Sometimes you get what you want.
Harry was sitting against the trunk of a tree staring at the Black Lake, hiding from the excitement, energy and chaos that was Hogwarts especially with the visiting schools. He felt someone approaching near him but was confident his charms would keep anyone from noticing him unless they were specifically looking. “Hello Harry. Can I join you?” He hears quietly from just a few steps away. “Hey Dray, of course you can.” As the other boy sits down close enough to have their sides touching, Harry leans his head over to rest on Draco’s shoulder. “I hate this day” he voices quietly, not quite a whisper. The only response is a gentle “hmm” beside him. “This year in particular. I get it but everyone seems to forget this is the day my parents were killed and they don’t understand why I’m not celebrating. And something bad always happens and I don’t expect it to be any different this year. I just want this day to be over. Think I could get away with skipping the feast?”
“I don’t think so, Harry. You know that Dumbledore at least would send someone to find you. I know today is hard for you.” After offering silent comfort for a few minutes he continued, “Your twins tried to get past the age line. You missed seeing them get knocked back and start growing white beards longer than Dumbledore’s. It was quite funny.”
Snickering, Harry replied “they aren’t mine.”
Rolling his eyes he mutters, “Sure they aren’t. They just hover and fuss over everyone like that.” They sat together for a bit longer enjoying the peace and lack of expectations. “I should probably head back. I left Pansy trying to get a glimpse of Krum and she’s probably gone back up to the castle by now. Don’t need anyone questioning where I’ve been.”
”Yeah, I’m surprised I’ve made it this long. It seems like I’m never alone.”
Draco goes to get up, “I should have realized. I didn’t mean to intrude on your time.” Harry grabs his hand to keep him there, “you know I didn’t mean you. You and a few others let me just be Harry, not Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived. Everyone else has these ideas or expectations of who I am and how I should act and it doesn’t match up with who I really am. Strangers I understand but real friends should know better. If it hadn’t been for you and the others over the last two years, I’m not sure that I would know what friendship is or isn’t supposed to look like. Especially always wanting to know every little thing about everything without really listening to what I’m saying. So many times I feel like they think they know my response and just assume that’s what it is.”
Harry shifts to look at Draco, “I’m just glad you were willing to give me another chance at being friends.”
”It wasn’t all your fault. I was a prat and I get why you reacted the way you did. But we’ve grown up and moved on. We should both get back up to the castle. It’s not too much longer until the feast begins.” As the boys stand up, Draco casts a series of spells on both of them to clean and straighten their clothes after sitting on the ground. Harry smiles and nods his thanks as Draco steps around the tree and out of sight. He takes a few more moments looking at the lake before heading back up to the tower.
As Harry heads down to the feast with the rest of the Griffindors, the feeling that something will go wrong today has continued to increase as the day went on. Sitting between Neville and George with Ron and Herminone across from him isn’t enough to distract him. Harry picks at his food despite Neville and George’s best efforts to encourage him to eat more as the anxiety of what might happen keeps running possibilities in his mind. He looks around the hall and catches glimpses of Draco and Luna watching him worriedly.
Once the feast is finished, Dumbledore stands next to the Goblet of Fire, “Now that we have enjoyed that wonderful meal, it is time to select our champions. I would like to remind you for anyone who is selected that this constitutes a binding magical contract. Once your name is called as a champion please make your way through this door just to the side of the staff table to wait for your instructions. We will now wait for the Goblet to make its selections.”
After what felt like hours but was in reality only a minute or two, the flames in the Goblet suddenly flared and a slip of paper floated out. “Our first champion is Viktor Krum.” Cheers and applause greeted Viktor as he stood to make his way to the indicated room. The Great Hall became quiet again as they waited for the next selection. Once again the Goblet flared and another slip of paper floated out. “Our second champion is Fluer Delacore.” While also greeted with cheers and applause, some of her schoolmates looked more disappointed than happy for her.
‘Only one more to go and then I can crawl into bed and let this day end’ thought Harry, holding his breath and expecting the worst. Being the Hogwarts champion was the one waiting on being called, the anticipation could be felt. For the third time the Goblet flared, releasing a scrap of paper. “Our third and final champion is Cedric Diggory.” The school broke into the loudest cheers yet and Harry breathed a sigh of relief and joined them.
As the cheering calmed down but didn’t stop, Cedric headed to the appointed room, and everyone followed his progress, Harry noticed the Goblet was still lit. Whispering with an edge of fear to his voice, “Shouldn’t it have gone out? Why is it still lit?”
“What was that Harry?” Neville asked, looking over at him and following his line of sight.
Dumbledore had stepped forward when congratulating Cedric and began speaking to the hall. “Wonderful! Now that the champions have been selected, they will be give-” he stopped mid word as the flare of the Goblet once again startled everyone. Once more a slip of paper was released and Dumbledore caught it. “Harry Potter.”
Harry sits there staring at nothing, shaking his head, “No. No, I didn’t put my name in. I don’t want to do this. No.” As he hears his name being called again, he can feel Neville’s hand on his trying to help ground him in his panic and the whispered words “we will figure it out.” He looks around as he stands and can see the anger of most of the school but especially Hufflepuff. He can feel the twins and Neville offering reassurance but he locks eyes with Draco who is trying to tell him something. It takes a moment to sink in but he’s saying the word “Oath” and it clicks. Draco had been explaining oaths, specifically blood and magic, after Harry told him about Sirius and the adventure of the previous year.
With a path to follow, Harry stands with more confidence and pulls his wand. “I swear to Lady Magic that I did not myself or through any other means knowingly enter my name into the Goblet of Fire. If this is untrue then let her take my magic. So mote it be.” With a deep breath Harry casts Lumos, which momentarily blinds everyone in the room. Once the light fades, standing there next to Harry is a woman who seems to glow with a light all her own.
“Hello Child. I heard your plea and will do what I can.”
From the front of the room where the judges and Headmasters are, “Who are you?! His name came out of the Goblet. It is a binding contract that he can’t get out of by any means.”
“It is a contract created with magic but who are YOU to tell ME what I can and cannot change within my domain.” She looks back to Harry with much more kindness than she just voiced to the adults in the room, “There will be consequences, changes in what is to come that I cannot tell you, if this is truly what you want.”
Relief washed through Harry that anyone was willing to hear him and help, even if it took an Immortal/Goddess to do so. “I didn’t enter and I really don’t want to compete.”
“So mote it be.” She leans down to kiss his forehead as a small flash of silver magic surrounds the parchment in Dumbledore’s hand. As Dumbledore looks down at the parchment he notices the name has changed, “Lea Calder.”
Suddenly the same silver magic is coming out of and surrounding the Goblet of Fire. As the light fades, they can see a girl standing there with long blond hair, blue eyes that could rival Harry’s in vibrancy, and wearing what looked like an armored bodysuit, glaring at the Immortal before her.