Harry's knees barely supported him as he started walking down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, keeping his head down and his gaze forward. Whispers were filling the hall, the eyes on him like a physical pressure against his skin. No one was applauding.
Dumbledore urged him through the same door the three champions had walked, into a small side chamber. The three looked up at him, confused. "Cedric, I didn't do it," Harry blurted, speaking for the first time since his name emerged from the Goblet. "Please, you have to believe me — all of you. I didn't put my name in, I didn't do it."
Cedric's brow furrowed, but before he could ask for an explanation the door opened once more, and Ludo Bagman strode in, beaming. Cold dread entered Harry's heart when the man introduced him as the fourth Triwizard champion.
"I can't be!" he insisted. "I'm too young, I didn't put my name in!"
"But 'e is just a boy?" Fleur Delacour said, a puzzled look on her face. "Zis 'as to be some sort of joke, non?" "No joke! Harry's name came out of the Goblet, he's magically bound to compete, just like the rest of you!" Bagman's voice was far too cheerful considering the circumstances.
There was a loud noise, and the door slammed open. All three heads of school entered, followed by Mr Crouch, as well as Professors McGonagall and Snape. Harry glanced at Snape with a helpless expression; the man's face was tight, and pale. Nobody looked happy, except Bagman.
Fleur immediately hurried to her headmistress, speaking in rapid French, and the tall woman surveyed the gathered crowd with contempt. "Dumbly-dorr," she said eventually, her voice icy. "Explain." "I don't remember anything in the rules saying the host school is allowed two champions," Karkaroff agreed. Dumbledore had a look of mild concern on his face, but otherwise seemed quite unruffled. Harry glared at him; was this his fault?
The two heads of the foreign schools continued to question Dumbledore, furious that not only had a second Hogwarts champion been chose, but an underage one at that. Eventually, Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet?" he asked, as if he was merely commenting on the weather. Harry glared at him.
"No, I didn't!" "Obviously 'e is lying!"
"Did you ask an older student to put your name in for you?" Dumbledore continued, still in that frustratingly calm tone.
"No! I don't want this. I don't want to be part of the tournament!" Harry insisted. Surely there had to be a way out?
"Well, it's a bit late for that!" Bagman crowed, chuckling. "The Goblet of Fire is a binding magical contract! Pretty dire consequences for breaking it."
"But I didn't enter!" Harry argued. "How can I be bound in a contract I didn't consent to?" "Headmaster, I really don't think we should be rewarding Potter's… theatrics by allowing him to compete," Snape sneered. If Harry didn't know better by now, he would've been raging at the man. Beside him, McGonagall was wringing her hands anxiously.
"I demand to be allowed to resubmit the names of my students!" Karkaroff said, Maxime nodding at his side.
The argument continued, Karkaroff threatening to leave, and things just went downhill when Moody entered the room. Even though he was saying all the things Harry was thinking — that someone was doing this to put him in danger, that it had to be someone powerful to fool the magic of the Goblet — it rankled to have the man be the only person outwardly on his side, speaking in such a way that it was immediately dismissed as the ramblings of a paranoid old auror.
When things came to a tense silence, everyone seeming to realise there was nothing they could do about it, Bagman clapped his hands together with a grin. "Right, shall we crack on, then? Champions," he announced, drawing the attention of the four teens. "The first task is designed to test your daring, so we're not going to be telling you what it is." Harry stared flatly at the man as he went on about courage in the face of the unknown — was he serious? They were just going to do the tournament? Was no one but Harry even slightly alarmed by the circumstances? When they were given all the information necessary, Maxime and Karkaroff didn't stick around long, taking their champions with them. Dumbledore sent Harry and Cedric off, and soon Harry found himself in the Entrance Hall, walking alongside the Hufflepuff. He paused, looking up at the tall boy. "You believe me, right, Cedric? That I didn't put my name in?" Cedric looked somewhat conflicted, and Harry's heart sank. "Right, no, of course you don't. Why would you? Who wouldn't love to be in the Triwizard Tournament? As if I haven't had enough of life or death situations. As if Famous Harry Potter could possibly need more attention." His tone was bitter, and Cedric winced.
"I didn't say that! I just… it's all a bit mad, isn't it?" Harry snorted. "Just a bit. Seriously, Cedric, even if I did manage to get my name in, how the hell would I have tricked the Goblet into picking a fourth person? I don't want to compete! I want you to be the Hogwarts champion, I was thrilled when you got announced! Please, just… I didn't do this. I don't want to compete against you, or anyone, but I'm stuck here. I just need you to believe me."
Cedric stared at him for a long moment, then his shoulders slumped, and he ran a hand through his hair. "I believe you."
Harry blinked, the words echoing in his head. "Really?"
"Really. You're clearly not happy about this, and I don't think you're that good a liar," the Hufflepuff added with a brief grin. "Besides, like Moody said; I reckon you have to really know what you're doing to mess with the Goblet like that."
•
🚀New updates on my Ko-fi!🚀
Support me and read the novel, now available in PDF, with the advanced chapters.
•
https://ko-fi.com/cmrowling