Title: Steps on a broken path
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Up to Halloween in Goblet of Fire.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: Harry's life is broken, and he know it. So does Hermione. They both expected Harry's name to come out of the Goblet of Fire and were prepared for it. What follows after, not so much. AU divergence from Halloween in Goblet of Fire.
Harry sighed as he stood up and walked towards the front of the Great Hall. He had kind of hoped this would not happen but had realistically expected it to, so he had discussed the possibility with Hermione and they had come up with a plan.
"He's a Cheat." Someone yelled.
"He's not Seventeen." Someone else added.
"He just wants fame." Another voice rose.
That was the one. Harry's hand snapped out and pointed in the direction of the fame comment, which was at the Hufflepuff Table.
"That's a laugh." He commented and the entire hall want silent.
He was still facing the front of the hall and was almost beside Dumbledore, so he noticed that the side door where Fleur, Victor and Cedric had exited was open and the three Champions… other Champions… whatever, were watching. Harry turned to face the assembled students of three Schools.
"Why would I need some shitty Tournament?" Harry asked with an obvious eye roll. "I'm Harry Fucking Potter. The sodding Boy-Who-Lived. Everyone in the entire Wizarding World knows who I am. Really, Professor, eternal glory from this sideshow? Who can name even one former winner of the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"
There was silence for a few minutes before one of the Beauxbatons students answered.
"Michelle Du Santa Marie. 1776." The French girl said.
"Actually, no." Hermione replied. "Michelle was the only survivor of the 1776 Tournament, but she did not win. Michelle was unable to continue after the second task where she lost her left arm and right leg. Both of the other Champions were killed in the Third Task."
"Thanks Hermione." Harry said, genuinely. "You all think this Tri-Wizard Tournament is so great. I figured this would happen, so I did some actual research. Last time it was held, all three Champions died, along with sixteen spectators. The time before that all the Champions died in the Second Task along with one-hundred and forty-six spectators. If I wanted those kinds of survival odds I would open a kissing booth at Azkaban."
With that said Harry began walking out of the Great Hall, not into the side room where the Champions were supposed to go but instead towards the main entrance to the Grand Staircase.
"Mister Potter." Barty Crouch called. "The rules are clear. You must compete."
"Take it up with the arsehole trying to kill me." Harry replied as he walked out the door.
The hall all watched Harry walk out the door. Hermione was about to follow him when she heard a voice from the Ravenclaw Table call out.
"Professor Dumbledore. What school does it say on the paper that bears Potter's name?" The Seventh Year Ravenclaw asked.
"Hogwarts. Obviously." Karkaroff said.
"Actually, Igor, it doesn't." Dumbledore said looking at the slip of paper. "It does not list a school."
"Oh, it will contain a school, because all entries were required to list the school, but we'll get to that in a second." The Ravenclaw said. "Headmaster Karkafoff, why do you think it would say Hogwarts?"
"It is logical." Karkaroff shot back.
"No, it is not." Hermione interjected. "The most logical conclusion is Harry was entered as a Champion for a fourth school."
Silence descended on the hall and many looked confused. The Seventh Year Ravenclaw who had spoken gestured to Hermione for her to continue.
"The Goblet of Fire will be following a preset list of rules. In order for Hogwarts to get a second Champion, there would have to be at least three additional rules added." Hermione said.
"Five." The Seventh Year Ravenclaw countered.
"Three." Hermione shot back. "One to recognise a difference between the Host School and the other two schools, one to designate that the Host School gets two Champions and one to identify Hogwarts as the Host School."
"Right, I would have done it another way but that works." The Ravenclaw said. "And that is the easy part."
"Easy part?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes, that just gives Hogwarts two Champions." Hermione continued. "But the second champion would probably be Johnson, or Montague, or Stevens, or one of the dozen or so other Seventh Years who entered."
"After that you would need to add dozens, maybe hundreds of commands to specifically pick Potter, of all people, rather than someone else." The Ravenclaw said. "A Fourth School is much easier."
"One or two commands, depending on the logic of how the Goblet recognises the Schools, and then enter Harry as the sole candidate of the fourth school." Hermione explained.
"Professor, can I see Potter's entry slip?" the Ravenclaw asked.
Dumbledore nodded and the Ravenclaw walked up to the front of the Hall, pulling a lighter from his pocket as he went. After examining the slip of paper for a second, he lit the lighter and moved it towards to paper. Several of the staff began to move but he did not set the paper on fire, merely waved the lighter a few centimetres below for a few moments before handing it back to Dumbledore.
"Thought so." He said with a grin. "Invisible Ink, most likely lemon juice. Old trick that my grandad used back in the OSS in World War Two. He knew Ian Flemming."
That said, confusing almost all of the Purebloods and getting awed stares from most of the Muggleborn or Muggle Raised students, he returned to his seat. Dumbledore stared at the paper and then read it aloud in full.
"Harry Potter. Hades School of Immanent and Brutal Death." Dumbledore said in shock.
"Figured as much." Hermione said.
It was the afternoon after the selection and Harry was sitting by an open window in one of the abandoned towers of Hogwarts as he stared out the window. Even though he was not paying much attention his Seeker eyes spotted the movement of three Owls heading towards his tower rather that to the Great Hall or the Owlery.
After the selection the previous day, Harry had sent out a number of Owls with pre-prepared letters, and these were most likely responses to some of those letters. The three owls landed, and he removed their letters, two of them immediately launching themselves back into the air and the third settling down with its eyes on him. That one was obviously instructed to await a response.
The first letter was from Gringotts, confirming that as he had been forced to compete in an event that was specifically stated for only being for 'Of Age' Magicals, as far as the bank was concerned he now had full access to all of the Potter Accounts, including investments, rather than just his trust account, as he was free to come to the bank at any time for a detailed breakdown of his Assets.
The second letter was from Ted Tonks, Magical and Muggle Attorney at Law, which confirmed that Mister Tonks would be available on Saturday for a meeting to go through Harry's potential legal options, such as if he wanted to peruse child endangerment charges against the Tournament Organisers but remain legally a child, or if he wanted to go the route of getting legally emancipated, which was legal due to having been effectively declared an Adult by two Ministry Department Heads and confirmed by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamont when Crouch, Bagman and Dumbledore all insisted he compete in the Tournament. Ted Tonks had been selected from the full spectrum of Magical Lawyers after an extensive search by Hermione, which took his genius best friend two days and would have taken Harry three weeks, in which he probably would have gone through about a third of the Lawyers and then picked one at random out of frustration.
The final letter, the one where the Owl had waited for his response, was from Director Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Ruling Lady of House Bones. Director Bones' letter thanked him for informing her of his unsolicited entry into the Tri-Wizard Tournament and requested a meeting for his account of the events and to discuss possible actions that could be taken. Harry wrote a quick response to Director Bones to say that he would be available for a meeting in Hogsmeade on Sunday.
In anticipation that Harry would be entered, Hermione had acquired the full listing of rules and privileges that related to a Tri-Wizard Tournament, which she had summarised for Harry. There were five 'events' that Harry was required to attend. The three Tasks, the 'Weighing of the Wands' that occurred prior to the First Task, and the Yule Ball. Other than those five events, all the Champions were 'free to prepare for the Tasks without restriction', which effectively meant Harry did not have to attend classes if he did not wish; could leave the Castle Grounds on any day, except for the days of the five events, without having to let anyone know; and was not actually required to attend any detention he was issued as it would interfere with his preparations.
As he watched the owl with his response to Director Bones fly off, he felt someone sit next to him and smelt the familiar scent of ink and vanilla that he always associated with Hermione.
"How did the shite show go?" Harry asked.
He had sent off the letters the previous night and then had been avoiding pretty much everyone since.
"About as expected." Hermione replied. "They don't think you are a cheat, but a bunch of them seem to be pitying you as if you were as good as dead."
"Fuck 'em." Harry commented. "So… we still on to go to the Yule Ball together?"
"Of course." Hermione confirmed. "We agreed we would be going as friends, didn't we?"
Harry nodded. Hermione was his Best Friend, the one who knew him best, never doubted him and the only one he trusted absolutely without question. Who else would he want to go to the Yule Ball with, even if it was just as friends.
"So… when do you think they will announce the Ball officially?" Harry asked.
"Probably after the First Task." Hermione said, leaning up against Harry's side.
Harry never felt more comfortable than when he was near Hermione. She was the solid rock that he could cling to when his doubts and insecurities clawed at him, wanting to drag him down into isolation and depression. And she was warm against his side.
TBC….