The Goblet of Fire
Since it was Saturday, it would normally have been expected for many students to sleep in or laze around, taking advantage of the fact that they had no classes. Today, however, was different, and everyone had gotten up early in the morning, gathering in the Great Hall while staring intently at the Goblet, watching the students who approached from time to time to place their names inside.
Harry and his group did not want to miss it either. As they ate their toast, their eyes remained fixed on the center of the Great Hall. There, still resting atop its pedestal, the Goblet stood completely still. On the floor around it, a thin red line formed a circle roughly three meters in radius.
Everyone's attention was on the Goblet. No one looked away.
Tommy, carrying a large bundle of crumpled pieces of parchment in his arms, was trying to toss them toward the Goblet without stepping into the circle. Even so, he seemed to miss by just a little every time.
"Ugh, just a bit closer," he muttered, but judging by the number of discarded papers scattered across the floor, it was clear he had been trying for quite a while, perhaps even before the others had woken up.
Harry stepped closer for a moment and picked up one of the parchments from the ground, unfolding it. When he saw the name written on it, Tommy Maximoff, Hogwarts, he could not help but roll his eyes.
"I'm pretty sure Mom won't let you participate," Harry said as he approached his younger brother, though he made no move to stop him, since it looked like something amusing was about to happen.
"Sirius said that once you put your name in, a binding contract forces you to compete. So once I manage to get my name in there, there'll be nothing anyone can do," Tommy replied with a proud grin.
"I don't think it works like that," Billy said from his side, looking as though he was there more because his brother dragged him along than because he actually wanted to be.
"You do know there's no contract Mom couldn't break, right?" Harry said. For a brief moment, Tommy's hand froze in midair as he looked at him, then he shrugged.
"Well, that'll happen when it happens," he said, clearly unconcerned.
"Billy, plan B," Tommy said immediately after realizing his aim was not good enough, turning to his brother with a confident smile.
Billy let out a tired sigh and glanced at Harry as if asking for help, but Harry only returned the same amused smile he had worn from the start.
That annoyed Billy slightly, but he still complied.
"Fine," he said, though he did not sound confident at all. He then looked at his brother and pointed both hands toward him.
A blue aura shimmered around Billy's hands and around Tommy's body as Tommy began to float slightly off the ground.
"Ooooh," some students exclaimed with interest as they watched the young boy's magic at work, seeing Tommy hover above the Goblet, just outside the red barrier.
Tommy, wearing a proud smile as though this were the greatest plan ever conceived, still had several parchments in his arms. He released them all at once, dropping them directly above the Goblet.
Many of them missed, but one single piece made it in.
"I did it!" he shouted, throwing his hands up as he watched the parchment burn upon being accepted.
"What do you think you're doing?" a gentle voice suddenly asked, freezing both Tommy and Billy in place.
Billy slowly turned to look at the person who had spoken, whom they both recognized immediately just by her voice. In doing so, he accidentally released his hold on Tommy, causing him to fall.
Tommy collided with the red barrier, sliding down it for a moment before hitting the floor.
"Phew, that was close," he said, but before he could celebrate, a red beam shot out from the barrier and struck both him and Billy.
A small burst of smoke covered everything. When it cleared, both of them were babies.
"Gaaaa!" Tommy cried out as he stared at his tiny hands, his face twisted into genuine tragedy. Then he remembered the voice from earlier and slowly looked up. Wanda was standing there, staring down at him, having already caught Billy, who wore a dry, exhausted expression as he examined his own hands, something oddly amused lingering on his baby face.
Tommy turned around and began crawling away at full speed, but he did not get far. Wanda took only three steps before catching them both with ease.
As Tommy continued flailing his tiny arms and legs in the air, Wanda spoke.
"So troublesome," she said with a faintly amused smile, holding them both, their expressions entirely miserable.
Meanwhile, Harry took the opportunity to quietly slip away, hoping his mother would not notice him.
That, of course, was impossible.
Wanda turned to look at him, leaving Harry completely frozen where he stood.
"I had nothing to do with this," Harry said, raising both hands.
She observed him with narrowed eyes for a moment, long enough to make him fear ending up just like his brothers.
"Behave yourself," she said before walking away with Billy and Tommy, a playful smile on her face.
Some students stood there in silence. Others took a step back without even realizing it. After all, what Sirius had said about turning into something grotesque suddenly felt very real.
No one wanted to risk finding out what else the barrier could do.
Harry knew punishments like that were usually meant for his brothers. Usually.
Harry, feeling as though he had narrowly escaped a scolding, or something worse, went back to sit with his friends at the Ravenclaw table.
"You got away by a hair," Draco said, a faintly mocking smile on his face as Harry arrived.
"You should have stopped them," Hermione said, looking at him seriously.
"And who am I to stop their character development moment?" Harry replied. His smile made it clear that he was mostly enjoying the small bit of chaos his brothers had caused. Then he quickly changed the subject. "So, who's already put their names in?"
"So far, only the Durmstrang students," Daphne said with mild annoyance. She clearly wanted to go and submit her name, but at the same time she knew she could not compete against the people she actually cared about facing, which made the idea far less appealing.
And if those people were her friends, then even if she were chosen as a champion, she saw little fun in competing against strangers. It would not mean much if she could not rub it in their faces for years afterward.
"Well, looks like the first ones who can put their names in are arriving," Harry said with a faint smile.
From the entrance of the Great Hall, as loud and disruptive as ever, Fred and George Weasley walked in, accompanied by Lee Jordan, who was busy tossing small fireworks onto the floor, sending sparks flying behind them.
"Such a shame they took away some of the fun by making it legal," Fred said with a slightly arrogant, playful grin.
"It would be much more entertaining if it were only allowed for those over seventeen," George added, "but now that we can compete, I don't think there'll be much of a contest," he finished, earning a few pieces of food thrown in their direction by their classmates.
Even so, everyone could tell they were joking, judging by their expressions, as the two of them approached the Goblet of Fire together.
They both placed their names into the Goblet, hesitating for just a moment, a hint of nervousness showing. The parchment burst into flame instantly, signaling that it had been accepted. Almost at once, many Hogwarts students stood up to applaud them, while the twins raised their arms with wide, triumphant smiles.
"Don't worry. If we're chosen as champions, we won't let Hogwarts down," they declared, each placing a hand over their chest and bowing in an overly dramatic, but entertaining manner.
The others continued eating calmly, with not many new students stepping forward to submit their names. The Great Hall's decorations were particularly eye-catching that day, as it was Halloween. Bats fluttered about, cobwebs hung in the corners, and countless other decorations filled the space.
"I heard Warrington put his name in early this morning, same as Summer from Hufflepuff, and Fousey from our house," Terry commented, sounding as gossipy as ever.
"Mmm," Harry replied simply, clearly uninterested. Still, Terry, eager to keep talking, pressed on.
"Everyone's talking about Diggory, from Hufflepuff. They say he might be chosen, since he's the best student of that year," Terry added. "Though if any of you tried to compete, you'd probably be chosen instantly."
"Not interested," Harry said without hesitation.
"I don't have the time," Draco added with annoyance.
"It's dangerous," Hermione said.
"Competing against weaklings is boring," Daphne remarked.
"Damn it. And here I was, already placing my bets on who'd be chosen," Terry muttered under his breath. Harry heard him anyway and rolled his eyes.
Breakfast tried to continue. Terry did not help. Even so, everyone's attention drifted back to the Goblet almost instinctively. A dark-skinned girl from Gryffindor, clearly embarrassed by all the attention, stepped forward and placed her name inside. When it was accepted, several people cheered for her, causing her to hurry back to her seat.
Harry was the first to glance toward the entrance of the Great Hall, more out of instinct than anything else. A moment later, the Beauxbatons students entered as a group, accompanied by Madame Maxime, advancing in orderly lines straight toward the Goblet.
Conversations faltered across the hall. The boys openly admired the beautiful Beauxbatons girls, while several girls practically melted at the sight of the handsome young men. For a brief moment, it almost seemed as though Madame Maxime had brought not the strongest students of her school, but merely the most visually striking ones.
Harry knew that impression would not last.
After all, the one leading them was Luciel, and more than anyone else, Harry knew just how lethal that young man could be.
Luciel seemed to sense his gaze and glanced back at him, offering his usual friendly smile. He looked like a genuinely harmless, approachable young man. That impression, however, vanished entirely the moment he drew his swords.
One by one, the students crossed the age line and placed their names into the Goblet's flames without difficulty, finishing with Fleur and Luciel.
The fire briefly flared red as it accepted their names.
After that, the entire group left the Great Hall the same way they had entered.
"Now that I think about it, where did they sleep?" Daphne asked with interest.
Before anyone could answer, a strange-looking owl suddenly approached them. It was unusual, as it appeared to be made entirely of gleaming golden metal. Runes traced every line of its body, shaped like finely carved feathers, and two large red rubies served as its eyes. In its talons, it carried a letter sealed with a crest they all recognized. Just by looking at it, they already knew who it was from.
Students at nearby tables stared at the odd bird with interest and clear confusion.
"He did it," Hermione said with genuine joy as she recognized it. "It's a golem owl."
"Come on. The master is calling us," Harry said calmly after quickly reading the letter. He gently touched the owl's head, and it began to shift and change shape, transforming into a small metallic sphere, which Harry took with him as they left together.