The Squib and the Werewolf (book 2)

32. Triwizard Champion

Although worried at first, at having an escaped convict in the house, Remus eventually came around to the idea. And the four of them soon slipped into a new routine.
Raya was just upset that Jamie couldn't be a part of it, for he was at Hogwarts and away from the family.
Every morning when Raya woke up beside Sirius, she had to pinch herself to make sure that it was real, and she wasn't just dreaming. For she almost couldn't believe how lucky she was to have Sirius back in her life.

This happiness only lasted until October, when Sirius and Raya received a very worrying letter from Harry.
He informed them that he had somehow been picked as a 4th champion for the Triwizard tournament, which was being held that year. Despite the fact that he was too young to compete, and didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire to begin with.
This made Raya and Sirius very anxious, as they were worried about their godson's safety. They were all too aware that people had died competing in this tournament in the past.
The two of them had arranged a date and time to talk to Harry, using the floo network, hoping to ease some of his own fears and their own.

When the 22nd of November came around, Raya and Sirius were both crouched on the floor with their heads in the fireplace, waiting for Harry to appear.
"Sirius, how are you?" Asked Harry, when he saw their heads appear in the Gryffindor common room.
"Nevermind me, how are you?" Questioned Sirius.
"I'm f..." faltered Harry.
"It's O.K Harry, you don't have to lie to us, and tell us that you're fine, if you're not" Raya said softly.

Harry then blurted out all his feelings at once, and told them all the bad things that had happened to him that year, so far.
He confessed that he was angry and upset that no one believed him when he said that he didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire, not even Ron.
He also felt humiliated when Rita Skeeter published her fictitious article about him, in the Daily Prophet.
And how uncomfortable he felt now that he can't walk down a corridor without getting sneered at.

"And now, Hagrid has just shown me what the first task is going to be, and it's dragons" finished Harry.
"Dragons we can deal with. But first there are things I need to warn you about" informed Sirius.
"Sirius" hissed Raya, who didn't want Sirius to tell Harry about their fears.
"What? Surely there is nothing worse than dragons, that you need to tell me about" frowned Harry.
"There is. It's about Karkaroff" revealed Sirius.
"The headmaster of Durmstrang?" Questioned Harry.
"Yes, he used to be a death eater. He was in Azkaban with me, until he got released for ratting on his friends. I bet that the reason Dumbledore hired an ex auror like Moody, this year, was so that he could keep an eye on Karkaroff. Afterall, Moody was the one who put Karkaroff in Azkaban, all those years ago".

"Are you saying that you think Karkaroff is dangerous? And that he put my name in the Goblet of Fire?" Questioned Harry.
"I doubt it" admitted Raya.
"Don't you agree with Sirius?" Quizzed Harry.
"Not exactly. Karkaroff was a death eater, I know. And once a death eater, always a death eater. However, he betrayed a lot of people to get himself out of Azkaban. There are a large number of death eaters, who would love to get their hands on him. So, I can't see him wanting Voldemort's return, anymore than us. Which is why I don't think he put your name in the Goblet".

"Well, if it was him, then he's a pretty good actor. Because he seemed furious when my name was pulled out. And he even wanted to stop me from competing" revealed Harry.
"We all know he's a good actor. He got the Ministry to let him out of Azkaban, after claiming he had seen the error of his ways. I don't know for sure that Karkaroff put your name in the Goblet. But whoever did certainly wants you to get hurt, while making it look like an accident" replied Sirius.
"Looks like a good plan from where I'm standing. All they have to do is sit back and let the dragons kill me" mumbled Harry.

"Hey, don't talk like that" scolded Raya.
"It's true. I don't stand a chance in this competition" admitted Harry.
"You may not be as old as your competitors, but you are brave. You've defeated loads of things in the past, remember. You managed to get passed all those tasks to find the Philosopher's Stone. You beat Quirrel and Voldemort in your first year. And you destroyed him again in your second year. Not to mention all the things you did to protect us last year" replied Raya.
"I always had help from Ron and Hermione, but I have to do these challenges by myself"
"You need to have more faith in yourself. You're not an idiot Harry. You are capable of great things"
"Well, if you've got any good ideas on how to defeat a dragon, then I'm all ears".

"Right then, these dragons. Don't be tempted to use a Stunning spell, because dragons are strong, magical creatures. You would need about half a dozen qualified wizards to overcome a dragon" admitted Sirius.
"Yeah, I know, I saw" muttered Harry, glumly.
"There has to be a way though. The competition directors wouldn't have set a task that was impossible. A simple spell should do the trick..." Sirius faltered when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
"Go! There's someone coming" he finished.
As Harry stood up, Sirius and Raya pulled their heads out of the fireplace, to stop themselves from being seen, by whoever had just entered the common room.

"Merlin's beard. They are expecting him to fight a dragon. A a dragon, Sirius!" exclaimed Raya.
"You've changed your tune. You were all confident earlier" replied Sirius.
"Yes, well I had to be brave and encouraging in front of Harry" admitted Raya.
"I thought you don't lie"
"I didn't lie to him. I pointed out all the things he had succeeded in doing in the past, hoping it would give him a boost, as he looked so down trodden and lost. I also thought we would have time to tell him how to get passed the dragon, so that he would have a least a small chance of surviving, when he comes face to face with one. But since we were interupted, we didn't get time to tell him how to stop a dragon. Which means I am a lot more worried for him now, than I was before".

"I'm sure Dumbledore and the Tournament officials will intervene before anything goes wrong. They won't let Harry die" reassured Sirius.
"You have more trust in Dumbledore than I do. I learned the hard way that Dumbledore is not be trusted in life or death situations" replied Raya coldly.
"The competition is supposed to be fun, since its goal is to unify the three main wizarding schools. And after all the deaths in the past, the Ministry are taking extra precautions this time. So, Harry will be fine... But, just to be on the safe side, I'm going to head up to Hogsmeade, to support him" informed Sirius.

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Sighed Raya.
"I have loved being with you these last few months. It's been bliss. But Harry needs me right now, more than you and Sophia. He doesn't have anyone else to watch over him. Which is why I have to fulfil my role as godfather, and go up there to protect him" replied Sirius.
"And I would be a bad person and a terrible godmother, if I didn't let you go" admitted Raya.
"Which is why you won't ask me to stay, because you know this is something I have to do".

"Yes, I do... Promise me you will write to me though" said Raya.
"I promise" reassured Sirius.
"Good. Well, you had better pack some things to take with you then, to make living in a cave more comfortable, since it's too dangerous for you to return to the Shrieking Shack, as Snape knows that's where you hid last time" reminded Raya.
"Yeah, I know"
"You might as well take Buckbeak with you, to keep you company, as he's an escaped convict as well, and shouldn't really be here... Try and stay safe Sirius, because I can't lose you again"
"Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it"
"You had better be".