As the days drew closer to October 30th, and thus, the arrival of the foreign schools, a madness seemed to take hold of all the staff.
Filch went overboard with his cleaning, giving detentions out to students who didn't wipe their shoes. Harry, who had already been on his bad side once, made sure to stay clear of the surly squib.
He had to admit though, the place was looking a lot better. The portraits had been cleaned, and all the suits of armor simply gleamed, looking fresher than they ever had. Even the unused classrooms were cleaned. The room Harry usually trained with Theo in, was suddenly totally spotless, with not a speck of dust left on any of the tables.
The teachers, too, seemed quite stressed. Snape came to their common room one evening and gave a long lecture about how none of them were to embarrass the noble house of Slytherin, or Hogwarts, for that matter.
"Every one of you is a representative of your house and your school. Your actions reflect on your teachers. Your actions reflect on me. Do not make me look incompetent" he had said, looking around the room dangerously.
' Honestly, he was a lot more terrifying before I met the Dark Lord'
The Great Hall had been totally redecorated. Instead of the usual hangings, great banners sat on the walls, two on each. Slytherin and Ravenclaw on the one wall, where their tables were located, and Gryffindor and Hufflepuff on the other. Behind the staff table, was an enormous Hogwarts crest.
Throughout the week, everyone could be heard discussing the upcoming event. Conversations were had about the different schools, leading to some surprising pieces of information.
"Really? They wanted to send you to Durmstrang?"
"Yeah. Really just because of their view on the Dark Arts. They teach it there, you know"
"Seriously?! That's so cool"
"Well, my parents almost sent us to Beauxbatons"
"Why?"
"Well, one of my mother's cousins managed to convince her that it would be a much better school for girls. That they had etiquette classes and stuff like that"
"So what happened in the end?"
"Father put his foot down. Said Greengrasses have been going to Hogwarts for almost a thousand years, and that's not going to change because of her frog cousin"
Harry chortled. "Bet your mum loved that"
"She wasn't too pleased. But she never really liked that cousin much anyways. And I think she prefers us being closer to home"
"Well, I'm glad you came to Hogwarts"
"Aaaaw. Get a room, you two"
A dreamy voice cut in, interrupting Harry's response to Blaise. "Aren't they in one?"
He turned around, to find Luna standing right behind him.
"Hi, Luna"
"Harry" she sounded quite surprised to see him. "Can I talk to you please?"
"Um. Yeah, sure"
"Lovely"
She sat down, right in between him and Daphne. Over her shoulder, he could see Daphne giving him a bemused glare.
"What's up?"
She actually looked up!
"Lots of things. There're wrackspurts over there, and oh, look, a flangula!"
He followed her hand, to where nothing was in the sky.
"Oh. Of course"
She shook her head, making something in her hair squeak.
"Never mind that. I wanted to ask you if you know what zygonauts are"
"Zygo-"
"Zygonauts"
She stared at him expectantly. Daphne was making faces now.
"Sorry Luna, never heard of them"
"Funny. Most people haven't. It's because of the Ministry, really. They suppress the knowledge so that people don't know how to fight them off. Will you look at this, please?"
She held up a medallion on a chain. It was very odd. The wires inside it seemed to interact and cut each other at strange angles. She held it by the chain and started shaking it in front of his eyes.
"Zygonauts. They're terrible things. They don't have a body of their own, so they steal other people's. You can see them, but they just look like a brown cloud. And they're full of hatred and malice. So they fly into someone's head and take control of their body. The poor person can't fight them off once they're inside. They just watch, as the zygonaut uses their body to cause pain"
She seemed to expect him to say something. "Ok. So what does the medallion do?"
"This? It takes a zygonaut out of a person. Hold still, please. This might hurt"
And she hit him in the forehead with the medallion.
He blinked. He could see Draco, biting his fist to keep from laughing. Daphne was actually shaking.
' What the fuck is going on?'
"Oh, sorry. Let me try it like this"
Before he could protest, she had held the medallion against his forehead. It felt cold against his skin.
She looked at it, puzzled, and then smiled.
"Expulso Zygonaut!"
Nothing happened.
"Expulso Zygonaut!"
She started looking quite upset now.
"Expulso Zygonaut!"
"Luna? I don't think it's doing anything"
She stared at him for a second, eyes wild, before pulling the medallion away and tucking it into her robes.
"You thought there was a zygonaut controlling me?"
' What the fuck?'
She nodded, biting a stray strand of her hair.
"Why?"
"Once upon a time, I was sad and lonely. And I was crying in a classroom. And someone heard my tears. He came and spoke to me, and made me feel better. I felt so happy. I held my head high when they made fun of me and reminded myself of what he had said. What my friend had said to me"
"Luna-"
"And then, when I needed him again, he came. Only-only that time, he didn't care about me. He didn't tell me nice things to make me feel proud to be me. He only cared about hurting the one who had hurt me. Not about making sure I was fine. No. He only wanted to hurt"
"Luna, please, you're-"
"And then. On the train here. Ginny Weasley is my friend! She's nice! She showed me how to braid my hair once! And Neville's a very sweet boy! And I don't know Hermione, but she doesn't seem mean! And Ronald may be rude, but he's a nice person! And you hurt them! And I thought- I hoped you had a zygonaut because then I could make you better. But you don't, and you used to be kind!"
She got up and ran, covering her face as she sobbed.
There was a moment of silence, before the table exploded with raucous laughter, echoing throughout the Great Hall.
"Merlin! Harry, you should have seen your face!"
"Just for one day" Harry grumbled, turning back to his toast, "I'd like my life to make sense, just for one day!"
On the afternoon of October 30th, classes were canceled so that they could go and welcome the visitors. They lined up outside, arranged in rows by their years, waiting in the evening chill for the foreign schools to make their appearances.
After waiting for almost half an hour, Harry was starting to believe that they had gotten the date wrong. Just as he was about to explain his theory to Daphne though, Dumbledore called out.
"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"
At first, no-one could see what he talking about. Then someone pointed out the giant flying shape above the Forbidden Forest, which drew near and became clear to be a carriage. An enormous carriage, pulled by really big flying horses.
' They flew like that from France? How did they not get noticed? Stupid muggles, too blind to see what's right in front of them'
Harry didn't pay attention to the enormous headmistress' conversation with Dumbledore, instead, looking around for the Durmstrang contingent.
' If she's anything like Hagrid, she's an idiot anyway. Besides, I need to pay attention to the Durmstrang people'
As the Beauxbatons group entered the castle, the assembled students turned back to their watching.
They didn't have to wait long before Lee Jordan shouted: "look at the lake!"
Everyone craned their necks to watch, as a giant pole rose through the whirlpool. As it got higher, it became clear.
"It's a mast! How the hell did they get a ship here?"
"Magic" Daphne whispered back.
"But you can't apparate here, so it can't be something like that. Maybe it's a floo type thing? But-"
"Hush. They're coming off now"
The Durmstrang students walked off their ship, on a gleaming plank. Karkaroff led them, looking far more put together than the last time Harry saw him.
While Karkaroff spoke to Dumbledore, Harry's eyes roved over the foreigners.
' If any of you fuck up, it's me you'll answer to'
Some of them were shrugging off their thick furs, looking up at the castle in awe.
"Harry!"
"What?"
"Look! It's Krum! Viktor Krum!"
He followed Draco's finger. There, standing right behind his headmaster, was a Quidditch legend.
"Holy shit! That's so crazy! I wonder if he'll play with us one day?"
' I wonder if he's one of us?'
"Draco, I'll give you twenty galleons if you ask him"
They followed as Dumbledore led the way into the castle and to the Great Hall.
The Durmstrang students joined them at the Slytherin table, while The Beauxbatons group joined the Ravenclaws.
Krum sat down next to Draco, who immediately started telling the Bulgarian about how much he had enjoyed watching the finals.
"You are Potter, yes?"
Harry looked at the boy opposite him.
"Yeah. Call me Harry. What's your name?"
His question was ignored.
"You are Slytherin. I was always told Slytherin was for those who appreciated the glory of magic. Not for your kind"
"My kind?" Harry asked, bristling.
"Dirty half-blood. From those who fight the Dark Lord. You-"
The pretty girl sitting next to him squeezed his arm and rattled off something in some Eastern European language.
' First target. I'm gonna fuck you up for that'
"This is Oskar Poliakoff," she said, smiling at him, "we usually refer to him as idiot. He is very stupid. And rude. Most of us are not"
Oskar scowled at her.
"And what's your name?"
"I am Olga Kuznetsov. This is a beautiful place"
"Yeah. They cleaned it up a lot though. It's usually a lot dirtier"
Oskar muttered something in Polish.
"Sorry, What was that?"
He just stared at Harry, scowl deepening.
"Ok. You don't know me, but whatever"
"Harry" Daphne whispered, "just leave it, all right?"
"Fine! Hey, look. Different food to usual. This must be in your honor"
"Yes," Olga said, "this is lutefisk. We often have it at Durmstrang. And here is some krumkraker. Try it, it is very nice"
"I think I'm going to pass. I know what I like"
"What, you mean you don't want to broaden your horizons a bit?"
"How about this. You have some first, and if you say it's good, I'll give it a try?"
Daphne just put a forkful of lutefisk in her mouth. Harry laughed at her expression and piled some roast chicken onto his plate.
"I'm fine with sticking to boring, English foods"
"I would not say boring. They seem very interesting"
"That's just cause you don't eat them every day. So, Olga. How does your ship work?"
"The ship? It is a -"
"You cannot tell him!"
"Why not?"
"Because he is enemy! His parents fought the Dark Lord! He cannot be trust!"
"Oskar! You are-you are-Durak! Idiot! Shut up!"
' He has to be dealt with'
She turned back to Harry.
"We don't know exactly how ship works. It is created by the founder. But it makes all water one, yes? So sea by Durmstrang is join with lake at Hogwarts"
"That's-very cool. Are there lots of runes carved into it?"
She nodded. "Yes. Lots of rune. But not all known. Some no one can even recognize. We only know how to make ship work, not how magic in it work"
Before long, Dumbledore stood up. By that point, the two extra seats at the head table had been filled. One, by Ludo Bagman, who Harry had met at the World Cup, the other, by a severe-looking wizard nobody recognized.
"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Gaius Savoy, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" - there was a smattering of polite applause - "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports" There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Savoy. "Mr. Savoy and Mr. Bagman have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts. "
At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch. "
Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students.
"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Savoy and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger. "
At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.
"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire. "
Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.
Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.
"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.
"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.
"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all"
The benches made a screeching noise as they were pulled away from the tables. Everyone rose and started heading out.
"Where are you guys sleeping?"
"On the ship," Olga said.
"Away from scum like you. You know nothing, Potter. Nothing, and-" Olga punched Poliakoff on the arm and dragged him away, whispering furiously. After a few seconds, a darker boy joined them and also started berating Oskar.
"What are you thinking?"
"I think," Harry said, pulling Daphne up to his side, "I need to talk to Karkaroff"
The next night, they again piled in for a feast. It was the usual Halloween feast, but with the addition of a bunch of foreign foods. Daphne managed to get Harry to try some Russian dish, and he accused her of trying to poison him. Again, Oskar and Olga sat opposite them, although Olga was more involved in conversation with the boy on her other side. The dark skinned boy Harry had seen the night before, who at breakfast had been introduced as Carolus Nilsson.
"You know, it isn't wise to antagonize people," Harry said, staring at Oskar. The Pole snorted.
"I have nothing to fear from you"
"And yet, I managed to defeat the Dark Lord. As a baby"
' Come on. Bite. Give me a reason'
His face contorted in rage, and he hissed. "You defeated nothing! You think the Dark Lord is gone? You are a fool! You, ty pizdo! One day you will know what bzdura you talk!"
' Bingo'
Harry just smiled, making the boy so furious he completely dropped English completely.
"Zafajdaniec! The Dark Lord will kill you himself! Tepa cipa!"
' Will he now?'
Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly, silencing the entire Hall.
"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," he said, "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them to please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" - he indicated the door behind the staff table - "where they will be receiving their first instructions. "
He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semi-darkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting.
The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it - the whole room gasped.
Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.
"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum"
"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"
Krum rose from his seat, gracefully avoiding the hands stretched out to him, and walked up to the front of the room. He shook Dumbledore's hand and entered the side-room.
Oskar muttered something to himself, and Harry turned to him.
"What, you didn't really think it could be you? Krum seems much more intelligent, anyway"
That earned him a glare of note.
' If looks could kill'
The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.
"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"
An incredibly beautiful girl got up from the Ravenclaw table, brushed back her long, silvery hair and made her way to the front of the hall. As she left, some of the other Beauxbatons students burst into tears.
' Merlin. You'd think someone had killed their families or something'
When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion next.
"I hope it's Warrington"
"I kind of don't. It'd be so embarrassing if it was, and he screwed up"
"Yeah. You're right, Daph"
"I always am. That's why you love me"
And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip, Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.
"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"
"Well," Harry said, clapping along with everyone else, "we're definitely not winning this one. A Hufflepuff as champion. We're screwed"
"Don't be so negative" Daphne chided.
"You're right. Maybe the other champions will get really sick, and Diggory will beat them"
"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real way. I am sure that I am not alone in wishing good luck to the champions. The First Task will be taking place on November the twenty-fourth. All students, of course, will have seats for them, as will the families of the champions. There will be tickets on sale as well, so many of you will have the chance to see your families then. A good night, to all of you"
Dumbledore turned towards the side-room the champions had entered and started walking there, followed by Karkaroff, Maxime, Savoy, and Bagman.
"Well, Harry. That finished early. Want to go for a walk?"
"I'd love to, but I need to talk to Snape"
"Let me know what he says"
"Of course"
Harry got up and started cutting his way across the tide of students. Eventually, he managed to reach his head of house.
"Professor. Can I talk to you for a minute, please?"
Snape glanced at him and nodded curtly. "I'll be in my office in ten minutes. Don't make me wait"
"So, Potter. What is so urgent?"
"I need to talk to Karkaroff. And I think it would cause some attention if I just walked over to him"
Snape frowned. "Indeed. It certainly would. How urgently must you speak to him? This is because of your orders, is it not?"
"It is. So, the sooner the better?" Harry said with a shrug.
Snape looked thoughtful.
"What is your plan?"
"I was thinking, the Durmstrang students eat with us, right? So after dinner today, I wanted to Imperius the guy, make him go to an empty classroom. Tie him up, and deal with him"
Snape stares at him. "Tell me. Did you even think about the fact that at the end of dinner everyone would be leaving? And someone would notice this student going the wrong way?"
"Uhh. Maybe I'll make him go sit in the bathroom for a while?"
"And then? To torture him in an empty classroom? Foolish! You would be caught quickly! There are Aurors around, and Moody wonders the school at night"
"So what should I do?"
"Take him to the Shrieking Shack. There is a tunnel that leads to it from the edge of the forest. You are aware of the Whomping Willow?"
"Yes"
"On its trunk, there is a large knothole. If you press it, the tunnel opens. Take him there, apply silencing charms to the room, and you will be safe"
"And if someone finds me walking back into the castle?"
"Take your broomstick. Tell them you went out flying. It's not that hard, Potter. Just don't mess this up"
"I won't. But I still need to speak to Karkaroff"
"I know. Be in my office fifteen minutes before breakfast ends tomorrow. I'll arrange for him to join you"
"Thank you, sir"
"Thank me by not failing or getting caught. This is a test, Harry"
"I know"
"Good"
"So what did he say?"
"Gave me some advice on what to do. I'm gonna speak to Karkaroff tomorrow, make sure that idiot is one of us. And then-" Harry grinned.
"What exactly are you gonna do?"
"Snape said I should take him to the Shrieking Shack. Apparently, there's a tunnel from the Whomping Willow. So I'll Imperio him, take him there, tie him up. Probably Crucio him a few times. Just see what happens, you know?"
"Can I come with?"
"I don't know, Daph. It's really just meant to be me"
"Come on. Please. I really want to see you do it"
' She's just as crazy as I am'
"But-"
"I'll wear your cloak, he won't even know I'm there. C'mon Harry. I'll make it worth it for you"
"I don't know…"
"Please, babe? For me? I won't make a sound. I'll even put a silencing charm on myself. No-one But you will know that I'm there"
He gave in.
"Fine. But if we get caught, I'm blaming you"
She kissed him, hard.
"We won't. I promise. You're the best!"
"I know"