He knew Cassy and the Slytherin team practiced very hard in their spare time, a lot of them wanted to go professional. A whole year off would hurt them. Maybe they could come up with some unofficial games instead? Harry would ask a professor later, maybe Professor Kitty, she seemed to like the sport a lot.

It was weird not having Beatrice here this year, the dorms felt quieter without her bright presence flitting from student to student to help however she could. But she had promised to write a lot and swore she would storm the castle if he didn't write back. He believed her.

Everyone else seemed quite excited about this Triwizard Tournament, but Harry wasn't sure how to feel about it. Something inside of him twisted in a warning. He had a feeling it wasn't going to end well, but he would have to see instead of just feel. That was at least what the mind healer he had been seeing said he should do. She had told Harry that he needed to spend less time inside of his head and that he needed to try to truly interact with people and the world around him. The mind healer was concerned that his 'excessive daydreaming' would be harmful to him in the long run. Harry didn't fully agree with her and it was hard, but he wanted to try. Sirius was trying his best with his mind-healing sessions, so Harry promised Bea that he would also try, it was only fair.

There was also something strange going on between him and Cassy. He couldn't tell what was happening, especially as he was trying very hard not to just feel his way through situations and instead learn through his eyes, but it left him feeling confused and uncomfortable. He missed being able to go to Bea for clarification, he wasn't sure he could put what was happening into words for her to understand and then have her explain to him what was actually happening. Harry planned on asking Luna for any insights later, she might understand where he was coming from better.

Another thing that was bothering Harry was their new DADA professor. There was something very strange about their new professor. Not bad per se… just strange. He gave off a similar energy as Sirius had when he was Jazzles. Harry had told Cassius this but even Cassius hadn't known what to make of that. Cassius noted it, though, and ensured that Harry was never left alone with the man if only on principle and possibly paranoia.

The two visiting schools for the Tri-Wizard Tournament were moments away from arriving. Harry stood, cuddled against Cassius trying to keep warm. Harry may have been on potions to help combat his childhood malnutrition and he had put on some muscle and weight, but he was still very thin and got cold extremely easily. Warming charms helped but weren't enough with the cold wind blowing in their faces.

"You okay Little Ray?" Cassius' voice had deepened some over the summer and it made the little white hairs on Harry's skin stand up and a shiver go down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

"Just cold Cassy," Harry mumbled, burying his face further into Cassius' side making the Slytherin chuckle as he rubbed Harry's arm to generate some extra warmth. Cassius' chuckle was deep, vibrating through his chest and into Harry making his toes curl slightly on reflex.

"Announcing the students from Beauxbatons!" Professor Dumbledore announced as a carriage pulled by 12 white stallions with wings emerged from the cloud-covered sky. The carriage was made of what looked like ivory and pearl. It landed on the grounds with a harsh sounding thump making Harry lift his head enough to eye the carriage. A beautiful half-giant of a woman exited the carriage, her hair pulled up into an intricate updo, her dress long and full, and her eyes were set in a cold glare. Harry shivered again but this time it wasn't because of the cold or Cassius. "I welcome Madam Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy for Magic."

The Beauxbaton students quickly filed out of the carriage after their Headmistress. They were all beautiful, model-like, and almost ethereal but clearly even colder than Harry in their thin silk-blue uniforms. For some reason, watching all the Hogwarts students react to Beauxbaton students made Harry feel a little self-conscious.

Cassius nudged him, sensing his discomfort. "Hey, don't worry about them," he said quietly. "You're just as beautiful Little Ray, if not more so in my eyes."

Harry blushed brightly and elbowed him in the side playfully. "Shut up," he muttered, but secretly basking in Cassius' reassurances. He didn't even remember Durmstrang arriving, just Cassius shuffling him back inside and escorting him to the Hufflepuff table for their introduction feast.

Harry sat down at the Hufflepuff table next to Cedric, who gave him a friendly smile. Despite the cheerful chatter filling the Great Hall, Harry felt uneasy. His gaze kept drifting to the newcomers from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons.

Harry tried to focus on the feast and not let his anxiety get the better of him. The Great Hall was even more crowded than usual with the visiting students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. He picked at his food, appetite diminished significantly by now.

His gaze drifted over to the Slytherin table. Cassius caught his eye and gave him an encouraging smile. Harry felt himself relax a little. Cassy always made things better. Dumbledore stood to announce the rules for the Triwizard Tournament. Harry only half listened, too distracted by the nagging sense of unease in his gut.

Cedric nudged Harry, grinning excitedly. "A thousand Galleons prize money, can you imagine?" he whispered. Harry forced a smile in return. He appreciated Cedric's attempt to step into Bea's shoes in her absence, but in this, they did not see eye to eye.

Harry turned to glance at the Slytherin table, seeking out Cassius' gaze. Cassius' dark eyes were already on him, his expression somber. They shared a look of understanding. Like Harry, Cassius seemed to grasp the gravity of what was coming.

Harry was really not enjoying not being able to retreat into his mind for better perception or comfort when he wanted to. But he couldn't let anyone down. They couldn't baby and take care of him and his issues forever.


"Professor Kitty?"

Minerva briefly closed her eyes, she would deny ever begging Merlin for patience when dealing with the Potter heir, but it is definitely what she had to do.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Flying was canceled." Little Harry Potter stared at her with wide unblinking eyes. He was dressed in the proper school uniform for once, but his wild-colored hair always made him stand out anyway and Minerva was not willing to fight the Hufflepuffs or Slytherins on making their precious little mascot adhere to the school dress code. It just wasn't worth it.

"Quidditch has been canceled, yes. Just for this year while the Tri-Wizard tournament is going on. Why? I'm pretty sure I remember Miss Haywood and Mr. Warrington banning you from flying again after the staircase incident in your first year. "

"The flying students are sad. They work really hard you know? Bad things will happen if they don't get to play this year." The boy rocked back and forth on his heels, not being able to keep still for very long.

"Bad things? Like what? I am sure despite their protests, the Quidditch players will survive not competing against each other for a single year." Minerva tried to keep her own bitterness at Quidditch being canceled from her tone.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, seeming to think hard about what he was going to say next or maybe how he was going to say it. She knew that Mr. Warrington had been working with Mr. Potter on how to talk properly, and he had made great progress over the years considering Mr. Warrington wasn't a professional speech therapist or mind healer. "Some people want to fly for money. After school. A year off is a bad thing for them."

Minerva let out a surprised hum, "I see what you are saying, Mr. Potter. Those seeking to play Quidditch professionally will suffer this year with anything outside of flying classes being canceled. What would you suggest we do?" She always forgot how perceptive the boy was, it had been a concern of hers that had been waved off when the Tri-Wizard tournament had been brought up during staff meetings.

"Practice games. Practice flying. Not in school teams though." Harry hummed, happy that he was being taken seriously instead of waved off the way Madame Hooch had done when he had brought his concerns to her. "Good for school unity too."

That made Minerva chuckle softly. The Hufflepuff Potter seemed determined to unite the school together, it was an extremely ambitious goal. "I will get with the other Heads of House and we will see what we can come up with. I will make no promises to you, but I do like the idea. Ten points to Hufflepuff."

Professor McGonagall considered Harry's suggestion carefully. A series of informal, inter-house flying matches could be just the thing to keep spirits up and give potential professional players a chance to hone their skills this year. She brought up the idea at the next staff meeting.

"I think it has merit," said Professor Sprout. "We could structure them like pickup games - no set teams, just whoever shows up to play that day."

The other heads of house agreed it would be good for inter-house unity. Even Severus Snape acquiesced, albeit reluctantly.

"Very well," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. "Let's give young Harry's idea a try. I shall announce it at dinner."

That night at the meal, Dumbledore made the announcement. A cheer went up among the students, especially the Quidditch lovers. Harry grinned and gave Professor McGonagall a thumbs-up from the Hufflepuff table. She nodded back at him, a small smile on her lips.

Harry felt a rush of relief at Professor McGonagall's nod. Perhaps there was hope for the Quidditch players after all. He knew Cedric had been devastated at the cancellation of the inter-house Quidditch Cup, the Hufflepuff captain had been dreaming of lifting the trophy since his first year. As a prefect, Cedric took his duties seriously, but flying was his true passion much to his father's chagrin.

Harry glanced back over at the Slytherin table, wondering if Cassius felt the same way. As a Chaser, Cassius loved Quidditch just as much as Cedric, though he was more subtle in showing it. Plus Harry knew that as much as Cassius enjoyed playing Quidditch, he didn't want to pursue it as a career unless he was doing so to get a rise out of his father. Harry didn't understand the family dynamics of Cassius' house, but he trusted Cassius would say something if he ended up in a situation like Harry had been in with the Dursleys.

Tonight the names would be pulled for the Tri-Wizard tournament and Harry was fighting the uncomfortable feeling building inside of him steadily. Bad things were going to happen. He knew it, but he didn't know what would happen or why. None of his close friends, except for Cedric due to pressure from his Dad, were entering into the tournament and Harry was too young to enter himself, not that he had wanted to anyway.

Harry's hands were clenched in white-knuckled fists as the names for the tournament shot out of the goblet of fire and were announced to the hall. First was Victor Krum for Durmstrang causing loud cheers to rise for the famous quidditch player. Then it was Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons, a mixture of polite applause and sobs from the ones not chosen did not seem to affect the chosen witch in the least. Finally, the Hogwarts champion was called. To the surprise of 3/4ths of Hogwarts and the elation of Hufflepuff House, Cedric Diggory was chosen. Harry could see that his smile was forced and his eyes were nervous. He was only doing this for his Father, he hadn't believed he would actually be chosen.

Then the bad feeling in Harry's got significantly worse. It felt like acid was crawling up the back of his throat as he saw the goblet of fire flare up with crimson flames again.

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore said after reading the piece of burnt paper that had been spat out violently.

Harry was frozen in place, eyes glazing over.

"Harry Potter! To me at once!" Dumbledore said louder, everyone's eyes moving to the small colorful Hufflepuff.

Harry had turned white as a ghost, eyes dull and unfocused, and beginning to hyperventilate. Before Dumbledore could call his name again, before Cassius could stand so he could go to Harry, and before anyone had the chance to even accuse the small boy of anything untoward Harry Potter's magic exploded outwardly in a shockwave across the great hall and Harry fell to the ground in a dead faint.

Then the screams began.