Chapter 299. The Contract
The antechamber.
Harry looked at Fleur, Krum, and Cedric standing before him, a little at a loss.
He had no idea how the three of them would react once he said that he, too, was one of the champions.
But before he could open his mouth to explain, a sound came from behind him.
He turned and saw a large crowd pressing in after him: Dumbledore, Crouch, Bagman, Professor McGonagall...
Almost everyone connected with the Triwizard Tournament had gathered here.
Adrian Wesson was mixed into the crowd as well.
"Right then, let me explain the situation,"
Ludo Bagman cleared his throat at the three champions' bewildered faces, stepped forward, and set a hand on Harry's shoulder, saying with a broad smile, "Just now, something extraordinary happened—the Goblet of Fire chose a fourth champion, and it is Harry Potter of Hogwarts."
Fleur's eyes flew wide.
"Wait!" She looked to Bagman in astonishment. "You're saying... Hogwarts has two champions?"
"Exactly," Bagman replied.
Krum and Cedric both showed the same surprise.
"I consider this unfair." Madame Maxime fixed Dumbledore with a look. "What does this mean, Dumbledore? You owe us a proper explanation."
"Ah, quite," Karkaroff said with a curl of mockery. "Since Hogwarts has two champions, I daresay we require additional entries as well."
"Mm—"
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then turned to Harry and asked calmly, "Harry, did you place your name in the Goblet of Fire—by any means whatsoever?"
Harry shook his head at once. "Professor, I tried a few times, but the Age Line stopped me. It was impossible!"
"Let us accept that," Dumbledore inclined his head and turned back to the room, explaining evenly, "I believe we all know that even if Mr Potter had succeeded in putting his name into the Goblet, the Goblet could not have chosen four champions. The only possibility is that, after so long unused, the Goblet has suffered some malfunction..."
"Malfunction?" Karkaroff gave a snort, his voice hissing like a snake. "How convenient, Dumbledore."
"I can withdraw," Harry said suddenly. "My age doesn't meet this year's Tournament rules."
Everyone froze and turned to look at Harry.
Harry drew a deep breath and went on, "Since this was an accident, I can give up my place."
"Ah, that's more like it," Karkaroff's expression eased into a smile.
"That is not in accordance with the regulations," said Barty Crouch, stepping forward with an uncompromising tone. "The Tournament must proceed strictly by the rules. Anyone selected is obliged to compete; withdrawal mid-way is not permitted."
The room fell abruptly quiet. Karkaroff's smile stiffened on his face; Madame Maxime's brows drew together.
A second later, Karkaroff, still unwilling to relent, said, "But this is our contestant voluntarily requesting to withdraw..."
"I doubt withdrawal will work," Adrian Wesson's voice cut in. "Ladies and gentlemen, a reminder—the Goblet of Fire's contract is bound with ancient magic. Any champion who voluntarily renounces the Tournament will suffer backlash from the contract."
"Backlash?" Harry jumped and hurried to ask, "What's that?"
"No idea," Wesson shrugged. "You'd have to ask the Goblet's maker. But without question, if you deliberately back out, you'll be punished. Hmm... perhaps the magical fire in the Goblet will swallow you..."
In truth, it was only a guess. No one knew what penalty awaited someone who quit of their own accord; the Goblet had been sealed away for ages, and information about it was scarce.
Harry shuddered on the spot.
"Just so," Crouch nodded slightly, his face impassive. "Professor Wesson is correct—we cannot treat any contract lightly, much less one from the Goblet of Fire. The Tournament shall proceed as normal. All four of them will take part. That is not in doubt."
Wesson had expected Karkaroff to keep arguing, but, surprisingly—though he wore a thunderous expression—he raised no further objection to Harry's participation.
After discussion, Harry ultimately remained a Triwizard champion—even if both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang voiced their displeasure.
Next came the briefing for the champions.
Barty Crouch mechanically ran through a list of cautions for the four: the First Task would take place on 24 November,
it would be a test of courage, and during the Tournament the champions must accept no assistance from any third party...
In short, it was as good as saying nothing; he revealed virtually nothing of the tasks themselves.
As Crouch spoke, Wesson finally noticed how unusually haggard he looked, the dark shadows under his eyes suggesting he hadn't slept well in a long time.
Clearly, he wasn't in good shape.
Wesson could understand that, of course.
After all, the Quidditch World Cup had only just passed; Crouch must be under considerable pressure.
Soon Crouch finished his instructions.
He said to Dumbledore, "I'll be off then, Albus."
"Oh, of course," Dumbledore said with concern. "But won't you stay the night at Hogwarts, Barty?"
Crouch shook his head. "You know how busy the Ministry is. I've left the work to young Weatherby for the moment... very enthusiastic... truth be told, overly enthusiastic. I shouldn't be away too long."
"I hope all goes smoothly," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Would you like to use a fireplace? There's one in my office."
"Certainly."
News that Harry had not been stripped of his champion status spread quickly through Hogwarts.
Students did not all take it the same way.
Hufflepuff, for instance, reacted the most fiercely; some felt Harry had stolen the honour that should have belonged to Hogwarts's rightful champion, Cedric Diggory.
The Gryffindors were not opposed.
After all, Harry was something of an outstanding student—perhaps only a touch behind Hermione in marks—and he played Quidditch brilliantly, which earned him a set of supporters.
Quite a few students believed that, had Harry been seventeen, he would undoubtedly have been chosen as Hogwarts's champion, surpassing Cedric.
In short, the pressure on Harry mounted at once.
Fortunately, his two friends Ron and Hermione were understanding enough.
Ron had been a bit put out at first, thinking Harry had found a way past the Age Line without telling him. But once Harry explained that he'd tried to withdraw and been refused, Ron chose to believe him—though he was still a bit jealous.
Meanwhile, Adrian Wesson kept searching for whoever might have tampered with the Goblet of Fire.
He went to check on Moody again out of sheer stubbornness, but, as before, found nothing useful.
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