Chapter 217: 14
Chapter XIV: A Cheater
(Harry P.O.V)
"Harry Potter," Dumbledore said a bit louder as chills ran through his bones, his eyes dilated in a mixture of confusion and anger at his luck, "Harry Potter," Dumbledore repeated a bit more urgently.
"Go," Astoria whispered, though she too seemed to be at a loss as to what had just happened, "Go to Dumbledore."
Slowly, Harry pushed himself out of the bench, and instantly, he felt his legs tremble. It felt as if the gravity in the room had increased ten-fold as every eye in the Great Hall rested upon him. Some at his own table gave him looks riddled with confusion, while others sent him venomous glares. He locked eyes with Michael who currently was running his hand feverishly through his hair trying to understand what was happening, while Neville had sent him a look of concern. The worst of all was the look that Daphne had given him, a look of pure fear as if her heart had sunk to her stomach, 'Did you?' she mouthed softly to him from across the hall.
"No," Harry whispered beneath his breath before he turned to Dumbledore who ushered him closer. Each step Harry took, it felt like the floor was cracking beneath him, a lot of strange things had happened in his life, things he struggled to understand, and yet, he never felt as lost as he currently did. He appeared at Dumbledore's side and gently he whispered, "Sir, I didn't put my name in the Goblet, I swear."
"He's a cheat!" A student called out.
"He's not even Seventeen yet!" Bellowed another in outrage.
"Shh, Harry," Dumbledore said in a soft tone, "We'll talk more about it in a moment, for now, go to the back room with the other champions." Harry felt Dumbledore's hand grip his shoulder tightly, and as he slowly approached the room where the Champions were gathered, he felt the stares of not only the students, but Snape, Professor Moony, and Professor McGonagall adding to the crushing weight, "That will end the Champion Selection," Dumbledore spoke, "The students are dismissed and will be guided back to their dormitories. Prefects, if you will."
Harry heard the stampede of footsteps being escorted out of the Great Hall and Harry turned back once more trying to find Daphne only getting one last look at her concerned eyes before she was removed from the Great Hall. "Come now Harry," Dumbledore spoke forcing Harry to a quicker speed, "Come along now."
His mind raced rapidly trying desperately to comprehend what his eyes were telling him as he crossed the threshold into the back room by Dumbledore's side, the Professors entering behind him and closing the door with a thud. For a moment, Harry's mind was encapsulated by the room he had just entered. The entrance to which was normally guarded by a large gate that seemed to contain all the trophies that had yet to be housed in the Trophy Room. He saw familiar objects like the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup resting gently on a gold podium in perfect condition and between all the shimmering awards, he saw the movement of the other champions along with Madame Maxime and Karkaroff.
The room was perfectly silent, but it didn't last long as soon the rambling of teachers echoed in the distance, and while Harry continued to walk with Dumbledore's guidance, the voice of his Head of House still reached his ears clear as day, "I know what I saw Alastor but it doesn't make sense, it's just not possible."
"Clearly," Snape said in a slow and rather uninterested voice, "It is, Minerva."
"All we have now are theories, nothing more nothing less, we require a deeper investigation," Moody spoke his gruff voice like sandpaper on skin.
As the voices got louder Harry watched as the other champions and Headmasters stood in both attention and confusion at not only Harry's arrival but the army of staff behind him. As soon as they entered, the gate had closed behind Moody. Dumbledore turned to him and with a calm and soothing voice, he asked, "Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"
"No sir," Harry returned trying to keep his voice as strong as he could despite the utter disbelief he currently felt.
"Did you convince one of the older students to do it for you?" Dumbledore asked again.
"No sir- Wait, that would have worked?" Harry said his mind spinning.
"You're absolutely sure?" Dumbledore continued ignoring his slight tangent.
"Yes," Harry replied with a quick nod.
"Harry?" Cedric called out to him, "What's going on?"
"Are you trying to tell me his, this little boy's name, came out of the Goblet?" Fleur spoke with outrage.
"Never would have imagined Hogwarts as a school for cheaters," Krum said neutrally, though, despite his tone, Harry still saw the predatory daggers in his eyes.
"What is the meaning of this Dumbledore?" Karkaroff spoke with a loud bark, "Are you saying this, this boy" he spat, "That his name came from the Goblet? Is he even old enough to compete? He looks like a frightened kitten."
Harry snarled as Karkaroff gripped his shoulder and with a low snarl he spoke, "Get your hand off me before I show everyone in this room what's under that sleeve."
Karkaroff's hand quickly flew off Harry's body as he continued to glare angrily at the Durmstrang Headmaster before the voice of the Half-Giantess spoke up, "Clearly this is some kind of trick, the boy must have cheated in some way."
"Like hell, he could," Moody barked, "I've no doubt Potter's a decent wizard, but the Goblet of Fire's an extremely powerful magical artifact and only an extremely powerful and skilled wizard could successfully confound it. Magic way beyond the skills of a fourth year!"
"You seem to have given this a lot of thought, Mad-Eye," Karkaroff said getting in the grizzled Auror's face.
"It was once my job to think the way dark wizards do," Moody spoke and Harry couldn't help but grin as he forced the Durmstrang Headmaster back with fear, "Perhaps you remember?"
However, it was through the tension that a voice called out, winded and out of breath, "Apologies for being late! The ministry is currently quite swamped, I hope you can under- Mr. Potter, what are you doing here?"
"Ah, excellent!" Karkaroff spoke loudly, "Barty Crouch, perhaps you can sort this out for us."
"Sort what out?" Barty Crouch said as he entered into the well-lit and shimmering room.
Harry watched as the Headmasters each rattled on about the events in question, each second seeming to carry an insult and each moment bringing Harry closer and closer to an explosive rage before he shouted, "There's nothing to sort out! I don't want to compete! I'll just forfeit and be done with it! It's not like I wanted to be in this competition anyway!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible," Crouch said, his skull-like face really taking shape in the ominous candlelight, "When a name is chosen from the Goblet, the entrant has been bound in a magical contract. Falling to compete would mean a loss of the entrant's magic."
"That's bullshit," Harry growled, "I didn't even enter. I mean, look at this handwriting, it doesn't even look like mine."
Harry watched as Dumbledore handed the slip to Snape knowing that nobody could claim that Snape was attempting to show him any favoritism and soon Snape spoke, "It's true Albus, this handwriting is far too neat to be Potter's, he couldn't write this cleanly even if he had years to practice."
"It matters not," Crouch replied, "The Goblet has chosen Harry Potter. As of this moment, he is a TriWizard Champion.
Harry's hand covered his face as he sighed a heavy breath sliding down against the pillar as he clenched his fist in anger, feeling the glaring eyes of the Bulgarian Seeker and the French Beauty upon him and with a growl he whispered, "Damn it all."
(Astoria P.O.V)
Astoria had felt nauseous when Harry's name had emerged from the Goblet, her chest beat painfully in her chest, and the fact that Harry had neither returned to the Gryffindor Common Room or arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast only amplified the concern. Her focus turned to Daphne, she had hoped her sister had received some news, but judging by the way Astoria saw her sister rapidly tapping her fingers against the Slytherin Table, she knew that Daphne was just as in the dark as she was.
Astoria was often jokingly called a glutton by Daphne in their younger years, her ability to eat was paralleled only by Harry himself, but as she looked down at the piles of eggs, bacon, sausages, black-pudding, breads, and juices, the knot in her stomach only tightened. It felt as if her stomach itself had forbidden her from eating. She gripped the fork in her hand tightly, desperately scanning the tables, hoping Harry would materialize before her, but the result remained the same. Not feeling comfortable with the situation, Astoria excused herself from the table, leaving a rather concerned look Damyan behind as she approached her sister's table.
She felt the eyes of the snakes falling heavily upon her, but she didn't let that deter her as she tapped Daphne's shoulder, causing her sister to jump out of her lost-looking daze, "Sorry," Astoria said meekly, "Didn't mean to spook you."
"Oh Astoria," Daphne said her face sinking, "Sorry, I love you and all, but I was just hoping it would be somebody else."
"S'okay," Astoria said quietly as she took a seat beside her sister, "But I'm guessing that means you don't know where he is either." Daphne shook her head morosely, and Astoria swallowed hard, "I hope he's okay, he didn't come back to the common room last night, and I can't get that look he had when his name came out from the Goblet out of my head."
"Harry's tough," Tracey said doing her best to hide her own worry from her voice, "He's going to be fine, I mean, we all know that he's more than capable of taking care of himself."
"I know he can take care of himself," Daphne said, "It's just-"
Astoria gripped her sister's hand tightly, never would he imagine seeing such a broken, frightened, and utterly concerned look on her sister's face again. For as long as she could remember, Daphne was the strong and unbreakable Ice Queen who only cared about a few. But now, she looked almost as bad as when she had left the Greengrass Manor for the first time, and while Astoria wished she could do something, she wasn't feeling much better.
However, almost as if the world itself was trying to make the day as terrible as possible, Astoria heard a nasally and irritating voice from behind her, "This is the Slytherin Table, Astoria, I suggest you get lost, we don't want to be associated with you cheats."
"Bite me, Malfoy," Astoria said with a growl before she herself felt a tremble down her spine as Daphne faced Draco delivering what could only be called a killing glare. She watched as Draco took a step back, the initial fear reflexively sending him back before he recomposed himself.
"Come on now Greengrass, what's with the look?" Draco said, his feelings of bravado returning as the eyes of the snakes rallied around him, "I see Potter's not here, did you finally kick him aside after that awful display last night, I wouldn't blame you. He's probably somewhere crying his-"
"Shut up, Malfoy," Daphne growled annunciating every word.
"Don't be that way Greengrass, you could do so much better if you didn't have such a nasty attitude, you know?" Malfoy said with a smirk before pulling a button from his pocket that read: Support Cedric Diggory The Real Hogwarts Champion. Before quickly it shifted to read: Potter Stinks! "Come on, admit it, it's pretty impressive, worked on it with the boys all night in the common room. It's gonna make a mint, but tell you what, you two can have one for free."
Astoria glared venomously at the button, every fiber of her being wanted to slam it against Draco's face. Her blood was boiling and the fact that many of the snakes around her were laughing at the fact Harry's life had just been put more at risk than usual had angered her beyond belief. But almost as if it was Malfoy's dream to infuriate her as far as possible, Astoria watched with a scowl as Draco turned to Daphne with a cocky grin, "I'm just wondering if you're concerned, Greengrass? I mean, if he's willing to cheat in a major competition like this," Draco said with a shrug, "How long do you think it will be until he decides to cheat on you? It's pretty clear that boundaries don't seem to matter to Potter all that much now."
"Harry would never you slimy piece of-," Astoria began but Daphne raised her hand silencing her.
"Draco," Daphne said, her voice cold enough to freeze hell itself, "If you don't get your sorry ass out of my face in the next five seconds, Madam Pomfrey will have her hands full for weeks with you after what I'll do."
Draco backed away slowly, swallowing hard as Daphne's eyes seemed ready to shoot icy daggers through the boy's chest. It was only after Crabbe and Goyle rose and rushed to his side did the confident smirk return, and to Astoria's sheer disbelief, Draco approached once more and dropped two buttons onto each of their laps, "Well, take those in case you decide to change your minds. Don't say I never do anything for you, Greengrass." Draco ran his hand across his nice button-down shirt, ensuring it was perfectly straight before he spoke once more, "Now, I've got to go find Pansy, I don't want to get lumped in with Blaise and the Half-Blood on the way to Hogsmeade."
"Piss off," Tracey growled but as usual, Draco ignored her, quickly finding the pug-faced Pansy and leaving the hall. Astoria watched as Daphne picked up the badge watching the letters shift before tossing it to the ground and crushing it beneath her feet. Astoria followed suit before placing her hand on Daphne's shoulder, trying to help Tracey bring Daphne out of her angered state, but as if the Universe itself was playing with them, another great irritation of her sister arrived.
"Good Morning," A voice with a thick Bulgarian accent called out to them, "It is such a beautiful day for this Hogsmeade Visit." Astoria remained silent, knowing better than to get involved in Daphne's business when not asked to. It seemed the Daphne intended to act in the same manner as she continued to stare down blankly at the shattered button ignoring the Bulgarian Seeker's presence, but clearly Krum wasn't deterred "I looked around, but I don't seem to see Harry Potter anywhere. I'd hate to believe he'd let you explore the town alone, and unprotected."
"I can take care of myself," Daphne responded her force cold as ice.
"Of that, I have no doubt," Krum said with what Astoria assumed was meant to be his 'charming' smile, yet it looked nowhere near as warm as Damyan's, "But for a girl of your beauty to be unaccompanied seems wrong, does it not? My offer still stands if you'd like to go with a real Triwizard Champion."
Astoria could not believe what she was hearing, from the distance she'd seen that Daphne didn't hold a very high opinion of Krum, but whenever she'd asked why, Daphne had always simply told her it was a bad feeling. But hearing about this 'offer' meant that Krum had tried to ask her sister out before, and despite being told no, he still hadn't given up. Harry was important to her, he was important to her sister, and the idea that Krum had believing he could take Harry's place made her skin crawl. She turned to her sister who stood there with her face as blank as ever as her eyes locked with Krum's.
"Listen and listen well," Daphne said, her voice calm, and yet somehow terrifying, "I'm not interested in going anywhere with you. I don't care that you're famous, I don't care that your big and strong, I don't even care that you're a 'Real Triwizard Champion'. Harry Potter is my boyfriend, and we've been through things that you can't even hope to imagine, so I'm asking you as nicely as I possibly can to leave me alone."
Astoria watched as Krum watched on, his face seemingly as determined as ever to get what he wanted, but Daphne wasn't quite done talking yet, "As for that comment about being a 'Real Triwizard Champion,' I want you to know that even though he's younger than you, I have no doubt that if he wanted to, Harry would decimate you in this competition." Daphne's voice felt like a sword that continued to cut into Krum little by little, but it seemed as if Daphne was ready for the finishing blow as she spoke, "There is nothing you can possibly do to impress me, my boyfriend's already an amazing quidditch player, a talented wizard, just as much of a Triwizard Champion as you are, and is more famous than you could ever hope to be. It's better for everyone if you'd stop approaching me, understand?"
"I see," Krum said with a nod, "Then perhaps after I crush Potter in the first task, it'll become clearer as to who the better choice truly is. Very well then," he continued with one of the most passive and bored voices that Astoria had ever heard, "I suppose that the best man will win in the end. Goodbye, Daphne."
Astoria growled as she watched Krum walk off only hearing the deep sigh from Daphne before she and the group of snakes left the table heading for the Great Hall exit. As the passed the double doors, they watched as Krum soon walked out behind them with some random Beauxbaton girl as they departed for the Hogsmeade carriages. It was quiet, but just beneath her breath, Daphne muttered, "What. A. Prick," earning a nod of agreement from herself as well as Tracey and Blaise.
Tracey and Blaise soon turned to both her and her sister before Daphne spoke, "Okay, so here's the plan. I'm going to go look for Harry, there's no way he left the castle, and I don't want to leave him alone right now. I'm not sure how long it's going to take to find him, so don't worry about waiting up for me. When I find him, I'll see you can Blaise at Hogsmeade, alright, Tracey?"
"Are you sure?" Blaise asked, "I mean, Hogwarts is huge, if you want us to stick around and help look for Harry, we'll-"
"It's fine Blaise," Astoria said with a smile, "I can't go to Hogsmeade anyway, so I'll help Daphne look for Harry."
"Really, Blaise, it's fine," Daphne said softly, "Harry and I will catch up with you all later, you should go have some fun. But, if I do end up taking a bit too long, promise me you'll bring me back some Sugar Quills, I'm running low on my supply."
Tracey and Blaise both nodded, though there was a notable bit of reluctancy before they began to walk towards the carriage, catching up with Neville, Michael, and Hermione who Astoria spotted in the distance. As the crowd dispersed Astoria sighed, "So, how do you want to start? I've already checked the Gryffindor Common Room, but I suppose I could re-check it and then work from the top-down."
"No, I have a better idea," Daphne said with a nervous look, "I just hope it'll work. Dobby?"
With a soft pop, Astoria couldn't help but smile as the elf that had pledged its loyalty to both herself and her sister appeared before them, bouncing up and down with great enthusiasm at being summoned before he spoke, "Miss Greeny called for Dobby? What can Dobby do to help?"
"Good morning Dobby," Daphne said kindly before she asked, "Okay, I'm going to ask you to do something that sounds a little wrong but trust me, it's okay." Dobby looked at her a fair bit of confusion in his eyes but zero hesitation, "Near Harry's bed in the Gryffindor Tower, there's bedside table. Inside the table is what looks like a blank map, do you think you could bring that to me?"
"Are you sure it's okay for Dobby to go looking through Mr. Harry Potter sir's things?"
"Yes Dobby," Daphne said with a nod, "If he gets mad, I'll tell him I'm the one who told you to do so, okay?"
Dobby nodded before disappearing with a crack and Astoria watched as a sad smile grew upon Daphne's face. Almost as quickly as he vanished, Dobby returned holding the overly-folded map and both she and Daphne thanked the elf causing him to dance happily before disappearing once more. Astoria watched curiously as Daphne flicked her wrist, her wand appearing from her holster before placing the tip of the wand to the paper. "Here goes nothing," Daphne thought to herself, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Astoria's brow furrowed at the words emerging from her sister's lips, but all doubts were silenced as she watched the map unfold revealing what looked to be scattered footprints all over the castle and the accompanying grounds, with a vast majority of footprints at the carriage station near the gate. "Okay Astoria, come over here and help me look for Harry's name."
"What is this thing?" Astoria said in awe.
"It's a map that his dad, Sirius, and Remus made when they were in school, it's actually an extremely impressive work of magic," Daphne said before quickly shaking her head, "Harry can tell you more about it later, we need to focus on finding Harry right now though. Get to searching."
And search they did, but to Astoria's great dismay, Harry's name appeared nowhere on the map, "It's not here, his name just isn't there," she said with a sigh, "Does that mean he's not in the castle?"
"No," Daphne said, "I have to believe he'd tell me if he were leaving the castle at least. But if it's not on the map, then it has to be somewhere that's hidden in the castle."
"Didn't Harry and Michael say something about the training room being hidden on even 'the map', do you think they were talking about this one?" Astoria asked softly.
"It's better than nothing," Daphne said firmly, "Come on, let's go."
Astoria followed Daphne who was moving with great haste to the corridor between the Charms class and the Trophy Room where the tapestry of Merlin rested proudly. Quickly Daphne stroked Merlin's Beard with the tip of her wand, revealing the passageway, and with their wands lit, they ran through the Devil's Snare, leading them to the empty training room.
Astoria's eyes scanned feverishly and with an exhausted sigh of relief, she smiled as she saw a bed resting in the center of the room with Kreacher standing guard beside it. Both Astoria and Daphne raced towards the edge the House-Elf's expression only softening upon recognizing their faces. Astoria turned to Daphne who looked down at the vials of healing potions Kreacher had procured as he watched over Harry who was currently snoring mildly atop the sheets. "Was he here all night?" Daphne asked the elf quietly.
"Yes, Mistress Daphne" Kreacher said just above a whisper, "Kreacher did his best to conjure a bed, but Kreacher isn't the best with conjuration."
Mistress, Astoria thought to herself in confusion, a confusion that Daphne seemed to share. She had expected Daphne to say something, but it was obvious that her focus was on Harry who was lying peacefully beneath them. Astoria watched as Daphne leaned in, for a moment, Astoria prepared herself to turn and look away, however as both her sister and Harry's face inched ever closer, Daphne pulled back and with quick precision flicked him hard between the eyes leaving behind an echoing thud.
"Ow," Harry groaned as his eyes slowly began to open while he rubbed the attacked space, "What was that- Daphne?"
"You know Flyboy," Daphne said a look of exhaustion on her face, "In some cultures, it would be considered rude to pester a girl for a date for over a year and then stand her up."
"What do you-" But before he could finish, Astoria watched as Harry's eyes opened in realization, "Oh God, I'm sorry Daphne, give me one second and then we can-," But as Harry quickly jumped from the bed, Astoria eyes grew in panic as Harry wrapped his arm around his torso before falling to his knees with a painful groan.
Astoria raced to his side, slinging his arm around his shoulder as she helped him to his feet before with a shaky tone she spoke, "You're hurt."
"I'm fine, really," Harry said though the lie was so obvious it had made Astoria cringe, "I just landed wrong. I just need a second to go get changed and then I'll be ready to-"
"Sit down," Daphne said, though her voice was warm and gentle, "And take off your shirt." Astoria and Harry both gave Daphne a puzzled look, but her sister continued, "You're in pain, let me see what happened."
"Why?" Harry asked, "Honestly I'm-"
"I've already seen you without a shirt on, there's no reason to get embarrassed about it now," Daphne said with a gentle smile, "Plus you already scared me half to death between last night and this morning, indulge me, okay?"
Astoria watched as a guilt-ridden expression appeared on Harry's normally light-hearted face, and slowly he took a seat and began to comply with Daphne's request as she unbuttoned his shirt. Astoria had to bite her lip hard to contain her gasp as beneath the crumbled oxford shirt that Harry had awoken with was a flurry of discolored bumps across his torso and abdomen ranging from red to black to blue. "Harry," Daphne asked though there was no judgement in her voice, "What happened?"
"It's uh, it's complicated," Harry replied, trying his best to look at anything but her sister.
"I'm a good listener," Daphne said with a smile as she gently began casting numbing charms against her boyfriend's torso.
"With both of you here," Harry said with a sigh, "I don't suppose I'll be able to get you to drop it."
"Not a chance, Potter," The two said in unison.
"Okay, it started after my name was pulled from the Goblet," Harry said his eyes darkening, "Crouch appeared and for a second I thought that since it was in violation of the rules, I'd be excused from competing, but it turns out the Goblet of Fire makes the rules, not him, and since my name came out, I was entered into a magical contract with the Goblet itself and forced to compete in this tournament."
"Magical contract?" Astoria asked, "What kind of Magical Contract? And can't you just forfeit? I mean even if for some reason you're forced to go to each challenge or whatever, what stops you from throwing in the towel as soon as the task begins?"
"Those are a lot of questions," Harry said, trying to keep the conversation light-hearted, but nobody was in the mood to laugh, "The contract is a magically binding one, which means if I fail to follow the terms of the 'agreement' then I could lose my magic." Astoria grit her teeth, How could the Ministry allow such a stupid rule for this competition?
"Unfortunately, that's not all," Harry continued, "Forfeiting isn't an option, I don't know how it works but somehow the Goblet know if you've made a genuine attempt to succeed in the three tasks. If I simply give up without a reason, I'm in violation of the contract and once again, I lose my magic."
"That's absolutely insane," Daphne said in anger, "What if someone gets seriously hurt? What kind of rules are these?"
"That's what I said," Harry replied, "But honestly, it seems that getting seriously hurt could be the best casinario." Both her and her sister's eyes widened at that remark as Harry reached for a book that he had sprawled open on the ground, "Crouch," Harry started once more, "Professor McGonagall gave me this book about the tournament before she left. I didn't know what else to do so I came here to start reading it and figure out what I had gotten myself into here."
Astoria trembled as she watched Harry swallow hard before continuing, "Apparently, it isn't all that unusual for someone to die during this competition. It was even discontinued after the 1792 tournament because of a 'high death toll', needless to say, I wasn't able to even think about sleep after that." Astoria clenched her fist tightly with anger before turning to Daphne whose face was in a desperate struggle to remain calm.
"That still doesn't explain how you ended up with all of these," Daphne said as she pressed her wand gently to one of Harry's marks while applying the numbing spell.
"I guess hearing about the dangers of the competition and being talked down upon by both the French and Bulgarian Champion gave me some jittery energy," Harry said with a slight grin, "I came here to try and work off some of that nervous energy and train. The same book says that it's not unusual for a wizard to have to face off against some powerful magical creatures during the task, and it listed in the book that at least sixteen times wizard have died or come close to dying because some creature broke their wands. That's why I called Kreacher so I could begin learning some wandless magic just in case."
"Once again," Daphne said, "It still doesn't explain why you look like a beaten-up mess."
"That is Kreacher's fault Mistress," Kreacher said as he bowed his head, "Master Harry ordered Kreacher to attack him at full strength so that Master Harry could practice wandless shielding. Kreacher wanted him to find another way to practice, but Master Harry insisted that this way was best for him."
"It's not your fault Kreacher," Harry said with a smile, "I'm the one who gave you the order, plus near the end, I finally managed to block a few. Don't worry about it really I-"
But before Harry could finish Astoria watched as Daphne lifted her hand smacking Harry upside the head, "You're so damn reckless. Honestly, Harry, if you were planning on training why the hell didn't you call for me to come too, there are safer ways to train that don't involve turning yourself into a punching bag, you know?"
Harry rubbed the back of his head gently before looking up at Daphne and quickly turning to face her, "I'm sorry, really I am. I just, I don't want people to worry about me. I try to act like everything's fine all the time because I don't want to bother people with my stresses, especially not you, Princess. You don't deserve this shitstorm that's been happening lately and I-"
"And you do?" Daphne asked in a tone that wasn't quite angry but certainly not calm, "Tell me, Harry Potter, what great crime you feel you committed that you think you deserve all this crap that's been happening to you." Astoria watched as Harry eyed Daphne softly, "Do you really think not keeping me in the loop makes me stress less? At least if I know what's happening, I feel like I can do something to help, telling me nothing just makes me feel useless."
"Daphne," Harry whispered softly.
"And this business about not wanting people to worry about you, you have to be joking" Daphne said though her rant seemed to only be growing in volume, "I don't care what the situation is, we could be living the most peaceful life imaginable and I'd still worry about you because I lov-," But instantly, Daphne fell quiet a redness lining her face as she continued in a weaker voice, "Because you're important to me and I care about you, Flyboy."
Astoria couldn't believe the words that had almost flown from her sister's mouth and judging by the look on Harry's face, neither could he. However, Daphne seemed unwilling to look either in the eyes as she shook her head, "Please Harry, please for the love of Merlin I'm begging you, stop trying to protect me, I can't- my heart can't take much more of this. When it concerns your safety, please stop leaving me in the dark. I want to help you, so let me."
Astoria watched as Harry forced himself up from the bed and wrapped his arms around Daphne despite the pain the pressure must have been causing his torso. However, as if nothing was happening at all, Harry rested his chin atop Daphne's head and softly he whispered, "I'm sorry."
Astoria felt he chest hurt as she walked towards her sister and Harry, tears brimming at the edge of her eyes, "I'm sorry," Harry repeated, "I really am an ass. I was being selfish, I guess it's a bigger problem than I thought. I don't mean to act like that, really, I just really don't know how to work well as a team yet, I'm used to handling most things on my own and I don't want people spending their time worrying about me. But I guess I never took the time to see it from anyone else's viewpoint, I'm so-"
"Stop apologizing," Daphne said shaking her head, "I knew you were a headstrong idiot when I agreed to date you, it's part of who you are. I don't expect you to change that, and I don't want you to because if you did you wouldn't be the same Flyboy that I-," But once again she stopped herself, "You're not perfect Harry, nobody is. But I'm asking you, just like you give me the courage to fight and allow myself to feel my emotions, let me help cover your weakness too. We're partners Harry, you need to trust me that I can handle whatever is thrown at us."
Astoria held her breath, it felt like the world itself had stopped spinning as she stared at the two hugging each other tightly before Harry spoke, "Okay, I don't know how well I'll do, and I can't guarantee anything, but I promise you I'll try my best to keep you as informed as I can. After all Princess, I trust you with my life."
Astoria's heartfelt so conflicted, as she watched Harry hold her sister, she wanted the smile at her thoughts, I'm glad they have each other, but the second-half always crushed her spirits, At least Daphne won't be alone when I'm gone. As Harry and Daphne separated, Astoria quickly forced the negative thoughts from her head as she moved forward with a smile, "Now that you two are done being all lovey and gross, what happens now?"
"Very eloquent Short-Stack," Harry said with a smile as both she and Daphne helped him back into a sitting position, "Remus and Sirius are supposed to be coming to the castle tonight to meet with Dumbledore and me, but until then I'm free." Harry then turned to Daphne with a chuckle, "Maybe I can make up for missing Hogsmeade by taking you on another flight."
Astoria chuckled to herself as Daphne went a ghostly white, "Never again, if you're thinking of ways to make missing Hogsmeade up to me, taking me on a broom is easily the worst way." Harry and Astoria both grinned before Daphne continued, "Still, I wouldn't worry about making anything up to me right now. When you get better, we'll think of something, but for now, you should get some rest-"
Harry began to lie down in his bed, but Daphne stopped him, "In the Gryffindor Common Room. You've been missing for too long and if you don't show your face at Hogwarts soon, it's only going to make things worse."
Harry sat up and with a loud groan he muttered, "Have I ever told you that I hate it when you're right?"
"Once or twice," Daphne said with a teasing smile before Astoria felt her sister's eyes upon her, "Come on Astoria, Harry's in no condition to be apparated, let's help him to the Lion's Den." Astoria nodded and with both sisters at either side of Harry, and Kreacher following around with his small medical basket, they left the training room.
(Claire P.O.V)
Claire listened to the flurry of French curses that Fleur spit out in anger as she marched around the carriage tying her hair behind her. She understood why, Harry's name coming out of the goblet was obviously something that made everyone irate, and yet Claire had a hard time swallowing the idea that Harry Potter had cheated. To her, it simply didn't make sense, even if Harry was a good enough actor to fake fear like the fear he'd shown when his name came out, it didn't answer why all those close to him looked so shocked and why his girlfriend looked to be in so much pain.
As she forced herself to remember the way all the life seemed to drain from the Blonde Slytherin's face, she couldn't accept that Harry had truly cheated. She may not have known either of them all that well, but she knew that Harry Potter loved that girl too much to cause her such unnecessary stress. Yet, it was clear to see that Fleur didn't see it that way as she ranted loudly, "That little boy, competing against me. I'm the best our school has to offer, of course I'd be chosen, but how, how could that stupid cup believe that boy and I to be in the same level. For god sakes he's a fourth year! Not to mention this whole competition is rigged, two Hogwarts Champions! Two! What an outrage!"
"Fleur, there's no reason to get this upset," Claire said stopping the older French witch cold, "I mean even if Potter is lying and did cheat, it's as you said, he doesn't have a chance of competing with you, he's three years below you. He's going to be a non-factor. If Hogwarts truly did cheat, it was most likely to give their real champion, that Diggory boy an advantage by using Potter to throw everyone off. Getting angry is just playing into their hands."
She watched a Fleur lifted her perfectly manicured fingers to her temples rubbing them slightly as she took a calming breath before nodding, "Of course, Claire. Why didn't I see it before? There's no point in getting so worked up, I won't lose to that little boy no matter what, I just need to calm down."
Claire nodded before she stood to face the mirror, making sure her hair was perfect brushing the final knot out of her hair before standing and observing her outfit. She adjusted her grey turtleneck and black skinny jeans before zipping up her ankle boots and throwing on her burgundy coat, preparing to handle the British cold as she turned to face Fleur who was in the process now of securely wrapping a scarf around her neck before she nodded. "Well love," Fleur said in a teasing tone, "Are you ready to go to Hogsmeade?"
"Of course," Claire said with a chuckle of her own, "It's an honor to have the Beauxbaton Champion as my date to Hogsmeade, after you, age before beauty and all that."
Fleur laughed her eyes full of amusement as she exited the carriage before the two of them, a little bit surprised by the cool October air, raced towards the carriages, eagerly hoping in an empty one just before it left. As she felt the carriage began to be pulled by an invisible force, she felt a bit of glee and intrigue on what exactly this Hogsmeade looked like, and why all the Hogwarts students were so excited about these weekends.
Claire had spent the short trip practicing with Fleur how to control her allure. She'd gotten much better at it over time, but she couldn't help but agree that a warm-up was never a bad idea, especially before entering such a public setting. Soon, however, the carriage came to a stop and the door swung open revealing a small, sleepy little town whose occupancy was being pushed to its limits by the sheer number of students.
She and Fleur stepped down from the carriage and Claire couldn't help but smile as she looked around at the cozy-looking village each building releasing a gentle amount of steam their chimneys. She smiled as she saw shop employees standing outside each store with small samples harkening for students to enter, while other locals like restaurants were filled with timid looking students on first dates. Claire honestly never believed such a storybook town existed but seeing it had made her feel warm inside. "This town is so cute, don't you think Fleur?"
"I still prefer the Beauxbatons shopping district, but I suppose this place is nice," Fleur returned, and for the first time in all the time she'd known Fleur, she couldn't feel more differently. The shopping district was nice with boutiques and high-society dining options, it was very posh and formal, and while it did have its charms, it came nowhere near the level of charm Claire felt the small village before her held.
Despite their differing opinions, Fleur still followed as Claire wandered through the town with whimsy. Of course, there was the more than occasional stop as she and Fleur had to turn down boys who still approached them even with their allure suppressed, but eventually, they had arrived at the shop that Claire was waiting for, Honeydukes. Having to deny her sweet tooth was the worst part about her summer job, but as she saw the walls lined with assorted candies, she couldn't hold herself back, all she could do was turn to Fleur and state firmly, "I can buy one pack of Pepper Imps, don't let me get anymore no matter how much I beg."
"Okay," Fleur said with a chuckle, "Although I'll never understand why of all the candies you like the one that makes your mouth feel like it's on fire."
"They're just so good it's worth the pain," Claire said with a smirk, but instantly, the joy seemed to be zapped instantly from her body as she watched a group of five people roaming the aisles.
"I hope Harry and Daphne are alright," She heard a girl's voice say, "I thought they'd be here by now."
"Knowing Harry," The Hufflepuff boy she knew Hermione had a crush on started with a chuckle, "He probably did something reckless and now Daphne's chewing him out for it."
"I don't know," A voice she recognized as Hermione's cut through, "People were saying some really nasty stuff about him in the halls, I hope he doesn't let it get to him."
Then the reason for her lack of joy presented itself, in the center of the five, the blue-haired boy spoke his hands resting atop his head, "Don't worry too much about that Hermione. As long as we all stand with him, Harry doesn't care what anyone else thinks, most of them are just jealous their names didn't come out. Honestly, what we should be more worried about was how his name entered the Goblet in the first place. I snuck into the library a bit after dinner to do some research on the Goblet of Fire, it's supposed to be a super-strong magical artifact, there's no way any ordinary wizard could have tricked it."
He researched something? Claire thought to herself in confusion. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine that slacker looking into anything, research took work, and even more confusing than that, he'd done it for the sake of somebody else. Apparently everyone else seemed to share this shocked reaction as it was Hermione who spoke up first, "Wait, you're telling me you snuck out of the Common Room, to read?"
"Why does everyone find this so surprising?" Michael said with a sigh, "I know I find studying boring as hell, but Harry's my best friend, it's not like I'm going to sit around and do nothing. Apparently the TriWizard Cup is stupidly dangerous, I just figured we should all do whatever we can to help him, you know?"
"You know," A girl with curly auburn hair said, "Sometimes I forget that underneath all that unbearable smarm is a genuinely good person."
"I'm going to try and take that as a compliment," Michael said with a chuckle as the five of them exited the store, bags in hand.
"It's sad," Fleur said with a sigh, "He even has his friend's believing his lie. Honestly, it's absolutely despicable."
"Yes," Claire said though her mind was racing in trying to digest what her eyes had just been witness to, "It's despicable." Claire couldn't seem to pull her eyes from the door as she waited in line to pay. Fleur had purchased a bag of Fizzing Whizbees and with the purchases allocated to a shared bag, the two left Honeydukes in the direction of a place called the Three Broomsticks.
However, as the door opened, she watched as a circle of students seemed to have formed around a focus epicenter. While Claire knew it best to move on, her curiosity got the better of her as she heard voices call out, "How long did you know?" "How does it feel knowing your best friend's a rotten cheater?" "You should report him, I'm sure he broke some sort of law." "I bet he had Lord Black bribe the prophet not to report the truth."
Claire pushed through the crowd despite hearing Fleur's calls to simply move on, her initiate drive for understanding wouldn't let that happen and as she pushed herself through, she saw the five students from the shop surrounded by a mob of Hogwarts students of all years. Claire couldn't help but feel bad for them as they tried to push their way through the crowd with students accusing them of helping Harry cheat. She felt especially bad for Hermione who simply began to look panicked as she tried to move out of line. While the Hufflepuff boy helped lead the charge, moving people out of the way, she saw that one figure hadn't moved from the center. And standing there, hands in his pocket was the blue-haired boy, the winds brushing loose strands from his face as his eyes held a look of extreme boredom. The boy took a deep breath before he shouted, "Harry's not here, he didn't come with us to Hogsmeade! But all the same, this reaction is completely inappropriate! If any of you had half a brain, you'd see that there's no way that Harry would enter a competition like this! Both of us have more important things to do than compete in some stupid tournament!"
The boy's eyes then hardened, "But if anyone here still has something they'd like to say, then come on, let me hear it," Claire felt her heart stop as she saw the glare the boy held on his face which made the crowd freeze, "Fair warning though, I'm not going to tolerate any disrespect on my best friend's name." Claire couldn't believe what she was seeing, Is this, is this the same slacker from before.
"Alright, good." Corner said as he continued to shift his view his eyes still cold as stone, "Now that that's all taken care of. I'm asking you to get out of our way and leave us alone. Believe Harry or not, I'm sure he doesn't care, but never forget everything he's done for the wizarding world. Just because he doesn't talk about it or walk around begging for praise like a couple of snakes I know, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Like him, dislike him, we don't care. But he's a person who has done more for the wizarding world than any of you, that's for certain, so at the very least, show some fucking respect and keep your mouth shut."
The crowd parted and Claire fought aggressively to keep her jaw from dropping as without a moment's hesitation, he pushed his way through the slight break in the circle turning to the Hufflepuff boy and the rest of his group, "Come on, let's get back to the castle to check on Harry, Hogsmeade's a bit too crowded today." The four others nodded and without a word, Claire left as they silently marched back towards the carriages. Is it possible, Claire thought to herself as her eyes followed the blue-haired boy, That I was wrong about him?
(Dumbledore P.O.V)
Dumbledore sat at his desk, his fingers rubbing against his temples furiously as he tried to piece together what had occurred the previous night. Who could have done such powerful magic? To confuse the Goblet of Fire, it's almost unthinkable, and yet, it happened. And more importantly, why? Dumbledore sighed, No, the why is obvious, somebody wants Harry dead, and there's only one man who would go to such lengths, but I would have sensed his magic, surely he wasn't in the castle again.
The door to his chamber cracked open, and with the thud of wood against the floor, Alastor Moody entered the room. "Evening Albus," He spoke in a gruff voice, "You called for me?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said with a tired voice, "I'd like you to be here when Sirius and his ilk arrive, your experience will no doubt prove useful in truly understanding what happened last night. On the subject of last night, did you keep watch on Harry as I asked?"
"Aye, that I did," Moody said with a nod, "Lad was up late training in a secret room behind the tapestry of Merlin, saw it all with my eye, honestly the boy and his gang hid their base of operations quite well I must say, at least, for a group of fourteen-year-olds."
Dumbledore felt a bit uneasy about Harry inducting more students into the battle than needed, after all, if the boy would simply listen to him, then nobody else would have to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. However, Dumbledore was pulled from his thoughts as Moody continued "The boy must have passed out, but that elf kept watch of him all night long it seems. I didn't enter the room myself, but my eye did sense two magical beings in that room at all times. That elf is dangerous loyal to the boy if you ask me."
"If you knew where he was, why didn't you simply return him to the Gryffindor Tower?" Dumbledore asked in complete bewilderment.
"You asked me to watch over the boy," Moody replied, his voice firm, "If you wanted someone to coddle the boy you shoulda asked Minerva."
Dumbledore sighed, "I suppose it matters not so long as the boy is safe. We must ensure that he survives the trials ahead, him losing his magic would decimate the chances the light has for victory. Hopefully, the stress and fear of this situation will lead him to become more open to my advice, the boy can be a bit stubborn at times. Even against my persuasion."
Moody growled slightly at Dumbledore's choice of words, but he paid him no mind, their focus quickly being shifted to the knock against his office door as he heard the boy he'd been expecting call out, "Professor Dumbledore, It's Harry-"
With a wave of his hand, the door opened and Dumbledore felt a pulsing vein against his forehead as he realized that Harry hadn't come alone as he'd requested, but brought along the Greengrass girl as well. Dumbledore stared at the blonde girl, keeping his expression friendly, but his mind raced thinking of a way to remove her, "Harry," Dumbledore began, "The reason I requested your presence is because we, including the members of your family, have sensitive business to discuss. I don't think it wise to have more parties present than necessary."
"With all that's been going on recently, I'd like her by my side," Harry stated flatly, "I'm not trying to be rude, but with nearly everyone being a possible suspect regarding my name's placement in the goblet, I trust Daphne more than I trust any adult in this castle."
"But surely Harry, you have concerns regarding a leak of information," Dumbledore said softly, using a gentle nudge of passive legilimency to push the seed of doubt he planted in Harry's mind. Dumbledore kept up his friendly smile, but he could see Harry's eyes shifted slightly.
The boy was about to speak when suddenly, the Greengrass girl gripped his hand gently and Dumbledore felt the passive link break, the confidence returning to Harry's eyes, "I acknowledge that it's a concern, Professor," Harry said his voice firm, "But all the same I trust Daphne, she wouldn't betray me."
"Harry, I implore you to-," But before Dumbledore could finish his floo lit up a bright emerald green and from it emerged Andromeda, Remus, and of course, Sirius. "Ah, good it seems everybody is here. Now we can begin."
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