13

Chapter XIII: The Champion Selection

(Sirius P.O.V)

Sirius watched the swinging pendulum of the Grandfather Clock that rested proudly in the Black Family sitting room. His mind was running rampant as if a tornado of possibilities was racing through his mind at full speed, and his stomach tightened at the prospect of possibly inviting the wife of Lucius Malfoy to their cause. It was only the feeling of Emmeline's tired head resting gently against his chest that gave him some comfort.

Yet for all of Sirius' worries, Andromeda's were much worse. Sirius had been close to Andromeda for years, she was always very level headed, and while she liked to dream of a better future, she normally kept her mind focused on reality. That dichotomy had never been as present as it was now as he watched his cousin switch from nervous giddiness at the chance of saving her sister, to heart-broken despair at the thought of Narcissa not even coming to see them in the first place.

Ten till midnight, Sirius thought to himself as he began to stand, cradling Emmeline's head and gently resting it on a pillow before turning to face Andromeda, "Alright Andy, wands at the ready, I know you want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but we shouldn't be careless." He reached into his pocket revealing a transfigured black-colored Galleon with the symbol of a Phoenix on it, their own patented Portkey and spoke, "Do you have your emergency Portkey with you in case Narcissa decided to bring along some friends? I know the place is warded but there's no telling who could be waiting around the house."

"She wouldn't do that," Andromeda whispered beneath her breath but revealed the Portkey all the same.

"I hope you're right," Sirius spoke, "I don't want to fight if we don't have to."

"Padfoot," Emmeline spoke in a mumbled 'just got out of bed' like tone, "Be safe, okay?"

Sirius smiled as he knelt down beside her, his grey eyes looking into her bright violet ones as he nodded, "Always have been," he said in a confident tone before gently pressing his lips against hers, "I'll be back before you wake up, I promise."

"You better be," Emmeline said with a playful smirk which only seemed to remind Sirius of all the reasons he'd fallen so badly for her all those years ago before he turned around to face Remus who was standing beside them smiling.

"What?" Sirius asked with a grin, "You want a kiss before I go too, Moony?"

"Not with your dog-breath, I'll pass," Remus said with a smirk before the two friends hugged tightly, "Keep on alert, I know we want this to go peacefully, but if it doesn't, leave, don't fight."

Sirius nodded before walking towards Andromeda, who reached out her trembling hand and Sirius desperately tried to relax her by sending her one of his confident smiles, "It'll be fine Andy, we're going to be okay."

Andromeda nodded before Sirius scanned the room once more, wishing Tonks and Ted were here as well and not running long shifts at the ministry, but all the same, the time was now, and with a bark he spoke, "Kreacher!" The elf quickly popped into view, but before Kreacher could begin to go on and on about his Blood-Traitor ways, Sirius continued, "Bring us to the Black Summer Home, Lake District" Kreacher nodded, though not happily, and with one last look at his beautiful girlfriend, they vanished with a pop.

As they arrived at the Lake House, Sirius wasn't surprised that he had landed with a thud, the elf cared little about his safety or about him in general for that matter, but before Sirius could even say a word, Kreacher had vanished once more, and Sirius was left alone with Andromeda in a house he hadn't seen since he was a child. And judging by the look of the small summer cottage, that seemed to be the general consensus with everybody. The house looked awful, with cobwebs forming along the walls and the ground covered in black soot and dust. Sirius was honestly surprised that at no time did anyone associated with the House of Black visit this place, but then again, with the home being so close to muggle-society, Sirius supposed it made sense.

Sirius' eyes glanced over at the clock hanging above the kitchen island and saw they were quickly approaching the agreed-upon time. The sound of scrubbing from the cleaning spells being cast rapidly from Andromeda's wand which at least made the furniture usable without leaving black smudges on their clothes filled the air, and soon both he and Andromeda had taken their seats on the long and lush black silk couch as they awaited the arrival of their final guest.

Sirius watched sadly as Andromeda tapped her finger rapidly against the arm of the couch, her eyes locked on the second hand of the clock as the two entered the final minute. "Andy," Sirius spoke softly, "I don't think she's coming."

"She'll come," Andromeda said though the hope in her voice seemed to have vanished, "She has to come. She has to come," though the second was much weaker than the first. Sirius placed his hand softly on his favorite cousin's shoulder and sighed, the second hand passing the six before a sound filled the air that made Sirius jump and quickly reach for his wand.

The loud crack had kicked up some dust, and yet standing there through all the debris, was none other than Narcissa Malfoy. "I hope you haven't all been waiting so long, this wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done."

"Cissy," Andromeda spoke, and Sirius could see the shock in her eyes as she stared at her sister, "You're here."

Sirius watched as Andromeda began to walk towards her before quickly he stuck his arm out halting her progress as he turned to face Narcissa, "Wait, Andy," he spoke cautiously as he lifted his wand towards Narcissa, "Drop your wand."

Andromeda swallowed hard, Sirius knew she wanted him to put his wand down, but he couldn't take that risk. Narcissa's blue eyes shone in desperation, but Sirius remained firm in his judgment, and with a heavy breath, the youngest Black sister dropped her wand onto the dusty ground. With Narcissa disarmed, Andromeda rushed to her sister's side, heart-ache present in her face as she took in Narcissa's desperate looking face. "Cissy," Andromeda whispered softly, "What's wrong?"

"He's back," Narcissa spoke, her voice trembling, "I don't know how, I have no idea how he did it, but the Dark Lord is back."

Sirius' eyes grew cold at the knowledge, he had known the Dark Lord had never been truly defeated, but to hear he was already back, it was something he feared beyond belief. Damn it, He thought to himself furiously, I thought we'd have more time. However, he forced a cool demeanor on his face as he spoke, "Why do you look so frightened by this information? I assume if this is true you learned about it from your husband and would be overjoyed. After all, it isn't like Lucius wasn't a valued Death Eater."

"Lucius didn't tell me," Narcissa said her voice still shaking, "He had his suspicions of course, but it was Bellatrix who told me."

"Bellatrix?!" Andromeda spoke shocked, "She was at Malfoy Manor?"

"Yes," Narcissa said with a nod, "She told me the Dark Lord was responsible for their freedom, she came to get information from me on everything she had missed since she'd been in Azkaban, including the Black Family assets."

"Which your family has zero access to," Sirius responded sternly.

Narcissa nodded once more, "Bellatrix was still under the impression that Draco would be the next Heir of House Black, and hold control over the Black Family assets. There's no point in denying it to either of you as you already know, but while the Malfoy family is wealthy, compared to the Black Family, they don't even come close to the same amount." Sirius nodded his understanding before Narcissa continued, "When Bellatrix, Crouch, and the Lestrange brothers caught wind of it, they informed me that without the wealth that Lucius once controlled, it is only his influence over the Minister that is keeping him alive."

While Andromeda sent her sister a look of pity, Sirius remained stern as Narcissa continued, "Lucius will no longer be considered a high-ranking Death Eater, his influence from the Minister may stop our family from being an immediate target, but if Lucius fails once more, Bellatrix said that the Dark Lord won't hesitate to have us all killed."

"Cissy I-" Andromeda started, but before she could continue, Sirius spoke.

"So you're worthless to us," He concluded and instantly he watched as the hope drained from Narcissa's eyes, "They only use you had was as a spy within the Malfoy household. If Lucius isn't going to be privy to sensitive information, then what do you have to offer us?"

Sirius felt Andromeda shooting daggers into him with her eyes, but Sirius remained firm. He was about to speak once more before he was silenced as Narcissa, a woman who'd been cursed with pride from the moment he'd known her, dropped to her hands and knees, tears rolling down her eyes as she placed her head down on the dirty floor and begged, "Please," She spoke her voice quivering, "Killing the Dark Lord is the only way to stop this madness that has befallen my family. If you truly intend to stand against him, then I'll do anything to help. They threatened to kill Draco, they'll skin him alive like an animal if the Dark Lord wins. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, especially not yours, Andromeda, but if you can't forgive me then use me like a disposable tool, I'll do anything you ask." Tears streamed down her cheeks as Sirius saw her now puffy red eyes stare into his, the black smudge firmly present on her forehead as with a strained voice she cried, "Just please, save my son."

Sirius stood there, his jaw nearly hanging open as the display below him. Narcissa Malfoy, the proudest of the Black sisters had lowered her head onto a filthy floor and begged. She had thrown her life away and pleaded to be used as nothing more than a tool if it meant she could have a chance at saving her son's life. He had no words as Andromeda raced towards her sister's side, holding her tightly as Narcissa wept uncontrollably. He had no idea how long he had watched this unusual scene until his voice had returned to him, but finding it once more, he spoke.

"Narcissa," Sirius began, "I can't make you any promises. In fact, the only thing we can give you is our word that we will fight against Voldemort with everything we have, but there's no guarantee we'll win. However, I will state this, if we win this war, I will see to it that you and Draco are reinstated into the House of Black. But unlike yourself, your husband is a marked man, and if I see him on the battlefield, I don't intend to show mercy. If you want entry back into this house, you need to renounce your Pureblood-Superiority beliefs, accept Harry as the next heir, and most importantly, remove yourself from the Malfoy name."

"Sirius," Andromeda said, "Don't you think that's-"

"I accept," Narcissa said her body still trembling, "Lucius, he isn't the man he once was. Draco, his condition has led Lucius to madness."

"His Lycanthropy," Sirius spoke in a confirming tone.

Narcissa's eyes widened in shock, but she seemed to have let that go as she nodded, "The Dark Lord promised him before he vanished that he'd cure Draco if Lucius proved himself once more. The unfulfilled promise has led Lucius to mania, to the point that the day after the raid, for the first time in our marriage, he struck me."

Sirius' flinched at the admission as Narcissa continued, "As I said, I'll do anything you want so long as you agree to protect my son."

Sirius turned to Narcissa and nodded, "Okay, we'll sort out all the details later, but for now, let's get you caught up to speed, and grant you access to the base. We'll work out the terms of your Unbreakable Vow when we get there."

"What if Lucius-"

"He won't be back for a while," Andromeda spoke, "My daughter was informed by Amelia Bones that Lucius and the Minister will be taking care of business abroad for the next couple of days. They only left yesterday."

Sirius saw the look of sadness in Narcissa's eyes as she spoke, "You know of his whereabouts better than I do. What a marriage I have, huh."

(Daphne P.O.V)

Daphne groaned as she massaged her legs deeply with her thumbs, desperately attempting to relieve them of the soreness she felt. For nearly a whole month now, Harry and her, along with the rest of the group had been meeting daily for some sort of training. While the magical practice was exhausting, Daphne felt those were one-thousand times easier to manage than the physical exercise. Daphne was never unhealthy looking but never had she felt as out of shape as when she tried to keep up with Harry, Neville, and Michael on one of their early morning runs around the grounds.

"On the bright side," Tracey had said with a smile the first time they'd ever joined the boys on a run, "Our asses will look great when this is over."

She quickly changed her tune after the first day, moaning loudly of how she thought she was going to die as she, Blaise, and Tracey laid on the ground panting exhaustedly from their last work out as Harry smiled down on the three of them not even gasping for breath. If she hadn't found his sweat glimmering shirtless form so distracting, she was certain she'd have punched him in the face for making her feel so unfit.

However, as the month went on, she did begin to feel improvement, and while it wasn't as important to her as it was to Tracey, she couldn't deny that her butt was looking better and better, despite the fact that sitting on it hurt tremendously. From the looks of it, she didn't seem to be the only one from her trio feeling this way as Blaise and Tracey looked equally fatigued despite the fact their workout had been hours ago. At the very least, she was doing better than Astoria who'd collapsed from exhaustion the first day requiring Harry to piggyback her back to Gryffindor Tower. Seeing the way Harry carried her younger sister had forced an image of her boyfriend carrying their first child, and while that thought had been pleasant, she shook it off knowing it was still a good way off. If they even made it that far, Her brain reminded her forcing her to once more shake her head, refusing to give in to negativity like that.

"You know," Tracey said with a sigh, "I love Harry and all, but do you think he secretly wants to kill us all. I mean that run this morning, holy shit."

"Give him a break Trace," Blaise said with a smirk, "He just wants to make sure we're in the best shape to face V-Voldemort or his goons if we have to."

"Oh that's right, I forgot," Tracey said playfully, "Both my best friends are Harry Potter fangirls."

"Hey!" Both she and Blaise shouted back, but Daphne had a feeling that they each had very different reasons.

However, before Tracey could even finish laughing at their reaction, Daphne felt a tap on her shoulder and a stunned silence overtook them as she found herself face to face with the Bulgarian Quidditch Star, Victor Krum. "Excuse me," The boy spoke in a thick Bulgarian accent, "You are Daphne, are you not?"

"Uh, yes," Daphne spoke a bit confused as to why the Seeker of the Bulgarian team had approached her, "Can I help you?"

"I was wondering," Krum spoke with a confident smile, "Would you like to accompany me to, how you say, Hogsmeade this weekend? I heard it was a tradition here."

"No, sorry," Daphne spoke though she didn't feel that bad, she had practiced rejecting people for over half a year with Harry, and the fact that she didn't find Krum to be nearly as handsome as Harry had made the rejection even easier, "I'm sure you're a perfectly fine person, but I'm actually going with my boyfriend."

"Ah," Krum spoke proudly, and instantly, Daphne's pupils grew in surprise at the confident smirk that overtook his face, "Well, I see, I don't need to force you, if you change your mind let me know."

"I don't really plan on it," Daphne said her eyes displaying a mixture of fury and confusion before she turned to face her two friends signaling for the two of them to leave the Great Hall and Krum in the distance.

"That was uncomfortable," Blaise said with a scowl, "He's almost like Harry if Harry had no charisma. I know that you've told me Harry can get a bit full of himself, but at least he's charming. That was just strange. 'I don't have to force you' what does that even mean?"

"No clue," Daphne said her eyes fixed with irritation before she turned to face her friends, "But don't tell Harry okay? I'm super pissed about it, but if Harry hears what Krum just tried he might go pick a fight and while I think he'll win, there's no reason to start an international incident over Krum being an ass, okay?"

Both Tracey and Blaise looked at each other before they sighed and Tracey spoke, "Okay, but for what it's worth, I think that you should stop hiding things from Harry, especially regarding Astoria, you know how much he cares about her."

Daphne bit her lip and clenched her fist before she responded, "I know, I know that he deserves to know, but it isn't my place to tell him. It's a family problem, the only reason you two know is because you're part of my family. If Astoria tells him, then fine, but until then, not a word, okay? Promise me."

"We promise," They returned though Tracey, in particular, didn't look happy about it, "I get it, Daphne," Tracey spoke, "But still, I don't think it's great for your relationship to keep this hidden from Harry. Especially not when he's one of the best things to have ever happened to you."

Daphne looked at her friends, she knew what they were saying was true, but all the same, she shook her head, "I'll tell him about Krum if he becomes a problem. As for Astoria, he'll know when she tells him, that's that." Daphne took a deep breath as she turned now facing the portrait of Merlin, "Now that that's settled, let's get to work."

As the three wedged their way through the Devil's Snare, Daphne couldn't help but smile at Astoria's upbeat voice, she could practically hear her jumping up and down as she spoke, "Can you show me one more time, please? What is it supposed to look like?"

"I've already told you Short-Stack," Harry said with a laugh, "What it looks like completely depends on your innate personality." Daphne walked in just in time to see Harry lift his wand and gently utter, "Expecto Patronum." Daphne smiled as she watched Harry's crow bloom from his wand and fly around the room, her smile only grew more as she watched Astoria's eyes chase it feverishly before with a wave of Harry's wand the crow vanished.

"Okay," Astoria said assuredly, "This time for sure, wait and see." Daphne leaned against the wall just as Astoria raised her wand and with confidence allowed the incantation to leave her lips, "Expecto Patronum!" Instantly, the white mist emerged and Astoria closed her eyes, ignoring the sweat beating down her brow, "I can do this," she muttered to herself, "I know I can."

"Concentrate Astoria," Harry whispered gently, "Focus on every bit of that memory, the smell, the sight, the sound, let it consume you."

Astoria took a deep breath, and Daphne's jaw nearly fell to the floor as from the mist what looked like a large talon emerged from the mist, however, it was just at that moment that Astoria fell, her breath ragged and her body trembling. "Damn it," she groaned, "So close."

"You did awesome Astoria," Harry said helping her up, "Let's take a little break, when you've recovered, we can try again." Astoria nodded and Harry turned to face Michael, "Alright Corner, you're up."

"Right," Corner said confidently, "I got this, Expecto Patronum." Though Daphne knew Corner was nothing short of a genius, even more so when it came to charms, her eyes nearly exploded as instantly from the white mist emerged an energetic looking squirrel, which bound around the room like it was on a quest for mischief. Daphne could hardly hold back her chuckle as Michael looked on at his Patronus in disappointment before canceling the spell.

"Really," He spoke to himself, "A squirrel?"

"I think a squirrel fits you perfectly," Harry said with a smirk, "Chipper."

"Yeah, yeah," Corner said with a sigh, "I guess we can't all have cool Patronuses like you, can we Rook?"

"Well, mine's a bear," Neville chimed in, "So maybe we can all have cool Patronuses except for you."

"Whatever, Scout," Michael bit back, "Please tell me you two aren't really going to call me Chipper."

"What did you say Chipper?" Harry said with a chuckle, "I couldn't hear you over your welching."

"I hate you two, you know that?" Michael said sourly.

"Yeah, we know," Neville responded, nudging his ribs gently.

Daphne began to laugh, but it was cut short as she soon found herself wrapped in a protective hug from Harry who looked down at her, finally looking like his old confident self, something that relieved her immeasurably. With a playful smirk, he spoke, "What took you so long Princess, for a moment I thought you'd been kidnapped and I'd have to come rescue you."

"Very funny Flyboy," Daphne said with a smile of her own that only grew as Harry pressed his lips against hers, earning a playful barfing soundtrack from Tracey which only triggered a louder chorus from the others.

"You guys suck," Harry said with a laugh which sparked some cheer into the exhausted room before he turned to face Daphne, "Alright Princess, are you ready for some practice?"

"Practice," She said teasingly, "I thought this was cooking class?" Her smile only grew more playful, "What else would I be here for, Flyboy?"

"Alright Princess, don't get cheeky," Harry said though his smile betrayed him as he took her hand and guided her through the training room, "Let's get started, okay?"

"Okay."

And try they did, for nearly an hour Harry remained patiently by her side as Neville and Michael dueled with Tracey and Blaise, helping them develop combat chemistry as partners in case a real fight ever broke out. Daphne to her great disgrace, however, soon found herself leaning against Harry, completely out of breath. "Hey, Potter!" Michael called out, "We're calling it for tonight, we've been at it for nearly two hours, are we running tomorrow?"

"Only if you want to, I figured since we have Hogsmeade in two days you might want to take a break and find a date," Harry replied, "Maybe you can ask that french girl, Claire was it?"

"Not a chance in hell," Michael replied, "I'd sooner go with Parkinson, honestly, that girl has issues."

"Don't we all," Neville replied, "Plus, Hermione says she's interesting if nothing else, at least you won't be bored."

"Speaking of Granger," Michael returned with a smirk, "What's your plan for wooing the Know-It-All? Maybe you could recite a Shakespearean Sonnet or something."

"Shut it, Corner," Was the last thing he heard as the five other members of their group departed, with Tracey and Blaise agreeing to bring the sleeping and completely exhausted Astoria back to the tower. Seeing nobody else was around, Daphne felt relieved as she collapsed onto Harry, her energy completely spent.

"Damn it," Daphne hissed angrily, trying to fend off angry tears, "Why the hell can't I do it? I can barely keep up a mist."

"What memory are you using?" Harry asked quietly, wrapping her in his arms.

"The night at Grimmauld Place," Daphne said shyly, a blush rushing to her face, "If that isn't a happy memory, I don't know what is, that's the best one I have."

"Is something bothering you," Harry asked gently and for a moment Daphne froze, "Something that's weighing heavy on you that's getting in the way of your Patronus. I know for a fact you're strong enough to do it, and I'd say you have a happy enough memory, interference is the only thing I can think of."

"You know," Daphne said quickly rising to her feet, "I think the issue is that I'm just tired. I need to get some sleep, Moody's class has been pretty difficult so far and all. Plus I'm-"

"Daphne," Harry said with such firmness despite the fact that he held her so gently, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Daphne said, "Nothing's wrong, okay? I'm just tired is all."

Harry looked at her, she could tell instantly that he didn't believe her for a second, and yet, Harry kept a gentle smile on his face as he nodded, "Daphne, it's okay if you don't want to tell me, but please, don't lie to me. I know I'm the last person to talk about that, but I need to know you'll be honest with me, even when it's not easy to be."

Daphne looked away in shame, it was bad enough Harry knew she lied to him, it was worse that he was acting so calm about it. However, before she could allow her mind to wander to darker and darker places his arms tightened around her slim frame once more and into her ear, he whispered, "I know that you're smart and talented and if something is bothering you, you can handle it on your own. But I want to let you know that you don't have to, I'm here for you Princess, always."

Daphne rested her head into the crook of Harry's neck and kissed him gently, "Sorry, I know you want to help, but it's a really personal issue for me and I-I'm not ready to share it yet. I'm sorry for being such a hypocrite but-"

Harry kissed her gently, cutting her off as he smiled, "The fact you can fight your own battles is part of what makes you so attractive," Harry said with a grin before turning serious yet calm, "But if you ever need anything, just let me know."

"I'm lucky to have you," Daphne returned.

"You're damn right," Harry returned and Daphne looked up planting a peck on his cheek. "Alright Princess, let's get you back to the dungeons, I don't have my cloak so we actually have to make it back before curfew, but I'm sure we might find time for a broom closet stop of two."

Harry laughed as he took her hand and Daphne smiled as well, despite all her exhaustion, Harry filled her with renewed energy and as she looked down at their entwined hands, Daphne couldn't help but smile, I think I'm in love with you, Harry Potter. The thought sent a terrifying yet thrilling chill down her spine before Harry turned back, his Green Eyes piercing her Blues as he spoke, "Oh yeah, one more thing, hey Princess, go to Hogsmeade with me."

One year later, Daphne thought to herself with a smile before nodding, "Okay, Flyboy."

(Astoria P.O.V)

The cool wind blew her long hair behind her as she found herself staring out over the Black Lake, she hadn't really spent much time there, but the longer she sat, watching as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky, the more she found herself agreeing with Harry. Of all the places on the Hogwarts Grounds, this place was without a doubt the most beautiful. She sighed contently, her mind wandering freely as she placed her head back against the tree's trunk, charmed for comfort by students who'd come years before her and closed her eyes peacefully.

That was until she heard a voice call out to her with a light Bulgarian accent, "Astoria, I hope you weren't waiting too long, Professor Binns really can go on about the Goblin Rebellions forever."

"They're the worst, aren't they?" Astoria spoke with a soft chuckle, "But it's okay, I haven't been waiting long." Her eyes then grew with anticipation, "So, did you bring them?"

Damyan nodded and Astoria watched as, from the boy's book bag, a binder, an extremely large one at that was removed. She could do little but simply marvel at the sheer size of the binder, filled with an innumerable number of laminated pages keeping every work of art carefully preserved and free of damage. "Wow," Astoria said, "When you said you drew a lot, you weren't kidding. These are all comic strips?"

"No, no," Damyan said with a smile as he opened his binder, "I have tabs for each section, the comics are in the back, but I still have a good amount of them." She watched as Damyan quickly shuffled through the back, "Try not to laugh at my art, okay? These were some of my first works so they aren't that good. I really only keep them in here because of sentimental value."

Laugh? Astoria thought to herself as she looked over the line art, the perfect shades of colors, the outlines, every bit of it look amazing. She had to fight hard to keep her jaw from dropping as she spoke, "These are your first pieces?"

"Yes," Damyan said nervously, "I've gotten better, I swear but we all start somewhere, right?"

"These are incredible," Astoria said, "I don't think the ones in the Daily Prophet even look this good." She watched as Damyan smiled a hint of red filling his cheeks as Astoria looked down at the binder, "What does this one say?"

"Which one?" Damyan said now looking over her shoulder, his light orange blossom cologne filling her senses as she felt his muscular arm brush gently against her.

Astoria bit down on her lip, her own face now feeling warm as she pointed her finger, "This one."

"Oh, this one," Damyan said with a laugh, "This one was when my father was trying to wrangle votes for his election, we were constantly traveling around Bulgaria answering people's questions and my father got asked something about a picture someone took when we were at a park. What happened was that a stray goose stole one of his shoes and ran for the pond and my father ended up chasing him around for nearly ten minutes. The reporter's question made me remember and draw the incident, it was pretty funny."

Astoria chuckled as she imagined the Minister she'd seen at the world cup running around with one shoe chasing after a runaway goose. "I can see that," Astoria said with a smile, "Your dad looked really serious at the World Cup but that joke he pulled on Fudge was a classic."

"He's a great man," Damyan said with a happy smile as he looked out onto the Black Lake, "He's the best man I know. No matter what happens, he's never turned his back on me."

It must be nice to have a dad like that, Astoria thought to herself in sadness before shoving the thought down hard. She had believed herself to be rather good at keeping her true feelings hidden despite the fact that she normally preferred to be open, but clearly she wasn't as good at it as she thought as Damyan quickly asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Astoria lied, though her smile came easy, "Honestly, I think I'm just overloaded with amazement," she said as she flipped through the pages, "I mean not only your cartoons, but these landscapes look incredible, the way you painted that sunset is unbelievable too. I never would have guessed you'd be this talented." Damyan smiled happily as he rolled his thumbs keeping his jittery hands in motion, "But, you don't seem to draw a lot of people, do you?"

"I um," Damyan spoke looking away, "It's hard sometimes. People, they take a long time to paint, and unlike a landscape that's always present, people often get busy, it also doesn't help that the Durmstrang Institute sees arts as a waste of time. My father agreed to let me paint him once, but," Damyan said turning to a laminated page with only the chair and the Minister's legs painted, "He never seems to be able to stick around for long enough. He is the Minister for Magic, after all, it keeps him busy."

"You can paint me," Astoria said with a smile.

"Really? I mean, are you sure?"

"Sure," Astoria said with a smile, "Why not, it'll be fun."

"But what if it doesn't come out good?" Damyan said nervously, "I'd hate to waste so much of your time and-"

"It won't be a waste of time," Astoria said waving the worry off, "Even if the painting came out terribly, which I doubt will happen, it means that we'll be hanging out a lot, and since we're friends, it'll be fun. You've got nothing to worry about."

"I mean, if you're sure-"

"Of course I'm sure," Astoria said before a loud growl erupted from her stomach leaving her embarrassed, "Sorry about that. I'm a bit hungry."

"A bit?" Damyan returned with a grin.

"Whatever," Astoria said as she playfully rolled her eyes, "Come on, let's get to the Great Hall, dinner tonight's going to be great, we're going to figure out who the Champions are after all."

"Well, Krum is going to be the Durmstrang Champion," Damyan said as he placed the binder back carefully into his bag, "But I suppose it'll be exciting to see who the Beauxbatons and Hogwarts Champions are, just give me a mom-"

But before Damyan could even close his bag, Astoria quickly took his hand and began to run towards the Castle's entrance, "Come on, I don't want to miss the show!" And as they rushed into the castle, the only sound beside their footsteps on the grassy plains, was the laughter that they shared.

(Harry P.O.V)

Harry smiled as he locked hands with Daphne the two of them leaving the library towards the Great Hall. "Snape's trying to murder me, I'm certain of it," Harry groaned, "Three scrolls? Three scrolls of parchment on the Pepper up Potion? I mean honestly, how much does he think there actually is to write on such a basic potion?"

"Aw don't be a baby Flyboy," Daphne said with a smirk, "At least you didn't have to write in on your own. Plus, I'm dying to know how you feel about completing an assignment before the last minute for the first time ever?"

"You're right," Harry said with a sigh, "Thanks for the help Princess, but honestly, I kinda miss the feeling of pressure that comes from doing things at the last minute. It feels strange completing something like a normal functioning human being."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Daphne said teasingly, "You could try all you want, I doubt you could ever be normal."

"You don't seem too upset about that," Harry said with a smirk of his own as he looked down at Daphne's Icy-Blue eyes.

"If I wanted normal, I certainly wouldn't have chosen you as a boyfriend," Daphne replied, sinking her Blue eyes into his Emerald Greens, "You keep things entertaining if nothing else."

"Glad I don't bore you," Harry said with a smile.

"Not a bit," Daphne responded and Harry quickly placed a gentle kiss upon her lips forcing Daphne to blush heavily, "Hey, PDA Mr. Potter, not nice."

"Sorry," Harry said with a smirk, "Couldn't help it."

"You're lucky you're cute," Daphne retorted before with a chuckle the two entered the Great Hall and with a promise to meet up after they broke off, and Harry headed towards the Gryffindor table, and found his seat beside Astoria who found herself sandwiched between himself and the child of the Bulgarian Minister. Harry watched with a laugh as Astoria grew a bit red as Damyan leaned into her, doing everything in her power to hide her face. She's such a dork, Harry thought happily as he smiled, But I'm glad Astoria finally made a friend in her year. Too bad he's leaving next year.

"What are you looking at?" Astoria asked curiously.

Playfully Harry looked around, pretending he couldn't hear where the voice was coming from only to be jabbed softly in the gut by Astoria's finger forcing him to look down and smile at her patented balloon pout, "Oh sorry Short-Stack, didn't see you there."

"Jerk," Astoria said with a chuckle before she turned to face the centerpiece of the Great Hall, taking Harry's focus along with her. Harry couldn't help but find the flickering of the blue flames mesmerizing and as Harry's eyes chased the dancing flames, he heard Astoria whisper, "Who do you think the champions will be?"

"I don't know," Harry replied with a whisper of his own, "I heard Krum was the only applicant from Durmstrang so he'll win by default. I don't really know any of the Beauxbaton students besides Claire and she isn't old enough to compete anyway. But if I had to make a guess for Hogwarts, I don't think anyone deserves it more than Cedric. He's easily the most talented in his year, plus anyone who can beat me in quidditch has my respect."

"It's always quidditch with you isn't it?"

"I'm also a big fan of talking about your sister, but part of me feels that you're not all that interested in our broom closet escapades," Harry returned with a teasing grin.

"Nope, nope, nope," Astoria said shaking her head violently, "I don't want to hear any of it."

"Then Quidditch it is," Harry said with a laugh, "Actually, it's been a while since I've asked how you've been doing in class, need any help with anything?"

"Not really, none of the transfiguration spells haven't been all that difficult yet, especially not when I use that visualization trick you taught me, but I am kind of curious about memory charms. I know they're above my year, but we were learning about the theory behind them and I just find them neat."

"Yeah," Harry said with a sigh, "I'm not too well versed in those, but you know, come to think of it Corner read a lot about them last summer, said knowing it could come in handy with, well you know," Harry then smiled, "Anyway, I'm sure if you wanted more info you could probably ask him, he might be able to show you the basics if nothing else."

"Really, you think I'd be able to do it?" Astoria asked her eyes wide, "They're supposed to be super dangerous and-"

"I'm sure you could do it," Harry said with a smile, "You're a much better witch than you think you are Short-Stack. Plus you never know with our 'business' having more people who know how to use the charm could be helpful."

Harry watched as Astoria smiled proudly, in all honesty, Harry had meant what he said, Astoria had been able to pick up the Patronus Charm incredibly fast, and despite her occasionally struggle in the field of Transfiguration, he felt strongly that Astoria was an extremely talented witch, almost scarily so, as she a girl of twelve was keeping up with not only Tracey, Blaise and Daphne, people who were two years her senior, but Michael and Neville as well who had survived a grueling summer of training. Harry was certain that either Michael or Neville could still beat Astoria quite handily, but the fact that she was capable of keeping pace was impressive in her own right. And Harry couldn't help but feel an immense sense of pride in his little sister.

Harry kept that pride in his heart as the dinner went on, as usual, he and Astoria had undergone their daily challenge of who could eat more, leading Damyan to watch them in concern, specifically for Astoria as how her small body could contain so much food had been something Harry himself wondered many times, but as usual Harry still came out on top, and finished with a satisfied burp, which ended with a hearty laugh between him and Astoria. Harry chuckled as his eyes caught Michael staring at the two of them completely lost for words and Hermione who shook her head, a rather judgemental look on her face while Harry simply sent a bright grin her way.

However, for as much as Harry was enjoying dinner, he couldn't help but empathize with Cedric. The Hufflepuff boy tapped his fingers against the wooden table impatiently, waiting for Dumbledore to rise and begin the announcements. Cedric must have noticed his staring as he sent Harry a quick wave to which Harry responded with a confident nod. Hufflepuff was quite often the butt of jokes between the houses, but nobody brought that house more pride than Cedric, and Harry hoped greatly probably only second to Cedric himself that the Hufflepuff Seeker would be selected as champion.

Finally, to both his and Cedric's relief, Dumbledore stood. "I hope you have all had a nice dinner," Dumbledore began, his grandfatherly tone overtaking the quickly quieting room, "But without further ado, let's begin the moment we've all been waiting for, the Champion Selection!"

The Great Hall erupted in cheers as Dumbledore began his walk towards the center of the Great Hall towards the Blue-Burning Goblet. Slowly the fires that lit the hall grew dim as Dumbledore waved his empty hand along the ceiling utilizing the bright goblet as the only source of light in the room. Harry couldn't help but feel as if the technique had reminded him a bit of the cinema, as it certainly had the same effect of both quieting the room and building the tension. Harry's eyes were locked on the elderly man, the blue fire bringing a shimmer to his beard as his hand rested gently on the side of the goblet, the fire seeming to grow at his touch.

Shortly after, the elderly wizard began to pull away and Harry couldn't help but allow an expression of his awe to leave his mouth as he watched the fire began to roar angrily shifting colors. First to a glistening magenta and then a roaring purple before finally settling on an amber red. The eyes of the entire Great Hall were focused upon the flickering and wild-looking flame, before suddenly as if the fire was sentient, it spit up a crumpled and yet perfectly unburnt piece of parchment. Dumbledore with a speed that surprised Harry, quickly plucked the paper from the sky as if it was a snitch and as he gently unfolded the paper he spoke, "The Durmstrang Champion is, Victor Krum!"

The students decked out in the Bulgarian Red erupted with cheer, and while Harry acknowledged that it was something to be excited about, knowing that nobody else placed their name in the Goblet had made Krum's celebration look a bit flat. However, then the Bulgarian Seeker did something that erupted a flame in his own chest larger than that of the goblet's. Harry's fist clenched in anger as he watched Krum turn to Daphne and smile wickedly before he sent her a quick wink. Had it not been for Astoria quickly grabbing his arm and bringing him back to reality, Harry was certain he would have given the Bulgarian Champion a piece of his mind, and maybe a taste of his fist.

Harry took a deep breath, allowing his mind to refocus. However, before he could even turn to Daphne for a look that might have given him some answers, the Goblet began acting up once more. Like before, the color of the fire switched and regurgitated a name, quickly being captured by Dumbledore who looked up and announced, "The Champion for Beauxbatons is, Fleur Delacour!"

Harry watched as the students in blue stood and applauded loudly as the Silver-Haired vixen that had caused a scene on the first day back walked towards Dumbledore, with many boys focusing more on the swinging of the french girl's hips rather than the burning goblet. Yet, Harry did see one thing that still surprised him, Claire Belmont, the Diva, had been the one cheering loudest of all for the Beauxbatons' Champion and Harry couldn't help but wonder what connection the two of them truly shared.

Though, he didn't have much time to think about it as the moment he'd been waiting for finally arrived. Harry watched with a smile as Fred reached over to grab Angelina's hand, someone he knew had submitted her name as well, while many others turned to each other crossing their fingers and whispering silent prayers. The flames spit up the final piece of parchment and with the grace of a Seeker in their prime, Dumbledore plucked it out of the air. He watched the Headmaster smile down at the parchment before with a calm yet strong tone he spoke, "The Hogwarts' Champion, Cedric Diggory!"

The students of the castle cheered loudly, and even Angelina who while being pretty upset about being passed up on by the goblet still clapped for one of Hogwarts' most talented wizards. Harry smiled up at Cedric from the bench as he passed through, and slowly he raised his hand for a high-five, Cedric responded with pride and Harry chuckled, "It's going to be weird cheering for you instead of wishing you'd fall off your broom this time."

"With support like that," Cedric said with a grin, "I'm sure to win."

"Well, get on with it then," Harry said with a laugh, "Congrats Ced, nobody deserves the honor more than you."

Cedric nodded proudly, walking towards Dumbledore and firmly shaking the Headmaster's hand before being pointed towards the direction of the back room where all the other Champions had been sent, most likely to learn about what was to be expected of them. As the cheers began to slow and Cedric had left the view of the Great Hall, Dumbledore turned to the remaining wizards and smiled, "Excellent!" Dumbledore spoke with excitement, "We now have our three champions, but in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this challenge of champions, this vessel of victory, the Triwizard Cup!"

Quickly Dumbledore spun around and wandlessly, he removed the cloth over the Staff Table's centerpiece a shimmering cup with the words Tri and Wiz engraved in beautiful gold. The cup radiated with magic and glowed a brilliant blue. Despite its long term use, Harry was simply astounded at how flawless the cup looked especially for how old it truly was. However, the peace was broken as Tracey yelled out, "Professor Dumbledore! Something's wrong with the Goblet!"

Quickly Dumbledore turned and Harry's expression had never been so similar to the old man's as each felt their eyes grow three sizes at the mayhem the cup was displaying. Harry quickly placed his hand on Astoria's shoulder, preparing to shield her from some oncoming fire if need be, but to his relief, the fire seemed to calm, but from the calming flame emerged another piece of parchment. "What the hell's going on?" Astoria whispered.

"I've got no idea," Harry replied honestly as he watched Dumbledore walk towards the goblet and pick the parchment off the ground. Harry's heart raced in his chest as he remembered the day, cursing his luck, No, I'm going insane, he thought to himself, I didn't even put my name in the cup. I have nothing to worry -

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore said with an alarmed tone.

"No," Harry said in a whisper as he felt the eyes of the hall fall onto him, "Why is it always me?"