Chapter
Harry
“I did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire, Harry?” Dumbledore asked his eyes twinkling. I was extremely uncomfortable standing in a room with people where most of them were accusing me of cheating.
“No, I did not!” It was about the tenth time they asked me that and I was getting so fucking tired of it. Did I really look this suicidal?
“Can you prove zet?” The headmaster of Durmstrang asked me.
“No, because I would love to be killed in a pointless tournament.” I muttered, I was thankful that nobody seemed to have heard me, I don’t think they would appreciate sarcastic comments in situations like this. “No, I cannot prove that I didn’t, but you also cannot prove that I did.”
It was already going on for far to long. For what felt like an hour it were just different variations of the question what the fuck was going on. A question I never seem to have the answer for. It was already discussed that I can’t just not participate, because ‘It is a binding contract’ as Dumbledore told us all about ten million times. How is it even legal to bind somebody under the age of 17 for anything, let alone something that could potentially end in death. We also discussed the possibility for the other schools to enrol another champion, so it would be fair, but that apparently was also, for Merlin knows what reason, not possible.
Then for the first time, a smooth voice that I didn’t heard for the first time said something. The other champions said nothing the whole time, except for Fleur, but she exclusively spoke rapid French with her headmistress, so I and I think no one else, understood even a word. Malfoy now did the same, only that he spoke in a language which didn’t sound like Bulgarian.
And what ever he said, had an effect on Karkaroff, he seemed to actually consider whatever his champion just said.
“I have decided that as far as I am concerned, the boy can take part.” He frowned, even though whatever Malfoy said seemed to be effective he still didn’t look like he was the biggest fan of the idea.
“D’accord. ‘Arry Potter can enter ze competition.” Madam Maxime agreed, with a roll of her eyes.
“But I don’t want to!” I yelled, while being so occupied with arguing that I didn’t put my sodding name in the Goblet, so that everybody would stop calling me a liar, I seemed to have forgotten that it would be better if the other headmasters wouldn’t be against letting me join the tournament.
“Harry, like I said, it is a binding contract-”
“I don’t give a shit!” I busted out, Dumbledore could shove this contract there where the sun doesn’t shine.
“Mr. Potter!” Professor McGonagall raised her voice not often, but this was one of those times and in an instant every voice was silenced.
“I am really sorry for my poor choice of words Professor.” I purposely apologised to her, not to the headmaster. “The thing is just, I don’t even want to participate in the tournament.”
“I understand your frustration, Mr Potter and I am on the same page.” That surprised me, I knew that McGonagall putted the safety of her students above everything, but I didn’t think that she would go against the obvious wishes of the headmaster. “Albus, you can let him participate, he is under aged and most obviously doesn’t even want to participate. You cannot allow that.”
“Minerva, this is not something I have influence on.” He said as if he was really sorry, but there again was that twinkle in his eyes. “Mr Bagman and Mr Crouch can surely confirm that once you enter a magical contract, you cannot break it, even if you entered it without your consent.”
And then I knew, I lost. Nobody was going against the Ministry, not even the transfiguration professor.
“Yes, the Goblet is an ancient artifact and if it says that Mr Potter has been chosen as an champion, so it be.”
“Now that we have settled that, the first task will be on 24 November. The contents of the task will not be given to the public nor to you. Until then you have time to prepare.” Fudge said. Great so now I have not only to cope with the fact, that everybody probably hates me because they think I cheated, I also have to prepare for a task which I know nothing about. Bloody perfect.
Now that we had finished the conversation, I wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. I really didn’t want to deal with the other champions, they probably were pissed off and they had every reason for this, but that didn’t mean I wanted that they would let it out on me.
Not even three steps out the room, I just had to have one of the most awkward conversations in my life. Cedric really tried to be subtle with the fact, that he thought that I cheated my way into the tournament, even though I told him a million times that that was not the case. And even though by the end he still didn’t seemed to believe me, he didn’t seemed upset with the fact that I was there. He said it was nice to have a familiar face to compete with. I joked that I would say that I am more than a familiar face to him at that point. Over the past year we became some kind of… friends, not only because of Quidditch, but I started to sometimes hang around him and Cho. I just hoped that this fragile friendship wasn’t going to break because of something like this.
Draco
The Beauxbatons carriage was beautiful, even from the inside. It was clear that there was an enlargement spell on the inside, because every student had their own room. Which even though there only where about a dozen of students plus the headmistress, wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
“This is our Salon.” Fleur explained, as she gestured around in the room. We met, when my mother and I were looking around to decide which school I should enrol in and Fleur was the one to show us around in Beauxbatons, since then we held contact and became good friend, one of the benefits of speaking multiple languages, especially French, was that I could talk to her without a language barrier.
The ceiling of the room was high and there were powder blue curtains, the same blue from their uniforms. All in all, everything was really French.
“Through there,” she said as she gestured to a pair of doors. “Is the dining room and the kitchen.” They were done in the exact same architecture style, it was nice not to have all the different mismatched styles and colours from Hogwarts assault my eyes. She led me up some stairs until we reached her room.
“You can sit down wherever you like.” She said, as I made myself comfortable in one of the armchairs, which stood in front of a lit fireplace. “I am making tea, do you want some. I have green tea, lavender tea and black.”
I asked for green tea and after she came back with two mugs, our conversation was flowing. We talked about all the different things we didn’t write each other and spent the next hour or two catching up.
“And what happened to your last girlfriend?” I asked her. “What was her name again, Julie?”
“Ah, you are talking about Juliette. Yes, I left her, turns out to be just another one going after my looks.” She said bitterly, I knew that it wasn’t the first one of her partners that were just going for her face and not for who she really is.
“I am proud to be part Veela, but sometimes it feels more like a curse than a blessing.” She sighed.
“I am glad not to have inherited so much Veela of my fathers side of the family.” It was not commonly known that in there was Veela in the Malfoy line, not nearly as fresh as in the Delacour line, but you could see it in the abnormally pale blond hair.
“With a face like this, I am sometimes not so sure that you are really have so little of the Veela magic.” She laughed. “It is still a shame that you are not interested in woman. We would have made a good couple.”
“I have to agree on that, if I ever want to marry out of convenience, I will give you a call.” I retorted with a wink, even though we both knew that will never happen.
“And, how are your little flings?” She knew I also had a lot of problems with the whole relationship stuff, like she had people going after her because of her looks, I had people going after me for fame or money, none of them liked me for being me, so I gave up the search for serious relationship long ago.
“Now that I slept my way though half of Durmstrang, I got bored. I actually see this as an opportunity for a new lover. After this year I will properly never see him again, not if I don’t want to.” It would be a fling like every other, only that this one can’t annoy me at school.
“So, there is no one?” She asked raising an eyebrow, and a smirk on her face.
“Who do think of?”
“Maybe the buff Quidditch player that doesn’t seem to leave your side?”
“Krum?” It wasn’t the first time that somebody assumed that I mean he is good looking, but not somebody I would shag.
“He is my best friend.” She raised her eyebrow again as if saying has-that-ever-stopped-anybody. “And even though he is handsome, he doesn’t do physical relationships. Asexual.”
“Ahh, well then, I can cross the next name form my potential hook up list.” We talked a little more about different people we could potentially flirt.
“There is still Diggory, we are probably going to have to spend some time with him, you might as well use it. He for sure is handsome enough to be your arm candy for some months.” I suggested.
“No, he has a girlfriend.” Like she could read my thoughts she added. “Also, properly not a threesome, I met her on the Ravenclaw table, seems immune to my charm so unlikely she likes girls.”
She seemed to think about something, and I knew exactly what her next question was going to be. “What do you think about Potter?”
“Well, he sure as hell is bloody hot-”
“I have eyes, but that is not what I meant. Do you think he threw his name in the Goblet or that he really knew nothing about it.”
“If I am being honest, I don’t think he did it. Sure I don’t really know him, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of person. Not because he wouldn’t know how, I am sure he is sly enough to do it if he really wanted to, but he had no reason. Surely not because of the winnings, Merlin knows the Potters have enough money, it’s also unlikely because of fame, as the boy-who-lived he had enough of that.
And then when he entered the room, he seemed to be everything, but happy to be there. Pansy, a friend of mine also told me, that this is actually not the first time stuff like this happened. Every year, since he came here there were weird incidences, out of which he barely made it alive.” I told her about the other stuff Pansy told me.
Fleur just sat there, her eyes filling with fury. “That is a catastrophe. How could someone like Dumbledore ever become Headmaster. He obviously lost his mind, when he didn’t take security measures in his hands and let’s an underage student handle everything. That is not something a student, should go through. A school is supposed a save place, where your only worries should be your education, not the possibility to get killed.” If there was one thing Fleur values, it was education. It was the only possibility to prove herself to be something other than just a pretty face and she hated it when the chance was taken from her or others.
“Yea, I know.” I sighed.
It was nice not to have a curfew, I could spend the whole night with Fleur, talking.