October 1994
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Being stared at by so many people would have made any ordinary person nervous but Harry was by no means an ordinary person.
He smiled, "It seems you also have forgotten professor McGonagall."
"What?" Questioned McGonagall.
"I had warned very clearly to stay out of matters. I had made it very clear that if he disrespects me or my family one more time, I would show no mercy," said Harry with a smirk on his face and amusement in his eyes.
He then put his both hands behind his back and said like a sage imparting wisdom, "Yet he paid no heed to what I said. Previously he fired a bone breaking curse on m head and I let it go only resorting to legal means."
"That was my last straw of patience. And this is my last straw of mercy," announced Harry with a determined face and like a judge passing a sentence. "He may think of himself as a very great and powerful wizard but for me he is nothing more than….. ah! What is the word he uses for the students? Yes!! Dunderheads. He is nothing more than a dunderhead to me."
"So, the next time he pokes his nose in what is not his business or disrespects me and talk ill of me, he should be prepared to face me in a blood feus duel," finished Harry in his calm but powerful voice.
At this moment the door to room creaked open and Cedric Diggory walked in accompanied by Madam Pomfrey. Although Cedric had briefed her on the situation, she was still taken by surprise on seeing Snape, lying on the floor in groaning in pain.
Quick on her feet she arrived near Snape and crouched next to him.
"I will put you in unconsciousness," she said. "Carrying you in this condition will inflict tremendous pain on you."
Snape gave a stiff nod in agreement and with a wave of Madam Pomfrey's wand, Snape went unconscious. She again waved her wand and he was levitated in air.
Madam Pomfrey walked out of the room with a floating Snape following her.
All this while no one spoke and after Madam Pomfrey left the room, an awkward silence descended in the room.
Igor Karkaroff broke the silence with his steel eyes still in place, "What do we do know? Don't tell me Hogwarts will have two champions."
Madame Maxime chimed in, "Yes, Dumbly-dorr. What to do?"
Dumbledore did not speak and it was Bagman who answered the question with a half a nervous face, "We have no other option. Everyone is bound by a magical contract and not participating means risking their magic."
Harry internally scoffed at the foolishness of these people. To use such an artifact and such a binding contract in a simple tournament was the height of stupidity.
Dumbledore still kept quiet and he was not paying attention to who was saying what, but he was lost in what Harry did today. He could see all his plans failing and he needed to find a certain method to get Harry back to be his follower.
With this thought his face turned resolved and he spoke with authority, "Clearly, we have no other option and hence Harry Potter will have to participate in the tournament unless he wants to loose his magic."
Igor Karkaroff and Madam Maxime were to speak something but Dumbledore continued, "And to address your concerns, Hogwarts won't have two champions. Points of Mr. Diggory and Harry will be calculated separately as two different entities."
"Whoever has the highest points, his school will be the declared the winner of the tournament," Dumbledore finished in a firm tone and with authority in his voice, leaving no further room of discussion.
The emotions were about to settle down in the room but Harry interjected, "Are we really going to act like nothing happened? Who is going to talk about how my name came out of the goblet?"
Igor Karkaroff scoffed, "Don't act boy like you did nothing."
"What do you mean, death eater?" Sneered Harry in a typical Malfoy expression.
The room again turned heavy and heavy silence descended in the room which was broken by Karkaroff's roar, "What did you say, you brat?"
Harry chuckled, "Ashamed of your identity now? Don't spout nonsense when you can't take one on yourself."
Igor Karkaroff gritted his teeth in anger but considering the conditions like Harry's status as saviour of wizarding Britain, their presence on his Harry's turf, his status of Lord apparent of Potter Family, etc., he did not act rashly.
"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Mr. Potter?" asked McGonagall.
"No," answered Harry calmly.
"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?" said Professor McGonagall.
"No," again replied Harry.
"He could be lying," retorted Madam Maxime.
Harry again felt his anger flaring but he held back his tongue.
"He could not have crossed the Age Line," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "I am sure we are all agreed on that —"
Silence again hung in the room, which was broken by the loud clunk of footsteps of the newcomer, Alastor Moody.
"Binding magical contract," said Moody. "Really convenient?"
"Convenient?" said Karkaroff, who was back to his normal self. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody."
"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."
"If anyone's got reason to complain, it's Potter," growled Moody, "but . . . funny thing . . . I don't hear him saying a word….."
"Why should he complain?" burst out Fleur Delacour, stamping her foot. "He has the chance to compete, 'hasn't 'e? We have all been hoping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! The honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money — this is a chance many would die for!"
[You may have noticed Fleur and Maxime speaking in plain English while she had used broken English mixed with titbits of French in the cannon. I felt uncomfortable writing in that style so please bear with it.]
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