"What's going on? Mr. Potter is in the competition, too?"
"What's he doing? Is he competing against Mr. Dursley?"
"But why would Mr. Potter put so many votes in for himself? Did he think one wasn't enough, so he put in a bunch to make sure he'd be chosen?"
"Is that... is that what's happening?"
"So what's the deal now? Is Mr. Potter the fourth champion, or the fourth, fifth, sixth... and ninth champion?"
The young wizards looked at each other in confusion. After a brief silence, they began to gather in small groups, whispering to one another. A low buzzing sound filled the Great Hall, like the sound of countless angry bees.
Compared to the students' chatter, the expressions on Karkaroff and Madame Maxime's faces were grim. And why? Did they even need to ask? Durmstrang and Beauxbatons each had only one champion, but Hogwarts now had two. No one would be happy with that.
"I didn't put my name in," Harry said, his face pale and his voice loud.
He had actually considered signing up, but once he learned that "D" was also going to compete, he abandoned the idea completely. He hadn't even written his name on a slip of paper, let alone put it in the Goblet. He was certain someone had impersonated him to rig the vote.
"Harry, please go inside." Dumbledore gestured to the room Dudley and the other two champions had just entered. His voice was flat and held no hint of his emotions.
"This is a ridiculous trick! I absolutely will not accept this result!" Karkaroff was furious, his face bright red and veins bulging on his forehead. The sneer on his face didn't falter. His voice was so loud it made the entire hall vibrate.
"This is completely preposterous! Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of the Triwizard Tournament!"
Perhaps realizing he shouldn't lose his temper in front of the students, Karkaroff let out a loud snort and stormed off, heading straight for the champions' room. Madame Maxime, Dumbledore, and a few other professors followed him inside, leaving the bewildered students behind.
"Karkaroff, this is part of the contract. We must abide by it," Dumbledore said once they were in the room. His expression remained unchanged.
"Abide by what? That Hogwarts now has two champions? Are you joking, Dumbledore?" Karkaroff had calmed down, but his face was set in a cold smile, and his blue eyes were icy. "This is a violation of the rules! I don't recall the host school being allowed to have two champions."
"I'd like to know that myself, Dumbledore," Madame Maxime said coolly, her tone no longer friendly, but full of hostility. "What on earth is Hogwarts up to?"
In their eyes, it was obvious that Hogwarts had cheated. How else could two champions appear at once? Having two champions would surely double Hogwarts's chances of winning.
"The fact is, we did nothing," Dumbledore told the two headmasters, a look on his face that said, 'believe me or not, that's your choice.' He then turned to Harry. "I'll ask you one more time. Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire, Harry?"
"No," Harry said, his voice firm and unwavering.
"Did you ask an older student to put your name in for you?" Dumbledore asked next.
"No, I had no reason to," Harry said impatiently. He then looked at Dudley. "D, I swear I did not put my name in." He cared more about whether Dudley believed him than anyone else. He didn't want Dudley to misunderstand.
"I believe you, Harry." Dudley put a hand on Harry's shoulder. This unconditional trust made Harry feel so emotional he was on the verge of tears.
Dudley, of course, knew Harry hadn't done it. As for who did... his gaze fell on the man who had been standing silently in the corner since they came in: Professor Moody.
Our "Moody" must have been just as stumped right now. While things had followed his script, the outcome was entirely unexpected. He'd only put in one piece of parchment with Harry's name on it. So why were so many of Harry's names coming out?
Had the Goblet of Fire gone haywire?
"He's clearly lying!" Madame Maxime pointed at Harry, her huge eyes wide with rage, as if she wanted to swallow him whole.
"He has no reason to lie." The reply came not from Dumbledore, but from Dudley.
He stepped forward and quietly shielded Harry with his body, just as he had done when they were children. He completely ignored the murderous glares from the two headmasters.
"Why?" Karkaroff's eyes blazed, his yellow teeth bared. "How can you say he's not lying?"
Madame Maxime, though silent, glared with the same questioning look.
"Because the champion of the Triwizard Tournament is inevitably going to be me," Dudley said calmly, as if stating the most obvious thing in the world. His gaze swept over Viktor and Fleur. "This was decided the moment I decided to enter the competition."
His tone was one of absolute certainty. Viktor's face was stunned, and Fleur looked furious. As two of the top students at their respective schools, they had never been so looked down on before.
"Arrogant! Conceited! You have no idea what you're up against!" Karkaroff laughed in disbelief. He had disliked Dudley from the start, and now he found him even more repugnant. "It's unbelievable... This is the kind of student Hogwarts is turning out?"
"Karkaroff, are you dissatisfied with my teaching methods?" a chilling voice asked. Snape had appeared by Dudley's side.
Snape's actions were a clear message to Karkaroff: This is my student, and I'll protect him.
"Snape..." Karkaroff looked at Snape with a dark expression but, for once, didn't press the issue further. Karkaroff and Snape were old acquaintances, having known each other since they both served a certain Dark Lord.
Dudley felt a flicker of warmth, knowing Snape was helping him. Snape might have a venomous tongue and be overly protective, but he was a good teacher. If you could endure his "poison" and had a heart strong enough to remain unaffected by his insults, you could learn a lot from his classes. Most importantly, when a student was in danger, he was someone who would truly step in. That alone put him leagues ahead of countless other professors.
"You'll see in the future," Dudley said. "All I'm doing is stating a fact."