Courage

-50-

Book: Courage
Chapter 50
Word Count: 4083

There was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry as he sat, frozen, in his seat. Layla was just as frozen as Harry was, her eyes wide in disbelief. There was no way that Harry put his name in. Right?

Up at the top table, Professor McGonagall had got to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Professor Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Professor Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly.

Harry turned to Ron, Layla, and Hermione.

"I didn't put my name in," he said. "You know I didn't."

All three of them stared blankly back. Layla didn't know what to say.

At the top table, Professor Dumbledore had straightened up, nodding to Professor McGonagall.

"Harry Potter!" he called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

"Go on," Hermione whispered, giving Harry a slight push.

Harry got to his feet and set off up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. The buzzing grew louder and louder as Dumbledore whispered something to Harry, who then disappeared through the door out of the Great Hall.

Just as Harry left the room, the Gryffindor table erupted into cheers. However, Ron, Layla, and Hermione didn't join in. They were all too in shock.

When the cheers died down, Dumbledore got up again. Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime were both glaring at him.

"Can all students return to their dorms," Dumbledore said, "as quickly as possible."

There was the normal deafening scraping noise, and Layla spotted most of the professors run into the side chamber that Harry had just disappeared into.

Layla found it impossible to get to sleep that night. For one thing, the rest of the Gryffindors were holding a party downstairs, and nobody seemed to want to stop. For another, she had too much on her mind. Surely Harry would be forbidden from playing. He was fourteen.

The next morning, Layla was woken up by Hermione shaking her awake, telling her that breakfast was almost over. Layla, of course, was exhausted after the little sleep she had as she headed down to breakfast with Hermione.

Ron came downstairs to breakfast by himself, which surprised Layla. What surprised her more was how surly and moody Ron looked. He sat down opposite the two girls and sighed.

"Harry and I argued last night."

"What?" cried Hermione.

"You can't think he put his name in the Goblet, do you?" said Layla, but she received no response from Ron. He just rested his elbows on the table and put his head in his hands.

"Why is it always Harry?" he said after a while.

"Sorry?" said Layla, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived," said Ron, avoiding the eye contact of both girls across from him. "Harry Potter, saviour of the Philosopher's Stone. Harry Potter, vanquisher of the Chamber of Secrets monster. Harry Potter, Quidditch Star. And now Harry Potter, Triwizard Champion. What am I? Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best mate."

"Don't talk rubbish," said Hermione. "You're lots of things. You're much better than Harry at—"

"Exactly. You can't finish that sentence," Ron interrupted. "I mean, you guys are fine. Hermione Granger, top in every class and brightest witch of our age. Layla Lupin, also Quidditch Star, dating one of the most popular and attractive boys in all of Hogwarts, and daughter of a werewolf."