Chapter 1: An Unwanted Champion
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. IT BELONGS TO JK ROWLING.
A/N: Read, enjoy, and remember not to take either life or my writing too seriously.
Sleep did not come easily to Harry Potter that night.
He lay on his back in the four-poster bed inside the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, staring up at the dark red canopy while the events of the evening replayed endlessly in his mind. The room was quiet except for the occasional creak of the old castle and the faint breathing of the other boys sleeping nearby.
Two thoughts refused to leave him alone.
The first was the shocking moment when the ancient Goblet had suddenly produced his name, declaring him a champion in the Triwizard Tournament. It was supposed to select only one champion from each school. Somehow, impossibly, it had chosen four.
And one of them was him.
The second thought was far more personal.
No one believed he hadn't entered.
Students had whispered as he walked through the corridors after the announcement. Some sounded impressed, others suspicious. But what bothered Harry the most was the reaction of Ron Weasley.
Ron had barely spoken to him.
Harry rolled onto his side and glanced across the room toward Ron's bed. The curtains were drawn shut, and there was no sound coming from inside.
Maybe Ron was asleep.
Or maybe he just didn't want to talk.
Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes.
Just when he thought the situation couldn't get worse, another thought surfaced.
Hermione.
Hermione Granger hadn't said much after the announcement. The Great Hall had been so chaotic that Harry had lost sight of her shortly afterward.
But if there was anyone in the castle who would believe him without hesitation, it would be Hermione.
The thought comforted him slightly.
Eventually, exhaustion overcame the endless cycle of frustration and confusion, and Harry drifted into a restless sleep.
The next morning Harry woke slowly.
For a few seconds he simply stared at the canopy above him, his mind still foggy with sleep. Then everything from the previous evening rushed back all at once.
The Goblet.
The shocked silence of the Great Hall.
His name echoing across the room.
Harry groaned quietly and pushed the curtains aside.
The dormitory was mostly empty now. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, lighting up the wooden floorboards.
Ron's bed was empty.
Harry frowned.
He had hoped to talk to Ron before classes began. If Ron would just listen for a moment, Harry was sure he could convince him that something strange had happened.
But judging by the light outside, Ron had already gone down for breakfast.
With a sigh, Harry got out of bed and dressed quickly.
A few minutes later he descended the spiral staircase leading to the Gryffindor common room.
The reaction he received was immediate.
Several students turned toward him the moment he entered.
Then someone started clapping.
Within seconds others joined in.
Harry froze.
Apparently the news had spread throughout Gryffindor overnight. Their house now had a champion in the tournament, and everyone seemed thrilled about it.
The Creevey brothers waved enthusiastically from one of the armchairs.
Harry forced a small smile, though he felt anything but proud.
He scanned the room quickly, searching for two particular people.
Ron wasn't there.
Neither was Hermione.
Not wanting to deal with the attention, Harry hurried toward the portrait hole and climbed through before anyone could stop him.
The corridor outside was quiet.
Harry had barely taken a few steps when he ran straight into someone.
"Oh!"
He stepped back quickly.
Hermione stood there, holding a napkin wrapped around several pieces of toast.
"Harry," she said, clearly relieved to see him.
"I thought you might not want to go into the Great Hall this morning," she explained, offering him the toast. "So I brought you something to eat."
Harry accepted it gratefully.
"Thanks," he said. "You're brilliant."
Hermione smiled warmly.
"Do you want to get outside for a bit?" she asked. "The castle is probably full of people talking about the tournament."
Harry took a bite of toast and nodded immediately.
"That sounds perfect."
A short while later they were walking across the Hogwarts grounds toward the lake.
The cool morning air helped clear Harry's thoughts as he began explaining everything that had happened after the ceremony. He told Hermione about the whispers, the accusations, and the uneasy feeling that someone had deliberately placed his name in the Goblet.
He also mentioned something that Alastor Moody had said—that it might have been done to put Harry in serious danger.
Hermione listened closely the entire time, her expression thoughtful.
When Harry finished speaking, she nodded firmly.
"I know you didn't enter your name."
Harry blinked in surprise.
"You do?"
"Of course," Hermione said. "The look on your face when Professor Dumbledore called your name said everything."
Harry felt a small wave of relief.
It helped more than he expected to have someone believe him without hesitation.
"Have you seen Ron?" he asked.
Hermione hesitated slightly.
"Yes. He was in the Great Hall earlier."
"And?"
Hermione sighed softly.
"He's… having trouble understanding everything."
Harry frowned.
"So he still thinks I entered myself?"
"Not exactly," Hermione replied carefully.
"Then what does he think?"
Hermione glanced toward the lake before answering.
"Harry… I think he might be jealous."
Harry stared at her.
"Jealous? Why would he be jealous?"
Hermione shrugged slightly.
"You're famous. And somehow you always end up at the center of important events."
Harry let out a frustrated laugh.
"Like I wanted this."
"I know," Hermione said patiently. "But Ron has spent most of his life feeling like he's in other people's shadows. Between his brothers and you… it's complicated."
Harry kicked a small rock into the grass.
"So he's going to throw away our friendship over something like that?"
"I don't think that's what he wants," Hermione said quietly. "I think he just needs time."
Harry wasn't convinced.
After a moment he stopped walking and turned toward her.
"I don't even want to compete in the tournament," he said. "I never entered. How can I be forced into something like this?"
Then another thought struck him.
"Hermione… do you know anything about magical contracts?"
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Not much."
Harry brightened slightly.
"But we could find out."
Hermione smiled.
"The library?"
They both said it at the same time.
Harry couldn't help laughing a little.
No matter how strange things became, Hermione always seemed to think the same way he did.
Thirty minutes later they were seated in the library surrounded by stacks of books.
Hermione had already gathered several thick volumes about magical law and historical tournaments, while Harry searched through texts discussing enchanted contracts.
Time passed slowly as they read.
After nearly two hours Hermione suddenly closed one of the books with a frustrated sigh.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered.
Harry looked up.
"What did you find?"
"Apparently most magical contracts are absolutely binding once they're activated," she said. "Which means—"
Harry finished the sentence for her.
"I'm stuck."
Hermione frowned.
"I'm still looking for loopholes."
She flipped through another book while pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Harry watched her absently.
Then a strange thought crossed his mind.
Hermione really had changed since their first year.
Back then she had been a bushy-haired know-it-all who spent all her time answering questions in class.
Now she was still brilliant… but she had grown into something else too.
Something… beautiful.
Harry blinked.
Where had that thought come from?
Just then Cho Chang entered the library and stopped near the librarian's desk.
Harry had always thought Cho was incredibly pretty.
But seeing her standing behind Hermione made him realize something unexpected.
Hermione might not have Cho's elegance, but she had her own kind of beauty.
And somehow Harry had never noticed it properly before.
"HARRY?"
Hermione's voice snapped him back to reality.
He looked down quickly at the book in his hands.
"What?"
"You were staring again," she said suspiciously.
Harry felt his face turn red.
"I was just thinking," he said quickly.
Hermione gave him a doubtful look.
"Well, I found something interesting," she said after a moment.
She turned the book toward him.
"Apparently centuries ago a champion once named someone else to compete in their place."
Harry leaned closer.
"That sounds promising."
Hermione continued reading.
Then her expression fell.
"Oh. Never mind."
"What?"
"It only works if the original champion becomes unable to compete."
Harry leaned back in his chair.
"Well… that's unfortunate."
Hermione sighed and tucked another strand of hair behind her ear.
Harry found himself staring again.
This time his gaze drifted downward.
To her lips.
And suddenly he wondered what it would feel like to kiss her.
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Thank you for reading!
See you in the next chapter ✨