"Harry, what are you doing here?" asked Cedric in confusion as the
younger boy entered the room. "Do they want us to return to the
Great Hall?"
Harry didn't answer. His eyes were burning with fury at being tricked
into the tournament and magic was leaking off of him in waves, the
aura palpable. How had someone managed to enter his name into
something as ancient as the Goblet of Fire? His mind was working at
a furious pace, thinking about any spell that could achieve this.
Looking out of the window, he wondered who would want him here
and why. He mused that the reason why was obvious. Harry did
have a lot of enemies and this was an outstanding way to get rid of
him. He didn't know what the other two tasks were, but the dragon
would surely have a field day with him. What a great assassination
attempt! Whoever did this didn't even need to lift their wand!
But did he have to compete?
Yes, he had felt the twitch in his magic after his name had been
called, signifying that he was under a very powerful magical contract.
Harry paled slightly. The magical contract for the tournament was
meant for of age witches and wizards, which meant that should he
compete, he would be breaking the terms of the contract. At the
same time, should he not compete, he would be again breaking the
terms of the contract. Who was the idiot that decided to bring binding
magical contracts into this? But one thing was certain – unless he
figured out a way, he'd lose his magic and if that happened, it
wouldn't be long before he died. He could not let that happen. What
to do? He snapped out of his musings when he heard raised voices,
but he didn't turn towards them.
"– we were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out
younger contestants, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, his steely smile
still in place, though his eyes were colder than ever. "Otherwise, we
would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidates
from our own schools."
"It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff," said Snape softly. His
black eyes were alight with malice. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore
for Potter's determination to break rules. He has been crossing lines
ever since he arrived here, his arrogance clearly —"
"Thank you, Severus," said Dumbledore firmly. He turned towards
the boy who still had his back turned towards them all. Before
anyone could say anything more, the door to the room burst open
and a furious looking Sirius Black, the Minister of Magic strode
through.
"I think I need to hear an explanation for this," he said calmly, but his
face was still filled with fury.
"You can ask that reprobate of that godson of yours," said Snape
snidely, sneering at Sirius. "Clearly he thinks the rules don't apply to
him as always. Arrogant brat, just like his father -"
"Not one more word, Snape, or you and I will be clashing wands,"
said Sirius dangerously. "Harry is not responsible for this and I want
to know how someone hoodwinked the Goblet of Fire!"
"And where is the evidence to support that claim?" snapped Madam
Maxime, throwing her huge hands in the air. "He's obviously lying if
he says he didn't put it in himself!"
"I don't lie, Madam Maxime," said Harry sharply, turning around and
fixing a cold look at her. "Would you believe me if I told you that it
was not me who put my name in the Goblet of Fire?"
"How else would the goblet have chosen you?" asked Madam
Maxime, obviously not believing him.
"It is disgraceful," Karkaroff said loftily, his eyes displaying the glee
he felt, "that the godson of the British Minister of Magic and the Boy-
Who-Lived himself thought it was fine to cheat his way into the
tournament. Deplorable behaviour –"
"I don't need a Death Eater to tell my son what is deplorable,
Karkaroff," Sirius retorted darkly. "Watch your tongue."
"How dare you?" shouted Karkaroff. "I am –"
"Do you recall the battle of Bristol? I seem to remember James and I
defeating you once before. I may not have my best friend with me
anymore, but I assure you, his son is more than up to the task of
taking his place. Know who you are talking to, Karkaroff."
Karkaroff glared at Sirius but gulped nevertheless when he saw the
mad glint in those haunted grey eyes, reminding him of another
member of the Minister's infamous family – his notorious cousin,
Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Sirius, that does not answer how Harry's name came out of the
Goblet in the first place," said Dumbledore quietly.
"He must have put it in himself!" cried Madam Maxime. "Really, what
nonsense is this? This is the Triwizard Tournament! The glory, the
prize money – it is a chance people would die for!"
"Maybe that is exactly what it is about; someone hoping Harry would
die for it," Remus Lupin added quietly. "It is a binding magical
contract; has anyone forgotten that?"
"Remus is right," said Sirius, frustration clear on his face. "It is
magically binding with no way out. And please, Madam Maxime.
What glory do you speak of? We are talking about Harry Potter, the
name which every witch or wizard knows of all over the world. And
prize money? He's the scion of one of the richest families in our
world. I'm pretty sure he has more than twenty-five thousand
Galleons in his pocket right now! If he says that he did not put his
name in, it means that it wasn't him! Harry may be talented, but I
honestly do not doubt Dumbledore's skill in drawing an Age Line!"
"You are all forgetting a very important detail," said Harry quietly.
"What is that, Harry?" asked Remus curiously.
"I am fourteen years old. I may be a seventh-year student, but I am
still fourteen years old."
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Ludo Bagman,
looking confused.
"Oh, Mother Magic, have mercy!" moaned Sirius, covering his face
with his hands. "The contract is for only those witches and wizards
who are of age. Harry is fourteen, not seventeen."
"The second I step into that arena for the first task, I would be in
violation of the contract," Harry explained, turning his back on them
all again as he stared into the black emptiness outside the window.
"And if I don't participate, I would violate the contract. I am a dead
man walking, bound by the contract of the Goblet of Fire. I felt my
magic register it."
There was complete silence. The black eyes belonging to Severus
Snape were smug with triumph, but no one noticed it. Barty Crouch
Senior was looking at Harry speculatively.
"I don't think so, Mr Potter," said Mr Crouch sharply. "There is a way
you can escape from that clause."
"What do you mean?" Sirius demanded, though he couldn't stop
himself from glaring at the man who took away ten years of his life.
"He said so himself, Minister," Crouch replied. "Mr Potter is fourteen.
What we need is for him to be of age. He would still be a party to the
contract so there is no way out of the tournament, but there is a way
in which he will not have to forfeit his magic and as an extension his
life on the day of the first task."
"How is that?" asked Remus curiously.
"Emancipation. If he is magically and legally emancipated, the
contract authorised by the Goblet of Fire would recognise him as an
adult."
Sirius' head snapped up and everyone looked at Harry. The
fourteen-year-old boy's face was impassive but his eyes showed that
he comprehended what Crouch had said.
"I need to speak to my lawyers," said Sirius quietly. "We'll know if it
works only after we consult experts. If that theory is wrong ..."
"There is still the issue of how Potter's name got into the goblet,"
said Professor McGonagall.
"This is most definitely my handwriting," Harry told them, looking at
the slip in his hand. "There is no denying that it was written by me. A
fake slip of parchment couldn't have been used from what Professor
Dumbledore explained to us yesterday. It was probably taken from
the school or Ministry archives or even homework assignments."
"A Confundus Charm would have worked," Dumbledore mused.
"Though the person who charmed it must have been skilled enough
to hoodwink the Goblet of Fire and Harry was probably entered
under a fourth school. I'll check the goblet for any signs of tampering,
but there is no question about it – both Harry and Cedric will have to
compete."
Madam Maxime, Karkaroff and Snape all looked furious. The three
original champions were quiet, watching the confrontation with wide
eyes. The reality of the danger posed by the tournament was visible
before their very eyes, and the tasks hadn't even started yet!
"Barty, the instructions?" Ludo Bagman spoke up. He did not seem
all that affected by what had transpired here. In fact, he seemed
overjoyed that Harry was participating.
"Ah yes, the First Task," said Barty Crouch, impeccable as always.
"The First Task is designed to test your daring," he told Harry, Cedric,
Fleur, and Viktor, "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 the twenty-first, 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 the end-of-year exams and those
held during the year."
"But I'll be taking my N.E.W.T.s at the end of the year," said Harry
worriedly, looking at Sirius.
"We can deal with that once we solve this problem of you not being
an adult," said Sirius quietly. Harry nodded. "That is all, I presume?"
"Yes, Minister," said Barty curtly.
"Good. Harry," said Sirius, jerking his head towards the exit. Not
looking at anyone, Harry walked gracefully towards the door, his
godfather's arm around his shoulder. He was followed by Karkaroff
leading his student and Madam Maxime leaving with Fleur.
"Well, this night certainly was not what I had in mind," said Remus
wryly.
"Indeed," said Dumbledore, his blue eyes lacking the customary
twinkle. The signs were present. He should have seen this coming.
Severus had warned him that the Dark Mark was growing stronger,
which meant one thing.
Voldemort was making a return, but what was the reason behind
Harry's forced entry into the tournament?
Harry climbed up the steps to the Astronomy Tower. Sirius had just
left Hogwarts. It was quite late, so they couldn't meet with their
solicitors at this time. Tomorrow morning they would know what was
to be done. Reaching the top of the stairs, he walked to the edge; it
was a long way down. Putting his legs over the railing, he looked up
at the sky and closed his eyes. It was raining heavily now, the
raindrops falling on his body, soaking him. Taking a deep breath,
Harry jumped.
He was falling fast, the ground was getting closer and the air was
rushing to his face. When he was about ten feet from the ground, he
twisted in mid-air. The large golden eagle didn't even scrape the
ground as it ascended to the clouds. Flapping its wings, the eagle
glided through the air, rain lashing against its powerful wings. An
hour later, the eagle landed in the Astronomy Tower and transformed
back into Harry Potter.
Harry sighed in relief as the warming and drying charms activated on
his clothes. Flying always calmed him down. Turning around, he saw
a blur and was attacked by two figures. He grunted on impact but
hugged them back.
"How did you two find me?" asked Harry, confused.
"Map," muttered Dylan. "It was in your trunk."
"Ah."
"Harry, what happened tonight?" asked Daphne, looking worried.
"I don't know," Harry exhaled. He collapsed against a wall as he
explained the situation to them. Both of them looked pale.
Daphne was soon pacing as she tried to think things through while
Dylan argued with Harry. "But it is possible, right?" he asked
earnestly. "If you are emancipated, the contract should recognise
you as an adult."
"This is a magical contract, Dylan," explained Harry. "It is not just a
piece of paper on which one signs like how Muggles do. If there is
ever a situation like this where the contract itself contradicts itself,
the will of magic would come into effect. This is a separate field of
study under Magical Law. I will be speaking to experts on this matter
tomorrow. If this theory does work, Sirius would immediately declare
me emancipated, legally and magically. As the Minister of Magic, he
does have the authority."
"It will work," said Dylan, more to himself than to Harry. "It has to
work. Nothing will happen to you."
Harry looked at the two of them and smiled fondly. Putting an arm
around each of them, he brought them to his chest, hugging them
tightly. Somehow, the burden seemed to lessen as long as he had
people who cared about him.
He would win. He was Harry Potter. He had survived after taking an
Avada Kedavra to the face at the age of one! He would not let a
magical contract do this to him.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
"Mr Crouch was right, Minister," said Mr Martin, going through the file
in front of him. "The magical contract being at odds with itself can be
rectified by emancipating Mr Potter. Once he is declared of age, he
will become an adult citizen with all the rights and responsibilities
that come with it."
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "What about the tournament?"
"That is something which is not possible to get out of," said the
lawyer grimly. "This contract is authorised by the Goblet of Fire, an
ancient magical artefact. It may have been tricked, but the magic
behind it is legitimate. Mr Potter has to compete in all three tasks as
any other champion or risk violating the terms of the contract."
"We were also discussing another theory," said Mrs Whittier. "Mr
Potter might have already been recognised as an adult by the Goblet
of Fire when it spat out his name. If that theory is right, it wouldn't
affect him at all since he is already recognised as an adult. Of
course, there is no way to prove this, which is why magically and
legally emancipating him is a better option."
Sirius nodded. "Do you have the papers?"
Several files with formal looking sheets of parchment were given to
Sirius and Harry for them to sign. One was Sirius authorising the
emancipation as his guardian and Minister of Magic; another was
Harry being declared an adult citizen, giving him the right to vote
amongst other things. The others were business matters with Sirius
no longer acting as his guardian. Harry would now be Lord Potter
and be addressed as such. The regency on the Wizengamot which
Sirius held until he became Minister, which was then transferred to
Lord Cyrus Greengrass would now be void. Instead, Harry would
appoint Cyrus as his proxy.
Once Sirius signed the emancipation form, Harry was now magically
and legally an adult. Harry then signed in several forms as 'Lord
Harry James Potter.'
"There is another Lordship for which I need to appoint a proxy," said
Harry quietly.
"Another?" asked Mr Martin sharply. Harry simply flashed his
Slytherin ring. The man's eyes widened. He looked at his daughter
who was gaping at the ring too. They both recognised it instantly.
They had worn that very same crest on their uniforms for seven
years, after all.
"I am Lord Slytherin," Harry explained, "but as you can imagine, this
is going to cause plenty of chaos. Everyone thinks Voldemort is the
Heir of Slytherin, but they're wrong. He certainly is the descendant of
Salazar, but not the heir. That title belonged to my mother, and after
her death, it belongs to me. I will be claiming my seat during the
winter session of the Wizengamot, so please have the papers ready
and prepared."
"Of course, Lord Potter," said Mr Martin, mentally dancing in joy. His
client was the Lord of the Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin families,
not to mention the other important client was Lord Black who was
also the Minister of Magic. He could already taste the new clients
coming his way.
"Contact Obscurus Books and let them know that Godric's journal
would be released on the first of December. I have also included a
personal letter from Salazar himself in that book. That should take
care of any pesky problems from those questioning my position."
"No one can question you, Harry," said Sirius frowning. "The
Department of Mysteries would ensure that you are indeed wearing
the real signet ring and not anything fake."
"Still, that won't stop people from accusing me of line-theft,
especially those who support Voldemort," said Harry, smirking. "This
way, they'll know the truth a week before I claim the Lordship."
"It shall be done, Lord Potter," said Mrs Whittier.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
Harry pursed his lips as he entered the Great Hall the next day. The
Magical Daily had reported the truth about the whole affair. The
article had come two days later after the selection of the champions
and had described what had happened that night. The three original
champions were mentioned and later, Harry's unfortunate forceful
participation was mentioned. Rita Skeeter had also reported the part
where Harry thought he might die at the first task for violating the
contract and his immediate emancipation the next day to prevent it.
She had speculated who could have done it, but none of that
mattered to several Hogwarts students.
The Hufflepuffs had taken to completely ignoring Harry; well, half of
them anyway. Susan had told him privately that it was not the matter
of Harry's forced participation; it was because Hufflepuff never got a
chance to shine and they felt it was an attempt to take the limelight
away from them. The Ravenclaws were happy that they were being
represented, so they extended their support to him; mostly. He
already had the loyalty of the Gryffindors because of his position as
Lord Gryffindor, but there had been problems because Ron Weasley
kept insisting that Harry was a glory hound. Slytherin was fine with it
because they liked Harry better than Diggory.
However, Harry had also underestimated how many people at the
school were jealous of him. To everyone at Hogwarts, Harry had
everything and this was just something else he had that they didn't.
Harry ignored them. Had they lived his life, they would know exactly
how difficult it was to be Harry Potter. He had become colder in
public, as he had before, during the Chamber of Secrets fiasco.
Jealous people couldn't be reasoned with. Harry knew that fame was
fickle; he had learnt that lesson the hard way. They would shun him
today and praise him tomorrow. He didn't give a damn about what
they thought of him anyway.
"Why don't you swear a magical oath?" asked Daphne
exasperatedly.
"As I explained to you two years ago, I'm not risking my life for these
idiots, just to prove that I was telling the truth," said Harry calmly.
"But they won't shun you anymore," she argued.
"Are you sure of that?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow. "The
Hufflepuffs only care about the limelight being on them. The rest who
shun me are boys who are jealous of me. That's probably onequarter
of the school. The rest of them treat me just fine, even if they
don't talk to me much. Why should I pander to those who don't like
me or believe me? If they didn't believe me after they read that I
could have very well lost my life thanks to this nonsense, they
wouldn't care even if I give them an oath."
Daphne nodded in understanding.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
Curiously, Harry's popularity with the girls hadn't suffered at all; in
fact, it had increased if that was even possible. Harry was the Boy-
Who-Lived, and he already had an enormous fan following even
before the Triwizard debacle. But what was more was that he was
desired by nearly every girl from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and
Durmstrang alike. Girls used to sigh and giggle every time they
caught sight of him, and he had heard rumours from Astoria that the
many girls now had large posters of him in their dorms. Tall, with a
muscular frame, shoulder-length silky black hair, very handsome
features and vivid green eyes made him the object of adoration for
many and this annoyed Daphne. No one seemed to care that Harry
was already engaged to be married.
Of course, Daphne wasn't faring any better. She had received
several letters by owl from students from the other schools who
asked her if she would like to go on a date with them. Harry was
furious when he counted no less than twenty different letters from
different boys, most of them describing how beautiful they thought
she was. Daphne, of course, found the whole experience amusing
and just vanished the whole lot of them, but their make-out sessions
did get a lot more frequent and intense due to them wanting to prove
to the other that they weren't interested in anyone else.
"Take it off," said Dylan through gritted teeth, his face red with anger.
"Or what?" jeered Draco Malfoy. "What are you going to do,
Lestrange? Or should I say, bastard ?"
Dylan crumpled his hand into a fist. Draco was wearing a badge on
his chest, which when tapped with a finger said, 'POTTER STINKS'.
What to do? Uncle Sirius always told him not to get mad but get
even. He would achieve nothing by attacking Malfoy, but he could do
a lot more damage if he walked away.
He saw one of the Hufflepuffs wearing the badge so Dylan stunned
the boy and pocketed it. Now he just had to find the best ones
capable of manipulating the words on the badge. Luckily, he knew
exactly where to find the Weasley twins. An evil grin formed its way
to his lips. Oh, those fools wouldn't know what hit them!
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
That night, Harry entered the Great Hall for dinner, having narrowly
avoided an ambush by a dozen creepy, stalking fangirls. He sat
down at his customary spot and noticed that Dylan wasn't there. Just
when he had taken a bite of his food, Draco Malfoy came over with
his goons.
"Hey, Potter," he said snidely. "Do you like the badges I created?"
Support Cedric Diggory – The REAL Hogwarts Champion
Harry looked at the badges pinned to their robes and raised an
eyebrow. "Very good, Draco," he said calmly. "I'm glad you're
supporting the Hogwarts champion. I thought loyalty was something
that was beneath the Malfoy family, but I'm pleased that you're
changing your ways. Was there anything else?"
Draco flushed in outrage but tried to remain calm. "Look what it does
now!" he said with a superior smirk.
Harry blinked his eyes when he saw it. He couldn't help but smile
slightly. "Wow," he said, sounding amused. "I'm happy for you,
cousin. I'm personally not into him; the greasy hair, hooked nose and
that charming personality of his put me off, not to mention I don't
swing that way, but if you are happy, then I'm happy."
Draco looked confused and frowned at Harry. Meanwhile, Professor
Snape, who had just entered the Great Hall, looked at the badges
that a group of Hufflepuff boys and girls were wearing and his eyes
widened. On the badge were the words –
I got buggered by Severus Snape
"Fifty points from Hufflepuff!" Snape spat angrily, glaring at the group
of students. "Take those ridiculous badges off immediately!"
"Yes sir," said one of them nervously. Just as they tried to remove it,
they realised that it was stuck. The words changed again to form –
I had my nose stuck up Severus Snape's greasy, smelly arse
"Another fifty points from Hufflepuff and a week's worth of detention!
Who created these badges?"
"Draco Malfoy, sir," said one of them, looking ready to faint in fright.
"Draco, what is the meaning of this?" hissed Snape as he walked
towards the pale boy.
"I don't know, sir, it was supposed to say Potter Stinks," he
answered, trying to unpin the badge from his uniform. Instead, the
words changed again.
I was in an orgy with Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore where I
buggered his wrinkled old arse and greasy Snape buggered mine
"Enough!" shouted Snape, his anger now reaching dangerous levels.
"Draco, come with me!"
The Potions Master was shooting filthy looks at Harry which
promised eternal pain. Harry's face remained impassive.
"Did you like it?" Dylan asked quietly as he sat down next to his
brother, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, desperately trying to
hide a smirk. The Notice-me-Not charm on his person ensured that
no one paid any attention to him.
Harry knew that giving his Invisibility Cloak to the brat would be a
bad idea and yet …
He was so proud.
"Love you too," Harry murmured.
A week before the first task, the Weighing of the Wands was to take
place. Harry made his way to the classroom where it was being held.
When he entered, he saw that Cedric and Fleur were talking softly
and Victor was looking out of the window. When Harry entered, Fleur
smiled widely.
"Harry!" she said excitedly. "I haven't seen you for several days now!
Where did you run off to?" she asked, pouting at him.
"Training, mostly," Harry shrugged casually. "What about you?"
Before Fleur could reply, Dumbledore, Madam Maxime and Karkaroff
arrived with the Ministry and I.C.W. officials. Harry recognised the
wandmaker; it was Garrick Ollivander. He also noticed several
people of the media there as well, ready to take notes. He had a
feeling their wand specifications would soon be made public; he
found himself not caring about that.
"May I introduce Mr Ollivander?" said Dumbledore, taking his place
at the judges' table and talking to the champions. "He will be
checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition
before the tournament."
"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" said Mr
Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.
"Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches ... inflexible ...
rosewood ... and containing a single filament of hair from the head of
a Veela ..."
"Yes," Fleur smiled brightly. "It belongs to my grandmother."
Ollivander nodded approvingly and proceeded to test her wand.
Once he was satisfied, he went on to Cedric. Harry paid close
attention to what was being said about their wands, as it could give
him some insight on how their personality worked; he had studied
the basics of wand lore, something which he found to be quite
interesting, especially after what Ollivander had told him the last
time.
"Unicorn hair ... Twelve and a quarter inches ... Ash ... pleasantly
springy," he said and tested it. With that, he moved to Krum.
"Ah, a Gregorovitch creation, isn't it? A fine wandmaker, it's a shame
that he retired ... Hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at
Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees ... quite
rigid ... ten and a quarter inches."
Once tested, he finally came to Harry who presented him with his
wand. "Which brings us to Mr Potter," said Ollivander as he accepted
the wand. "Ah yes, how well I remember. The modifications are
working perfectly, I assume?" Seeing Harry nod, he continued.
"Fifteen inches ... Yew and Basilisk fang ivory, containing the tail
feather of a Thunderbird. Unusually rigid."
"Garrick, did I hear you right?" asked Dumbledore politely. "Basilisk
fang ivory in a wand?"
"Yes," Ollivander replied happily, though Harry's face remained
impassive as always. "My finest work, if I do say so myself. Mr Potter
here came to me more than a year ago to have his wand modified
after that – incident – in the Chamber of Secrets. It's good to know
that my modifications are working well. Expecto Patronum !"
An elephant erupted from the tip of Harry's wand as Mr Ollivander
tested it. "Good, it is in fine working order."
People were staring at Harry even after it was done and Harry
observed that Dumbledore was looking slightly disturbed, no doubt
because the Basilisk was a dark creature. His wand wood had a dark
reputation, his core was considered grey and the addition of the ivory
was dark. Harry rolled his eyes. Really, witches and wizards should
stop giving such labels to magic based on the amount of light
present. It was annoying and from what he had read from his
mother's journals, Lily Potter completely agreed with him.
Once the photographs were taken, Harry calmly left the room. He
had to prepare to fight against a dragon.