The Marauders and the Triwizard Tournament

The Marauders and the Triwizard Tournament

By Naycit and Celena Lupin

Chapter Five: The Tampered Choice of Champions.

Sirius woke up next morning before the rest of the Marauders did, or so he thought at first. Unable to conciliate sleep again, he put his school robes on and went down to the Common Room. It was deserted, as one would expect that early. He sat on his favourite couch and gazed dreamily at the fireplace. Somehow, the crackling flames, red in hue, reminded him of a certain redhead. He snorted when his old yearn for a quill overwhelmed him. He just couldn't bear it; he had to write that one down. He conjured himself parchment, quill, and ink and began to scribble:

You're flaming fire, blazing, aching in me.

This pain, Jewel, which you alone can heal.

He read it thrice before getting convinced that it was absolute rubbish. It was too early to gather inspiration anyway. He crumpled the parchment and threw it over his shoulder.

"Ouch!"

Startled, Sirius spun around and his heart sank to his feet.

"Why, Black, apparently you like to hurt me," Lily joked, nursing the eye where the paper had hit her. Sirius blushed deeply.

"I-I'm so sorry, Evans, I wasn't looking," he said, flustered, jumping over the couch to stand beside her.

"That's alright. Considering it is very early to be awake, I wouldn't expect to meet anyone in the Common Room either," she said, smiling.

"Yeah... I mean... it's too early," he stuttered, and made a mental note to slap himself later. He couldn't be stuttering. Not in front of her! "Why don't you go back to bed?" he blurted out after a brief pause.

"I am a Prefect," she replied with dignified expression, "I have to start my duties early and, actually, I'm getting late. Remus is going to kill me."

"Remus?" asked Sirius. So Moony got to spend time with Lily, did he?

"He's Gryffindor's Prefect too, Sirius. He, unlike that fat-headed friend of yours, earned the badge."

"I don't have a badge either," he retorted, crossing his arms.

"At least you were sensible enough not to tell the entire school that you were the next Hogwarts Prefect."

"Oh, come on, Evans. Do you really dislike us that much?" Sirius asked it without thinking. When it sank in, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"I don't dislike Remus," she began calmly. "He's studious and kind. Peter is a modest boy, but James..." She sighed." Oh, James... He is a pain in the ass."

"Well, he is, sometimes, but--"

"I'm sorry, Black, but I really need to go," she cut in.

"Oh..." Sirius felt his insides squirm. This just wasn't fair..."Sure."

They stared at each other for a split of second, but Sirius was certain that Lily had blushed.

"Well, see you then," she said, and left without further ado. Sirius waved her good-bye. Right after the portrait had sealed itself, somebody burst out laughing behind him. He scratched his head, embarrassed. Seriously, James could be a pain in the ass some times.

***

Sirius and James entered the Great Hall followed closely by Peter. The Goblet of Fire was ornamenting the central corridor, waiting for the applicants to show up. Everybody eyed the flaming device with a mixture of curiosity and amazement. The three friends directed their steps straight to the Goblet, a piece of parchment in each James's and Sirius's hands. Everybody went silent when they halted at the edge of the Age Line that Dumbledore had drawn.

"Ready, Padfoot?" James asked.

"I was born ready, Prongs," was Sirius's response.

And with that, both boys jumped into the circle. They punched the other's fist and dropped their parchments in at the same time. The Great Hall, except the Slytherins, erupted in cheers and applause. Peter seemed ecstatic as he escorted them both to their usual seats in the Gryffindor Table. As Sirius grabbed his first spoonful of porridge, James commented, "It's a pity that Moony can't compete. It would have made the wait more exciting."

"I wonder where he got to," said Peter.

"Oh, he's probably trying to convince Evans that there is no boy better for her than our Padfoot," said James mockingly.

"Shut up, Prongs," snapped Sirius, while he scanned their schedule. "We have a free period right now. What have you got, Peter?"

"Oh, I've got Care of Magical Creatures," he replied. "I wonder why you two didn't apply for that one. It's the easiest class of all."

"Yeah, so easy that you barely scrapped an A in your OWL," said Sirius. "It's such a boring subject. I would like it more if they let us see really dangerous creatures. A hippogriff at least."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Padfoot. I was getting sick of unicorns already," said James. "Anyway, good luck with Kettleburn, Wormtail. Padfoot and I have important issues that require our full attention."

"Who are you going to prank?" asked Peter in awe. "It's a bit early in the term to lose House Points."

"Don't be such a killjoy. See you, Wormtail." And with that, the Hogwarts troublemakers in chief left the Great Hall.

"What do you reckon?" asked James. "I say that we should pay the honours to Snivellus before anybody else."

"Of course, Prongs, we owe him that," said Sirius, an evil grin playing in his handsome face.

It took James and Sirius a full good ten minutes to find Snape, even with the Marauder's Map, and by the time they did, he had already left the library. "Wonderful... bloody wonderful," James mumbled as he and Sirius flopped into chairs near the big windows of the library.

"Who do you think will be picked?" Sirius asked, as he leaned his head back and looked over at his partner in crime. "Knowing our luck for the day, it will probably be someone from Slytherin... like Snape." James sat up and frowned, running a hand through his messy, brown hair.

"Who applied in the first place?" James asked.

"Hmmm... well, apart from us two, I saw this Ravenclaw, Frank Longbottom, and his girlfriend, Cole from Hufflepuff, add their names. This bloke, Robards-- yeah, that's his name-- applied since last night. I haven't seen any of the Slytherins, though."

"I heard that Snape applied, too."

"Snivellus?" Sirius shivered involuntarily. "I'd rather have Heather or Yolanda instead of him."

"True, true," James agreed. "But don't let Evans hear you saying that. She won't like it."

"Bet she won't," Sirius replied, grinning, with all intention to let Evans know... somehow.

"Do you know if some seventh years applied?" James asked after a short pause.

"I know for a fact that Andrew Banks, the Head Boy, you know..."

"That idiot?" James snapped.

"The same."

"Well, I definitely don't want him to be Hogwarts champion. He's a slime ball."

"You don't like him because he gave you detention in front of Lily for stalking her to no end," Sirius said with amusement. James scowled. "But he's Head Boy for a reason, you know?"

"Anyway, I don't want him to be champion."

"Well, there's also Janina Zabini--"

"The Slytherin slut?"

"Bet she will use other...er...tactics to win the Tournament."

"No, the Goblet will see right through her..."

"You think it will?"

They sighed at the same time after a short pause.

"Can't be easy to decide who is better than the others, don't you think?" James said at last, frowning. Sirius frowned as well and crossed his arms, and then a thought occurred to him.

"How many champions are there meant to be? I mean...what if the Goblet can't decide?"

James sat up straight away and grinned. "If it can't decide between you and me, you mean? I see your point." Sirius restrained from rolling his eyes with difficulty. "It could be us two... helping each other in secret. Wouldn't that be great?"

A mischievous grin spread on both their faces, but before Sirius could reply, the bell rang for their first lesson of the day, so the two of them grabbed their books and quickly left the library, heading straight to Charms with Professor Flitwick. As they walked, they continued their conversation.

"So the Goblet can choose more than one?"

"Don't think so," James said. "But what if there is more than one worthy candidate. It just doesn't seem fair."

"That's true. They should use a person to decide, not a random magical device."

"Random magical device?"

"If it can't decide, it's bound to choose at random."

They reached their Charms classroom and went to the back to join Remus and Peter.

"Where have you two been?" Remus asked as soon as they sat.

"Did the prank go well?" Peter questioned.

"What prank? Guys, did you go to bully Severus again?" Remus demanded severely.

"Now, now, Moony, no need to be that severe with your best mates," Sirius replied with a smile.

"It's too early in the term--"

"To be losing House Points," James finished with an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, Wormtail already said that. If you're so worried, you'll be delighted to know that we couldn't prank Snivellus, which was, indeed, our morning's main goal."

"Why not?" Peter asked.

"He slipped away, the slimy bat," Sirius replied. They fell silent after that. Flitwick was a nice teacher, but he liked to be paid attention to.

After lunch and going upstairs for double Transfiguration, the time had come for the Goblet of Fire to choose its champions. The staff table was filled with the teachers, and the students were gathered in the Great Hall, the Goblet in the front. Its flames of bright blue were causing the place to glow creepily.

The students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang entered and were seated at the back, leaving the students of Hogwarts to sit in the front and get a good clear view as Dumbledore entered with Mademoiselle Maxime and Professor O'Doherty.

Sirius and Remus, who looked very pale, sat in front of James and Peter while Lily sat with her friends not too far from them. Sirius's hands were starting to get sweaty, and James had started to tap his feet lightly. James looked down the rows of benches and saw that Lily's hands were laced together, and she looked very pale as well. He frowned slightly before returning his gaze to the Goblet. He'd never seen Evans so nervous, but it made her look cute. To his side, although he wouldn't say it out loud, Sirius was thinking exactly the same.

Dumbledore got to his feet and everyone stilled, leaning forward slightly. "Well, the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision," he declared. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the Champions' names are called, I will ask them to please come up to the top of the Great Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through that door into the next chamber." He indicated the door behind the staff table. "They will be receiving their first instructions inside."

He took out his wand and gave it a big sweeping wave. Everyone checked their watches, and someone near James mumbled, "Any second now." The flames of the Goblet suddenly turned red. Next moment, a flame shot into the air; a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it.

Dumbledore caught the piece and held it close to his face so he could read it underneath the Goblet's light, which had now turned back to blue. "The champion for Durmstrang is..." he read in a strong, clear voice. "Alexei Romanov!"

A great cheer came from the Durmstrang students, and boy with brown, messy hair, and olive-coloured eyes stood up and walked towards Dumbledore, Professor O'Doherty clapping him on the back as he passed him. He looked as surprised as Alexei himself with the Goblet's choice of champion. He shook hands with the Hogwarts Headmaster and quickly disappeared into the chamber. "Romanov," Lily whispered. The Marauders looked at her, arching eyebrows.

The Goblet began to light up and they shrugged it away. Once the Hall had gone silent again, the Goblet turned red for the second time and spat out another piece of parchment, which Dumbledore caught. "The champion for Beauxbatons is... Clarisse Bodine." The clapping and cheers were lower for Clarisse; a few girls from Beauxbatons even burst into tears. The girl, Clarisse, her long, light-brown hair flying loose behind her and blue eyes sparkling, got up and made her way to Dumbledore. She also shook hands with him and walked into the chamber to join Alexei.

Now the students of Hogwarts began to sweat and started to fidget in their seats. They were the only ones left, and it would only take one piece of parchment to give the name of the lucky-- or unlucky-- student. The Goblet went red again and the last parchment was dropped into Dumbledore's hand. "The champion for Hogwarts is... Andrew Banks!"

The Ravenclaws were so loud that the candles near the ceiling wobbled, and the Marauders couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. Lily shot them a mocking glance, especially to James.

"Well, folks, maybe next time," Remus said. Sirius shrugged and joined the clapping. James smiled stiffly and did the same. Andrew Banks, a dark-haired boy with blue eyes walked to his Headmaster, who clapped him cheerfully on the back and got into the chamber, having been congratulated by the teachers on the way. As soon as he entered, Dumbledore called for silence.

"Now that the three champions have been selected, I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster."

But everyone's attention wasn't on Dumbledore, though. The sepulchral silence that engulfed the atmosphere seemed at odds with the excitement and endless chattering he was expecting. Confused, he turned to where all the eyes were set. He started when he realised that the Goblet of Fire was flaming red... for the fourth time.

"What's happening?" Peter asked, eyeing his friends. The Marauders looked at each other, as astonished as everyone around. The red flames of the Goblet danced, creating shadows all over the students' faces and the furniture. Sirius turned to Lily questioningly. But it seemed that not even the brightest witch and known Hogwarts bookworm had an answer this time. As the red fire suddenly spat the parchment, rising to the ceiling more than it had the previous times, she couldn't help but reach for a long lock of her red hair. It was a nervous tic of hers. Dumbledore frowned slightly and took the parchment as it fell. He unfolded it and read what it contained. His eyes widened slightly, and he seemed lost for words. On the parchment was the name of someone he hadn't expected to apply, and he certainly hadn't thought he would have to call out,

"Lily Evans!"

***

Sirius and James stared at Dumbledore like he had suddenly sprouted another head. Peter had stopped chewing his chocolate éclair, and Remus had dropped his beverage and spilled it all over the front of his robes. The girl in question, however, was speechless, looking at Dumbledore in terror. Had she heard wrong? Had she had too much butterbeer for one night? Professor McGonagall was whispering in the Headmaster's ear, a look of worry in her face. Professors Maxime and O'Doherty were gaping at him. The man had a vein throbbing in his temple, something that Sirius couldn't help to notice. Lily was twitching her hands.

"Lily?" Dumbledore called. "Come here, Lily."

The Great Hall was in stony-silence. Lily turned to Heather and Yolanda, but both of them were looking away from her. Sirius thought he saw a flicker of anger in both girls' eyes. Shaking from head to foot, Lily stood and tried to walk towards the Head Table. However, as she reached the Marauders' places, she tripped and would have fallen heavily to the ground had Sirius failed to catch her in the last moment, beating James and Remus to it. She gave him a thankful smile, which he returned uneasily.

She didn't seem able to continue on her own, so Sirius escorted her to the room. He blushed when he realised that she was clinging desperately from his arm. He entered the chamber with her, and to his surprise, neither of the teachers, not even Dumbledore, complained about it.

The room was dimly lit by the crackling fire. The tall figure of Alexei Romanov was standing just beside the fireplace while petite Clarisse Bodine was sitting on the couch, her head resting on the top.

"Oh 'ello," she greeted with her French accent. "What do you want?"

"Erm..." Sirius turned to Lily uncertainly. He realised she was at the verge of puking, so he decided to do the talk.

"Well... something happened."

"Really? Do zey want us to return to the 'all?"

"Er..."

But Sirius was spared from responding, as at that precise moment, Dumbledore, McGonagall, O'Doherty, and Maxime entered the chamber. He felt Lily's grip tighten in his arm, so much that it was beginning to hurt him. Dumbledore walked straight to them and addressed Lily in a soft yet stern voice.

"Lily, you put your name in the Goblet, didn't you?"

She looked at him, terrified, before nodding slightly. Sirius decided to fondle his arm around her shoulders before it gangrened from her tight grip. He could feel her trembling. Dumbledore, however, didn't question her any longer.

"Could you three come here, too?" he politely asked to Clarisse, Alexei, and Andrew. They approached with a befuddled expression.

"Something terrible has happened tonight," he went on in a grave voice. "The Goblet of Fire has been tampered with." The three champions continued to stare.

"A few minutes ago, as I was giving a speech, the Goblet's flames turned red once again, and it shot out yet another name."

"Anozer name?" Clarisse asked, arching a perfectly pencilled eyebrow.

Dumbledore nodded gloomily. "It declared Lily here as the fourth Triwizard Champion."

Sirius wouldn't have been surprised of Lily passing out right then. Alexei, Clarisse, and Andrew, in particular, gave her an indignant look.

"Four champions? But 'ow can zat be!" Clarisse wanted to know. She had gone red in the face. "It ees outrageous! She cannot compete! Only one champion per school ees allowed!"

"How did it happen?" Alexei asked.

"Who is guilty of this?" Andrew followed, glowering at Sirius.

"Hey, we had nothing to do with this!" he spat.

"We are aware that not even you or your brilliant friends could have done any of this," Dumbledore interrupted. "Please don't start a quarrel just now. We need you all to cooperate with each other."

Fat chance... Sirius thought as he and Andrew exchanged glares. Clarisse was fuming and looking daggers at Lily.

"Now, if you please sit down, things need to be discussed."