Let's Try That Again Redux - Chapter 14

-NOTE-
Words in brackets <Speaking Another Language>
Words in Italics Speaking Another Language
Italics are used for one or two words while brackets are for conversations
-END NOTE-

Harry stood with the other Gryffindors waiting for the visitor's arrival. Ron stood beside him, the twins were behind them, pressed against his other side was Lavender, Parvati, and Hermione. Somehow the trio had managed to wiggle close to him. Katie was with Angelina and Alicia, every now and then they'd look towards him.

Everyone around was buzzing with excitement. Harry couldn't join in. The closer it got to the carriage arriving, the deep a sense of sorrow seeped into his being. He was running through ideas on how to approach Fleur, none of them seemed like they would actually work.

She was always cold when she was here last time. He could offer his cloak, but he was worried that would come off as another allure drunk idiot trying to impress her. He could approach her as a fan of dueling, but he knew how uncomfortable dealing with fans could be. Harry could let her know about Professor Flitwick and his past as a champion duelist. Considering last time through she was in talks about apprenticing with him for charms she probably already knew that.

The only thing he could think of bringing them together was the tournament.

"What is that?" Ron asked pointing to the sky.

Harry followed his motion to see the approaching carriage. He smiled at the reaction of the students around him. The ground shook as the carriage landed. Harry had to admit it was still quite an impressive entrance. He shook his head at the sudden rush of whispers as the half-giant headmistress stepped out of the lead carriage. Three lines of students followed in formation behind her. They tried to hide it, but quite a few of them shivered in the evening air.

He caught a glimpse of silver-blonde hair. Harry forced himself to look away, focusing on the other students. The group walked in a matching rhythm, much too elegant to be marching. Harry was curious to see that there were quite a few young men with them as well. He hadn't paid attention all that much last time. There were more girls, but the guys were there.

He heard Lavender and Parvati whispering about a couple of them. Harry took a quick peak over at them to see Hermione had joined in the whispering too. Lavender blushed when he looked at them. She tried to make the other two stop.

"You're free to flirt and ogle as you please, you three," Harry whispered. "I'm not going to be mad. Pretty sure we're not dating."

"I'd hope not," Parvati laughed. "Bell has been bragging all afternoon."

Harry blushed. That got the duo giggling.

"You and Katie?" Ron asked leaning closer to him.

"You'd have to ask her," Harry shrugged.

"Good on you, Harrykins," George said.

"A gentleman never tells," Fred added.

"Harry Potter, gentleman of the broom closets," George continued.

"Harry Potter, Hogwarts Heartthrob," Fred said.

Harry hid his face in his hands.

"Something's in the lake!" Someone shouted.

"Thank Merlin," Harry muttered.

The crowd turned to watch the pirate ship breech the water. Harry still had no idea how they did that. The lake was a self-contained body of water. Not only that, but there were also a couple of villages of aquatic people, and a giant squid to take into account.

"It's Krum!" Ron yelled. "That's Victor Krum!"

"Calm down, Ron," Hermione said flatly. "He's just a quidditch player."

"Just a…" Ron looked over at her. "Victor Krum is one of the youngest professional quidditch players in the world. He's broken records that have been held for years and he's still a rookie!"

"Let it go, Ron," Harry patted the ginger on the shoulder. "You know she doesn't care about Quidditch."

Ron sighed. He brightened up again after a moment.

"You got to see him play, right?" Ron asked. "Was it everything you hoped for?"

The usual jealousy was gone from his voice. Instead, there was a hopeful tone to it. Harry had to smile.

"He was ok," Harry shrugged.

Ron's eyes went wide. Harry tried to hold out as long as he could. Seeing his friend visibly blank at the words.

"He was brilliant!" Harry laughed. "I swear he knew exactly where the snitch was from the moment the game started."

"I wish I could have been there," Ron sighed. "We were going to go, but then…"

The smile on his face dropped. Harry bumped Ron with his shoulder.

"I'm living with Sirius now," Harry said softly. "He's a quidditch fanatic. I bet we could rope him into a couple of games this summer," he sighed. "Not the Cannons though. They're horrid."

"Hey!" Ron snapped as he glared at Harry.

"Harry, be nice to Ronny," Fred shook his head.

"He might have horrible taste in teams," George added.

"But he's still our little brother," They said as one.

"They're a good team!" Ron protested.

The group filed into the Great Hall. Dumbledore made his welcomes speech. The Goblet of Fire was unveiled as well as the twenty-four-hour time limit to enter. Harry sat facing away from the Ravenclaw table to avoid looking at Fleur.

"Pardon," A familiar voice that sent a shiver down his spine and a knife to his heart said.

He turned to see Fleur. She looked different than in his memories. Those from later on in his previous life and those of the past. Time travel was confusing at times. She was just so vibrant. Even without the allure, she was gorgeous.

"Are you finished with that?" She asked, motioning to the dish of food on the table.

"Go ahead," Harry said as he scooted out of the way. "A word of advice," he continued. "The house elves aren't the best at French cuisine. If you're looking for quality, you will be disappointed. They are rather adept at Italian food."

"And 'ow would I go about asking them?" Fleur raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry pulled out his wand. He tapped the table three time and waited. A moment later a house elf appeared next to him.

"Young master calls?" The house elf asked.

"Would I be able to have a dish prepared?" Harry asked.

"Of course, young master," The house elf smiled at him. "What be you liking?"

Harry looked to Fleur.

"Cacio e Pepe," Fleur said.

"Cacioi e Pepe," Harry repeated. "For her, if you please."

The house elf disappeared with a pop.

"Merci," Fleur nodded to him before returning to her table.

"How did you do that?" Ron asked.

"Hm?" Harry looked at his friend.

"You summoned a house elf," Ron waved his hand to where the elf had been.

"Hogwarts a History," Harry smiled at him. "Tap the table three times with your wand and wait. If there is an available house elf, then they will see what you need."

"Pretty sure she's a Veela," Lavender whispered.

Harry nodded. "Wouldn't be surprised."

"You aren't drooling," Lavender said. "Unlike some."

Harry looked to Ron, but he seemed fine. It was Dean and Seamus that had drunk-like smiles on their faces. He turned to Ron. The ginger wasn't even flushed.

He looked back to Lavender and shrugged. That seemed to satisfy her. She turned her attention back to the food on the table. It seemed everyone around them was rather skeptical about this new menu. The 'French' dishes were all but untouched in favor of the common selections. Even the choices that were meant to be Bulgarian were more popular.

Harry waited until those around him were distracted.

"Ron," Harry whispered.

His friend looked up at him.

"You didn't have any reaction either," Harry kept his voice low.

Ron shook his head. Now there was a slight blush on his cheeks. Considering how hard the ambient allure had hit him last time, that raised some questions.

"Have you been feeling any…different, since you had the potions and stuff cleared?" Harry asked.

Ron looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. He nodded. Judging from the multiple adjustments in Ron's attitude it looked like Molly hadn't just been dosing Arthur. Harry leaned in closer.

"Blokes not birds?" His voice was barely loud enough for Ron to hear.

Ron's eyes went wide. He stared at Harry for a long, tense moment. Ron nodded. Harry's vision went white. Molly Weasley, or whatever her name was going to be, deserved to be punished. Changing a person to that extent required multiple potions that were incredibly powerful and dangerous. Now that he thought about it, Ron's legendary appetite was a symptom of overexposure.

"Anyone gives you trouble, you let me know," Harry said.

Ron sighed. His entire body relaxed as he smiled at Harry and nodded.

"Please tell me that's why you like the Cannons," Harry grinned.

"Hey!" Ron yelled.

"Mister Weasley," Professor McGonagall snapped.

"It was my fault professor," Harry spoke up. "I insulted his team."

McGonagall shifted her glare to Harry. If there was one thing that she could understand that bridged generations, it was team loyalty.

"Five points from Gryffindor."

~§~

The next evening every single student was packed into the Great Hall. Harry had tried to keep his spirits up, or at least make it look like it, but his mind kept wandering to Fleur and Krum. Well, now that he knew Ron was into guys and so was Krum, he had toyed with the idea of trying to set the two up. He wasn't sure if that was a good idea though. Ron did seem to be better now that he was free from Molly, but he was still a huge Quidditch fan. That created a power imbalance in any relationship from the start.

Harry had made an effort to sit facing away from the other tables during meals. Luckily, the visiting students attended classes in their respective transportation. In truth, the tournament wasn't doing all that well for getting the students to mingle. Granted it had only been a day. His memory of the last time through didn't help, he had been too focused on staying alive to pay attention.

The crowd came to a hush as Dumbledore stepped up to his podium.

"The Goblet has chosen the champions!" He called.

The room erupted in cheers. A slip of paper lifted from the goblet. Dumbledore plucked it from the air.

"For Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour," Dumbledore announced.

Everyone cheered, Harry did notice that some of the French students didn't appear so happy. A couple were even crying in disappointment. Fleur stood, with her head held high she leisurely strolled to the chamber off the Great Hall. Harry had to smile at that, she appeared to be calm, cool, and collected but he could see the little skip in her step.

Another slip of paper floated up out of the goblet.

"For Durmstrang, Victor Krum," Dumbledore called.

The Bulgarian students erupted in cheers. A number of Hogwarts students did so too, just as loud. Harry smiled over at Ron who was clapping.

"For Hogwarts," Dumbledore caught the paper. He paused for dramatic effect. "Cedric Diggory."

The Hufflepuff table went nuts. Harry clapped along too. Happy to see the young man alive.

"Now that the champions have been selected there will be a weighing of the wands in one week…" Dumbledore paused as another slip of paper drifted up before him.

Harry felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore read.

The hall was silent. Harry stood; he looked up at Dumbledore.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"The goblet doesn't lie, Harry," Dumbledore shook his head sadly.

"For what school?" He asked.

"There is no school listed," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Please join the other champions in the chambers."

Harry looked back at the Gryffindor table. Utter confusion played across his face.

"This isn't right," He blinked a couple of times. "How is this possible?"

Everyone at the table stared at him, a blanket of dread covered them.

"We'll get you through this," Katie spoke up.

"Something is very wrong," Ron added.

Harry nodded. "This shouldn't happen."

He walked to the other room in a daze.

"Do we need to go back?" Cedric asked as he entered.

"My name came out of the goblet," Harry replied flatly.

"What?" Cedric rushed over to him. "How?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't go anywhere near the goblet."

Fleur studied him. Victor didn't seem to mind. Madam Maxine and Karkaroff were with Dumbledore. Both were yelling. Harry had heard the argument before. The only difference being that Snape wasn't there to add his oh-so-helpful commentary.

"Harry," Moody snapped his fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

Harry looked up. "Hm?"

"Did you put your name in the goblet?" The grizzled man asked.

"No," Harry shook his head. "I have no idea how this happened."

This didn't make sense. Barty was dead, so Moody hadn't been replaced. Voldemort was dead, so he wasn't pulling the strings. Most of the Death Eaters in the country were dead as well. At least this time it seemed like people believed him. At least some of his house was willing to trust him without the layers of auras that had been placed on him.

"You have to compete," Dumbledore sighed. "The goblet has formed a magical contract that has bound your magic. You must complete the tournament, or it will strip our magic from you."

Harry looked up at the Headmaster. The usual twinkle in his eyes flashed when their gaze met. Dumbledore hit a brick wall, but it was a two-way street. Harry glimpsed into the old man's mind for a brief moment.

Dumbledore.

Harry shouldn't have been surprised. He had made too many waves to go unnoticed. Claiming his lordship and freeing Sirius were big enough. Losing control of Lupin and the Weasleys was too much. The old bastard was going to catch on sooner or later.

"No one blames you, sir. The goblet was under your care, but whoever did this was too clever," Harry spoke through gritted teeth.

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes dimmed for a moment. Moody turned his glare to Dumbledore, as did Madam Maxine and Karkaroff. That would get them thinking.

"Right," Crouch cleared his throat. "Unusual as it is. His name came out of the goblet, he has to compete. There will be a weighing of the wands in one week. Once that is completed the champions will be excused from classes to prepare for the upcoming tasks. There will be three. One to test your courage, one to test your cunning, and one to test your resourcefulness. The Daily Prophet will be there to cover the event. Good luck champions."

Harry stood up from his spot. He wandered back to the common room in a daze. A crowd waited for him. As opposed to last time, they had pressed the tables together, and almost looked to be holding court. The quidditch team, aside from a couple, were waiting for him. Harry slumped into a chair facing the group.

"I watched every single person put their name in the goblet," Angelina said firmly. "I was even there with these two tried to sneak by with an aging potion."

The twins smiled proudly.

"You didn't enter," She stated.

"Thank you," Harry found a tightness in his throat. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"Harry," Angelina leaned across the table, taking his hand. "We've been teammates for three years now."

"It would be four if they hadn't canceled this season," Alicia snarked.

"We're with you Harry," Angelina turned back to look at him.

Harry cleared his throat. He slipped off his glasses and wiped his eyes. Those allergies Uncle Vernon had been talking about must have been contagious.

"Speaking of quidditch," Harry smiled at them. "Sirius is putting together a summer tournament to make up for missing this season."

The entire team perked up at the news.

"Only you, Harry. Only you," Angelina chuckled.

"I'm going to bed," Harry trudged up to his dorm.

He flopped onto the bed. After a couple of minutes, he realized he was still dressed. Grumbling, he stripped down to his boxers. He didn't care enough to put on his night clothes. A storm of emotions raged inside of him.

Dumbledore had entered him into the tournament. Why? Was he trying to kill him? Test him? Did the old bastard know that Riddle was dead? Harry wouldn't put it passed him to have some way to track Voldermort.

Another part of him, one much larger than he'd ever admit, was excited. Not only would he get to do the trials again, but he had a reason to talk to Fleur and Victor. There was a chance he wouldn't lose his friends. Cedric was going to survive this time. He would make sure of that.

"Shit," He muttered. "I need to tell Sirius."

Harry was asleep before the thought had taken root in his mind.

~§~

The next morning Harry went downstairs to find McGonagall waiting in the common room.

"Come along, Mister Potter," She left, not waiting to see if he would follow.

She led him down a few corridors that were only used as shortcuts. A moment later he found her waiting at the doorway to a classroom that hadn't been used in years. Harry stepped in to find Sirius, Moody, and Professor Flitwick.

Oddly enough, she didn't follow him in.

"Something to tell me, pup?" Sirius sighed.

"I meant to let you know last night," Harry gave him a shy smile. "I fell asleep before I could."

"Someone is trying to kill you," Moody cut in.

"That happens a lot," Harry sighed.

"Enough cheek," Moody snapped. "We don't have much time to get you trained. I'll handle the defensive bit, Filius will be teaching you advanced dueling, and Sirius…" The old auror looked at the man. "I don't know what he's going to be doing."

"I've got my own bag of tricks," Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at the old man.

"Thank you," Harry looked from each one. "I'm not supposed to get help."

"You're not allowed help from your school," Professor Flitwick corrected. "You were not listed with a school; therefore, we are not breaking the contract to train you. Technically, in that sense, you're not a student of Hogwarts during this tournament."

"I appreciate it, thank you," Harry gave a firm smile. "What about Professor McGonagall?"

"She can't," Moody growled. "As Deputy Headmistress she is contractually bound to support and enforce the orders laid out by the Headmaster."

"That explains a lot," Harry said slowly.

"We will get a schedule arranged for you in the coming days," Moody continued. "You're free to skip your classes. I'd suggest spending time in the library. I'll be teaching you more advanced techniques than the ones in class."

"As will I," Flitwick added. "Though I would prefer you attend my class as well. Charms are much more than just dueling."

He turned to look at Sirius.

"I bought a flat in Hogsmeade," His godfather explained. "Can't miss it, black and white brick building in the newer side of town. Come visit when you'd like."

Harry nodded. Hogsmeade was split into a few different districts, even though it was a small town. There was the founding area with older buildings that were made from thick cut stone and aged wooden supports. The roofs were tightly packed thatch that had been enchanted many times over the years. A half-circle around that was an area of housing mostly made of wood and stone. The magic that went into constructing the houses meant that updating them wasn't that big of an issue. They didn't have to worry about adjusting for electricity or new utility lines either. It wasn't until the commercial park of town that the buildings were a bit more modern. Tightly packed brick buildings, almost like they had been cut out from a city and plopped down in Hogsmeade, marked newer apartments, housing, and businesses. Zonko's had a nice corner store that was a smaller version of the shop in Diagon Alley. In the future, the future that was, Fred and George had bought out the space for their shop.

"I'm sure having a contingent of gorgeous French witches nearby had nothing to do with it," Harry shook his head.

"Harry," Sirius gasped dramatically. "Why would you think so little of me?"

Harry shot him a flat look.

"Durmstrang has quite a few ladies with them as well," Sirius chuckled.

"Enough of that," Moody snapped, but his tone lacked any real bite. "Let's get to breakfast and we can work out this schedule."

"Sounds good to me," Sirius clapped his hands. "Sneaking out of the castle to get to Hogsmeade. Brings back memories."

He shifted seamlessly into Padfoot before sauntering over to the door. Harry scratched the top of his head as the dog passed by. Padfoot gave him a goofy doggy grin. Harry opened the door. McGonagall was nowhere in sight. It was yet another thing that made him despise Dumbledore. Overlooking the multitude of injustices through the years would have been torture for her.

Harry was going to enjoy taking the old bastard down. He just needed to figure out how.

The noise in the Great Hall dropped noticeably when he entered. Harry sighed. At least they were glaring at him this time.

"Harry!" Cedric called out to him.

His eyes snapped to the young man.

"Come join us!" Cedric waved him over.

It wasn't until he got closer that he realized Cedric had gathered the two champions with him. They sat toward the front of the Hufflepuff table with just a bit of space between them and the rest of the students. Krum served as a barrier between Fleur and the rest of the students.

"Thank you," Harry gave Cedric a genuine smile. "How did you sleep?"

"I was too excited," Cedric beamed. "I think I passed out around three in the morning."

Krum nodded. "My English not so good. Hear yes, no speak good."

"Got it," Harry gave him a friendly smile. "What about you, Fleur?"

The young woman studied him for a moment. He could feel the constant allure that she exuded. It was something she had to continuously keep in check, like keeping something tightly in her grip through every waking moment.

Harry looked at Cedric. The Hufflepuff was slightly dazed around her but seemed to get himself under control. Still, it looked like a struggle. Krum didn't seem to have any problem being around her. Fleur seemed to sense this, but not in the way that she did with Harry. The urge to ask her about how Veela interacted with gay men was a hard one to deny.

"I wrote a letter to my sister," Fleur admitted after a moment.

"You have a sister?" Harry asked. "Older or younger?"

Fleur seemed shocked that he was talking instead of drooling over her.

"Younger," She replied.

<Do you mind if I practice my French with you?> Harry asked slipping into her native language.

<No> She smiled at him. <Are you still learning? Your accent isn't bad at all.>

<Thank you> Harry replied with a smile of his own. <I had a good teacher.>

<You didn't enter your name> Fleur said it as fact.

<No> Harry shook his head. <Someone is trying to kill me. It happens.>

<It happens?> Fleur asked.

Harry thought for a moment. No one had tried to kill him last year, aside from the dementors. He couldn't blame them since they were little more than creatures. It still counted though.

<Three since I've been in school. Once when I was a baby> He counted them off on his fingers.

Fleur stared at him. <The world knows of The Boy Who Lived. I did not realize it was a title that had been tested further.>

Harry chuckled.

"What do you think the tasks will be?" Cedric asked. "No fair cutting out the champions who don't speak French."

<My French is better than my English> Krum gave them a rare smile.

Cedric sighed before the four of them began to laugh.

"Did you have an idea?" Harry asked Cedric.

"Courage, cunning, and resourcefulness," He repeated. "Cunning sounds like a puzzle. Courage could be anything. Same with resourcefulness."

"They could drop us in the wilderness, and we have to make it back to safety," Harry offered. "For resourcefulness."

"The people watch that 'ow?" Fleur countered.

"No clue," Harry shrugged.

"Face down angry mother for courage," Krum added. "Enough broom! Do homework!"

The group burst into laughter.

"I got to see you play in the World Cup," Cedric said.

Krum titled his head to the side. "Play Quidditch?"

"Seeker," Cedric replied. "Harry too. I'm not too shabby, but Potter here is a terror on a broom."

Krum looked between the two. He turned his attention to Fleur.

"Non," She shook her head. "I am a duelist."

"One of the best in her bracket," Harry added.

The other three turned to look at him.

"What?" Harry blushed. "I can follow Quidditch and dueling. Victor is the youngest professional Seeker in years. Professional duelists clubs are frothing at the mouth to get Fleur's attention. Last but not least, Cedric here is an enchanting prodigy."

"Wow," Cedric sat back.

"Da," Krum nodded.

Fleur gave him an appraising look.

"Have you spoken with Professor Flitwick?" Harry asked her. "He's a former world champion."

"Merci, Monsieur Potter," Fleur replied.

"I'm sorry," Harry blushed. "That was forward of me. I apologize, Miss Delacour."

~§~

Professor Slughorn was over the moon that Harry and Cedric were both in his class. Not in the same year, but still. The man was practically vibrating with anticipation. There were so many people that he tried to name-drop when either were in earshot.

Harry would have thought it was funny if it wasn't directed at him. He was certain he could get Slughorn to tell him every task if he asked casually. The professor was amazing at networking, this year was just too much for the older man to keep up. With the visiting staff and students to meet, not to mention the various reporters popping up, he was a kid in a candy store.

Luckily, the Weighing of the Wands was during his potions class. Otherwise, Harry was certain that Slughorn would have stopped mid-lesson to schmooze. The professor was eager to let him go, in fact, it seemed like he wanted to follow Harry to the event. Slughorn just couldn't help it.

Rita Skeeter was waiting in the tent when Harry got there. She wore a shimmering green dress-robe that hugged her curves nicely and her glasses looked to quite expensive. Unlike last time, she had a confident looking photographer who didn't leer constantly at Fleur. There was also a younger woman who hovered nearby that Harry took to be her assistant.

She smiled and gave him a little nod when she saw him. The introductions were the same as last time, as well as the weighing. Harry was pleasantly surprised when Rita sat down with each champion for an interview. There was a smaller tent nearby setup especially for her.

When it was Harry's turn, he found that her assistant and the photographer were not with Rita. There was an intricately designed quill that hovered over a piece of parchment. It was a big step up from the Quick-Quill she had used in the past.

"Mister Potter," She gave a sultry look. "Please, take a seat."

"Thank you, Miss Skeeter," Harry inclined his head.

"Call me Rita," The woman winked at him. "Thanks to your tips I'm a real reporter these days."

"I've noticed," Harry smiled at her. "Isn't covering the tournament a bit beneath you now?"

Rita scrunched up her nose for a moment. "A little, but then how would I get to see you?"

"I hope that quill hasn't started taking notes yet," Harry gave her his best charming, crooked smile.

"Command activated Dicto-Quill," Rita practically purred. "It won't start until I tell it. Naturally, I'll have you look over the interview before it's published."

"I'm impressed," Harry said.

"Harry," She pouted. "I thought you'd forgotten about me. It's been months since we last spoke and you have not sent a single letter."

"My apologies, Rita," Harry placed a hand on hers. "That was not my intention. How could I make it up to you?"

"Exclusive interview rights," Rita replied quickly.

"Done," He smiled at her. "And here I thought you'd ask for a mistress contract."

Rita gasped in faux shock. "Mister Potter."

A Mistress Contract was basically an NDA blended with concrete terms to take care of certain needs. They could easily be dissolved, but there were usually conditions for the topics that could be discussed thereafter.

"Miss Skeeter," Harry swirled his fingertips along the back of her hand.

"Another time," She straightened up in her seat. "I am here on assignment."

Harry adjusted his posture as well. "I enjoy this professional side of you."

"Behave," Rita giggled. She cleared her throat, slipping into her serious voice. "Introduction. Tri-Wizard Tournament. Fourth Interview. Rita Skeeter. Please state your name."

"Harry James Potter," He supplied.

"Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Lord Potter," Rita said.

"Please, call me Harry," He gave her a polite smile.

"Harry," She smiled in return. "There is quite a stir about you being named a champion. Dumbledore himself set the protections. How did you enter?"

"I didn't," Harry replied. "As you said, Headmaster Dumbledore set the protections himself. I'm a decent student, but I don't have that much skill. Plus, I had no desire to enter the tournament in the first place."

"Oh?" Rita asked. "You didn't want a shot at glory and riches?"

"No," Harry laughed. "I was looking forward to cheering on Cedric."

"Cedric Diggory, the other Hogwarts Champion," Rita clarified.

"THE Hogwarts Champion," Harry made sure to speak that line clearly. "When my name came out it wasn't attached to any school."

"Interesting," Rita's eyes flashed. "Are you excited for the upcoming tasks?"

"My goal is to make it out alive," Harry chuckled.

"Come now," Rita cooed. "You aren't the least bit interested in competing?"

"I'll do my best to stay alive, but the only competition I was interested in this year was the Quidditch House Cup," Harry replied. "That's not an option this year."

"Oh?" Rita asked. "Could you expand on that?"

"Sure," Harry leaned forward. "Each of the four houses have a Quidditch team. Players run from second to seventh years. We usually play in a tournament for the House Cup. Scouts for professional teams usually show up to check out any upcoming talent. They don't have that chance this year."

"That sounds rough," Rita didn't seem all that worried.

"My godfather and I are Quidditch fans," Harry continued. "He came up with the idea for a summer tournament to make up for this year. It gives the graduates a chance at getting picked up by a team."

"I'll pass that along to my colleagues in the sports section," Rita chuckled. "Is there anything you would like to add about the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"

"I fully support the other champions. They were chosen to represent their schools. My name coming out was just a continuation of the string of incidents I've had here at Hogwarts," Harry added.

"Thank you, Harry. I appreciate you taking time for this interview," She paused. "Script End."

"Is that it?" Harry asked.

"For now, yes," She answered. "I'll have my assistant send you a copy before it prints."

Harry stood. He held out his hand to help her up. Once Rita was on her feet, he pulled her close to him.

"Are you busy this Friday night?" Harry asked.

"I can clear my schedule," Rita purred.

"Join me for dinner?" He asked. "There's a little place in Hogsmeade that I'd love to take you."

"Consider it a date," Rita replied. "I'll send you an owl in the morning."

"Wear something that's simple to take off," Harry whispered as he kissed her on the cheek.