Taking out the Marauder's Map, Harry checked for Hermione
Granger and found her in the Gryffindor common room. Deactivating
it, he took Daphne's hand and led them forward.
"How have the teachers allowed this?" asked Daphne quietly. "I was
under the impression Muggle-borns have private sessions with their
Heads of House so that they could adjust to the magical world
better?"
"Professor McGonagall probably doesn't even know what Granger is
doing," muttered Harry. "She's the most overworked member of staff
at Hogwarts. Besides, just because Granger has been informed of
the culture and traditions of the magical world doesn't mean she has
to respect them, does it? Haven't you listened to her go on about
how wizards don't have logic?"
Daphne hummed. "I doubt there is a single person in the castle who
hasn't. I don't get it. What could possibly make her say something
like that?"
Harry smiled grimly as he said, "Only those who have lived in both
the Muggle world and magical world will realise that Muggle logic is
quite different from wizard logic, a fact which Granger, unfortunately,
fails to understand."
When they reached the tapestry of the Fat Lady, they stopped.
"My Lord, my Lady, how may I serve you?" asked the Fat Lady as
she curtseyed for them.
"We would like to enter the tower please," said Harry impassively.
"Of course, my Lord," she said as it swung open, revealing the
portrait hole. They entered together, but Daphne stayed behind,
leaning against the wall as she watched her fiancé do the work.
"Potter, what are you doing here?" asked Ron Weasley, frowning.
"How do you know our password?"
"I don't need a password to enter Gryffindor Tower, Weasley," said
Harry calmly as he walked forward. "I get automatic entrance.
Where's Hermione Granger?"
"What?" said Hermione, looking up from her needlework. In front of
her were several woollen hats and socks.
"Granger, I need to talk to you, privately," said Harry, coming to a halt
several feet away from her.
"Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of us all," said
Ron, sounding annoyed. Hermione looked at Harry curiously,
wondering what this was all about.
"Very well," said Harry dispassionately. He flicked his wand and said,
" Accio house-elf clothes !"
Hermione flushed in outrage as dozens of hats and socks flew to him
from different corners of Gryffindor Tower.
"What may I ask is this?"
"I don't answer to you!" snapped Hermione angrily. "You're not a
prefect or a teacher."
"Yes, but I am an older student. I'm asking you again, what is this?"
"You already seem to know," said Hermione angrily. "It's the clothes I
made for house-elves."
"To set them free?" asked Harry, his face not displaying a hint of
emotion at all.
"Yes," said Hermione, sounding superior as she held her head high.
"I'm doing them all a service. I can't believe witches and wizards
condone slavery! The house-elves should be set free and that's what
I'm going to do!"
Neville opened his mouth to reply furiously when Harry raised his
hand, shaking his head at him. "And what if I told you that it won't
work anymore?" he asked, with eyebrows raised. "What if I told you
that I have re-bonded the house-elves you set free and that I have
ensured that none of the clothes you trick them into taking will have
any meaning to them anymore?"
"How dare you!" she shouted angrily, standing up to face him. "How
dare you condone slavery? That's barbaric! I'm surprised that no one
has tried to stop it yet; it just shows how backward your thinking is.
House-elves need to be free; they need wages and sick leave and
better working conditions. I can't believe the Ministry of Magic
condones this! Making them your slave is monstrous! Why, in the
Muggle world –"
"Oh, don't act all mighty Granger," snapped Harry, his eyes
darkening slightly. "I understand that you want the best for them and
I appreciate that, but your actions say different. Tell me, have you
actually met a house-elf before?"
"Of course I have," said Hermione loftily. "I saw you summon that elf
a year ago when you showed those memories to the school."
"That's not what I meant," said Harry quietly. "Have you personally
spoken to them? Have you asked them if they're happy? Have you
asked them why they need to bond with witches and wizards?
Professor McGonagall must have told you, if you had cared to ask
her, that the bond between a wizard and house-elf goes back for
millennia. Have you ever tried to understand why that is so?"
"They're obviously brainwashed by –" began Hermione, but she was
cut off.
"So, you came to your own conclusion did you?" asked Harry in a
deadly voice. "That's the problem with you, Granger. You read what
is given in one book, not verify it with others, not listen to others who
try to correct you, not look at the real-life scenario, and jump to
conclusions! That's what you have done with regard to house-elves."
"Let me enlighten you," he continued, as the entire Gryffindor House
listened in rapt attention. "House-elves have always existed in our
world, but they are not the only form of elves. There are Wood Elves
which exist in the forests all over the world, but they are very, very
rarely seen as they prefer to remain isolated due to the danger of
them being hunted down. High Elves exist who are considered by
many as one of the oldest sentient magic species, but they too prefer
an isolated environment and haven't been spotted for hundreds if not
thousands of years. Just as all of us serve a purpose and function for
the society at large, house-elves are a species meant to serve. That
is their function, as I'm sure it was explained to you numerous times!
If you rob them of their ability to do their job, then they lose the will to
live as they have nothing else to live for!"
"Slavery –" began Hermione, but was again cut off.
"The bond between a house-elf and a witch or wizard has existed for
tens of thousands of years. That is the way for them to survive.
Without the bond, their existence has no meaning; they were born to
serve. Unlike in your precious Muggle world where humans enslave
other humans, we don't do that. Because Mother Magic herself has
created a species who serve us to help better ourselves so that we
can improve our society. Every society needs others who cook,
clean, do the housework, and take care of the children. In the
Muggle world, it is done by other humans, while in the magical world
it is done by house-elves. You can't expect them to accept wages
because they have no use for it. What do you think they would do,
go to a party? Watch a movie? Their inherent magic itself provides
them with whatever they need, and coupled with the magic they get
from witches and wizards ensures that they are self-sufficient. They
use the magic received from the bond to reproduce, and you trying
to free them shows that there is someone out there who wants to kill
them all! Please, don't try to bring in your vaunted Muggle ideas into
the magical world where it is neither wanted nor necessary," said
Harry quietly, but firmly.
"But of course you need Muggle ideas!" screeched Hermione
furiously. "The wizarding world is still stuck in the dark ages with
backward and outdated traditions and only by adapting to the
Muggle world can bring them out of stagnation! There isn't even the
concept of divorce in the magical world, while it exists in the Muggle
world. There is so much more ... Polygamy, the Ancient and Noble
House system ... Only if we remove such barbaric laws and
traditions could the magical world ever hope to be as advanced as
the Muggle world."
This comment brought outrage from many of them sitting in the
common room. Nobody missed the part of Granger called them all
barbaric, and many of the purebloods couldn't believe that she would
think that the Muggle world could even compete with the magical
world in any way.
"Let me tell you something Granger," sneered Harry. "Don't compare
the Muggle world to the magical world, and don't you dare question
our traditions and beliefs and impose your beliefs on us just because
you consider them beneath you. We don't want that. You think the
Muggle world is superior, isn't it? Please, enlighten us. Just what do
Muggles have that we don't? You mentioned divorce, right? Well,
let's test that. Hey, Fred, George, do you know what divorce is?" he
asked the Weasley twins sitting there.
"Ahem, no idea, Harry," said George confused. "What is that? Is it
some kind of cure for a disease?"
"Aha!" said Hermione triumphantly. "See? They don't even know
what it is. This proves that –"
"– divorce doesn't exist in the magical world," finished Harry calmly.
"Do you know why, Granger? It's because unlike Muggle marriages,
in the case of witches and wizards, the husband and wife are
bonded for life. To those who don't know, divorce is a Muggle term
that describes a situation where a husband and wife split after
marriage and go their separate ways. You see, Granger? They're
disgusted to even hear of such a thing. That's because when two
people are married through blessings of Magic, it creates a sacred
bond between them. They don't cheat on each other; they don't feel
the need to divorce the other. Whatever we do, we have a reason.
There's a similar bond between parents and their children as well. As
for Polygamy, if you're interested to know, has not been seen in our
world for a hundred years. It exists only in law, in case the heads of
families decide to marry another to continue their line or in case
people marry for love."
"The Ancient and Noble House system is archaic," said Hermione
stubbornly. "It shows the magical world isn't democratic like the
Muggle world. This clearly discriminates Muggle-borns as they don't
have access to such influence as the Ancient Houses. We Muggleborns
face so much prosecution and we don't get high position jobs!"
"Oh, give me a break!" said Harry through gritted teeth. "Just what is
it with you wanting to bring more of the Muggle world into
everything? Get your facts straight Granger. Elected representatives
and Magical governments have existed for much longer when
Muggles were still struggling with corrupt monarchy. The Ancient
Houses exist for a reason. The Most Ancient Houses are those
families who were appointed by King Arthur to take care of the
welfare of the British magical community nearly fifteen hundred
years ago. Since King Arthur was the last magical king, we had to
govern ourselves. Newer families were introduced, creating the
Ancient and Noble Houses and a few centuries later, the Noble
Houses. They were the ones who founded the magical governments
and enacted all those laws in the first place; they were the ones to
introduce the concept of elected representatives and thus, for all the
work they have done, they have hereditary seats. This system of
governance exists not only in Magical Britain but all over the world.
Everything is regulated by the International Confederation of
Wizards!"
"In our Ministry of Magic, the Wizengamot is comprised of Ancient
and Noble Houses, Ministry department heads, those who are young
and elderly alike, holders of Orders of Merlin and the remaining
nearly half of them are elected by the people! Even being the Lord of
an Ancient and Noble House isn't easy. While no one can deny us
the seat, just because we were born in the family doesn't give us the
right to sit there. We are evaluated by a panel of Wizengamot
members who test our knowledge about magical law and if we're
worthy to sit there for legislative and judicial sessions. I'm not saying
those in the nobility aren't privileged, but if the society had equal
standing for all its citizens, then there would be no chaos at all;
unfortunately, such a society is but a distant dream."
"You mentioned Muggle-borns and their rights," said Harry, cutting
off Granger who wanted to speak. "Do you realise that you're talking
to the son of a Muggle-born? I'm a half-blood myself. Who told you
that Muggle-borns don't get top jobs? I can give you the names of
five elected members of the Wizengamot who are Muggle-borns. My
mother was an Unspeakable when she was alive, and she was a
Muggle-born. Dirk Cresswell, the newest Head of the Goblin Liaison
Office is a Muggle-born. Twenty-five per cent of the Ministry workers
are Muggle-borns. Are you saying that they aren't successful?"
"Why, have you heard of Miller's Magic Mirrors? Of course, you
have. The proprietor is Serena Miller, a Muggle-born! She was
named the Businesswoman of the Year in the International Magical
Business Magazine and has received several awards globally and
was also awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, by our Ministry of
Magic. So, tell me, in which sense are we barbaric ?" he sneered at
the last word. "Atlantis was a thriving magical city thousands of years
ago while the Muggle world was still developing rudimentary huts.
Stop judging the magical world by your knowledge of the Muggle
world! They're completely different! We believe the laws of Mother
Magic should –"
" Mother Magic?" snickered Hermione triumphantly, as if her theory
of wizards not having an ounce of logic was validated. "Now that is
the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Magic is just a tool which
can be used –"
" SHUT UP !" hissed Harry furiously in Parseltongue, losing control
for the first time while other purebloods too shouted in outrage. "
This is what we don't like! You were introduced to the magical world
just three years ago, and you're already spitting on our traditions and
beliefs which have existed for thousands and thousands of years!
For Merlin's sake Granger, stop trying to convert the magical world to
your so-called advanced Muggle standards! We don't want it ! I'm not
saying that we are perfect; yes, there is widespread corruption; yes,
there is stagnation, yes, there are dangerous Dark Lords in the
society, and yes, Muggle-borns do face scorn, but this is the reason
for it! You enter into our world, spit on our beliefs and try to change
who we are! And no one likes that!"
"You are still thinking like a Muggle, which is why you can't see it
from our point of view," spat Harry accusingly. "You say that we have
slaves. Have you forgotten, Granger, that you had human slaves
until fifty years ago? Didn't different Muggle countries colonise
different parts of the world and subjugate the natives or even
eliminate them? Where were your morals then, Granger? You keep
spitting on us while saying that the Muggle world is advanced. Let
me tell you that until about a hundred or hundred and fifty years ago,
the Muggles had nothing! It was only because of the two World Wars
that made you start developing all sorts of technology. Do you think
what you have done is advanced ?"
"Fifty years of development will not equal the development that was
present in the magical world five thousand years ago! Go to the
library and read more books on magical history and you'll soon come
to the same conclusion. It is because of people like you that the rest
of the Muggle-borns face scorn even if they adjust to our society. Do
you want to complain about discrimination? Of course, there would
be discrimination if you act like this!"
"Do you think the Japanese would treat you well if you go to Japan
and start spitting on their traditions and culture? The same applies
here. You are essentially entering a new country. Just because we
also go by the name of Britain and Ireland does not mean it is the
same. There is a reason we are called citizens of Magical Britain and
Ireland; this is Avalon , not the United Kingdom! We are a separate
country and thus not answerable to anyone in the Muggle
government, just like every other magical country in the world. We
are not asking you to follow our traditions, Granger, but you have to
learn to respect them since you are now a citizen of Avalon !"
Taking a deep breath, Harry centred himself, trying to control his
emotions. After a minute, his impassive mask was back in place, but
his eyes were still a shade of blackish-green. He saw that Hermione
was still glaring at him and that no one in the common room was
speaking a word. Supremely unconcerned, Harry turned around, with
Daphne taking his hand in hers comfortingly and the two of them
walked out of the tower.
Pandemonium ensued as nearly everyone in the common room was
shooting filthy looks at one Hermione Granger.
Backward ... barbaric ... archaic ... magic is just a tool to be used...
Those words echoed in the minds of every witch and wizard present
in Gryffindor Tower.
"You okay?" whispered Dylan as they stood outside the castle on the
thirtieth of October, waiting for the delegations of Beauxbatons and
Durmstrang to arrive.
"I'm fine," said Harry quietly, but he didn't mention that he had been
training like a madman over the past month. The meeting with
Hermione Granger had shaken him to the core. She was arrogant
and bigoted, not to mention self-righteous. He would readily agree
that he did not think highly of Muggles, but he was not a citizen of
Muggle Britain and had not entered the Muggle world since the age
of seven. Hermione Granger, on the other hand, was a citizen of
Magical Britain and for her to speak like that brought warning bells to
Harry. There was no telling what she might do if she thought she was
doing the right thing without realising the consequences of her
actions. She was dangerous but no one else would agree with him.
Harry involuntary shivered when he thought about the scenario of
Muggles knowing the existence of magic. It would be the end of the
world because Muggles would never accept magic in their lives. That
was the reason the International Statute of Secrecy was imposed in
the first place and why it was so strictly enforced. He remembered
reading about some of the Muggle-loving wizards wanting to help
during the First World War. If another war breaks out in the Muggle
world, it was people like Hermione Granger who posed a danger to
the society. She would simply act, wanting to protect those Muggles
from destroying themselves, using magic in the process. If magic
was exposed to them, they would destroy witches and wizards along
with each other. He was not speculating; history over millennia
provided them with infinite evidence – history which Muggles did not
have access to.
He only hoped such a situation never occurs in the future. The
magical world had enough problems without the Muggles being one
of them.
The confrontation with Hermione Granger had spread throughout the
school like Fiendfyre. Harry actually expected a massive backlash,
but there wasn't one – towards him, at least; not that much, anyway.
Harry was right; no one wanted to give up their traditions and beliefs
even if they were pro-Muggle. The Gryffindors had not forgotten the
words Granger had used to describe them – backward, barbaric,
archaic, and word had quickly spread throughout the school.
Even some of the teachers had grown cold towards her and Snape
was actually being nastier than ever, docking points from Gryffindor
every chance he could get. Draco Malfoy had loudly started talking
about 'Mudbloods' until Harry had dressed him down verbally and
transfigured him into an albino ferret in the middle of the Great Hall
for insulting all Muggle-borns. He had gotten detention for it, not to
mention had to endure Professor McGonagall loudly berating him for
using Transfiguration on another student, but it had been worth it.
Harry was a half-blood himself and he wouldn't take such insults to
the general Muggle-born population lying down. Blind bigotry of the
Death Eaters was something he did not agree with.
"So, any information on who's going to enter the tournament?" asked
Harry.
"The Hufflepuffs are all talking about Cedric Diggory," replied Dylan.
"The Ravenclaws don't have a strong candidate and even though
you are a seventh-year student, I doubt you can enter because of
what you said about the tournament's magical contract. The
Gryffindors also don't have anyone strong and neither do the
Slytherins."
"Diggory?" asked Harry, frowning slightly. "Yeah, I shared classes
with him for two terms. He's a smart bloke, from what I remember.
Maybe he'll do a good job, who knows? He could surprise us."
"What did Dumbledore want with you?"
"Oh, the usual," said Harry, rolling his eyes. "He heard about my
confrontation with Granger and decided to instil the virtues of
Muggles. He said that they are a fascinating race and that we must
learn to be more like them. He also said that I should learn to forgive
and forget."
Dylan cringed. "I bet you didn't take that rather well," he said.
Harry snorted. "You think? I told him to bugger off and walked out of
his office. I have an aversion to dragon dung and Dumbledore
produces it in bulk. He accused me of going dark and I was quite
curious as to why he ever thought I was a so-called light wizard."
Dylan burst out laughing. Soon, the delegations of the two schools
arrived and they were led inside the castle. Harry sat down next to
Dylan as he listened to Dumbledore's speech, even though his mind
was drifting. Schooling his features, his face was back to its
expressionless self as the food appeared.
"Is that French food?" asked Dylan curiously.
"Yes," said Harry. "You might want to try it; I certainly enjoyed it
during my trip to France two years ago."
The Great Hall looked a lot more crowded than usual, which it was.
There were about two hundred students from the two foreign schools
put together and they were sitting at all four House tables. Unknown
to Harry, several of the new female students were staring at him
unashamedly. While Harry wasn't vain, there was no denying the fact
that he was the best-looking male at Hogwarts. When his gaze
drifted to the Slytherin table, his eye twitched in annoyance as he
observed several of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang boys eyeing
Daphne, a few brave ones actually flirting with her.
Daphne felt someone staring at her. She smirked as she saw Harry
looking at her, his anger –and dare she say it, jealousy – barely
concealed to her. Wanting to nip things in the bud before Harry
actually killed someone – she had no doubt he was capable of doing
it and was already considering it – she winked at him and subtly blew
him a kiss. She snorted in amusement when she saw the pleased
look on Harry's face as he went back to his dinner. Sitting beside
him, Dylan was covering his mouth with his hands, laughing his arse
off.
"Shut up, Dylan," muttered Harry, cuffing the boy on the head.
At that moment, a musical voice said, "Excuse me, but may I take
the bouillabaisse?"
"Of course," said Harry, not reacting to the silvery blonde haired
beauty in front of him. As far as he was concerned, the dark blonde
haired beauty sitting at the Slytherin table was more beautiful than
any Veela in the world and nothing or no one would change that.
Of course, it wouldn't hurt to look ...
"You have finished with it?" asked as the beautiful girl, smiling
flirtatiously at him, wondering if the handsome boy in front of her was
resistant to her allure. She noticed that his emerald green eyes did
soften, so maybe he wasn't completely impervious to it.
"It's not my favourite dish, so you can have it," said Harry with a
small smile. "But the Crème Brulee has my name written on it, sorry."
"Oh, that's quite alright," she said smiling widely. Extending her
hand, she said, "I'm Fleur Delacour."
"Charmed, Ms Delacour," said Harry, taking her hand to kiss her
knuckles. "I'm Harry Potter and this is my brother Dylan Lestrange."
"It is a pleasure to meet you both," said Fleur happily. "I have to get
back to my friends. I hope to see you later."
"Of course," said Harry, turning back to his food.
"You are in so much trouble," muttered Dylan.
"Why do you say that?"
"Daphne."
Harry subtly cast a glance at his fiancée. Even though her face was
not showing it, her deep blue eyes were glaring daggers at Fleur
Delacour. Smirking slightly, he too blew her a kiss, making Daphne
smile back at him slightly, though it looked somewhat forced.
Many boys in the Great Hall were gaping at what had just happened.
Ron Weasley's eyes were glazed slightly as he glared hatefully at
Harry. Just as the desserts were cleared, Harry saw Sirius enter the
Hall along with Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman.
"What is Uncle Sirius doing here?" asked Dylan curiously.
"He's the Minister of Magic of the host country," Harry shrugged. "It's
expected that he be here. Dumbledore is actually not only the
Headmaster of the host school, but also the Supreme Mugwump of
the I.C.W. He is representing the Confederation because they were
the ones who organised the event."
"Before we begin," said Dumbledore standing up, "let me introduce
you to our new arrivals. First, we have Mr Bartemius Crouch, the
Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Mr
Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of the Magical Games
and Sports. We also have with us today Lord Sirius Black, the
Minister of Magic of Magical Britain and Ireland."
Thunderous applause greeted Sirius as he stood up, smiling at them.
"Madam Maxime, Professor Karkaroff and I will be judging the three
tasks along with two other randomly chosen representatives of the
International Confederation," said Dumbledore. "We will be judging
the champions' efforts in participating in the tasks."
Dumbledore then tapped his wand at a casket, making the wood
around it melt, revealing a large, handsome goblet. The brim of the
goblet was full of dancing blue flames.
"Anyone who wishes to submit themselves as champion must write
their name and school clearly on a sheet of parchment and drop it in
the Goblet of Fire," explained Dumbledore. "To ensure that no
underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line
around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance
hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this
line."
After the feast was done, Dumbledore dismissed them and everyone
headed to their respective dormitories. The Beauxbatons and
Durmstrang students returned to their carriage and ship too. Nobody
could stop talking about the tournament and champions.
The next day, once Harry finished his morning run and shower, he
made his way to the Great Hall, only for Dylan to grab his arm and
drag him over to the Slytherin table.
"Let me guess," said Harry wryly. "You got a mirror call from Daphne
last night and you are under orders to ensure that no girl flirts with
me? She's turned you into her minion!"
"Any news on who entered their names yet?" asked Dylan, looking
around at the group, ignoring his brother.
"Not yet, though a few of the seventh year Slytherins did it early this
morning," said Theo as he helped himself to breakfast.
"Makes sense," said Blaise as he sat down. "You wouldn't want an
audience when it happens. Angelina Johnson from Gryffindor put her
name in and the Hufflepuffs are chanting Diggory's name as though
he is Merlin himself," he finished in disgust.
"Did you find anything?" asked Daphne quietly.
"Her name is Fleur Delacour," said Astoria, ignoring the boys as she
spoke to her sister softly. "Daughter of Jean-Luc Delacour, the Head
of the Department of International Relations of the French Ministry of
Magic. He's married to a Veela, I'm told, which explains her allure."
"That's very rare," observed Daphne. "Veela, male or female, don't
usually intermarry with witches and wizards, choosing to keep
themselves separate."
Astoria shrugged. "She's the top student of her year at Beauxbatons,
so she might be a champion. She is adored by the boys for obvious
reasons, but the girls, not so much, though she does have several
friends."
"Interesting," muttered Daphne.
Once they finished breakfast, Dylan and Astoria went off to the
library but Harry dragged Daphne to the Room of Requirement.
Once inside, he pinned her to the wall and kissed her lovingly and
passionately.
"You know that I love you more than anyone in the world, right?" he
breathed, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"Of course I know that," said Daphne softly, not meeting his eyes.
"And you should know that I love you too, but –"
"Then, in that case, please trust me when I say that you are my one
and only," said Harry as he tilted her chin up, locking eyes with her.
"No one can compare to you, Daphne."
"She clearly has her sights on you. Not just Delacour, but several
other girls as well. They're all waiting in line to get to you. Is it wrong
of me to be scared of losing you to them? How do I compete with
her?"
"Daphne, why do you think this is a competition? Even if it were,
you've already won. You managed to capture my heart and make me
fall irrevocably in love with you. So what is she has Veela blood in
her? It's her nature! We can't blame her for that. Even so, why would
I be attracted to them when I have you, someone who is more
beautiful than all the Veela in the world combined?"
Daphne looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes. The warmth
displayed in Harry's eyes made her heart beat faster. Wrapping her
arms around him, she melted into the hug, her head under his chin
as she listened to his heartbeat.
"I can't begin to describe how much I love you," she said softly.
"That's why I'm scared."
Harry closed his eyes as he placed a kiss on the top of her head as
they stayed there together, enjoying the silence and comfort the
other offered.
"I love you too. Never forget that."
People were quite nervous that night, going by the fact that they
didn't even take second helpings of dessert. Once the golden plates
and cutlery were cleared, Dumbledore stood up and there was a
sharp upswing in the level of noise as people began whispering
excitedly. Minister Black was present, along with the Triwizard
Committee of the I.C.W., Mr Crouch, Mr Bagman, Madam Maxime
and Professor Karkaroff. There was also the staff of Hogwarts and
the teachers of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang who had come with
the students. The media was also present. One reporter from each
major magical publication was allowed, so that had a half a dozen
reporters from Britain and abroad being present. The reporter of the
Magical Daily had the recording crystal suspended in mid-air so that
witches and wizards could watch the live telecast.
The flames in the goblet turned red suddenly. Sparks began to fly
and a tongue of flame rushed out of the goblet, spitting out a piece of
parchment. Dumbledore caught the parchment and said, "The
champion for Durmstrang is Victor Krum!"
Thunderous applause greeted this declaration as the International
Quidditch star stood up and walked to the chamber off the Great
Hall. The goblet released another tongue of flame along with a
parchment.
"The champion of Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour," shouted
Dumbledore.
The applause was not as great as Victor's but it was still deafening.
The anticipation in the hall was palpable when the third slip of
parchment flew out. "The Hogwarts champion is," said Dumbledore,
"Cedric Diggory!"
All the students at the Hufflepuff table stood up in celebration as
Cedric went to the Headmaster, grinning widely.
Harry's eyes twinkled in amusement. The other three Houses were
clapping loudly too, but he could see some of the Gryffindors and
Slytherins look aghast. He was actually pleased with the outcome.
Hufflepuff rarely got a chance to shine and this was their moment.
Amelia Black was another exemplary Hufflepuff, so there could be a
chance that Cedric might shine in –
"Harry Potter."
Harry's head snapped up, blinking in confusion. In the midst of the
celebration, he had not listened to Dumbledore's speech being
interrupted or the Goblet of Fire turning red for the fourth time,
spitting out another piece of parchment.
"HARRY POTTER!" shouted Dumbledore, holding the slip in his
hand.
Sirius looked half-scared and half-outraged. People all over began
looking at him and whispering. Harry himself had a look of utter
shock on his otherwise impassive face.
"Harry, you need to go," urged Dylan.
"What the hell is going on here?" asked Harry, his eyes narrowing.
"You'll never find out if you stay here. Go on!"
Harry slowly got up, his eyes darkening, glowing a shade of blackishgreen,
his fear and fury making it difficult to think. He heard someone
shout 'cheat' but did not care. He stared at Dumbledore, promising
eternal pain if he did not explain himself. Dumbledore, for that
matter, had a look of shock on his face himself.
"Go on in, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly, giving him the slip of
parchment.
Harry took it and checked the handwriting. There was no doubt
about it. His name was written in his distinctively neat cursive writing.
Clenching his fists, he left the Great Hall, the sound of his long
strides echoing off the walls