If Only//Harry Potter [4]

7

Students ran into the Great Hall with parchment in their hands in a hurry. Autumn watched as the student would put their name into the Goblet of Fire. Cheers erupted whenever the fire grew from the parchment.

Autumn felt a blush arise when Cedric Diggory waltz in, his friends pushing him towards the goblet.

"Do it, Cedric. Come on, Cedric. Put it in!" His friends called out as Cedric waited around the Goblet of Fire. Autumn stood up from her seat subconsciously and looked at Cedric.

Was he actually going to do this? Risk his life for eternal glory?

Cedric looked over at Autumn and winked. Autumn smiled in return, but kept eyeing him just to make sure he was going to do this.

And so, he did. Cedric dropped his name into the Goblet of Fire and walked back out with his friends.

Autumn felt a nudge from the girl sitting next to her. "Am I hallucinating or did Cedric wink at you." 

Autumn grinned. "It wouldn't be the first time you've hallucinated then."

Hermione closed her book in a rush and looked at Autumn. "No way."

"Yes way." Autumn said. "When we were in the Hogwarts Express, he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him."

Hermione frowned. "Wait, you don't have your paper signed, do you?"

"I actually did. Miss Clementine actually signed it!" Autumn squealed. "I set the paper out and she thought I was someone else so she signed it!"

Hermione furrowed her eyes. "What's that on your face?"

Autumn widened her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"That scratch on your face, where did you get that? And is that makeup?"

Autumn laughed awkwardly. "What? Makeup? I don't. . . Where would I? . . . I—"

The bursting of the doors saved Autumn from having to lie to Hermione. The Weasley twins ran in the Great Hall, cheering. Everyone else clapped and cheered along with them. The red-headed boys walked around cheerfully with a potion in their hands.

"Well, lads, we've done it." George said, calling out to everyone in the Great Hall.

"Cooked it up just this morning." Fred smiled.

"It's not going to work." Hermione said in a sing-song way. Autumn knew she was right.

The twins walked over to Hermione and Autumn and sat down.

"Oh, yeah?" Fred challenged.

"And why is that, Granger?" George asked. 

"You see this? This is an Age Line. Dumbledore drew it himself." 

"So?"

"So," Hermione scoffed. "A genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by a dodge as pathetically dimwitted as an Aging Potion."

"But that's why it's so brilliant." Fred stated.

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted." George explained.

The two stood on a bench and shook their potions.

"Ready, Fred?"

"Ready, George."

The two shook their potions then drank it.

"Bottoms up." They said at the same time.

Once they drank it, they jumped past the Age Line. Nothing happened.

Autumn smirked to herself. The Age Line must really just be superstitious. The real age line must be the Goblet.

The twins cheered and held their hands up high. They grabbed their parchment with their names on it and threw it in the blue fire.

Almost as soon as they had thrown it in, the fire had spit it back out, hurling Fred and George with it. Then, the aging potion began to take affect, seeing as the usual bright orange hair of theirs was turning white and they were growing beards.

"You said—"

"You said—"

The two wrestled each other to the ground — which was quite amusing, considering they looked almost a hundred years old.

A crowd grew around them and they chanted 'fight' while they laughed.

Then, the room got quiet as Viktor Krum walked into the room, holding a piece of parchment. He walked into the Age Line and dropped his name into the fire. He looked at Hermione and gave a small smile. 

She smiled back.

>>>

Autumn found herself and the rest of the students, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrangs in the Great Hall. Since there was only enough seats for the original Hogwarts students, some students had to sit on the floor. 

Autumn was stood up though, talking to her friends until Dumbledore walked to the front and spoke.

"Sit down. Please. Now the moment you've all been waiting for: The champion selection." Dumbledore moved his hand across the room, reducing the fire from the pots hanging from the walls to make it dimmer. Then, he moved both of his hands to the Goblet, and touched it delicately. Dumbledore moved his hand back to him, and the blue fire from the Goblet turned red.

Students stared in awe as a piece of parchment flew from the red flames, the flames turning to its original blue after.

"The Durmstrang champion is. . .Viktor Krum."

The Durmstrangs cheered for Viktor, and Viktor cheered as well. He stood up and walked to Dumbledore. They shook hands. Dumbledore motioned him to walk to the front of the Great Hall, so he did.

The fire turned red again, and another name flew out.

"The champion for Beauxbatons. . . . . .is Fleur Delacour." 

The Beauxbatons cheered and Fleur elegantly walked up to shake Dumbledore's hand and join Krum.

The fire turned red and the last champion was chosen.

"The Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory!"

Cedric, who got the loudest applause, walked up to Dumbledore and smiled at Autumn. Hermione elbowed Autumn, only causing her to smile more.

"Excellent! We now have our three champions.But in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions this vessel of victory. . .the Triwizard Cup!" Dumbledore pointed to a chalice that was behind him and everyone gaped at it.

But Autumn wasn't focused on the trophy. She stared at the Goblet of Fire, seeing as it went berserk. The usual calm blue flames were now moving in a crazy manner. The fire turned red again and another name popped out.

Dumbledore caught it and his eyes widened. "Harry Potter. . ."

Autumn widened her eyes and looked at Harry.

"Harry Potter?"

Harry hid himself behind Autumn, trying to not be found.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore yelled out.

Autumn urged Harry to go, seeing as he had no choice now. "Go on Harry, it'll be okay."

"He's a cheat!" A student called out.

"He's not even 17 yet!" Another student yelled.

Harry disappeared behind the doorway, sealing his fate as a Triwizard champion.