- Next Morning -
Going through his normal routine, Harry stepped out of the shower to get dressed before meeting the girls. As he changed into his robes, a thought occurred to him.
Reaching into his ebony and silver trunk, he quickly pulled out the Marauder's Map.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Intoning the password, Harry watched as the blank parchment filled with the castle's layout and locations of everyone inside of it. Searching for the Great Hall, he read through the list of names at the Staff table.
Sure enough, there was the name "Alastor Moody" seated at the table. The only sign of "Bartemius Crouch" coming from Barty Crouch Sr., who sat next to him.
Scanning through the other sections of the map revealed no other "Bartemius Crouch" in sight.
'If he's not here, maybe I'll get lucky with the real Moody watching over the Goblet of Fire.' His mood lifted, Harry smiled as he stepped out of the Sixth-year boys' dorm and walked down the steps to meet Cho and Marietta in the Common Room.
…
Watching as Fleur put her name in the Goblet of Fire, they all cheered for her as she walked back to the Ravenclaw table with a broad smile on her face.
All throughout the day, students from every school came forward to enter their names.
The ones who didn't, or couldn't, gathered around to watch those that did. Bets were already being placed on who was most likely to be chosen. The main contenders were: Krum for Durmstrang, Fleur for Beauxbatons, and Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts.
To be fair, there were so few older Hogwarts students that the only ones who had a chance were Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff, and Angelina Johnson from Gryffindor…and himself
"Are you going to enter your name, Harry?" Hermione asked as Fleur sat down beside him.
Shaking his head, Harry replied, "No thanks. It's really not something I'm interested in." Smiling at Fleur, he continued, "Besides, I'd rather watch Fleur dominate the competition."
Fleur grinned at that, "But of course, az if there iz any doubt." Her teasingly prideful response drawing laughs from the group.
Suddenly, a great stomping was heard as the Weasley twins hurried down the staircase and into the Great Hall alongside their friend Lee Jordan.
Reaching the Goblet, they placed their names into the blue flames before cheering as the parchments were accepted. There was a smattering of applause from the crowd, but most of the students from Hogwarts knew that they were unlikely to be selected.
The twins seemed to ignore the other students' doubts as they began explaining to anyone who would listen, how they were going to split the Galleons between the three of them when they won.
That drew frowns from all of the Durmstrang students, and some of the Beauxbatons students. The subtle arrogance in their tone revealing what the twins thought of their competition.
- Champion Selection -
The Great Hall had been decorated festively to celebrate Halloween, with clouds of live bats fluttering around the enchanted ceiling, as floating pumpkins carved with faces leered overhead.
The Goblet of Fire had been moved from its previous spot in the center of the room to stand in front of Dumbledore's seat at the Staff table.
It took longer than usual for the Halloween feast to end, as everyone was more focused on the Goblet than they were on the food. The students kept craning their necks with impatient expressions, waiting anxiously for Dumbledore to finish eating.
At long last, the golden plates were cleared, and a sharp increase in noise rose within the Hall only to fall completely silent as Dumbledore got to his feet.
Highmaster Karkaroff and Headmistress Maxime looked just as tense and expectant as the students, while Ludo Bagman beamed at the students with subtle winks and waves. Barty Crouch Sr. seemed to be the only person uninterested in the whole experience. And if Harry wasn't mistaken, the man looked terribly bored.
"Well now!" Dumbledore cheered, "It seems that the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision."
Everyone listened intently as they glanced between the Goblet of Fire and the Headmaster. The atmosphere in the Great Hall was stifling as everyone sat on the edge of their seats.
"Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them to please come up to the top of the Hall and make their way into the next chamber." Dumbledore indicated to the door behind the Staff table. "There, they will be receiving their first instructions."
Drawing his wand, Dumbledore waved it over the Great Hall in a grand sweeping gesture.
At once, all of the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished. The Hall was quickly plunged into a state of semi-darkness, the main source of light now coming from the Goblet of Fire.
Suddenly, the blue flames of the Goblet flared red as a charred piece of parchment shot into the sky, fluttering down towards Dumbledore as he snatched it out of the air.
Reading the name on the parchment, he called out, "The champion for Durmstrang is…"
"Viktor Krum!"
The hall exploded in a storm of applause and cheering as Krum rose from his spot at the Slytherin table before slouching up to Dumbledore, who motioned him towards the door.
"Bravo, Viktor!" Karkaroff boomed, patting Krum on the back as he walked past the Highmaster. "Knew you had it in you!"
The clapping and cheering died down after Krum disappeared beyond the door, everyone's attention drawn back to the Goblet. Seconds later, the flames turned red again as a second piece of parchment shot out.
"The champion for Beauxbatons is…" Dumbledore read out in a loud, clear voice. "Fleur Delacour!"
The Ravenclaw table cheered loudly as Harry pulled Fleur into a hug before she grabbed his face and kissed him hotly. A few whistles and cheers could be heard as she pulled back to grin at him and their friends before making her way across the Hall, smiling at her Headmistress who nodded proudly.
When she too had disappeared into the side chamber, silence fell once again as the Hogwarts students stared at the Goblet with greater intensity than they had before, eagerly awaiting the news of Hogwarts's champion.
The Goblet of Fire's blue flame flared red for a final time, shooting out a piece of parchment that Dumbledore snatched. Harry silently marveled at how fast the old Headmaster's reflexes.
"The Hogwarts champion is…" His voice echoed throughout the silent hall, "Harry Potter!"
'…Fuck me.'
Harry internally groaned, while on the outside he stared wide-eyed at the Headmaster as everyone cheered for him. Everyone knew that he had tested into Sixth-year, and had already received his O.W.L.s, so there was no reason for anyone to be upset at his choosing.
While there were no calls of him being a cheater, his friends definitely stared at him in shock and confusion, their confusion growing as they noticed his own at being called out.
Rising from his seat, Harry walked past the cheering Hogwarts tables (besides Slytherin, to no one's surprise) as he stepped around the Staff table. Ludo Bagman cheered like he had just seen a fantastic game of Quidditch, and Barty Crouch Sr. finally looked interested as he watched silently as Harry walked past.
Minerva smiled proudly at him as he reached her, "Well done, Harry." He gave a shaky smile back before making his way into the side chamber.
Before the door shut, he heard Dumbledore's voice continue, "Excellent! We now have our three champions-…"
…
Sighing, Harry walked over to where Fleur and Krum were standing.
Krum was staring into the flames of a large fireplace broodingly, while Fleur glanced over some of the trophies inside a small display case off to the side. Hearing his approach, they turned to him as he gave a small wave.
"'Arry?" Fleur called out; her brow wrinkled cutely in confusion. "You were chozen?"
"I-…Yeah. I have no idea how though…" Harry shrugged. And he genuinely didn't know, because Moody saw definitely the real deal, and he wasn't sure who else it could have been.
Before she could ask what he meant, the door opened again as Ludo Bagman entered the room ahead of Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Maxime, and Crouch.
"Congratulations champions! You've now been given the great privilege of representing your schools in the Tri-Wizard Tournament!" He congratulated, practically pouncing on his feet from excitement. "Well, now we've got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we?"
Turning to Crouch, he continued, "Barty, want to do the honors?"
Crouch, who was staring at Harry for a moment, seemed to come out of a deep reverie. "Yes," he said, "instructions. Yes…the first task…"
As he stepped forward, Harry noticed that there were dark shadows under his eyes, "The first task is designed to test your daring." He told the three, "Therefore, we are not going to reveal what it is to you. Courage, in the face of the unknown, is an important quality in a witch or wizard…"
Harry looked at Fleur and Krum, seeing their worried frowns as they glanced to their Headmistress and Highmaster for support. Maxime placed a large hand on Fleur's shoulder in support, as Karkaroff gave a single proud nod to Krum.
Feeling a hand rest on his shoulder, Harry turned to see Dumbledore smiling back at him.
"The first task will take place on November the Twenty-Fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges." Crouch continued, "The champions are not permitted to ask for, or accept, help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the Tournament."
"The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is complete." That one something that no one seemed surprised by, at least. "Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempt from all end-of-the-year tests."
That was sort-of nice, now the only tests Harry had to take are his N.E.W.T.s and he'd be done with his education at Hogwarts.
Crouch turned silently to Dumbledore, "I believe that's all. Albus?"
Nodding, Dumbledore agrees, "Yes, I do believe so…"
With that, everyone heads out of the side chamber.
The Great Hall was deserted now, leaving only the champions and judges as the sole occupants of the room. Turning to say goodnight to Fleur, they both agree to speak privately tomorrow about what happened, before Harry makes his way back to Ravenclaw Tower.
…
Inside the Ravenclaw Common Room, a massive celebration was taking place. Everyone in Ravenclaw House was celebrating the fact that one of their own had been selected to represent Hogwarts as champion.
While that was going on, Harry followed a quietly motioning Cho and Marietta up to their dorm to explain what happened.
Sitting down on their bed between them, Harry started "I swear, I didn't enter my name." He was hoping that they weren't upset with him, the last thing he wanted was for this to strain their friendship.
Cho smiled as she rubbed his back comfortingly, spotting his nervousness easily as Marietta replied. "We know, Harry. If you tell us you didn't enter your name, we believe you."
He smiled gratefully at them, giving a relieved sigh as he slowly shuffled over to lean back against the headboard of their pushed-together bed, watching the girls crawl over to lay next to him on either side.
As Marietta began running her fingers through his hair, Cho tried to calm him.
"Don't worry, Harry." she said, leaning in to kiss him softly before smiling, "We'll help you get through this." Marietta nodded as she continued her playing with his hair. There was nothing they wouldn't do to help their best friend, and they would be by his side no matter what.
Closing his eyes, Harry allowed himself to fall asleep surrounded by his two best friends, his worries over being forced into what was basically a bloodspot taking a backseat for now.
Cho and Marietta glanced at each other worryingly, afraid for him and what he'll have to go through, before quietly snuggling into his sides as they joined him in sleep.
Outside the bedroom of the sleeping trio, the Ravenclaws continued to party long into the night, no one even noticing the absence of the one they were meant to be cheering for.
- Next Morning -
Waking up in bed with Cho and Marietta, Harry decided to skip his morning workout in order to spend more time enjoying the comfortable moment. When it was finally time to get up for breakfast, they showered together before getting dressed in their uniforms and making their way down to the Great Hall.
Fleur was already outside the doors to the Great Hall, waiting for them in her powder-blue Beauxbatons uniform. The silk fabric really looked amazing on her, and Harry had to drag his eyes away from her noticeable curves that seemed to be enhanced by the fabric. Something she easily spotted as she smirked back at him.
Pulling her off to the side, he explained to her everything he told Cho and Marietta.
"I zee…" Fleur muttered after he finished. "That iz…not good. We will need to be careful, if someone iz trying to get you killed, then we 'ave to be ready."
Blinking, Harry asked, "We?"
Narrowing her eyes with a smirk, she reached a perfectly manicured hand up cup his chin as her thumb rubbed against his cheek. "But of course…We are in thiz together." The confident way in which she casually stated it sounded incredibly sexy to Harry.
Wanting to express how much her support meant, he replied earnestly, "Thank you, Flower." Reaching up to cup her gorgeous face in return, he pulled her into a gentle kiss, luxuriating in the feel of her soft, full lips pressing against his.
They both smiled into the kiss before she reluctantly pulled herself back. "Non, we must save some for after our date."
Disappointed, he nodded before motioning towards the Great Hall as they made their way to the Ravenclaw table, greeting Hermione as they sat down.
Before they could dig in, Minerva walked up to Harry. "Harry, the Headmaster would like to see you after breakfast is over." She sounded worried as she looked him over, concerned for his well-being.
Sighing, Harry knew that something like this would be coming. Glancing at the Staff table, he spotted the vacant Headmaster's seat before turning back to his plate.
…
"You wanted to see me Headmaster?" Harry asked, standing inside of Dumbledore's office. Inside the room with him was Moody, Minerva, and Flitwick.
"Yes…I wanted to ask you a question, if you'll indulge me." Dumbledore stated, motioning towards one of the seats in front of his desk.
Harry moved to sit down as he continued, "Harry…Did you enter your name into the Goblet of Fire?"
"No, sir." Harry shook his head firmly, causing the Headmaster to sigh before glancing at the others in the room.
"I was afraid of this." Dumbledore stated. "I did not believe you would willingly place yourself in such danger, but we needed to be sure."
It was nice to know that Harry had all of these people willing to believe in him. Sometimes, you never know if the people around you will support you, until you have to face a difficult situation.
"Sir?" Harry asked tentatively, not wanting to interrupt him.
"Yes, Harry?"
Shifting in his seat, Harry collected his thoughts before asking the one question on his mind. "How did someone enter my name without permission?"
That was something he couldn't understand. If it was possible to enter anyone's name into it, couldn't they just write Voldemort's name on a piece of paper before relighting the Goblet and throwing his name in.
Instead of replying, Dumbledore handed over a charred piece of parchment. It was barely recognizable, but clearly written on the paper said:
Harry J. Potter
Hogwarts
Row: 47 | Seat: 13
Staring at the parchment, Harry's eyes widened. "This is my ticket from the Quidditch World Cup!"
Nodding, the Headmaster continued. "Yes, and it is something that you willing gave to be allowed entrance into a competition."
"Your intentions for the ticket left an…imprint on it, as our magic tends to do. The spell placed over the Goblet of Fire used that intent, and made it seem as if the ticket was being used for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, instead of the Quidditch World Cup."
Glancing down at the ticket, he muttered. "A rather ingenious idea…"
Turning to Moody, the Headmaster asked, "Did you notice anything suspicious during your guarding of the Goblet, Alastor?"
"No, Albus." Moody shook his grizzled grey hair, his fake eye whirling around. "But I was only on guard after Bagman and Crouch checked the ward you set up."
Twisting his walking staff as he thought over the situation, he continued. "It would have needed to be an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that Goblet. It's an ancient artifact steeped in magic…I can't think of anyone outside of yourself, Albus, who could do it."
Dumbledore nodded, "Neither can I…not alone, at least."
"For now, we'll have to keep our eyes open for any suspicious behavior." Turning to Harry, he added, "And you, Harry…the Weighting of the Wands will be taking place in a few days. Make sure to have your wand ready for inspection when we call on you."
"Of course, Sir." Harry replied, getting out of the chair and heading to his dorm room to gather his books. Just because he didn't need to take the final exams, didn't mean that he wanted to skip his classes.
- Timeskip: Days Later -
It was the day before the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, when Harry was summoned to attend the Weighing of the Wands.
Stepping into a fairly small classroom, he saw that most of the desks had been pushed away to the sides of the room, leaving a large space in the middle where a group of people were gathered.
Near the far wall, five chairs sat behind a long desk covered in a velvet covering. Sitting in one of the seats, Ludo Bagman waved energetically to Harry as he walked in. "Ah! Harry, good…We're just about to begin."
Looking around, Harry spotted Krum standing moodily in a corner, sulking as his dark eyes glanced at the others in the room while Karkaroff spoke quietly to him. On the other side of the room, Fleur waved at Harry with a happy smile as she stood next to Maxime.
As everyone started to move into position, Harry noticed that besides the judges, a familiar face was standing by the judges' table. "Mr. Smudgley?"
Sure enough, Andy Smudgley stood next to the judges with a camera man at his side. "Please, Harry. I thought I said to call me Andy?" He grinned, sticking out a hand that Harry shook happily.
"Of course, Andy. I was just surprised to see you here." He replied, pleasantly surprised that Rita Skeeter was nowhere in sight.
"Yes, well... They originally wanted to go with Ms. Skeeter. But! It was decided that my previous interview with you provided a better opportunity for further dialogue." Smudgley said happily, his career had markedly improved after interviewing Harry.
Now, he was being asked to cover the top stories for the Daily Prophet, and everyone wanted to hear the latest scoop from him. "If you'd like, we could do an interview after this to cover what he didn't in the last one."
"Sure." Harry nodded. The article that Smudgley wrote was very well done, and Harry figured mixing in the story about the Dementors with him being chosen as Hogwarts champion would lessen some of the shock.
As the judges sat down, Harry moved over to the three chairs set by the door.
Taking a seat next to Fleur, with Krum on her opposite side, he watched on as Dumbledore spoke up from his place at the judges' table. "May I introduce, Mr. Ollivander."
As the old wandmaker stepped forward, Dumbledore spoke to the champions, "He will be checking your wands today, to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."
Ollivander peered at the sitting champions before starting with Krum. "Mr. Krum, if you please."
Hearing his name called, Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Ollivander. Standing before the aged wizard, he thrust out his wand with a scowl, his other hand inside his pocket.
"Hmm…" Ollivander said, "This is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm mistaken? A fine wandmaker, though the styling is never quite what I…however…" He lifted the wand up to his eyes, turning it over as he examined it minutely.
It seemed to Harry that Ollivander liked to throw subtle jabs at other wandmakers, just as he did in the storybooks. Harry was curious to find out if it was meant as a professional disagreement, or if it was the typical arrogance of British wizards who believed that anything not of British make was inferior.
"Yes…Hornbean and Dragon Heartstring?" He guessed at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees…quite rigid…ten-and-a-quarter inches." Holding the wand out, he cast, "Avis!"
The wand let off a blast as a small number of twittering birds flew out of the tip before escaping through the open window. "Good." Ollivander said, handing Krum back his wand. "Mademoiselle Delacour, if you'll step forward."
Fleur flashed Harry a smile as she swept across the room before handing over her wand to Ollivander.
"I see…" He said, twirling the wand between his long fingers as it emitted a number of gold sparks. "Yes, nine-and-a-half inches…inflexible…Rosewood…" Holding it close to his eyes, he added, "and containing…dear me…"
"An 'air from the 'ead of a Veela." Fleur stated proudly. "One of my Grandmuzzer's."
"Yes," Ollivander nodded in reply. "Yes, I've never used Veela hair myself, of course. I find that it makes for rather…temperamental wands…however, to each their own. And if it suits you…"
Fleur frowned at his words, upset at the disrespect towards a gift from her grandmother.
Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, checking for any bumps or scratches before muttering, "Orchideous!" A bouquet of flowers burst from the wand's tip before falling to the floor.
"Very well, very well…It's in fine working order." He finished, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. She took them reluctantly, still unhappy at his words about her wand.
Turning to Harry, Ollivander said, "Which leaves…Mr. Potter."
Getting up from his seat, Harry walked over to Ollivander as his pale, moon-like eyes stared back unblinking. Drawing his ebony wand, he passed it over.
"Ah, this is one of mine!" Ollivander enthusiastically said, "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single feather from a Thunderbird…twelve inches…a supple and elegant wand. In fine condition."
Raising the jet-black wand, he conjured a stream of silver smoke rings to float across the room before handing it back to Harry. With his examinations complete, he turned to nod at the judges.
"Thank you all," Dumbledore spoke, standing up from his chair, "Now, before we conclude, there are photos that must be taken," motioning towards Smudgley and his camera man.
The photographs took longer than expected. Maxime cast a shadow over everyone no matter where she stood, and the photographer couldn't stand far enough back to get her into the frame. Eventually, they had her sit down while everyone else stood around her.
The photographer seemed keen to get Fleur placed at the front, but Smudgley kept the man focused. After a few group photos, they did individual shots before eventually being free to go.
"Harry, if you'll stay behind." Smudgley asked, motioning him over to some chairs off to the side for their interview.
- Timeskip: Hogsmeade Trip -
The interview covered the topic of what happened with the Dementors, as well as the circumstances with Sirius Black, before finishing with his thoughts about the tournament.
Smudgley confirmed that the interview would coincide with the article about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and would be played as the most-likely reason for why Harry was chosen over the other Hogwarts students for the spot of Hogwarts Champion.
Taking his mind off the interview, Harry made his way down to the Great Hall to meet Fleur for their date, taking a moment to look over his appearance.
He was dressed in a grey button-up, black slacks, and a black waistcoat. To help keep out the cold, he threw on a black jacket. Cho and Marietta had made sure to give their approval at his outfit before leaving for Hogsmeade ahead of him on their own date.
As he reached the final step to the Great Hall, Harry spotted Fleur standing there waiting for him.
She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans that looked almost painted on, a thick dark blue sweater, and a silk while scarf. Her white-gold hair was tied in a braid down her back, and silver jewelry shined in the light as she turned her head, searching for him.
Seeing her sapphire blue eyes brighten as she spotted him, he waved. "Hey Fleur! Ready to go?"
"Oui," Fleur replied, wrapping one of her arms around his own as they set off down the hall to the carriages that would take them to Hogsmeade.
As they climbed into the carriage, she smiled at him as they sat side-by-side, "I am excited to see this 'Ogzmeade that I've heard zo much about."
"It's a fairly small town compared to France's own, with a few shops and taverns. The most popular place is the Three Broomsticks, if you'd like to something to drink before we walk around." He offered, getting a nod in return.
…
Finding a seat in the packed tavern, Harry and Fleur sat facing each other as they sipped on their Butterbeers. "It's very sweet." Fleur commented, trying not to sound disgusted by the overly sweet beverage.
"Yeah," Harry replied with a grimace, placing his own down on the table. "It's not my favorite, but everyone else seems to love them."
Hogwarts students were lucky that the castle had so many stairs, because the amount of greasy food they ate, and unnecessarily sweet beverages they drank should have made them all obscenely overweight by now.
Quickly waving Madam Rosmerta over, he ordered two cups of tea for them that quickly floated over the crowd and down onto their table.
"Merci." Fleur replied gratefully, relieved to have something to wash out the taste of the Butterbeer. After taking a long sip of her tea, she quickly switched to French so that no one would overhear them. "Do you have any ideas on what the first task will be?"
Blinking at the change, Harry asked, "I thought we were meant to be competitors?"
"Normally, we would be..." She grinned slightly before frowning, "But if someone is trying to see you harmed, then I would rather we work together to make sure you survive." Reaching a hand out, she gently grabbed his before interlacing their fingers. "While I wish to win, I refuse to do so at the cost of your safety."
Harry felt his mouth stretch into a soft smile, "You're very passionate about us, for not having known each other very long."
His response drew a confused look from her before her face lit up in realization.
"What do you know about Veela, Harry?" She asked knowingly.
Shrugging, he replied, "Not much, why?"
"We, Veela, are a… passionate people, Harry." She explained, "While we may look human, we are not. I will explain more to you later, but we Veela can sense when someone is a potential mate…"
Staring at him with a hungry look, Fleur's voice turned husky as she finished, "…And everything I sense from you, and learned throughout our conversations, has proven that you are everything I'm looking for. And I'm not going to wait and take things slow, just to learn what I already know."
Stunned at her forwardness, Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Oh." He really needed to learn more about Veela. The little tidbits he read about in some of his textbooks was proving to be useless every time he spoke with her.
"I…Well, if that's true…Then I guess I can get behind that." A beautiful older girl wanting to move their relationship forward, instead of taking it slow…who wouldn't agree to that?
"So…we're a couple, then?" Harry asked, wanting to be sure about where their relationship stood.
Instead of answering, Fleur leaned over the table to kiss him.
Her tongue prodded his mouth, urging him to bring his own out as they playfully battled for domination. Fleur's passion soon overwhelmed his eagerness as she explored his mouth eagerly before slowly pulling back.
Panting lighting, she responded, "If that is not enough…then yes, Harry. We are a couple."
Taking a few moments for their breathing to settle, Harry spoke up again. "Then…I think the first task is most likely going to involve some type of magical creature."
He didn't want to come out and say it was dragons, because he was worried that it might not be. If things had changed, and it wasn't the same as the storybooks, they could very well screw themselves over by making plans that only worked against dragons.
'I'll need to keep an eye on the Marauder's Map to see if Charlie Weasley shows up.' If there were going to be dragons for the first task like in the storybooks, then they would likely use the same ones. 'With only three of us, though…I wonder which dragon will be left out.'
Harry silently prayed that it was the Hungarian Horntail.
And it wasn't like his statement to Fleur would be untrue. After reading through a book on past Tri-Wizard Tournaments over the summer, he had discovered that most of the previous tournaments had magical creatures as the first task, just with varying objectives.
'Why anyone thought it was a good idea to have the last Tournament's first task be capturing a Cockatrice, I'll never understand.' Three of the judges had been injured in the attempt, and one of the champions had died.
Pushing the morbid thought aside, they went back and forth on ideas for dealing with magical creatures, but ultimately agreed that they didn't have enough information for now to form any solid ideas.
…
After finishing their drinks, Harry and Fleur left the Three Broomsticks to explore Hogsmeade.
They had a good laugh at Madam Puddifoot's; an obnoxious tea shop with bright colored walls, lace doilies on every table, and several golden cherubs that threw confetti over visiting couples every few minutes.
Stopping off at Tomes & Scrolls to pick up some more books on magical creatures and the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Harry noticed something that stopped him in his tracks. "Is that…Hermione…and Cedric Diggory?"
Fleur looked at him questioningly before glancing at where he was facing.
Sure enough, walking towards the Three Broomsticks was Hermione and Cedric, happily chatting away as they laughed at something Cedric said.
"Oui, she haz been speaking to him lately about their classez." Fleur replied, smiling happily at her friend who finally noticed them. Hermione waved happily before following Cedric inside the Three Broomsticks.
"Huh…" Harry replied, having never expected the two to end up together. 'Then again, with Cho and Marietta in a relationship, Cedric has been single this whole time.'
Shaking off his surprise, he reached down to hold Fleur's hand in his, interlacing their fingers before continuing on down the street. The action drew a pleased grin from his new girlfriend, who leaned in to kiss his cheek before pressing her body against his as they walked.
The Hogsmeade trip turned out to be a wonderful date, and when evening arrived, they both snuggled happily together as they sat inside the carriage; slowly heading back to Hogwarts as the sky darkened outside the windows.