The Sorting Hat ceremony went smoothly, and everyone tucked into their meals without as much chatter as usual, as the mood was still gloomy. When Dumbledore finally stood, it went quiet.
"Welcome students. Welcome. This year will be an exciting one and I am truly glad you will all be able to witness a historic and exhilarating event. It is the best thing, when one's spirits are low, to be surrounded by friends and joy. But first, we must take a moment to acknowledge those students who will unfortunately not be joining us this year." He raised his glass and spoke the names of the seven students who had been killed at the World Cup. At the end of the table, the group of second-years began to weep.
This was very sad and all, but Harry found his focus set on an odd sight as Dumbledore raised his glass. His hand was cursed, a deeply Dark thing, trailing a blackened burn across the man's entire hand as though he'd dipped it in ash.
Dumbledore continued after a moment of silence. "And to those who are still recovering, we are hopeful they will join us soon. Now, on to some happier news -"
He was interrupted as the door banged open and a weird old guy came in, his face busted up and he had a peg leg for some reason. To any sane person, this would be weird and slightly disturbing. Harry thought it was cool as hell though.
"Ah, students, may I introduce our new DADA Professor, Alastor Moody," Dumbledore said.
"The auror?" Ron said with a grin. "D'ya reckon he's going to teach us some dueling?"
"He has way too many nargles," Luna said. "And his magic looks really strange. I hope he's okay."
"He looks like he's killed people," Harry said, his words the peak of praise.
"Well I hope he's competent," Hermione said.
Dumbledore continued talking.
"As I was saying, I am pleased to announce that this year, Hogwarts will host the Triwizard Tournament."
There was a chorus of excited chatter. Fred and George began to loudly proclaim their imminent fame. The noise settled after a moment and Dumbledore lectured about the history of the tournament, making Hermione huff at his casual mention of its dangerous and deadly nature. The news of a contingent of students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang was particularly exciting and led to more murmuring.
"However, this year we have decided to do things a bit differently. First of all, it was unanimously agreed that for the student's safety, enrollment into the Triwizard Tournament shall be limited to those who are seventeen years of age or older."
Everyone booed.
"But!" He shouted over the noise, silencing the children. "But, there will be a host of smaller tournaments that will be open to students of any age. It was decided that instead of just showcasing the talents of three single students, why not showcase the best of what our three schools have to offer? Thus we will host an academic bowl, Quidditch and dueling matches, and an arts and music competition alongside the main tournament. The details of which will be announced once our friends from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive in one month's time.
The Triwizard Tournament is something to take seriously. The age line is in place because the competition will be incredibly difficult. The single one of you who is chosen as Hogwarts Champion will have a great honor and glory in representing our school. But do rest assured, there will be opportunities for all of you to prove yourselves this year, and I remind you that even if you are not chosen to participate in any of the activities you will still represent our school when our guests arrive."
"Blimey," Ron had a sharp grin on his face. "This is going to be wicked! A dueling tournament. Do - do you think I could enter?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ronald, it's all you talk about, of course, you should enter!"
"Ron, you're a great duelist," Luna assured him. "And so are you, Harry. Do you want to enter?"
"I dunno. The Quidditch one might be fun too. It would be less dangerous, so mama won't be mad." Quidditch called to him a little more than dueling did, and if he was being honest, he wasn't sure how good at dueling he was in a situation where he couldn't use illegal curses.
"The academic bowl sounds fun," Hermione said, as the boys gave each other a good-natured look of commiseration.
"That sounds like extra studying for fun, Hermione!"
"Well, I agree with her," Luna said. "Perhaps, gentlemen, it's a little more impressive to be the smartest student at school over the best Quidditch player."
Harry and Ron grumbled.
"Nerds," Ron coughed into his hand.
"Boys," Hermione rolled her eyes. "We'll just have to study together, Luna."
"Actually - perhaps I could participate in the art competition, so that way we are all involved in the different tournaments. I've really developed an appreciation for ceramics lately."
"That's a great idea," Hermione said. "Say, who do you think would make it as the Hogwarts Champion?"
As dinner ended, the mood of the castle was much brighter as the students gossiped and talked with each other. The Weasley twin's loud discussion about age potions led to lighthearted arguments up and down the table. When Harry finally made it upstairs to his dorm, he slept easy, thinking about his upcoming normal and happy school year.
.....
Draco Malfoy paced up and down the length of the Slytherin common room, muttering to himself.
"Don't you see, Pansy? This is evidence that I'm right!"
Pansy hummed agreeably, her attention glued to her potion's textbook. Draco Malfoy had some strange, unfounded ideas and no one else was very interested in hearing about them.
"Potter threatened to kill me," he insisted. "That proves he's a Dark wizard in hiding!"
Pansy hummed again and patted Draco's arm.
Draco stopped pacing to pull out his notebook - frantic scribbles lined the pages.
October 8 - Potter's owl's wing falls off when delivering mail. Owl does not react, no blood. Potter pats it on the head and the wing reattaches? No one else appears to notice except Granger, who offers the owl a sausage.
February 20 - Made a joke about Potter's dead parents (it was very funny). Potter shrugged and said. "The fuck do I care about them, they're dead?" Everyone nodded as though that is healthy.
March 15 - Made a joke about Weasel being poor and his mum being fat (it was very funny). Potter stared at me for at least forty seconds without moving, and then said in a calm tone, "I need you to leave. If I curse another student I'll get grounded again and you're really tempting me, so fuck off." I gracefully retreated.
May 7 - Professor Adams talked to Potter after class. I eavesdropped and overheard a discussion on some kind of blood magic. "Make sure the sacrifice is fresh," she said. Are they killing people now?
September 1 - Potter threatens to kill me on the train. Weasley agrees, Granger says he can't because "there are too many witnesses". Others in the compartment made faces agreeing that this was weird. Potter shrugged and attempted to bait me. I gracefully retreated.
If you asked Pansy (or Theo or Daphne or anyone in Slytherin, really) they would tell you that Malfoy was a bit obsessed with Harry Potter. If you pried Pansy further, she would gladly gossip that Draco was either jealous of Potter's fame or he was extremely in denial about his gay love. Malfoy denied those accusations bitterly, but he did have a notebook dedicated to every interaction he'd ever had with the other boy, so…
It wasn't love! He didn't understand how no one else noticed what he did! There was something off about Potter, and Draco was the only one investigating it.
Potter was weird, no one would deny that. He didn't speak to others outside of his tight-knit group much, and people preferred it that way. It had been very exciting and dramatic to go to school with a celebrity, but that had quickly given way under the heavy weight of Potter's abject strangeness. Sometimes he looked at you, and the green in his eyes reminded you of everything bad you'd ever done, of pain and terror and death. People avoided him. But as far as Draco was aware, no one except himself thought any deeper into it. Potter was weird - but why? He was the only one brave enough to connect the dots.
It had gone to a head during their second year. Potter being able to speak the language of snakes had been Draco's first clue. Nearly everyone had agreed: Potter must be the Heir of Slytherin. But then his pet Granger had gotten petrified, and shortly after, Dumbledore announced with no detail or explanation that the whole damn thing was solved. The monster dead and the Chamber closed. Gryffindor miraculously won the House Cup despite being in third place just before this announcement, and Potter was preening at his table. So a no on the Heir (probably) but not a no to him having killed what rumor said was a basilisk. Weasley bragged eagerly that Potter had gotten it with a sword.
Draco had assumed Weasley had been lying, dramatizing the whole affair in an attempt to make himself famous. A twelve-year-old, take down a level five Dark creature? Impossible. Then Father had gone into the Chamber that the following summer and had confirmed it. A basilisk. Stabbed with a sword. By a bloody twelve-year-old.
Then there was the Snape debacle. Malfoy had tried to visit him, just before he had been kicked out of the school. Professor Snape had become a depressed, raving madman who muttered about ghosts and James Potter and drank more than was comfortable. How had the level-headed professor gone from the peak of calm to someone unable to tell what was real or not? Potter and Snape's feud had been infamous at the school. Potter had to have caused it.
And the little questions kept piling up. Miss Adams was a great teacher, and well adored by her students, but she was also one of the most eccentric people Malfoy had ever had the burden of knowing. There was currently a large betting pool going around the school about how she had been the one to facilitate Dolores Umbridge's death, and whether she would kill the Dark Lord, or Fudge, or Dumbledore, or all three. Potter also bragged openly about his mass-murderer godfather Sirius Black. He was surrounded by other Dark lunatics, it only made sense for him to be one as well.
....
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